Taking it back to Halloween

So you see--this thing called moving happened the very same weekend that Halloween happened. And then a whole lot of life happened.  What didn't happen? This blog! #bloggerfail

But it's ok.  We are just going to have a little throwback for awhile as I catch up everyone (hi, mom) who reads this.  Because no one likes missing pieces of a story, mmmk?

On Halloween, the boys woke up to a fun little breakfast, their Halloween bags holding a few treats and a house pretty completely packed up.  Writing about it now I feel like it was years ago that this happened.  I can't believe we moved away only a short month ago.

Anyway, back to Halloween..

Do you see that it is still dark out? My kids have  been waking up early ever since! 

The plan was for us to take the boys to our new (well, new again) town so they could trick or treat there that night.  I knew trying to keep them occupied in a house all packed up was not going to be much fun.  Andrew and I decided since he was coming back late that night to pack up the moving vans that I didn't really need to stick around.  Around nine that morning, I packed all three boys up and headed home.  

I can't tell you how surreal that drive was. I crossed the river out of Pike County and I couldn't even believe it.  In a year so much had changed in our lives.  Andrew and I became a stronger couple; we welcomed a new baby; made new friends; and found a peace in who God was calling us to be.  I never expected to be heading home permanently so soon.  My heart was so full.  It was as if the boys could feel my peace too.  Shortly into our drive, all three fell asleep.  It was the most peaceful two hour car ride. 

We made a stop at Andrew's parents when we got to town for a potty break and to unload.  Then we headed to meet my mom and brother's family for lunch.  Lunch with five boys, three and under, is never boring!

After late naps, the boys woke up to their other cousins (Andrew's brother's family) arriving for pizza and to trick or treat.  Hudson and Lila were really excited.  It was like they really understood how  much candy they were about to get!

My superheroes 

All month, all week even, the weather had been beautiful.  Halloween night was COLD! Like 30* cold! We layered our boys underneath their costumes and left Gabe with the grandparents so we could brave a few houses.  We stuck to Andrew's parents street and that was enough for our crew!

Before heading out

Striking a pose

It was such a fun night! I wish my kids could stay these ages forever.  Everything is so magical and special to them. 

Our boys were pretty wiped and fell asleep pretty quickly after settling down and getting into jammies.  Andrew's night was just beginning. 

But that is another story! ;) 

Weekend Recap: The final few

I can't believe we are down to our last few weekends here before we move.  This coming weekend will be our last full weekend! How did it come so quickly?!

Friday evening Andrew came home from work and we took the boys to the park to play.  It was kind of windy but I want to spend as much time outdoors as we can before winter hits.  Our boys love playing outside so winters can be tough when it gets so, so cold.

The boys' Mimi sent them a new movie in the mail (since most of ours are already packed) so after dinner we did a round of baths and then snuggled on the couch with ice cream as a treat.  I love sweet, simple nights in with our crew.

Saturday I made the boys pancakes.  Hudson has been on this kick of wanting to pick his up to eat so he just gets some peanut butter and is good to go! Beau loves his syrup.  Both devoured almost the whole batch (there were 6!)

After breakfast they played and Gabe napped while Andrew and I started packing some more, taking down some bigger furniture.  It was a really productive morning.  Our town participates in something called the Color Drive.  All the small towns have food vendors, craft vendors and tons of garage sales.  We went to the square and looked around and got the boys corn dogs for lunch.  It was such a beautiful day, and not too chilly in the sun.

A friend of Andrew's stopped by with his family (they live about an hour away but were going around on the Color Drive) so our boys got down for later naps.  They didn't get up from nap until dinner time! I made breakfast for dinner because, yum, then, since it was so nice the night before, we did baths and hung out again! The boys were super tired from all the playing and being outside so went to bed their usual time even though they napped late.  Andrew and I watched The Fault in Our Stars. Serious tear jerker.  I knew it would be but goodness.  And though I loved it for the love story (I mean, c'mon--Gus? Sweetheart!) I also watched it from the parental stand point.  I kept thinking how grateful I am for healthy kiddos and how I couldn't imagine walking through what the parents did.

Sunday Andrew woke up bright and early and headed out to the tree stand.  Well, not bright.  It was too early to be bright.  The boys and I slept in, by which I mean 7, and then began our day of play.  We were outside most of the morning during Gabe's nap.  Then, when Andrew got home, I ran a few errands.  After nap the boys ran errands while I snuggled Gabe.  Then we grilled hamburgers for dinner.  Probably one of the last times we grill this year. Sad day.

It was a pretty low-key weekend but it was a good one. I love weekends that we get so much together time without rushing from one thing to the next.  I know these next few weekends are going to be so hectic I really relish these with nothing to do!

I hope you all had a fantastic weekend and have a wonderful week!

