Michigan, Categorically Speaking

Our trip is a bit of a jumbled mush in my mind because we packed so much into our days. So, to help organize the mish mash, I'm going to divide our trip into categories...We'll see if that helps!

Baby Time:

The oddest/most difficult part of the trip, for me, was that I spent very little time with the babies. I knew this going in, and I was VERY thankful that my mom and Aunt Phyllis volunteered to come and watch the babies while Lucas and I were out and about. I think it's safe to say they enjoyed their time (although I was never there, so my pictures are few). Some of the things they mentioned they enjoyed: Ryan warming up to and going through the crawl tunnel, Allie's adventurous antics, babies biting (not funny...but also a little funny), moving, giggling, playing. Both babies, especially Allie, loved Logan and Mindy's dog Jack. Allie would just follow him around and giggle at whatever he did. Both babies, especially Ryan, loved Aunt Phyllis and playing fun new games (like "Buckety, Buckety"). I was sad to be away so much (and consequently am really enjoying my time with them now that we're home), but they had a great time!

The babies chasing Jack - he was probably thrilled when we left!

We discovered that reading on the potty is a habit that apparently starts very early...(she is so going to hate me for this picture someday, but I thought she looked so cute!)

House Hunting:

Lucas and I spent a LOT of our time looking at houses. We got in Wednesday night, and Thursday morning we left for a full day. Between Thursday and Friday we saw 17 houses! There were several that we really liked, but were ruled out for one reason or another (too far away, floor plan not practical, etc). We saw some that were a little odd (like the master bedroom with a sink and toilet in it...no separation, just a sink and toilet hanging out in the bedroom! Or the one where one of the bedrooms only had a half-wide doorway to the hall - we had to turn sideways to go through! Or the one with the tiny kitchen, dining room, and living room, but a GIANT hot tub in the middle of the family room...). Ultimately we found a few that we felt were real options, so we looked at them (and another one that was added last minute) on Monday. By the end of Monday we were ready to put in an offer (contingent on Lucas getting the job, of course...but we wanted to get the ball rolling). Updates on housing will be forthcoming...

Which of these 3 could be our
future home? (Family with inside
info do not get to guess!)

Family Time:

I already mentioned that we were super blessed to have my mom and aunt drive out to help with babies, but we also stayed with Logan, Mindy & Harper, and Lucas' parents came out for the weekend. So we got to see a lot of family during our trip. We had lots of fun times like playing "What's Yours Like" with everyone (At one point we all were laughing so hard we were in tears...which has happened every time I play that game!), our girls afternoon out to get pedicures, dinner the last night with my mom and aunt, and just hanging out and talking and laughing. My friend Michelle also came over again...and again we forgot to take a picture! It was so great to spend time with so many people we love, and it made us more excited to move closer to everyone!

Cousin Cuppy-cake

Ryan shows cousin Harper how to work the music table.

The babies with my Aunt Phyllis - a veteran mommy of twins who has teenage twin girls (as well as an older daughter who is a senior in high school, and her youngest who is on the brink of teen-dom)!

The Church:

The main event was Lucas candidating at the church. Partially because this is a big step in our church search, and one that we have been hoping for and waiting for forever. And partially because this church is full of people we love and we were so excited to see and talk to people we haven't seen in years! Lucas preached on the Good Samaritan (a sermon I have heard before, but managed to get something out of the second time around!). The service was great, and it was wonderful to catch up with people (and scary to see how much the kids have grown up!). Regardless of what happens, we very much enjoyed our time on Sunday.

The church meets on Sunday (the 24th) to vote on whether or not they would like to call Lucas as their pastor. We are prayerfully awaiting to hear! I think the suspense might have been difficult to bear...but getting sick certainly helped take our minds off the passing time! Perhaps the stomach bug was actually a blessing in disguise?