I guess 4th time is a charm...

We've been at my parents house for a little over a week now. The kids have broken a decorative dish, taken permanent marker to mom's dining room table, and used all of their postage to make sticker mustaches. I'd say it's going great, wouldn't you?

God bless my parents for letting us stay awhile. They are certainly getting the short end of this stick. 

In other news, we signed a contract on a house! It's a block away from the yellow house (otherwise known as house #3) and will be a similar rehab project. What's amazing about this house are the three stories of beautiful, level, wood floors; gorgeous trim/crown molding; a wooden staircase that perfectly depicts the homes original era; two fireplaces; and a gigantic kitchen. When Bob and I envisioned moving into the city, we envisioned remodeling a house like this. 

Now that contracts are signed we have approximately 2 weeks to assemble our remodel plans for the rehab-loan approval. Since we did this on the yellow house I already have an idea of what finishes I'll use, though this home calls for a slightly different style. The other big difference is Bob will not be contracting the job. It's simply too stressful and he doesn't have time. Instead, our good friend, who's an amazing contractor with 20 plus years of experience, is going to run the job. I honestly couldn't think of a better person to do this for us. However, because this house is a bit larger and we're paying a contractor, we won't be able to finish everything upfront. I'll know more about what we can get done with our budget after this week, but honestly, give me a kitchen, one good bathroom (ok, maybe one and a half), paint on the walls, and I'll be a happy camper. JUST GET ME IN A HOUSE!

There's still a lot that has to happen before we close in a month and a half, so we'll wait to pop open the champagne, but this step is certainly worth praising God for. Thank you to everyone who's continued to pray for us. While we would not have chosen this path for ourselves, we are grateful for the ways the Lord has deepened our trust and softened our hearts towards him.