Introducing #10!

Zacchaeus Austin was born September 19, 2023 at 4:00 pm.

He weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces, and was 23 inches long.

We are so blessed!

He is 2 months old now, and is such a sweet, happy boy.  Everyone is absolutely smitten with him!

Embracing life, making changes, and moving to Texas!

 This summer has been a big one for change for our family.  We had a baby, sold our beloved little home in Washington, and pulled up roots and headed south to Texas for an adventure!  

After living in the PNW for our entire lives, Seth and I have long dreamed of trying something new for a while.  We love traveling and exploring new places, and we loved the idea of getting to live somewhere totally different, even for just a short time.  It has been a constant theme in our goals and discussions for years.  But it was hard to know where to start: where would we go, HOW do we do that; find a new job, house, etc.  The whole idea seemed overwhelming and paralyzing.  

But over the last couple of years, the call seemed to grow louder and stronger. There were a number of reasons for that. Seth got a new job, a remote job that made it possible to move without finding a new job.  We were outgrowing our little house and it was starting to feel necessary to find something bigger, but we lived in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, which meant we would be spending a lot of money to upsize.  Our oldest kids are becoming teenagers, and we knew we would need to go somewhere soon, particulary if we wanted to move again before they started moving out.

Last fall, we took a long road trip through the Southwest, ending in Texas.  We didn't have strong feelings about Texas in general, but we really liked the little town where we visited friends. We saw more of the country than we ever had, and when we got back from that trip, we began our moving talks again, this time really seriously, especially as we now had baby #9 on the way!  

We talked about going to a lot of different places, places we had been and some we hadn't but wanted to see.  We talked to friends and mentors and prayed.  We really felt like we were supposed to do something, but it was hard to know just what we were supposed to do.  As we started actually looking into different options, though, doors started to close.  We really wanted to try somewhere warmer and sunnier, so some places were crossed off the list for that reason.  Some places were nos because Seth couldn't work in that particular place (even though he works remotely, his company is only authorized to have employees in certain states).  As other places were crossed off the list, Texas stayed on, and we liked the idea that we had been there before, so we knew a little bit of what to expect. 

As we continued to pursue moving, we prayed that God would lead us by closing doors as necessary.  Time and time again, the doors remained open to Texas.  We tentatively made plans to move at the end of the summer.  We started preparing to sell our house.  We checked Zillow daily for months, looking at the kinds of homes that were available and were often discouraged to find homes that were too small, or not a style we were interested in.  Occasionally we found something promising, but the timing was off, or it sold quickly.  We had to trust that if this was what God wanted for us, the right thing would come up at the right time. 

Right after Abram was born, we saw a house that seemed great for us; it had many of the features we needed, plus some that we were hoping for but not necessarily expecting.  We placed an offer that got accepted, and everything started seeming real.  

We had a crazy July and August as we adjusted to a new baby, completed the purchase of our new home, prepped, cleaned and staged our WA home for sale, and packed and prepared to move across the country.

 Somehow everything came together. Our home sold quickly, we packed up the moving truck and sent it off, and we packed our van with our kids and some basic necessities and headed off on a four-day road trip to our new home.  

The road trip was a little rough, especially with a young toddler that wasn't too fond of sitting for hours, but the settling in to our new home has gone really quickly and smoothly.  

This whole adventure was a huge test of faith, but also a huge testament to God's faithfulness.  Over and over, we felt His leading and His blessing over this move.  There were so many unknowns, but there were also so many little ways that we felt the hand of God directing us as he opened and closed doors.  We are so thankful for that, as it has given us great peace in this big life change.

 While we miss our family and our old home, we are so far loving our new home and enjoying exploring and living in a new place.  We are excited to see what is yet to come!

Introducing..

 Abram Owen

Born June 21 at 3:51 pm

8 pounds, 6 ounces

20" long

Day in the Life 2022

 

I love looking back to posts from years past and seeing what a day looked like in our life then.  It's so easy to forget the little things we did every day and what how life has changed since then.  So, for memory's sake, here's a look at a regular homeschool day in 2022 with 8 kids.

I really miss my early morning time, but for various reasons don't usually get up before the kids right now.  I usually wake up once they start getting up, but unless I have to solve problems (which is frequent!), I'll often stay in bed until 7ish.  

 6:30 - The kids start getting up...usually a few of the boys are up first, and often Phoebe wakes up soon after.  Sometimes if Moriah wakes up early, she'll come cuddle in bed with me.  The kids have free time for a while until job time.  Since some of the kids are still sleeping, we limit it to quiet activities.  Typically they'll play Legos, draw, read, or go outside if it isn't raining. 

7:00 - I get up if I'm not already.  Sometimes I get breakfast going, but I usually try to shower first thing.  After getting dressed, I usually float between solving fights, making breakfast, starting food we will need later in the day, and feeding the little girls, who need food before everyone else.  

8:00 - By this time everyone is awake, and it's time to start morning chores.  Everyone has set chores they do; I switch them up once a year or so when younger kids are ready for new jobs.  It usually takes the kids 15-30 minutes to do their jobs, and once they are done they can start breakfast.  My goal is to have breakfast done by 9, though that is not always achieved!  The kids are supposed to take care of their breakfast dishes, which, again, doesn't always happen, but we work on it!

