And blessings will come down!

So we found a house this weekend!  YAAAAY!  We looked at about 7 or 8 houses (I lost track to be honest) and this house was the very last one we saw.  It needs a lot of upgrading and a more "homey" appearance, but it's all cosmetic.  It's going to be fun making it our own.

The one thing I hate about this area that I just can't get used to is, while almost every house I see is beautiful in its own way, they're all cookie cutter.  I love our house now, but I also would appreciate something with a little more character.  This house is cookie cutter on the outside, but VERY unique on the inside.  In fact, I've seen very few houses that appeal to me like this one.  It's very open in the dining room/kitchen/breakfast area/living room, only columns and half walls separating them.  The bedrooms do feel a little cramped,  but they weave around a curved hallway which is different.  The master bath is nice, too because it comes with all the things we're used to, like a jacuzzi, separate shower and double vanities.  Our realtor was making fun of us (it's an old high school friend of Hubby's) because we didn't like certain things about certain houses because it wasn't "new".  It's hard going from a house you built 4 years ago and everything still looks new to going to a house that is 11-15 years old and everything needs renovating.  Don't get me wrong, this house was the only one we were really interested in fixing up that had all the good stuff we were used to.  And we're so excited about it.  It's five miles from hubby's work, closer to our church and closer to Wally World, which are the three places any of us really go on a regular basis.  So not only are we going to COMPLETELY debt free (besides the house of course), we're going to be saving even more with gas prices and such.  Such a blessing from God!

And to update you on the kiddos, Chicken has decided he's ready to walk.  He loves to push around our cheap little office chair that has wheels.  He had it in the foyer when I went to get it from him and he didn't sit down when I took it away from him.  He watched me with a highly offended look on his face and decided to come after me!  He took two full steps before he realized what he was doing and sat down.  Then he looked at me as I jumped up and down squealing and searching desperately for the phone to call Hubby with a look that said, "I didn't mean for you to see that!"  He hasn't done it again yet, but I give him another month before he's taking off with out the slightest stumble.  It's so cute to watch them grow and I've been blessed in so many different ways with them, every single day.  

It irritates me when people are discouraging, especially since I'm a pessimist anyway, but even more so when they don't realize what they have.  As an outsider I see these people, mainly church people telling me that it's good that I'm having all my kids at once because that way I can just be miserable for the first few years instead of a little at a time.  (That was when I was pregnant with Chicken.)  This go around, the most hated expression is, "You do know what causes that, right?"  My response is to usually laugh it off, but more often that not, I'm sitting there thinking, "Do you think you're the first one that's asked me that?"  It's, quite frankly, embarrassing to have them so close, just because I feel like it makes us look irresponsible, but I can assure you, I've realized that God has bigger plans for us.  And I'm ok with that.  I might not be ok with 12 or 15 kids, but I can manage 3.  I might be outnumbered, but I'm bigger than them, right?

Every day, even on the bad days, I look at them and thank God.  Most days tears even come to my eyes because I realize how close I came to giving up and adopting.  I know I would love an adopted child just the same, but to experience pregnancy and birth and see my own eyes looking back at me, I can't do anything but realize the miracle in it all.  How anyone can be discouraging about it is even beyond me, The Pessimist.

And seeing my little boy take his first steps was a sweet little "miracle."  That they can go from such a helpless little being to walking in 11 months is amazing.  He's growing up too fast!