Saying Goodbye...

...is a process. When your heart is lodged in a community that has become home, "goodbye" isn't easy. We're traveling that process right now and each day holds tears for this mama. It's sweet to have such wonderful memories. It's bittersweet to relive them as this chapter closes.

This is Noodle with his four closest friends from our church family. One last sleepover while we live here and one FUN game of flag football...

We did a "walk down memory lane" treasure hunt with the kids on Saturday to revisit some of our favorite "hometown" spots and talk about the times we had there... Here we are on my favorite in-town hiking trail and our favorite sledding spot, too.

Mmm. One of the kids' favorite play spots! You haven't lived unless you've hung off a metal merry-go-round. Doubt this one would pass any safety inspections in this century. :)

And an update on our 13-day-old... He gets cuter each day, our little Lanman.

More photo updates to come. Tonight is the long-awaited Kids Carnival at church. I'm bringing my camera...
and Kleenex.

Ahhh... It is SO good to be on this side of things! I have left updates up to Jake, and he's done well considering it was his first "behind- the-scenes" blog exposure! We get wireless in very spotty locations and times here at the hospital... so I am glad we'll be home soon for this reason- Happy to be hunkered down here for others!

Last night they checked Landon's bili ruben (sp? BR!) numbers and they were slightly high, so they did a blood test to get more accurate numbers. They weren't quite as high, but for that the cause for the jauntice was a blood incompatibility between my blood and his. My O+ was sending out antibodies against his A+ which is trying to be established. Layman's terms for "just another way jauntice can occur." He spent the night under the lights (It's football season- "Friday Night Lights" seemed appropriate!) and his BR #'s are already down, which they weren't expecting yet- so all looks like it will be well.

He's a passionate nurser (ouch), he's sweet as can be and doing great. We're going to hang out here for another day and see what tonight's blood test brings and Lord willing will be able to head home after that.

God is good.

We are so thankful.

Things went so well for us yesterday. With the uncomplicated delivery, the fun family and friend visitors in the afternoon, and the quite night with just the three of us, the day was memorable. Thank you all for your prayers, concern, and friendship. We're truly blessed.

Landon Jon Mason Dahl is here!

Here are the stats on our third son! He was born on October 11 at 1:30 in the afternoon.

8 pounds 10 ounces

21 1/2 inches long

Everything went very smoothly for us and we're all really excited that he's here.

Impromptu "Rainy Day" Party

With our days in our adopted "hometown" drawing to a close, I am taking each chance I can to make memories with friends. Seeing the forecast called for rain and knowing the love for horses most 5 and 6 year old girls have, we came up with a last minute excuse to invite Bella's friends over for the afternoon last week.




Ahh, Memories...

Rambling thoughts on my last few days of our Grand Finale pregnancy

Well, the week we have long been waiting for has arrived!

Lord willing, Thursday at this time I will be holding our little Grand Finale externally rather than internally. He's a ball of energy at the moment, I think he knows I'm typing about him.

It was much easier for everyone tonight to say "goodbye" to Daddy- not for a whole week, but for three days. We'll get him home for 2 1/2 weeks as of Wednesday night!

The plan is that both Jake and my Mom will arrive Wed. night. Jake and I will sneak off to a big ol' Perkins breakfast at the crack of dawn and then off to the "Hospital to the South." Bella was induced as well- they just broke my water- and she was born at 1:18pm, so I have hopes of having him by mid-afternoon. My doctor is going to check us upon arrival and if we are at 3cm, will just break my water, but if not- the nasty pitocin will have to be started. Ya know? At this point I'm just excited the time is here. :)

Landon Jon Mason Dahl. There. I typed his little name. :)

Bella is still praying it's a sister. I guess it could be. She would just be wearing boy clothes for the rest of her infanthood. The Doctor did say "It looks like a boy" not that it IS a boy... She's holding out hope.
Noah announced at supper that he couldn't wait until we had the NEXT baby... as in #5. I laughed out loud. I don't think they "got it" when I said, "No, Mommy is giving Daddy a ten foot pole when this baby comes out." At least until necessary procedures are completed.

