The Growing Gant Family...

A copy of the email I wrote to friends/family post our move out date and all the different ways in which we've felt God's hand of mercy on our huge transition.  Greetings from Idaho!! Time for another update...Lots has happened since my last email to all of you.  We finally made it out of our house so the new owners could occupy it late Monday evening. Monday was a long, hot and emotionally exhausting day. With the help of so many friends, it was easier.  *Thank you Darcey for helping clean the kitchen and even a toilet, while also knowing exactly what we needed by coming back by and surprising us with ice cream bars. * Thank you to Guesly and Sara for coming by last minute in the evening when we knew we weren’t going to get the rest of the packing and cleaning done by the time it was dark. You were both a God send.   On top of all we had going on, our almost 16yr old border collie Rags declined over the weekend. We knew the day would come but obviously were hop...

I have started a stream of emails to those who have questioned where our family is at with our transition to Idaho.  It's helped me remember who I've told what.  We've had so much support and many have asked how they can pray for us.  I decided that putting it all into blog posts will help me remember it for years to come.     So many of you have asked for updates on our plan to move to Idaho. Although it feels much less personal, I decided the easiest way to keep all of you informed as through a central email where I can keep track of what I’ve said to who. Less stressful for me! Although some of you have already heard the start of our journey to Idaho, I’ll include some details for continuity... *After deciding to step out in faith and make the move we listed our house for sale by owner on 6/12 *We excepted an offer on 6/17 that wasn’t full price but we felt sufficient given that they to didn’t have a realtor. They listed their home on the market just bef...

I decided I needed to write some of this stuff down.  It's all so vivid and present in my mind right now because we're living it.  But I know, a few years will turn into ten years, will turn into 20 and I'll have forgotten all the details.  And that's exactly where God shows up...the details.  We cannot forget how He is working. I thought it easiest to make a list.  (1) it's easier to read and (2) it's easier to write: ~6/12 We posted our house on zillow.com For Sale By Owner, $579,000 ~6/17 After multiple showings, we accepted an offer for $570,000 with no realtors from Andrew, Savannah and Mason (a local family who really loved our property and has wanted acreage for quite some time.  Only kicker is they put their house on the market this day as well.) ~7/7 The date we had given our buyers to sell their house or we'd put it back on the market.  We knew it wasn't a long time to sell their house, but they had to realize that we too needed to get ...

Because of the threat of the Coronavirus this Spring, school has been shut down and transitioned to all online.  I can't say I'm a fan, but I know the teachers are giving it 110% and compared to what I hear is happening in the public arena, I think the boys will come out of this with hardly any lag in learning.    They are required to be on zoom multiple times a day that each teacher has specifically told them to log in.  Then, as a parent, we're required to correct work and/or turn stuff in on pick up days at the school.  It's all very interesting.  Thankfully the boys have adapted fairly well.  We're all just hopeful this is only an end of this school year kind of thing and things are back to normal after Summer's over.  Here's a couple screenshots of William's class I took while he was in "class".  And then both boys as they zoom in online for their studies. Some different memories made for sure.  Calvin with Mrs. Rasmussen's 2nd grad...

This Easter was a bit different then any other Easter I've experienced in my life. Church was closed.  First time in my life (and many others). The government ordered that all gatherings larger than your family be stopped for now.  At this point, the threat of Covid is still so unknown that we're not sure what to do.  So for now, we are thankful they can't take God away from our souls, but we're also more alert as to what might be next.  God never promised we wouldn't suffer for our faith...America has escaped real persecution for quite some time now.   Calvin has always loved to draw.  This one captured my heart.  We had never roasted Peeps before; figured we'd try.   Unfortunately Dad had to work )o; Conclusion was that Peeps are better eaten in their original form.   Roasting definitely didn't enhance their flavor.  So thankful our boys are learning the true meaning of Easter.  Despite the fun of candy and egg hunting, Jesus' sac...

These moments make me super thankful for the great outdoors and space for these boys to play and imagine...and get dirty. They love it and so do I.

These posts need no explanation. His notes express his heart and I love them. Words are my love language and Calvin often speaks it when he decides to randomly write our his love. They hold a special place in my heart.

It's not surprising that William was chosen this month for the Fruit of the Spirit of Goodness. As the first born especially, it comes pretty naturally for him. We are very proud of our boys and other's recognition of the qualities of God inside of them. We only pray these qualities continue to grow in them spiritually as they grow physically! Great job William!!

What a joy our William has been these last 10yrs! He got some time with his friends Logan, Josiah, Eric and Jonathan at home. He's a simple kid that finds joy in the small things. Time with his friends is all he wanted. Grandma Kim came to visit shortly after his birthday and she treated the boys to a movie with her. It's always a special time when Grandparents visit!

Just yesterday, Calvin and I were talking over the questions on a mailer he received from his "Mailbox Club" regarding creation.  We were talking about how God created us from the dust of the earth.  I could tell he was really thinking about this.  It was hard for his little mind to grasp that Adam was formed from dirt, and that when we die, our bodies return to just the same. A few weeks ago, Grandma Marsha was talking about how her and Bruce had gotten arrangements together for their cremation and had even received their urns to collect their ashes.  I remember talking briefly about spreading ashes and asking her when she wanted her spread.  Although I don't remember him being a part of it, Calvin must have overheard the conversation. This morning, random and out of the blue (Calvin style), Calvin says, "Mom!  I want my joy to be spread in lots of places!"  At first I didn't get it.  He was so excited when he said it, like he had had a sudde...