Welcome Home

Things are finally starting to settle down around here. We have slowly adjusted to the "adult" life again and being homeowners. Our home is coming together and we are down to the last few boxes. There are still pictures to be hung, curtains to be bought, and wallpaper to be stripped, but we have made tons of progress over the last month.

Week 1
Mike worked his butt off this week. Between him, my dad, and his dad and brother-in-law, our house got a major face lift. There was wallpaper in about 85% of the house. All of that came down except for the bathrooms. If you're lucky, wallpaper will just peel right off. We were not lucky. Most of it came down in little pieces. And just when I thought all the wallpaper was gone, I would open a drawer and find some more.

Then the paint went up in every single room. Our room, closet, kitchen, laundry room, play room, and the girls rooms. Paneling came down in the living room and dry wall went up. A new refrigerator and microwave were installed. Bushes were cut down in the front yard. Gutters were installed.

The bathrooms are the only two rooms that are left to finish. They both still have wallpaper. Serenity now...

We also moved in a huge load of stuff from our storage building. Since we were not done painting we put everything in the playroom.

That weekend we were hit by Hurricane Matthew. Mike and I took a trip to the storage building Saturday morning to get another load. I was going to unpack all of the kitchen stuff during the storm since we couldn't really move anything else. We got SOAKED. On the way home the roads were so bad that we knew we couldn't go out anymore. We were very very lucky because we didn't lose power. Mike and my dad painted the living room while I unpacked the kitchen boxes.

We were out of school on Monday. We moved all of our beds and clothes from my parents house. My brother brought Lilly's new bed over (her cousins old bed) and set it up for us. Madelyn's crib was set up in her room. It was our first official night in our new home. Which meant it was Lilly's first official night of sleeping in her new big girl bed. After sleeping with us for the past 4 years I knew this would be a long battle. I was prepared for crying and screaming. What I was not prepared for was Lilly telling me to get out of her big girl bed and go to my room so she could go to sleep by herself. Um...... ok?

She LOVES her room. She LOVES her bed. She has done so fantastic. She has had a few nights where she wanted to sleep with us but I seriously cannot believe how easy it has been. She was so ready for this. She keeps her room nice and tidy. She insist on making her bed every morning. Her shoes have a special spot in her closet. The only thing left to do in her room is to paint her dresser white and put it back in there.

Week 2-4
We were living in the house but most of our furniture was still in the playroom. We slowly started putting things in their place after work each night. The living room furniture was moved, pictures were hung, and the playroom was put back together. Everything was finally out of the storage building. Everything was finally out of my parents house.

Week 5
I finally feel settled. The girls are adjusted and Jakey Boy seems adjusted too. There are just a few small jobs left to finish, besides the bathrooms. We are loving our new home. We have some really sweet neighbors also that bring us goodies! I'm really looking forward to Christmas morning by our fireplace. And all the other wonderful memories that are yet to be made. This was totally worth the wait.

That Time We Lived With My Parents

Two years and 4 months. 

What we thought would only be a few months turned into 2 years and 4 months. And a big lesson in God's timing, not mine. And a big lesson in patience. And a big lesson in prayer. And a big lesson in trust. 

This is pretty accurate

And this....

And definitely this! 

2 years ago Mike got a phone call from the City of Durham offering him a GIS job. We had been thinking about moving closer to home and this seemed like a good start. He moved in with his sister and I stayed behind with Lilly to finish out the school year. From there we listed our house and moved in with my parents. 

Lilly was 2 years old. Still in diapers with only a hand full of hair on her head. We waited for our house to sell. I got a job at Deep River Elementary and started work. 

We found out we were pregnant in October. 

I convinced myself that our house would be sold before Madelyn's due date. Halloween rolled around. Then Thanksgiving. Christmas came and went. We started the new year and my hopes of selling the house grew smaller as my belly grew bigger. 

A few meltdowns later and there she was. She didn't need a nursery. She didn't need pink walls. She didn't need her own bathroom or closet. Everything that precious baby needed was right there in that house. 

After four (yes, FOUR) offers on our home back in Greenville, we finally sold it. Everything was moved into a storage unit. A few months after Madelyn was born we started looking at houses. We looked, and looked, and looked some more. Part of us wanted to buy the first house we saw but the other part of us wanted to wait until we found THE house. We even thought about building a house for a while, and got pretty far into the planning process. But that was not in God's plan for us. 

Meanwhile, life kept moving full speed ahead as it always does. We continued to share dinner, laundry, and germs with my parents. Nasty colds, stomach bugs, and one flu epidemic later and they still didn't kick us out. They continued to help us and encourage us. 

We had a very disappointing summer. We made offers on several houses, each one having multiple offers, and we kept getting outbid. Our hopes of buying a house before the next school year started were very low. We went back and forth with the idea of renting, but we dreaded the thought of having to move twice. So we kept looking and waiting for THE house. 