Ahhh... My hour-long nap is backfiring as I should be in bed, but am not sleepy. We are due to have thunderstorms tonight- Praise the Lord- as the temps have been in the mid eighties and very humid this weekend. You know you're in Wisconsin when you have summer weather on the weekend and a high of 45 expected by Wednesday. Fall is on it's way! :)

I will update you all Thursday if all goes as planned. :) Of course he COULD come on his own before then...

But don't hold your breath.

Growing Up

Do you believe that this (not-so-little) baby girl...


Has grown into this big girl who can EZ Bake? :)


Here she is with the fruit of her labor... Such a proud moment!



Hold those babies close... They grow up too fast.

Thoughts on change...

I think I am ready for the change. In many ways it feels as though it has already happened. This week has brought the feeling of an onlooker in my "life" here. Don't get me wrong- times with the kids have been great- There's no choice in that matter. They are doing well, though I can tell the separation from Daddy is getting harder at the end of each weekend. The actual move will be hard for them, but as the reality of this settles in for me, I see that my place here- or anywhere for that matter- is temporal. Relationships are more fluid than I imagined, and life goes on. It doesn't seem like it should- like this earth-shaking change in your life should as deeply affect those around you as it does you. That's not realistic and I am coming to see that. (Not in a bad way- I am not trying to lash out here!) :)
It's an odd feeling. I know I need to withdraw from things here. It's only natural, and healthy, not to stay latched on to what's comfortable and to transition into the new things God is bringing. I guess I just didn't foresee it all happening before I actually had to go- and that's been the revelation this week. It's probably a form of self-protection- withdrawing from what you know won't last.

I just wish it was easy.

And she's off!

Bella's newest favorite hobby... Perfected just last weekend:



And how is she feeling about it all?

The post in which I will get a song stuck in your head.

... which is ONLY fair because I have been singing it since early this afternoon. I've been flashing to pre-game basketball warm-ups which is the only place you hear this song played, and OFTEN if your husband coaches JV and Varsity basketball.

But I digress...
We are in THE FINAL COUNTDOWN as my doctor said today that he would induce us one month from today! October 11th will be the birthdate of our little Dahl unless for some miraculous reason he, unlike his siblings, makes his own debut before then. I'm thinking the 11th is looking good.

We are all excited, and have much trim to paint in our FOR SALE home within the next month, which means this mama had better get her tush to bed.
Good night, all! :)

And some kitchen photos to update you!

BEFORE...





AFTER...




AHHHH...

For the Faithful...

... readers who might actually be checking this dinosaur after all this time!

We are alive. We are well. We are undergoing a season of change like no other in the Dahl house, and learning that although it may be hard, it may stretch us, change isn't bad. Just uncomfortable.

For those who don't know, Jaker accepted a late-posted teaching job in his home town. It's a state away, and will be good. We have wonderful family there- the kids will grow up with grandparents in the same town, it is no further for the other grandparents... It's just change. And just as our addition/remodel is getting done. And just as the baby is only 5 weeks from being born. We will miss our church family more than anything. We've made Dear, Dear friends here over the past decade, and have grown to love our community... but it's our church and friends we will miss the most.

SO... I have started my first week of "single-momming-it" as Jake travels down for the week and will come back on weekends. We have hired out the finishing of the house... one guy is doing the siding and another the finishing work inside. A third gentleman from church graciously came today to put trim up out of the kindness of his heart! (See why it will be so hard to leave our friends here!?) The details are coming together. I have a goal of doing Kindergarten with Bella in the mornings (today we started when the boys got on the bus at 7:45 and were done by 9:15.), packing and cleaning with her until noon and then after lunch tackling the list of many little things that need doing- painting for the most part. We have (maybe foolishly) decided to have an impromptu open house this Saturday, which is our city-wide garage sale day. I hope to have a really good cleaning day on Friday! :)

The Lord has been good to us in so many ways. Today He provided a place for us to stay for Nov - March! (We are not planning on a quick house sale- though I trust He could do it- the market around here is TERRIBLE!) Not a small thing seeing as how the town we are headed to was one of the worst hit in the recent Minnesota floods!

