First things first.

Thank you, everyone, for your heartfelt congrats and well wishes on our new house.  We are so excited to begin this journey.  Excited beyond belief!  (Now....if our first house would sell, our excitement would go through the roof. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers with that one.  Or if you want to visit southern coastal Maine, if you do so soon, we'll have a whole house you can stay in.)

With all that's before us, it's easy to be too eager.  There's so much to do, and we are ready to jump aboard and do it all!  It's hard to prioritize. Plus, I could sit here for hours, sharing pictures and telling you all about it. All in time.

First things first. 

Keys in our hand, we went to our new house.   We said prayers of gratitude and then played chase between the rooms.  We played hide and seek. We laughed and enjoyed each other.  There was so much we could be doing, but we didn't do anything that had to be done.

The next morning, the first thing I did was remove the curtains and shades to let the light in.  Then I sat and dug through the toys with my kids.  Just my little ones and me. Yes, that list ran through my mind, but I ignored it. (Do you see the floors?  Big puffy heart love!)

My husband and I made a commitment a few nights ago. Even though there is much to do during this transition, we're not going to lose sight of what's important.  Family time is going to come ahead of our list.  We're still going to diaper our kids and feed our kids the way we feel is best for them.  We're going to stop and play.  We're not going to rush. It will all get done...it's up to us to choose how it gets done.  We can get it done in a hurry and turn into a flustered mess or we can calmly and collectively do what needs to be done as we are able, being mindful of what really matters.

There's always a lot on our agenda and yours too, I'm sure.  Sometimes I feel overwhelmed thinking of the upcoming Holiday season...and now we're adding a move with two small children.  Yikes!  But...how we go about our list resonates loudly in our children.  Our approach teaches them so much about how to face their challenges in their day to day lives.  Choosing to tackle that list with smooth and steady grace is what our kids need from us.  (I'm in love with the built ins!)

A little story about these trains.  The first night we had the house, our dear Adrian packed up his trains to move.  The trains that the BOG made him are very important, you see. Adrian meticulously lined up his trains that he was moving in on a shelf that was left there. He was so proud of himself, moving these into the "new house".

 But, when it came time to go, he was determined to pack his trains and bring them with him.  Couldn't convince him otherwise.  I'm guessing moving will be a long process if we move our favorites back and forth on a regular basis.  But, we will embrace these days with a smile and slow down enough to let these memories sink in.  It will all get done...might as well enjoy the ride.