Taking the Leap

Appropriate title for today, huh? We are officially homeowners now. It's kind of cool that it happened on Leap Day. We have been very busy the last few weeks packing up everything and getting it ready to move this weekend. We're just about ready to go. I guess I should sign off and finish up all those odds and ends that still need to be taken care of. Happy Leap Day!

Reflecting

I was looking back over this little blog the other night when it hit me that this has been up and running for six years now. Six years! We have since added two kids to the mix since the beginning and have moved three times. It was fun to go back and see some of the old posts and remember the things that we have done together. There were posts that seemed like they just happened the other day, when really, it was like two, three, or more years ago. I remember those days so well. The kids have grown up so much over the last few years. I also noticed that the kids all look the same up until about 2 1/2 years old...and why everyone was so glad when we finally cut Caleb's hair! :)

I have a tendency to measure time by our moves. I started this blog just before we moved away from Pennsylvania to Washington. I wish I would have started earlier and had all my PA memories on here as well. That was one of the best times of my life. Washington seems a little like a blur, mostly because we weren't there for very long. I have blogged most about Chicago and the great time we had living there. Looking back on those posts made me homesick all over again. We were so lucky to have lived in so many wonderful places and have so many experiences (good and bad).

We celebrated our year mark in Albuquerque just after Christmas. It is hard to believe that it has already been a year. I have thought many times in the past year about writing down my thoughts about moving. I never wrote anything about our move from Chicago, and try not to write too many feelings about it as well. Moving can be really hard. Especially when you move around as much as we have in the last few years. Wally and I have decided that we need to give it a good one to two years before we decide exactly how we feel about the place. This has been a year of ups and downs for us, and in true Paxton fashion, we have tried to make the most of it. We still have a long ways to go, but we're getting there a little bit at a time. I like to think that I have learned and grown so much with each move as well. Each one has brought on new challenges and experiences that when I look back, I can really appreciate now, even when I may or may not have been very appreciative then.

We're about to make one more move at this crazy time of our lives (I know, another winter move...). This move is different than others in the past. In fact, this could be one of the easiest and smallest we've ever done (except for the time we moved from a studio apartment into a 1 bedroom across the hall). This one involves a little more commitment and permanency. We finally bought a home. It's about time, right? So, here we are, packing up once again. This time to move onto our new adventure of home ownership.We're excited about this new adventure, especially since we've got grass at the new house! The next few weeks we'll be packing and getting everything ready for this next chapter.

Here's to a seamless transition and another year on the blog!

ABQ Balloon Fiesta

My first thought was, "this better be worth it" when I woke up the kids at 5:30 a.m. 

It was totally worth it!

Spring in the Desert

I can't remember the last time that we had near summer-like weather in March and April.  As much as I feel for all my friends in colder climates (Chicago) I'm totally loving this weather!  The wind is really the biggest nuisance around here, and we were plenty warned.  I love putting on my t-shirts and flip flops everyday now.  My kids are diggin' the nicer weather too.  Brandon is pretty much all over the pants and is only in shorts these days.

I went out to take some pictures around our house and in the neighborhood of our "blooming" spring which has mostly already bloomed.  Being in a new place, there's a lot of things that I don't recognize.  I am really curious to see what they are going to turn into.  I have to admit, I do miss the foliage I was able to photograph last year.  All except the picture of me.  I don't miss that at all!

I'm really not sure what this is going to turn into, but I've never seen it before.  It's growing on a tree in our backyard.

I spy a dove, do you?

Meet the New Mexicans!

The view from the front of our house

We made it!  We have spent the last couple of weeks putting our house together, getting kids used to a new school, Wally starting a new job, and figuring out life in the Southwest.  So far, it's been pretty good.  The weather here has been great (considering we left Chicago when it was freezing!).  Brandon couldn't believe that it could be 50* in January!  He keeps telling us that he doesn't have to wear a coat anymore because "we live in the desert now!".  Caleb keeps asking me where all the grass is here.  Isaac decided that he was going to protest the move by deciding not to sleep anymore, especially at night.  Kelsie has become more technically savvy and has used our move as an excuse to be on the computer more to chat with her friends that she misses so much.

They all seem to love the new house, especially the laundry chute!  They were a little disappointed, however, when they learned that it wasn't going to be as easy to rappel as they had hoped.  It's still fun to throw things down though!  And don't even get me started about the garage!  It's something I've been looking forward to for a really long time.  There's something magical about the garage door opener and kids.  I think we've suddenly entered the hi-tec age just with that!  It's nice and sunny here.  All. The. Time.  We're getting used to to it again after living through 3 gray Chicago winters!  We have a lot of windows in our house which means a lot of sun coming through them. Sometimes a little too much sun coming in.

Wally - who has always biked to and from work wherever we have lived - now has a 9 mile one-way commute to work (uphill, both ways!). It's taking him twice as long to get to and from work and factoring in the altitude difference, he's pretty tired by the time he gets home.  I keep thinking about how awesome he's going to look after a couple weeks of biking everyday (now if I could get myself up and moving too!).  ;)

Life is starting to feel normal again with most major things unpacked, the kids back in school, and Wally at work.  We miss our old life and friends back in Chicago, but are excited for our new life here!

The view from the back of our house