We had decided last fall to call off the house search. We knew we were expecting Elaina and knew that looking for a house/trying to sell our house would be too much to deal with while I was pregnant. Not to mention we were hoping to use the chance to pay off some debt and fix up our house a bit. The goal was to start looking for a house a year from now before we try for our fourth (and last!) baby. At that point we will have outgrown this house twice over and will really be out of nooks and crannies in which to squeeze our children.
Just becuase our plan was to look a year from now doesn't mean that we didn't keep checking the MLS once in awhile to see what was new in the neighborhood, keep up with current prices, etc. A few days before Elaina was born I discovered a house that intrigued me, the first one in our price range with nearly everything we wanted. But seeing as how I was going to deliver at any moment, I passed it by wishing it had shown up the previous fall when we were looking. Once Elaina was born, looking at houses was the furthest thing from our mind. Until this week...
I came across this same house again. And as I tripped over the same toy for the tenth time in one hour I came to the conclusion that I didn't want to wait another year to look for a new house. I wanted to look now. This house was in our price range, why were we waiting?
We decided to launch the home search yet again. And this time we are bound and determined to actually get a new house. Please, Lord, please, let this be the time...
We loved the house. There was so much potential. It was big enough for our family to grow into (yes, actually room to grow) and really didn't need much work. Just a lot of updating. There were some terrible paint jobs. The entire house is hardwood, so worst case scenario it would need a bit of refinishing. It had so much character. Unfortunately (there is always something for us) it is in short sale. Which adds complications. And this is an awful market. Awful. But we're going with faith and we're going to list our house for sale anyway and hope that someone wants to buy it fast enough that we can get this house before it goes into foreclosure, or someone else buys it out from underneath us. We're trying very hard not to get too attached to the idea of this house because we have bad luck with houses. But maybe this time, this will be the one...
Please keep us in prayer as we begin this process (again!). We are frantically finishing up a few projects that we have left and are starting to pack up toys and junk that can be stored in the anticipation of upcoming showings. We're praying that if we're not in the Lord's will that He will make that clear. He has a good track record where we're concerned. Everytime we venture toward a house, the Lord slams the door. And each time that has happened we are eventually glad that it did and we anticipate what the Lord has for us. But we really, really hope that this is what the Lord has for us.
I'm tired of kids in my closet!
