Catching up the the present...

About a year ago, the pastor of the church where I grew up suggested to Ben that he talk to a pastor in Arizona,who he knew needed help in his church. We were actually already familiar with the pastor due to a connection with a church we attended in Ohio. A couple from that church worked with him for a while several years ago. So Ben called him, and they talked...and talked. We were finally able to go out to AZ to visit the church in February after which we pretty much knew that this is were God wanted us to be. So we prepared and planned and packed until we were finally ready to go. After a very tearful goodbye with Ben's family, we began our journey. We had two minivans each hitched to a 12 ft trailer. We left Saturday morning from Ben's mamaw's house and stopped that night in Jackson, MS. I should add that sometime during the night Friday, Lucas started throwing up. An ominous sign. Yes, he did continue to throw up all day Saturday. Sunday Lucas was still feeling sick which meant we couldn't take him to church, so we kept going and made it just past Lindale, TX. Monday we figured out that if we kept Lucas from coughing, he wouldn't throw up...begin the cough syrup regimine. We stopped at Crown Southwest in Fort Worth, TX for lunch with the Fowlers (friends from Knoxville) and Lucas kept it down, then stopped for the night in Odessa, TX. Tuesday we had to stop for repairs in El Paso, TX. Both of the trailers picked up holes in a tire, so Uhaul sent someone to replace the tires. We stopped just inside New Mexico for the night. Wednesday morning we set out for our final leg of the journey and made it to AZ on Wednesday afternoon.
We are now staying in a two bedroom apt rented from a member of the church. It is a very nice place with 1.5 baths and a sunroom and is at a very reasonable price....but it is getting smaller by the day with three kids (including two little boys). It is also fully furnished. We had started looking for a house to buy - let me say, the housing market here is definitely on the buyer's side, but we had a snag when we discovered that having no credit at a new location and a new job is a deal breaker for the the lending companies. Boo. But there is hope... The church is currently meeting in a house that they bought, and is nearly finished with their new building. When they move to the new building, the house will be available for us. Hopefully in the next few weeks, we will be able to settle in there.
I can't wait for that day. Whereas we had issues with cabin fever during the cold winter months everywhere else we have lived, it is an issue here in the desert during the summer...and the kids are bigger now.

Addendum: It was actually two more months before we were able to move into this house. We were immensely  grateful - especially after finding out we would be expecting our fourth child the following year.