This morning my living room is the North Pole, my dining room Nineveh, separated by a gateway of two chairs and a couch cushion.

My coffee this morning was laced with broken bits of candy cane, and chunks of seized up white chocolate, the unfortunate remains of a Christmas treat gone wrong.  (It worked out to my advantage, I must admit!)

The house feels quiet, yet a little empty as we return to our “normal”.  Our guests of 7 weeks have relocated to Grandma and Papa’s house where there is more room just in time for us to prepare the arrival of our little baby C.  Bittersweet.  We were ready for the change, but there are things that also must be acclimated to.  I no longer have the conversation of adults throughout my day and it strangely feels…roomy.  Roomy has never been a word that described how I felt about our 1200 square foot home with four small children, Handsome, and myself…but after having two extra adults and this cute little newly born guy-

well, after that it sure feels roomy.

My boy, my crazy little Smiles, he has somehow matured.  He is so different and grown up after only 7 weeks.  He can be left in his room all night with the door open.  We can leave the blinds installed without waking to shattered plastic pieces that slightly resemble the privacy shield that was intended.  The main part of the house doesn’t get a 2 am visitor who explores everything that shouldn’t be touched by a 3 year old monster, and he has graduated to only wearing diapers at night.

Change.  That’s the word that describes our lives best right now.  Everything is changing…and it’s hard for me not to be somewhat sad about that.  We have so many big changes coming, it seems as though by next year nothing will be the same.  Change is good, but it’s also sad.

It’s sad to leave this house.  I know when the time comes, when we actually have a buyer, it will be hard for my heart.  This was our first home.  This house is where we brought home our firstborn daughter, Curly.  We became parents here.  Each of us in our own time started a spiritual transformation here.  We’ve grown up here.  This house is where we have somehow, unknowingly, gradually made the transition from being “technical adults” to feeling like the real thing.

It’s frightening in some ways as well.  Stepping from the things that are familiar, into new and different things.

Yet in some ways everything will remain the same.  We will still be a family, we will still have each other.  Jesus will still be our everything and will lead us with calculated perfection.  Perfection, even if it be different than we expect.  In truth, it is likely that our future looks nothing like we expect.  He likes to lead us around surprising curves and unexpected alleyways.  That’s why we shouldn’t lead ourselves after all, we don’t know the terrain like he does.

So, as my children secretly whisper their passwords to get from Nineveh to the North Pole and back, I will soak in the moments we have right now.  The moments with just the 4 of them in this little house that holds so much more than they will ever know.

Because it’s so true.  Love grows best in little houses.

We haven’t died.  We are all alive and well on the face of the earth.  Life just exploded around us and I haven’t had time for anything but…life.  Sometimes that happens.

We’ve had school going on for the two beauties above, they’ve been doing really well with it.  Curly is very easy when it comes to school, she loves it and picks things up very quickly.  Gumby has a little bit more difficult time, so sometimes she likes to create interesting ways to “flee” from her work.  She has been trying some smart little tricky tactics that don’t work on Mom, and then she buckles down and does it.  I’m proud of her.  Her language is really developing and she is definitely growing in a few areas.

Just as you would guess from the photos, this little monster is giving me a parenting overhaul.  I’m currently not sure what to do with him, as we’ve had to adjust our living arrangements a bit and my old ways of dealing with him are not possible.  I think this is a good thing, even if not easy.  Our old ways were about to be outgrown and he needs to learn some hard lessons.  We also have some bedtime issues that needed to change.  He can’t have an absolutely empty room other than his bed and mattress forever =).  Mister Smiles has given me much reason to be on my knees in search of wisdom recently and I know that if I seek, I will find.  It is just a matter of time before our answers are given.

…the situation with him has been improving slightly.

And sweet as Peanut may be, she has entered the “training phase”.  She is trying to see how much her sweet smile can allow her to get away with.  This cutie has quite the stubborn little temper and she just so happens to be very emotional.  Just like a little girl.  She has moments of precious smothering me with kisses and laughter, combined with intermittent sensational temper tantrums and boundary pushing schemes.  We’re making it through them and she is learning that tears don’t change rules and princesses don’t fare well in this household.

We also have some new bunk-mates that have joined us.  And Auntie and Uncle  have moved into Smiles’ room temporarily due to some difficulties, and they just so happened to increase their family size by one early this morning.  So, in a few days, our two house guests will return in the form of three.  That would be why we have had some living arrangements change =).  I’d love to show you photos of our newest bunk-mate, but I have to ask permission from his parents first .

So, as you can see, life has exploded around here.  We are enjoying it, but we have so much to enjoy that I haven’t had time to share it with you.  I have a project I’ve been working on that I will hopefully be able to share soon too.  It’s been fun, but I’d also like to have it done!  Sometimes things take so much longer with small children.  And I suppose that’s okay.