Little did we know that our home was just a block down the street from us. A home that we had passed by 100's of times on our neighborhood walks. I can now see all of God's puzzle pieces coming together for this part of our journey. We finally get to have our own closets and bathrooms. Madelyn gets a nursery. Lilly gets a big girl room with purple walls. We get to spend Christmas morning by our own fireplace and tree. We get to make new memories that will last forever. 

Like this one! Eating pizza in our new house! 

And taking down all that wallpaper! 

But I'm so thankful for the memories we've gained over the last two years. 

We found the perfect house for our family. A house that we can put some TLC into and make it our own. A house we can call a home. ❤️ I can't wait! 

Lucky # 7

Madelyn has had a rough couple of days with the 500 teeth that are popping through her gums right now. This also means she's had a rough couple of nights. Last night was no different. She woke up a few hours after I put her down and Mike brought her to me in the bed. As I nursed her back to sleep I heard the grandfather clock chiming. It was midnight, which meant it was our anniversary. 7 years of memories flooded my head as I laid in my crowded king sized bed. So much has happened in such a short amount of time, including the three best moments of my life, the day I married you and the moment I held these two precious girls for the first time. 

It all started that first day of school in 2001. Biology quickly became my favorite class because of you. Two proms, tons of concerts, college, and a sweet marriage proposal later and just like that, seven years have past. 

A lot of crazy things have happened too, like moving to a different town and spending the last two years living with my parents. New jobs, new dreams, new friends. Looking back we had no idea what that move was going to be like or how long it was going to take us to sell our house. Sometimes we laugh and sometimes we cry. But here we are, still kicking it and supporting each other in this crazy thing called life. I'm so excited to see what this year brings for us, and so ready to experience it with you by my side.   

Time flies when you're having fun! 

Sweet Summertime

Both girls are napping... At the same time. One went down without a fight and one told me it was an awful day (between sobs) because she had to take a nap. A very overdue nap might I add. I haven't been pushing naps with her this summer because we've been pretty busy and she doesn't give in easy (reread "nap time shenanigans")... 

So we have already completed two weeks of summer break and I'm already dreading going back to work in August.

Reason #1: Both girls have been sleeping in until almost 8:00 everyday! Yes, that is sleeping in. Madelyn still wakes up around 6:00 but I just plop her in the bed and nurse and she's out again. It has been glorious. So much better than 5:30.

 

Reason #2: Madelyn is the cutest one year old in the world and I get to have her all to myself all summer. This is seriously my favorite age (minus going out to eat.. That's usually a disaster). She is walking all over the place, climbing on stuff, and laughing at the word "no". She is such an explorer. She loves books and being outside. She loves taking anything away that her sister is playing with. She loves pointing at things. She loves music. She loves animals. She loves food (although her growth chart says otherwise...) She has an exceptional vocabulary 🤓 that consist of "mama", "dada", "wow", and my absolute favorite "UH OH". She's still a little shrimp weighing in at 16 lbs and still only has two bottom teeth, although a top tooth is popping through! She's still nursing and I'm not sure when that will end. I don't have a plan set in place, pretty much the story of my life! I wish I could point the remote at her and press the pause button. I'm sad to see her grow so fast but I'm excited about what's to come. 

Reason #3: Lilly is the cutest 4 year old in the world and I get to have her all to myself all summer. It's been nice not having to wake her up early... She is NOT a morning person. We have been hanging out with her cousins and she's pretty much obsessed with them so that's been great. We have spent our days going to the pool, doing makeovers, riding the golf cart, playing barbies, and watching movies. She's also taking gymnastics again which she loves.

I love that I have a job that allows me to spend this time with my children. Even when they are driving me crazy. You stay away August, you hear me!? I don't want this to end. 

One

Lord have mercy, this has been the fastest year of my life. I feel like you were just born. My tiny little 6lb baby that came into this world so fast. You were on a mission to meet me, your daddy, and the best big sister in the world. The first thing I said to you after the sobbing was over was a comment about your beautiful hair. I held you for what felt like a lifetime, right there on my chest. The most favorite moments of my life.

Your sister was so proud. You looked nothing like her, which surprised me. You had your own little personality. She loved you from the minute you were born. I think she's just as sad to see our little baby grow as I am. She has helped give you baths, changed your diapers, fed you, and played with you this whole year. She's teaching you words and animal sounds. She reads to you. She also does a great job of making sure you don't put your fingers in light sockets or eat dog food. She will always be your protector, I can tell. 

And your daddy. Boy oh boy is he wrapped around your finger. You are the sunshine of his day. There was a time when we were a little nervous about loving somebody as much as we love your sister. Our hearts only grew bigger the day you were born. A million times bigger. 

You have grown and changed so much this year. I couldn't imagine living life without you. My sweet sweet Maddie Lou. Happy Birthday.