i grew up in a charming house my dad built on seven acres. there were four of us, my older sister and my two younger brothers. there was lots of laughter, lots of pretending, lots of fresh air and sunshine, plenty of animals, and many summer nights with mom reading aloud on the screen porch.
we moved into this house when i was only 18 months old. my parents still haven’t moved (though my memories are up for sale at the present). i only left because i found someone worth leaving for.
c and i were married in 1996 and i’ve been settled – in all the best senses of the word – ever since. we moved into a little basement apartment in old town norcross. we made wonderful memories being free and young and married. plenty of late night movies – very late, many take-out dinners, and lots of snuggling.
we bought our first house in 1998. it was a new one with lots of room to grow on a quiet street in john’s creek. the first thing we did was get some animals (up until then we were only allowed to have fish – of which we had many).
in this house we became parents. we excitedly grew from two to three to four to five. we had evan in 1999, emilie in 2001 and ethan in 2004. we finished the basement to add a playroom/schoolroom and this sunny home grew with us. precious baby babble, lots of little footsteps and loads of firsts.
in 2005 we knew it was time to move again. we were sure that God wanted us to be closer to our church family and He led us to this house. yes, it does look strangely like the other one, but this one has a wonderful lived-in feel, a homey feel. and it is here that elise joined us in 2006. hours of swinging underneath our shady canopy, reading aloud on the back deck, and the enchanting sound of four children playing happily together (whether it’s legos, bikes, sandbox or ‘blueberry town’).
God has always been tender with us, leading us gently to His perfect pastures in His time. these posts are to be a reminder of His sweetness to us, whether its through a childish observation or their shining eyes.