however

 Jess woke up to snow on his first day of work. He took this photo on the way in.

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So we decided to rent. For six months while we look for a home to buy. We found a great apartment on the top level (I'm a bit of a top level snob) with great space and lovely views. And if that doesn't work out, we'll rent some more. Personally, I'm quite fine with less square footage to clean, and I like the idea of having time to look for the "perfect" house, if that exists.

However, we can't move into our apartment until next month. We're lucky enough that Jess' family has loaned us a corner of their basement, but our stuff is in boxes in the garage. So I'm rotating through the same four shirts and Belle is rapidly growing out of the clothes I brought her. And while I realize we have more clothes in the garage, the thought of digging through our mountain of stuff to locate anything useful is just plain exhausting. Because in an attempt to thwart would-be burglars, Jess didn't label our boxes. And in a moment of sheer insanity, I didn't disagree.

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Annabelle decided she likes eating again. She'll even eat baby oatmeal again. (Have you tried this one? She loves it, and so does her cuz.) And while she generally prefers "big girl" food, she does love Graduates Puffs and Yogurt Melts for snacks. We were out running errands one day, and I could tell she was at the end of her patience rope. So I put her in her car seat, dumped Yogurt Melts her lap, and started driving. And for ten minutes straight, all I heard was, "Num, num, NUM, num."

However, I love them too. They're so yummy. It's like flavored air too, so even though I'm snacking, I'm keeping the calories low. I seriously dare you to try them. Peach Puffs are especially life changing.

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I have moments that I miss North Carolina. Mostly I miss our quiet life there - the one with a routine and a daddy who was home more often.

However, I think it was time to come home. Back to my mountains and the beautiful dry air. Back to square blocks and good food (I'm sorry NC - you just really don't have many options!). Back to family, grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles just an arms length away. And back to Cummings Chocolates. Okay seriously. Best chocolate in the world. Especially when it shows up magically under my pillow. Probably to make me forget that the boxes in the garage ARE NOT LABELED.