Moving

Today is our last day here at our home.  A part of me is excited, excited that we are getting a new home, excited that we are finished packing, excited to move on.  But at the moment most of me is a little on the sad side. We have spent just over five years in this home.  Five great years.  We moved in when Claire was five weeks old.  We brought Crue home from the hospital here.  Both our children learned to crawl, walk, and have decorated many walls with their hand prints.  We have spent many hours working together to update different things in the house.  We have had family parties, movie nights, water fights, and bbq's in the backyard.  I taught Claire how to ride her bike out front and then spent many evenings sitting on the porch watching Crue play baseball and Claire riding her bike around.  Many evenings of watching thunderstorms and watching the sun set.  It's the same porch and same chairs that I sat in with my grandpa several days before he passed away and listened to him tell stories of when he was a kid.  I can still tell the exact spot that Claire tripped and hit her head on the wall and ended up with a giant goose egg.  In kind of makes me sad that I have so many great memories here in this home and Claire will remember very little when she gets older and Crue will remember nothing.  And its not just great memories with Luke and our kids.  This was my grandparents home.  Growing up I helped my grandpa in his garden each year, played cops and robbers with all my cousins in the backyard, baseball with my cousins when my brother hit the ball hard enough to break my grandpa's window (I still randomly remember that Home plate was the door, 1st was the gooseberry bush, 2nd is the elm, and 3rd is the 2nd lilac bush)  Many hours were spent in the front room with my grandma and some of my aunts and cousins as we made baby blankets for any babies that might be born in the next couple of years.  Each year we helped my grandma bottle grape juice, apple pie filling, and make apricot jam.  I remember when my grandma had my grandpa plant a couple blue spruces that were not taller than a foot and last year we had to cut one of them down because it was getting way too tall.  I remember taking care of my Grandpa in this house.  Sitting in my grandma's chair which was always right next to my grandpa's chair and watching the Lawrence Welk show with him.  I remember the last hug he gave me, how he looked into my eyes, and sitting next to him as he passed away several hours later.  So many memories are here.  So many great and amazing memories are here.  I didn't think I would be so emotional to leave this home and I know I wouldn't be able to leave at all if we didn't know that it is what's right for our family.  Luke and I spent many weeks and probably months talking about what we should do, what is best for our family,  and praying to know that it was the right thing.  We will miss this home and we will miss our great neighbors.