They're Gone

I'm sad. But it was wonderful.

It is hard to describe how great it is to be with friends who know you well, call forward the best in you, and love you unconditionally. It is hard to pin point when the Schwietermans became lifelong friends but I am very aware of how rare and precious their friendship is. We have walked through all stages of life together: weddings (well, they weren't at ours because they felt it necessary to go on a honeymoon...sore subject), births (even when we lived in different cities we have been able to be at the hospital to meet every baby), early parenting craziness and doubts, family crises, job changes, moves, Church changes, conflicts and celebrations. There is depth that comes with history but also hearts that have committed to live together.

When we were deciding to move, we took very seriously the Schwieterman's counsel. I had always envisioned living in the same area with them for the rest of our lives. So, of course, I asked them when they would be moving to Seattle. God has us in different places now, that doesn't mean I don't still dream about a different time when we might be called to the same place.

But this weekend was such a sweet gift and reminder that distance can't change true friends. I will never forget seeing all of them walk into our house here, proof that my old life was not a dream. I squeezed those little girls so tight, Lizzie said I made her stomach stop hurting. :) We very quickly moved into a comfortable groove of sharing meals, housework, parenting and entertaining kids. The kids needed very little entertaining as they were inseparable. There was hardly any need for electronics as they had all kinds of invented games going on. Most of our time was spent hanging around the house, riding bikes in the rain and snow, and going to the park. We did a little bit of sight seeing too:


Ski slopes are just 30 minutes from our house and they have a snow tubing hill. The kids loved it, especially since St. Louis has had snow only a couple of days. Annabelle and Bea entertained themselves by pulling each other around and making snow angles. Ty and Brian got a great work out pulling the kids back up the hill multiple times. Lizzie and I built an epic snow fort and ambushed most of the unsuspecting crew with snow balls. It was awesome!

We stopped for fries and Root Beer at a restaurant that overlooks the Snoqualmie water falls. It was warm and quaint with a fireplace and our loud, loud crew that managed to spill 4 drinks in the 45 minutes we were there!

We celebrated St. Patricks Day with Shamrock Shakes and green cookies.

BTW: the shakes were a hit: Frozen Banana, Vanilla Yogurt, and tons of spinach.



Despite the drizzly rain and cold weather we made it to Pike Place Market and the much awaited Gum Wall. We made a stop on our way out so all kids could pick out their own pack of gum...so much fun!




We had pretty weather on their last day here. Which allowed us to spend more time walking the neighborhood and go on a hike through our Enchanted Forest.
The grown ups also got one date night out which was the most life giving night we've had in months. We laughed so hard we cried and our stomachs hurt, we were loud and obnoxious to probably most people in the restaurant. Our conversation was both ridiculous and meaningful. Even Brian and I were able to communicate about things more in depth in the presence of friends more than we often do just by ourselves.



Thank you friends, for coming. Thank you for spending your vacation and Spring Break with us. Thank you for sharing your life with us. We love you!

They're almost HERE!

This has been the longest week of my life. Our great friends the Schwietermans have just landed and Brian is driving them to our house right now!!! The week has seemed to drag forever as we've anticipated their arrival. I have been giddy all day!!

The guest room is all ready...I'll take this chance to show you my favorite room in our house.


Its my favorite because I love the way it looks but also because of how everything came together. The bed was given to us by my generous in-laws and it was in our old house but never in a room where it was able to shine. I had dreamed of all white bedding but when we tried that we realized the walls are actually cream. Enter ROSS discount store. What a fun store! The quilt was $16!!!!!! Lamps and red flowers from Target. My favorite creative spot is the picture frames. They are filled with wrapping paper I had saved from 2 Christmas' ago. Proof that never throwing anything away is NOT a problem.

The rocking chair used to be in my nursery when I was a baby and was then in Annabelle's nursery before. It was hard to decide to spray paint it black because my sweet friend Amanda Akin had done a fabulous job making it look shabby chic with a cream paint and antique finish details. I tried to take pictures of what it used to look like but I couldn't capture what a beautiful job she did. Thanks again Amanda!

I am debating about whether to post this picture of the closet but I am hoping that this might nudge some of you into visiting. Guests of the Janous Home will stay in this tranquil room with mountain views, plush robes and slippers provided as well as ample storage room for clothes. Guests are always greeted with a welcoming bed gift.

I am especially excited about the bed gifts for the girls. I had wanted to give them fleece blankets thinking it would be fun to snuggle in the morning with but couldn't find any that were inexpensive. I am trying to be faithful about spending very little money. I about jumped up and down when I found these blankets at IKEA for $2.50! Since I am so VERY crafty now I sewed felt letters and buttons on them to make them more personal. For those of you who are more experienced in this area will see this as an easy task. Not so much for me. It was quite comical as I Googled (oops...Binged) almost every step of the project. I think they'll be happy. So Who's wants to visit next???