keep on moving.

Today we started the process of preparing our home for the hopping housing market...again. Last year we took tremendous effort to do the exact same thing, and three weeks later we decided we had far too much transition in our lives already and took it off the market. A year later, we have settled some of our unknowns. We thought we would have it all settled, like oh, bringing home baby #2. Clearly, that is still pending and we are realizing that we must keep moving in our lives as we await our new baby.

When we first started the adoption process we felt as if we needed to be "ready" right away. I hauled out all of the baby stuff, looked at it, and crammed it into new places I could locate on a dime. We felt risky for taking a short vacation or making long term plans. As the time has passed, we have realized that the advice they gave us in the beginning was true...we shouldn't be scared to keep on living our lives. So, we started to make adjustments. We had some good friends, a family of 3, move in for 2.5 months. That was a leap of faith for us, as we couldn't technically bring home a baby with others in our home. They will be moving out next week, and we are still in the clear regarding baby. I guess all of this "risky" business has given us the motivation to move forward with listing our house, as the spring is the best time to sell a house and we don't want to wait another full year for the prime market (whatever that means these days). It is highly unlikely that both events will overlap. I mean, our house could be on the market for 8 months and our baby could come home in two. Or, our house could sell in two months and our baby could come home in 8. Knowing all of that, I look forward to bringing home a baby on moving day...or on day 3 when I've put my sanity in an unlabeled cardboard box and can't relocate it.

The great part about our labor last year is that we don't have as much to do this year. We did most of our home repairs and simplifying last year, and it has lasted. The main work this year is interior painting. We started today by touching up trim and walls in less common areas. Amazingly, we only had to paint the bottom third of the walls. It seems someone about that tall can add an incredible amount of grime to the decor. Timeout corner was impressively filthy. It is really amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do to make an area look crisper and cleaner. Now I just have to hope it will last...and relocate time out to a non-painted location.

Josiah is, well, fully embracing his own ideas these days. We are never quite sure what he is going to say. When we said something he didn't like the other day, his response was, "Are you kidding me?" When his Noni's visit was ending and she told him she had to leave, he said, "That's lame." He will sit us down and say, "This is the deal: (insert Josiah's game plan for daily events)." He informed us we could move to Noni and PawPaw's house, as there is a bedroom there for him. He spent this week addressing us by our first names. We corrected him, but he still liked the idea of admonishing us with our names when we said something silly or hollering "Jon-da-den" when he needed something from his father. He even informed me he was going to Bob's (PawPaw's) house. I think he felt more legitimized by using the names we do to address others; however, I prefer Mommy way more.

When he got a splinter the other day he adamantly refused to let us remove it. Instead, he prayed for God to heal him and asserted, "No, Mommy, I want Jesus to fix it. He will heal it, because I love Jesus." I tried to convince him that Mommy could be an agent for Jesus. It didn't work. Childlike faith, I guess, because the kid didn't have the splinter the next day.

Josiah's imagination is pretty extensive, and the same "never know what is going to come out" applies in this area of his life. Today in the car he pulled his hoodie over his eye and declared himself a "pirate man." He tugged on his shoulder to show us where his bird was sitting and what sounds it was making at the time. I walked in to his room and he had all of his vehicles lined up in neat rows. I asked him if it was a parking lot. He balked and informed me, "No, Mom, it's traffic." He loves to make tents and to play "hiding and seek." He also loves to play pretend baseball inside, which basically includes swinging the air, runs, and slides across the slick wooden floor.

We are having a blast with this stage, as the surprise thoughts keep us laughing most of the day. I'm not sure who decided 3 is terrible, as the terrible parts are far outweighed by the great ones so far.