So I finally joined Facebook. I have heard it mentioned in conversations for a long time now. But I wasn't sure I wanted to add myself into the mix.
It has been really fun!
I have found family members, childhood friends, friends from high school, old mission companions, and friends that I see everyday at the gym. I love it. It is so fun to see pictures and hear what everyone is doing in their "real" lives. I love it.
Rob finally got me a computer of my own, now I don't have to wait for him to let me have time on the computer. He is on his pretty much every waking minute of the day. So I am more than excited!
My new year's goals are going well. I have been keeping my hair done, in fact yesterday I had about 15 minutes after getting home from the gym to get showered, hair done and dressed before I had to head out to take Adam to therapy, and I did it!!!
As for the dates with my kids, so far I have been able to take Avalon out and Rob was able to take Adam out bowling. So two down, two to go.
Date nights?? Well I still need to find a regular babysitter so this will be more feasible. But I will get it accomplished.
Finances, well we have purchased quicken and I have been spending time getting all the bank accounts and bills put in so we can track the finances more closely. This is mainly for Rob. He is such a geek, he seems to have to have information on a computer screen to have it sink in!! lol
I have also been tracking every penny I spend. I got a little notebook from Target that has a really nice set up to track where you are spending and how much in different categories. It is by Jane Chatzky, and I really like it. There is a quote from her in the front, that says, "People who track their spending, spend less and save more." That is what I am looking to do. I have noticed that I am not so quick to go through a drive through or run to the grocery store because I know I have to write down what I spend there. Now if I could get Rob to do the same..... I know he wont! Any ideas you guys have that may help me on this?
Well the day has begun, and I have Adam down stairs playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos and making tons of noise, so I should get going here. Oh, well!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
New year new me-update
So I did go and get a new haircut yesterday. It is much shorter than it has been in the last few years. I also did highlights (in a salon) for the first time. We did some blond and a slightly red tones and it turned out so pretty!!!
After the color was finished and I was in the chair getting blown dry my back was to the mirror. I hadn't had a chance to see the results. The lady in the chair next to me said, "Your color turned out gorgeous!" I replied that I was excited to see, too but that I had not seen it yet. So the stylist turned the chair around like it was the big reveal on What Not to Wear.
I was so excited I screamed! It is so cute!! She did a great job and I am excited to do it everyday, because I love it!!
I didn't go out and run in the last few days, because I am still recovering from the cold and cough the whole family has passed around. And besides that it is stinking cold out. The wind has been blowing very hard the last couple of days. I am looking forward to spring!
I am going to be taking all of the Christmas decorations down today. No one seems to even be noticing them anymore. The kids have moved on. On to the toys and cats. I am hoping to keep them entertained with a movie while I get everything taken down and put away. This is something that is just easier without helpers!
We are all preparing to head back into normal life tomorrow. We have had nearly three weeks of disruption around here with illness and the holidays. I am pretty excited to get back to normal, even though normal is busy, I am happier busy.
After the color was finished and I was in the chair getting blown dry my back was to the mirror. I hadn't had a chance to see the results. The lady in the chair next to me said, "Your color turned out gorgeous!" I replied that I was excited to see, too but that I had not seen it yet. So the stylist turned the chair around like it was the big reveal on What Not to Wear.
I was so excited I screamed! It is so cute!! She did a great job and I am excited to do it everyday, because I love it!!
I didn't go out and run in the last few days, because I am still recovering from the cold and cough the whole family has passed around. And besides that it is stinking cold out. The wind has been blowing very hard the last couple of days. I am looking forward to spring!
I am going to be taking all of the Christmas decorations down today. No one seems to even be noticing them anymore. The kids have moved on. On to the toys and cats. I am hoping to keep them entertained with a movie while I get everything taken down and put away. This is something that is just easier without helpers!
We are all preparing to head back into normal life tomorrow. We have had nearly three weeks of disruption around here with illness and the holidays. I am pretty excited to get back to normal, even though normal is busy, I am happier busy.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
2010
It is a little hard to believe another year is upon us!
