Where on earth are we?

That is a very valid question. 

It is also one I find challenging to answer. Of course, I know where we are. But it is not exactly where we expected to be when we packed up eight people, a dog, and a cat. 

We've spent the last seven months living in my in-laws' partially finished basement. They have been so gracious to allow us to stay with them while we wrestled with housing. 

Housing is rather difficult for a family of eight, apparently. We initially planned on buying a house. But all of the houses that were large enough (meaning they had four bedrooms where at least three could fit two twin beds) had no yard whatsoever. We finally came to the conclusion that it would be best to build a new house. With that in mind, we purchased 35 acres east of Denver. The location is ideal for Mark's commute and we'll be part of an established community who have already been so neighborly when we've been out to play on our land. 

And then we hit a roadblock. 

We did not purchase land until we had done due diligence as much as possible. We found a builder we liked, drew up plans with an architect, and made sure building would be within our budget based on estimates from our builder. After we purchased our land, our builder came back with a firm bid that was $100k higher than the initial estimates. That was a no-go. 

We've since found another builder whose firm bid is in line with our budget but there are still several obstacles. In the meantime, we've moved into a four-bedroom apartment on the southeast side of Denver. It's great to have our own space again and to have the kids in their own beds (most of them have been sleeping on the floor the last several months!). The kids are excited because the complex has a pool and playground and they've rediscovered all of the toys that have been packed away. 

Overall it's been a good summer. We've celebrated four birthdays here and already fit in a visit back to Missouri for camp, doctor appointments, and visits with friends and family. Alex has started growth hormone, Emily has started her palate expansion, and we've joined a homeschool group in south Denver. Here are a few pictures from the last few months (and yes, that's Emily with coffee!).