That's about it. I better get my sleep tonight. I've got a Kindergartner who will need me at my best in the AM. Not to mention an active 34-week-gestational baby that is sapping me of the last of my energy for the day. Why is it they rev up as I putter down?

I'll leave you with a "First Day of School" photo of my babies...

Changes

The changes going on at "Doodles" would stagger you- I will update soon. For now I will post some much delayed house photos for those of you who are still checking after all this time!!

The kitchen, opened up and Italian looking to me! The cabinet installation should begin today!



The bedroom (excuse the unmade bed- there is a sleeping Bella somewhere in there!



And the master bath...



I guess that is all that made it to the post... I thought there were two more photos. Sorry! These will have to do for now! Catch up soon!

Mmmm... a contest!

This is worth posting!!! Wouldn't this be fun for our new bedroom as a huge thanks to Jake for all the hard work?! He would click his heels for joy! Best Buy is supplying the prize for this great contest!

It's a boy!

Or at least appears to be at this point.

We are all very excited- but searching for a name as we were more settled on girl's names than boy's. (At this point my husband would point out that I am pretty picky about names. )
Suggestions are welcome!

Back to painting with me.

If you are in need...

... of a chortle, head on over to http://www.antiquemommy.com and read her Mary Tyler Moore post from yesterday. Whoo... use the bathroom BEFORE hand though.

I've got nothing for you today folks. Surprised? HA!
I'm up to my elbows in ceiling paint, and ready to jump into Bahia Grass, Laurel, Tannin, and Summer Lake. Mmmm... I'll update you with painting photos when there are results to show off!

Tomorrow there will (Lord willing) be a baby gender announcement in the afternoon!

Back to regular blogging... well, no promises. One has to have priorities. This summer "Doodles" isn't in the top ten. :)

Thanks to the help of my wonderful friend Jen and fabulous SIL Jamie our room, soon to be Bella's room, was transformed into this girly wonder today:

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, ladies!

To catch you up...

Well, we've had a busy week thus far! I am generally pretty organized, but this week has brought me to my planner frequently to stay on top of all that is buzzing.

Noodle is spending this week at our local camp. I have no doubt he is having great fun. Because the camp is right here in town I have been tempted more than once to "drive by" and just see if I can catch a glimpse of him, but have resisted thus far. This is his third week at summer camp... He went two years ago to the camp I grew up going to and then last year spent a week at his current digs. This year brings a trip to BOTH as next week he and Doodle will spend a week together at LLBC. I am thrilled for them as camp brought about spiritual bounds in my life. I pray God will use it in a big way in my children's' lives as well.

Doodle and I woke early with aspirations of strawberry picking, only to find a well-timed e-mail from a good friend letting us know the patch was closed for ripening. All is well. We may try for tomorrow, but the Lord knows my plate for today is brimming and aside from Doodle's initial disappointment (that lasted .2 seconds until he launched himself in bed with Daddy to cuddle), I am grateful for the extra hours to prepare for this busy day and the next. Dood and I are headed to a small waterpark today with good friends, and then Jake and I are headed to "The King and I"( in which a dear friend has the role of Anna) tonight. The production is being held at a charming little theater that is in an old barn- one of our favorite places to see a show. It's bound to be a good one!

