Thanks for my home.

Happy November! I love November. Every day this month for the past few years I have posted about something that I'm thankful for. I always run out of days before I run out of things to write. Today I'll write that I'm thankful for my home. We have lived in our house for 6 1/2 years and our neighborhood for 10 years. When we moved to the neighborhood (to what my kids call "the brown house," aka our old apartment across the street) I was 7 months pregnant with Theo. I have such fond memories of our first months there as we settled in and made it our home. Which is funny, because at the time I had so many frustrated tears. Can someone please remind me of that, the next time I have frustrated tears? They just might turn into fond memories. Eventually!

We live in a townhouse and it's not spacious (at least not for 6 people) but we love it. So much to love about it, including the "side yard" (common area) that we've claimed as our own; the kids' elementary school across the street; Matt's office 1 mile away; big windows letting in the sunshine and the colors of the trees outside; five cozy beds with somewhat clean sheets; books and toys on every shelf; drawers full of paper and jars full of pencils and markers and glue and scissors; friends of every age to play with within a few blocks; neighbors who tolerate our kids' mischief; safe streets for the kids to ride their bikes and scooters and practice independence. A messy backyard that really needs some TLC. Half-finished home-improvement projects in every room. An ancient piano with a dozen broken keys that gets practiced on every day. Ancient kitchen cabinets with squeaky doors and chipped blue paint. Piles of shoes and backpacks blocking the front door. This is a happy home.