It's been a minute . . .

So much has been going since my last post, I am not sure where to begin. Let's see . . . well, we missed out on another property, but Kent found one on craigslist, and we are currently living in it! Yes, we found and place and moved in! We still have many boxes to unpack and lots of organizing to do, but we have a home. Hallelujah! The girls love having their own rooms, and I loooooove the effect separate rooms have had on their bedtime routines. I'll post more details about our digs later when we're more settled in.

Also, the girls and I spent a week in the midwest visiting family and finally getting a chance to relax. Relax, oh yeah, relaxing is good. We arrived at the Sioux Falls airport about an hour before Jessie, Emmet, and Sawyer did. We rented a van, piled in, and headed to Dad and Mel's for four fun days. We spent most of our time in their yard enjoying the grass, the gardens, the dogs, the treehouse, the tractor rides, and so much more.

The fireworks Dad set off for the kids were a special treat since even sparklers are illegal in Los Angeles. The kids weren't in love with the loud noises but were still able to enjoy the show from an indoor window.

I was finally able to take the girls to the Henning Farm in Adrian, Minnesota, where I spent so many summer days as a kid. It was great seeing it again, and although there have been some changes made to the farm since I was little, the best parts, the pigs, the open space, the four wheeler, and good times with family were exactly the same. Madeline said, "I wish I lived here," and I couldn't help but think, I wish I did, too. Maybe someday . . .

We spent an evening at the home of my cousin Lon where we met little Eva. She taught Sawyer some cool things like drinking like a dog from the dog bowl. Fun, fun!

We went to see the falls, as in Sioux Falls. Very pretty. It was raining, but that didn't stop us.

Finally, on the last day of our midwest trip, we stopped by to visit the Elias farm. They have 2500 pigs, lots of cows, and Madeline's second cousin Ryan showed us the lambs he's raising.

I have over 200 pictures and so much more to share about our trip. It was great to see so many aunts, uncles, cousins, and second cousins. At least I have caught up with my blogging a little. More to come later!