That best describes my status right now. Emotionally and physically. Ethan moved to Austin in May. With the exception of 2 weekends and a trip to Destin, we have been apart for 3 months. So emotionally family has been hard, single-parenting is hard. I realized that for the last three weeks, almost every moment of my day, has been packing related. We did the pool, lunch with friends, but alot of my day was spent planning or packing. And I was still taping boxes the morning the movers arrived. They packed up all day yesterday, and a sweet friend helped me clean the house late into the night.

In the midst of that, I began saying goodbye to friends. Good ol’ JB left for Africa earlier in the week so she was first, my family away from family with our small group at church, sweet neighborhood friends, and then the greatest next door neighbors chose a trip to Alaska the day we leave. I was blessed beyond anything I can measure in Spring Hill. Friends who sacrificed money to fundraise for cancer, babysitters during 5-a-week radiation, a friendly face walking down the sidewalk, friends for the girls to play with by simply walking outside. I loved our little world here. I could have stayed, watched the girls grow up with friends, enjoyed the beautiful scenery, the snow, the cool nights, the pleasures of a small city.

But it has been evidently clear that God has different plans for us. To take our story to a new place. And that is where we are headed, following his lead. If you follow (and comment) I will continue to update all my daily experiences as we move and share with you how God will continue to provide for us as we move into the next phase in our lives.

I am not going to pretend I have it all together. The packing I could handle; bathing, feeding 3 kids daily, I could do it. But moving to a new place is scary. I don’t know my neighbors, I don’t have a church family, never seen the schools I chose, don’t even know where the grocery store is. Trust. That is about all I can do, and pray God blesses me in Round Rock like he did in Spring Hill.

The last night in the Tanyard Springs house

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…
Ephesians 3:20

Today I hold on to this verse. It is one that I memorized years ago at camp and has always stuck with me. I think because it was set to a song. I was reminded of it today as I ran. I was in an Austin neighborhood where family lives and thinking how different it is than home. I don’t see kids running up and down the street, I don’t see playmates for my children, and I don’t see friends for me. I began to worry that I will not find the things that I think are important for my family. But if i really read and truly believe this verse, it doesn’t matter what I imagine I want or even what I ask for. He his able to provide even more than I could even think to ask. How awesome is that?

In a short hour, I will hit the streets of Round Rock with a realtor searching for a possible home to rent. And it doesn’t matter what I think I want going into this, because He is able to do more.

One great thing we snuck in before the end of the season was strawberry picking. I have heard it is a fun thing to do and we finally did it – us and the cicadas. During the month of May there was an attack of cicadas in at least the Nashville area. We starting hearing horror stories weeks before they arrived about the dead shells covering the ground, they come out every 13 years or something. Anyway, it was like the plague in certain areas and the strawberry patch was one of them. The sound of these bugs was so loud in the trees that you almost had to cover your ears. But we found areas where we were safe from the bugs and we picked some strawberries. It was hot, but it was a good experience. The girls were impressed that fruit really came from fields like that and we came home with a bucket full of fresh strawberries.

We had a wonderful day celebrating the Risen Christ. Our church was able to meeting in a local hotel and I personally had one of the most powerful mornings of worship. We sat together with many from our small group and I loved to see the kids together and even watched Alyssa perform a song on stage with other young kids. It made my heart smile to see her up there, my one who has always been so shy in front of an audience.

We spent the afternoon with some of our favorite people who have blessed our lives so much. I am so thankful for friends like these who God places directly in your path.

Enough of the girls, now it is Ethan’s turn. While he is immersed in looking for a new job, his downtime includes things like gardening. He enjoys it for the sake of gardening, but also enjoys having a good place for his birds and butterflies. This year he decided to grow his own plants. It is much, much cheaper and we were ready to plant well before our official last frost. So he did his research, as he always does, and this is what we have growing in our guest bathroom.

Day 1

Day 3

Day 6

Do you think kids know how good they have it? Of course they don’t. I mean, yeah, they have to ask for permission before even getting up from the table to go to the bathroom, but they really have it good. I wish we could all enjoy days of no responsibilities, no pressure, no worries, no expectations, no plans. Just fly by the seat of our pants, moment to moment, with a handful of temper tantrums mixed in.

Living next to cool neighbors has its benefits.

This year didn’t bring any big trip for the Whaleys….who am I kidding? No year has brought us a big trip, but we still managed to get a few fun days out of the time off school. For us, it is just nice to not have to keep to the school schedule. And can I get an “amen” for not making lunches? With Ethan home, he was able to join us on our adventures too, which we all love Daddy’s help, I mean his company.

