Greetings From Crazy-Land

Be grateful for the home you have, knowing that at this moment, all you have is all you need. ~ Sarah Ban Breathnach

Crazy!

As anyone who has journeyed through the home-buying/selling process knows, this is nothing more than one giant (and expensive) track meet.  We start the process off at a sprint, then slow for our long distance run.  After we find that we are running at a comfortable pace, we are forced to begin jumping over the never-ending hurdles and this is most definitely followed by a long-jump hail mary.  Just when you think there is no more gas left in the tank, you find the end is in your sight and you finish off with a final sprint across the finish line where you collapse in a heap of exhausted happiness.  With regard to the buying aspect of the process we are currently sprinting toward the finish.  The end is in sight (it was supposed to be over yesterday, but thanks to a procrastinating seller, we are still waiting for the final appraisal that was contingent upon some new doors and windows.  Needless to say, we are looking forward to getting settled in the new house.

On the selling side of things we are finding our pace in the long distance run, but see the hurdles just around the bend.  We have received our requested repairs (oh, joy).

At this point I feel like I have multiple personalities.  There is the super excited homebuyer that can't help but think about paint colors, furniture arrangements, and cooking in a new kitchen.  Then, there is the mom who wants to make sure the transition to the new house goes smoothly for the girls.  After that, the saver comes out.  I start thinking about the amount of money that it costs to buy a house and move, and let's face it, my stomach churns.  I very quickly remove that unseemly hat and put on the equally unattractive anxious home-seller one, instead.  This is the one who obsesses about the buyer's loan, the removal of contingencies, the fact that we are going to be paying two mortgages until our house is a closed sale, etc.  Fortunately for all of us, I seem to always go right back to the new house in my thoughts.  Unfortunately, though, I finish off the obsessive cycle by worrying about the logistics of the actual move and the fact that I loathe packing boxes - especially with two young ones "helping".  At the end of the day, I am exhausted from thinking and entertaining all my different "selves".

So, that is the latest from Crazy-Land.  We are looking forward to returning to normal where our largest decisions are what to make for dinner.

On a much cuter note, Clare and Laurel are growing like weeds.  Laurel is officially 11 months old (boo-hoo) and is looking forward to celebrating her 1st birthday in the comfort (or chaos) of her new home.  Clare has been enjoying the freedom of choosing her own outfits.  She's always been my little fashionista, and I love watching her mix and match her tops, bottoms, shoes, and even her hair accessories.

One of my favorite Clare outfits

Seriously, do 3 year olds get any cuter???

Laurel has officially hit a milestone.  She is now being thrown into the air by daddy at the beach.

She's pretty happy she reached this milestone; it's a lot of fun

Taking a break from all the chaos