The McDonalds

This has been a whirlwind of a week. July 2015 was the most incredibly tough month, and now August 2016 is shaping up to be a roller coaster as well. 

We got an offer on our house and went under contract this week, as well as had an offer accepted on the house we are going to buy. We were only given 17 days from contract to move out, and that has started a chain reaction that is quite like knocking over a house of cards and then attempting to label which card went where. We are 100% sure that God is leading these steps, as it slowly taking a very different shape than we imagined - but in such a good way! 

We've started boxing up our house, and with every box I feel that I am putting up pieces of my heart. When we bought this house, we were young fairly-newlyweds with very little money and no furniture to speak of. We were coming from a 450-sqft apartment, so it felt huge. We fell in love with this house the moment we peeked into the empty windows, and took pictures of every little thing. I still have our "pros" and "cons" list from when we were deciding if it was the right house for us. Just days after we moved in, we found out we were expecting our first baby. From this house, we have commuted to Ft. Smith, Russellville, Morrilton, Little Rock and North Little Rock, and been through countless job changes as the Lord has slowly shifted us to allow me to stay home full time. Tyler started and finished his masters here, we brought all three of our babies home from the hospital here, grieved for a miscarried baby here, celebrated our big kids first birthdays and first Christmases here. Tyler and I have each lived at this house longer than either of us lived anywhere else in our lives.  

I know that a house does not a home make, but these walls have sheltered us from life's storms and greeted us on days when the world seemed against us. The kids have stood in the window watching for their daddy every night for years now. The front door has had many friends and family pass through. Our backyard has been a fort, a castle, a soccer field and a bouncy house. These floors that Tyler laid piece by piece, on his hands and knees for me, have watched my babies learn to crawl and then walk. The garage has seen many projects and indoor play times on rainy days. The closet in the master bedroom has heard countless tearful and whispered prayers. The kitchen counters have held kids and flour while we baked Christmas treats and birthday cakes and cinnamon rolls. Our living room has been a racetrack, a train track, a lava pit and a pool; we've pulled in lawn chairs to hold people for our annual couples' fantasy football draft or kids' birthdays. 

It, quite frankly, breaks my heart that my kids most likely will not remember this house - but I will. I will cherish our memories here deep in my heart and remember when my sweetheart bought me my little dream house, then wipe up my tears, pack some more boxes, and look forward expectantly to the next adventure that God is orchestrating.