Drumroll, please...

After 5 months living with mom and dad,

after looking at over 100 homes in the Denver area, here it is...

 This house came into our price range 4 months into our search.  Thank you to everyone who was praying for us!  I know this is the fruit of months of prayer and with this in mind, we have been putting lots of love and work into this house, trying to make it the warm, hospitable home we know God wants it to be.  1980s wallpaper borders came down, worn carpet came out and new paint colors applied.  

I took a few shots hoping to show some of our favorite spots in the new home to our dear family and friends who can't get here to see us just yet.  We do have a spot for guests to sleep...and an unfinished basement where we can throw our stuff so you'll have more room in the guestroom!

One of my favorite little spots - Matt put up this set of hooks for our little girls' adorable aprons from Aunt Bridget (don't you think she should sell them on etsy?)

One of my favorite features of this home was the split staircase with a landing - and the stairs empty right near the kitchen, not at the front door as in many homes.  It's much easier to know where everyone is when I am working in the kitchen.  I do spend a lot of time there!

Our favorite room - we just wish it were a little bigger.  It's funny what things become non-negotiable when you are looking for houses.  For Matt, a real fireplace was one of those.  I have no problem with that.
He's my hero and he loves to build fires!  

I just love how the blue of this wall turned out.

While this home did have a space for a living room in the front, we had no other room for school, so the first part of the great room when you come in is school, and behind it is the dining room.  School often happens in the kitchen, too - or wherever we can keep out of Bridget's reach.  She can climb onto tables now, so pretty much everything is fair game for her, and I am often hoisting her out of the way while I help Cate and Jane.

We are so thankful!  For a garage and an unfinished basement, for a kitchen and my own kitchen things - it's amazing how you appreciate your stuff when it has been in PODS for 5 months.  We are grateful for my parents' generosity in opening their home to us for so long.  It's not like we are a young couple with one baby - we are a crowd now, and we had to have school at their house, too!  And it worked out just fine, though my mom and dad were grateful we were in our own house this past weekend when our whole family came down with a nasty stomach bug.

We live on a cul-de-sac with neighbors who have the most sweet 7-year-old girl and 4-year-old boy you've ever seen.  The boy thinks Cate and Jane are secretly twins.  Thank you, God, for answered prayers!  Thank you, friends, for praying for us.  God provided a way for us to come back to family and friends in Colorado, and He provided the home and neighborhood for us to live in.  I fretted and lost sleep and agonized often over the 5 months during our search.  My trust levels went up and down, my frustration grew - I was not the picture of patient waiting our Lady shows us during Advent.  But it was a good trial for Matt and I to endure together - and my parents along with us.

Peace this Advent!