2009 just seemed to pass at lightening pace. With lots of changes in our family my days were increasingly busy and the days just began to fly by.
We began the year house hunting and finished it by moving into a semi-custom built home. It is everything I asked for and more. I never thought it would be possible to have a home like this. But the Lord blessed us incredibly and all the right doors seemed to open and everything just fell into place. We are exactly where we are supposed to be, and it feels great to know that! I never imagined we could have a home this wonderful.
All of the kids started school this year in one form or another. Avalon got into the charter school for the area and is absolutely loving it. Alana is looking forward to going there this fall, but is loving Kindergarten and is doing spectacularly! She is smart as a whip, just like her dad! She constantly amazes me at the keen observations she makes and the very complex things she figures out. Adam started preschool four days a week this year over the two days a week last year, and he is absolutely thriving. He loves his class and looks forward to it every day. He too is amazingly smart, he is constantly amazing his teachers. He is always the first one with the correct answer and is doing so well. Archer is doing preschool one day a week and loves it. He gets mad at me everyday that is not a school day. When we drop Adam at his classroom and I don't drop Archer off, he is really upset. He would happily go everyday of the week, but of course, he is only two and they only offer one day a week programs for guys his age. Maybe next year!
I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming year and the things I would like to accomplish. Never resolutions, those seem to be broken before January ends. Goals, that is more my style.
Relationship: Twice monthly date nights with my sweet honey!
Kids: Once monthly "dates" for each child.
Spiritual: Read the Book of Mormon together as a family. --And on my own as well.
Financial: Actually live by a budget! --No more 20 and 50-ing the checking account to death!
Physical: Turn myself into a runner! I still have at least 50 pounds to lose and I will! No move fast food or soda. New year, new me! I am going to make 2010 my prettiest yet, new haircut, hair and makeup done everyday.
Well, things are off to a good start! Oh, and I am going to be a better blogger too!! And I expect you, my sweet readers to be better too, and leave comments!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
2009 just seemed to pass at lightening pace. With lots of changes in our family my days were increasingly busy and the days just began to fly by.
We began the year house hunting and finished it by moving into a semi-custom built home. It is everything I asked for and more. I never thought it would be possible to have a home like this. But the Lord blessed us incredibly and all the right doors seemed to open and everything just fell into place. We are exactly where we are supposed to be, and it feels great to know that! I never imagined we could have a home this wonderful.
All of the kids started school this year in one form or another. Avalon got into the charter school for the area and is absolutely loving it. Alana is looking forward to going there this fall, but is loving Kindergarten and is doing spectacularly! She is smart as a whip, just like her dad! She constantly amazes me at the keen observations she makes and the very complex things she figures out. Adam started preschool four days a week this year over the two days a week last year, and he is absolutely thriving. He loves his class and looks forward to it every day. He too is amazingly smart, he is constantly amazing his teachers. He is always the first one with the correct answer and is doing so well. Archer is doing preschool one day a week and loves it. He gets mad at me everyday that is not a school day. When we drop Adam at his classroom and I don't drop Archer off, he is really upset. He would happily go everyday of the week, but of course, he is only two and they only offer one day a week programs for guys his age. Maybe next year!
I have been thinking a lot about the upcoming year and the things I would like to accomplish. Never resolutions, those seem to be broken before January ends. Goals, that is more my style.
Relationship: Twice monthly date nights with my sweet honey!
Kids: Once monthly "dates" for each child.
Spiritual: Read the Book of Mormon together as a family. --And on my own as well.
Financial: Actually live by a budget! --No more 20 and 50-ing the checking account to death!
Physical: Turn myself into a runner! I still have at least 50 pounds to lose and I will! No move fast food or soda. New year, new me! I am going to make 2010 my prettiest yet, new haircut, hair and makeup done everyday.
Well, things are off to a good start! Oh, and I am going to be a better blogger too!! And I expect you, my sweet readers to be better too, and leave comments!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Life is so busy......
