Almost 3

I'd say some of my toughest mom moments, so far, happened while I was pregnant with Juliette.  Mirabel was a wild and lively toddler who loved to run away, and run even faster as her very pregnant mother chased after her (praying she wouldn't fall on her stomach!).  It was a crazy time.  Even though I have 2 kids, 2 and under, it's much easier now. But EASY is never a word I'd use to describe motherhood.  At all.  Easier, ok.  That'll do, but not easy.   Mirabel and Juliette are like fire and water.  Juliette just sits there with a smile on her face, watching her older sister (very impressed).  And who wouldn't be?  Mirabel can dance to any beat (that she likes, and she is very particular about what music she likes).  Mirabel confidently sings songs she doesn't know the words to--and she's teaching me how to do the same.  Ah, Motherhood: Making things up as you go along, and praying for the right words to come along. I've got a kid that leaves me at a loss for words, that's for sure, and I mean that in every way possible.  I've found that in some situations, silence is the best option.  Got a kid screaming in the back seat because her sock isn't rolled up, and her pant isn't perfectly tucked into her faux pink leather boot, just the way she wants it?  Silence.  Because even if you tell her that as soon as you stop the car, you can solve her gigantic problem, she'll keep making the same request (very loudly), over and over.  If only it were always this simple, both now and later, really.  But right now, thankfully, I can solve most of her problems that give way to ear-piercing/screaming demands. We're both learning how to use words to express our complex feelings and requests.  Who doesn't want their favorite song to come on the radio right away, even when they've heard it a million and one times already?  I wish I could listen to my favorite song every time I turned on the radio, that's for sure (well, thanks to MP3 players, I can... but still :).   Guess what?  It's gotten easier. There's only one request that makes me happier than hearing a very curly haired 2 1/2 year old ask me to help her use the potty (yes, it's finnnnally happening!  3 days in a row!), and that request is, "Hug and kiss?".  Not just in the morning, not just before bedtime, but at very random times of the day.   She doesn't have those sweet fluffy rolls anymore; Mirabel is practically a string bean.  She was the baby I'd wear in an infant carrier so that I could cook dinner, that's how much she used to love being held.  I remember looking forward to the day she could walk, just so my scrawny bones could have a break.  (I'm pretty sure the running-away-from-mom thing she did while I was pregnant was payback for that ;).)  Why stay in someone's arms when you can run free?  But I don't want her to feel so free that she doesn't need her mom anymore.   Now her feet dangle past my knees when she asks me to pick her up for a hug and kiss.  Many recent situations have shown me that she would not feel so free if she didn't feel secure in my love for her.  I have failed many times, but when she comes back to me even though she knows how to run away, I know that God is working on my heart to be the best mother to Mirabel that I can be.  Not the best mother ever, no.  I just want her to feel secure and know that even though I can't make her favorite song come on the radio each time I start the car, and I can't fix her socks while I'm driving, and I can't buy her a cheeseburger every day, I'm never to busy to give her a hug and kiss.   There will come a day when I won't be able to pick her up, but I pray that God gives me the wisdom to give her the kind of love that lifts her up so that her fiery spirit feels free to run with him beside her throughout life.

Moving Forward

Where do I begin?

I guess I should start with a follow-up to the last post.  We bought... an empty lot :).  And it has trees!  We're right in front of a green belt.  AND because we're buying so early on (no model homes) we got a bit of a discount.  Two weeks after we purchased the lot, the specific model that we chose went up $5K!  And we didn't get outbid this time ;).

We no longer have to deal with this crazy market; we do have to wait a little bit, but it's kind of fun, like waiting to have a baby (we'll probably move in this Fall).  We already picked out the cabinets, carpet, etc.  Because we are on a budget, we decided beforehand that we would stick with the basic package for most things.  This developer already has such nice basics, plus it doesn't take much to make us happy.  I will say, though, we did upgrade the carpet.  Let's be honest, kids and carpet can be a really scary combo ;).  We currently have all white carpet, which leaves me on edge.  We decided to add tile to some of the carpeted areas, and it's a rustic/woodsy looking tile.  Wood is lovely, but pricy!! We also added a special kind of carpet with a unique filler (I don't remember what it's called) that repels stains (doesn't soak-up liquid) and doesn't absorb odors!  It's made for families with pets (I think a dog will be the next addition to our family :). 

