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hello again

 It's funny, a move spurred this blog. And a move seems to be the way in which I *may* pick it back up.

For the past few years we were in a wonderful neighborhood with some amazing neighbors and not a lot of yard. We are expecting another boy on January 1st - which will make 5 boys and 1 girl. We have continued to thrive in homeschooling and I love the challenge and messiness it brings to our lives.

Over the summer Greg and I made a difficult decision. With another child and homeschooling, it was time to move. It was no longer feasible to have all of our kids playing in a tiny yard in a very busy cul de sac. Additionally, pregnancy is not easy and it limits how much I can move and take them out to different activities. We decided it was time to move.

October 10th was Greg's cut off date as far as my pregnancy and the move went. We ended up closing and moving on October 12th. We saw our home on a feed, but thought it was too far out. Ironically enough our parish priest sent me an email with a picture of this house and said he thought it would be great for kids. This led to both of us driving by, loving it, viewing it and offering. We are now happily settled in a neighborhood, where we live on a lot that is over and acre, and we back up to a farm and hundreds of acres of woods. The surrounding neighbors and our previous owners all bought the neighboring lots, so we are also the only house in a cul de sac. Greg's work commute was nearly cut in half.

In spite of all of the stress of moving (and yes, a month later I am still looking for things... like batteries), it has truly been wonderful.

I am nearly 33 weeks now.

This blog was for me to document our happiness in the chaos. For me to remember that when babies cry life is still okay. Thankfully I have had wonderful neighbors and family close by to talk me through the difficult days. Life is still filled with joy - magnified even with each new face that joins us. Maybe with this move, taking us physically farther away from familiar neighbors and friends, I will take a moment to reflect here, collecting the mundane moments that fill our days.

Did I mention by January we will have 6 kids... in a midsize SUV?

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