Okay,
Another huge catch up post.
It has been so long I hardly know where to start!
Well, we moved into our new house on November 5th. The movers were very careful and really did a wonderful job. So different from our move down from Mass. Nothing was broken, the only surprise (and not a good one!) Was that it actually ended up costing double the quote they had given us. And I had packed the whole house myself. And it is a good thing I did, for them to pack one box was $40 dollars. Yes, you read that right FORTY!! So thankfully I had a wonderful friend in the ward who went out hunting for boxes for me on more than one occasion, she literally saved me thousands of dollars, THANK YOU Sherry!!
The house turned out great and we really love it! It is such a great house and we love the area we live in so much. It is closer to everything we do, now I am not spending several hours a day in the car running the kids to their various appointments. What a relief that has been.
In other news, Rob had to have his appendix taken out. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we were our shopping (buying a new TV and Blu-ray on sale!!) He mentioned that his stomach was really bothering him. But he thought it was something silly like gas that would just pass. Throughout the day I would occasionally ask how he was feeling, and it was the same. That night he didn't come to bed until midnight. That is when I knew we had a problem. (We are serious grandpas and go to bed at 9:00PM at the latest, typically.)
I asked how he was feeling and he said a little worse, so I asked him to show me specifically where the pain was....lower right hand side. I called my mom just to confirm my suspicions and off to the emergency room we went. I called my good friend Rachael and she rushed right over and ended up staying all night and most of the next day with my kids. THANKS again Rachael!
So by 8:00AM he was heading into surgery. He had a bit of trouble coming out of the anesthesia, I guess at one point he was screaming for me. The nurse had to yell at him to calm down. It was a little scary for a little while.
He has been resting and took a week off of work and it almost back to normal. It is amazing what they can do know laproscopically(sp?)that just a few years ago was a pretty big cut and a long recovery.
Rob stayed busy by setting up tons of appointments with fence contractors. We have had a pretty steady stream of guys coming to give us quotes, not only for the fence but a patio and built-in bookcases too.
No work is being done today though, because we are being pounded with SNOW!! We have not had snow like this in all the time we have lived in Virginia. It is reminding me of some of the storms that we would get on a regular basis near Buffalo, NY. We are going to have a big job to dig back out!!
And in the way of very exciting news, we have two new little guys at our house. We got two new kittens yesterday. Max and Murphey are both orange tabbys and they are so cute and so fun. The kids love them, especially the girls, they are hauling them around and taking care of them like they are babies. It is so cute to watch them. Alana was really excited to help me scoop out the litter box this morning. We will see how long that lasts.
Unfortunately though, I think I may be allergic to them. Last night I went to bed with really itchy eyes and a stuffy nose. And today was bad until I took some Benedryl. We will have to see how this goes.
I really like them and don't want to have to get rid of them, and the kids would be heartbroken, so for now I will just suffer through.
Those of you who I usually send Christmas cards to, please forgive me for not getting them out this year and know that we love and think of you often and wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Another huge catch up post.
It has been so long I hardly know where to start!
Well, we moved into our new house on November 5th. The movers were very careful and really did a wonderful job. So different from our move down from Mass. Nothing was broken, the only surprise (and not a good one!) Was that it actually ended up costing double the quote they had given us. And I had packed the whole house myself. And it is a good thing I did, for them to pack one box was $40 dollars. Yes, you read that right FORTY!! So thankfully I had a wonderful friend in the ward who went out hunting for boxes for me on more than one occasion, she literally saved me thousands of dollars, THANK YOU Sherry!!
The house turned out great and we really love it! It is such a great house and we love the area we live in so much. It is closer to everything we do, now I am not spending several hours a day in the car running the kids to their various appointments. What a relief that has been.
