Our Christmas Home Decor 2018

It’s Christmastime, my favorite time of the year!! This year is extra special to us because so many blessings have been poured into our lives this year! In just fifteen short weeks, we will be welcoming our first child into our new home! Ever since we tied the knot over five years ago, we have been working hard to buy our first home! It’s surreal to finally own a home and to be welcoming our little bundle of joy in just three months!

Our Home Story

We had been hoping to buy a home of our own for years! After we finally had our down payment, we just weren’t finding what we were looking for. The top things on our (my) list were: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a garage, and lots of natural light. If we found a townhome, we didn’t want anyone above us and parking spaces nearby. To some, our list sounded crazy, but after living the downtown apartment life, we were so ready for a comfort that was HOME! Well, we had almost given up, and I stopped my daily ritual of online house hunting. With only about two months left on our lease, our hope was nearly gone.

The Beginning

But God was about to answer our prayers in an epic way! First, let me take you back to the beginning. It was early June, and we had been pre-qualified for a few months. We tried to find a home and had been trying to conceive for a while, too, with no luck on either end. Our amazing realtor, Bea Hernandez, kept sending us listings, but I knew what I wanted and just wasn’t seeing it.

On Saturday, June 30th, while with family in Miami, we received a call that my paternal grandfather had passed away. It was a hard time, and, needless to say, it put all our planning on the back-burner. Earlier that week, I had also been convinced I was pregnant but later found out I had an ovarian cyst that messed with my hormones. It was painful, and since I had never experienced this before, I was wondering what was wrong.

We had the funeral early the next week. It was emotionally hard, and I was in physical pain, too. Wednesday, I went in for an ultrasound, and they told me it was an ovarian cyst that  ruptured. My midwife advised my to continue taking my prenatal vitamins that I had been taking for years, but she also told me I could Evening Primrose oil and Pregnitude; I also took Maca root. I just decide to try everything and hope for the best! With everything with my grandfather and the house hunt, we honestly stopped thinking about getting pregnant.

In mid-July, we went to Fort Myers for our annual family reunion with my dad’s side of the family. This was a special year because this was the first year we would be there without my grandfather with us. He was the reason my dad’s family held this one family vacation every year since the 80’s! We enjoyed ourselves and our time with family. I had a cocktail by the pool, got sunburn, and a bird pooped in my freshly-done hair just hours before our 5-year anniversary portraits! It was a memorable trip!

When we were on our way home, I felt different, and I suddenly thought to myself, “Oh! What if?” It was still pretty early to know for sure, but the next morning I took a test anyways. Hopeful that it was not just another blank test, I peeked with excitement. And I saw the faintest pink line!! I showed Andrew immediately, and we were both hopefully but cautious with our emotions. We waited a few more days, and I took another test. This time the pink line popped right up!! We were overjoyed and elated!!

God answered our number one prayer, and we couldn’t ask for anything else! A week later, just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, we got an email from our realtor. As soon as I opened it, I knew the home was perfect! I told Andrew about it excitedly, and we scheduled a time to see it that same day! It immediately felt like home! We love it, and my mom even snapped a photo of us in front of it!

We put in an offer the next day and hoped for the best. I tried to not get my hopes up, because I knew the previous homes in the development sold within a few days, and our chances of getting it were slim. Eagerly, we waited hear back. A few days later, they asked for our highest and final offer. We placed it and prayed for the best. Bea later told us out of the five offers they received, they were only considering our offer! WHAT!?! We were thrilled!

A few days later, we received the call. They officially accepted our offer! We scheduled the closing just a month later, and on August 31st, we signed the papers and closed on our first home! Just 21 days before our lease was up–the perfect amount of time to paint our new place and move in! I’m still in awe of how perfect the timing was!

God’s Timing is Perfect.

It was perfect timing, because it was God’s timing. He knew one of my deepest desires was to own a home before we had a baby. Even though we were okay to have them in a different order, God had an awesome plan in store that was even better than we could even imagine. We moved in shortly after the painting was done. Even though this was our fourth move in five years, it was the hardest, yet sweetest move because I was pregnant! Morning sickness and packing isn’t the most ideal combo, but it was do-able! But only because of my momma, who helped me pack and brought me chicken biscuits, because that was the only thing I could eat that I could keep down!

The month of August was spent packing, planning and thanking God so much! In the middle of the month, we went in for our first appointment and ultrasound! We saw our baby, and the heartbeat flickered on the screen! It was just the best! We felt, and still feel, beyond blessed! God opened every door the moment we stopped and didn’t push things. His timing is perfect, and even though waiting and having a miscarriage was very hard, I wouldn’t want it any other way. We are stronger and more grateful now because of everything we went through. God’s plan is always so much better than we can imagine.

This Christmas

As we step into this Christmas season, we just can’t help but feel overwhelmed by His blessings on our lives this year. Just two years ago at this very time, we were going through a very painful miscarriage at the 12-week mark. It was the most traumatic and painful season of our lives, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. But if it wasn’t for that season, we wouldn’t have the strength, perspective, and gratitude we have today. It’s humbling to see how much God can change in such a short amount of time!

Today, we look at this season of life and thank God daily. This Christmas is such a blessing and a gift. It’s been the best few months of our lives, and we know after our little one is born, things will forever be different! We truly can’t wait to meet her!

Our Home at Christmas Time

Here are a few shots of our house now at Christmastime! We went for a cozy cabin feel. I love the warmth our rustic Christmas home decor brings. Pops of red, cozy plaids, and lots of green brought this feel together! We hope you enjoy our Christmas home tour! From our family to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas!