The Plan meets The Puzzle

Sorry it's been so long since I've written, but you'll find out why as you read on.




Here's a little pic of us out at the Old Mission Peninsula Lighthouse with the boys... yeah... that's right... I think we are ADORABLE TOO!!! =)


And, just to clear the air, I STILL HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SO EVER AS TO THE SEX OF OUR BABIES!!! Jeremy decided that he wanted to find out and I still have zero need/want/desire to know - so he is SWORN TO SECRECY!!! (Trust me, grammie already got out the checkbook wondering how much moola' it would take to get it out of him - ha!) I am not thrilled that he knows, but if it meant that much to him of course I support him finding out ONLY under the condition that he doesn't breathe a WORD of it to anyone!!

So let's get back to this Plan vs. Puzzle stuff that Jeremy laid the foundation for waaaay back when. We set out with the pieces to our Puzzle scattered all over, but with a Plan on how we were going to attempt to put them together. We knew at the time it was a pretty big long shot that the two would ever match up 100%... but no matter what we ALWAYS had, and still have, faith that it will work out and our family will be fine.

Over the course of the last 10-12 weeks we have had MANY concerned family members and friends ask us repeatedly "But what are you going to do if THIS doesn't happen?" And our response has pretty much always sounded something like this: "We honestly don't see where it does us or our family any good to worry incessantly about things in the future that are out of our control. We will take one day at a time and worry about those things if/when they happen. We want to focus all our energy on making healthy babies right now, and anything down the road will be what it will be and we will cross those bridges when we come to them."

So now, after having stated this to those around us for so long... we are now in the process of eating our own words...


Because, well, the time is NOW.


The time is HERE to ACT on some of those very things that everyone wondered about how we would handle them if Puzzle and Plan didn't exactly coincide within the time frame we hoped for.

We need to get a Revised Plan in place and we need move as expeditiously as possible upon that Plan to ensure the safety of our family and our babies on the way.... So, what are those pieces that didn't exactly match up as of yet? Well, there are a couple of smaller things that still aren't detrimental to the Puzzle at this point, things such as: selling the boat, finding a big a*s van (the cheaper the better?) and selling the Sorento, as well as a couple other more personal things. The biggie? Most of you know by now that the BIG DOG is the house issue - selling our home in Hawk's Eye and relocating to a new home in Traverse City. Looking back we had always kinda' referenced our standard "joke" that we can't exactly be moving when we are 26 weeks pregnant with quads!!


Ha, ha?


Not NEARLY so funny anymore, folks... I'll tell you that much. We are now 26-1/2 weeks (yes, that half COUNTS - trust me!) and, yeah, the house is definitely NOT sold. We KNOW it's not a great market and that this is a HUGE, HUGE thing to hope for in the midst of everything else we have going on... but the truth is that it's just not feasible for us to live here in Bellaire anymore. We are over an hour away from the hospital in Traverse City and I am home alone with our two young HIGH ENERGY boys. I know we have been EXTREMELY blessed that I have been able to keep up with them (more or less) since I've been home full time and that I am NOT on bedrest (miracle #146!!). But, now that we are in the "critical zone" for our quads, we know how much higher our risks are everyday that something catastrophic could happen... and we do not want to think about how we would begin to live with ourselves knowing that if we would've moved our family closer to the hospital in the event of something happening we would've had the chance to make things OK again... I know I don't need to elaborate on this, so I won't, for my benefit more than anyone else's.


So, two weekends ago Jeremy and I decided that we would give ourselves until NO LATER than week 27-28 to get our family over to Traverse City. One way or another, we just have to be there. My docs wanted me there a LONG time ago to ensure a closer proximity to the hospital (many quad families actually relocate HOURS across their state or even across the COUNTRY to be closer to the hospital their doctor's recommend (or of choice) much earlier in their pregnancies... we have really been pushing it). And since we still have a mortgage to pay in Hawk's Eye... you all get the picture.

