Long overdue update...Part 1

I haven't blogged in such a long time!  Which is completely a reflection on how much busier we have all been these past few months.  But since life is about to get even crazier, I want to try and write about it both to keep those updated who are interested in what's new with us, and to record the events of the coming weeks and months.  So hopefully, I'll be a bit more regular about updating, even if it's just a quick check-in. 

So, back in March, we got the crazy idea to put our house on the market, just to see what might happen.  Interest rates were dropping, our house was getting a little crowded with two growing boys, and the driving (about 15 minutes from town) was getting exhausting with ever busier schedules and higher gas prices.  After searching for a possibility for a new house, we found a lovely little neighborhood right in the middle of our community, close to parks, the library, the grocery store, and Target (YES!!), closer to Matt's work, and closer to the boys' schools.  It was beautiful, and we found just the perfect house plan to fit our family.  We prayed and discussed and shared with family and friends and prayed some more, and decided to just see what happens.  So far, our experiences have shown us that God will make His plans clear for us if we just let Him be in control. 

Our sweet little house that we loved. We went from a newlywed couple to a family of four in this house. Our boys smiled their first smiles here, said their first words, took their first steps...so many, many memories of our family were made here and it will always hold a very special place in our hearts.


We decided to go ahead and put a contract on a home, contingent on the sale of our current one.  We had nothing to lose at this point, and just trusted that God would direct our paths.  Well, just as we were making final changes to our contract on the new home, I got the most unbelievable, amazing surprise and found out we were expecting our third child!  Although we have prayed for and hoped for and tried for this child for quite a while, we were both content with the fact that what we wanted may not be in fact what God had in store for us.  We already have two amazing little boys, and so we had just given this desire to God and trusted that if it was meant to happen, it would.  And if not, we were still beyond blessed with the life we have been given.

In the moment that I found out, I was beyond overjoyed.  I remember just shaking with excitement and hope and awe at God's timing.  Which clearly is so much better than ours.  I'll never forget the overwhelming emotions I felt in that moment.  I had about five minutes to myself while the boys had a snack downstairs, and I am so thankful for those first few minutes that I had alone with this new little life inside me and the One who created her.  I prayed and I cried and I smiled so hard I gave myself new wrinkles and I looked at the little positive test about a thousand times just to make sure.  It was a special moment that I will always treasure and can't wait to share with this little one someday how much we wanted and prayed for and loved her even before we knew she would be ours. 

I needed to share the news with Matt, but I wanted to do it in a surprising and fun way--something I had not gotten to do with our other two babies, since we had been together when we learned we were expecting them.  I tossed around several ideas, even googled some, and couldn't come up with anything that hadn't already been done or that just seemed to fit us.   I knew it had to be something I could do quickly and easily, since there's no way I could keep this news to myself for very long.  And then the perfect idea came along...and I'll tell the whole story in Part 2.