Have I mentioned...

We're moving!

Yay!

I am so excited to move that I've packed almost all my house. And I started packing a while ago. We have filled up our shed with tons and tons of boxes. I took the pictures off the wall a couple days after I found out we were moving. I figure if this place feels less like home, then where we're going will seem more normal to us. And I can always bring a picture or two to put up in our new place. It's a little frustrating to know so early that we're moving and that it's not just happening already. A big reason why I'm packing so much so early is because of our housing situation. We're moving into a one bedroom house and can only bring with us what we can fit in the car. So we'll have just the bare minimum. I think it'll be easier to adjust to that while we're still in a familiar setting and then the minimum will be familiar already when we get there. Make sense? Works in my head. And I want to have most of the packing done early so I can have plenty of time to get all the silly cleaning done.

As I'm packing, I cannot believe how many toys the kids have! I've had their toys on a rotation for some time now. It's been working really well for us. I pack up a big box of toys and they don't get played with for a month or so. Then when the toys they do play with get boring, I pack those up and get out the ones that have been stored. It's pretty great really. It keeps me from buying new toys, it keeps the toys fresh and actually entertaining, and it means there are less toys accessible to make my house dirty. I will definitely be doing this again when we get back to Rexburg.

Then there's all the clothes. I have keep most of the kids' clothes so that I can reuse them if or when we have another baby and to share with Brenda. I was organizing them one day and realized I have given away most of the 0-3 months size baby boy clothes. So if any of you that are reading this happen to have some of my boy clothes in that size, I wouldn't mind having them back. Sorry if that sounds rude.

Then I can't figure out what to do with all our really big picture frames. I eventually decided to wrap them up in blankets and tape the blankets together. That way there's a consolidated packet of frames but then I'm not wasting a huge box. And our food storage! Man, I wish I'd had a little more time to use that stuff up. We're going to bring some of it with us to cut down on cost, and use what needs to be eaten according to best by dates. But the rest is going into storage. And that makes me nervous. I don't want mice in there and I feel food would be a good way to encourage them to make a home there. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

In all the time we've spent in this house, I don't think I've ever taken any pictures of it. I have been so happy here. It's a modest home, that's for sure. But it's been my home. I have brought both my babies back from the hospital to this house. I've had many birthday, Christmas, and whatever occasion parties here. We've had countless cookouts, trampoline parties, and play dates here. We've painted, remodeled, and updated this place to be our own. I'm glad to say I've lived here. I'm also glad to say I'm not coming back to live here when we get back to Rexburg. And I'm even more glad to say I'll never live here again. Leaving this house means this part of my life is over. We're moving on. And even though we'll be coming back to Rexburg, living somewhere else will help it feel transient, temporary, and will help encourage us to find a place to call home... somewhere not in Rexburg.

My kitchen. This has been my most favorite kitchen of all time. It's huge! Gas stove, huge microwave, tons of cabinets, and even more counter space! We replaced the kitchen faucet and painted it. I love the farm theme for kitchens.

Our living room. The kitchen bar opens right up to it. We have a gas fireplace in the corner. It never actually gets used cuz the kids play on it. Except when the power goes out in the middle of winter, then we invite the neighborhood and we're warm and cozy and cooking eggs! I love the color scheme and the rug that ties it all together. One day I'm gonna refinish that entertainment center to be a dark chestnut or something. 

This picture shows my gallery wall. Michael bought those frames for me for Christmas and promptly helped me hang them all. Love it! And I'm so glad my favorite things from this room are ours to keep. 

Our super long hallway! Oh how the kids love, LOVE running up and down the hallway. Pretty sure it started with Ellie Romero. :)

The kids' room. Big enough for both cribs and tons of toys. 

Should have gotten a picture of the closet. It's big enough to fit another whole crib in there! We put our food storage, extra clothes, extra toys, a chest freezer, and a ton other stuff in there. 

Our bedroom. We painted it colonnial woodland gray. I got those curtains from Ikea, friggin love Ikea. Michael's mom made that quilt for us. It's my favorite. My dad painted that painting with the trees and river. Love it! 

Direct bathroom access from our room. One of my favorite features. Don't know why I don't have any pictures of the bathroom. We just remodeled it. It has 2 sinks and a separate shower and tub. That's also where the washer and dryer are located. We put new faucets in the sink and a new shower head in. We resurfaced the bathtub. It had this green linoleum tile, the same as the floor, and I thought that was too much green. So we peeled the tiles off and put beadboard up. That got painted white and we painted the cabinets white too. 

Found that frame and picture of the Tetons and Jenny Lake at the DI for $5. Michael got a killer deal on that dresser. It has a mirror that matches and another armoire that matches. And he found another set that came with these ones. So 4 dressers, 2 different sets, all for $75! Whoa! So we sold the other set for $75 and kept these ones.