Many years ago.....well...technically just four and half years ago Mr. G and I were settled cozy in a sweet lil apartment that we called home after our wedding. We loved that place. This picture is the only one I can find from that house and its of Mr. G and Mickey snuggled up for a Sunday afternoon nap. You can still see the sunburn on Mr. G's face from our honeymoon not long before this. We were happy and excited about starting our life together.
It was just three months later that we decided to purchase our first home. We were both excited and a bit sick about it but we loved the neighborhood and the house. It needed some work but it was gonna be a neat place to start our family.
Couldn't believe we were actually home owners.
The next summer we started the renovation process. The biggest thing was getting rid of a wall that was smack dab in the middle of the house. Without it we would have an open floor plan which is what we were hoping for.
Demolition time!!
Mr. G's favorite part of taking down the wall was using the Saw-Zaw.
We also needed to remove wallpaper in both the kitchen and....
The bathroom. That ended up being much harder work than we had anticipated.
We weren't a big fan of the carpet....especially with a dog that would occasionally like to lift his leg.
So we removed the old floor to put in new.
Had no idea just how many layers of floor there was in the kitchen.
Removing that was definitely not fun.
We also got rid of the old vanity in my bathroom. Luckily the wallpaper could stay because we were gonna cover it....
With our new vanity.
And then we also painted both the walls, ceilings, and trim. It was a lot of work but we loved our home.
That fall we found out we were pregnant with our first blessing from Above.
And with that first look became a lot of very important firsts.
Bubby G had his first car ride that took him to his....
Home.
I was blessed to be a stay at home mom so every day was special and fun. The lil guy grew so fast.
Looking back at that old house I will always remember those special spots where Bubby had some of his firsts. Like his first time sitting up.
First time eating food.
His first Christmas.
The first time he took off walking...
Down our long hallway.
And how proud of himself he was.
His first birthday.
First time figuring out that a bowl will fit perfectly on his head.
First time picking tomatoes in the garden.
First time going swimming in our flooded ditch.
First time getting stuck in the doggie door.
First time helping mom bake brownies.
First time getting REALLY sick.
First time helping his daddy with the landscaping.
Somebody's gotta hold down the weed barrier so it doesn't blow away.
First time standing in his underwear staring up at a bird in a tree.
First time tilling a garden...
And first time planting a garden.
First time running outside without Mommy knowing it in his underwear and socks.
His first time catching a baby mole.
His first day of preschool.
And his first, second birthday party.
And then we found out we were expecting another blessing from Above.
And this time we had a precious lil girl. If there was a word more precious than precious that wouldn't be precious enough to describe my sweet Sissy G.
We took her home and right away her firsts began.
Her first smile.
Her first time in the Bumbo.
Her first time rolling over.
Her first two teeth.
Her first time eating food.
Her first time taking a real bath with her Bubby.
Her first time falling asleep in her Bubby's arms.
Her first Christmas.
Her first snow.
Her first time flying.
And her first time doing Yoga.
Pretty impressive if you ask me.
There have been times when a tear shows up each time I think about leaving all those "firsts" behind, but I am quickly reminded that I am not losing the memories. And in fact, I have plenty more memories to make no matter what house we are in. God truly blessed us with a way out of that house. I don't want to go into all the details but it was a blessing to say goodbye to it. And God also blessed us with a great apartment that was ready for us to move into. The whole thing = a BIG blessing.
Then came the time to start packing. I tried for a couple weeks packing while watching the kiddos but honestly not much got done. So I started asking for help. I had several people come over just to play with the kids while I packed and it worked out great. This is a picture of Bubby with a friend of mine's lil girls watching tv while I packed.
The fun thing about packing was coming across old treasures like this.
We also depended on my folks to watch our kids a couple evenings so we could paint our new apartment.
Grandma and Papa came down on a Saturday and painted three rooms while they were here.
Bubby even got to paint a little. He was a big helper.
Of course, Grandma and Papa would take some time out of painting to play with lil guy occasionally.
We also got to enjoy a good dinner out. My kids were completely exhausted that after dinner I took them home to get them in bed and Mr. G and his folks stayed until 9 or 10 finishing up the painting. I was very grateful. The only thing left to do was the kitchen and after spending an evening taking the wallpaper off...
My dad came to help paint...
While Nana did puzzles with the kids.
I was really worried about the kids sharing a closet and having enough space for all their clothes and toys but we were actually able to fit it all without any trouble. I was pumped.
We were able to bring a few things each day for about a week to the apartment. Sissy enjoyed all the toys and is really loving the carpet. She also learned how to clap while we were moving. It is adorable.
Finally came the day of the big move. That morning Mr. G and I were running around like crazy trying to get everything ready for our friends/the movers. The kids enjoyed playing with the few toys left at the old house.
The night before I was able to get a picture of the kiddos falling asleep for the final time in the old house. Pretty sweet.
The guys arrived and it was time for me to get the kids out and over to Nana and Gampa's and then I was heading over to the apartment to wait for the furniture to arrive. It was a beautiful day for a move. Oh...and did I mention that our car broke down the day before our move? Gotta love the unexpected.
We got Sissy's crib moved in and she was loving it. We didn't have it put together at the other house so this was her first time in her new bed.
I think she is really going to enjoy it.
This was the first night and we were getting ready for bed. Can't go to sleep in a new place without doing the puzzle of the United States....right?
The next day was Sunday and right after church we headed back to the old house to get the final stuff and give it a good clean. Sissy was enjoying the bare floor.
Bubby finished his nap in the car while we cleaned. But we ended up staying at the house till about 6:30 so it was another long day for the kids. Bubby ended up going to the neighbors house to play and Sissy sat on that floor rolling around and playing the whole time.
It was officially time to say goodbye.
It seemed like yesterday we were holding the sold sign getting ready to move in and now we are the ones leaving.
God put on a beautiful show in the sky as we did our final walk through.
Bubby's tree blew down in a bad storm but Sissy's tree was still standing. I wonder if the new owner will know just how much this tree means to us.
This might look like just a blue room to you but this was Bubby's room. He won't remember this room but even the bare walls start a flood of memories in my mind.
Sissy's room doesn't have as many memories especially since she slept in our room but it's just as special. Lots of diaper changes and having fun getting her all dressed up in her girlie clothes.
Goodbye old home. We love you and will always cherish the amazing memories we had with you but it is time for us to take on new adventures.
Bubby wasn't in the mood for pictures so I grabbed one more of me and Sissy.
An one more of Sissy sitting on the floor with nothing around her. It was time to go. I actually didn't get choked up when we left. Maybe I was just too tired and too overwhelmed to even think about it but I was able to walk out the doors feeling good about the past and the future. Mr. G stayed a few minutes after us and grabbed the last few things then walked in the house one last time by himself. I called him about that time and the poor guy was balling. He said he walked in and could literally hear Bubby words echo through the house, "Yeppee....Daddy's home!!!!" And that was just too much for him to take. Lucky for him he still get's to hear those amazing words each time he comes home from work only this time its at a new place. We feel good about our decision to move and know that God's hand was in every part of it. We couldn't feel more blessed and more excited for what is to come.
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