We Are Home Owners!!

We love our new home! We closed on our first house on January 7. We moved in last Saturday, and we are loving every minute of being here - even the neverending unpacking extravaganza! We are so giddy each time we hang something on the wall it's ridiculous. But, it's just so fun to know we own the walls!

What a faith-building experience buying this home has been. We have wanted this for so long and when the time came to start the process, we wanted to be prayerful about it and seek the Lord's guidance in our decision. How thankful we are to Him for guiding us here. Have you ever walked into a place that feels like home even though you've never lived there? That's how we feel here. It sounds corny, but we really feel like this place was made for us.

OK, Top 10 highlights of getting settled into our new home:
10. Garage - I can load the girls/luggage in one at a time or run inside to get something I forgot and not be nervous about leaving them alone in the car on the street
9. Quiet Street - I hardly ever see anyone else drive down this street. I don't have to wait for cars speeding by in order to back out of my driveway. Our community is surrounded by rolling hills. It's beautiful out here (in a middle-of-nowhere sort of way).
8. Feeling Settled - We have moved 6 times in our 8 years of marriage. We are TIRED! It is about time we put down some roots, you know what I mean?
7. Room for Guests - Our basement is finished, so we have some extra room for the people we love to come and stay for a while! Right now we are happy to have Brent's mom and dad and youngest brother staying with us. What a blessing to have the space to have them.
6. Speaking of SPACE - Halleluia for a PLAYROOM! It's the "Loud Zone" in the house. I can send Hannah down there when the babies are sleeping and she can be rowdy and loud to her heart's content. It's great for our relationship. Also, we now have a home for the 1.2 million toys our girls own.
5. Decorating - It's HGTV in real life! OK, we aren't that fancy or good, but after all those years of watching HGTV and gathering ideas for our own home, we can finally make all our home decorating dreams come true.
4. Lazy Susan in my corner kitchen cabinet. This is SO cool. I love how it spins around and how I can get to all my pots and pans and mixing bowls without having to crawl halfway into the cabinet. Always wanted one of these. Ranks right up there with a laundry chute and spiral staircase.
3. My Piano no longer lives in a closet. Enough said.
2. Awesome Neighbors - the neighborhood we just moved from was full of awesome people who we will miss. We are so fortunate to have moved into a neighborhood full of amazing families and friendly people. We feel so welcomed.
1. Outdoor Space - We own a little piece of earth, fenced and ready for all kinds of fun adventures as a family. LOVE our firepit - everyone is invited to summer s'more parties chez-nous. Our side yard is a built-in sledding run. Both corners of the yard are vegetable gardens. I hope I can grow something tasty! I look forward to springtime, summer night stargazing, and finding magical creatures in the clouds.