Our Little Farmstead… One Year Later!

This week last year, we moved to our Little Farmstead! 

I was remembering that on this exact day last year, I was burning the midnight oil, packing. My husband had to be out of the country on business the two weeks leading up to our move. He literally flew in from Italy the night before the moving truck showed up! Thankfully, family helped us and we got everything done just in time!

A lot has changed in our day-to-day lives since moving here...

We have a lot more land now! We've really enjoyed the space for our boys to play and explore, the ability to keep more animals, room for a real garden, more outdoor entertaining space, and the general sense of privacy and freedom we have here. 

On the other hand, with the added land comes more up-keep. There is always something that needs to be done! We've found that with three growing boys, animals, property and full schedules… not everything will be pristine. That's okay (or so I often try to remind myself)! Chalk it up to "country living."

The picture below was taken just days after we moved in, on Thanksgiving morning!

When we moved here, we had one solitary cat. 

Now, we have two cats, a yellow lab, a rabbit and chickens… I had always dreamed of our boys growing up with animals. One of our favorite movies to watch as a family has been the remake of Charlotte's Web. That type of cozy, farm setting called to us. And though we by no means have a serious, working farm… it has been a dream come true to have a little taste of one.

Having animals is a lot of fun… and also a lot of work at times!

We've grown to love the little town, which is just a bike ride away from our house... 

Thinking back to moving day, I remember how surreal it felt. 

We have so many cherished memories at our previous house... 

Bringing two of our babies home from the hospital, running through sprinklers on the front lawn, riding bikes in the cul-de-sac, the backyard fort, going for walks (on sidewalks!), birthday parties and Christmas mornings… 

We had amazing neighbors and sometimes we miss the sense of community. In fact, we returned to our old neighborhood this past year to trick-or-treat! 

We don't miss the traffic or living on a through-street.

We are blessed with some good neighbors here too... Neighbors who have helped us put up a gate and made sure all was well after a bobcat attacked some of our chickens.

When we first moved in, I remember how dark it seemed at night without streetlights or close neighbors. 

We are used to it now and enjoy starry night skies.

Is it all that we hoped for? Yes, and then some. 

God's timing is perfect. I don't think we would have been ready for a place like this, even a few years ago, when our boys were smaller. 

There is always a special place in our hearts for home, isn't there? It doesn't matter if it's an apartment, suburban home, mini farm or city high-rise, home is truly where the heart is. It's much more about who you share it with than the size of the four walls or number of acres.

Whether you live by yourself and invite friends in, hear the almost constant running of little feet, or cherish alone time with someone you love, I hope you feel the comfort of home today…

Thank you so much for reading along.

xo


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