Suddenly Six!: Packin up and movin out

We are outta here in a few short days. The pictures are off the walls, there are boxes everywhere, and tomorrow night we will be sleeping on a mattress on the floor. Stuff is being packed away and shipped off to our new place across town. The anticipation of this move and our new home has been building over the past 9 months. Honestly, my heart and sights have been in our new home since we signed the ownership papers in July. I feel like I’ve been living in transition for so long and finally this is actually happening.

The boys have outgrown their shared pack n’ play in our family room, so we’ve had to rotate one of them at night to the swing. Surprisingly, they have also outgrown their newborn clothing! I never thought that they would be in the next size in a mere 7 weeks; but they are eating, growing boys… with an abundance of 3 month size clothing stored in the new house.

We’ve been prepping Evie about the move for months now. She has visited the new house several times, so it wont be a total shock when she finally stays. We’ve also been talking about her “big girl bed” she will transition to so that her brothers can have her crib. She talks about all this and seems to understand all that is taking place. It doesn’t seem to bother her a bit that she will soon be in a new place.

I’ve gotten to go out on some runs and walks this week. It struck me that all these streets and paths I’ve traveled over the last 6.5 years will soon be a memory. I will have new places to explore. Even my “go-to” grocery store will be different. All this is extremely exciting to me, but I must admit, I’ve had moments of reflection about our little house on Sorrento Rd. We have many memories here, and in a small way, it makes me feel uncomfortable at the thought of another family walking around the floor where Evie took her first steps…eating dinner where we’ve hosted so many dinner parties…living in the basement John designed and built. I know John will miss his basement. It was built with his vision and sweat, and it his is little oasis where he works and lives during the day.
And then there are our trees. In front of our house we have the biggest sequoia trees in the area. They are over 400 years old, and I’ve always been enchanted by them.
And there is our maple tree that turns the most beautiful orange in late October; it casts a deep fall glow throughout our kitchen every year.

And Spring. I’m enjoying the last few days of our yellow flowers and camilas and tulips that pop out of our yard. Yes, there are things I will miss about this house. It is a charming house, one that captured my heart when I walked into it almost 7 years ago. We built so many memories inside these walls. But I am ready for the next chapter.

I feel like our new home represents that beginning of our family of six. It has the space for us, all the rooms I dreamed to have. It’s the perfect little neighborhood with young families and quiet streets. Sometimes during hard moments here I catch myself putting all my hope into this next space, that somehow life will be better and get easier. But I know in my heart that a home will not do this. It will make life a little more exciting for awhile, but soon it will be just our home, and we will still have the same struggles and things we must get through.
A home will not take away sleepless nights, or sickness, or pure emotional and physical exhaustion. It wont solve our problems or fulfill our dreams. It is a place where our family will live, but how we live in it is what matters. I see this home not as a fresh start, but as a continuation of what we’ve already started nine years ago when John and I pledged to spend the rest of our days together.

I'm so ready to a make more memories!!!