Welcome to Indiana.....

Where do I begin? How about life has been a whirlwind....and we have a daughter with not one, but two broken legs! A complete freak accident that involved a shopping cart and the pavement in Lowe's parking lot....a trip our family will never forget.

I will clarify...because I am sure you are curious. We had just stopped at Lowe's to pick up a couple of things. Lauren was in the cart sitting safely in the part where she is supposed to. Upon entering the parking lot, Noah and Nate got on the cart as well, (picture them between Jared's arms facing Lauren as he pushed the cart.) I was pushing Luke in a cart behind them.

This is something we do every week, (we always shop together as a family)...however, normally we have a heavy cart full of groceries. This day the cart had very little weight in the front, so when the boys got on and Jared took a couple of steps, the cart basically popped a wheelie....everyone hit the pavement....and poor Lauren as well and she never fell out of the cart but landed on her legs which were pinned under the cart. (This is difficult for me to write...so I will stop there...I am sure you get the picture.)

We rushed her to the emergency room. (Both of her tibias were broken...the larger of the two bones below the knee.) Nothing can describe how awful we all felt for our Lauren. Seeing her in so much pain was gut wrenching, but our gracious God got her through the initial trauma, she was put in casts the next morning, and God is continuing  to give her strength to endure the next 4 to 6 weeks.

So now we have a little gal with bright pink casts on each leg. 

This happened last Wednesday and we are still getting used to this new way of life, (at least for the next month or so.)  Lauren really has been a trooper despite everything that this injury entails.  My Mom drove out here and will be staying with us this week....I love my Mom!

We are still unpacking of course. We absolutely love the house and neighborhood. And have been abundantly blessed with a wonderful church family who have already reached out to our family helping us through this difficult time...more about that later. All I will say is how blessed we are to be here.....despite the unfortunate circumstances our family is going through. 

Oh, and Jared started his new job today. I have so much in life to blog about, but I have to get this house in order. I will be sharing cute photos of my lovies in the near future....got to get back to blogging...it's good for my soul!

Please pray for my sweet girl and our family as we get settled. 

Peace and Blessings to you all.

We're Home......

Well...we did it...we bought a house! The closing was yesterday and went ultra smooth....thank you Lord.  Our family has felt your  prayers  through this transition...we appreciate each and everyone one of you.

Our lovies absolutely love the house. I was praying that it would feel like home....and after seeing them explore their new surroundings....it already feels like home. Remember...this is the first time even I have seen the house, (other than in photos.) My hub did a great job picking out a house for our family.

A bit of a change going from a dirt road to a neighborhood...however, I love the area and have got a really good first impression. Everyone seems so friendly...which feels comforting. Something...or should I say someone else who is making this transition comforting is having my mom with us....thank you Mom.

Right now we are staying in a hotel...a bit of a glitch with the moving company. They picked our stuff up in NH on Mon. the 1st....we were hoping to have it by today....however it looks as if they will not be arriving until this Monday....God's providence. We decided since we have time now, that it would be wise to paint all 4 bedrooms. It is an older home and needs a bit of TLC...so fun to put our own touches into our house.

More photos later, as it is a bit of a whirlwind right now.... in a good but exhausting way.

Of course Noah wanted to do the honor of being the first to turn the key to our new home...from there they ran through the house exploring....I expected nothing less than that from my lovies!

Amazing.....

Our 4 little lovies and I were overjoyed this afternoon when their Daddy pulled into the driveway of the home where I grew up. We have been here in PA visiting family, while Jared was finishing packing and tying up loose ends in NH. He has been away for over a week...the longest he and I have ever been apart, (we have been together since we were just 16 yrs. old.) We missed him so much.

We will be heading to our new home in Indiana on Wednesday. Life is about to become a whirlwind...we are all super excited for this new chapter in our lives to begin.  I have missed blogging this past week and hope to get back into the groove soon.  I have been journaling like crazy since we've arrived...such a great outlet for me to release all of my thoughts that are swimming around in my head.

I hope to post some photos tomorrow of our time here in PA. But before I say good night...please enjoy this breathtaking photo Jared was able to capture yesterday morning at the farmhouse. This was a beautiful blessing to have witnessed such a sight. I just can't stop looking at it...I wish I was there to see it in person, as Jared said it was absolutely amazing.....however, I think he did a pretty good job capturing the beauty of the moment.