In other news, Rob had to have his appendix taken out. The Saturday after Thanksgiving, we were our shopping (buying a new TV and Blu-ray on sale!!) He mentioned that his stomach was really bothering him. But he thought it was something silly like gas that would just pass. Throughout the day I would occasionally ask how he was feeling, and it was the same. That night he didn't come to bed until midnight. That is when I knew we had a problem. (We are serious grandpas and go to bed at 9:00PM at the latest, typically.)
I asked how he was feeling and he said a little worse, so I asked him to show me specifically where the pain was....lower right hand side. I called my mom just to confirm my suspicions and off to the emergency room we went. I called my good friend Rachael and she rushed right over and ended up staying all night and most of the next day with my kids. THANKS again Rachael!
So by 8:00AM he was heading into surgery. He had a bit of trouble coming out of the anesthesia, I guess at one point he was screaming for me. The nurse had to yell at him to calm down. It was a little scary for a little while.
He has been resting and took a week off of work and it almost back to normal. It is amazing what they can do know laproscopically(sp?)that just a few years ago was a pretty big cut and a long recovery.
Rob stayed busy by setting up tons of appointments with fence contractors. We have had a pretty steady stream of guys coming to give us quotes, not only for the fence but a patio and built-in bookcases too.
No work is being done today though, because we are being pounded with SNOW!! We have not had snow like this in all the time we have lived in Virginia. It is reminding me of some of the storms that we would get on a regular basis near Buffalo, NY. We are going to have a big job to dig back out!!
And in the way of very exciting news, we have two new little guys at our house. We got two new kittens yesterday. Max and Murphey are both orange tabbys and they are so cute and so fun. The kids love them, especially the girls, they are hauling them around and taking care of them like they are babies. It is so cute to watch them. Alana was really excited to help me scoop out the litter box this morning. We will see how long that lasts.
Unfortunately though, I think I may be allergic to them. Last night I went to bed with really itchy eyes and a stuffy nose. And today was bad until I took some Benedryl. We will have to see how this goes.
I really like them and don't want to have to get rid of them, and the kids would be heartbroken, so for now I will just suffer through.
Those of you who I usually send Christmas cards to, please forgive me for not getting them out this year and know that we love and think of you often and wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
The House is Finished!!
We had our quality walk through this last Wednesday and we will be closing next Wednesday!!
And I am pleased to report the house is GORGEOUS!!! Wow! I am so excited. It turned out so beautiful!
It is a little hard to imaging while you are picking tile and wood and carpet and cabinets and light fixtures, etc., etc., etc., how everything is going to look on a large scale and all together. And I must say, I did a good job!!!
We are very excited to move next week. The movers are scheduled, Rob has taken the week off of work, kids are arranged for. And off we go. Hopefully very smoothly!
And I am pleased to report the house is GORGEOUS!!! Wow! I am so excited. It turned out so beautiful!
It is a little hard to imaging while you are picking tile and wood and carpet and cabinets and light fixtures, etc., etc., etc., how everything is going to look on a large scale and all together. And I must say, I did a good job!!!
We are very excited to move next week. The movers are scheduled, Rob has taken the week off of work, kids are arranged for. And off we go. Hopefully very smoothly!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Happy Birthday Big Boy!!
Our little Archer turned 2 years old today!! I cannot believe how quickly time flies. He has grown into such a fun and sweet little boy. He is usually very happy and loves to laugh.
He has started talking up a storm. He loves to sing the ABCs and count. He knows most of the letter sounds and understands that they make up words, and has tried to sound out many words after watching his siblings sounding out words and reading.
He had a fun day and loved the chocolate cake for his party. He received some new toys and a big ball of his own and some new clothes.
I cannot believe 2 years has already gone by!! It seems like just a few days since he was born. The year he was born there was a huge heat wave that week and I was so happy to have an air conditioned home. He was just a happy little clam in there and was not coming on his own so I was induced at 41 weeks. And his birth was totally and completely pain free, I am not kidding!!
Because I was induced the contractions were not strong at all, I couldn't even feel them when they came in and said, you are dilated to a four, do you want an epidural now? I said, well I am not in any pain at all, but why not.........
