What a Ride!!!!

We're here!!!!! Well, we have actually been here for two weeks now but I am just now finding the time to write a post about the last month. It has been one crazy, amazing, fun, jam-packed, eventful month! To start it all off, we decided to pull the trigger and just move this fall to North Dakota. Well, we rented our house faster than we thought we would (to the best renter's ever!) and that put our plan on the fast track. Two weeks later we had the moving truck on the driveway and all our friends over to help load the puppy! Bodie was in ND working the entire time as well so I was one busy lady while he kept the crew's on task 1,100+ miles away.

In the middle of all that craziness we had birthday parties, going away parties, our must see pumpkin patch outings, and of course visits with friends while we packed the house up! Whew! The children were troopers and really did great the entire time. I was actually glad it was so busy because it left me little time to get all weepy. In all actuallity it gave me special time with dear friends and a lot of time to reflect on the people I love and already miss.

The trip started out a little rocky. On night one, we broke down at 11 pm just over the Montana state line in freezing temps. Bodie was driving the 24' rental truck and I had the F-250 pulling the 32' flat bed trailer that was loaded with my packed Tahoe and a lot more. The F-250 lost both alternators and had to be towed. No biggie had we not been in the middle of nowhere at the wee hours. We had to unload the Tahoe, unpack the tahoe, switch the car seats, and then pack the truck with all the stuff from the Tahoe. Did you follow that???? Me either but it all turned out well and left us with a thrilling start and a great story to tell.

We finally made it to our new home 2.5 days later!!!! Needless to say we have been busy UNpacking. The house has had it's issues but it is certainly turning out quite cute. The kid's love the new adventure and are quickly adjusting to life in the country. We are 27 miles out of Bismarck so it's a ways out here but we all really do love it. So far we have joined the YMCA, started swimming lessons, and this Friday we have our first playgroup where we hope to make some new friends as well. All in all, we love it! We have even had our first storm! The best part is that we are all together again. Can't believe we did the travel for so long. We miss our friends and family but we look forward to the visits and know that they are just a phone call away for now.

Brayton with Daddy putzing aroung the farm.
Bodie FULL THROTTLE around the farm!
The children think the wind here is great! Flying the kite is a new favorite past time. Luckily, ND has plenty of wind!! LITERALLY!

Bodie at the new house. The mattress in the background that we had to hoist up to the 2nd story to get in the house after taking out the window. Should be fun when we leave!

Brayton with Belinda. He managed to snuggle every woman that came over to help. He's a lover!

Could be his first crush here! Brayton and Barbie=love!

Loving on Aunt Angela at Natalie's party! Miss them both!!!

Bodie wrangled a grape soda at a party. . . He loved it to say the least!

Annelise at one of our many trips to the pumpkin patch!

Desi was a gift from my friend Jerianna! She sent her over from Portland to watch the kids while I packed and WOW did it help!!! We love her dearly and were so grateful for her help.

Packing fun!

Home is where your heart is. . .so they say!

I know the old saying. "Home is where your heart is." Surely that must be true. Surely when the boxes are all packed and the tape has sealed them shut my heart will be in there somewhere waiting to be opened at the next destination. Right?

There are so many, many things I am so grateful for right now. We have work. Our employees are getting paid. We are all healthy and well. So, there are numerous things to rejoice about. It's simply that no matter how simple, or how silly it may sound, I am having a very hard time walking away from this home.

This house is the home all three of our babies came home to. The house they have had every "first" in. The house we remodeled with our own hands over a matter of years. There were no trees, shrubs, or even a circle drive. The inside was a disaster and yet Bodie saw the potential and talked me into what it could be. I trusted his vision and was so happy I did.

This is the place our families have gathered and holidays have been photographed. The place I cried when my grandparents died and the place I laughed while we enjoyed our babies.

Make no mistake, I am sure it will all be as it should be when the boxes are unpacked but right now, right this very second, I feel a little broken and sad to go.

I know it's just a house. A material object. However, it's still my home and where my heart would like to stay.

Where I come from, Rain is a good thang!

When it rains. . . . .
. . . . it leaves puddles. . . . . .

. . . . and what good are puddles. . . ..

. . . .if you can't play in them?

Well, in this family, when it rains and makes some puddles and those puddles make some mud. . . .well, you do what any decent person would do and you jump right in!!!!!!!

I knew the second I saw these puddles of mud in North Dakota that we would be in them in no time. So I stripped the babies down, threw caution to the bugs and grime all around, and let my family dance in the mud! It was a GREAT afternoon and the kind of memories I hope they will look back on fondly. There was only a FREEZING cold lake to wash off in but we didn't care. It was an absolute blast!!! My children were thrilled and I was covered in mud along with them. North Dakota, our soon to be home, has already proved that it is ready for us to jump in feet first!

Yes Sir, That's my Brother!!!!

This is my brother Wade. You have probably seen him before somewhere on this blog. I say somewhere meaning I have no idea where but I know he is in here numerous times.
Wade and Annelise loving up on each other!

This is how we all feel about Wade.

Recently, my brother Wade made a choice to save his life. He made a choice to come back to his family as the man we all know and love and missed so much. Not only did he do this, he did it with avengance!!! Wade is over 50 days sober and we are soooooo proud. Makes me cry to write this. I don't tell you (the few people who read this blog) to dish dirt or spread something we aren't proud of. On the contrary! I write this post to encourage ANYONE struggling from addiction. He couldn't do it on his own and now he is THRIVING! He has made me and my whole family so proud!

