Listed

The last month we have been SO busy -- and for good reason. We finally got our house on the market last Friday! It is so strange to see a For Sale sign in the front yard. I have really de-personalized all the spaces so I feel a little bit like we're living in a hotel with most of our belongings packed up and neutral decorations everywhere. I miss having our family pictures on the wall! It is going to be very hard to leave our first home, where we made so many memories. I feel like I walk into each room and have so many moments that are attached to the space!

When we moved in there was no landscaping whatsoever - my parents came for a three day weekend and helped us put a bed along the front of the house and plant some bushes and trees. That subsequently died. Because we have learned that we cannot keep trees alive after three rounds of trying. I always liked to change up the wreaths at the front, have an "H" mat at the door and keep a pair of potted plants at the stairs. My mom wanted to help me add shutters to the front window but we never got around to it. The oil stain on the driveway makes Joe nuts. It was from parking our Jeep there while we had a bad leak.

 

The living room was always my favorite at Christmas. I loved having the tree in front of the big window overlooking the deck. We didn't use the fireplace much after Landon came along but I loved getting it going and watching a movie from the couch. This is the room where Landon first rolled over and crawled and now we play cars and puzzles and he runs through it like a while banshee. We've had parties and baby showers and long late night conversations with friends here. And the ottoman we created from a craigslist coffee table that's been recovered three times already because of my ever changing home decorating "moods". ;-)

The kitchen.. where I feel like I really did some intense cooking at times and then spent a lot of time slacking too - hah! Where I crept at 4am for a midnight snack while I was pregnant. Where my mom always got out the big coffee pot for her visits, where my friend Rachael camped out to make me freezer meals over a long weekend while I was just about to have Landon, where we lined up food dishes for class parties.  And the pantry that has undergone several (failed) attempts at organization. I think I've got it now though!

Our bedroom, which was the first room we painted in the house! I have always loved the huge window to the back of the house. The bed that Joe made from scratch and the headboard we made as a weekend project that has also been recovered twice already. There is a theme of fickle decorating for sure in this house!! Most of all, I will remember having Joe relocate Landon's glider to the far corner and spending middle-of-the-night feeding sessions camped out there.

 

The Master Bath which we painted when I was 989 months pregnant, cursing the tall ceilings but not letting Joe climb the ladder positioned inside the tub because I was scared he'd crack the fiberglass - hah! The mirrors we framed with MDF and painted one weekend (thank you, Pinterest!).  Where we got ready for important events and everyday days and took a lot of bubble baths together. The place Landon has strung toilet paper and removed all the products from under my sink during my five minute shower. :)

My most memory-laden room is Landon's room. Our old office. We painted, polished and prepared for months for his arrival. I remember sitting in the glider while I was pregnant so I could imagine what it would be like to actually have a baby in the room. I've had so much fun adding to the bookshelf and playing on the floor here. Here, Landon peed on me before I got "good" at diaper changes, where we lowered the crib gradually as he learned to sit up, stand and climb. A place I have paced and rocked almost every day for nearly two years. And I'll be real, there were long hard nights and days too during particularly colicky times but I still love this room we created for our first baby.

 

And the family room downstairs where we have really spent a lot of time lately. This has been our casual place to relax where we don't have to worry about being quiet at night while Landon's sleeping or making a mess. It stores the first set of furniture we bought in Dallas when we were first married. The blue tv cabinet is a Goodwill dresser redo. Oh the fun with toys we've had here - especially with the ball popper, bubble lawn mower and cozy coupe during winter months! 

One of my most favorite parts of the house is the porch swing on the back deck. And it will stay with the house so I'm really glad we got a picture of it. I've swung here with my Joe, my parents, friends, Landon.. Some really great conversations and memories :)

Thank you, dear home for being so good to us these four years, I don't think we deserved you but we will certainly never forget you!!