Before's and hopefully afters to come soon

So I thought I would introduce everyone to our new home. We are so excited to have our own home, not just our own home but in our neighborhood, in fact right next door to the house we are currently renting! We thought it would be a good start to post some before pictures of the house. We are going to be painting the interior all week this week and then next week they will be putting in new carpet and linoleum. Then next month we are putting all new hardware in the kitchen including new faucets and maybe a new sink. Then we will be working on the hall bathroom upstairs. Then we will be working on some curb appeal items. Come spring we will be putting a tough non slip seal on both decks and refinishing the kitchen cupboards too.  We get so lost in Home Depot now. Went in for moving boxes and spent two hours wandering and making our wish lists.

Kitchen

Front room

Robert and Ian's room

Hall bathroom

Hall Bathroom

Hall Bathroom

Master bedroom

Master bath

Master bath

Master bath

Payton's room

Family room

Deck

Katie and Andie's bedroom

Basement/girls bathroom

Laundry room

Kitchen

The house

Have I said I hate moving?!

Our move day draws closer and my uneasiness grows too. I told myself that this time I would pack up early, this time I would be more than ready when the day came, no more last minute packing. HAHAHA! Yet somehow I find myself less than 2 weeks from moving day and still not ready. I look at all we have to pack and just feel overwhelmed with what needs to be accomplished in the next few weeks. We have to finish packing our home, paint the new house, and get the old house cleaned up for new renters. We packed over 20 boxes last weekend and it feels like nothing. I wonder if I am the only one who ever thinks just burn it all and we will start over?! I can't be alone in that right?? So anyway, the preparations continue for the new house. We have picked out colors for all of the rooms, started painting closet doors and trim yesterday, picked out the new carpet and linoleum, and have all the utilities and such ready to be moved. I am excited and nervous to be a home owner. I know that it changes so many things for us and it means so many things for our family. Please continue to keep us all in your prayers as we move forward with our new endeavor.

Also have to give a big mommy brag shout out to my kids. Robert finished his first football season playing for the school undefeated 6-0 :). I am so proud of him and how hard he worked this year. I love seeing him out on the field and doing what he loves so much! Katie had her first concert as an 8th grader in choir. She had a solo and it was beautiful! She also tried out for all district honor choir and made it and tried out for all state honor choir and we should know the results of that by the end of the year. So proud of her and how far she has come with her gift in two years. Andie is reading and doing so well in math that they are talking about phasing her out of special education! What a huge accomplishment for her. We know that dyslexia will be a lifetime challenge for her but I think she has learned some great tools to help her continue to grow. She has worked so hard to get to this point and I am so proud of her and getting to see all of that pay off.

Payton actually made it 10 days seizure free this month. Talk about a huge milestone. I don't remember the last time we went 10 days without an episode. Praying that next time she will make it even more. She has also started pulling herself to standing using the couch. We keep hoping by the end of the school year she will take some steps. Please keep praying for her to keep blowing the Dr's away with all of her accomplishments.

We were denied again for life insurance for Payton. We have tried everything and every way to try and get her covered and no one will let her on. We even tried adding her on to my company policy and they said no. This is a real issue for our family and we just aren't sure what we need to do next. We have been proposed the option of doing a prepay for any final expenses but for some reason that idea is very hard for me. It just makes the inevitable more concrete for us with every monthly payment we make towards that. Please pray for us in this space to that something will fall into place or for peace for me with the prepayment option.