A season in life

I'm having a hard time believing that, by this time tomorrow, we will have taken possession of our new house in Lawrence, KS. It's been a long journey since March, when Ben accepted a new job, and we decided to pack up our family and move back to the heartland. I haven't lived with my husband since the end of April...we've only seen each other on some weekends. Linkan and I have been living with my parents all summer. They have been absolutely wonderful and have bent over backwards to take care of us. I know it hasn't been easy for them to have their lives interrupted but they have taken it all in stride.

Initially, we thought that there was no way that we would be in a new home by the time that our baby was born. Now, I know that I'll not only be in my house, but I may have a few spare days to unpack. God is so good. Honestly, some of the "stuff" that I have had to deal with this summer sure seems to pale in comparison to other's situations. I was reminded of that the other night when watching a show about a serviceman coming home to see his family...and seeing his 6 month old baby for the first time in his life. His wife had to give birth alone. She had to take care of their other kids and a newborn alone. Wow.

Even though this season in my life hasn't always been the most comfortable...in the future...I think that I will look back on the summer of 2011 with great fondness. How many times in life are you able to spend that much time with your immediate family (after you've grown up and moved out)? The time that Linkan has had with both sets of grandparents this summer has been priceless. Ben and I have grown closer even though we have lived apart. We have functioned as a well-oiled machine...and haven't sweated or squabbled over the small stuff because the small stuff didn't seem to matter much. I have learned to trust God even more with all the little details of my life and to be grateful for it all...even the inconveniences.

Fun with fatbooth

9 Month Belly Shot

Taken over the July 4th weekend

I'm almost embarrassed to post this picture. ha!

Taken the morning of August 4th while I was in labor.

I had Palmer 3 hours later.

Tanganyika

We got to spend the day at Tanganyika Wildlife park in Wichita for Molly's 9th birthday. What a cool park. We enjoyed how accessible all the animals were and got to feed and pet some of the animals. Molly rode a horse, although I think she wished she would have saved her money to ride the camel! My dad fed a lemur before we left. Cool!

Taking a stroll through the kangaroo exhibit

Linkan, petting bunnies and turtles

Feeding the goats

Molly's horse ride

Check out the lemur hanging out behind "Tam-Pa" and Linkan

My dad, feeding a lemur a cranberry

MoMo's Birthday & Aquatic Center Fun

Molly's birthday is tomorrow so I took Molly, one of her best buds Maya, and Linkan swimming this afternoon. Got the kids slathered up with lotion and forgot about myself. A bit charred this evening! Gotta love summertime. :) We celebrated Molly's 9th birthday with a yummy meal made by mom along with cake and presents for the special girl.

Home Sweet Home

This weekend, we went to Lawrence to take a second look at two houses that we had liked during previous visits. We wanted to compare them back-to-back. Both were very nice houses...but it was immediately clear to us that the second house was a better fit for our little (yet quickly expanding) family. As of tonight, we are officially under contract with the sellers. Yipppeee! If you refer to my earlier post, Big n' Lil Posts: SOLD, then you know that it was difficult for me to come to terms with the fact that I would not be in my own home when baby #2 arrived. I am still pinching myself...because our close/move in date is 2 weeks before the baby is due. I know that anything can happen and the baby could come early, but I'm so thankful that we have the opportunity to be in our home and somewhat unpacked and settled before the baby is SUPPOSED :) to come. God is good...and He knew the plan all along. All He wanted is for me to trust him regardless of the outcome.

Of course, we still have the inspection to get through but the home is 8 years old so we are hoping that nothing major will come of it. I've gotten a little misty-eyed as I have been thinking about saying goodbye to our Colorado home next week when we travel home to move out. Having a new home to look forward to sure is good for our souls. :)

Here is a pic of the new Postlethwait casa. Had to crop it to get rid of the address that the realtor plastered on the photo.

8 Month Belly Shot

Since I totally forgot about the 7 month belly shot (gonna use the PG brain excuse), I figured I better hurry up and get 8 months on the books! It's amazing to me how much my belly has grown in that past two months. Check out the last picture/post: Big n' Lil Posts: 6 Month Belly Shot.

Wow, time is really flying now. Last week's OB appointment revealed that I'm 131 pounds and the baby's heart rate was in the 150's. I have lost weight since my last appointment. The ole tumm is getting a little crowded! I can't shove it down the pie hole as easily as I'm used to. ha! I'm feeling pretty darn good. I get a little uncomfortable sitting for any length of time and insomnia has started to set in a little. I can't really complain, though! I'm nearing the end and that's just how it goes. We're in Lawrence this weekend, staying at a hotel and doing some more house hunting. Hope to have something under contract before this baby is born!