We now have keys!!!!

Yesterday we closed on our house. It was quite the experience signing a book of documents. Now we wait on our household goods to show up. We've been greatly blessed with lots of sales and discounts as we buy the things we need for our house! We'll be ready for you to visit soon.

We are officially LANDLORDS!!!!

We are thrilled that our house in England has officially been rented!! The lease was signed today and the tenants will move in on the first!! This is a relief for us as the mortgage payment is due on the third!! Thanks MR and MRS P for everything you have done!!!

We still don't understand why our house didn't' sell in the UK but we trust that the Lord is in control and we will continue to wait on him. Our house is still for sale but as an Investment Only. When the 12 month lease is up, we will consider our options.

I am so blessed...

with such amazing boys!!

Hayden just bought Levi a Light Saber. I asked him why he spend his own money when Levi has money. He replied, "Levi just has a little bit of money and I don't want him to have to spend it. I have lots of money so I want to buy it for him." It brought tears to my eyes to watch my young little man consider his brothers desires more important then his own. One more thing you should know, is that Hayden has been saving his money for a couple years and has yet to buy anything for himself.

For any of you who have moved with kids, you know that patience levels for both kids and parents can get really low. Our kids have been bored out of their minds with the last 2 weeks of business. They have looked at 25 houses with us, sat at our agents office for hours and endured a 2 hour appointment with the mortgage broker. Because of the stress of it all I had lost my patience with the boys. But God gently reminded me through 3 people in one day how great my kids are! The mortgage broker said she has never had boys so well behaved in her office. Then her secretary said the boys were so quiet she forgot they were there. Then we went to shop for appliances and the sales lady said she was amazed with the boys. OK God, I get it, my expectation was too high! I am blessed with three great boys!

We bought a HOUSE!!!

We are so thrilled with the house we picked. It was actually the first house we looked it! When we walked in the front door Brian said, "This is it, we are done looking now!" Our agent insisted that we look at more. So, 24 houses later we went back to the very first house!

This house is everything we could have hoped for in a house! It is a brand new construction on a Cul-de-sac but we are still totally private as we own a wooded area to the left of us and behind us. There are a couple rows of trees to the right of us too. Right now our house is the only house built, but there are plots for 3 more houses. There is a unfinished bonus room upstairs which we will make into a hang out room for the boys! We know that they will LOVE this space! Now, if this amazing house was not enough, there is also a small unfinished room in the bonus room that will eventually be my Scrapbook Suite! I am so thrilled about this!! It will be small, but it is all mine! I am considering selling scrapbooks to make a little extra money so this space will be of great importance to me!

We should close on the house by the end of the month. YA!!!

We are purchasing our Washer/Dryer and Fridge today! Can I tell you that I am enjoying this awesome American appliances.

You have to have been overseas to appriciate this post...

We got free passes to go to the YMCA and I needed a swimsuit along with a few more items. So off to Target we went. In ONE store I was able to purchase the following...

Swimsuit
Pillows
Crock-Pot
Car Air Fresheners
Water bottle
Dish Soap

Yes, all in ONE store!! In the UK I would have had to stop at 3 stores to pick up all those items.

We had the most amazing thunderstorm last night!

I have always been one to enjoy a good thunderstorm. I remember as a young girl sitting on my Grandparents front porch during the thunderstorms!! My cousins and I would be in a competition to see who could stay out the whole thunderstorm.

Anyway, there are very very few thunderstorms in the UK. We got a couple this summer but they only last 2-3 minutes and then they are done. A real disappointment for a storm lover.

Last night just after we put the boys to bed I started to hear what I thought was the boys playing. But after checking on them I realized that they were all asleep. Then we saw the first amazing bolt of lightning. We sat watching from our bedroom window for the next 35 minutes! It was truly breathtaking!!

We are now on US soil...

Our travels were great! We went to London a day early and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. We spent a couple hours in Covent Gardens watching the street performers. Then we enjoyed one last Pub Dinner. We had an added blessing as our dear friends traveled with us as they are also moving to NC.

Despite an hour delay after boarding, we had a great flight. The boys did amazing!! Brian got really sick the mornign of our flight, and has been sick since. I thought it was just stress and anxiety but as the days go on I am concerned it might be something more.

Brian told me that he feels as though our lives are dying but we are living on. We never felt this more then when we finally landed and there was no one there to pick us up. We tried calling EVERY number Brian had and no one answered. After waiting 2 hours we finally took a Taxi. $150 later we arrived at our hotel. What a joke it is. It is a room for 4 people. Poor Levi is sleeping on the floor. We will move into a bigger room tomorrow!

We have spent the last 3 days looking at 25 houses. We have narrowed it down to 4. They all are great houses but each one has their own little advantage. So, we are going to go back through all 4 tomorrow and then hopefully we will know for sure which one is meant for us. 3 of them over look a wooded area, which we really like.

The boys are tired of "Business" and are ready to play. They have been great troopers and we are blessed. Thank God Grandpa and Grandma bought them DS's for Christmas, they have been very helpfully in entertaining the boys are we travel all over NC!! We are taking them swimming today and they are SO excited.