Poolers in Yakima

Wow! The last post I wrote for this blog was for Ryan's birthday which was almost six months ago. I would love to say that I will backdate all the happenings of the late spring and summer months, but come on, it took me almost six months to get back on here, so I'll just be honest and start from last week.

As many of you know, Ryan received a new job offer with Walmart at the end of August. He accepted it and we faced the reality that, in less than a month, we would be packed up and headed to Yakima WA. I moved often as a child and moving has never been easy for me, but this move was particularly difficult because I knew that at least two of my children would be upset by the news. In the two years we lived in Wenatchee, Oliver and Lorelai developed quite a few friendships through church, Bible study, AWANAs, Head Start, Valley Academy and playdates. We've also been blessed to have family nearby for that time.

Oliver was the only one who was affected before we moved. (Everyone else waited until we had moved to Yakima before the tears and tantrums came...mommy included.) When I was packing, Oliver would sit next to me, look over at me sideways, sigh loudly, and then say "I just keep thinkin' about it."
I'd reply, "Thinking about what?"
"Thinking about moving and leaving all my friends." Droopy face.
We therefore had a lot of conversations about visiting, attending parties in Wenatchee whenever we could, calling people, writing letters, and keeping up with everyone via Facebook. Ryan and I also tried our best to emphasize the exciting things God was blessing us with--the chance to find a home with a grassy yard to play in; the chance to meet new people and find a new library, bookstore, new parks, and new coffee places for mommy. 

Bob the cat and Ellie

And after a long month of packing, cleaning, and sneaking in as many playdates with friends as we could sneak in, we are finally settled in Yakima...for the most part. I still see boxes to unpack in the living room, and sometimes it feels as though we've never been more disorganized, but at the same time, we are enjoying the more relaxed schedule, our quiet neighborhood outside the city, and our new friends Bob the tail-less cat and the fifty some chickens (and one rooster) behind our backyard fence. If you ask the kids, those animals are the best things about living in Yakima.


The first week here, Oliver and I jumped right into BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) and I'm loving the fact that I get to spend Monday night with my son singing hymns and talking about all the things he's learned about God in the book of Genesis. He and Lorelai also started AWANAs last week and were happy to have met some new friends there as well.

Oliver's new favorite spot

Between unpacking, homeschooling, and enjoying the sunshine and warm weather while it is still here, our days are feeling just about full enough. But I've managed to find time to enjoy a cup of coffee out on the back deck in the mornings. I'll try to use some of my free time to upload some more pictures!