Its raining, its pouring....

....and that is the sum total of it.  It is raining today, has been for weeks and there is more forcast.  So what do we do about it?  Well we could scream and cry, go outside and stamp in the puddles!  Or we could just postpone the move and have carpet picnics with the kids.  That sounds heaps better and we have chosen that in part.  Paul and Jake are hiring a trailer today to move the outside things over to the new place.  We have packed as much as we can inside and all of the outside jobs have been done (mowing, pulling down fences and gardening). So now we just have to wait for good breaks in the weather over the weekend to move things into the container. 
Drew is recovering from bronchitis, he has been sick for a while and is looking forward to a few days off after we have moved.  We were watching him round up some calves this morning in the paddock and it looked like he was floating in some parts of the paddock.  The boss may have to buy in some jetskis if things keep going this way.  There is water everywhere, if Drew stood still long enough he would probably get mouldy.  Tomorrow I am sending him to work with little yellow floaties on his arms!
Jake is keeping the pace going here, he has become Mr J J Packer (not the wonderful J I Packer).  Maybe he could look into the removal business if he ever gets sick of cooking!  He is a champ and has been a great help to Paul.  I think it is a bonus because I am not having to fight for my kitchen.  We are making the most of our last few days with the big stove/oven we bought when we moved in here. Pretty soon it goes into storage and we go back to the teennny little 4 plate stove top and one pie oven way of cooking.  Should be fun!  From now on I will have to make our lasagne in 3 parts!
Georgia has been pricing rentals in the Minnesota area (unfortunately airfares are a killer at present, so she may have to wait a few more years!!) so she can settle into Bethlehem Baptist where Dr. John Piper is the preaching pastor.  Just joking, she hasn't really, but I am sure she has had it with packing - it is not her thing.  Georgia is an out doors kinda girl and is really missing her afternoon walk.  So I will have to find a way to keep her sane over the next few days.
The babies are really coping well considering they spend a huge part of their day outside playing normally.  School work was packed on Friday so they are free now for a few weeks (school holidays down here), but free to play inside is not the same.  They are going to wear the colour off the Leggos if the sun does not soon start to shine.
Our little angel, Suki, is using this time grow teeth and scream a lot.  She is nearlly 8 months old and has 6 teeth so far.  She is still not interested in solid food, so I am now not only a food source but also a chew toy!  Other then that she is totally gorgeous and the older children are loving the fact that she is crawling around ruining there games.
Yesterday we bought a few more board games to add to our collection and I want to send out a formal warning to any other parents considering purchasing the Ice Age game - DO NOT DO IT - it is a noisy one, that can not be turned down.  It has become the favourite of Elijah, Emma, Samuel and Jemimah and it is loud and extremely annoying!  We are glad that they like it though.
Paul and I are both doing well, looking forward to it all being over so we can settle in at the new farm.  Paul had to get Emma's collarbone checked out the other day - it is fine.  We had a low key anniversary, we plan to do something after we move.  Paul bought a new table for me as an anniversary present a big, nice, solid, family table.  We did have one of those already, but we are a little snug now and it was time for an update.  It seats 12 so only 2 of our children can get married. Works out perfect. I have given Paul a ton of books for his pressie.  Books from  his favourite authors, such as - Spurgeon, J I Packer, C J Mahaney, John Piper, Mark Driscoll, Randy Alcorn and Ravi Zacharias. 
We will update things again maybe next week. 
Until then blessing to everyone and if you don't know Him, then you are 'Wasting Your Life'.

The count down begins...

We have only 5 days left until we move house.  We are off to greener pastures!  Drew has found a job on a dairy farm in another area that will take a keener interest in his love of all things 'dairy'.  His new employer will be more hands on, so he will finally be able to get into 'the other stuff', as he puts it.  Tractor work (off course), irrigation, pasture management and all of the other stinky smelly things that he and Paul so love!  Drew has been working 13 - 14 hour days lately, he has been birth coach to the cows, personal trainer to the heifers, fencing expert and linguistics artist (the new guys speak a whole new language) he is looking forward to this change.
The move is exciting for the rest of us because we get to move (again) to a beautiful region in our beloved Tassie.  Jake has a flowing river that will run through our paddocks so he can fish on a daily basis, Georgia has millions of photo opportunities (our little budding photographer), I will have a larger home  (I will not miss my yurt), Paul will again have the chance to work with his boys (he loves that) and the babies - well they just love life no matter where they are, as long as we are all there together.
So the packing and cleaning is now  kicking in, Jake is leading the charge ( he is  planning trout recipes already - our chef).  Georgia and Emma are enjoying the onset of Spring as our yard is delectable at present.  We have been cooped up inside for days with all of the rain, however  our daffodils and jonquills are popping up everywhere.  So we are now bringing the smells and colours of the garden to the inside, our little princesses just love gathering huge bunches of flowers to decorate the house- even in the rain. 
The strange mix of snow on the mountains and the deluge from the rains  (we have reassured our littlies that God is still keeping His promise, not to flood the earth again) is complicating the packing of the container that sits eagerly outside awaiting our household contents.  But we do still have plenty to keep us busy inside the yurt.  Apart from the work of arranging selling cows/phone/net/power disconnections and the many other moving tasks life is the same as always, Friday Family Night still happened and tonight was mummy and daddy date night.  We do have our anniversary and 2 birthdays coming up in September, all have been postponed until further notice though.  Samuel has his eye operation on the 15th.  Emma  needs to be x-rayed again, hopefully for the last time, after breaking her collar bone a few weeks ago.  She has already had 2 x-rays and this should be the last one.  God is, even in this time, blessing us all with perfect peace.  We continue to give Him thanks for this.

Church tomorrow will depend on the rain, as we have a few that are unwell, Drew will be working late and well the whole moving thing!  Thankfully we have a few John Piper and Mark Driscoll sermons that we still have not watched.   We are thinking it would be nice to have a day where we just do nothing, yeah just typing that felt great.  We are sending off emails to update everybody, in the hope that our movements will be known by all.  If we do slip out of reach our mobiles numbers are still the same.  As for all else The Good Ship Unterburger will be out at sea for a few weeks so God Bless You all and we look forward to catching up when we have settled in.

THE RIVERS ARE FULL!