So they placed the epi and within 2 hours he was born, and I did not feel one twinge of pain. I will tell you what, that is the way to give birth!! I was so easy I couldn't believe I had even had a baby. (After 3 quite painful no medication births this was heaven.)
I am so happy to have this little man in my life. He is such a joy and sweet happy boy! I love him to pieces!! Happy Birthday ARCHER!!!!
He has started talking up a storm. He loves to sing the ABCs and count. He knows most of the letter sounds and understands that they make up words, and has tried to sound out many words after watching his siblings sounding out words and reading.
He had a fun day and loved the chocolate cake for his party. He received some new toys and a big ball of his own and some new clothes.
I cannot believe 2 years has already gone by!! It seems like just a few days since he was born. The year he was born there was a huge heat wave that week and I was so happy to have an air conditioned home. He was just a happy little clam in there and was not coming on his own so I was induced at 41 weeks. And his birth was totally and completely pain free, I am not kidding!!
Because I was induced the contractions were not strong at all, I couldn't even feel them when they came in and said, you are dilated to a four, do you want an epidural now? I said, well I am not in any pain at all, but why not.........
So they placed the epi and within 2 hours he was born, and I did not feel one twinge of pain. I will tell you what, that is the way to give birth!! I was so easy I couldn't believe I had even had a baby. (After 3 quite painful no medication births this was heaven.)
I am so happy to have this little man in my life. He is such a joy and sweet happy boy! I love him to pieces!! Happy Birthday ARCHER!!!!
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Summer is winding down.....
Well Grandma is here for a couple of weeks and we have already been very busy. We headed up to Massachusetts to check out our old renters and check in the new family that will be residing there.
It was a quick trip, and very exhausting! But I must say I have children who are wonderful travelers. We spent about 19 hours in the car in 3 days and they did GREAT!! The only whines were when they were hungry or tired. (Which thankfully wasn't too often)
The new tenants seem like really good people and are very excited to have our home for a year or two. I hope they are very happy there.
We have all the kids registered for their respective schools and all is well. And school starts the week after Grandma leaves. The kids are all very excited and the girls even did a fashion show for Grandma this afternoon, modeling all of their new school clothes.
Before long they day will be even busier with dropping off and picking up of children from 3 different places. But I think I have the timing down and everything should run smoothly most days. And things will calm down considerably when we are able to move into our new house.
The house is still moving forward, not many noticeable changes lately, they have been doing all the plumbing and wiring and such. We should be ready for drywall in the next week or two. We still have an estimated completion time of "November", no more specific than that, "November", it is kind of making me a little crazy, don't these people know I need to plan and think and stew about all of these things. I cant even schedule movers until right before the move, because we don't have a specific date!! AAAHHHH!!!! But I can still do lots to get ready. And when my mom leaves I am going to start packing like crazy. If I do a little each day it won't take me long until we are ready to go!!
But, I must get going..........dinner is here, get the door it's Domino's!
It was a quick trip, and very exhausting! But I must say I have children who are wonderful travelers. We spent about 19 hours in the car in 3 days and they did GREAT!! The only whines were when they were hungry or tired. (Which thankfully wasn't too often)
The new tenants seem like really good people and are very excited to have our home for a year or two. I hope they are very happy there.
We have all the kids registered for their respective schools and all is well. And school starts the week after Grandma leaves. The kids are all very excited and the girls even did a fashion show for Grandma this afternoon, modeling all of their new school clothes.
Before long they day will be even busier with dropping off and picking up of children from 3 different places. But I think I have the timing down and everything should run smoothly most days. And things will calm down considerably when we are able to move into our new house.
The house is still moving forward, not many noticeable changes lately, they have been doing all the plumbing and wiring and such. We should be ready for drywall in the next week or two. We still have an estimated completion time of "November", no more specific than that, "November", it is kind of making me a little crazy, don't these people know I need to plan and think and stew about all of these things. I cant even schedule movers until right before the move, because we don't have a specific date!! AAAHHHH!!!! But I can still do lots to get ready. And when my mom leaves I am going to start packing like crazy. If I do a little each day it won't take me long until we are ready to go!!
