And we're in!

Holy cow, what a process! Buying a house is a lot of work. We closed yesterday, coincidentally on the day Amelia turned 4 months old. What a way to celebrate...giving our baby girl a new place to live, a bigger place to crawl around when the time comes. As we walked out of the title company, we were both in disbelief, but excited beyond words. We were officially homeowners, and what a feeling that is. We drove straight to the house and pulled into OUR driveway, put the key in OUR lock, and stepped into OUR home for the very first time. We walked through the whole place, reveling at the fact that we could do what we wanted with every wall, every room, and every crevice. I was making mental notes of the work that needed to be done asap and another list of things I want to see done at some point. The yard needs major help. I swear there is a weed as tall as me growing by our back deck. On the inside, we have more rooms to paint than I originally thought. Luckily, the only room that needs immediate attention is Amelia's. Seafoam green doesn't exactly go with the decor of her nursery. Pink is a nice color for all things Amelia, but the master bath is not a place for such a shade. One day we'll get to that and the other random things we want to change, fix, or improve.
Today, after giving a tour of our house to a friend, I stood there, in the stillness of an empty hallway, breathless. Almost in tears, I thanked God for our home, for nothing we have would be possible without Him. Our life has changed forever. Everything has a more positive spin on it, simply because we were blessed with this house. Yeah, we have a mortgage and all the other bills that come with owning a home, but it excites me, no....it inspires me. Hard things suddenly seem easier. Rough spots feel smoother. Life is splendid.
Thank you, God, for our home and the new adventure it brings.

My Life in Boxes

Boxes. They are everywhere, walls of them, filled with our life. It feels like there is still so much to pack, but I only have so much time. I try to take advantage of the times when Amelia sleeps, but she's doesn't always nap for extended periods of time, and I don't always feel up for packing every time she's asleep. So, here we are, 5 days away from our anticipated closing date, and I feel less than prepared to move. We are wanting to close early, actually this Friday, because weekends are better suited for big moves than Monday evenings. We are waiting on the bank to finish up the final underwriting and who knows if it'll be done in 3 days. We can hope!

A Tutu for Amelia

A few of my friends have made tutus for their daughters in the last few months and they always turned out so cute. So last night, I made one for Amelia. Its made of tulle in 3 colors and I think it turned out great! I tried it on her this morning before Matt went to work and took a few pictures. For now, it swallows her up and it looks like she's sitting on a huge pile of tulle, but it will make for some very cute professional pictures soon enough!! She's getting soooo big!

I'll post more pictures when Amelia actually fits in her tutu.

Next Step on the Road to Home Ownership

There is so much more involved in buying a house than I ever thought. We had the inspection, which for the most part showed minor home improvement sorts of things, but we opted for the radon test as well. It showed the presence of higher than normal radon in the basement over the duration of nearly 3 days. Just when you think you're past the hurdles, there are more. We had to decide if it was something we were willing to pay for if the current owners would not. Lucky for us, they said they'd fix it, so by closing, we'll have a fan system installed in the basement to push any radon right out.
All the paperwork was signed to get our financing underway and were told the next step would be to get homeowners insurance. I called a couple places yesterday in search of the best deal. If it means leaving State Farm, we will.
Oh my gosh, I'm so excited to move. I honestly feel like this apartment dampers my spirits. We felt cramped here long before we ever had Amelia. Her birth just made it that much more obvious that, house or not, we needed to find a bigger place, a place to start fresh. Even though packing and moving is a lot of work, I've always enjoyed "starting over." Even rearranging furniture creates a new atmosphere for me, so the impending opportunity to put furniture in new rooms, decorate new walls, paint, and buy new furnishings is an overwhelmingly pleasant thought. I can't wait to get out of here and have a new beginning in our first house. Yay!

Army-Bound Twins

Last year, Matt's twin brothers shared the news that they were joining the army. It has been a long time coming. Since high school, it was something they felt a calling to do, but they took different paths first. They are both firefighters, Mark is a paramedic, and Mike is an EMT. They are two of the most selfless guys I know, always giving of themselves to make sure everyone else is happy. They'd give you the shirts off their backs if they thought you needed them. When they told us of their plans, Matt and I were so happy for them; however, it wasn't something that excited every member of our family. Its understandable though...we are at war and joining the army when you'll actually have to 'fight for our country' instead of being safe on U.S. soil doesn't set well with anyone. But I couldn't be more proud to call 2 people my brothers. Even knowing they will be sent across the world to fight for people they don't even know, they want to go...they HAVE to go. The drive to do this has never left. They are following their hearts and doing what they feel they've been put on this earth to do. And if it wasn't enough to join the army, their goal is actually to be Special Forces and I know that they'll make it.

It dawned on me the other day that I'm gonna miss the heck out of those guys. We don't see them as often as we'd like because we don't live in the same city or state, but any time we are together is always a good time. I was told recently that they said Amelia is the only reason they don't want to go, but is also the main reason they are going. They want to make this world a better place for her to grow up in. How sweet is that?!?!

They leave March 17th, on St. Patricks Day. I will look forward to traveling to Atlanta this summer so we can watch them graduate from boot camp and see them off on the next leg of their amazing journey with the United States Army.

(The photo above is from a party that their cousin, Lauren, also pictured, planned for them. The entire Fiocca family and a ton of friends came to show their support.)

Why James, you ask...

No, it was not a typo. Yes, you heard it right. Amelia's middle name is James. You should see the looks I get when I tell people her name. Sometimes, before they even ask, "Wait. What? James?" or have time to think I'm crazy, I just start into the story of where I got it. She was named after a very dear friend of mine. I met Jamie, or for short, James, in middle school and we were fast friends. (Actually, we went to preschool together, but I only discovered that in high school when I found a class photo from way back when.) We hung out all the time. She was so quiet, but the friendliest person you'd ever meet. She could always make me laugh. She was gorgeous, but never knew it. She had more emotional strength than anyone should ever have to have. She had the biggest heart and so much compassion for people with disabilities. She would help anyone who needed it. She had a beautiful soul. Jamie loved her family, friends, and God. She was my very best friend.
Sadly, Jamie was killed in a car accident November 6th, 1998. After having time to deal with this tragedy, it dawned on me that I could help her memory live on forever. I would name my first daughter after her. It was the least I could do for such an amazing person and friend. I can't wait to tell Amelia all about her. If she grows up to be even remotely like Jamie, I'll consider myself blessed!