This is Beautiful

Well, we are officially in our new house. We are by no means settled but we are there and trying to get things organized and get the kids settled into their new environment. Since I have limited access to internet right now, I don't have pictures to share this week but I do have a funny story. Dave and I were tucking the kids in on the first night at the house and as Caleb climbed into bed, he got all his stuffed animals and got all "snug as a bug in a rug", laid down and said, "This is beautiful". I had to have him repeat it to make sure I heard him right. He said it again and Dave and I couldn't help but chuckle. How cute! It must have just felt so good to be in his own bed with his own stuffed animals and blankets. I mean I suppose we feel the same way when we get into our own bed but have never really shared the thought out loud. It was just so darn cute! The nights have been ok. Caleb has adjusted better than Josiah. Josiah will still cry at night and just wants to know that we are still there. Caleb has been great about coming down to use the potty during the night. We were a little nervous since we are on a different floor than they are now but it's going ok. I know it will take time for them to get used to everything. But for now, we just take turns going up and down the stairs at night. That's one way to get our exercise!!!

The Big Surprise!

All of you know that I LOVE surprises. I don't like to know my Christmas gifts even though Dave tries to tell me every year, I don't like to know what is being planned for my birthday and I especially don't even want to know the sex of my babies before they are born! (6 more weeks until find out what this one is!) Well, this week I got one of the greatest surprises. My closest friend, Mary, came all the way from Hawaii to visit for a week! She surprised my sister-in-law, Wendy, my friend Morgan and I on Monday. Morgan, Wendy and I had planned on meeting a restaurant and Mary met us there. I think everyone in the restaurant thought we were crazy because we just hugged and cried when we saw her. All our husbands had known about this surprise for about month. Since this is such a busy and crazy week for me with our school BBQ on Sunday, God must have known that I would need a surprise like this one. He knows us so well, doesn't he?

"The Girls" at Parlee Farm. Mary has been missing "fall" since living in Hawaii so we thought apple picking would make her feel the season.

Caleb really enjoyed going apple picking. He wanted to carry the bag as he picked the apples and ate them too. But of course, since he is my picky son, he would spit the skin out while eating the apple. When we got home, Caleb helped me make apple crisp...DELICIOUS!

Josiah wasn't as into the picking. I actually thought that he would think the apples were balls and be chucking them in the orchard but really he didn't really pay any attention.

Caleb's Big Day

Caleb's first day of school. He was quite proud of his "Diego" lunchbox that he got to pick out.

He didn't waste anytime when we got to class...right to the fun toys!!!

And of course, if you are going to be a school boy, you need your morning coffee...thanks Nonna. Caleb now likes to dip a cracker in a little bit of coffee (or sometimes milk).
"Hmmm...Nonna, do you think this is ok with mommy?"

Caleb has officially started school. It's so hard to believe! He goes 3 days a week and seems to have enjoyed it so far. His teachers say he is doing really well which is of course so good to hear as a parent. Even though Dave and I both work at the school, it was still strange to drop him off in his classroom and not see him all day. He's just such a little boy!!!!

You're Gonna Miss This

Truth be told...it has been a tough week. It's been busy all around...work, working on the house, the kids. Dave has been staying at our new house with his dad this week and they have gotten a lot of things done. We are so grateful that Dave's dad could be here for the week to help us out. But with Dave at the new house all week, I was still at Nonna's with the boys and they have really been out of sorts. Between a few late nights, shortened naps, not seeing daddy as much and going back and forth between the houses, it has meant a few more meltdowns, a few more tantrums, less listening to mommy, more time-outs, more demands on mommy and a few more tears than usual (and those tears weren't all from the boys!) So needless to say I have been listening to this song a bit more. I listened to it a lot over the summer and it was funny because when my in-laws came out to visit and my father-in-law caught me in a frustrated "mommy moment" and said "Well, you're gonna miss this!". I laughed to myself because little did he know I had been listening to this song. Even if you aren't a country fan, you will enjoy it. Anybody who knows me well knows that I look at life in seasons and this song says it all. No matter what season we are in, we always look forward to the next one and the challenge is to enjoy the one we are in. I love being a mom but it is certainly the most difficult job I have ever had in my life! The only way to get through the challenges is to leave it in the Lord's hands EACH and EVERY day because these precious days will be gone before I know it and I want to enjoy them! It's hard to believe but someday I will miss the runny noses, dirty diapers, running feet, loud voices and hearing my name "mommy" about 100 times a day! I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG9xfJxMYA8

To end our chaotic week, we all slept at our new house on Friday night which was fun and Caleb stayed there with daddy and Grandpa tonight. He is really excited about his new house. But as you can see in this picture, he also had a rough week. Him and Isaac had a little run in with a tree while riding in their truck. Caleb got all scratched up on the left side and Isaac got it on the right. I had pictures scheduled for Friday...guess we will have to put that off for a couple of weeks!

I am just grateful that he didn't get a branch in the eye...poor little guy!

Welcome Home Libby Family

It's official!!! We are homeowners once again! We closed on Thursday and we now have a new address:

10 Cross Street
Hudson, NH 03051

We have not moved everything in yet. Dave and his dad have been sleeping at the house and doing some work on it. I have been doing some cleaning and slowly unpacking the kitchen. We would like to have the boys room done before we move in and the downstairs bathroom almost finished...see photos for explanation of that! There is a lot to do over time but mainly cosmetic so we can take our time to put our personality into it. We are very excited to have our own home again but it has been a draining week. We are staying at separate houses, working on the house, school starts this week and just trying to keep up with everyday life. It has been BUSY and tiring. If you think of the Libby family, just pray for strength and peace during such a crazy time. The kids are doing well but Caleb doesn't quite understand why we aren't living in our new house yet. He keeps asking us to bring his bed to the house...soon, very soon!

10 Cross Street...the Libby's new home.

Our VERY OWN backyard! This is the kids favorite part. It's completely fenced in too!

You know how it goes, "We just need to replace this tile and take down this piece of wall"...

And yes, now our shower/bath is gutted. We do have another shower we can use but hopefully this one will be done before moving day.

Our first official meal with our guests...PIZZA! This is our 4 season porch. It will keep us warm in the winter with our pellet stove that Dave will need to learn to use.

Caleb enjoying some pizza with Grandpa. Grandpa has been a BIG help in getting things done at the house. THANK YOU GRANDPA!!!!

Wendy and Isaac enjoying dinner on our make shift table.

This is Caleb and Josiah in their PJ's in our living room while mommy and daddy get some work done at the house. They were all set with their drinks, snack and "Robots" the movie.

This is a video of the first day we brought the kids to the house. Caleb was a bit excited to be "HOME". It's adorable!