Moving

Hello friends. It’s been a long time, and I have a lot to share! I wanted to write on Facebook about my day-to-day accomplishments, but quickly realized many of you need to be caught up first. So here’s the news. WE’RE MOVING!! I know what you’re thinking. “Did you finally buy a home?!?!” And to that, my answer is … not exactly.

As you may know, for the past year I have been working a second job to help save up for home. It has been our desire to have more children, but first we felt the need to get a bigger place. Tiny third floor apartments are great for newlyweds, but not incredibly conducive to a family of 4. We tried cutting our expenses, but despite our best efforts (darn student loans), making more money was the only way to hope for a house in our future. Working remotely from home during the day, then all night at a grocery store has been tough. A big adjustment for my family and me. But the Lord has sustained us and I’m blessed by the quality time I’m still able to have with my loved ones. In the past I may have coasted through the daily grind, but things feel different now. Home time is treasured and enjoyed. My relationships with my husband and daughter have been strengthened. Sacrificing for a purpose has been humbling and rewarding.

Skip to one year later, we finally had a little money saved, but not nearly enough to buy a move-in-ready home. Our modest price range was not exactly convenient in the state we live in. We looked at many houses, even wrote a few offers, but our home search was falling flat, and I was okay with it. Zach and I have been praying throughout this entire process. Seeking the Lord’s will is incredibly important to us. I know God has a perfect plan for my family. He already knows where we will live, and how we will afford it. I have absolute faith in God’s faithfulness. But it’s not always easy to wait on the Lord when I want to ACT RIGHT THIS SECOND! To say God has been teaching me patience is an understatement.

We currently have an offer in on a short sale in town. Exciting … but not. We may get this house … but we also may not. It’s up to the lender to approve selling the home short of what the sellers owe, and getting approval takes time. Like, LOTS of time. 3-5 months is the estimate, and that’s just to get a contract signed. After that, the real fun starts with inspections, mortgage approval, and a thousand other things I’m sure I know nothing about yet. But patience is a virtue and I’m trying not to get my hopes up for this potentially awesome fantastic life-changing event. Instead, I will wait on God’s timing, not my own. (While still looking at paint samples and kitchen renos on Pinterest, of course.)

So where are we moving?? Ahh, you remembered. Yes, we are (hopefully temporarily) moving in with my unbelievably generous parents. We have been praying about this possibility for months now, and with the potential short sale on the horizon, we thought now was a good time to save some rent money, downsize like cray-cray, and enjoy super cramped life now, to truly appreciate a future home to the fullest! All joking aside, I really am grateful to my mom and dad for taking us in. My husband is such a trooper for supporting this transition. Of course we will be saving money, and it’s only for a short time, but it must be difficult to move into the “in-law’s basement”. For me, I’m just moving back home. It’s familiar, it’s safe. It’s almost kind of fun! I get along great with my parent’s and I’m excited to share a home with them again. But poor Zach! (LOL) Of course, he loves my parents too, but I’m sure 7 years ago, while kissing his fiance on the front steps of that house, he never thought, “Hey, I’d love to live here with Liz’s parents some day … and with a 3 year old!” He’s a good sport.

So there you have it. We’re moving and you are all caught up. The last few weeks have been very cathartic. I knew I had a lot of stuff stored away - boxes of keepsakes and photos, old books and school stuff - but I never imaged throwing it away would feel so good! Who needs all this???? I hope to never accumulate this much stuff again. Packing up the life I have shared with my husband in this sweet apartment is not as sad or emotional as I thought it would be. It’s all business. “Do I use this? No. Do I want this? NO!” Why didn’t we move sooner? I tell ya, my parent’s are having a great time, too. My mother just told me the other day that she is grateful for the opportunity to purge her stuff as well. Seriously, people. If you haven’t gone through the depths of your closets or the deepest bins of your children’s toy box and thrown/given away 90% of your crap, you are missing out! It really is the best part of moving.