We finally tackled the zoo. I don’t think we had been since last fall and it was fun just to experience it as a family. We actually spent just as much time at the playground this time as we did with the animals. The girls are at a great age to run around together and always want to play, but it was usually too hot. However, the weather was beautiful while we were there, ending the day with a cool breeze.

This photo cracks me up. It was the only one that I got with all three girls. And this is Audrey’s “I have to potty” face. I love that we captured it. She pants like a dog when she has to go and I will say “Do you need to go?” Her response is usually something like… “….ummm….. nope!” But the actions speak louder than words to this momma.

Next up we hiked up a trail at Radnor Lake. We were going for the moderate level one on the south side, but it was closed, so we did the hard one instead. It was a little of a climb for the younger ones, but we all made it. I for one got an awesome leg workout carrying an extra 30 pounds up the hill. The girls spotted a few birds with Daddy, picked up sticks and acorns, and ran screaming from a few bugs, but we still call it fun. Again, the weather was great. Just what we all needed, a little time outdoors to enjoy God’s beauty.

The rest are just of us around the house. You may not think much of them, but I love to look back at these photos years later. Audrey is wearing a Chelsea Football Club (soccer) jersey that was Alyssa’s. Ethan was so excited, I mean really, when I dressed her that day in uniform.

I don’t think it is a secret to many of you that we are not big romantics, we don’t dress up and enjoy fancy dinners, we don’t buy outlandish gifts for each other, and we don’t put much into Valentine’s Day. Even as a day to just show love, nope, Ethan doesn’t buy it. “I show all of you I love you every day. I don’t need a day to tell me to do that.” But because I like crafts and I like to waste several hours of my day away with what I thought would be a fun activity with the kids, but ended up being just me peeling and ironing crayons, I did make some decorations. And even if we don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, our kids are still expected to shower their friends with valentines, so we spent the better part of the weekend on cards/gifts. So the Love industry gets you one way or another. I was very proud of each girl as they hand wrote their notes and Alyssa even went as far as to customize each with an icon. Like a football for one of the boys, or hearts or stars for the girls. Very thoughtful of her.

A few days prior, was Ethan’s 34th birthday. Again, no big plans, but we did want to take him out to eat. And he did get a cake and banana pudding. I think that was all he needed.


Not bad for our mid-thirties

Life around here is not too exciting, but that is okay with us. We are simple people. We like to stay in our PJs as long as possible. We like to remain plan-less and just do what we want, when we want. We have enjoyed having Ethan around the house too. He lost his job before Christmas, so he has been around more than he ever has before. It was a bit of a challenge at first. The girls know what “Daddy is at work” means, but just saying “Daddy is working” was a hard concept. A child safety knob on our bedroom door and he is now able to do what he needs to do in his office with minimal interruptions. Like many other times in our life, we are praying for God’s direction and timing as we go through this transition. Trusting that more than we could have asked or imagined is around the corner.

Who doesn’t love movie night? Eating around the coffee table was the first in a long time. The idea seemed fun, but watching Audrey smear her pizza hands all over the couch reminded me why a highchair is still best for her. But then that is where having furniture that you don’t really care much about comes in handy. Oma bought the girls “How to Train Your Dragon” and that was our pick for the night. The girls had already seen it, so Ethan and I enjoyed it with a few commentators.

Next up was a little cold for this little one. She stayed home Monday from school and we enjoyed a few minutes of cuddling on the couch with a snack and Boz. Then it was mostly just me laying on the couch while she dumped buckets of toys out. I am amazed how they can be sick and still have the energy or desire to run from room to room and play. I never get that child that lays sweetly on the couch for hours.

Then today, I prepared for the snow that was coming. The girls were all dismissed early from school and I picked up Life, which I had been eyeing for several weeks. It says age 9+ and it is pretty accurate. But I thought we could still play. After 30 minutes of setup, in which time we lost Megan’s interest, we finally got started in our game of Life. It turned out to be a very good math game for Alyssa and taught a few lessons about money. Like when she had to buy a house but didn’t have any money. She said, “I really want the mansion, but I don’t want to have to have more bank loans.” In the end, she had to have a bank loan and ended up with a double-wide trailer. I giggled. In her defense, she did choose to be a teacher. After twins, a life-saving operation, cosmetic surgery, and sending my kids to a summer camp that cost $5000 each, we finally retired. The teacher did not win, but the fact that she had any money to retire on in the end should count for something.

And now it is snowing. I mean really. In less than one hour, the ground is completely covered out my front window. I think I am ready for spring.