This week has been hard. For someone that is usually fairly good with words. I haven't had very many. Today made one week since my mom passed and I didn't expect today to be any better than the day I got the news. I was surprisingly, incorrect. Today was just a smidge better. Justin and I have been discussing adding more littles to our family more than ever now. With those types of conversation came conversations about homes... vehicles.. and other deciding life factors when discussing family expansion. We went down to Oregon last weekend to be with good friends of ours and while we were down there we took a look at their snazzy minivan. It was so HUGE. They are a family of six and their van easily accommodates all of their needs comfortably. Justin and I discussed the idea of us trading in my SUV for a van in the future. I had no idea that future would be less than a week later. 

We did our research online about minivans first. Their value, their mileage, different brands, what we would want for our budget, etc. We ended up deciding on the very minivan that we had seen while in Oregon. The Dodge Caravan. This "Mom Wagon" is seriously amazing. It has SOOO much storage space, sits seven people, and it has all the bells and whistles. I found a certified preowned that I absolutely adored, so we went down to the dealership to see if it was a good fit for us. The van itself is white and it has all black features. Windows, rims, etc. It is fully loaded with a dvd player, leather seats, navigation, and power door options.It also came with every warranty you could possibly have, so we are covered in every which way possible. It didn't take long to sell me on something I already wanted, so the looking part was a very short and simple process.

We immediately began to workout the finance aspect and we were pleasantly surprised with the numbers. The entire process took just under 4.5 hours, but I am happy to report that we are the owner of a 2015 Dodge Caravan. Side note, taking two children under three to a car dealership for over 4 hours was SO much easier than we ever expected. I know each child is different, but Olivia didn't have her "witching hour" fit.. (she actually hasn't for almost a week now), and Ava was as sweet as pie... once the car salesmen gave her a balloon from a display. We ended up leaving the dealership around 730, but we were so relieved that I finally found my "forever" car for our family. Grocery shopping is going to be SO much better now that I actually have trunk space. We have talked about trying for another baby in February 2017, so this mom wagon is going to be perfect for a possible new addition next year. 

Here's a little video I made for social media:

I've been asked to make a video of the inside of the mom wagon, so i may end up posting that on the blog as well. Ava already loves her new big girl seat in the van, and she loves that her BIG window rolls down. The air flow is amazing, the stowaway seats are so great. I am definitely looking forward to our BIG move in just sixty some odd days! I cannot wait to road trip with my sweet family in our new wheels.

♥- Leilani

The glass is always half full

It's crazy how things can change in just a matter of days. The last time I blogged we were pulling our offer on the house and the transmission in my car had taken a turn for the worst. Over the past four days we have managed to get into a new car, and potentially keep our offer on the house (more on this later). I've also found a strength in my marriage that was never ignited before. This past week was the first time that Justin and I were faced with multiple cases of chaos while being parents, but I really do believe we handled ourselves very well. Not to mention from Tuesday-Wednesday Justin had a twenty-four hour duty and he spent 38 hours awake before sleeping a wink. The lesson I learned is that no matter how many trials or tribulations I go through with my husband, we will always come out stronger and together. It is the best feeling in the world to know that we conquer the stresses of life well!

A few days ago, the builder for the home we put an offer on told us he'd be buying our rate down to the original numbers. On top of that, the builder installed custom blinds and added a refrigerator to the home. We honestly didn't think that our rescission would be counteracted, but now that it has.... we are in a very tough spot. I was extremely upset about not getting this house... and now that it's a possibility again, I don't know if I can take another hiccup. This entire home buying process has caused my stomach to stay in knots. It really is one of the hardest procedures I have ever been apart of. We sit down with our listing agent today to go over the new numbers and such. Hopefully we figure something out soon.

The new car is nothing short of fantastic. I normally don't get caught up in materialistic stuff, but I am glad and grateful for the new upgrade. Here's a look at our new dodge journey! It's a third row seater, and it's pulled all the stops you could imagine on an SUV. The only negative to this car is the trunk size, but the third row can be pulled down, which helps with space. This picture was taken with my new Canon T5i! I'm learning all about the manual mode, so excuse the light!

Speaking of my Canon T5i, be on the lookout for an entirely new blog from me. Aside from being a wife, mother, and student, I have my own hobbies. Photography has definitely started to become my favorite. With the camera upgrade, a lens upgrade, and determination to take quality photos of my family, I'm excited to see where this journey takes me. I'm also excited to document it for all of my blog readers. The blog is still under construction, but I'm hoping to share the link with you guys late next week. I will still continue to post everyday happenings and parenting tidbits on this blog, but I wanted to dedicate a new blog entirely to photography and my growth. Here's hoping it all goes well! 

Happy Friday all! 

♥- Leilani

New car, 9 months, & the Changes

I don't quite know how I have the energy to write this right now, but here goes nothing. Today was such hectic day. I thought Thursday had plans of total relaxation for me and my sweet lover bug, but the universe had other plans for us. Justin got off work extremely early, due to the high volume of soldiers in processing at his installation. Apparently all the NCO's that were in processing got pushed back a couple days. This allowed for them to get the Joe's all squared away first. Justin had no complaints about that, and I don't either. It's kind of nice knowing that his impending field time is being delayed a bit. Any who, so with my husband getting off so early, we decided it was time to go car shopping.

I had researched a few car dealerships that I liked, and we came across this 2001 Hyundai Elantra that I Thought would be perfect for Justin to commute to work. Turns out I was right, because after test driving it and inspecting the car, Justin was sold. I am pretty proud of my negotiating skills. I was able to talk the car down to a very decent price. That price included the minor repairs that needed to be done to the car, and tax, title, and registration. Definitely money well spent on our part. I don't think there are too many things we hate more than car payments, so I'm glad this car is paid in full and set to go. The carfax we viewed couldn't have been any better. This vehicle only had one owner, and nine services. No accidents, or anything like that either. The entire car purchase process took about three hours, and we went to a dealership about an hour away from home. The car sales men who sold us the vehicle mentioned that Washington state has over sixty six percent of  car sales in that area. Clearly they are doing something right in Everett and Lynnwood!

Today was also the day I switched all of Ava bug's clothes over to nine months. It was actually kind of emotional for me. I have a true to size baby who will be nine months old on Monday, and I just don't know where the time is running off to. I'm having frequent flashbacks of my little newborn in her newborn clothes. It feels fresh, as if it were yesterday. We also scheduled some Valentine day pictures for bug and her daddy. Apparently Ava is only allowed to have one Valentine! I can't wait to see how their photos turn out. Bug is wearing a red tutu, with a be mine onesie. This is the first time she'll have had a studio session before, so I'm hoping all goes well.

Last night I also decided to try my first batch of organic prefolds and a certified organic workhorse diaper. I'm very excited about using my favorite type of cloth with Ava. Since we will be at home a lot of the time, I can utilize my covers again! I can't wait. I love Karen from Green Mountain Diapers. a family that built a company due to their love of cloth. Cloth diapering isn't some cool trend or fad for our family. It's not solely about savings, or trying to appear more natural or green. We cloth because we truly believe it's a better diapering system for Ava, and we love that it's helping our world stay a bit more green. I am constantly reminded of that when I purchase or receive cloth essentials from small companies.

Whoo! This was longer than I expected. I'm off all! Tomorrow is love day with my sweet man, and I've got a lot to do between now and then! If you know a Veteran, make sure to give em a smooch for Valentine's day!

  ♥- Leilani