The Big Move

We closed on our house at the end of June, and ever since then life has been a whirlwind. We celebrated Victoria's 1st Birthday and Andrew's first Father's Day all in the same weekend, then closed on the house the next day. It was refreshing to have a weekend of family time before our lives turned completely upside-down.

Birthday morning sleepy snuggles with dada are the best

I have discovered something about myself this last month: I hate chaos. I just don't do well with moving. Looking at piles like this around my apartment all day pretty much drove me nuts

Because of the way our apartment was set up, there was really nowhere for us to put the boxes except right in our living areas and bedrooms, so we were constantly having to maneuver around them. It was hard, and quite claustrophobic, but the promise of our new and exciting future helped for sure.

Before moving day could actually come, however, we embarked on a couple big projects. One was a minor kitchen and family room renovation. We attempted to finish it before moving in, but only finished about 2/3 of the work. We still have a bit of work to do, but we are hoping to have everything finished next week, after which I will bombard you will tons of before and after photos (BEWARE!)

We also cleaned all the carpets in the house and got the ducts cleaned, which is something I was a bit unsure about doing, as it is quite pricey, but it ended up being completely worth it when they found this in our ducts

I am not kidding. Talk about gross.

The hardest part of this entire process was being a mom in the midst of it all. Victoria has always been a difficult sleeper, and although she does really well these days if we stick to a schedule, any variances of place and time throw her off completely. So we had a lot of difficult days with a lot fewer naps than she needed.

But for the most part she was a trooper! I kept some toys at the new house for days when we were there all day

 And we ate lunch most days on the family room floor, picnic-style.

As you can tell, the whole moving/renovation process cramped my cooking style too!

So with clean carpets, clean ducts, and a mostly finished kitchen and family room, moving day arrived!

 

As our apartment became less and less like home.....

This house became more and more like home!

 And those mountains of boxes? They simply got relocated to the new house, and I discovered the daunting task of caring for a 12 month old in an un-baby-proofed house while she is getting 3 molars and just discovered walking, all while trying to unpack boxes and provide meals for my family without a functioning kitchen. Talk about endurance training!

 

Not that I can, or should complain. This is just a hilly season, and I am so excited to get settled. Unpacking is happening slowly (VERY slowly), and the renovations are coming along. And it all definitely seemed worth it when I got to put my new welcome mat out (yay for super sale at Kohls!)

 Or when my husband finally got to use his Father's Day gift: a shiny new grill on our back patio

 

Or when I found this little cottage on Craigslist for a great deal and got to watch my little girl finally enjoy life with a yard to play in

It is all coming together slowly, and so far, the transition has been an amazing one. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us through this time of change!