Claire LOVES to Sing

Claire singing the rainbow song and the ABC's!

Weekend In The Dells

For Labor day weekend, we took a little trip. A much need little getaway. We were planning on camping but since the weather had different plans for our area, we decided on going to Wisconsin Dells. We got a great deal on a fireplace suite at the Great Wolf Lodge. The indoor water park was fantastic, the best part only guest of the resort could use the water park so it wasn't too crowded at all. It was perfect for little kids and "big" kids like Eric and I. We spend majority of our time at the water park but we did venture out for dinners and sightseeing. Wisconsin Dells is a pretty cute/fun town.
Here are some pictures from our little vacation. If you are ever in the Wisconsin Dells area, I highly recommended staying at the Great Wolf Lodge. You will not be disappointed!

Hope everyone had a nice and relaxing Labor day weekend! 3 day weekends are the best!

Getting Back In The Swing

From still making our new house a home and working part-time, life has gotten crazy. A good crazy though. As I close my 1st week back at a part-time job, I feel good about myself. I realize that just working a couple hours a week can really change the family dynamic and help out in a big way. Claire is doing great, she naps for 2 out of the 3 hours so really, she does not miss me. This week she's at my mom's and starting next week she will get to be with both her Nana and Grandma.
The house is coming together slowly. It's a lot harder then I thought it would have been but we had a ton of stuff. Most of the rooms are very close to being completely finished. We might have to hang a few things here and there, get a hook and shelf for this room and that but for the most part it's live-able! We are enjoying our new area SO much. We made a great choice and are very happy!

TGIF to everyone. Have a great weekend!

Get Back Into The Groove

Moving sucks. Plain and simple. I feel like it's taking FOREVER to get through all the millions of boxes and totes. It's so annoying but it's nice to be in our own place, with our own space. That makes me smile and I feel so much more relaxed. It's so true that once you move out and are on your own, it's nearly impossible to live back with someone. It was tough.
Now, here we are. Unpacking, organizing and living up our new community (clubhouse) and all. Through all the stress and head ache of moving, I'm enjoying making our temporary home, ours!

Happy Tuesday

We Found A Place...for now.

Well we took the plunge into renting. We decided to rent in Northwest Indiana for a year to see if Eric likes his added commute time. He's hoping that he can start just going to the job site for most of the week, which is in Chicago. By doing that, it will cut down on gas a lot. 

We found a cute town-home in Indiana that is only 4 years old. We love it. It is bigger then our previous place by a little over 600sqft. The only way I agreed to a rental was if we were able to save money while living there. With this place, we are! It's great. Through figuring out all the bills, loans, food, gas etc... we will even have money left over for "fun" or savings! Plus with me working, my paycheck can go strictly for saving for a down payment. In a year or so, whenever we are ready to be home owners again we will have money saved up! 

I really hope we love Northwest Indiana. It's close to our families but further from Eric's work so we will be evaluating the situation the whole year. I want Eric to be happy with his drive but I want our family of three to also be happy, comfortable and feel confident in where we decided to buy.  I hoping this will work out, I have faith that it will and then next year we will be looking for our final  home!

Silly Girl

Using her Mr. Potato Head's tongue as her own! I love my silly baby girl!

Back I Go

I got myself a job so back to work I go! It's probably the best opportunity for our family to make a little extra cash and start saving for a nice down payment without living with my in-laws (it's been a long 3 1/2 months).
Our church was looking for an "after school director" I applied and got the position! The best part, the hours are fantastic: 3-6pm! For two of those three hours is when Claire usually naps so I really won't be missing much! The other best part, if need be I can bring Claire with me to work! I found that out today and I'm so excited about it. The lady I'm working with as two kids and no family to watch them so they agreed to let her bring them with! I don't think I would want Claire there every day because of the whole nap thing. I'm not ready for her to give up her naps or be made too but if my mom or mother-in-law can only watch her for a hour, that's fine. They can drop her off at the school and she can play with all the kids and Claire loves kids!
I was a little sad thinking about leaving Claire for those few hours (yes, even if she's napping) but I know that it's best. We will be able to do more, save and plan for a better future! Now, I'm not sad one bit because if I feel like it she can be at work with me and truthfully I like knowing that, that is possible without getting in trouble! Thanking God for such a perfect opportunity!