Growing up

My entire world has been wrapped up in this sweet squishy face for the last two weeks.

I'm semi aware of what is going on in the world outside of Drolmond Dr. I'm just beginning to enjoy sleep again and Elijah and I are starting to figure each other out. However, there is another life changing event that has happened this week that needs noting. 

As of this week my childhood home is no longer mine. My parents have sold our house as a first step to moving here to Raleigh. In the midst of all the chaos that one 7lb human can cause, I haven't let myself linger on this loss. The last time that Jesse and I traveled to Etowah I took some pictures to try to capture some memories to hold on to, so I'm going to share them with you now.

I moved into 49 Armstrong Rd when I was 3 years old. It's the only home I've ever known with my family. When I think about my house, there are a couple of places that stick out the most. 

I will never forget coming up these stairs every day from school and seeing our cats sitting on the top step waiting for me, snuggles ready. We were so lucky to have such wonderful family pets. Poco, KC, Nicholas, and Jolie all lived out wonderful lives in this house. 

Our dining room that was host to many holiday meals and family gatherings.

 Blake and Clayton, the two boys that lived in the house before us used the side of this door to mark their heights. I thought I should do the same. My lines are the ones on the right.

 My first two songs I learned to play on this piano; Heart and Soul and Van Halen's Right Now. The second one was thanks to my big brother.

 I have loved watching our 5 stockings that hang above this fireplace grow to 13. We'll get to add another this year. :)

 I used to look out my bedroom window and dream about my future.

This is the window that I would stand in front of every year on the first day of school to get my picture taken, and I mean every year, all the way through high school. It's also the spot where our Christmas tree would sit each year.

This is the house where Jesse told me he loved me for the first time. It's where we fell in love, where we had our first Christmas together, where he became part of my family.

There is something so bitter sweet about this change for me. I'm sad that Elijah will never get to run up those steps on Christmas morning to see what Santa brought him or play on the swing hanging from the tree-house or add his own height lines to the bedroom door. The sadness is completely overwhelmed however by an immense joy that my parents will soon be living here in Raleigh and not 5 hours away anymore. When I think about it, it's just a house. It's walls and doors and windows. The memories I have, the countless moments that continue to warm my heart years later, they're all because of these two people (with a little help from my brothers). While I will miss this yellow split-level, I am ecstatic that my mom and dad will be living in the same city as me and my brothers and we will be able to make many new memories together.