Still Alive, Still Alive...

Soooo, I figured it was time for an up-date. I feel like I should be chatting about Easter (which was pretty nice), and post pictures ( I might at the end), and tell you how we're doing (ok).

I feel like a lot has been going on. We still haven't bought the practice. Henry is trying to make that happen right now. We got commitment for funding from a bank, which will allow us to buy. However, it all comes with requirements, and it has made it a slow progress. We've been trying to renegotiate the practice price because the gross from last year had dropped by 10%. However, the seller will not drop the price. Ok, well we moved beyond that. Now we have to negotiate a lease with the seller, and Henry found out that the building of the practice is actually 600 square feet less than the seller said. You'd think that would make a difference in the price, but the seller simply said that square footage was not something she took into consideration to determine a selling price for the building or a lease price. Right. Sure. Because no one considers size when selling/leasing a building.

Anyway, I don't want to bore you with all the details. Let me just tell you that trying to negotiate something big like this for months and months is extremely tiring. On top of that, Henry noticed the practice hasn't done as well in the last 3 months as it usually does. Not badly enough that we wouldn't be able to pay our bills, but definitely  not as well as we'd expect. Of course, this could be due to Henry working there now, and maybe not doing things right. But it could also just be things slowing down more. It's scary to think about when you're already committed to buying something.

On top of worrying about all that, it's been hard making friends out here. It's so rural that it's just hard to find anyone to hang out with. Church has nothing to offer. Sophia is so desperate for friends, she's basically inviting anyone she meets over to our house to play. It worries me that I don't know how to provide social opportunities for her. I've been wanting to home-school and I'm seriously concerned this may not be right for her, especially out here.

Henry's parents have been gone a lot. Basically we have barely seen them since the beginning of March (they were visiting their AZ kids for a month, then came back for a little, and now are gone again for about a week. And then gone again in May for a few weeks.

It's been lonely, in short. It's been stressful. And I've been feeling pretty crappy for the last 6 weeks. I'm worried we're not making the right choice. We still can change things. But I also don't know what the alternative is. It's just scary to not know what to do. And so right now I feel like crying.

I was hoping that maybe this year we could do something fun for our anniversary. Henry and I have basically haven't had anything remotely resembling a vacation in a long time. And so I thought, maybe we could get away for 1.5 days and just relax/enjoy each other. Ruth (Henry's mom) generously agreed to watch our kids so we could take a little break. I was thrilled beyond being thrilled. Especially, since I'll be abandoning Henry for a month in May (I'll be visiting family in Germany). Well, turns out, Ruth is actually being flown out to San Diego that week-end to watch one of her grandkids, while her 3 daughters are having a sister-get-together. (She forgot that she had already agreed to do that). So, then I felt twice as great because, my sisters-in-law are getting together as sisters, and obviously I'm not sister enough to be part of that,  AND we're missing out on our opportunity to have a little break.

So, I'm just tired. And sad. And lonely. And annoyed. But in the meantime, it's been great seeing Henry's parents more, seeing Henry's sister and husband and kid more, playing with them, and enjoying the beautiful scenery.

Urgh.

Alright, here are some pictures from Easter. I think I have more pictures on my camera, but feel to lazy right now. Also, here's one quote from Sophia related to Easter. We had a FHE lesson on Easter and what we celebrate. After I carefully explained how we celebrate Christ's resurrection on Easter, I asked Sophia "what do we celebrate on Easter?" Her answer:" Eggs." I love it when my efforts as a parent are so obviously successful.

Another cute event about Sophia was that the other day she accidentally squished a moth to death. She was so heartbroken, and came running to me crying and crying over the dead moth. I told her how it can be resurrected as well, and she said it was like Jesus. She's been talking about the moth again today, and how it'll live again. I'm glad that idea gave her hope. But I was also touched that she was so sad over the loss of that moth.

Oh, and Alba - still not walking. Still not talking. But climbing on everything. She's very good at figuring 'stuff' out, like putting lids on things, and the right shapes into the right holes and that kind of jazz. It's interesting to see her communicate clearly what she wants without actually talking. And it's also interesting to me to see her pursue the things she's interested in without any guidance (I'll find her looking at books on her own - she'll crawl into the office, pull out some books, and then look at them). It makes me realize that she isn't actually a baby anymore, and moving into toddlerhood. But it's also hard to see her more along the toddler lines when she craws around with a pacifier and doesn't say a word.

Anyway, our girls are the best. And here now some pictures:

Easter Bike Ride

Easter Egg Treasure Chest Hunt - here Sophia and Timmy have followed their last clue on their treasure map, and are trying to find the treasure chest...

Easter Looting - it's an activity for every age

You know someone has a heart of gold when they share their Lindt chocolate bunny

Easter Bike Ride - did you notice Sophia's goggles? Or rather "googles" as she calls them. She insisted on wearing them with her helmet during the bike ride. So funny.