Good-Bye.....

 In just a couple of hours we will be leaving our home in New Hampshire, we'll be stopping for a visit with family, then headed to our new home in the Mid West. 

So much to miss here....but so much that our family is looking forward to.

Many wonderful memories have been made while we lived our lives in this absolutely beautiful area of our country....and I am so thankful to have captured a good part of them.

We would genuinely appreciate if you would be so kind as to keep our family in your prayers through this transition....for safety in travels, for the closing on our home to go smoothly,  for Jared and I to not be overwhelmed in the midst of all that is going on, and for our lovies to love their new home. 

We thank God for His continual provision for our family and hope to honor and glorify Him in this new chapter of our lives.

Saying Goodbye to My Sisters....

Dear Sisters,

Five and a half years ago I arrived in New England with my husband, two year old son and three month old baby boy.  I knew not a soul. I was many miles from home and terribly homesick. I was loving life with my hub and two little ones....but I missed my family more than words could describe. 

By God's amazing providential plan I met each of you...one by one...and one by one my life was blessed by each of you. God met me where I was and fulfilled a need in me, a need that wasn't realized until the friendships with each of you bloomed.

Among my sisterhood include a beautiful array of  loveliness that encapsulate biblical womanhood....some further on their journey than others...but none the less all traveling on this road. I am overflowing with nuggets of wisdom that I have gleaned from you and your love for our LORD, through the way in which you serve your husbands, your children and others around you.

I pray that a piece of each of you is woven into the threads that make up who I am as a woman. I have been blessed beyond measure with the love that each of you has shown to my family in all of the graceful acts of service.

Thank you for laughing with me...for crying with me...for praying with and for me...for encouraging me...for directing me into God's Word...for loving me.

All of you have cradled my newborns in your arms and have loved on all of my lovies as they have grown.....and I thank you deeply for showing your affection....for loving my four precious little people.

My heart aches as I say good-bye. I will miss you and your sweet families....all of the smiling faces of your children that I will not be able to see grow up.  

I will pray for all of you and your families and I truly hope to keep in touch over the years. Our God is an amazing and faithful God and as I say good-bye to all of my beautiful sisters in Christ here in New England....I eagerly await the moment that I will meet other beautiful sisters on this journey God has me on.

I Love You.

Love,

        Lisa

Enjoying the "Lasts".....

 With less than two weeks remaining here in New England, I can't help but be aware of all of the "lasts", that we as a family are experiencing....

There is going to be the last time we visit our favorite park...the last view of Sunday Mountain from our front porch...the last time the kids get to play in the yard here...the last swim in the pond...the last dinner we will have with friends who are like family to us...the last Sunday we will worship at our church...the last walk we will take on our lane...and the last night in the farmhouse.

If I ponder too much about all of these "lasts", then I get caught up in the whole sadness of saying goodbye to our lives here in this beautiful area of our country. But....by God's grace, I really am looking forward to living our lives in Indiana...a whole new chapter for us....a whole new set of "firsts."

The first friends my lovies meet...the first park we play at...the first day of playing in our  back yard...the first time they ride their bikes around our new neighborhood...the first time we worship at our new church...the first dinner we have with brothers and sisters in Christ we will meet...and the first night in our new house.

Yes...I am realistic...it is going to be very sad the day we leave, but I am so thankful for this attitude that God has placed in my heart. I am hoping that our lovies will transition well to their new surroundings...it is wonderful to see them so excited.

The following photos are from our last fourth of July in New England.   It was just the six of us celebrating the holiday...a very special day for our family.

Our four little lovies stood safely on the front porch while Daddy shot off bottle rockets.  He opted against shooting off his own fireworks like he did last year...which made me a happy mama.

They were a hootin' and a hollerin' with each one. It was so funny to watch their reactions. I was thinking..."if they're excited now, I can't wait to see what they're like with the big ones we're going to see!"

After the awesome fireworks display by my hubs, (thanks Babe), he showed off his grill master skills. 

We enjoyed dinner outside on the porch and then headed out to a golf course just a few minutes away for the big show.  Of course the minute we arrived, they ran around and around as if we had kept them in a cage the whole day....Jared and I just sat there and laughed.