Embracing the Chaos

It seems like the days are just flying by.  I look around our house and can't believe it is mid-October.  I see the stacks of boxes everywhere: the garage, the kitchen, the basement.  Our decorations are down and to someone who likes to keep a tidy home, the mess of less {you know what I am talking about..the living in a home transitioning to move} can be a bit overwhelming.  Add to that two toddlers and a newborn and being home all day and trying to run a business.  And the fact that I leave for a quick work trip just a few days after we move and host Beau's birthday party the next weekend after that...

I could let all of that overwhelm me.  Suffocate me.  Blind me. And there are definite moments when all I can think about is all I have to get done and the fact that I just want to clean something.  But I am trying really hard to focus on the bigger picture.  

Never in a million years did I think that this would be my reality.  Moving back close to friends and family before the holidays.  Knowing that a trip to see a friend would be minutes versus hours.  That feeling of not having to pack a bag just to visit cousins {unless it is an overnight sleepover for the kids but then still, the bag is not mine}.  The giddiness I feel to know Andrew and I will be able to take a date night because of the countless sitter options we will have again.  And not to mention, date night options closer than an hour's drive.  My heart is just so, so full.  

This weekend I was reading Melanie Shankle's The Antelope in the Living Room.  I laughed the entire way through that book and in the midst of laughing was dealt some deep thinking because that is just her style. She writes like she is talking to her closest friends and funny aside, there are just some things every good friend shares with the other.  As I reflected on some of the anecdotes and wisdom she shared, I thought about Andrew and I's journey, all the unexpected adventures, ups and downs of our marriage.  I wouldn't trade any of it.  Even the challenges.  They helped shape us.  They guided us to down roads we otherwise wouldn't travel.  They drew us closer and caused us to love deeper.  

In the midst of all the chaos of the next month or so, I know this is just another chapter in our story.  A chapter that has some stress but so much joy.  A chapter that we will look back on and see how we grew, how we yielded to honor one another through the stress and schedules and newness of life back home with three.  I just know that this chapter is going to become one of my favorites.  

The Back Story

I shared with you all our big news but I think the story of how this whole move came together is even more exciting.

Andrew and I had been discussing moving closer to home for awhile...honestly, probably since we found out we were expecting Gabe.  We felt there were things the boys were missing out on, there were things I wanted to have in my life and then having three boys so close in age, the idea of doing that all way from our closest friends and family just didn't seem like something we wanted to do.  We began to pray about.  We tossed around where we would move to, when that would take place. But ultimately we knew we just weren't prepared to move.

Fast forward to August and we were bringing Gabe home from the hospital.  Our conversations of moving were still happening but the idea of moving to Decatur and the possibility of Andrew working from home some and commuting some began to be discussed as an option.  I mean, what is another half an hour if you can work from home some? I began to jokingly say during those first couple of weeks home, wouldn't it be great if we could put our house on the market this spring and be closer to everyone before Gabe's first birthday?  That time frame sort of became our "plan."

Andrew jokingly asked a co-worked (who used to live in our neighborhood) if she wanted to move back.  She said she wished she would but couldn't but knew someone who was actually looking to move and who had looked at our house years ago when it was for sale. Andrew's co-worked contacted her friend, who contacted Andrew.

Long story short, before Gabe was a month old, we had a contract on our house!! This is huge because houses don't always sale quickly in our new town. Houses that were on the market when Andrew and I began looking over a year ago are still on the market.  God thing #1

With a fairly quick closing, Andrew and I came to a conclusion on some things pretty quickly.  Here is what we knew:
-we knew we had to move in at the beginning of November since our November calendar had something every weekend after the 1st
-we knew the area we wanted to move to
-we knew that our options we a bit limited since we had just purchased some investment properties to flip

All of those things, plus we had to find a house we actually LIKED! All in basically a weekend.

Andrew set up some showings for us to walk through on our weekend home. One home was a for sale by owner.  From the pictures online I could tell I liked it.  {If there is one trait about me that hasn't changed, I make decisions quickly.  I can pretty much tell you instantly my thoughts and they don't typically change. My gut is usually what I stick with}

That particular house was the last one we looked at.  It was in a neighborhood we wanted.  In fact, it was just minutes away {WALKING DISTANCE} from two of my closest friends. Homes in this neighborhood are rarely on the market long. I'm talking like within a couple of weeks they often are sold. It had amazing bones.  It is move in ready but of course, unless you build, you can always find ways that you want to change a house to make it your own.  The couple selling the home, actually went to the same church we attended before moving.  Wondering why it hadn't already sold, the owner told us they listed in July but then vacationed all of August so weren't home to show the house. God thing #2.

We were open about our situation and time frame.  They said those restraints weren't an issue.  We drove home Sunday, Andrew made an offer and it was accepted. God thing #3

There is still so much about how this new future looks {Andrew commuting, Hudson switching preschools, etc} but I am so grateful for how it has all worked out. I honestly can't wrap my head around it sometimes but the boxes remind me that it is happening! I love how 1 can see God's hand throughout this entire ordeal.