Sooooo much has happened!

I took a hiatus from blogging...about 2 months(!!!) because we have been in the throes of some huge life changes and it's just been so crazy around here. Here's a recap of everything that's been going on lately.

1. We bought a new house! This wasn't really in the plan for 2017, even though we knew at some point we'd want to sell. Since I got my realtor license earlier this year, it was definitely on the horizon, but not at all part of the plan for this summer. But, while the girls were in Florida, we started browsing the MLS, without any real idea of where or what we wanted. We stumbled upon a house in Flower Mound with a pool that we fell in love with. We looked at it a couple of times, asked around for feedback on the area, put in an offer, it was accepted, and here we are! We absolutely love it! I hear both girls say on a regular basis, "I just love our new house." I'll try to take some pictures and do a house post soon.

2. We sold our old house. This process wasn't quite as fast as buying, but it all happened relatively quickly as well. We were so fortunate to put our house on the market and receive (and accept) an offer after just two days. There were a few hiccups along the way, and we had to fix a few things since it's an older home, but luckily we were able to close in mid September and the new homeowners could not have been nicer! I actually got a chance to meet them when I went to take my realtor sign and lockbox off the door, and they introduced me to their two girls. I spent quite a bit of time decorating for my girls and making that house a home, so I was really glad to know it was going to a young family with girls--I think they were excited about the cute (girly) bedrooms and bathroom just for them!

3. We officially became a family of 6 (i.e. Mark and I got married). This was done very quietly without any hoopla. Since we've both been married before, neither one of us wanted to have a wedding. So, one Friday afternoon without the girls we went to the courthouse and made it official.

4. Both girls started new schools. Since we moved to a new house in a new town, this of course involved a change in schools. It was nbd for Louisa, but I wasn't sure how things would go for Lily. Thankfully, the new school has been awesome and she's made lots of friends! We are SO happy! Louisa also started a new preschool 3 days a week and she's doing great!

5. I've settled into my life as part-time realtor and full-time stay-at-home-mom. This is honestly not a role I ever thought I'd play. I worked full time (for the same company) for 14 years, 7 of those as a mom. I was totally used to (and just fine with) sending the kiddos off to daycare and doing the working mom thing. It was definitely part of my identity, and strangely FEELS like the biggest change for me. So, here I am--SO fortunate to be in a position to stay home and spend more time with my girls. Since everything has been so crazy over the last year, it's been soooooo good to be able to have more quality time with them. I know they like having me home a lot more.

So, I think that's it. Phew! And just to recap, over the last year, I've been through just about every major life change there is: divorce, death of a parent, job change, marriage, move...and while I'm definitely NOT having a baby, I did acquire two wonderful stepsons. So, I'm honestly READY for a boring year ahead. Here's to that!