It's funny how having kids can change your whole perspective. I don't mean alter a bit. I mean 180 degrees, opposite of what you ever imagined change. At least that has been my experience in the last five years.If you would have told me five years ago when I was newly pregnant with Owen that eventually I would be quitting a job that I loved and was passionate about to stay home full time I would have said "You are crazy!" In my mind I was not cut out for 'that'. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was awesome for those that chose that life, but was adamant that that was not for me.
Looking back to 2014...
After having Nora just 25 months after Owen, something in me started to change. Dropping the kids off at daycare became harder. There was a pull to spend as much time with them as I could, yet I knew the demands at school and that I owed my class of first graders the very best. Owen and Nora were the first to be dropped off at daycare, and many days the last to get picked up. By the time I got there to pick them up I was exhausted, short on patience, and ready for everyone to go to bed(myself included). At this time Mark also took a new position closer to home, but with less than ideal hours. Now most nights he wasn't getting home until 7:30 or 8:00pm. We began to question if all of this was the best scenario for our family? 
In April of 2015 we did something crazy. We put our 'dream' house on the market. A house that we moved into just 2 years before. We were scared. Our family thought we were nuts. We felt it was what God was calling us to do and we trusted Him. My biggest fear.....the thought of asking our family to move us YET AGAIN! (ha.) It sold in a few days and a huge weight was lifted from our shoulders. It was a great house. A nice neighborhood. Close to good schools. But, we realized something. It's a house. It doesn't matter where we live. Our kids will not look back and say "I wish I had a bigger bedroom or nicer kitchen counters or my own bathroom." We wanted to give our kids time and make memories with them. That house did not afford us to do that. This was the beginning of a lot of opportunities for our family. By September of this past year (before I even knew that God had blessed us with another little peanut) we had pretty much decided that I would take a year's leave of absence the following year. After finding out that I was pregnant, we realized that this is what was intended for our family.
Now that I have been home full time with my littles for 4 months I could not have a more different attitude than 5 short years ago when I was pregnant with Owen. There is no other place that I would rather be. Some days are long...VERY long. Some days goes smoothly and quickly. Every day I look around and am thankful. Content. So very happy.
