contentment

For some reason I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep this morning (possibly it was two of my kids who came into my bed.) But true to my sometimes sappy and sentimental self I was laying there thinking ahead to the next few weeks. We plan to move across town and as excited as we are, I know it will be hard to leave our house that has been our home for the past 9.5 years 

(13.5 for Daniel!)

There was a time about 6 years ago, when Brooklyn was a baby, that I was so ready to move and get a "better" house. I guess I thought we needed a bigger yard, another bedroom, a dishwasher, that I would be content with something different. But I believe staying here until now has been a wonderful lesson for me in contentment. 

About a year after looking and looking something changed, probably my attitude, and I began to love our little home! I think I began to appreciate what our home did have, not what it didn't. Isn't that life?!  We can always always choose to focus on the good rather than the bad. It's definitely my struggle to always want more and better and I lose focus on whats really important. 

My self with three kids now kind of wants to have a little talk with my self with one baby then and maybe smack her upside the head and tell her:

"You do not need three bedrooms. Seriously. Your three children fit just fine in one. Plus, I measured and five kids could totally fit, and it would be pretty awesome. (Daniel doesn't necessarily like this idea) Also, the fact that a swing set cannot fit in the backyard... guess what? The kids are hardly back there anyways because you have the best neighbors ever, your kids will spend hours upon hours and days upon days, playing with their friends, using their imaginations. You will be so so sad to move away, trust me. And the dishwasher?... ok it kind of stinks to have to do the dishes by hand all the time, BUT i promise it will not kill you. Plus, it's good for your copperosity."

This home isn't perfect by far. It isn't big, it isn't near magazine worthy. It maybe doesn't have what American's standards say you should have for a family of five.

But it is our home. And it was so, so good to us!

I'm sure there will be so many times in my life, even with a bit bigger home, more land, etc that I will become discontent. Seriously, my struggle. But I hope I can look back to this sweet little home, and how much we loved it and realize that it's all in my attitude. 

I am thankful to have a place to call home.