Slowing down a bit....

August 18, 2006 I met Trey Montgomery. October 13th, 2006 we shared our first kiss...which caught me by surprise and confirmed that he liked me a little more than a friend. On January 25, 2007 we found out (surprise!) that I was pregnant. October 2, 2007 we met our beautiful baby boy, Joey. December of 2007 we bought and moved into our first home. January 25, 2008 Trey asked if I would be his wife. February 15, 2009 we found out we were expecting AGAIN. April 25, 2009 we tied the knot. November 8, 2009 I got the daughter I had been praying for in little Ailey Grace. March 2010 God let me know that our family would be venturing down the path to adopting from Ethiopia. April 11, 2010 we sold our house. April 20, 2010 we signed a contract on a new, bigger, house in Tega Cay.

Right now, I'm in the middle of packing and preparing to move out and then move in. I've enjoyed all of the blessings we have received since Trey and I fell in love, but we are so ready to slow down a bit! While house-hunting we were deciding between a huge 3100 square foot serious fixer-upper with 6 bedrooms, smelly carpet, insulation falling out, and out-dated EVERYTHING and a 2300 square foot, beautiful, 4 bedroom home that needed a few updates, but was otherwise in great condition. Obviously the appeal of the fixer-upper was that it was quite large. Knowing we were being called to adopt we thought that we would be stupid to not take the larger space and then take on the challenge of renovations. We made arrangements and a contractor came out to look at the place. He took measurements and said he would get back to us with quotes on all the work that needed to be done.

After our visit with the fixer-upper, we stopped by the smaller house that we were also considering. Being in the pretty house after the stress of discussing renovations with the contractor was like getting a big hug from a long lost friend. We were overcome with a sense of peace and relaxation. It was so easy for us to envision ourselves in this home. It was so pleasant being inside this home. We started to feel guilty for wanting to take the easy path and for wanting to move into a home that we wouldn't be able to stay in for forever since we wanted to adopt.

I cried a lot of tears. I LOVED the smaller house. Trey shared that he just wanted someone to tell us that "it was okay to move into the smaller home". We both wanted it. We wanted it for ourselves and we wanted it for the children that we already had. I started thinking of our children in Ethiopia. I started thinking about the ages of the children we already had. I started to get really sad when I realized that our time with Carly and Conner was already limited enough as it was...and that bringing more children in during their childhood is going to mean even less individual time with them. This smaller house was a better location for them to ride their bikes to the park. To swim in the lake. To go out in the boat that we would one day have. The backyard was great for them to get out and play in. THIS HOUSE was perfect for our family the way it is now...but not for how it would be in the future. I figured that it would be better for EVERYONE involved if we pumped our brakes a bit. We had just been declined from one of our top choice adoption agencies because they said that our youngest baby was too young and our debt to income ratio was too great to adopt at this time. Maybe we should pay attention to that. We have also received a lot of advice on adopting in birth order. Maybe we should consider that, as well.

So, instead of rushing through another 4 years of life, we are going to slow down a bit. We are going to relax and enjoy what we have. We are going to focus on the bits of actual childhood that Carly and Conner have left. We are going to get some debt paid off. We are going to reach for promotions at work. We are going to allow ourselves to adopt in birth order. I have been wrestling with a lot of emotions in delaying adoption, but I think even our adopted children will benefit in coming home to a family that is debt-free and completely prepared for them to join the family.

So, we prepare our fields some more before raising our barn. I am really excited to slow down a bit. I am used to such a fast pace that it may take some getting used to, but I think our children will really (hopefully) thank us for it. :)