we bought paradise

In August of 2014 we moved into our home in Highland Village.  Kenny remodeled it, and it's wonderful!! However, it's not our forever home.  The kitchen is small and we enjoy entertaining, and have large families.  We don't have a playroom/schoolroom so when friends come over, the kids are in the same den as the adults and it's difficult to have conversations or play games.  There's no guest room.  The boys' rooms are across from the master bedroom.  The bathrooms are tiny.  And I have no bathtub in the master bathroom.  But, we had plans to build a house on our lot in Forest Hills so these were all things I could live with temporarily.

Since then, I have absolutely fallen in love with this area!  I love how close I am to multiple grocery stores, shopping, parks, trails, the gym, etc.  It's great to be right off the highway so we can get to church/Dallas easily.  We've become really good friends with the Merrimans and the thought of moving away from them is heartbreaking.

So we put building a new home on hold and began praying about where the Lord wanted us.  Kenny is always looking at lots, either with clients or for possible business plans.  We talked about buying land across the bridge, up off 380, or in the Argyle area.  Kenny's thoughts were that there are already so many established builders in this area that he would need to move further north to have a chance to make a name for himself.  I'm not going to stand in the way of that!

Thanks to my emotions, I've been all over the place.  One day, I want to move back up to 380... mainly because I wanted land and that seemed to be the only place we could find an acre or more for a decent price.  The next day, I'd be willing to take a smaller lot so we could stay close to our friends. Then we'd walk through a house Kenny built, and I'd tell him I don't care how far it is, we just need land!  A few days later, I'd see Melissa and decide we can stay in our current home forever... I'd make it work even though we've clearly outgrown it.

Several days ago, Kenny had mentioned finding a two acre lot in Eagles Landing and I asked him to pray about it.  But I just kept getting the feeling that if we bought that lot, I'd basically be cutting the time I see my family in half.  It's just too far off the highway, which makes trips to/from Dallas a beating.  As much as I want land, I'm not ready to sacrifice the location to get it.  So I had resolved to just wait.

On Wednesday, we were out running errands when Kenny called and said "I might have just done something."  I had been tracking him and knew he had spent several hours in an area that looked like a park, so I figured he probably bought some land.  He continued, "I just bought us a little piece of paradise."

My heart skipped a beat and I wanted to pull over and hyperventilate.  "You couldn't talk about this with me first?!?"

"Oh, I won't need to ask you about this.  It's two acres, tons of trees, a small hill, place for a pond, backs up to the Corps of Engineers, and is surrounded by several other five acre tracks, and has a creek running through it."  I couldn't believe what I was hearing! "At the front of the subdivision, the developer is making several smaller lots that I could buy and build houses on as well.  There is a private drive that leads back to our lot, so we are completely isolated in the middle of the city. It's not even on the market yet, but I talked him into letting me buy it!"

Because I had been tracking Kenny, I knew where it was located.  Right off the highway, about two exits north of where we currently live, in Hickory Creek.  He was working on getting a contract and said we could see it after the boys napped.  It seemed like an eternity, but we finally loaded up and went to see it.

Kenny was right, it was our own paradise!

private road that leads back to our lot

I'm just completely in awe of the Lord's faithfulness and provision!  Kenny has shown me time and time again how important it is to be patient, and if we don't get what we want, it only means God has something better in mind.  I'm thankful for his patience and wisdom in leading our family.  This truly is the perfect location... we get our land, right in the middle of the city!  And we can have chickens, goats, and a donkey!

Kenny has been drawing plans for the house and this is one we both love!

I can't wait to post updates and walk through this process with Kenny.  I've seen so many houses that he's built for other people knowing someday I would get my chance.  And it's finally here!!!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You, LORD.  You are too good to us!

4th of July

I hate to admit it but I'm normally a dud when it comes to small holidays.   Even on the big ones I procrastinate so long that I run out of time for crafts and decorating.

This year was different. I got into the patriotic spirit early enough to go to Hobby Lobby for supplies, pick up some 4th of July books, make crafts, and invite friends over for dinner.

First we made t-shirts. It was so much fun and I really hope this can become a tradition.  I even found an iron-on anchor so baby could be a part of the fun.

Then we decorated a bucket to collect candy in at the parade.  Joshua really got into it and made sure there was a star for each member of our family.  The small star inside the big star was for anchor (the baby in mommy's belly).... made my mommy heart melt.

Next we learned about patterns by creating this firework hat. Joshua LOVED making it but didn't want to wear it at the parade.

Finally we read our Fourth of July books: Corduroy's 4th of July; The Berenstain Bears God Bless Our Country; and The Night Before the Fourth of July.  I'm so blessed to have little ones who enjoy reading... it's a passion of mine and I love sharing it with them.

On Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early to get ready for the parade. The Denton Parade has been a tradition since before we had kids!! Unfortunately, I have no family pictures... oh well, live and learn! 

2013 (I was pregnant with Maverick)

2014 (at Fuzzy's before parade)

2014

We put on our shirts, stuck on our temporary tattoos and loaded up in the Merriman's van.  First (and most important) stop: DONUTS!!

At the parade, the boys wanted a "bucket head" photo. We told them to line up and this is what we got:

REDO... sort of!! 

