Saturday, April 13

Weekly Roundup - 4/13/13

Stephen (my brother) and Lane (from my surprise visit to Charlotte, NC) 
My adorable nephew, Cruz, who would rather play with trucks than hunt for Easter eggs

My beautiful niece, Mallory, who is very invested in the Easter egg goodies

Steph and Mason discussing dinosaurs
Movie time (Katie, Selah, Mason, Kiera) - Selah's first time to have a friend sleep over

Selah, Kiera and Mason showing off their shirts from Grani and Gramps


Ross' face paint flower on Kiera's cheek

Ross and his little girl

Happily painting around the table - finally, a place for the kids to do crafts

under the staircase
Mason and Peter Garrigan walking to house from treehouse

photoshoot by the lake

Spring Break in Yellowstone

Our family had the chance to drive to West Yellowstone area and meet up with my close friend, Tara Russell, and her family. Tara and Jeff have friends who blessed us with their vacation home for a long weekend and we took them up on it! There was plenty of room inside for 4 adults and 5 children and even more room outside for an Easter egg hunt, snow showing, climbing mountains, runs and an "obstacle course for the kids".

Below are a few pictures from the weekend:

Tara reading to Kiera and Selah

Jeff, Tara, Lane, Ross

Kiera striking a pose
View from the car - a hillside of hundreds of elk

The kids getting ready for the easter egg hunt

Our first egg hunt in snow


Mason finding eggs (quite a change from sun dresses in Birmingham on Easter)

Ross reading to Lucy, Kiera, Selah and Mason

The many versions of monopoly (at one point we had 3 monopoly games going at once)

mohawk boy

Little Cabin in the Big Woods

Cheesy title, right? Well, it is definitely how I feel. Granted, I do have 2 eyes of a stove to cook on and a small indoor sink, but the cabin and big woods part is the same :-)

I've been wanting to get this story and pictures up a few weeks ago, but we didn't have internet at the cabin until a few days ago. You know how we had been praying for housing for a few months, but nothing seemed to work out - either because it was too far away or too expensive or too small (I feel like I'm goldilocks :-)

Well, a week before we had to be out of the dorm, Samantha Hudson called and said, I do know of one place that might work... So, we went to look at it. It was late at night and dark and the house was locked when we came by, so we used a flashlight to look in the windows and said, "it looks great!".  I went out of town a few days later and while I was out of town, Ross spoke with the owner and arranged for us to be let into the house and then he spent the weekend moving us out of the dorm and into our cabin. And to brag on my husband a bit, he didn't just move our stuff from the dorm to the cabin, he put it all away in the cabin too! So when I got home (after being in Atlanta for a friend's wedding), he and the kids were already settled into the cabin. It was a wonderful coming home present!!!

Since then, we turned around and went to Yellowstone with friends (Tara Russell and her family) for spring break. We were so blessed by Tara and Jeff's friends that let us stay in the home right outside Yellowstone and by Tara who planned, shopped for and cooked at the meals - yes, I was VERY spoiled!. Then we spent a few days getting kitchen things out of storage and now we are moved in and loving it!!! There are a few things that aren't ideal, like being 20 minutes from the base and the small kitchen, BUT we are so thankful for God's provision. For the 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (Selah has her own room and now Kiera is on the top bunk and Mason is on the bottom bunk), for a kitchen, for a home, for the way God knew we would love to live in the woods (you can't see another house from here), for the views that we have from living on the top of the mountain, for the deer that run through our yard, for the treehouse and swing that were already here, for the way it is already furnished and we didn't have to move everything from storage to here and then turn around and move again when something on base opens up. Yes, this is temporary - until a base opens up, but until then we love our "Little Cabin in the Big Woods". It suits the Lackey family well.

Here are pictures of the cabin - inside and out, in no particular order:
Kiera and Mason's room

Selah's room

Kitchen Sink and Stovetop

Kitchen pantry and toaster OVEN

Our Cabin :-)

View driving down from cabin

View from front door cabin

View from our bed in the loft
View of cabin from front. This was less than a week ago when it snowed again :-)


Our bed in the loft

Wednesday, April 10

Prayer Requests - 4/10/13

Prayer Requests 4/10/13
1. Balance - There are so many things I want to do and so many people I want to get to know, but then I realize that my time with God or time with my kids is suffering. I need to learn how to balance my family, my God and my interests and leave room for margin - which is where all the fun happens, right?

2. Mason - He is getting ready to go to preschool on May 2. He is so excited and thinks he is ready. Please be praying that he would have an easy transition into school 3.5 hours a day for 5 days a week. I don't think it will be an issue because he is so excited about it, but still, a little prayer never hurt.

3. God - That I would make time with God a priority.

Thank you to all who are praying. Please send me your prayer requests too! (lane_lackey@yahoo.com)

Prayer Requests 3/20/13
1. This weekend. I'm going to Atlanta for a wedding, Ross is here with the kids and he is considering moving us this weekend while I am gone. While I think that would be great for me, I think Ross will need prayers and help to do this with just him and the kids :-) The weekend went so well! Ross and the kids had a great time AND while I was gone, Ross moved us out of the dorm room and into our new cabin in the woods! He was super husband that weekend for sure!!!

2. Housing - that this place we are moving into would work out well AND that a base house would open up quickly so we can move back to the base and have a more permanent home. We've been in the cabin a few weeks now (post with pictures coming soon!) and we LOVE it! I couldn't imagine a better place for us. It is the true Montana experience - An elk farm close, deer wandering by through the yard, a few rabbits that live close and the kids see each morning, trees all around without another house in sight. More about the house in the post with pictures. Please continue to pray that base housing will open soon. It will be much more convenient, though not near as scenic :-)

3. God - that I would make time with God a priority. Still need prayer.

4. Kiddos - that I would spend more intentional time with the kids. Now that Selah is in school most of the day and Kiera goes to preschool and then sometimes a playdate, I feel like I don't see them much. Also, that I would be consistent with them, I've been slack lately and it is only hurting me :-) I can't say this is getting better, but it is constantly on my heart and we are figuring out some patterns that work - reading at night, dinner as a family and Selah is planning a family night for us this weekend!

Thank you to all who are praying. Please send me your prayer requests too! (lane_lackey@yahoo.com)