Big & Small

So many things happening that I want to write about...big and small. On a small note, it's Friday morning and we are listening to Children of Uganda music and Edward Sharpe while doing a bit of cleaning. I have not been sleeping well, but got good rest this morning from 7-9am. Came down to your room where you were playing and you smiled at me and said, "Mommyeh sleepy?" You are so kind to let me sleep in some mornings!

I called my mom and stepped outside while realizing that it is the most amazing weather I've felt all year. Of course I step out to have a quiet conversation, but I never sneak out without my boys following me (Tegegne, in his little Diego underwear and Owen, our hugely-huge yellow lab, bolting out the door ahead of me). Since I'm half distracted on the phone, the boys wander up and down the neighbors yards while I follow them, trying to keep them from sneaking all the way around the block. In the mean time neighbors come and go and laugh at my situation. I am often in this situation. Yelling for Owen and trying to give Tegegne choices..."Either I carry you back to our yard, or you ride your car back to our yard." At the same time trying to carry on a conversation with my mother.

So we may or may not be selling our house to buy a much cheaper house in order to plan for this next little human being that will join our family at the end of February. (Do you know how expensive daycare can be in the city?) The move is twofold really. Michael and I have been asking God, what's next? God has given me some pictures of what my days with our children could look like. One picture I've had is sitting with African women and watching our kids play. I've envisioned cooking for a single mother and her children, and I've pictured having the house with the open door policy...meaning that neighbors are always welcome. I say that as I'm looking at our open front door in our now neighborhood. We love it here, and it's hard to imagine moving. This is the perfect street, with good people from all walks of life. It's cool how God works though. One house we've looked at would be half the mortgage we have now, it's a beautifully renovated house with four bedrooms, and guess what? An African family lives just behind this house. And there is a park a half block away where Michael sees large groups of Africans playing soccer (as he ride by on his weekly bike ride). There is a large refugee population in the neighborhood.

One unsurprising thing that must occur before we buy a different house, is that we must sell ours. It's bittersweet really, and overwhelming. It's like we get this idea and before we know it a real estate sign goes up in our yard. (No sign yet, and I am dreading talking with all of our neighbors that have become dear friends.)

A really neat thing about our marriage is when God aligns our thoughts and something becomes clear to both of us. We left this house saying, yes...let's pursue this. It just makes sense. This was similar to how we pursued adoption. "Okay let's do this!"

We don't know if this will work as we imagine, but we will take it one step at a time.