Maverick loved watching from high up on daddy's shoulders.

The boys LOVED seeing the fire trucks, old cars, tractors, horses, and police men.  They ran and played on the lawn and just had fun being boys. I finally got my family photo! Hopefully there will be many more to come!

We headed home for lunch and naps and daddy surprised us with a swimming pool! Perfect timing! The Merriman's came over around 4 and Joshua and Jackson swam constantly from then on. We grilled shish kabobs, had corn salad, watermelon, and a yummy 4th of July dessert.  Doug and Melissa DOMINATED our game of Phase 10 but it was still a lot of fun.  It's so refreshing to spend time with good friends, good food, good conversation... it's just so easy hanging out with them! And an added bonus is that our boys get along so well. 

This is one fourth of July that's going in the books as an awesome fun-filled day of memories. 

when Murphy's Law tries to win

Murphy's Law states that: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.

The stomach bug hit our home this last week.  Mav had it first, but it was quite spread out. He threw up Sunday night and had a little diarrhea on Tuesday afternoon.  Then Kenny was up all night Tuesday doing both... and unfortunately it continued into Wednesday.  It finally struck Joshua and me on Thursday night, but not near as bad as what Kenny had. By Saturday morning we were all feeling back to normal and looking forward to a peaceful day at home.

On his way out for donuts (a Saturday ritual for us) Kenny noticed water bubbling from the ground in a puddle.

Murphy's Law: 1  Wrights: 0

Not good. Especially in HV where water is... not cheap.  So he turned the water off (unbeknownst to me) and went to get donuts.  Meanwhile, I was making eggs and preparing the stacks of laundry that needed to be done and making a mental list of chores to complete. I turned the kitchen sink on to start the dishes and of course, there was no water. Awesome.

Murphy's Law: 2  Wrights: 0

Kenny returned and immediately started digging holes around the front yard to try and find the problem.  Realizing I couldn't do laundry or dishes, I headed out to the grocery store (an errand I had been trying to run since Tuesday).  I returned home to this:

Murphy's Law 3:  Wrights: 0

Kenny could see where the water was coming out but couldn't find the pipe. The Merriman's, friends of ours that live down the street, came over to help and of course the boys saw it as a little piece of heaven. MUD!

Joshua found a snake! He loves them... I do not!

Murphy's Law: 3  Wrights: 1

Melissa kept me company on the porch as I watched my front yard being torn up hole by hole.  After hours of digging, Kenny decided to rent an excavator. A WHAT!?!?  Again, our water is turned off, the boys are caked in mud, and it's nap time. 

Murphy's Law: 4  Wrights: 1

Thankfully, Melissa let us bathe at her house... which turned into more playtime.  The only reason I left was to teach a make-up piano lesson (that was cancelled thanks to stomach bug). 

Murphy's Law: 4  Wrights: 2

I returned home a few hours later to this:

Murphy's Law: 5  Wrights: 2

Yes... the excavator dug across the ENTIRE front yard.  I sat on the swing in a daze. I didn't even know where to start. Water still off, it's now well past nap time, I couldn't let the boys play in the mud because we had no water, I had no idea where Kenny is and couldn't bother him with questions about dinner... so we sat.  I noticed Joshua, who had been enjoying the mud all day, was sitting next to me. Ears beet red and cheeks rosy.  Fever.

Murphy's Law: 6  Wrights: 2

Melissa texted a few minutes later saying she was bring pizza and the boys were at Lowe's getting parts to fix the leak.

Success at last!! THANK YOU JESUS!!

A day that could've been a disaster, created an attitude of discontentment and anger in me turned into a day of heaven for my boys and good fellowship for me, all while watching daddy fix the leak.  All I could think about was the numerous blessings Jesus bestowed on us:

1. This happened on a Saturday, we were all well, and had no plans.

2. The older boys had fun swimming, digging, and watching the excavator dig up our yard... how many kids get to see that?

3. Kenny knew how to fix the problem instead of paying for a plumber to dig around for hours not knowing where the problem was.

4. The Merriman's just happened to ride by and were able to play all day.

5. My soul was refreshed and encouraged from chatting with Melissa. She is so hang loose and easy going. I know I would've been a terrible wife with a terrible attitude had she not been there.

6. Despite not getting a nap, Mav had a blast crawling around, pushing his car, playing in the rain, and eating bugs (yes, I found a bug leg on his mouth!)

7. Doug was supposed to volunteer at church at 6, but was able to find a replacement so he could stay and help Kenny longer.

8. The forecasted rain held off (until 6:30 when Kenny and Doug were almost done). It was truly a gorgeous day!

9.  The water was turned back on by bedtime so I could bathe the boys and myself, finish the dishes, start the dishwasher and wash our sheets.

10. Though Joshua's fever reached 103, I had Tylenol on hand and he never threw up. We had a peaceful night's sleep.

The Lord completely destroyed any plans the enemy (aka Murphy's Law) had to ruin our day.  I'm reminded of Romans 8:28 which says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good..."

Thank You Lord for watching over us and being present even in the little frustrations and happenings of our everyday lives.

So the final score - 

Murphy's Law: 0  Wrights: immeasurable joy