Backyard Snapshots

The day that we closed on our new house, we had a little chat with the sellers who asked if they could leave behind the little playhouse in the backyard. It was one of those moments where I practically jumped out of my skin with excitement, knowing how thrilled the kids would be and I was right. One look at the backyard- complete with the playset, the playhouse, and a huge area to perfect their grass-staining pants technique- and they were sold.

Needless to say, since we moved in, the afternoons that haven't been fraught with rain (which have been few and far between sadly) have been spent here.

Camp

This past weekend, we took a break from the boxes that are literally filling our entire basement (epic photo coming soon, believe me) to do a little cabin camping with my in-laws. We headed up north to one of our favorite state parks to do battle with the mosquitoes as we enjoyed some s'mores and pontoon rides.

I was surprised to discover it, but getting away from our new house actually turned out to be a good thing. Knowing how much we have left to get done at home is a little overwhelming at times- there's painting, patching holes in the walls, patio repair, and just plain old unpacking left to accomplish. And that's not even mentioning the regular things like laundry or trying to keep the kids from stabbing each other with the Legos. But taking a break from that was a good thing- it gave me a little perspective on the whole process and was refreshing so that when we came home on Sunday night, I felt ready to attack a few of those projects this week.

So as I look ahead to the coming days, I'm tabulating up that project list with what still needs to be done. In the next few days, I'm crossing my fingers that I can get started on organizing the basement and maybe even reupholster a couple chairs I found on Craigslist that are just begging for my attention. It's all part of settling in and, my goodness, I can't wait to feel completely settled again!

This Week

This week has been a flurry of unpacking, furniture arranging, and asking myself that ever-puzzling question- Where the heck do I put this? Moving has definitely had its challenges but they have been so worthwhile. For example, I have maybe half the cupboard space I did in this house compared to our last. Then again, I absolutely adore this kitchen and it's forced me to be more thoughtful and organized in how I put things away. Definitely a win on that front.

In the realm of other good news, I am quickly developing a knack for killing spiders like a ninja and our ant problem (oh yes- they followed us from our last house like a freaking plague) is beginning to go away. That said, I'm not above calling out the pest control people again if I see more ants making themselves comfortable in my kitchen.

Earlier today, I walked around our house with my camera and tried snapping a few photos of the more finished spots. Unfortunately, the light around here has been so bad because we've essentially been living with rain and gloom for weeks so the only photo that turned out was one I snapped of Nathaniel as I got him up from his nap. (Fair warning: he's not always that excited to be awake. Only on the days when he misbehaves for two hours and then I give up and let him come downstairs.)

Hopefully I will get around to more photos and the entire story of how we ended up with our little corner of paradise in the near future, but until then, I'll be up to my eyeballs in boxes and hoping the rain lets up before our sump pump decides to give up its ghost!

Back

After dropping off the face of social media for nearly a month, we're back and are thrilled to announce that we're in the process of making ourselves comfortable in our new house. Evelyn has officially laid claim to sink baths, Nathaniel is losing his little mind over the playset in the backyard and Jonathan and I are just happy to have a bedroom that's actually a bedroom this time... instead of a living room with no closet space.

It was a lengthy house search and one that I can't wait to share in its entirety with all of you. The whole story is coming, along with pictures of our house as soon as I can wade my way through the sea of boxes to snap a few photos. But in the meantime, we're just grateful to have a place of to call home as we get settled as a family!

Halfway There

It's finally that time, folks- time to post a picture of our old/current house online for the world to see. Up til this point, I have avoided doing so for security purposes (though property records are public knowledge and easy to find if you know where to look) but that time has come and gone. This past weekend, we packed our last box, gathered together our friends and family, and moved each and every piece of furniture out of our house.

The whole process went seamlessly, thanks in no small part to the people hauling box after box to make our move possible. Truth be told, with the weather what it was on Saturday (alternating sun and snow- THANK YOU, MONTH OF MAY), it was such a blessing to have some of our closest friends and family huddling with us against the elements as we shoved furniture into our storage unit.

The good news is that the only thing that was broken was a lamp that I loathed from the start. The bad news is that I have to wait a couple more days before we have access to our new house, but even that isn't a complete loss since Jonathan and I both have a bit of recovering to do from our late-night packing adventures.

In the meantime, we are relaxing as a family and getting ready for the next chapter of our lives. This week my mission is to kick back, drink an obscene amount of Diet Pepsi, and relax as much as the wee ones will allow before we dive back into moving!