1st Bean Crop at New Farm!!

This afternoon we took a little drive to Pulaski to go to Wal-Mart and on the way we just happened to pass our new farm (totally out of the way, by the way)! Anyway, I'm still hesitant to call it "our farm", but we are supposed to close soon so I'm knocking on wood here :)

We stopped to check on our bean crop and things are looking pretty good! We're definitely praying for rain so the pods will fill out a bit more, but all in all, Morgan's pretty pleased. There are a few places that the deer had a meal, but we hope to take care of that problem soon too! Morgan and I are so excited to do some hunting there this winter. I've even asked for a gun for my anniversary this year!

Here is my handsome hubby in the pretty bean field:

We're still praying and crossing our fingers that all goes well and we are able to close by next week! Hopefully we will be able to get lots of pictures of the farm to post next week!

Moving Right Along!

I am so excited because things FINALLY seem to be moving with our big MOVE! After extending our contract on closing from July to September, it looks like we may actually close before we had anticipated. For those of you who know about this crazy ride we've been on, nothing has gone as planned, so for something to happen BEFORE it is supposed to is actually quite amazing!

The contract states that we close on September 15th, but our banker told us this week it looks like we could close as early as the end of next week. I'm so excited! Things can finally start rolling and we can start the groundbreaking on our chicken houses. The last major hurdle we had to get over was to allow the surrounding land owners 14 days to state an environmental cause of why we shouldn't build there. Fortunately, there were 2 calls but after they realized which farm we were building on, neither of them had a problem. Praise the Lord! That would have been a major hold up in the process. Technically, you can't just shut down the building process of a new farm, but if they can find a reason that we could be endangering some species or some sort of crazy thing like that, then it could get pretty complicated.

On top of the exciting news about closing, our architect finally got our house plans back to us! This is been my baby and my favorite part of the whole thing. We don't plan on building until next fall (2012), but we decided to go ahead and have our plans drawn so we could stake out the area and clear the lot. The one thing about this new farm is that it is going to require a TON of TLC!! The owners haven't really kept the place up because they only use it to hunt and another farmer was renting it. Needless to say, my sweet (and very tidy) husband has already got a list of things a mile long that need to be cleaned up around the place. He's planning on hiring someone to clear the brush and random trees on the hilltops, so we needed to have our house plans finished so we know exactly where the house will be going.

Custom house plans are definitely a lot of work! Our poor guy was probably about ready to kill me. I had seen two houses that I loved on different sites. I loved the interior layout of one and the exterior look of the other. I took him both plans and asked him to blend the two.

* This is the exterior that I loved.

I don't have a picture of the interior layout. It is on my other computer, but basically I wanted the master downstairs and all other bedrooms upstairs. The plans I sent didn't include a playroom upstairs, but Scott was able to put one in our plans. I was very thankful for that! My idea was to be able to keep the kid(s) mess upstairs when we have company. I also knew that I wanted a mud room off of the back entrance from the carport. As it is now, Morgan comes right in the kitchen and it stays a wreck! The mud room will also include our laundry area and a separate bathroom. That was the designers idea because he said people could come in from the backyard and use the bathroom without tracking a mess throughout the house....... GENIUS! I'm so glad there are people out there that have great ideas about this sort of thing. It is so overwhelming! haha.

Anyway, here is our plan!!! I have the layout of the interior as well, but I'll try to upload that another day. I'm so excited about our new farm and eventually building our forever home. It is so much more than I ever imagined for our life and we all feel so blessed.

Please keep our family in your prayers. Things are going to be very stressful around our house for a while especially until our chicken houses are built. After that, we will be moving into an old farmhouse for about a year while we are building that has no central heat and air. I know we will be just fine, but it is going to be a huge change for us. I pray that we are able to keep it as smooth as possible for Wyatt's sake. I know children are so much more flexible than we think, but I don't want to make this too hard on him. Our goal is to keep things as simple as possible and make the transition as easy as we can for him. I've heard that moving/building is the hardest thing we will ever do and I sure don't want it to affect our relationship with each other and the Lord. I know He guides our paths and directs our steps. I pray that we have the wisdom to let Him do just that!