We also visited a community a few miles away developed by the same company, since our housing community doesn't have one for us to look at yet (a few more weeks for that).

 Here are a few photos:

Mirabel started preschool last week. It's a 2 day per week program that she loves.  The teacher converted her home into a toddler outdoor haven.  Before Mirabel started school, she'd beg me to take her to church just so she could go to the nursery!  She's such an outgoing kid, she really thrives being around others and didn't hesitate to jump in on the fun on the first day.  That's left time open for some projects.  So far, I've been able to redo a wooden chest (to replace our wicker toy chest) and two night stands.  Today I got to take the car for an oil change (fun! ;).  Now I'm watching TV (which never happens when she's home) and actually BLOGGING!  I should get better about this now that I have more time.  BUT after just these few minutes of being online, Juliette woke up from her nap and now she's tired of being in her jumperoo.  So that's all for now, folks ;).  But here's a few pics of the girls.  They are growing so fast, I really want to start documenting things on here more :).

Diving in and treading water

Hello, everyone! Or maybe just one...or two of you?  Anyhow :), it's been too long.  So what do I do on my free time these days?  Well, if I'm not trying to make dinner peacefully while both kids snooze, or I'm not making something that will probably end up in a Goodwill box one day, I'm usually on realtor.com...or even driving around random neighborhoods in search of some "For Sale by Owner" signs.  Yep, we're moving toward home-buying...ever so slowly, and a little painfully. You won't believe this, but in the past week we bid on 2 different homes ABOVE the asking price and lost them both.  One house was even over-priced to begin with. We're officially in a seller's market, and 3-5 bids are usually placed on any house on the market, even in the surrounding suburbs.  I guess everyone wants to move to the hill country?  How bad is it?  Homes usually sell before they're even listed online (I'm also signed up with my realtor to receive emails about homes).  To give you an example of how competitive it is, here's a concrete example.  A house is listed at 12 AM midnight.  I wake up at 5:15 AM the next morning, 4 minutes after I receive the email about the new house.  I text my realtor about the house at 6:45 AM.  She contacts the listing agent and asks if we can view the home that same morning.  We are told we can view it at 9:30 and assume we are the first.   Well, guess what?  We are, or I should say I am the first one there...  In fact, I get there 15 minutes early.  My realtor is stuck in traffic and so she's late, in the meantime 3 OTHER PEOPLE SHOW UP.  And they all have appointments to view it too.  We're told the listing agent is receiving offers until 5 PM.  We are pretty happy with this house; it's literally around the corner from one of the best elementary schools in Austin, it has a wrap-around yard WITH TREES (huge bonus in TX), and it comes with a play yard, upgraded kitchen, and even on a cul-de-sac in a highly desirable neighborhood (can you tell I've been on realtor.com a lot?) ;).  So this is why we bid above the asking price.   Guess what?  WE ARE THE HIGHEST BIDDERS BUT SOMEONE WHO BIDS BENEATH US GETS THE HOUSE BECAUSE THEY'RE PAYING CASH FOR THE HOUSE!  Yes, they're not even taking out a loan.  They're paying the owner cash up front and claim they can move in, in 2 weeks!  
What the heck?!
It's crazy.  I pretty much assume we won't get a house when we see it, at this point.  But we're continuing to save (and I've stuck to a really tight budget so that we've been able to save quite a bit over the past few months).  Even if the market stays this hot, at least we'll eventually have enough to pay for the house too ;)...if it takes that long!  Haha!  I'm losing sleep over this and I shouldn't be.  It's hard to not get sucked in.  Trying to keep my head on straight and remember that it's just a house...I live in a lovely home right now that's definitely affordable, I should have no complaints :).  It really feels like we're in Vegas, or something, though.

Very Jane

Really want to win one of these awesome gifts from the 2013 Very Jane Giveaway!  If you all are a fan of Etsy, you'll like Very Jane.  It's basically like a Plum District type thing, but for handmade things. :)