Of course we stopped on the way for some ice cream to enjoy. This little lady loves her ice cream...after she is done with hers, she is always mooching off of everyone else...and how in the world could we ever say no to that face....I mean seriously!

 Noah was keeping tabs on Luke while they ran around. It's so fun to watch this little guy try to keep up with the big boys.

 Just a little bit of brother lovin' going on here. I hope to do a post on Noah and Nate's relationship someday...it is actually quite fascinating to Jared and I.

 There just may be a cutie in pigtails who loves her big brother....but I have no idea why I would possibly think that!

I love this profile of Noah...although I do feel a bit guilty that I have let his hair get this fluffy...until he gets a haircut, Jared has nicknamed him, "Fluffhead."

And....four sweet faces that I love more than words can describe.

They all loved the fireworks. It was quite a sight...even Luke stayed awake and really enjoyed them. As we were all snuggled in around the blanket, Jared looked over at me, reminding me that this was our last fourth of July here...and I just smiled at him, knowing how he felt. I am just so grateful for all of these wonderful memories of our life here together.

Happy Times......

We have been in PA since last week....and I have 4 very happy lovies. They always have such a great time while we're here.  Always happy times at Pap Pap and Grandma's!

I have lots of photos to share in some upcoming posts of my lovies spending time with family.  We are leaving to head back to NH in a couple of days...and once again did not get to visit everyone we wish we could have. On a good note....we'll be back some time this summer.

I just wanted to give some updates on our house hunting adventures.  

Jared basically dropped the kids and I off here in PA and headed out to Indiana....solo.... to find a house for our family. 

Our pastor and his lovely wife, opened their home to Jared where he  stayed for a couple of days. (We have already found a church in Indiana where we will worship...some of you may have questions on how we found a church without actually visiting the church ....I will give an answer to that in an upcoming post...all I will say for now is that God is so amazing in His provision.)

Well...he found a house and we put in an offer. Right now we are in the negotiation process....it seems to be going much smoother than the previous house we had an offer on, which did not work out, (looking back it really was a blessing that we did not enter into a contract for that particular property.) We are just hoping and praying that everything works out with this time around.

It would be a great home for our family. I will give more details once we close and of course will share photos.  It will be interesting if we are blessed with this house...I have only seen photos and video...I haven't actually been there. But Jared is confident that I will love it...and I trust my hub.

In the meantime, after we arrive back in New Hampshire we will be packing, packing, packing....and when we are not packing we will be trying to spend some time with our dear friends as much as we are able...trying to soak up what ever time we have left with them.....this is very difficult for me to write about....the whole saying good bye bit....the thoughts of it hurt.

On a lighter note, here is a photo of my one year old....with a big ol' smile on his face. I am seeing lots of smiles while we are here with family. It is so wonderful to be able to share my lovies...and not just through a photo.

And yes...I am well aware that Luke is in need of his first haircut. I just got over him turning one...I am trying to pace myself with all of the other big boy stuff!

If you were wondering......

It has been a little while since I have blogged....lots going on right now. 

We made it to PA early Wednesday morning last week....all of my lovies were so excited and smiling ear to ear when they saw Grandma and Pap Pap....it took Luke only moments to warm up, (total mama's boy.)

After a couple of days to recoup from our drive from New England we set out for the Midwest early Friday morning and spent the weekend in Indiana....House Hunting! 

It was a great weekend and a wonderful first visit to the place that we are going to be calling "home" very very soon. 

We had lots of family that went with us to help with the house hunting process and also helping out with all of our kiddos. We are so blessed with such a supportive family!

And yes....we found a house! The offer is in....just waiting to hear back from the realtor , should be very soon.  Jared and I having been praying....wisdom and guidance have been high on our list. 

As of right now we are hanging out here in PA spending time with the fam and enjoying every moment. The kids are having an absolute blast....I love watching them with all of their cousins.

And if you were wondering what my youngest has been up to...check out the photo. This little man is walking everywhere....he is a full fledged Toddler......sigh.

I will kindly keep all of you who are interested updated on the outcome of our house situation. We found a place that we absolutely love and are hopeful that we will be able to raise our family there.....God willing.

Thank you so much for your prayers....we are feeling them.