thebynumfamily.com

WE HAVE A HOUSE! Well, technically we wont own the home until our closing date, which is currently set for June 25th. However, our offer has been accepted by all parties involved and we are now on the road to being home owners. We are so excited and ready to post some pictures of the house! Of course the pictures don’t really do it justice, but it is as close as we can get.

Font Porch

View from the front door looking into the Living Room(don’t mind the girl with goofy grin in the dining room!)

Living Room view from the stairs

Dining Room

Downstairs Bathroom

Kitchen

Guest Room (Gross paint color will be changed!)

Hank’s Room (will not stay yellow!)

Little “nook” in Hank’s Room

Hank’s Bathroom

Master Bedroom

Closet (Awesome!)

Master Bathroom

Somehow we managed to leave without getting any pictures of the backyard or the garage. Both are great and we even have a privacy fence! We are so excited and continuing to be prayerful about this big decision. God has made this whole process possible from day one and we are so thankful for His provision!

Jason and I got back into Nashville last night after a busy 5 day trip to Washington. Our intent in traveling was to find some sort of living accommodations and I am happy to say we did! In fact, as we speak, we are smack-dab in the middle of buying our first home!!! We feel really blessed and assured that God has paved the way for this big decision. We are purchasing a home that was in foreclosure, so there is still one more step int the process that could cause the deal to fall through. Our Realtor, who is amazing, is very confident that things will work out in our favor, but there is a slight chance that they wont. SO we have decided not to post a bunch of pictures until we know for sure (which should be sometime this week!).

In the meantime, here is a little recap of our trip. We spent most of the time with our Realtor and Leasing Agent looking at homes and signing about a million (extremely intimidating) documents.

Our first day of house hunting (look how excited we are…after seeing about 20 homes a day, we were a little more lethargic looking)!

We even went on a special date in Olympia. We ate at the most fabulous seafood restaurant, Anthony’s, right on the marina. It was so delicious and we got to watch the sailboats come in and out of port…so FUN! Also it was really amazing to be looking out over salt water and see huge mountains. It was really beautiful!

On our way home we had a stop in Las Vegas. They even have gambling in the Airport! Since we were only in the city for about 20 minutes, we tried our luck on the slot machines…

…we lost $7

Hopefully, I will be updating soon with pictures of the house. We are praying a lot and keep all of our fingers crossed!

Well this week is when Jason and I head back to Washington to find a place to live. We are excited and nervous and overwhelmed…mostly that is me being overwhelmed, this is not an emotion Jason routinely exhibits. Anyway, we both have a lot on our minds these days and that probably won’t change much in the near future. We are asking for prayer in this crazy time. We got new this weekend (3 days before our trip) that we may have some complications with our house loan, and it may not be possible for us to actually buy a house until we have lived WA for 30 days. So, we might be renting for a while. That wouldn’t be the worst thing ever, but moving across the country, starting a new job, adjusting a toddler to an entirely new way of living, and then moving AGAIN in a few months is a little more than I can process. However, we are certainly a bit nervous about buying a house 2400 mile away from anything we know. On top of this we can’t fully make moving plans until we have a place to move too…all of this is supposed to happen before June 15th (including our family being totally moved). So, needless to say, we are relying on God to lead us through this uncertain time! We ask you all to be in prayer for us too. We know that His hand has been in this process the whole way and we are hoping that we have faith and clarity of mind to hear His direction clearly. I am taking a camera this time and I hoping to post some picture along the way, so stay tuned!

In the mean time, here is our “Mother’s Day Family Picture”! Both my boys make this day really special and I am so thankful for them!

As a mother, Mother’s Day has grown so much more special to me. Not
really because I get a gift or get to choose were we go to lunch, or
feel like I get to be in the spotlight all day. It has become so
meaningful to me because it is a time of reflection, not only on my
personal journey as a mother but that of the courageous women who have
gone before me. Something about experiencing labor and the trials of
motherhood allow you to see your own mother in a whole new way! I
have been so blessed to have so many women in my life who have
graciously mentored me though various seasons and have made me the
person I am today. One very special person who has contributed a great
deal to my life is my mom. If you are blessed to know her, I am sure
she has touched your heart in some way. She is independent, strong,
and generous. She is fearless, she doesn’t easily quit, and she can
get anything done! She has had a hand in raising three of the most
diverse children on the planet and somehow managed to not squelch our
personalities but enhance each of our uniqueness’s (if that’s even a word). Life has dealt her many difficulties and she has not always chosen easy paths, but she is a fighter and a survivor. She has fought endlessly for her children in circumstances that seemed insurmountable to most. She has fought for us and fought with us, and she has won each impossible battle that she has faced! My mom and I are so different in so many ways, which at times can be both frustrating and hilarious. But in so many of her differing qualities I find a strength and a perseverance that I will continue to strive for.

