Home.

We closed on our new home in mid-August and proceeded to spend every spare minute working (well, mostly Brad and our parents worked).

We moved in at the beginning of October, after we had new paint and new flooring (on the main floor) and white kitchen cabinets.

It's, of course, still very much a work in progress. But I'm so excited to live here - not because of the short commute (which is super nice) or even because we no longer sleep in a basement (which is also pretty great).

I'm excited to live here because it truly feels like home.

One thing we love about where we live now is how close it is to special people and special places.

My dream is to create a space where our friends and family feel welcome to come over - to stop by whenever and hang out and just be with us. But when I say that, it's not necessarily about the physical space, because, let's face it... my living room floor will probably always have a pile of books in the middle of it and I just can't figure out the slipcover on that loveseat...

...and who knows if we'll ever have doors or even a curtain on the laundry closet (conveniently located in the dining room)... or if things will get hung on the walls...

...and I've actually been totally fine with the fact that our kitchen cabinets have no doors (they'll get done when they get done)...

...and the baby's room has zero room for a baby, but someday...

More than the physical spaces being "finished" (which will be a long work in progress), I want the space we create and occupy to show welcome, to make it just fine for everyone to come as they are whenever they're able to make it.

Before we moved in here, I always felt like our house had to be picked up, cleaned, and (obviously) finished for us to have guests.

No more. I'm over that. Maybe it's my age or the "getting ready for a second child" thing or who knows... but I'm done with trying to keep up appearances. I'm ready to just be us in our space.

Home for me is about comfort, about welcome, about showing love and care for others. I want our space to be a place where people feel comfortable and loved and cared for.

So, dear friends and family, stop by anytime. You are welcome, just like you are, because that's just how we'll be.