There are days when I lose my patience and I get frustrated and in all honesty it is awesome that I can look at him and know if he can do that then I can do better myself. It's a blessing to have amazing brothers and Wade is certainly one of them! The other thing I have noticed is that not one member of my family has judged him or been negative. How WONDERFUL it is to know you can belong to a family where your mistakes and falls in life will not be held against you. Wade has opened my eyes and made me love him and my entire family even more. To raise my children in the walls of this family has been one of my greatest gifts ever.

Three years ago. . .

The twins are thick as thieves and the best of buddies. I know I already posted this shot last post but I just love it. The two of them loving their best pal Lucy and being within feet of each other as usual. Who would have thought three years ago that this is where they would be? On the river shores of their future home 1100 miles from where they started.
They started out so small (4.13 lbs. and 4.10 lbs) and so fragile it seemed. Although they couldn't roll or really squirm too far they always managed to end up touching hands or some part of their body while they slept. Even today, they don't sleep without the other one in the same room and neither one likes to be far from the other for very long. The lay on each other and hug without prompting which always makes us smile. Their is a bond between them that is rare and special. Fortunately for us we have watched it flourish for the past three years.
Annelise was such a content baby and that has carried over into her toddler years as well. She still loves her books more than any other toy and is in love with anything princess or hello kitty. We always joke that Annelise is so independent that she could live on her own if we let her. She loves her ABC's and can color a mean page from her strawberry shortcake color book. Not much of a cuddler but when she needs a little love she will crawl up and demand it. Not a single person minds giving in. She also potty trained herself a long time ago and is quite impressive with her skills! She is our resident dare devil and often only needs to prove to herself she can do it and after attempting something once. . . she is done. Very verbal and expressive she is also our bossy pants in the house and can often be overheard letting her brothers know who rules the roost. A sharing girl, a compassionate girl, and very thoughtful. She even yelled "God Bless You!" to a stranger in the grocery store who sneezed recently and will always ask if someone who falls is ok. This girl is sweet as the day is long and at almost three years old we are more smitten with her now than ever!
Itty bitty Bodie Burton. In the beginning this boy outweighed his sister by a whopping 3 ounces but now trail behind a whole 4.5 lbs. Tiny whirlwind of might power, this kid is excited about everything and a Daddy's boy from the core of his being. He is still the man's man and loves all things dirty, wheels, dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and some good tools! He loves to cuddle and suck his thumb while rubbing your earlobe. So sweet but his little brother could pass on the ear rubs! Although he isn't the slightest bit interested in being potty trained, he is fascinated with the thought of taking off his training wheels already and loves his bike! He loves to ride anything with a motor with his dad and can be found tinkering in the garage beside him almost always. The boy loves chocolate milk and his dog. Twinkle twinkle is his favorite song and I love it when he asks me to sing it to him. Although he is a Daddy's boy, he loves to cuddle with me and I couldn't love it more. He already loves girls and parties so we are scared of what is ahead. This boy melts hearts daily and ours are included!

It's just so hard to believe that on the 30th it will be three years since I held my breath when the Doctor said they would be here today. So hard to believe that I have had the privledge of being their mom and God trusted me to their care. Seems like yesterday that these beautiful babies were a dream we hoped for and now I write this with three years of memories and a heart bursting with love for them. We laugh so hard at the things they say and do. What a riot they are together. Our lives are ever changing and as I reflect back on the last three years I can honestly say they have only changed every day for the better.

Happy Birthday Bodie Burton and Annelise Lucia!

We love you!!!

The Glue that Binds

Three amazing kids at the Dakota Zoo in Bismark watching the bear have a lazy day.
The twins loving the best dog ever on the Missouri River beaches.

Three babies all in a row.

One sister smothering her brothers!

Life has been exciting to say the least lately!!! Two weeks ago the kids and I headed back to North Dakota for another visit with daddy. The miles are long but they pass quickly knowing we get to see Bodie as soon as we arive! Living in the camp trailer with all five of us does not pass as quickly but we made the best of it for sure. However, a camp trailer it won't be forever because. . . . . .WE ARE MOVING!!!!!!!!!

I know. I can't really believe it yet either. Actually, I think I am still in denial about it. Denial that we have to leave this home we all love!! The home our babies were all brought home to. The home we remodeled and made our own with our own hands. So sad that I have to find a renter and a place to rent. I know a home is where you make it and all that but I love it here. I love the view from my windows and the green grass that stretches forever out our front door. I love the nursery that I painted myself and the trees we planted that grew up so tall like they were happy to be with our family.
It's just harder to do than I thought it would be.

On the other hand, Bodie has become the most ambitious man I know!!! We are all SO proud of all his hard work and I really admire his tenacity. Bodie and the crews have been working nose to the grind stone 12-16 hours a day and we are all climbing out of this financial hole together. Feels so good to bring the employees with us as well. Their loyalty has made me admire them more as well. We can't do any of this without them and we are grateful beyond thank you!

There is so much to do and so much to figure out yet as we change out lives so drastically but these three beautiful children have been our glue. With few moments to talk to Bodie and few days together even when we are there, it is these amazing children that pull our heart strings tighter and make us press on. Keeping this family a unit, taking care of each other, and knowing that we do what we have to makes the change possible.

They are our glue.

Dancing Queen. . . and Kings!

I know, my blogging has been few and far between. Then when I make a quick come back it's short lived. Well. . . .I may not change anytime soon. However, here is a snipit of our days. Enjoy!

As many of you know, Bodie is a working maniac in North Dakota right now. We are beyond grateful for the opportunity and trying our very hardest to make the most our of it. The bad part is we are all seperated my many miles. It has been over 45 days since it all began and we have only been together as a family for 6 days of that and 3 short nights. We seem to be getting use to the change and the children have been so great! They miss their daddy and so do I but we are like so many families just trying to make some lemonade! Three small children all by myself is certainly keeping me busy and not giving me a chance to get upset about the distance. Thank goodness! :)