Wyatt's first day of preschool

Last Tuesday was Wyatt's first day of preschool and what an adventure it's been! This is the first time he's been in any sort of program and it's definitely taking some adjusting from all parties involved :) I'm so thankful to stay at home with him, but there are definitely disadvantages to being the only child all the time. I really felt like he needed 2 years of preschool before he (gasp) starts kindergarten. I really don't even want to think about that, but being that I can't keep him under a rock for the rest of his life I do realize that it will happen soon enough. So far, he has cried every morning when I drop him off (which is only Tues & Thurs). However, Ms. Holly assures me he is fine after a few minutes. I know that he will adjust, but it sure makes it hard for a mama to leave her little one like that. The first morning was definitely the hardest and I broke down myself when I got back to the car. I just felt so lost without him with me. Sure, he's stayed with grandparents plenty of times, but it is totally different when I don't have anything to do except wait until 1 when it's time to go pick him up. I know I'll get better and eventually enjoy my time to myself, but I'm just not there yet! I just have to keep telling myself it's what's best for him. I'm so thankful for his sweet teacher. I feel like she's watching out for my baby when I can't.

The first day of school I was a picture taking fool! haha. It was a big deal for both of us and I know I'll love having these pictures to look back on forever.

He started the day off with a big plate of watermelon for breakfast! Not the most filling thing ever, but he asked for it and I was catering to his every want that morning :) hehe.

For lunch, he wanted a turkey sandwich, chips and Nilla wafers. Being the regimented child that he is, this is what he thinks he should have every day now! I made the mistake of packing him a luncheable the second day and he let me know real quick that he wasn't supposed to take that to school! Not that he can't have it there, but whatever you pack the first day I guess you have to take from here on out. He's so funny! Looks like he's going to be eating a lot of turkey from now until May. I did add in a fruit cup this week and he hasn't seemed to mind that. Baby steps....

His sweet little book bag from Pottery Barn. I just love all their stuff. He was so funny, he told my mom that the mailman gave him a new book bag! I wish it were that easy. Unfortunately, mama still has to foot the bill on that :) I ironed and laid out his cute little outfit the night before. Once again, I made the mistake of telling him that these were his "school shoes", so now he thinks he can't wear any other shoes to school! We are definitely going to have to get over that considering I've bought him about 3 new pairs of shoes lately. haha! I'm sure when it gets cooler and it's boot time, he won't have a problem switching to those.

My sweet little preschooler!! He wanted to get his picture taken in front of the bean crop. He's such a little farmer.

Squatting down to get on my level :)

Morgan took this picture of the two of us. I wish I could've gotten a picture of all three of us, but I thought it might be a little crazy to set up a tripod for that! I am glad we got a few of just us two. I feel like I don't have any pictures of myself with Wyatt. I guess that's the disadvantage of being a photographer, I'm always on the other side of the camera!

Possibly my favorite picture ever of the two of them! I love them so much it hurts. They are definitely two peas in a pod. They are what I treasure most in this world.

Walking into school!! I should've taken pictures of the walls. I LOVE his preschool and all the neat murals painted on the walls. Such a welcoming environment for a child. It sure makes this mama feel good.

My little shy boy trying to take it all in. Poor thing, he's so timid around new people. I'm praying this helps him conquer that fear.

Making his way to the mat to play with a tractor! He didn't interact with the other kids much the first day, but his teacher tells me he's doing better and better each day. That sure makes me feel good. I know all he has to do his be his sweet little self and everyone will love him!!! How could you not?!?!?

All things Bling

I'm so excited about my newest obsession/business opportunity! Tomorrow I will officially become a Silpada Rep. I know, as if I don't have enough on my plate! To be honest, I am absolutely in love with their jewelry. I'm not doing it to make money, but because I love their product and to be honest, I'm sick of being invited to "cheap" jewelry parties. Don't get me wrong, I love jewelry just as much as the rest of the ladies in the world, but I want something that will last. That is Silpada. It is sterling silver and comes with a Lifetime Guarantee. You can't find that anywhere else. That being said, it's pretty pricey, but jewelry is one of those things that will last forever if you invest in good pieces. I also love that when friends host a party, they can also earn free jewelry!! There is no pressure and no sales pitches, so I just get to go have "Girl's Night Out" and play in jewelry for a couple of hours. I'm so excited! I have been weighing this idea for weeks now and I just don't see how I can't get involved with this awesome company. Here are are few of the pieces I'm loving right now.