Eliana is great, by the way. I know some of you only read this blog to hear about her. She is basically the best thing in the world, so I understand. :) I’m not sure she has fully grasped the concept of the move yet. We tell her we are going to live with “Grandma and Papa” and she says “Why?” … because we need to save money … “Why?” … so we can buy a house … “Why?” … to have a bigger place for you to run around and play in ... “Why?” … so you can share it with a little brother or sister someday. Do you want to be a big sister? … “Yes!” Let’s pray she handles this move well.

I’m hopeful and grateful and happy and blessed. You might say I’m “hashtag feeling all the feels.” I just want to experience all the joys God has for us in this life. I want to appreciate the gift of life and family, and love and friendship. Even if we don’t get this house we have an offer on, I want to be thankful for the things I DO have and the generosity of those God has put in my path. This moving transition has been quite a journey for my family, and yet I feel like it’s just beginning! Here’s to my future, and to yours!

Xoxo Liz

Potty

Well folks, I did it. I took a leap of faith and decided to finally potty train my daughter. If you read my last post, you would know how much of a triumph this is. My daughter was ready, but I was not, and I didn't think I would ever be. So one random day, I took our little plastic training potty and put it in the middle of the living room. I opened the package of Minnie Mouse underwear I purchased months before, and told my daughter we were going to potty train her stuffed owl. We put the panties on the owl, then took them off. We put the owl on the potty, then took the owl off. We put the panties on the owl again, then off. Potty, then off. We gave the owl pretend treats, and praised her for "going pee-pee." We did this for what seemed like hours, even though it was probably only a few minutes. I had a bright warm smile on my face the whole time. I deserved an Oscar.

My kid got the gist quickly, and was eager to try it herself. My obsession with cleanliness, however, meant restricting her from all carpeted rooms and, of course, all furniture. My poor daughter wanted to sit and read a book with me, so I made her sit on a towel ... on the floor ... like a dog. In my defense, this "mom fail" was just a lack of confidence in potty training, and I truly thought she would pee all day long, everywhere. Turns out, kids don't pee that often. Certainly not every 3 minutes like I was afraid they would. Eliana did great and knew when it was time to "go." She went on that little potty in the living room all day.

The next day I put her in pull-ups instead of underwear, and it made all the difference. Eliana liked them just as much as her Minnie Mouse panties and could pull them up and down the same. I had peace of mind in case she had an accident, and she was finally let back on the furniture! I don't know why I thought going straight to panties was a good idea. Especially since the pull-ups were in my house the whole time (purchased months ago like everything else in anticipation for this event). Regardless, we finally found a good rhythm and Eliana was doing a fantastic job.

Fast forward a few weeks, Elle LOVES to go potty and tells everyone about it. "I went pee-pee on the potty, and I get a jelly bean!" she exclaims to complete strangers. We don't give treats anymore, but they were a very enjoyable part of the first two weeks. Jelly beans and M&Ms, and lots and lots of praise kept her motivated and happy throughout this entire process. Eliana is now wearing panties all day, pull-ups when we leave the house, and diapers at night until she consistently wakes up dry. She doesn't pee in her pull-ups, but I like the peace of mind it gives us out in public. One thing I'm not crazy about ... public restrooms. How do people do this with toddlers? My daughter is terrified of the loud toilet flushes and the torpedo powered hand dryers. Sometimes I can get her to go, but other times she sits there crying, covering her ears in fear. I'm assuming this is something they get used to, but it's sad to see my kid too afraid to pee. Have YOU ever been too afraid to pee?! Ahhh .... childhood. It's a wonder we ever survive.  ;)

So, for those of you who were interested (I know you were!), there's my potty training update. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I'm glad I waited until Eliana was good and ready!  I believe waiting made the process a whole lot easier. I'm sure it also helped that I was constantly praying God would ease my anxieties enough to get the job done! Thank you, Lord! :)

Xoxo, Liz