After all, a promise is a promise

Dear Reader,

I promised you that I would post about our new home and reveal the "surprise" that most of you have probably already guessed.  I would much rather curl up with my book and hot chocolate and lose myself for half an hour.  But I told you that I would post this weekend and I try to be a woman of my word. 

Which do you want first, the house or the surprise?  The house? Okay!

I tried to take pictures of the house one morning, but it is exceedingly dreary and gray here, even more so than our previous location, and so the pics didn't turn out very well.  Sorry, sis.  I'll do my best to remember to take pics when the sun comes out, but when that happens every six days, I'm trying to get the kids out of doors to enjoy the sun and blue sky. 

I cried the day we moved into our condo.  I am ashamed to say it, but I don't much care for our new home, and I've been pretty immature about it.  The story goes that we had been house hunting for several weeks.  I had made three trips up here (two hours driving each way) three times within a 10- or 11-day period, and it was getting to be very close to our moving date without an abode to move into.  HH came up one Saturday to look at this condo and another home, but the home appointment had to be rescheduled.  He was anxious that we wouldn't find a home in time.  Indeed, it happened about five or six times that we found a home we really liked, but there was already an application pending, or the management wanted us to see it first, but trips up north were difficult to arrange.  So HH, after consulting with me of course, decided to apply for this condo.  It's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath that's a bit bigger than our old home.  It has a "gourmet" kitchen, meaning really nice appliances and granite counter tops, etc., and it's undeniably beautiful and much "nicer" and newer than our old house.  But it's a condo, without a garage or a yard, the two top things on my list of what I wanted in a home.  Our uncovered parking spaces are far away from our unit; our entryway is tiny, and it's necessary to walk up stairs before even getting into the living area.  I know, I know, lame things to complain of, but having three young children and a bun in the oven (surprise!!!), the far away parking and the stairs are very unappealing to me.  We are also about 20 feet from a very busy highway that is quite loud during high-traffic times.  But we have grown accustomed to that already. 

It IS nice to live in a beautiful home with forced air heat (no silly coils in the ceiling, hurrah!), but I confess I prefer an older home with a garage and yard to newness and beauty.  It's the practical side in me. I feel so lame in complaining about it all because it's a nice place with more living space in a very nice town, and I get to see the countryside too, a definite plus for me.  I have a friend with three young children very similarly aged to mine, and they live in a 900 square foot condo that's probably buried in snow right now.  She can hardly take her little ones outside because it's so cold.  But she doesn't complain.  She and her hubby are some of the most positive people I've ever met, and I greatly admire them for it (Go Mama Peep!).  The end of my housing saga.

Onto the baby!!!  Yes, we are expecting #4.  How could it be that I am going to have four children?!?  Time and growing up are so strange.  We weren't planning on getting pregnant until this coming summer, but Heavenly Father has different plans for our family.  This pregnancy has been the easiest thus far.  I've had a couple of gross-feeling days, and mornings are a bit uncomfortable, but nothing to complain about.  Maybe moving distracted me from being able to ask myself if I felt ill or not.  The baby is due mid-June, and when I know the gender, I'll let you know.  I'm rooting for a boy so little S can have a buddy to play with, but we like girls too.  The girls want a sister.  Little S loves babies; we'll see if he loves our baby.  He is exceedingly fond of me and may not appreciate a little one treading on his territory.  How lovely to be loved! 

Merry Christmas to you!  We are not sending out Christmas cards, but hopefully one after the New Year, so I apologize for not reciprocating in a timely manner to your holiday greetings.  I have loved receiving your cards and pictures; it brings up many good memories and feelings for my dear friends.  May we all remember Christ and the love He has for us, and may we share His love with others.