We are settling into our new life here in Texas, and have so much going on right now! Our month-long hotel "vacation" has now transitioned into a 7-month lease at an apartment, I certainly never thought we'd be living in an apartment again, but it's a stepping stone to get us to the final destination-- WE'RE BUILDING A NEW HOUSE!!! Speaking of, we've officially completed all of the design appointments for our new house, and get this, the foundation has already started!

What a gloriously gorgeous view we have. I am just in LOVE.
In the meantime, school has begun and both the girls are busy with school & activities... aka, so am I!
Delilah had begun 3rd grade, which blows my mind that she's already a 3rd grader!

Her teacher is absolutely phenomenal and so is her school, there is such a strong, tight-knit wholesome community feel that her Washington schools were lacking. All the kids walk to school, the PTA is outstanding, the Moms are supportive and involved, the schools are run like a well-oiled machine, it's an American dream... how fortunate we are to send our kids to some of Austin's best schools. We actually chose our neighborhood based on school ratings, and when we saw the ratings for her school, I was determined to buy there!
Delilah also started Spanish this week as an extracurricular activity, she loves it very mucho! I took 2 semesters of Spanish in high school and can still converse a bit, so we are practicing together and it's honestly so fun, we laugh and giggle as we try to navigate through a new language with one another. I wanted to "push" her to get involved in sports or team activities, but Ryan suggested we let her do what she feels passionate about, and I couldn't agree more-- I've never seen my daughter this happy before. She loves living near family, she loves her new school, and she's getting to do the activities that SHE chose.

(Excuse the crazy looking shirt, she was wearing a top with the name of her school and I didn't want that published online. Obviously I'm amazing at photo-editing!)

Little Ms.Ava has been busy, too! We are focusing on colors, shapes, and common words these days, as well as plenty of fun playtime... and swim-time! Oh, did I mention our temporary apartment has not one, but TWO swimming pools? Uhhh yeah, we've doing a whole lotta that!

 She's also a little firecracker in gymnastics class, this girl is going places!

I have really been focusing on being the most present and "in the moment" Mom I can possibly be. I have tried to plan activities from the moment our day starts until we both need an afternoon break, and then when Ryan gets home, we resume with family activities. I absolutely love our lifestyle here in Texas, the weather makes it so easy to get outside and have fun! Walks, swimming playgrounds, evening strolls, morning jogs, splash pads... not the mention there are sidewalks and trails everywhere! I can literally pack my jogging stroller with snacks & drinks and set off and explore for hours! That is one major thing I couldn't stand in Seattle-- we were kind of locked indoors. Our neighborhood had no sidewalks, our road had no sidewalks, and if I packed the stroller into the car and drove somewhere, it was pretty yuck weather about 90% of the year. Just, no. Nope. Can't do it. I am SO in love with Texas, ya'll!

New Chapter, page 1

Hello, from a hotel room that we've booked for a whopping 30 days! Life is complete chaos right now. And let me tell you, having 'elite status' in a hotel with a gym, both an indoor and outdoor pool, free breakfast AND dinner, access to a special VIP ONLY lounge, AND daily maid service... I am living for this.

Not only have we began settling into our new home of Austin Texas, we have chosen land to build a house on!

This is us at street level on nearly an acre of land with huge Oak trees... what you can't see behind us is a view as far as the eye can see, up until the sky meets the Earth.

Now, imagine a 12 foot slab of foundation and TWO floors of house on top of that... then imagine that view.

Basically, we hit the jackpot finding our dream home!

So we have been tediously designing, redesigning, and redesigning again the home we will raise our children in. How much square footage do we need after living in a 2500sqft home? We opted for TWICE as much. Yes, I'm completely insane and will be needing a maid. I have to say, as fun as it is to design a house, it is a tad overwhelming because you need to choose one you'll love now with kids, and also 20 years from now. After cleaning the slating over and over, we narrowed down our selection...

And as of yesterday- we have a floor-plan!

This upcoming Saturday, Ryan & I will go to a home design studio where we'll choose the little fun details... like back-splash, tile, counter-tops, and flooring. Needless to say, I've been Pinterest'ing like a Mom who just realized tomorrow is her kid's class party and she signed up to make a snack!

Should I go with white cabinets & black granite? Gray cabinets & marble? White cabinets & gray granite with contrasting back-splash? So many options!

This is all new to us, we have never built a home before and so each step is a brand new experience for us... and boy have we learned a lot! What a difference it makes to actually walk into a house and see the floor plan, versus trying to imagine it via blue prints. Had there not been a similar home previously built that I could tour, I would not have chosen the floor plan I chose... and let me tell you, it's a showstopper! I cannot wait to share it with you guys!

My master plan was to create a YouTube channel as we did this, but I have to say-- with an 8 year old, a toddler, 90% of my belongings in storage, and a complete whirlwind of deadlines and contracts and appointments... I don't think it's plausible for me to start a channel during all of this. Momma is a mess.

We have a hotel room until mid-August, then we are moving into an apartment by Delilah's school until the house is ready, which will be right around the time of my birthday! Happy Birthday to me!

Although this is only a few short paragraphs about our journey, realistically, this process was extremely in depth and took a tremendous amount of research and time to get to this point.

I first did intense research on the areas of Austin that I'd like to live, it was important to me that I'm proud of where I live. I chose a highly-desirable, and highly reputable community with an upstanding reputation, top-notch schools, and plenty of amenities. The neighborhood I chose includes homes from one of the most sought-after builders in Texas, and has just an overall 'charming wow-factor' with big beautiful homes in a clean and safe area. The neighborhood not only has a wooded communal area with a playground, but it has a park across the street with a creekside trail that goes on for miles, plus sidewalks, gazebos, and tons of kids. It's so important to do your research before building, get out on foot, talk to people, walk around, ask questions... your home is not only going to be your 'safe place', where you can rest and relax in privacy, but it's also an investment. Do your homework!

We have so much to do in the next upcoming weeks, but it's all fun stuff! I mean, isn't most color-picking and carpet-choosing the best part? You guys, of all people, know how much I am loving this part of the process.

Cheers to our new home, our new chapter, a fresh start, great neighbors, great childhoods, a wholesome household, and the new life!