9:30 - Usually by now the kids have started their school reading time, which really is just meant to give me some time to clean up the kitchen before I'm needed to help with school work.  Once I finish with the kitchen, I start helping the younger boys with their schoolwork.  Phoebe usually goes down for a nap around now.

10:00 - We spend the next hour on what we call our "table work".  That just means everyone who can is working independently on their book work; math, grammar, spelling, handwriting, geography, etc.  I continue helping the younger boys, as well as any of the older kids who need it.  I also spend a fair amount of time keeping everyone on task.  Moriah plays, watches a movie, sits and draws near the other kids, or plays with the younger boys once they are finished with their work.

11:00 - Phoebe is usually up by now, so she's ready for a bottle and snack, and the rest of us do our daily morning time.  This is our whole-family group school time.  We have a snack and do read-alouds, poetry, history, science, and devotionals.  We don't do everything every day, but each of those things happen at least a couple times each week.  When we are done, everyone helps clean up the toys and school books that have been strewn around the house.  

12:00 - The kids head outside to play while I take a breath and get lunch ready.  My goal is to have lunch at 12:30 each day, but that never seems to happen, and it's usually closer to 1 before I call the kids in to eat.

1:00 - Lunch.  Everyone eats.

1:30 - Rest time.  The three older kids clean up the kitchen, rotating responsibilities to eliminate the fighting over who does what.  The two little girls go down for naps and everyone else heads to their designated spot to read or draw.  The older kids join them once they are done.  Some days the older kids have some independent work to finish up, so they do that during rest time if needed.  I try really hard to have some downtime while the house is quiet(er), but sometimes I run an errand during this time, or take care of some other chore I haven't gotten to yet.

3:00 - Rest time is over and the kids have a snack before having free time.  They typically rotate between playing outside or playing Legos.  I do whatever needs to be done...chores, school corrections, paying bills, taking care of the little girls, talking to kids, solving fights, etc.  =)

4:30 - On Mondays and Tuesdays the kids get video game time; on other days they are free to watch some TV if they want, but if it's not video game day, they will usually continue playing.  I start dinner prep.

 

6:00 - The kids clean up the house and we have dinner.  After dinner everyone helps clean up the kitchen.  This has been simplified by everyone having specific jobs they do.  Then they get jammies and brush teeth.  Once they are ready for bed they get to read books.  I usually start a load of laundry.

7:30 - We pray together and put the younger kids to bed.  The four older kids get what they call "extra book time", which just means they get to stay up later and read!  Benjamin and Joanna have started taking showers at night, so they do that at this time as well. 

8:30 - The older kids go to bed.  Depending on the day, I might finish up some chores, do laundry, or start breakfast prep.  Seth and I will usually spend some time hanging out, talking about things going on, or watching a movie.  We usually stay up later than we should, just enjoying the quiet house!

Also, while this is a very typical day, fwe do have a couple of extra curriculars we have done this year:  

*Mondays the kids have a co-op class they take.  We leave a little after noon, eat lunch there, and then the older 6 kids all have an hour-long class,  during which I keep Phoebe with me and Moriah takes a nap at home since Seth is there.  It is less than a five minute drive from our house, so we're home before 2:30 and it has worked out really well with our schedule.

*Wednesday nights the three younger boys do AWANA. The older kids stay home with the little girls, and Seth and I get a date.

*Thursday mornings Ben takes an online literature class.  This has been a huge help to me, as that has completely covered that subject for him this year. 

The Latest Model...

 

Our newest little boy is due in June! 

Phoebe at 9 Months

She is such a sweet, happy girl!  She is scooting around on her tummy, waving, and eating everything she can get her hands on!  =)
 

2021 Family Road Trip

 Phoebe's birth was the first time that Seth got an actual paternity leave (as opposed to taking a week's worth of vacation time).  He split it into two parts, and had 6 weeks off in September/October.

With so much time off, we decided to embark on an epic family road trip!  We traveled from western Washington all the way down to Waco, Texas, to see the sights and visit friends.  We were gone for about 2 1/2 weeks, drove thousands of miles, and logged dozens of hours in the car.  It was such an amazing experience!  We saw several national parks and amazing sights, including the Great Salt Lake, Bryce Canyon, the Grand Canyon, Monument Valley, Four Corners, Mesa Verde, and Arches.  We spent time with friends we hadn't seen for years and came home so energized and refreshed.  We came home already talking about what our next adventure might be!  =)

 

Salt Lake

Salt Lake

Since driving always took longer than expected, we frequently pulled into campsites after dark.  It only took a couple times to decide that it just worked better to eat dinner in the car!

 

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

Bryce Canyon

This girl was fussy if we were driving past her bedtime, but otherwise was such a good traveler!

So thrilling to see cacti in their native habitat!

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon

After several days of camping, a hotel was a fun treat!

In-N-Out Burger became a family favorite!

These girls are the best of friends!

Monument Valley

Mesa Verde - see the cliff dwellings in the background?

Arches

Arches

This was a trip we will never forget!  We are so blessed that we were able to do this and make such amazing family memories!