We are Moving

 It would be far to easy to just move across the state with two little kids, right?

Never a family to do things the "normal" way, we're moving across the state in about 2 weeks with two little kids... and a baby in a spica cast.

Because that's no big deal, right?

Recently, R accepted a job across the grand state of Texas and much closer to our kids' specialists/therapists/prosthesist.

We have discussed moving on and off for over a year as we saw the toll the constant medical travel was taking on our family.  As 2010 drew to a close, we began to seriously discuss it and R began exploring his options.  He was recently offered a very exciting job which he has accepted.

We were contacted by several interested people regarding our home and we managed to prepare it to be shown prior to leaving for Ellie's surgery.  While we were away, it was shown to those interested parties and we put a contract on it yesterday without ever putting it on the market.

We have loved our time in West Texas.  We began our family here and while we are thrilled our house was put under contract yesterday (thank you, God!), I keep crying at the thought of leaving it.  We never bought this home to be our forever home but I love it.  I love the park at the end of our street.  I love our big yard.  I love that I brought home babies here.  I love that we became a real family here.  I love that Will took his first steps on that very floor in the above picture.  

But.

The constant travel has been difficult.  We are weary of separating our family so often for medical trips.  We are weary of not being able to plug into our community or church or friendships because we are unable to commit to anything - we are gone too much.  We are weary of unpacking & repacking suitcases.  We are weary of not having consistent family dinners together.  We are weary of Will not being able to attend preschool regularly.  We are weary of being in airplanes with our children so often - and not for fun vacations.  

Our friends and family and church here have made our life as normal as possible and have supported us for 4.5 years so that we could do life with children with medical needs.  We are so thankful.

We will miss this community dearly.

But we are also looking forward to the opportunity to plug into a community.  We are looking forward to  spending time together as a family in the same town.  We are looking forward to airplanes exciting our children - rather than being routine.  We are looking forward to new opportunities for growth.  We are looking forward to turning our specialists/therapy/prosthetic appointments into appointments - rather than trips.  From our new home, I will be able to literally take a child(ren) to the doctor in a half day without an airplane ride.  I will be able to take them to the hospital and be home in time for naps & family dinner & soccer/ballet practice.  I will be able to travel to the hospital with maybe lunches packed and a diaper bag - rather than suitcases and carry-ons.  

So, it is with mixed emotions that we leave.  We have loved R's job here.  We have loved our friends and family nearby and our church.  We have loved the big thunderstorms and the dry heat.  We have tried so hard to make this work for our unique little family but, ultimately, we think that being closer to major pediatric hospitals will benefit our family and enable us to spend more time together rather than so much time traveling.  

So, I'm doing lots and lots of packing.

You know, in between managing an active three year old and a six month old...

and, let's not forget, doing round the clock diaper care & cast care for a baby in spica cast.

No big deal.

(I'm on the brink of insanity, I believe.  Not sure where that "edge" is but I may find it soon...

Our stress is way way way past the roofline.)

Thank God my mom flew home with us last weekend & has been helping me with spica care & packing.  She is a saint.

Which is why I don't have much spare time right now to sit & blog.  As if spica care wasn't enough.

But, I really want to share how we do cast care so I'm determined to find 10 minutes by Friday to sit & share.

And I also want to share the two big lessons God has been teaching me/revealing to me in the midst of caring for a baby post major surgery/in a body cast.

But, for now, I am beyond exhausted & middle of the night cast care will be calling my name too soon so I'm off for some quick sleep.