Hey friends, it’s been awhile! As much as I love blogging and connecting with you this way, I have been working so hard on a few things and have also just been enjoying summer with all the kids home. I thought a little life update would be nice so here it goes…

WE MOVED!

…. again! We did our big cross country move in the spring of 2022 and landed in a semi small town in the mountains. It’s still a very robust, hustling town (not as sleepy as we thought it would be) with lots of exciting restaurants and a culture that’s very full of life. When moving, we originally hoped to buy a house there. I prayed for all the things I wanted in a home; a big back yard with a fence, a porch, a quiet area, a mud room, better main floor layout than what we had, a spot to have a fire pit, etc. I even had a mood board of it on Pinterest! I feel like all of these details were always stirring in my heart for the future. One Friday at noon Nick got a call ASKING if he would want to work in Kaslo, BC an even smaller, quant and charming town in the Kootenays. There were some obvious downsides of taking the job like leaving the amazing friends we made here and the kids school that we loved dearly. Another downside was that this position was only for a limited time, so we couldn’t really put down roots in Kaslo either. When Nick got off the phone, he called me right away from work to tell me about this job offer. “Should we do it??”. Here’s the catch… we had by the end of the day to make a decision. We confided in one of our close friends and asked them to pray that we would have the confidence and peace in whatever decision we made. We realize that must have been a hard prayer for them to pray; being our village and knowing that there was a possibility of us moving an hour away. Throughout the day I felt like I had so much confirmation in a decision to move- even if our future (when this term is up) is unknown. Once we said YES we got details on the house we would be living in… and omg guys, it checked every single box of mine and then some! It felt like a dream. There’s a big forest on our property where the kids can just be feral and run wild. There’s a beautiful front porch that I love to sit on and watch the kids bike on their own on our very, very quiet street. Nick is able to be more present at home and his mental health has improved greatly. Last week we sat around our fire pit with marshmallow sticky hands while the littlest ones ran through the sprinkler for a “summer shower” before bed and Nick and I just looked at each other in disbelief that this is our life. We’ve literally always wanted a life like this for our family and we are living it. It’s such a humbling and heartwarming feeling to wake up each day in this home and slow paced town.

I’ve been really enjoying trying to make this house our home! We’ve been living with no furniture in our living room because we decided to order custom pieces. We haven’t minded too much because we have a rec room/family room which is our tv room and it has a sectional to lounge on. BUT earlier this week we got half of our delivery and it’s looking so good! Here’s a little preview…

It’s still a work in progress, but I’m reminding myself that building a home can take time. Our second shipment should be arriving in a few weeks and this living room will feel more complete! Nick has already enjoyed listening to records again in this sweet space.

We also created a home gym in our garage! It may not look fancy, but we feel so thankful to have it at home for convenient work outs!

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You know I love a good play room space so I’ve been dreaming of some ways to make our family room feel cozy, cute and organized! I’m waiting on some new things like area rugs, toys and wall art to arrive later this month! More details on this to come!

Our kids started a new school just two months before summer break. I’m so thankful they had a few months with their classmates because now in the summer months they are having play dates and connecting more before the next school year ahead. Paxton really misses his best friend from Nelson, though. They hit it off from literally day one and have been like brothers since. I’m trying really hard to nurture that relationship long distance, because it means everything to him. Harland still asks for his little buddy friend, Jagger and his red fire truck at his house… haha it’s so cute the things that they remember and hold onto. 🥹

We are still connected with our church community in Nelson and they will always be our extended family. We’ve spent holidays, birthdays and everything in between together and that’s a rare gift you never want to lose.

Something I have poured my heart into since arriving in this new town is a group meet up for moms and their kids. I called it Momma Meet Up and it’s once a week held at alternating spots between my backyard and a local coffee shop I adore! It’s given me so much purpose, but also fills my cup to see how moms come together and support one another in very simple ways like just showing up with their presence. I can’t describe that feeling. It’s a sense of community I’ve never felt before. I’m dreaming of all the ways it can grow in the future, but for now it’s small-ish and I’m soaking up this beautiful thing we moms have created.

It’s been a beautiful time in our lives and we are just practicing so much gratitude for all the big and little things. I feel like God is in the details and I’m pretty happy with this little life.

These are the good old days 🥰