Our new house passed final inspection Wednesday. Saturday, ten of our dear friends loaded us up and moved us. Needless to say, I’ve dropped the ball with taking pictures this week.

This is the last picture of us as a family of four at Sharon Circle. We thought this house was so luxurious when we first moved in. It had central heating and air, a washer and dryer, and a dishwasher. We chose it for its charm. We have grown to love it because of all of the family memories made here.

We have hosted countless small group meetings, dinner parties, and huge birthday bashes. We brought Caroline and Margaret home from the hospital to this house. I became a mother in this house. First smiles and first steps were witnessed in this house. Hundreds of pancakes have been made in our kitchen. We called 911 twice when Caroline had seizures in her bedroom; and came home from the hospital thankful and relieved when she recovered. We lost three of our grandparents while we lived there. We have spent long hours playing in the front yard and eating dinner on the back deck. We started family traditions here.

We’ve made relationships here: Carolyn next-door who has been so kind to us and often left little presents on our front porch; Mike and Debbie who always stopped to let Caroline see their dog; the LaGraffs who brought us meals when our babies were born; and many other families on the street who were always kind to check on us and say hello to the girls. Leaving our neighbors is one of the hardest parts of this move.

This house like every house has its issues. Most recently, one of the cracks at the baseboards let a lizard into our bedroom from the basement. I wouldn’t let Caroline jump in certain rooms because the bouncing in the floor made me nervous. The basement regularly flooded. Give me a few years and all the things that drove me nuts about this house as we outgrew it will be funny memories to look back on.

We are excited for our fresh start, but our hearts are also a little heavy.