Over the past couple weeks we have had many options cross our paths; Jen Wickstrom, Heidi Schramski, and my parents are my "moving pushers" - and they are darned good at what they do (bless those around them)!! Jen had several ideas she was working on for us... a fifth wheel/camper, a cottage near Fife Lake (THANK YOU Joanna!), apartments, etc... but unfortunately none of them have really panned out at this point. It's NOT an easy thing we are trying to accomplish and we have ZERO expectations about our amazing friends finding US housing in Traverse!! And if we could wave a magic wand and make it all work out - trust me - we would. Obviously for the sake of our family, but also so that we could STOP BEING SUCH A STINKING BURDEN TO OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!



And then my parents. (Here's a pic of my omm and I canoeing with the boys last week on the bay - fun!) They have not stopped asking what our "back up plan" is since... well.. I can't even remember when they started asking that question of us in the event that our house didn't sell. I blew them off with our standard response as well (see above) - at least I'm consistent, eh? So now they approach us with this new plan of theirs: to RENT US A HOUSE in Traverse City. And, like most parents, they were TELLING us and not so much ASKING US because I am still their daughter and they have this God-given right in life. I have now discovered that it is well earned through the years and I do the exact same thing too. Anyhow, (cough) PRIDE (cough) = response = "NO WAY. WE WILL NOT ACCEPT THIS." I mean, really... give me a break. We will be fine and we certainly haven't exhausted all of our options at this point... camping, apartments, etc. Our "cup is half full" optimistic mentality just kind of put our blinders on and so we are just NOW getting to this point of seeing what exactly IS out there. But this is too much - it essentially a second mortgage for anyone - um - NO. THANK YOU, but NO.


And so in walks (or calls) my girlfriend Heidi Schramski. She calls up the day after Jeremy and I talk and get all set in our minds that we are totally game for camping or something to just GET us to T.C.. Here are her words "Hi, Tonya? I have a plan for you guys. And before you tell me no you have to hear me out." Which, of course I didn't... but you'll see why in a minute. She had called to offer us the cottage that her and her sister's manage for her dad... ON west bay... for FREE... for a week. Oh, and we "are staying at" her house in the meantime.


WHAT?


Did I mention that Heidi, her hubby Jim, have a daughter Hannah, a son Ben, and a BRAND NEW baby, Clark, born 6 weeks ago? Right. They aren't busy or anything so SURELY they should be worrying about us in the first place!! I'll tell you... she's amazing. But persistent (again, cough, cough). So, in the end I totally gave in and we ended up crashing the Schramski pad for a night and then heading to their cottage for the rest of the week last week. IT WAS AMAZING. And it felt really good to be IN Traverse City close to our doctor's appointments and have Jeremy right around the corner if something were to happen.


(Here's Heidi and I (guess who's who... riiiiight) with the boys in the canoe at the cottage last week - and then the boys with Heidi's oldest boy ben (2) eating popsicles behind the cottage)



And it was good for us to see that it WILL be a very good life for us in Traverse, we have lamented quite a bit about how hard it is going to be for us to leave Hawk's Eye in Bellaire, and it WILL be... but now we can see that we have a great circle of friends and their are some great kid-friendly neighborhoods that we will have the opportunity to raise our family in Traverse City. We were also able to spend a bit of time with Jeremy's aunt and uncle (Buddy and Suzy - we love you!!!) while we were over - they live on West Bay too and are two of the most kind-hearted, sincere people we know. And, FAMILY nearby?? YEAH!!!



Grammie (my mom) came up the end of the week to be with us as well which was great help for me... I am getting more tired now, as much as I'm not on bedrest and am SO grateful for it!!! My poor husband has seen that I morph into a zombie at night about 75% of the time now after being on the move all day with Aiden & Caleb. It's crazy and I can't stand that exhausted feeling, but I'm counting my blessings!!! And we were also able to see our friends Tonia & Scott Nemecek up on a ROMANTIC getaway for the weekend in Traverse City. They insisted that we meet up for dinner one night even though I tried to TELL them that they should just lock themselves away in a love cavern for the weekend and not have any contact with the outside world!! But who listens to little (OK, big.) mama T? Right. Join the crowd of nobody.


We still ask that you please continue to pray that our babies remain healthy and growing strong inside me until that 32 week mark. And if you have a spare prayer that our house sells SOON, we appreciate that as well =) We thank you all so much for being here for us.