Craziest year, ever.

2010 will definitely stay a memorable year for Aaron and I forever. Our hearts were broken in January when the earthquake hit Haiti. By February, we were beginning the process to become licensed foster care providers in case Haitian children needed homes. In March, we knew that God was calling us to continue the foster care process for orphans in our own town. April and May were full of checklists, documents, and signatures. I taught my last day of school in June, knowing I wouldn't come back in the fall. Looking back now, July was slow. Then again, all months of life before August now look slow! Then came August. August 2nd. The sweetest little one's were standing behind our front door at 8 pm that night, and our hearts were even more broken than before. Yet instantly, our hearts were also connected and longing to show love. September and October all blur together, but thankfully in a good way. We finally established a routine into our new life as a family of 4 and things were much simpler.
So here's the new, news for the Mullins' family. Aaron started a new job. A job that fits him so perfectly. After working for the last commercial contractor and supervising our new church campus being built, the company decided to part ways, and we were left wondering what we were going to do. I honestly can't remember how everything came together or was thought up, other than God had been working in Aaron's heart and planting some seeds years prior that would lead way to a new job. Our church, Austin Stone Community Church, began a non-profit for the city of Austin called For the City Network. It's goal is to connect those with a heart and passion to see the city of Austin restored by the grace of God. Aaron has started a construction non-profit through the network.
"Name to be determined" company (: will work to rebuild and provide affordable housing for families in Austin. Right now there are 39,000 families that could be living in affordable housing, but those homes just don't exist. While renovating and building these homes, people from the community will be brought on the jobs to learn a skill that will make them a marketable employee. They'll learn this trade to help them find a job to provide for their own families. Amazing right? Aaron just started his job this week, and I'm so proud of what's already happening.
So with this new job comes some life changes. We'll be putting our house on the market sometime very soon. We'll be moving to a town east of Austin named Taylor where we already have some fabulous friends living, and where housing is more affordable. We love our home, our neighborhood, and our neighbors, but we don't want to be owned by our home. We've also come to realize that we can live on much less than we have been and want the freedom to be able to use our money for more than ourselves.
When will all this happen? Not a clue! Really wish we knew, but we trust in God's timing because we've seen His faithfulness time and time again. We are looking for homes in Taylor, trying not to get attached, and working on getting the house prepared to go on the market.
Now I just have to figure out how on earth to keep this house together each day for potential buyers... Really considering putting a sign on the door when people do come that says "A family of 4 with 2 kiddos under 2 years old live here... Please show us some grace and realize that clutter doesn't equal dirty. Thank you, A Busy Mom". Will that work?
So, like I said we'll be sad to leave our first home, but we are equally excited about what we know God has planned for us. Our Taylor friends are also in the process of becoming foster parents and I'm overjoyed at the thought of being right in town to help them when their son and daughter comes along.
What's funny is the first time Aaron and I drove through Taylor probably the first year we were in Austin we both were really quiet in the car and then I said, "We could never live here". And Aaron said, "It looks just like Indiana..". Now don't get me wrong, we will always have a HUGE love for the wonderful state of Indiana, but when we compare the rolling hills of Austin to the flat farm land of Indiana, there's no comparison. Taylor reminds us a lot of our hometown LaPorte, which we find humorous :) We've had a huge glimpse into how God can take what you planned your life to look like and put it in a blender.. yet what He's had planned is far better than you could have imagined.
This would be where I would post a picture of the 2 cutest kids ever.. but sadly I can't do that. I can just tell you that their big brown eyes and cheesey grins (one full of random teeth and one still gummy) make my day, every day. Their little faces were never something I had planned, but thank the Lord that He did.

Here's what's going on..

In bullet points..

• Kids are doing great! They had a court date last Friday (that we don't have to attend since they're so little), and all I can really say is that it'll be 4 months before the next one. Not sure of any outcomes as far as what 4 months from now will be like, but we just live each day as a normal day as a normal family.
• And by normal family.. I mean still adjusting to life as a family of 4 for the past 3 months now. We're into the whole solid foods phase with little miss, which is always entertaining every night. And I should probably start looking into potty training since little man loves him some potty. He won't be 2 until March, so I think I still have plenty of time...
• The fact that Thanksgiving is next week is cra-zy. We'll be staying here with the kiddos and celebrating with the wonderful Michners that are letting us crash their dinner!
• Christmas will be spent here with both sides of our family. That's right! Both the Mullins' and Stishers will be heading to Austin for the week before and after Christmas. I extra excited because my family hasn't met the kids yet :)
• The 2nd weekend of December, Aaron and I get the pleasure of going on a mini-5 year anniversary-vacation! Kind of :) Aaron's roommate from college is getting married, and he's in the wedding so we're extending our stay a little longer to make sure we get to celebrate the past 5 wonderful years of marriage. 5.. wow! Get ready for some sarcarm now... Guess where our vacation is?! Minneapolis, Minnesota! In December! De-cem-ber. Oh goodness, I'm expecting to be frozen the whole time we're there, but boy will we be excited to celebrate with old friends!
• 2010 has been crazy, and the year isn't even over yet.. a seperate blog post will be coming about how the end of our year is looking.