House Update We went to our closing on Thursday and signed all the paperwork. Some of the financing did not clear until Friday (which we knew) and it was supposed to be completed in the morning so that the deed could be recorded, and we'd get our keys. It seems, however, God had other plans. The wire transfer was done incorrectly twice and so the money did not transfer until around 2pm and the courthouse closed at 3:30, with the deed unrecorded. In fact Gary was still on the phone with people at 5 to ensure the transfer DID actually complete. He's leaving today for an out of town business trip and I'll be traveling to do some visiting/babysitting so we'll not be getting our keys until Wednesday. Then we'll hit the ground running because my mom comes Thursday to stay for 2 days and help us with packing, cleaning and she is painting the girls room.

Esther Update Esther started giggling this week! It's so adorable, I love it! It tends to give her hiccups but she seems to enjoy it anyways. She giggles more with daddy. Apparently he's funnier. She has been playing with her hands and sucking her fist and fingers for a few weeks now. She's also making a lot of sounds and will say "ma" but not ma-ma. She likes it when I try to coach her but she won't say it! Both of the other kids said da-da first, looking right at Gary. She loves to baby talk and will talk to us or, like now, just blabber on while laying on her blanket kicking and playing with her hands. She's still not fond of her belly but holds her head up really well. She likes to hold small toys and if she can get them to her mouth, will try to mouth them. We also put her in the saucer this week and she loves it! She does not bounce in it but likes to look around and since she loves standing so much it works perfectly! I'm thrilled to say that she will often, in the mornings, put herself to sleep for a nap too. She plays and when I see her get tired, if i put her down in the playpen she'll just lay there and eventually fall asleep, no swaddle or paci! She is always a happy baby, smiling a lot and so easygoing... so far! She's also learning to take a mommy milk bottle. She's not too fond of it and will only take an ounce or two, but then she's content until her next feeding. A couple times I've tried, she's taken 4-5 with no stopping so I know she CAN do it if she wants to. She's such a JOY and blessing to have in our family!

Tyler and Grace helping clean the floor in preperation for the move.

Zoo!!

January 18th we went to the zoo in Cleveland. It was COLD!! We ate, saw the lions, flamingo's, Koala house and then went up the mountain. The primate, cat and aquatics building is my favorite. The kids really enjoyed the monkeys and the sharks. They were also very interested in why there was a Mr Potato-head toy in the octopus tank. I had no answer for them. The walk back down was much more enjoyable! We then went to the Rain Forest but it was packed so we just did the bottom floor and headed home. We were there a good 4 hours and we had a great time. It was wonderful to just get up and decide we wanted to do something as a family and then have a place to go. Thank you Grandma Sandra for the membership!!

Gary and the kids looking through the portholes at the sharks

Gary and I each with the kids in front of the waterfall at the rain forest entrance.

and the kids on the way home... one reading...

..,one sleeping!

CLOSING!!

This morning we met at our Realtor office and signed all our papers to close on our new house! The sellers had already signed their part yesterday. Everything will be finalized and we'll get our keys tomorrow! We are very excited to be able to get possession and begin taking pictures and post them so people can see! I'm not so excited about learning a new address. We're working slowly but surely on our packing... though for some reason I'm completely unmotivated. It's much more real as of today so I suppose it's time to get cracking. I'd guess I have more than 100 boxes done and about 200 more to go.... at least.

The house is in wonderful condition so it'll just need a cleaning and my mom wants to paint the girls room. We also need to buy a stove and hope to put up some fencing and a garden this spring. Gary's already talking about having grand pap find us a cheap snow blower at Rogers for next winter.

We plan to move on February 13th.

Papa Tim took Tyler out to play in the snow and Daddy got to spend some time with his girls.

Esther and Grandma Sandra (January 10)

My Bush Babies January 7

When I was a baby I wore this dress as a newborn. It won't fit Esther in the spring so I wanted to get a few photos before she outgrew it! Isn't she gorgeous? (Taken Jan 3, 2010)

NEW YEARS EVE!!

Connie and Tom came to ring in the new year with us. We missed the Kellogg's joining us but are glad they got some good family time. :) Connie loved holding Esther and we got photos of the couples, the girls and the guys. There is also a photo of the kids playing Wii New Years Day morning.

Christmas at Pap's

The Men...

Gary and the Kids

Back to our house with Grandma Sandra! Everyone is in their new Christmas Jammies.

Esther

Ready to go sledding with Daddy in the side yard!

Christmas at the Bush"s

The kids and Pap

Grace (in a princess costume Santa brought) opening her big sister Dora Doll

Tyler opening his shoes with his tractor close by!

Gary's only present this stop- he calls her Eva.

Esther and Heather

CHRISTMAS MORNING AT OUR HOUSE

December

Busy busy busy! We had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends, enjoyed Gary's time off, and even enjoyed the days he went into work for projects. We try to keep our routine the same so when we are not traveling we all know what to expect around here!

January

We rang in the new years with lots of calories, sparkling grape juice, and FRIENDS! Connie and Tom came (with Wii in tow!) to help us celebrate. I figured out the only way to make Gary stay up and kiss me at midnight is to have friends over. :) Most any night of the year he can stay up, but for some reason NYE he always wants to go to bed! :) We had a wonderful time nad even the kids played the Wii the next morning. We then headed to Pap's for the afternoon on New Years Day. I love getting to visit with family!

We settled right away back into routine and got back into our homeschooling. Lots of family and friends still in desperate need of prayer for so many things. We continue to pray for them and be thankful for our blessings! The kids still play very well together and Esther is still on a great routine and sleeping through the night. She's often in her crib, wakes to eat and then right back to the crib. Grace is still a very light sleeper so she wakes often but she gets a nap every day so it's worked out. We also still have a mini-crib in our room so sometimes Esther just stays with us or splits time. :) She's such a good baby- she'll nap anywhere!

Gary had Monday off for MLK day and we went to the Cleveland Zoo. It was very fun and I'm so glad we got to do it. It was freezing but they have the rain forest and a few buildings so even in winter you can see a lot! We got a map at the end of the day so I will save it and know better what to see for next time!

We plan to close on our house 1/28 and move 2/13. We don't have a lot of work to do at the house, just cleaning and a little painting. I'm excited to get in there again with a measuring tape to be sure our furniture will fit where I want it!

We're thankful to be busy and healthy and that God is providing our every needs!

Happy New Year!

Tyler and Grace standing next to tyler's tower