Three Months in San Fransisco

Today is the 3 month anniversary of our move from San Diego to our new home in San Fransisco (although we moved to temporary housing for a while). It hit me as I was driving to church today (Jeff stayed home with Hannah who has a cough) when Kate asked if we were going to move every August 17...poor girl. She will always remember her 5th birthday as the day we moved. I reassured her that people rarely move, to which she said, "Well I have moved 3 times in my life so far, and I am only 5. So, every 5 years people must move 3 times." No, that's actually a pretty high ratio for moving, and one move was within the same town of Mira Mesa, but being the literal gal that she is, she is completely correct. We have moved t 3 times in her life. BUT, we are hoping to be here for a while, so hopefully that ratio will soon change.

So, here are the thoughts from each member of the family (with a few editorial comments from me) of the past 3 months (Jeff is so sweet to do this for me!)...  

Hannah: I like my new house. It is a big house and it has 3 bedrooms. The third bedroom is a couch. (The third bedroom is the "study/guest room" with a twin daybed, which the girls call a couch, and the bed pulls out into a king bed for our guests). The couch is comfy to read on. It is a fun house to explore still, and I have been here for three months. My school is a great school. It is a charter school. (It's not a charter school...just a plain old public school.) It has lots of good people in it. One of the good people is Janetta. She is my friend and she likes to play tag. I liked to move at first, and we got to stay at a hotel. I didn't know that we would stay in a few hotels. I liked the first one because the hotel had a big giant pool and the hotel had to get the toys for me. But most of the time we read stories or made a book. After that we went to another hotel. It was a crazy hotel! I think that hotel served breakfast. It was a good thing because we had to buy dinner and lunch. I like San Diego because it is warmer, and I don't really like San Fransisco because it is very chilly. I like that San Fransisco has a school that is very close. I have seen the Golden Gate Bridge and I walked the whole length. (We walked half way and then turned around...1/2 + 1/2 = 1 which is why she will say she walked the whole bridge even though we only went half way.) I really like it here. I had my both my grandma's and grandpa's over actually, and I would like to have my aunts and uncles come here soon.  

Kate: I like it here better than San Diego because it is a very good place for a great family like us. I like it in here more than San Diego, so much because it has a couch bed and it has a living room which we are sitting in right now. My church has a very good thing. I like that San Fransisco has Chuck e Cheese. (Chuck e cheese...a place we have not seen or been to since we left San Diego) I'm so glad I'm here.  

Rachel Lee: I liked it. I like Adam. He's called Adam but I just like him playing with me at a parks. He like going with me to parks. I like parks. I like parks. I like my new home. There is cookies for me to eat. Sometimes I get a cookie and I play and paint. Sometimes that happens. I want to play with Adam. But I like to play Adam but I just like going to parks with Adam. (And just so you all can see who Adam is, here is the little cutie she likes to play with)

Sarah: There have been many ups and downs these past few months. I continue to feel so blessed by our little church in San Diego. One of my dearest friends, Melissa, has coordinated mailing me cards from all the ladies in the church. I so enjoy the days when I get an encouraging note. I find a quiet spot, usually with some coffee, and I sit and read the letter and soak in the encouraging words. I then pray for the person that sent me the note, and then usually cry a little. My crying then turns to focusing on all the blessings I have felt as we transition, and there are so many! That is kind of a glimpse of my heart these days: lonely, encouraged, and thankful. Although the girls listed many things they are thankful for, there are also times when they have cried and wanted to go back to San Diego, or days when they ask to see a friend from San Diego. I am so thankful I am home and available to them, and that I can walk through this time with them and teach them to turn to God for strength and comfort. We have shared many good conversations, cries, and prayers, and I hope that this helps them as they experience changes in their own life, knowing that we have a God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, both here, there and everywhere. There have been numerous times when I remember my last run at Lake Miramar in San Diego, when the tire of my stroller popped and my friend, Melissa, ran around the corner and helped me get my crew back to the parking lot. God did not leave me at mile 3 with all my kids and a popped tire: He gave me help. In the same way, when things seem to get tough and tiring, I am reminded that God has not left me alone but is with me and is providing the way.