Stretching our wings.

     For those who don't already know, in early January we moved! Our old apartment was perfect for us when we first moved in and had Levi -- it was a tiny little bottom unit of a duplex with very reasonable rent, was minutes away from both Clay and my parents (VERY convenient for us as new parents), less than a mile from the beach, and had an adorable enclosed patio where Levi could play around once he was old enough. We really loved it....BUT it was tiny. We knew we could milk it for awhile while Levi was small and save some money to evetually move into a bigger place, so we figured we'd live there for about a year and then go from there. Well, a year went by and we were slowly starting to outgrow our cozy little crackerbox. We began the daunting search for "the perfect place".

    Fast forward to a year later, and we still hadn't found it. There was always something that was a dealbreaker, and unfortunately by that time we had become increasingly picky. One night, I sat on the couch and looked around our living room. It was right after Levi's second birthday, and although we had requested no birthday presents at his little party this year (for simplicity's sake), the room was still somehow littered with toys and clothes and stuff, just so. much. stuff. It wasn't necessarily that we are overly materialistic, but the fact of the matter was we were three people living in a very small space.  We were bursting at the seams. I went online right then and there and searched, searched, searched online for a housing listings. Miraculously, one of the first hits that came up was the most adorable little house I'd seen yet. It was small, sure, but that was just fine. It had a backyard with fruit trees, lots of natural light, and beautiful original hardwood floors from when the house was built in the 1940s. Oh, and a laundry room (hallelujah! Sometimes you don't know what you have until you have to go without it)! I emailed the owner and set up a time to come look at it. Once we saw the house, we knew: it was perfect. It's about a 30 minute drive north of our old place, and we're still adjusting to commuting to work and being further from family members and the beach, but it's been so fun to explore a new city, new neighborhood, new beginnings. Levi LOVES it. That's what matters most.

Our little house.

 

 

 

Our pretty street.

Making fresh orange juice from the oranges in our backyard!

Kitchen details.

It's coming together, slowly but surely.

We are still unpacking a few boxes of random things, sorting through our belongings, and touching up paint. Moving is no joke! It's a lot more work than I think I bargained for, but it's all for good. This little house is beginning to feel like home.