These days

I don't have many pictures of the last few weeks, but we have been busy!!
- We went to TX with the kids, Jack & Roxanne for our house hunt.  It was a crazy few days, looking at about 20 houses in 2 days and then making an offer on day 3.  We were so thankful for our relator, Mrs. Gooch (the kids lover her name!), for Jack & Roxanne's help, and for cool weather (which made Longview seem almost like a little paradise).  We put in our offer right before we left and were texting back and forth to  Mary Gooch as we drove to Dallas with offers and counter offers.  All was settled by the next morning when we accepted the seller's final offer.  We were hoping for a little lower (because we want to remodel the kitchen and bathrooms), but we were happy to get it!
- House ownership has already taken a lot of time in the last week since we've been back!  Luke's been working a ton on researching cabinets, appliances, etc., (I get to do a lot of choosing - he does the research - good deal!), communicating with the inspector and with our old Pepperdine friend-turned-Longview-contractor, Mark, budgeting for all of the renovations and furniture that we are wanting/needing, working out the mortgage, etc.  I've been working on it all a lot, too, and have felt like my brain is a bit of a pinball machine - "I could work on school curriculum for next year - or paint colors for the kitchen - or see if that church we visited offers VBS - or browse girls' bedding - or price out canvas prints - what's for dinner tonight?..."
- Once home, we took a few days to catch our breath and then jumped back into life.  Luke's  not teaching in May, but we did our second-to-last week of school this week for the kids, which included a police station tour for Isaiah, strawberry picking with friends at the farm (we made jelly this time!), and our final Fun Group
- We're kind of in the long moving transition now of trying to do life in 2 different places.  On Friday, I dropped of our withdrawal letter and documents at our school office and mailed out a registration form for our new group in Longview.
- On the way to drop off the withdrawal stuff, we were rear-ended in the van.  My first accident!  We were hit while stopped, but I then ran into the car in front of us.  Everyone was fine, though Lucy offered a dramatic projectile vomit when I immediately pulled her out of the car (she'd gagged on a snack she'd been eating when we were hit).  Both bumpers were damaged and my neck/back were a little sore that day.  The kids were all fine, though Isaiah was shaken up.  It was a little neat to see police officers in action after visiting the station earlier in the week, but it was still stressful and shook us up a bit.
- The girls have both been sick this week, passing their fevers, coughs, and snot-production back and forth
- We're getting ready to leave for Yosemite!  We're excited for our first "long" (3 night) camping trip - especially in such a beautiful place.  The kids will love the hikes and waterfalls, and I can't wait to show them the sequoias and to see them again myself.  So amazing.  I promise you'll get a lot of pics on the next post!