We're Leaving Our Nest

I remember the first time we saw this house... we walked in and immediately fell in love with the feeling it gave us.  It was clean, bright, had beautiful views and seemed to be a perfect fit.  I remember picturing a line of tiny shoes in the laundry room, knowing which room would someday be a nursery, and imagined having family and friends fill the kitchen and living room.  We were so excited to move in.  I vividly remember seeing it empty on the day we got the keys and being amazed that we got to live here.  We only got this house because 2 other offers had fallen through and we were the back up.
A little more than 5 years later, and this home has been a blessing.  We brought two babies home from the hospital.  We've spent countless hours on the big shaggy rug in our living room with our kids - crawling, snuggling and playing.
One of my favorite things about this home is watching the rain fall.  I can see the drops in contrast to our neighbors house.  It is so quiet here.  The big windows have always given us a beautiful show of the dark clouds, lightening, and sunsets.  They've also provided us with beautiful natural light to take pictures of these babies... thousands and thousands of them!
On the walk from our room to theirs for the middle of the night feedings, I would peek out the windows at the lights.  It's always been a comfort for me.  I have felt safe here.  It's home to our little family.  So much life has happened in these big 4 walls.
About 4 months ago, TL and I found another house, a single story, that we really liked in a different area.  We put an offer on it, but didn't get it because we weren't competitive with a contingency of our house not being sold.  I hadn't even imagined moving... but something about this other house made me start thinking about something different.  It was a single story, smaller, and all of the rooms were near each other.  As fabulous as our house is, it's multi-level with big balconies with a long drop to the bottom.  Andie is now sleeping on a different level than us, and we don't have an accessible back yard.  Before babies, I never thought I would be nervous about a child falling over the railing, or needing a place to run outside with out worrying about cars.  Things change, life changes... and our needs are very different then they were 5 years ago.
So... we decided to list the house and see what happened.  And now, another young couple is purchasing it.  We've had so many second thoughts... how do you leave something you love so much?  It's been a roller coaster of decisions, but we've finally decided this is for the best.
Home is where my family is.  We are going to be renting for the foreseeable future and looking into the possibility of building a home.  It's crazy how life works out... how people come into our lives.  We bought this house from the builder who happened to be living here... we established a relationship with him because he has a reputable business and does a lot of things for people in our neighborhood.  And now, he may be building our next home as well.
I am not always a huge fan of big change.  I think this will be an interesting year for us.  Life is an adventure, and why not just say 'yes' and see what different things may be waiting around the corner.
We have found a potential lot we like... but lots of things will have to fall into place for us to build. It's so hard to imagine a home on the big pile of dirt and weeds.  Who knows where to road will take us.  Just as long as we are together, that's all that matters.  I want to start writing about our journey, as honestly as I can, to building our own home if things work out.
Now... who wants to come over and help me organize, pack, and box up our stuff?  I will provide the wine. ;)