Twenty Feet of Grace: Getting Settled

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Getting Settled

And.....I'm back. Hello, readers! It has been a busy three weeks here in Abilene! Week one was spent moving and spending precious time with Matt's parents; week two was spent enrolling 6 kids in school and chasing down shot records; week three saw the commencement of the school year. All has gone well albeit a few minor hiccups along the way.
I confess that I was a bit skeptical of this house when we first moved in. There are glaring issues with damage from previous tenants, along with the fact that this 50-year old home has shifted off its foundation somewhat. But overall I'm very happy here. The layout of this house is perfect for our size family. The landlord has been most accomodating in getting things repaired. I think they're just happy to have a family live here instead of college students who own 5 dogs. Yikes! (As I write this, the "tub guys" are getting ready to reveal our refinished bathtub! We've had only one bathroom to use for three days. Think about it: 10 people, one bathroom. Let grace abound!)

My last look at our house in OKC.

Our first stop in the 5-hour drive: lunch!

Home sweet home! I have always loved Texas!

We have a great screened-in sunporch! It also served as temporary storage as we got boxes emptied.

We have a big fenced backyard where the kids made a rope swing.

If you know Matt's mom, you won't be at all surprised to know that she vacuumed our driveway.

But she definitely made sure to spend quality time with the kids.

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From the Mouths of Babes...

02/20/2012 ~ Luke has some unique observations about his baby sister. Yesterday he commented that my belly isn't big anymore because "I don't have anymore people in it". Today he asked me why Karis hates me. A little shocked, I replied that she doesn't hate me. He then asked why she's always mad at me. I guess he assumes that her crying means she's angry?
10/08/11 So excited to see a hard rain in our parched area, Luke looked out the window and exclaimed, "Mud pubbles! I wuv mud pubbles!" (I love his vocabulary!)
Me: "Seth, I've told you a hundred times not to leave your cup at the water dispenser while it's filling." Seth: "It's fine. I won't forget about it." ....Three minutes later Seth runs frantically from his bedroom into the kitchen:"Dang it! Mom! Quick - I need a mop!!!"
The younger children are really into Star Wars right now. Katie was drawing a picture of some of the characters and wanted to make sure she labeled them correctly. "Mom, how do you spell Qui-gon Jinn?" I told her that I wasn't sure, to which she replied, "That's okay. Can you tell me how to spell "Big-Headed Guy"?"
Sometimes, a single letter in a word can change the whole meaning of what one is trying to say. For example, Abby said, "This gravy I made is so good because I added turkey droppings to it." After we all gagged, I asked her if she meant to say "turkey drippings". Oh yes, that's what she meant.
Katie, Katie, Katie... (shakes head in laughter) When asked what she saw at the museum the other day, she replied, "a dinosaur and lots of dead animals!" And later, when she was talking to Luke -- "I went to the museum with the girls because I wanted to see dead animals." So, nevermind all the cool stuff like pottery from 315BC or ancient Roman coins; nope - that place was just full of deceased creatures.
We've been working with Luke to help him speak more clearly. He's often hard to understand because he can't form some of his sounds correctly. Today he asked for a "nanana". I corrected him by slowly saying "ba-na-na" and asked him to repeat it. He tried but still couldn't pronounce it correctly. I urged him to try again, and he replied, "I tan't! My boice is goken!" (Let's see if you can decipher that one...)
I overheard Madalyn singing this the other day: "I've been working on the railroad, over the hills and everywhere, I've been working on the railroad, that Jesus Christ is born..." I guess the name of that song is "Go Tell It on the Railroad."
Ok - I talk with my hands, alright? I'm just very expressive when it comes to body language. Anyway, last week the kids watched one of the old-school Star Wars movies, and a little while later I witnessed the funniest moment: Katie was telling Nate all about the movie, and she said "...And then Darth Vader "died". " She made quotation marks with her fingers when she said the word. She didn't know I was watching until I laughed out loud. When I asked her why she made the gesture she replied, "because that's what you do, Mommy!"
Luke looooves bugs. If he sees one on the porch, he'll step on it and then run inside to get a tissue, use the tissue to pick up the dead bug, and then bring it inside to flush in the toilet. The other day as he was following the routine, he decided to try something different. I asked him where the bug was, and he replied, "in my mouth!". I was speechless.