One Year Later

Today is Zac's first day back at work since Piper was born. Both children are sleeping at the same time for the first time today and I should be sleeping but it has been one year since I started this blog and I am sitting here thinking about how everything has changed. 

We were a family of three. Now we are a family of four.

We owned a home. We sold the home and are building a tiny house.

We both worked full-time (or more than full-time in Zac's case). I now work part-time and Zac has one primary full-time position. 

We lived above our means. We now live below our means. 

We had five credit card payments every month. We have no credit card payments. 

Last August I couldn't fathom having another child because I felt like I was barely keeping up with one. We had briefly talked about selling the house but never seriously and only to get something bigger. I desperately wanted to go part-time but financially there was no way I could. We lived paycheck to paycheck and felt like it would never change. I was hoping we would be able to pay off the credit cards by December but didn't know if it was realistic. 

What a difference one year makes. 

I started this blog because I needed an outlet. I was bored and overwhelmed at the same time. Finn was ten months old and I had no idea what the next year had in store but I was restless and couldn't fight the feeling that big changes were coming and whatever those changes were I wanted to have a way to share them with our friends and family and whoever else might find this blog. 

Tonight I have that same restless feeling. I'm trying to savor the moments with my newborn baby girl but my mind keeps racing forward...thinking of nights when sleep will happen in more than one or two hour increments. Dreaming of what our life will look like two months from now when the tiny house is done. Wondering how Finn and Piper will adjust to their new room together and if we will be able to make this whole thing work. 

Sharing our family's journey through this blog has allowed us to meet new friends, keep in touch with family across the U.S., share ideas for saving money and budgeting and most of all it has started so many new conversations. Conversations about faith and family that we never would have had otherwise. So, whether you read this blog because you know us or because you think we are a little crazy (its ok, sometimes we do too), thanks for sticking with us. 

We can't wait to share whatever the next year has in store!