With our big move ahead it would have been so easy for her to lay on
a guilt trip and be angry at us for taking her only grandchild
across the country. However, instead she has been supportive and
excited for our family. She has shed tears with me about the fears and
the realities of this major decision, and she has even started planning
her first trip to visit the West cost. Her support has been invaluable
to me during this time and has shown me kind of beauty that can only
come from a mother’s love. As we both enter a new season of life,
I hope she knows that she is why I am feeling extra blessed on this
day!

Hank got a special treat last night… A bubble bath! Daddy always has such fun ideas!

Bubble Kisses

Grumpy came up to visit us last weekend and, of course, to run the half marathon! Jason, Hank, and I got to go to see him run. Hank was so excited to watch Grumpy run and even cheered on all the other runners!

Taking a cheering break to wear Daddy’s shoes

We found Grumpy at mile 4! RUN GRUMPY RUN!

We even got to see some more friends! Ms Julie and Ms Sharon from my work…they ran the whole 26.2 miles!!!

And we saw Chris…look closely, he is fast!

After mile 4 we went around to the finish line at the Coliseum. To say it was crowded would be an understatement. So, the Bynums found the only square inch of shade available and parked ourselves. We kept ourselves pretty entertained until Grumpy found us!

We found Aunt Alex and her buddies!

Alex and Chris

Grump was a little worn out…it was HOT!

Grumpy finished with GREAT time and we are so proud of him! In fact, since Saturday hank will randomly break out into yelling “Run Bumpy!” and take off running…super cute!

The Flowers Girls invited us to play at the zoo with them this week. Of course, we accepted… I would NEVER turn down a chance to go to the zoo and Hank would NEVER turn down a chance to see Charlotte!

We saw a few of our favorite animals but spent most of the time playing in the bouncie house and on the playground…which is awesome!

Hoe cute are these two?!?

Tackle!

Don’t worry! Miss Charlotte can hold her own! Maybe that’s why they play so well together?

Sweet Caroline

It took us a little while but we finially found the smaller kids playground which was really fun and way less crowded. We had to do some major “off roading” in the strollers but it was totally worth it!

Charlotte was kind enough to share her sunglasses with Hank!

We love these girls! We are keeping our finger crossed that they make a move for the West coast sooner than later!

So check this kid out! Hank loves Chinese food…Is he a Bynum or what?!?!

Some of that rice actually made it into his mouth (not much, but some)! And what would a dinner of Chinese food be without at lease one “Walrus Face”?

We have always felt like God might call us to China one day…we just might fit in!

We spent Easter Sunday with my family at Great-Honey and Great Dap’s house. By Sunday, Hank had gotten pretty good at the Easter Egg hunting!

Hank even had a few helpers…

After the eggs, Great-Honey helped Hank find his big surprise!

An Easter Bucket!

Hank and his good buddy, David!

Check out Aunt Alex’s awesome outfit…Cool tennis shoes!

Aunt Alex with Joseph and David

The official Bynum family Easter picture

For Easter weekend Jason’s parents came up to stay with us. We love having Grammy, Granddaddy, and Aunt Lucy here! On Saturday morning we headed down to the Community-wide Bellevue Easter Egg Hunt!

Hank with Grammy and Aunt Lucy, getting ready to find those Easter eggs!

It was a little crowded!

Hank found one!

“Where did all the eggs go?”

We were a little sad that Hank didn’t really get a chance to find many eggs, and that there were adults pushing small kids out of the way and scooping up all the eggs! I tried not to let my “Momma Bear” instinct surface and fight some of the parents, so after Hank got his 2 eggs we decided to move on to something else (before someone got hurt… i.e. the mean parents pushing my kid!) So we stood in line to get an Easter tattoo, Daddy would be so proud!

Hank’s Easter Ink!

So after we left the Chaotic Easter Mad House, we headed down to Smyrna to have our own egg hunt with Norah and Charlotte. It was way more fun!

Sweet Norah

Examining the loot

Even Charlotte got an egg!

Hank playing Easter Egg Fetch with Katy

Playing outside

Future Soccer Stars

…Or Future Baseball Stars

After a yummy dinner, thanks to Aunt Alison, we were all a little worn out from a busy day. Norah, Hank and Aunt Alison ended the evening with a little computer time…they were all so cute!

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family to celebrate Jesus with!