good-bye

saying good-bye to our first home was so hard! It was hard because I love that house but mostly it was hard to say good-bye to all the memories we've made there.

Chris and I built that home together. I thought I was so brave to paint my living room bright green... it turned out to be my favorite room of the house and I never regretted painting it that color. Chris and his friend Brent landscaped our entire house, complete with an awesome paver patio. We planted one tree the year Hannah was born and another the year Caden was born, I started my first little garden in the backyard. Chris and Derek fenced in our backyard.... well, mostly Derek, but Chris did build the gate. :)

I remember sitting on the stairs of our home right before it was finished, we prayed that this would be a home where Christ was honored and glorified...and I believe it was. Our marriage has always been great but we both feel like it really grew in that home... God taught us so much about grace and love and about being servants.

We became parents in that home. We brought Hannah home on a sunny spring day in April, I will always remember our crab tree in the front being full of pink flowers (perfect to bring a little girl home to). I remember Caden in his little pumpking shirt on Halloween the day after bringing him home from the hospital. I remember many sleepless nights nursing my babies....I remember thanking God that I had beautiful, healthy babies to wake up in the night with. (I also remember potty training, and tantrums and diapers).

I remember celebrating our first Christmas as a family in that home, sleeping under the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. I remember tenting in the backyard, having water balloon fights, grilling out on our patio, giving Hannah her new trike and watching her speed down the driveway, making strawberry jam, catching fire flies, playing with neighbors, swimming in our pool, dance parties after dinner, birthday parties, movies and pizza in the basement, our fireplace, building snowmen, eating warm cookies.

I think of all the family and friends we had over to that home. It reminds me of how truly blessed we are to have such Godly people in our lives. We had many late night talks with family and friends....we laughed together and we cried together.

When I think of that home I am just overwhelmed by God's goodness and faithfulness to our family. And I am just so thankful that even though we're moving to a new home the same God will follow us there....or rather, he's already there, preparing many more memories for our family.

And by the way, I'm never moving again....I don't like saying good-bye!