Bella has been thoroughly enjoying Summer School the past two weeks. She loves her teacher and has new little friends. The other day she dramatically pronounced that the last day of class she was going to come home and "just cry and cry." Ahh, the gift of emotion in even young girls. Lord, help me! :)

Our addition (the itty-bitty moving one) is growing quickly! We are at 23 weeks now and if I get the courage I'll update you with a belly photo (please use caution and sunglasses when viewing- It's a glaring white monstrosity!). Babycenter tells me the wee one is around 11 inches and just over a pound! I have been trying to stay as active as possible, but I feel like the weight is compounding daily despite my efforts. I worry not about the baby's healthy birth weight. Any guesses? :)

Our bedroom addition is going well, too. I haven't shared photos the past couple days as the work is more subtle. Jake is finishing the internal framing and prepping for drywall. We are expecting (and hoping for) both the electrician and heating/cooling man today, so if all goes well we could have a final inspection tomorrow or Monday and then insulation and drywall will begin! It's fun to walk through it and has been fun to pick tile, flooring, doors, lights, etc. throughout the past week.

There... I think you are updated on our kids and lives. We love you all and look forward to being with extended family- on both sides- soon!

Memories...

We had a great time together in a mini vacation to Six Flags.

Our Goon-children hamming it up:

Said children devouring a hot fudge funnelcake sundae in .2 seconds:

Mmmm. Warms a mommy's heart:

Ya think they got MY chompers or what!? Geesh. Daddy's appetite, Mommy's teeth.

Life is Good!

"Did you like the waterslide, Bella?"

It's coming!

While we had our mini-get-away a friend came to shingle for us! Here is a view from the back with the bump-out walls up (the transom window is framed in) and shingles on!

And here are the interior walls, which are also framed in! Jake is standing in the shower... on the other side of the wall to the left of him (as we see it in the picture) will be the toilet and across from him will be the sink. I'll try to get better photos of this all!

Promised photos

Sometimes this whole internet/digital camera stuff still amazes me. I was outside two minutes ago, took these photos, and now I will have them online to be viewed around the globe in moments. Can you imagine sitting down with even a brilliant man of our past, say, Benjamin Franklin, and explaining that whole process to him?

Here are the photos!

Photos from Sunday

Well, I'm a bit behind on posting the progress, but this is what things looked like on Sunday afternoon. If it weren't 10:30pm I would be out there with photos from today, because man does it look different now!

Dawson and I took off for a couple hours Sunday with Daddy's truck and a baggie of change. Now what little boy raids their piggy bank to buy leeches? Mine. That's who. We got a dozen leeches and headed to the local dam to fish for a couple hours. Here are my favorite shots of the day. Eat your heart out... I could gobble him (and his cute little fingers) right up!

I'll post new photos tomorrow. I assure you there is a big difference! :)

Weekend update

You know you live in a small town when your lumberyard delivery comes tooling down the road on a fork lift!

Two walls up! (This is taken from the back of the addition... the wall to the left with one window is the east wall (our bedroom) and the wall in the center with two windows will face the street.)

All walls are up! You can see the bump-out in the back where our bed will sit(walls will be built when the roof trusses are up), as well as the door to the backyard (Deck/hot tub of the distant future!)

Roof trusses are up! I will go out and take photos to post later today!

Tearing down the walls

See? I told you it wasn't pretty! :)

We had final measurements done for the roof trusses on Tuesday. Jake mentioned he would like to work towards putting trusses up this weekend. The lumber-yard guy said, "Oh. Well, the truss plant is only a block away but they usually want two-weeks to fill an order. They have been known to do favors, though, so I'll see what I can do."

The trusses came an hour ago. :)
God is so good

My dad is up "visiting-" with Jake at least- as they rip the side of the house off. I will share photos... Just as soon as I find the camera under all this dust! I think that old houses get their smell from the nasty blown in dust(insulation) that is in the walls. Our house smells like a grandma house or an antique shop, or a dusty ol' attic right now. Mmm... You're jealous, aren't ya? :)

I am content feeding the masses with a fridge that has never been fuller. I invited friends over to play, and ya know... It's been such a blessing to me. They are playing outside on bikes, doing treasure hunts and all around just doing exactly what kids should do on summer vacation. It's a beautiful breezy, sunny day and God is good.

Have a great day... I'll share photos of our de-construction soon!