How are WE doing?

Now that you know a little bit about our house, here are some wonderful memories captured in the time we have been here.  

This was our last morning in LA.  We spent the night at the Westermann's house.  Wow.  I am not ready to look at these photos yet.  I have a lump in my throat.  

 Good-bye Miss Amanda.  We love you.

 Oh, Miss Mary.  On our back deck in CA.  With Mason Giraud's chocolate croissants.  The combination could be no better.  She is a precious friend to us.  We miss her dearly.  I can't take this anymore.  It is time to move on to Iowa.  

 Alaka'i celebrated his 5th birthday in Iowa!

 Many years of memory-making are in store, Lord willing, for this crew of cousins and friends!

 We visited the Dutch town of Pella for my birthday.  : )

 Ezra celebrated her 2nd birthday in Iowa!

 Now all the Moore children have cowboy boots!

 While we were at Dan and Aimee's, we were well-protected by these brave heroes!

 My mom and dad live only 6 hours away, so we made a trip to visit!  Here is my niece and my Dad.

 I love the Milwaukee river, in downtown Milwaukee.  Alaka'i was fascinated with the bridges!

 Good 'ol Lake Michigan.

 My Dad loves his grandkids!

 Char-baby is growing quickly.

 Here is one very proud Nana.  

 We don't have a swimming pool, but we do have a lot of torrential downpours in the summer, so daddy and the kids put on their swimsuits and run in the yard when we get a good storm.

 My in-laws came to visit, and we returned to Pella, the Dutch village.

 Alaka'i and cousin Leah are getting ready to head up in the air in a prop-jet.  They both did wonderfully!

Well, I guess I will get used to this.  After many summer rains, we get nice, deep puddles in our gravel driveway, and I can't really tell them not to have fun!  

You Really Ought to Give Iowa a Try!

Well here we are, months after the biggest life change we've been through as a family,  and anxiously awaiting our first real autumn and winter!  It seems the summer is winding down, and while we will miss the lightning bugs and lush green surroundings, we hope to pull out socks, corduroys and sleds soon : )  

I just have to jump in here with this post, because it is long overdue.  We left California on April 21, and life changed more drastically than I could have ever imagined!  Just as a taste of what our surroundings are like here, consider that the nearest Starbucks is around 30 minutes away, the garbage man is also the owner of the disposal company that picks up our waste each Monday morning,  and we can view deer, rabbits, wild fowl and hawks on a daily basis - in our backyard!

Upon arriving in Iowa, we stayed 3 months with my brother and sister-in-law, who were exceedingly hospitable to us, as we took up residence in their basement.  Their 4 kids and our 3 probably had the time of their lives, playing together on all those long summer days. What a special time to be together, knowing we would probably never have such a chance to be quite so close to one another again!  

We purchased our home at the end of May, but escrow took 54 days.  We finally moved in mid/late July.  We got to live there for 5-6 weeks, but then had to vacate a little over a week ago.  The house has foundation problems (it is leaning downhill).  But we knew this.  And as you all know, Jacob cannot be deterred, so we bought the house anyway and planned to have the footings and foundation repaired.  Since the house didn't have a basement, Jacob figured, we might as well add one of those while we were at it.  

Currently, we are traveling among a few friends' homes, until ours is ready to move back into.  It seems pretty clear God's plan is for us to continue to wait upon Him as we house-hop.  We have already now lived in 4 different homes, in anticipation of eventually returning to ours for some kind of permanency!   Thankfully, we have family and friends who are so kind and generous to share their homes with us during this time of transition!

Our house is several feet in the air right now.  They lifted it last week, to prepare for the foundation and footing repair.  Take a look:

It all makes me a little sick to my stomach, but Jacob reminded me that they not only lift houses, but actually MOVE them to new locations, so it could be "worse". : )  

Little Latte

Here she is, well-loved by her siblings.   She already has several nicknames, including Litte Latte, and B2 Bomber.  And Ezri calls her Dar-dotte.  

Baby Girl

For almost 24 hours, our newest addition went without a name.  Some of her paperwork from the hospital referred to her as BG Moore.  :  )  We have since named her, and welcomed her most joyfully into our home!  

Introducing Miss Charlotte Eva Moore, born January 31, 2015, weighing in at 8 lb. 15 oz, 20 inches long, and having arrived almost 2 weeks after her due date!