Ode to Yellouise

On Monday morning we will move out of our home, affectionately named "Yellouise" for being the yellow house on Louise Dr. There have been a lot of ups and downs in this home of 4 years, and here are some memories I want to recall:

• We found Yellouise and moved in one week later. Our next door neighbors, the Borders, were on our search committee and they saw the previous renters moving out. The home wasn't even listed anywhere! The landlord gave us a great deal, and he has been a fabulous landlord. 
• We have wonderful neighbors. Let me begin the tributes: 
• The Borders: Built in babysitters, chats on the porch, the weeks where Jennifer cooked for me every Wednesday just because, and the sharing of tools and insight. And the incident in the kitchen that we won't discuss, but it involved a golf club and a box. This precious family means SO MUCH TO US!!! 
• The Crossleys: If something broke, Bob fixed it or told me who to call. He found me in predicaments occasionally, and gave me a friendly pat whenever I was crying and had my hands full. One time the kids were SCREAMING on the porch and both Anna B and Bob came running to make sure I was okay and that my kids were okay. 
• The Boyles: The "puppy" family! They have made our neighborhood walks so much sweeter. And I love each member of this family for different reasons but they are all so dear to us. 
• The Adams: Suzanne was quick to offer babysitting help and was always such a blessing to chat with!
• Other neighbors on our walking route that were always so friendly. Nell and Nelson gave the kids really cute winter hats this year. The family in the house on the corner of Davis that always yelled "Roll Tide" to Will. 
• The many nights with EngageJSU friends. 
• Couples nights, dinner parties (pancake parties, taco nights!), countless game nights, movie nights in the backyard, Princess Bride, It's a Wonderful Life, marriage counseling, Bible studies, leader's meetings, Christmas parties!
• Family Milestones
• Finding out I was pregnant and greeting Will at the front door while Israel was napping upstairs. 
• Bringing Israel home and the first night we pointed out on the big map how he came from Ethiopia. The miles I walked inside our house when Israel was a baby and refused to nap, so I would walk and walk wearing him in the Ergo.
• All the things that come with having babies in a home. The million milestones in the last three years. Israel's first birthday party, Edie's smash cake on the porch, Edie walking and Israel scooting. 
• Taking a million pictures on our front porch, and loving the background that the Crepe Myrtles provided. 
• Biblestudies (Engage or Eagle Point) in the living room. 
• Walking up the giant hill to our house, and many times thinking I wouldn't make it. 
• So many bunnies, deer and black crows in the back yard. One time we counted 12 deer. There were always birds nesting on the porch too. 
• ALL THE QUIRKS. Seriously, such a quirky house but endearing in a way too. 
• Therapy in the living room with our UCP therapists. We used to have a big mirror in the den and it was kinda awkward for guests, but super fun to play in front of with tiny kids. Lots of tummy time happened in front of that giant mirror. 
• Having annual yard sales and seeing the same people each year. The year we did a yard sale for our adoption it snowed and we still made over a thousand dollars that weekend!
• Having a sewing room (pre-Edith) and crafting for craft fairs to make money for our adoption. 
• Starting and finishing a master's and Will having an office where he worked on his PhD. 
• Scrubbing the laminate tile when we first moved in, only to realize there was a gray pattern in the tile and it would never really look clean. 
• Waiting on the porch with the kids in anticipation of Will coming home each day. 
• Filming a little video for our new church, Crossroads, on our couch and front porch. Knowing that everything shown in the video wasn't coming with us (toys on porch, world's best couch). 
• The awesome open floor plan downstairs that didn't have any doors for the kids to mess with or lock themselves in. 
• The whole house was peach when we moved in! We went to the store and had so much fun repainting the house and picking the colors out. We painted the master bedroom a really awful yellow and one year when I was away at an adoption retreat, Will surprised me by painting the bedroom a soft blue that we both love. 

A house is just a house. Yellouise has been perfect for us for the season that we were in, but we are excited about the next season and a new home to make tons of memories in. God has been so gracious to us in Yellouise, and although it hasn't all been good times (there have been a lot of tears in that house too!) we have seen His faithfulness continually.