What a Year!

We are looking forward to celebrating Gavin and Emery's 2nd birthday tomorrow. The last year has gone by way too fast! Last year at this time, our house in Indiana was for sale and we were under contract to buy another house in the same town. THANKFULLY, the inspection came back with WAY too many red flags and we did not go through with the deal. Exactly 2 months and 23 days later, Pete was layed off due to the economic slowdown and our lives became crazy.......as if making it through the first year with twins wasn't crazy enough! A month 1/2 later, our house was sold and we were making a tough decision between a job in South Dakota (where we knew no one) and the job that he accepted in Texas (where my family is). We had agreed to a move out date before we even knew when he'd start a new job or WHERE we'd be moving to! We were just happy to sell the house in this economy, even if it was for a slight loss. We had taken the house off the market in August after deciding not to buy the other house, but had put it back on the day after Pete's job was eliminated. By the middle of December, we were living in Texas......without a house, staying with my mom and step dad. After starting his job in January, Pete was staying at a company provided apartment to be closer to work (the kids and I stayed there for a week or so). By the end of January, we had purchased our current house and had moved in. Whew.......so things should settle down, right?

3 1/2 months after settling in to our new house, Pete's new job was AGAIN eliminated (in May). Two days before his layoff, I had been to my first doctors appointment after finding out a few weeks earlier that we were expecting baby #3. So, here we are, 2 1/2 months post-layoff and things are still pretty nuts around here.

The bright side:

-We are able to see our family ALL the time and have even had a visit from Pete's mom who flew in from Pennsylvania.

-We love our house.....hopefully we won't be moving again soon! :-)

-Being jobless in South Dakota would have been MUCH more stressful (and cold).

-We have a clear understanding of what it takes for us to survive and what we can live without.

-This has allowed Pete to spend a lot of quality time with the kids and this has been a great age for them to get to hang out with Dad a little more.

I just couldn't help but look back on the last year as I'm getting ready for their birthday tomorrow. I'm also working on a post about what Gavin and Emery are up to at 2 years old. I've got to write all of this stuff down or it becomes a blur! Here's to the next crazy year! Let's hope things settle down a little bit!

Now I've got to go make some cupcakes!!!

Gavin and Emery, helping us to roll out the rug and transform the playroom for a house showing (the first time it was on the market)........

Enjoying the snow in Indiana last November, just before we moved.......

Doing a little exploring at our house in Texas..........