FAVORITE Memories From Our First House

One week ago, we said goodbye to our first house. 

I know moving away from Lanier Dr., our quiet little dead-end cul-da-sac, will be sad; we'll miss our neighbors, our huge yard, the deck, the little updates Josh's dad helped us do, and our big basement, but throughout this process of slowly moving to our new house, I've not been too upset.

In fact, I am overjoyed and grateful.  This was always the plan: to buy a smaller starter home that would get to be too full because of our growing family that we would want to move somewhere else.  

I remember buying the house when Josh and I were 23, engaged, and so unsure of what our life would be like.  We had many plans, many hopes, and many dreams.

For a few years there, when we were struggling with infertility and miscarriage, I thought the plans of our family being 'too big' for this house were gone.

So when I've sat, during nap time, in my bedroom, having to be completely silent because one child is sleeping in the room next to me and another two are sleeping across a narrow hall from me... or when I almost break my neck tripping on a griddle in my family room because my kitchen and family room are on top of each other... or when I can't blow dry my hair in the morning because I will wake the entire house up... or when I am up to my head in bath toys, dirty diapers, and all of my hair and makeup accessories because all five of us share one small bathroom, which gets destroyed daily, I remember that this was always the plan.

We never wanted to stay in this house, our biggest hopes were to fill it up with kids and toys and tantrums, and laughter, and diapers.

This house was wonderful, but it's time to move on and I am so thankful to be in a place where we should and can move on.  

Here are a few of my favorite memories from 2561 Lanier Dr.:
1. When we first moved into this house... we had a small table with two chairs in our dining area, two lazy boys from our grandmas as our only furniture, and a TV that sat on the floor because we had no TV stand... and we loved every second of it.
2. Bringing Prim to our house: I was at one of the lowest and hopeless times in my life and taking care of her brought so much needed joy into our home.  
3. Taking anniversary pictures by our the best fall tree in our yard. Starting on our first wedding anniversary, we always took pictures by that tree somewhere near October 20th.

2008: Married one year

2011: Married four years

2013; Married six years

2015: last family picture in old house :) 

4. Planting our garden in honor of the two babies we lost.
5. Meeting at our house before going out on the last day of school... a tradition for Eileen, Kelly, and I to celebrate summer and for Josh and Colleen to celebrate their birthdays. 
6. Bringing Nolan and Judah home from the hospital.
7. On nice fall/spring days, when Nolan and Judah were little little, I used to bring their highchairs or bouncy seats outside on the desk so that I could eat lunch and they would watch the leaves rustle in the breeze, hear birds chirping, and love being outside, which they still do.

8. When Nolan and Judah watched snow fall, in their Bumbo seats, for the first time. 
9. Every single Christmas

10. Everything about having Mike and Eileen live .8 miles away: taking walks to their house, having it be easy for them to stop by when Nolan and Judah were little, watching TV shows with Eileen, that one time Eileen sat in a lawn chair sunbathing and reading while Josh and I stained our deck, when Mike and Eileen walked over to our house after a HUGE snowstorm and Judah crawled for the very first time, etc, etc, etc
11. Bringing Carter home from the hospital

12. The first time Carter laughed out loud at Nolan and Judah

 13. Watching our boys play with our neighbors across the street

Onto the next stage in our life!