Welcome to the brand new Nicholas Family Blog. So much has happened in the past few months that I figured it was about time to start a blog to keep everyone in the loop. Let's see...where to begin.

Change number one: we will close on our first house on May 26th. Jason and I are so excited. It's not the cute little starter home we originally thought we were seeking, but the moment we stepped in the front door, we knew it had to be ours. In fact, it's 2,000 square feet with 4 bedrooms and a bonus craft room! So much space! What we love so much about this house is the fact that it was built in 1900 and has some great original character. It does, however, need some "love" which we are anxious to provide starting this summer. We have big dreams like fencing the yard, adding a deck onto the flat garage, redoing the kitchen, getting rid of the in-home barber shop in the entryway, and doing some landscaping. We are trying to stay realistic and set priorities with what is most important to get accomplished this summer.
This is our new place from the front. It has great natural light with all those windows!

This is the living room looking in from the dining room. It has original leaded glass windows and great hardwood floors throughout.

The opposite view; looking from the living room into the dining room.

The fireplace in the living room has gorgeous tile and a neat old wrought iron insert.

Kitchen with our very first dishwasher! The washer and dryer are currently in the kitchen as well, but those will be moved into the new laundry room. The kitchen has two windows, so again, great light!

There are so many other cool photos of the house I could post, but I guess you'll just have to come out and see the rest for yourself! :)

Change number two: It's a good thing we found more than just a starter home for the two of us because just about a week ago we found out there will be three of us! Jason and I had been trying to get pregnant for a while and are so excited to finally have good news! The timing couldn't be better because I am due sometime mid January, so that will give us plenty of time to get settled into the new place before Baby Nicholas arrives. I really can't believe it. It hasn't set in for me yet that I'm carrying another little life. I don't physically FEEL any different except that I am really tired (which could be due to the fact that the end of the school year is quickly approaching and that we're spending most of our "free time" packing and painting). I wonder when it will FEEL real to me.

We've met with a few different doctors and discussed several options for my care and have decided to go a non-traditional route with Morningstar Women's Health and Birthing Center where we'll be taken care of by a midwife. It's a place that feels comfortable and like someone will KNOW me and treat me like a person. I won't be tossed around from doctor to doctor and nurse to nurse, but instead I'll always meet with the same midwife and assistants throughout my whole pregnancy and delivery. I'm very satisfied with what I've learned about them so far and am looking forward to my first monthly appointment in June.

So, that's the scoop so far. So much to wrap my head around. What an exciting time in our lives. I'm looking forward to sharing it with all of you. So many changes to look forward to!