This week we had chicken parmesan, pulled pork sandwiches, grilled salmon, steak, barbecue chicken, and taco chili. Half of those were crock pot dishes, and I must say I love my crock pot. Love. The sides end up being the most labor-intensive, but since I decided to try some fun and new sides, I really enjoyed preparing those. A favorite of mine was the roasted red potatoes with rosemary and feta cheese. Still craving those.

I’m also loving how pinterest is aiding me in this whole process. I’ve discovered that when something seems like a chore, finding a way to make it enjoyable goes a long way. Meal planning went from being a chore to being a hobby for me! I’m hoping to keep up the momentum.

Here’s a new favorite side dish. Rick adores it. I got the recipe from my sister, who I think got it from her sister-in-law, but I’ve made a couple changes according to our likes. We love green onions and bacon sprinkled on top of the goodness. And if you’re curious about what that goodness is, it’s a lovely combination of potatoes, milk, sour cream, butter, cheddar cheese, and cream of mushroom soup.

I have lots of ideas on how to perfect my meal planning system, but I feel like I’m on the right track to start really making good meals for my family every night! This may not be exciting to some, but for me, it’s been a struggle. I’m happy to know that there’s a way for me to do this and enjoy it at the same time.

10. The hardwood floors. I think they’re practical for kids, and have timeless beauty. And they look clean longer than carpet, in my opinion.
9. The large windows in the living area. They let so much light in, and I have a great view of the park from the front living room.
8. The layout. Even though there are a couple things I would change if I could, overall, I’m happy with how the rooms are set up. The living rooms are open and spacious, the dining room opens right up to the kitchen, and the two main floor bedrooms are conveniently on either side of the bathroom.
7. The big ol’ backyard. There’s so much room to stretch out and just run around and play with the kids. And there’s lots of landscaping potential.
6. The architecture. It’s old-fashioned, unique, and beautiful. It gives our house some character, and makes it so much more interesting than boring rectangular rooms that you might have in a newer model.
5. The size. It’s not too big or too small even for a growing family. I never feel cramped, nor do I feel lost in too much space.
4. The location. It’s right across the street from a great park, complete with a sprinkler park, playground, swings, lots of shady areas with picnic tables, a baseball stadium, soccer fields, and tennis courts. It’s also a quick walk to the mall, and nearby the hospital and stores.
3. The front porch. I’d love to put a sitting swing or some rocking chairs on it to be able to sit out there in the summer evenings with my family.
2. The walls. As renters, we feel lucky that we didn’t end up with a house with white walls. I love that there’s color to the walls. Even though I would probably choose more vibrant colors for some of the rooms if it was up to me, I love that there’s an element of warmth to the rooms because of this.
1. The kitchen. I love the countertops and the cabinets. Mostly because the last kitchen we had was just. not. good.

And just because I must, the 10 things I don’t like about our house:

10. The bathroom. It’s very small, and there’s only one of them.
9. The fact that there is no dishwasher.
8. The fact that there is no privacy fence, which would be especially nice since we are on a corner lot.
7. The fact that it’s difficult to regulate the temperature in the upstairs. It’s either boiling hot in the summer or freezing cold in the winter.
6. The unfinished, half-basement, and the fact that this is where our laundry hook-ups are.
5. It’s not very well-insulated.
4. There are only two bedrooms on the main floor.
3. Those bedrooms aren’t very big.
2. The street next to our house is a little bit busier than I’d ideally like.
1. There are no shade trees in the backyard.

There are a lot of things I will miss about Monroe, which may come as a surprise to some, but there were certainly attachments formed during our first four years of marriage living in Louisiana. I remember Isaiah and I driving the rental truck down, pulling into the driveway of the first house that Rick and I would live in, enjoying temperatures in the 70’s on New Year’s Day, having fun with friends, sighing contentedly at the deep blue sky streaked with pink clouds after a thunderstorm, and admiring the sunset over the peaceful bayou. I remember seeing the positive line on a pregnancy test with Kyrie, and again with Antonio, in the little bathroom of our house. I remember painting our dining room red because I need to live with color. I remember painting walls, sewing curtains, and hanging pictures to make our house a home. I gave birth to both of our babies in Louisiana. Antonio was born right in his sister’s room. There are so many special memories that we’ll carry with us. And I know I’ll never forget the challenges we faced as a new couple, and then a new family, living across the country from my family. It was good for me, and I’m thankful for the experience. I wouldn’t change it if I could.

