Our First Home

Now that we're moved and settled in Virginia, I thought I'd do a quick post about our new home!  James and I decided that since this was the closest we were ever going to get to moving "home", we would purchase a house instead of renting for the next 4 years.  Obviously buying when you're a military family is a gamble, but this was probably the best situation we were going to get.  We're only about 45 mins from our parents, so this increases our options when PCS 2018 is here.  If we decide to try and sell, if we can't sell right away, I can always stay behind for awhile since we are close to family.  And if we keep the house and rent it (probably what we're leaning toward at this point), we have family nearby to keep an eye on the house.

The process of choosing the house was relatively easy, much easier than I thought.  I came to VA in early spring to look at 3 houses and chose the last one we saw.  We put an offer in the next week and we were under contract by the following week!  

Our loan process, however, was a little more complicated.  Because I work, our lender needed proof that I was transferring within my company, but my company didn't want to give me documentation of a transfer until I had actually transferred.  So, it took us over a month to get all of this info, and had to delay closing by a week.  All in all, compared to some, it probably wasn't hugely complicated, but it sure felt that way when we were trying to deal with it all from NJ when we were both still working full time!

It's all behind us now though, and we are officially moved in and mostly settled.  I've started back to work in my new store and James is going back to work this week.  I don't think he's particularly excited about having to be at work at 5am every day for the next 4 years though =(

The things this kid says.

I thought since I have been lacking on the pictures (and I've been a miserable failure at writing in Maxwell's baby book), I would do a post with all of the fun and amusing things my 2 year old says.  I'll include some of his instagram pictures along the way.

"More 'cado Oji, more 'mato"

"Max no bed, mama bed!"

"Whoopsie" (as he fell while traipsing
around in mama's shoes)

"Daddy, hold you"

He also recently started saying "I don't think so".  Not only did he pick up this phrase, but he also knows how to use it in the proper context.  Like telling me today when I offered him the wrong color pouch because we were out of the one he wants, or when he called Oji over to watch him on the swings and instead he sat on the slide.  It's amazing how much toddlers absorb!

Another fun one is that he now informs me when he's pooped and occasionally before he poops.  He looks at us, very concerned, and tells us "a poop!"

He's also learning how time-out works.  Up until recently, he would cry pretty much the whole time and try to escape.  Now, he'll sit there for a second and then continuously apologize "sowee, sowee, sowee" hoping that we will cut his sentence short.

Where did the time go?

I can't believe I have a 2 year old!  Maxwell has grown so much and is less and less a "baby" every day.  He's SUCH a BOY!  Wild, crazy, loud, dirty, energetic, rough, the list goes on and on.  

I know I've very much abandoned this blog, and I wish I hadn't, but life has gotten in the way.  I will say, the #1 reason I haven't posted is because I feel like such a failure that I don't have weekly or even monthly photos of him at this point.  That's not entirely true, I suppose, but I certainly don't have a ton of"good" photos that I've felt are blog worthy.  There are definitely upsides to being "photography savvy", but the downside is that you feel like you can't post the "not so good" shots for fear that it will reflect negatively on you as an artist.  Even though I'm not a professional photographer, I still take a lot of pride in my work.  That being said, I think I'm guilty of going by the assumption that everyone has Instagram or Facebook, and obviously that's not the case for some people (such as some of the older generations of my family). 

I'm going to do my best to start keeping up with this blog more, even if it's just a quick update or cell phone photo!  Especially since we will be moving in a little over 2 weeks!!!