Hampshire Happenings: Season of change

Its been a little over three weeks now since we made the move down here. We have had ups and downs, as expected. I'm getting to know the area more now, especially since I was on my own for our first week here with Nick gone to a conference! While difficult at first, I can say that I am starting to see why everyone here loves living here!

Mady is the one who has had the hardest time with our move. The first couple of weeks were very difficult on her, and she did not like her room at the apartment, didn't want to do any of the activities I took her to, and was acting out more than usual. It broke my heart to hear her say "I miss Euless". While I still hear her say that sometimes, and she still doesn't like her room, I do see more of my old little girl coming back. Everyone told me that 3 years old was much harder than 2, and I completely agree. Throw that in with a move, and taking away most everything familiar to her, and it makes for an interesting storm. We still have a ways to go, but I do feel like we are making progress, and I'm sure she will do much better once we are in our home with all of her stuff back. She loves going to see the new house, and the last time we went she did not want to leave. It's looking like we could close in 3 weeks, and I couldn't be more thrilled!

Owen is taking things in stride. His new sleeping grounds are a pack n play in our walk in closet. Yes, our baby is sleeping in a closet! But he doesn't know the difference. The first week or so was a bit difficult but he settled into a routine. Lately, his sleep has not been great, but I think that could be the loud neighbors above us that moved in a week ago, or teething, or both! Less than 3 weeks. We can do this, we can do this, haha.

While this has been a season of change and with it come challenges, it has also been a time for me to press deeper into God. Trying to handle this on my own was proving fruitless until I remembered I'm not on my own. I've handed it all over, and while I still try picking it back up, I'm learning to let it go into His arms. We can pray for difficult circumstances to be taken away from us, but His job isn't to make our lives more comfortable. These circumstances can be used for good, and can mold us and grow us, and challenge us to be better. That's what I'm allowing this time to do. Yes, we've had challenges, but we have so much to be thankful for. We have been having fun exploring the area, and there are so many things to do around here. I think the kids will really enjoy growing up here. Nick is doing really well at his new job and likes the new office. I think we've found a new church home which is exciting as well. This has also been a time where we've grown closer as a family, and that has made it a sweet time. Here are some pictures of our latest adventures.

Fun at Landa Park: