House Update

We are in our final week of being in our home. C and I are both feeling it and questioning our decision. We both, deep down, know this is right and that the buyers are the best people we could be selling to. But it doesn't make it any easier. We have done so much in this home, we have learned so much. Change is hard. Super hard. I know that I am trying to remember that this is all in God's hands and we are just following the path he laid for us.

E starts Preschool

Last week, my oldest started preschool. She had been looking forward to this day for awhile! I was not. I am one of those parents that love to be in control. Sending her to school, takes a lot of the control away from me. On the first day, she could hardly contain her excitement. She was bouncing off the walls and running around like crazy prepping for her day. She woke up so promptly and was ready to get dressed right away. Her daddy even made her eggs and bacon for breakfast!

1st Day of Preschool

Age 4

I weigh 37 pounds & am 41 inches tall

I look forward to meeting new friends & seeing the animals everyday

I love barbies, bows & my blanket

When I grow up, I want to be a doctor

Sadie Butt is my best friend

Ms. Julie is my teacher

While it was such an exciting and long awaited day for E, it was harder for S and I. S was seriously so sad that E wasn't going to grandmas with her. They are the best of friends, and S looks up to E so much. She cried when she had to leave without E. Then when S and I went to pick E up for the day, she spent the whole car ride there saying "I miss Ellie, I love Elle". She would even pretend to call her on her play phone and she would say "Hi Elle. Don't worry, I'm coming. I miss you. We are coming to get you from school." As soon as they saw each other at pick up, they instantly ran up to each other and gave one another the biggest hug. Ellie then proceeded to cry because Emmy didn't come pick her up too, and she missed her. Sadie wasn't the only one who had a hard time. The whole time I was like, I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. I'm not gonna cry. And what did I do? I cried. Man, did I cry. It was like an ugly cry too. I was totally the only mom who cried at the school too. I couldn't help it. I went to give her a hug and there were the tears. This was the first time we ever left her somewhere, other than with my parents. It was terrifying. I felt horrible afterward because I didn't want her to see me crying because I didn't want her upset, so I kind of rushed our goodbye and ran out. Luckily, she LOVES school so that makes it a little easier.

More About Me

Normally I won't say a whole lot about me on here. I am one of those moms consumed in my children's lives that I often forget all that I have on my plate.

Here goes nothing. So obviously, I'm a working mother of three. But I also am working, tirelessly to complete my degree. I started it years ago, after I graduated high school, but it was just not a priority then. Not only did I not know where I was going or what I was doing with my life, but I was completely off base about my career choice. Luckily somehow I ended up where I am and where I am meant to be. I have been back in school for over two years now and I have about a year left. It isn't easy and I spend a lot of nights up late, laying in bed, working on homework next to my sleeping husband. Which is so not fun. I like to sleep. I like to sleep a lot. With three kiddos three years old and younger, I need sleep. I will say though that C definitely makes up for those late nights on the weekends. It's rare I wake up before 8am on Saturday and Sunday... And it's not because my children sleep in. S is ruthless... She will likely never sleep in.

Another journey I recently decided to take is a fitness journey. Before I got pregnant with Em, C and I would go workout almost every night. I was finally starting to feel normal and good again when I got that positive. She was very much planned, but also halted my fitness journey. I definitely used pregnancy as an excuse to not workout, not eat well, and fall back into my old ways. So recently a friend and I decided we were going to see a personal trainer. I was about 5 months post partem when we decided and I was so unsure about it. I like have to have the right mind set to jump back into something like this and I wasn't sure I was there yet, but I decided to try it anyways. It's been a little over a month since then and I couldn't be more thankful for this experience. It's not always easy to go to the gym or eat the way we are supposed to but we work together so it makes things easier. I am feeling so much better these days. I dropped red bull. Which is huge for me. I was drinking it daily just to get through the day. Now I go most days without any caffeine. I've lost about 4lbs and 3% body weight. I still have a long way to go before I reach my goal but I'll get there. I am not in a rush. I want to change my lifestyle so that I can be healthy for my husband, my babies, myself. So over the next 5 or so months I will be documenting my progress. Our contract with the personal trainer is for 6 months and I'm a little over a month in. My ultimate goal is 130lbs and 20% body fat. When I started I was 147.9lbs and 30% body fat. I am currently 143.8lbs and 27% body fat. I can't wait to see what the next month brings but I am definitely hoping to break that 140 mark! Wish me luck! 

We have an offer!

So the two weeks of showings and waiting were probably the longest two weeks of my life. It was so stressful. So when we finally got an offer the other day I was so excited! I was seriously getting worried that it just was not going to happen for us. But it did. We are OFFICALLY under contract.

After the excitement wore off, I definitely had my "oh shit" moment. Like what the hell was I thinking? We are essentially homeless now and my feelings were a little hurt realizing that we are down to the very last month in this house. You see... when I first starting writing this blog, we had just purchased our house. Since then that house has turned into a home. Its the house we got married in, the house we brought all three of our children home to, the house our dogs passed away at. So many memories will forever be held in that house. It was the first house we made together, aside from the apartment that we lost to a fire. This was my home. As a child, I didn't really have one home that I grew up in, which was perfectly okay. I loved moving. But when we bought this house, it was truly mine. My home. My safe place. I love that home, and always will. I will say that I am so relieved that the new owners seem to have a similar story as us. They are a young couple who have been married a few years and are ready to start a family there. It definitely helps me cope with the grief of "losing" such a great place.

Now we are onto finding the home our children will remember and consider home. It will be a tough bargain to find something so cute, cozy and comfortable but I am so determined to do that for my babies!

Update on the Girls

Our girls are constantly changing and amazing us at every turn. My biggest joy is definitely watching them grow, learn and be passionate about things.

E is going to be turning four in just a few months. She will be in preschool in just a few weeks as well. I cannot believe it. I know she will love it but it will be super hard for me. I am definitely a helicopter parent so letting go of some of the control is really going to be hard for me. We got all her school supplies, her back pack, and we plan to go school clothes shopping this weekend. I just cannot believe that she is old enough for all this.

 E's favorite things to do include watching TV shows like Fuller House, Barbie's, Mickey Mouse, Brats, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Disney Movies. I have been working on their Disney movie collection so they have tons to chose from. The Disney Movie Club is usually where I get them. If you want more info, or my referral link leave a comment or find me on Facebook. She also loves playing with her kitchen, playing barbies and putting her imagination to work with her sisters. She loves to dance and sing. Being outside is also a love of hers. On the other hand, she hates brushing her teeth, bed time, brushing her hair, and being told what to do ;)

S is two and a half. She is learning so much. She can count and recite her ABC's. She has even been working on writing her letters. She recently started dance class with E and seems to be doing well there, as well. So far, she is definitely my wild child. She loves to jump on furniture, run around like crazy, hang out outside and can hardly be found sitting down and taking a break. She is constantly ready to get up and go. If she could spend all day every day on a scooter, bike, or playing toys outside she so would!

While she wild and rugged out the outside, don't let the scrapped up knees and bruise fool you. She has such a sweet soul. She is always the first to share with everyone. Just this morning she was so concerned while Em was crying that she was yelling from her room while she got ready "Its okay Em, I'm here. Its okay". She loves being a big sister more than I ever would've imagined she would. Some things she isn't fond of include washing her hair and picking up her toys.

Em is currently six months old and I would say my most difficult baby. She still wakes most nights for a bottle because she refuses them most of the day. She has to be cuddled up to me constantly when I am around, and she loves loves loves all the attention. Maybe its a baby of the family thing? Who knows. None-the-less though, she is constantly smiling, making everyone around her smile too. She loves to sit up and play with all the toys she can reach.

 She currently wears 6-9 month clothing and size 2 shoes. She weighs about 17 pounds and was 27 inches long a few weeks back. She can sit unassisted and has recently started showing interest in trying to go somewhere. She has the prettiest green/hazel eyes. She is the only one in our family with that color. Her hair is darker, which I am so in love with..... because like everyone says "Finally one that looks like you!"

Being these threes Mommy is the biggest blessing. I am loving every moment of it. Yes, even the hard times!

Selling...

Over the last couple of years it had become a realization that we would eventually need to purchase a larger home. Ours was just too small to be functional for our growing family (four girls, one bathroom....enough said!). Up until the end of may it was always, in two years... in five years.... next year.... but then we thought, why not now? The market is BOOMING here in Colorado, we need space NOW, and it means being more financially stable now and deeper into our future. We absolutely plan to move one more time in life, and that is it. The home we buy will be the home we stay in for the rest of our lives. So one day in late May we suddenly decided we were going to sell our house. My cousin, who is our realtor, came over and gave us our options. We could completely gut it and sell for the highest price, we could do some fixes and then sell, or we could sell as is. The most appealing and practical choice was to do some fixes ourselves and then put our house on the market. So over the next month and a half C and I spent countless hours fixing up the house. We painted (inside and out), we changed the doors, we did yard work, we did dry wall repair, we did tile and grout repair. It was exhausting to say the least. With three children, you cannot just jump right in after work or on the weekends. So we spent our days doing fun activities and making memories with the girls and the spent the time after they went to bed at 8pm to the wee early hours of the morning doing all the work we could. We literally lived off red bull and coffee.

 

However, we have been finished for a little over two weeks now. We listed our home about then as well. We are still waiting for someone to fall in love with it as much as we are in love with it, so wish us luck! We cannot wait to start looking for our forever home. We are constantly on webpages searching and searching. Some characteristics that we are looking for in a home include:
• 4 bedrooms, but we will take 3 if there is an unfinished basement that allows us to add bedrooms down there at a later time.
• 2.5+ bathrooms
• Soaker tub in the master suite (I have a serious Lush addiction)
• Fireplace
• Simple yard, with a backyard the girls and us can enjoy
• Open concept with the kitchen open to the family room

Being move-in ready is probably the most important to us though. That isn't too much to ask right? We certainly got worn down too much with the renos we did in our current home to even think of having to do it all over again so soon.

 We have decided to wait until we have finished selling our current home until we start to look for a new home, though. So many people ask us why we are doing this. There are a few reasons. One of them being the fact that it is super overwhelming trying to do it all at once. I am an anxious fool, waiting for this house to sell. I couldn't image adding the stress of finding a home, offering, inspections, etc. Another reason we are waiting is because we follow Dave Ramsey. If you haven't heard of him, Google him. We want to be debt free. By selling our home, we will have paid off every ounce of debt we have aside from student loans. That is huge for us. We definitely want to start living a lifestyle that does not revolve around credit, and this is allowing us to.

At it again...

I have been contemplating coming back to the blog world for awhile now. I have just been so busy with life, that I literally felt like I could not handle one more thing. However, I decided it was time. I actually really enjoy blogging and I know it will be something I cherish as time just keeps passing me by.

So much has changed since I updated nearly two years ago. C and myself both changed careers. C used to be an over the road truck driver for a moving company. Deciding to switch career paths was a major thing for us. It meant more time together, but less money at first. He is now an electrician apprentice. He goes to school once a week to achieve the credentials he needs to accomplish a journey man's license in the next couple of years. I, previously, worked as a billing specialist at a pediatric medical office. But since then I have jumped head first into the accounting world. I worked at the pediatric office for a few years doing accounting, but now I am at nephrology (Kidney Specialty) clinic as an accountant. I am also a full-time student at Regis University. I am so thankful for all the opportunities I have been given, I absolutely love my career.

Another, somewhat obvious, change in our lives is that we've added some children. Most of my blog previously was centered around our daughter, E, who is almost four now. How crazy is that? She starts preschool in just under four weeks and I am baffled at how this is even possible. I mean, she was totally supposed to stay a baby forever, right? Then, when E was 16 months old we welcomed S. You can find her birth story a few posts back. It was a rough transition for E, but now they are absolutely inseparable; the best of friends. S is currently two and a half. She is so funny, caring and has the prettiest curly dirty blonde hair. E and S both have daddies blue eyes. Were going to be in so much trouble when they're older. Most recently, we welcomed Em into the family. She is our final little love. She was born in February, I will have to post her birth story soon. She has been the absolute perfect addition to our family, and definitely completes us. So many people ask us if we are sad we don't have a son, I can 100% honestly say not even a little. I am sure that boys are fun in their own little way, but I am a girl mom until the end.

There is a ton more to update you on including my school journey, selling our home, life as a mom of three, and so much more.... I can't wait to document this crazy, overwhelming, amazing journey.