some news

We finally have a summer schedule, a plan, a direction, and an announcement about a new job. Below: highlights of the big things going on.

Here are Gracie and Max on Grace's last day of school yesterday. She made special 'thank you' presents for her teachers. She said good bye to her favorite buddy, Shelby Ann. She gave everybody big hugs on the way out. Then we went to Union Dairy for some celebratory ice cream cones. Though it will take a bit of adjustment (for Grace mostly) to have her home all day long, it is nice to have the schedule clear.

Cori got the position he interviewed for in Phoenix. It is a great opportunity for him and we are so very excited and grateful to be moving West. We will be in driving distance of both our extended families. There is also a lot of opportunity with the company Cori works for there and so there is potential for him to continue advancing his career without us having to move every 18 months. We have good friends in the area already. And it is a great time to buy a home in Phoenix. We are so very grateful. We will stay here in IL until the latter half of June, and then we'll be off to settle into AZ just in time for the best of the lovely summer weather there.

He just got the offer at the beginning of this week and there are many kind, professional people who have worked hard to expedite our relocation benefits. Translation: yesterday, we were able to get movers scheduled for early next week. This is an amazing feat, and, we know, an answer to prayer. We close on the sale of our home next Friday and, as of this week, still didn't know what to do with our stuff. I had a garage full of empty boxes offered, and a small army of friends willing to come help us pack up and out next week if needed. But with relocation in place and things scheduled, the whole puzzle is coming together exactly as we hoped. Again, so grateful.

Next week's schedule:

Monday- I go in for the fantastic glucose screen and my 26-28 week blood panel. My doctors are being so helpful about our little situation. We are getting all my tests done a little ahead of schedule so that I can get my RhoGAM shot before we leave. That way, I won't have time-sensitive tests etc. to complete while we are in the midst of changing health care providers.

Tuesday- The packing of the house. We'll check into the hotel where we will stay for the next few weeks.

Wednesday- All our worldly belongings, excepting those found in the suitcases out of which we will be living for... a while, get loaded into the moving van and taken away to be stored in AZ.

Thursday- Call on my friends and clean our empty house. Final walk through with our buyers is that night.

Friday- Meet with our agent and our buyers to close and hand over keys and garage door openers. Then, tears of joyful gratitude, relief induced blissful sleep, a fancy dinner out to celebrate perhaps...

It is an indescribable relief to be able to spell it all out- to see how it will all come together. To say, yet again, that we are grateful doesn't seem to cover it. We are amazed at how the last few months have culminated into this great chance for our family. I could go on and on about the anxieties that have been running strong the last few weeks, even with a back up plan in place. But the experience has reinforced our belief in the power of prayer, hard work, and our Heavenly Father's hand in our life.

We have done a lot of cyber-looking at neighborhoods in the Phoenix area -researching school districts, commute times, home retention value, etc.- and have narrowed our home search to a couple of different areas. We hope to take our house hunting trip very soon. And then, until it is time to go, we will enjoy swimming at the hotel pool and playing with our friends here. It is always a happy and sad thing to move. We are glad that we get to spend a few weeks with our 'family' here before shipping off.

I'm also looking forward to having a little time and mental capacity freed up to start planning for this little girl coming to our family. The other night, I had a hard time getting comfy on the couch and in bed. My hips were achy from being on my feet all day long. I thought, "Man, this usually doesn't happen until I'm 6 or 7 months along." Then I remembered. I AM almost 6 months along. People ask us if we have picked out her name yet. We've talked about it, like, twice. So much of our time and communication has been consumed with the present. I'm glad for some down time to try and enjoy being pregnant with her and to make some plans for her arrival.