My three bullet points

We still need our outside time!

A couple of weeks ago BK and I went out for some brief shopping and a date night. It wasn't our first night out, but after adjusting to life as a family of four, it was our first one after again realizing that we really had to make time for ourselves and our relationship, not being distracted by everything happening in our lives or only talking about K Bear and Baby H. We hit up The Usual and Ellerbe Fine Foods, both great places on Magnolia. Ellerbe might be my new favorite place to eat in Fort Worth.

One of BK's questions at dinner was: "If I had to identify three bullet points about our life since we'd moved back, what would they be?" For those of you who know BK, this is such a him question, but it led to lots of good conversation about what we'd both experienced here since moving back home. I don't think he even gave me his bullet points, but here are mine. 

Our general feeling about Baby H (Photo credit: Rooted in Love)

I feel like my life can really move forward now that Baby H has come along.
Not that I didn't have a life before, but with all the moving, shipment stuff, getting settled, finishing renovations, and getting ready for Baby H, now that he's here, I feel like I can start thinking about what happens next for me. It's kind of like, our life is in order and we actually live here, so now I can think about what I'll do next. 

One thing that goes with this is that I am so not meant to be a full-time stay at home mom. When I've said this to family and close friends, they all act like this is obvious and, of course I'm not meant to be at home. I'm not sure what's so different about the US versus Switzerland, but it is just not my thing. I'm not quite sure what my professional life will look like, but it will look like something.

Mawmaw with her four

Nani with her four

We wanted family and we definitely have it!
This is a good thing, don't worry, but SO different from what we've had for the past three years. Friends often ask if we see one of my family members every day. It's not every day, but I would say we probably see someone from either my or BK's family probably four out of seven days during the week. In the past week it has been Thursday (both), Friday (both), Saturday (both), Sunday (his), Monday (his), Tuesday (his), and Thursday (mine). Even on the days we don't actually see someone, we typically FaceTime with someone. Yes I know it's a lot, and it's not for everyone, but it's been good for us.

On most weeks, seeing family also includes someone watching the littles for us so we can go out. Win-win for everyone! I keep asking BK if/when he thinks the new will wear off! This brings me to my third bullet point...

The one pic of BK and I since Baby H has arrived

BK and I are still working to figure out how we work being back here.
Even though we've lived here before, we lived here as a family of two, both successful in our careers, no kids, and pretty much doing whatever we wanted to do. Obviously things have changed a bit now that we're back, and we're working on navigating what that means for us as a couple. Just like living in Switzerland, where for the first time in our marriage we were completely by ourselves (no family or friends close) and had to learn what it meant for us, and how we would work there as well. Moving back here is the same, just with different circumstances.

A couple of weeks ago BK came home and said he was trying to do a good job at balancing home, work and friends, to which I replied that I pretty much only had home right now, so I really didn't want to hear how he was balancing, because I felt as if I didn't have anything to balance at the moment. Not exactly the case, but like I said, we're trying to figure things out, and it's a work in progress. Adding Baby H to our family would have taken adjustment regardless, but add making a move back home from being abroad to that, and you have a few things to adjust to.

So yeah, that's where we are right now, always a work in progress and figuring things out. The one question we always get is: Is it good to be back in the US? Most definitely.