I'm baaaack!

It's been 19 or 20 days since my last post, and I'm baaack!

Why?

Well, mostly because I'm avoiding things, haha.

The last 20 days have been FULL of excitement, though!

1. We're moving! My mother-in-law had been staying with us for 6 weeks, and during that time the kids shared a room for days at a time. When she was about to leave, Bebe asked us if she could still share a room with Dois. D and I went, Hmmm... We thought about it (after all, it won't be much longer before they're too old to share), we prayed about it (we were hoping to buy a house when our lease was up, but we weren't finding much), and we inquired about it--and we got the deal of a lifetime: on a house only 1 block away! We are downsizing to a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom 1064sq ft apartment from our current 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom 1300sq ft townhome. And we are EXCITED about it! But not about packing. Packing pretty much sucks. Always.

2. Dois started a new daycare! I mentioned in the past that his previous daycare was not feeling as good to us anymore. It wasn't as if things were TERRIBLE there, but we knew it wasn't a place for him long-term, and to be honest, it was expensive. D and I looked around at other places, and decided to enroll Dois in the Carden school located on the campus where D works. It was more affordable, had longer hours (I was always stressed rushing to get Dois on time), and was a better long-term fit for him (meaning, he can stay there until he starts Kindergarten). The weeks leading up to the transition were hard, we wavered in our decision. Dois was so incredibly loved at his previous daycare and we felt like we were taking away their sunshine (he was the favorite). But in the end, we knew this was the right choice. The transition was tough for 2 weeks, but now he runs in with a smile and doesn't even say goodbye. He's getting the love and the care that he got at his previous daycare, and he is learning and exploring new things everyday.

3. We prayed for God's guidance, and we're getting it! A seed has been planted, courtesy of House Hunters. We've been praying for God to reveal His will for us for our future. First came the realization that there were no houses we wanted to buy, then the opportunity to move (and save $500/month! Officially putting our home-buying plans on hold) and then came House Hunters. One night D and I were watching and in back-to-back episodes, the home buyers were buying homes in low cost-of-living areas. And it was like a seed was planted. Yes, we've talked about how expensive SO Cal is and we've discussed getting out of here, but there's always been trepidation. But now? Now we're actively looking around the East Coast for possible places to relocate. We've been working our BUTTS off for a 20% down payment here in California, which could easily be a 30-50% down payment in other areas of the country! We have no familial ties here, really, so the only thing really keeping us here are our love for the weather and the fact that we're "established" here (I've been at my job for over 6 years, and D has been working for the state for 5 years now). But is the weather really worth the fact that D works 2 jobs and we can't afford the things we'd like to (travel, Catholic education for our children)? NO WAY!

4. We've decided that sometime in the near future, we'll be trying for Baby #3! I never really thought I'd hear D say he wanted a third, but he's said it--a few times! We need to get through this move, but then, who knows. It's exciting. I absolutely love our family right now--the kids are just so great and loving with one another, we're so happy, I just want it to GROW!!

Annnnnd, that's it. I think. But that's a lot for 19 days, right?!

My internet fast isn't going so well, but I'm trying...

Time to get back to packing!