Home Sweet Home

Exactly one year ago, we were moving into our brand new (to us) house:

Let's do this (I don't really mean "us"...) #thirteenthousandpoundsofjunk #iwillbeonthedeckifyouneedme #iwish

A photo posted by Courtney Bowden (@bowdenisms) on May 18, 2014 at 8:34am PDT

It's hard to believe it's been a year- in that weird "seems like it's been a day, and seems like it's been a lifetime" way. Is that how everything is when you're an adult? Time goes so incredibly fast, so I blink and we hit milestones that don't seem possible.

One year is also a bit of a strange marker with a house...because in one sense, it's a ton of time to settle in, and on the other hand, I still feel like we just got here, so of course we still have moving boxes I haven't sifted through. That's perfectly reasonable, right? I'm not sure I had a goal for what our house would look like one year in...Maybe more organized (ok...definitely more organized) and maybe more tailored to our taste...But decorating and renovating is a slow process (at least it is when you're also trying to keep up with a never ending stream of regular life tasks). I was actually going to shoot another video tour as a 12 month update, but the place was such a hot hot mess, that it passed #showyourreal territory, into #showyou'regross. It's not actually dirty, per se, but we (constantly) have about seven projects in the works, so every room has some pile/stash/obstacle/safety hazard that we're "working on". We're making some big updates (new shared bedroom for the girls!) and some small ones (hanging pictures...still...forever...) so I'm hoping to share those soon. Mostly because I'm hoping to be done with them soon. (Side note- I wish I could transfer the sense of crazy urgency that pregnancy nesting provides, onto someone who's not pregnant, therefore has the energy/physical ability to actually get all these goals done. Dustin humors me, and works harder than anyone should really ever be expected to, but that doesn't mean he fully understands why we need a new laundry room door RIGHT NOW, whereas that mandate seems perfectly logical to me.)

So I could easily go on and on about all the things I want to do/fix/change, but there will always be those things. The point is, we've been here for a year. We've had a wild, wonderful, FULL year together in our home, and it is so much more than I could have ever imagined. So I thought it would be fun to highlight just a few of the nearly infinite reasons I just adore this house...

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Our deck and backyard which has allowed us to host playdates, cookouts, bouncehouse parties, late night card games, first birthday parties...If a more perfect backyard exists...I've never seen it.

Seriously...I even like it in the winter...which is saying something.


Ok. One more. But c'mon...

The spot in front of the piano which has become our default "stand here and take a picture to commemorate this semi-milestone" location. I think it's because it gets good light, allows me to get far enough away to capture their (non)poses, and it's not usually as messy as the rest of the house. But regardless, I just love thinking about how many pictures we'll have in this spot over the years as the kids grow.

First day of "school" // Snow Day // Easter

Our bedroom which is unnecessarily huge, and always the last priority on the to-do list. But the big windows let in the sunrise so it's the perfect spot for early morning family hangouts when two little girls come bounding in at dawn. 

The "master" bathtub that I've never set foot in, but has been home to weekly (at least...semi-weekly if we're really on the ball) water parties for two.

My kitchen- the giant table, the bay windows, the layout that allows me to work and prep while keeping an eye on two little munchkins, sharing secrets and laughs. I love how many new friends we've already gotten to have gather around this table, and I'm hopeful for many new faces to join us...


The breakfast bar, where some of us clean up old messes, while the others make new ones. Every day starts here, and even if just for a few minutes during the crazy rush, we're all together...and covered in syrup.

Our monstrous sectional (1/8 pictured here). We watch, we read, we fight over our favorite spot (well, some of us do), we fall asleep watching reality TV (well, one of us does). It's big, and cozy, and awesome.

Ok...cheating: the backyard again. And more specifically, the swingset the neighbors gave us. When we toured this house, I knew I wanted it the minute I stepped into the kitchen, and imagined the view I'd have while washing dishes. Not a glamorous thought, maybe, but I stood there, and just knew that this could and should be our house. I pictured looking out those windows, and seeing our kids running, and playing; free to have fun, but still safely in my line of sight. This year Fin is old enough to navigate the three deck steps to the yard solo, and Piper has even mastered opening/closing the screendoor without mashing anyone's fingers, so they're pretty much free-range chicks. (Though we still bail on the dishes to play with them instead).

Our neighborhood. But mostly: our neighbors. We hit the jackpot with these people, truly. We're surrounded on all sides by fun, friendly, families, who we hang out with regularly, borrow things from without shame, and just adore sharing little day-to-day moments with. The suburbs really are a special kind of life, and these people are a huge part of why.

I could go on and on...There are a zillion more teeny (and not so teeny) things I'm thankful for around this house, even if I don't have the words or photos to capture it. A house is just a house, but this house has already been the frame around so many of our moments as a family. I am beyond thankful for the memories and blessings we've experienced in it this year.

And looking forward to many, many more.

P.S. You can check out our last house-iversary, our most recent tour, or see all our Home-y posts.

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