Thank you is NEVER enough.

In May of 2015 we decided to put our house up for sale because the market was so good.  Little did we know that we would sale it in 2 days.  We really struggled to find a rental house because either one, as soon as they were posted they were rented in a matter of hours or two, renting cost the same amount as a mortgage x2.  Anyways, we ended up finding a rental in Riverbend (thanks Chad) that was a couple streets over.  Although were paying rent that was more than our mortgage on a house we OWNED (thats so not right by the way), it was a great house for us.  So we lived there for a year.

In May 2016 we asked the rental company if we could rent for 6 more months while our house was being built.  Side note:  we honestly thought we would have a house already built at this point but that was a whole process in and of itself.  First, we had a builder then decided to get an architect to design our house.  Finally we decided the best scenario for our family was to go with Schumacher Homes (whom we HIGHLY recommend by the way).  Anyways.  So the rental company said of course.  Well we all know that its never THAT easy.  They were going to bump our rent up to $500 MORE a month, which would have been $1800 per MONTH.  AND they were going to add some kind of pet insurance fee that would be an additional $35 a month.  Um, no.  So we said, BYE!  The "BYE" part was a no brainer but um, where are we gonna live?

Guess where I turned to?  Good ol' FACEBOOK :)  I had several people give suggestions on places to rent.  In fact, there was one couple who had a townhouse and were remodeling their house on the lake.  They offered to move to their house and let us temporarily stay in their townhome.  It was two bedrooms and had no back yard so we were a little nervous to say yes.  However, it WAS an option.  This is when my FABULOUS, gracious and kind Aunt Lisa said, "live with me".

I told Erik about the offer but we weren't sure we would "do that to her", haha!  We DO have two kids and a dog.  So I spoke with Lisa on the phone and asked her if she was serious.  We went over and talked and we knew right away that this was the most perfect situation for SO many reasons.  One, Lisa has a plenty big enough house for the kids, us, Daisy and all the junk that comes along.  Two, her house is closer to the farm so that was convenient with checking on the house while it was being built.  Three, she doesn't mind having Daisy there and last but not least, we love Aunt Lisa and knew she would be lovely to live with.  Now lets all be honest here, some people just aren't "livable" (I made that up, but I mean you cannot live with them).

We moved in in May of 2016.  At first we put Lyla's crib in the same room as Gage.  NOT a good idea.  They were waking each other up at the crack of dawn.  So we put a pack-n-play in the Boom Boom room (it has sound proof walls, GENIUS.  Every kid needs sound proof walls).  This summer, Lyla would sleep til 10 or 11am.  SCORE!  Now she gets up at 5:30 every morning but thats a whole 'nother blog post.

Anyways, in a nut shell is has been wonderful.  This summer Lisa traveled a lot and we were at the farm a lot.  We did get to see each other but it was the perfect amount so we didn't get on her nerves too bad :)  She has been so great to us and the kids.  Not to mention Gage and Lyla adore her.

To Aunt Lisa, THANK YOU for opening up your home to us for the past 6 months.  I can honestly say, it could not have been a more perfect scenario.  You constantly supported us and helped us with WHATEVER we needed.  You put up with Daisy's barking, kids screaming and whining (or touching stuff that shouldn't be touched), you offered to watch the kids countless times and most importantly, you were so generous with your space.  We are forever grateful for your generosity and love you so much!  As we begin packing our stuff this week please know how much we appreciate all you've done for us.  It is going to be tough to leave, especially for the kids, but we know we will be seeing you!

Thank you isn't enough,

Erik, Abbie, Gage, Lyla and Daisy :)

Aunt Lisa went with Gage on his first field trip to the pumpkin patch :)