Now that we are back in Spokane, I feel like everything is right. I feel joy when I just look into the starry night sky or smell the fresh, beautiful Northwest air. Every blade of grass that I see blowing in the wind seems familiar to me. I hear voices all around me in the buzzing of bees, songs of birds, and even the distant sounds of machinery or cars whizzing by that seem to be welcoming me home. It fills me with a joy and a feeling of belonging that I can’t fully describe.

Anyway, so Rachel and Esther were all pretending that the grass was a jungle, and they were saying “I see a tiger! I see monkeys!”

Kyrie pipes up, “I see Jesus! Jesus is in the jungle! He’s picking up an elephant!”

Then, just a few minutes ago, Kyrie saw a picture of Jesus in a children’s book, and she said, “Jesus has his sandals on.”

I did manage to load the dishwasher, clean the living room floor, and tidy up a few things here and there. But I go nuts if my house isn’t clean. It makes me depressed. I just want to pack up the whole house so there will be nothing which with to mess up the house. But seeing as how we still have to live in it a few weeks longer, I can’t pack up EVERYTHING. Dishes, clothing & furniture need to stay put for a little while, still.

I need a babysitter.

Here’s a picture at the Las Vegas airport from the plane:

Papa and Antonio in the plane

Noelle

Timothy

Noelle again

Kyrie playing with Esther

Making a snowman

In the swing (can you tell it was really snowy there??)

Antonio in Papa’s arms

Aunt Esther holding Antonio

Uncle Matthew holding Antonio

Grandma Lisa holds Antonio while Kyrie and Esther run off to play

Grandparents admiring the newest grandson

Fresh snow

Easter Sunday

Timothy

Esther

Timothy again

David

Kyrie

Pictures from around the house (where I grew up)

Trip to an indoor waterpark

The night before we left

Laundry
Cleaning spit-up
Nursing
Disciplining Kyrie
Changing diapers
More laundry

And I’ve got a crying baby and another one who says she needs to go potty, so…bye for now.

We’ve had a ton of bills lately with the new table (we outgrew the old one), computer (it died), washer and dryer (they were dying together), computer, midwife, doula, tuition, and visits from family. God has provided a lot of money to meet those bills. I mean a lot. Close to $10,000 in the last three weeks. (I broke a Black Friday sales record and received my overload pay from teaching all in the last three weeks.) That almost covers everything (yeah, they add up). What would normally have been a stressful time has not been that bad.

I have a beautiful new son. The birth was incredible. It couldn’t have gone any more perfectly. The doula was incredible when it came to supporting Rachel. The whole time Rachel was in labor, I kept thanking God for her. The midwife was great too, but let the doula pretty much handle things.

My daughter continues to grow in her relationship to Christ. She amazes me sometimes.

I’m glad to be in a church where we can chant, receive communion every week, feel loved, and our children can commune. We’ve actually been able to develop a relationship with a fellow congregation member (though in its early stages, it’s nice to be able to connect to someone other than the pastor and his family). The lady is a bit older than us, but her youngest son is close to Kyrie’s age.

My class this semester will be taught by Reggie Kidd, and it’s on my favorite subject. How great is that? I’ve been able to finish most of the books (I saved the best ones for last, so woohoo).

I’ve had off of work for three straight days. I don’t think I’ve had more than one day in a row off since August (and even then I was usually working on my day off). It’s been a time of healing and rest (though I must say I am wiped out from all the work I am doing—but it’s different work, so in a big way, it’s restful).

We have family coming to visit. Forrest and Rebekah will be here in less than two weeks. The Enloe family also plans to come by. Mommy and daddy plan on coming in February. It will be so nice to have company again, and it’s nice to have a table that will fit everyone (tightly though!).

I love how all of our close friends’ families are growing. Exponential growth is nice when it involves friends.

We are planning to stay our entire summer in Spokane, if possible. Actually, it would be nice to just move up there, so maybe a job can fall in our laps (pretty please!).

It’s Advent. The long green season is fully over.

Oh, Lord remind us once again of your wonderful works. Hallelujah! Glory be to our great God.

It was originally $1479.99. A customer had returned it and it had some scuff marks on the handles. I fixed the scuff marks with a sharpie marker. Guess how much we got it for? $776.95. We saved over $700. Sweet, right?