But, I must get going..........dinner is here, get the door it's Domino's!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
I promise to have Rob let me post some pictures!!
The house is in FULL SWING!!! We have in the last week; had the first floor completely framed, the slab in the garages poured, and the second floor started. It is actually looking like a house!!
It looks a little smaller than what we envisioned, but it isn't. It is right and I am sure when the drywall goes in we will see. When it was just the foundation I swear I could cry. How much money are we spending on this? It is not going to be big enough. But, we are building the same house as the model and I know it is big enough. It is just deceiving with no real frame of reference.
Other exciting news, Several months ago Verizon came through our neighborhood to put in the fiber optic lines so the neighborhood could get FIOS, well, they had to do some digging in our yard. They put one of their boxes in the side yard and they also dug a little through our front yard. ---So yesterday I was having my sprinkler system turned on for the year and one of the zones was not working. The guy was like, "This is strange, I wonder what is going on..............OH! That's IT!!" Point to a huge mound bubbling up in the yard. He hurried to turn off the water and we knew that there was a broken pipe there. ..........Right where Verizon dug in my front yard!
They completely cut through one of the pipes.
The thing that makes me so mad about this is, I went out and told them before they even started digging that we had a sprinkler system and that they were clearly going to be where there were pipes. They guys acted like I was an idiot and said, "We do this all the time! We are not going to hit any of your pipes!!" BIG FAT JERK!!
Well they did!! It was clearly busted right in half and you could see the cute little fiber line going right over it!
Thankfully it was a fairly easy fix and didn't cost too much either. But now I have to decide if I should contact Verizon or not. I am sure they wouldn't do anything about it anyway!
It looks a little smaller than what we envisioned, but it isn't. It is right and I am sure when the drywall goes in we will see. When it was just the foundation I swear I could cry. How much money are we spending on this? It is not going to be big enough. But, we are building the same house as the model and I know it is big enough. It is just deceiving with no real frame of reference.
Other exciting news, Several months ago Verizon came through our neighborhood to put in the fiber optic lines so the neighborhood could get FIOS, well, they had to do some digging in our yard. They put one of their boxes in the side yard and they also dug a little through our front yard. ---So yesterday I was having my sprinkler system turned on for the year and one of the zones was not working. The guy was like, "This is strange, I wonder what is going on..............OH! That's IT!!" Point to a huge mound bubbling up in the yard. He hurried to turn off the water and we knew that there was a broken pipe there. ..........Right where Verizon dug in my front yard!
They completely cut through one of the pipes.
The thing that makes me so mad about this is, I went out and told them before they even started digging that we had a sprinkler system and that they were clearly going to be where there were pipes. They guys acted like I was an idiot and said, "We do this all the time! We are not going to hit any of your pipes!!" BIG FAT JERK!!
Well they did!! It was clearly busted right in half and you could see the cute little fiber line going right over it!
Thankfully it was a fairly easy fix and didn't cost too much either. But now I have to decide if I should contact Verizon or not. I am sure they wouldn't do anything about it anyway!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Time to catch up.......again
Well it is time to play catch up again!!!
I just get so caught up in day to day life, that I don't often spend much time on the computer.
(The past couple of weeks I have spent reading the Harry Potter books again) So that is how I have been spending all of my free time.
And......we only have one computer set up right now. A few weeks ago, Alana was trying to push away from the computer table and shoved off with her feet and tipped the entire table over. Two BIG flat screen monitors, two switches and a host of other "network guru items" (that I have no idea how they really work) went crashing toward the window and floor. Thankfully everything fell in such a way that nothing was broken. I cannot tell you how relieved I was....... Rob thinking he must go out and spend thousands of dollars on new computer equipment is enough to send me over the edge!!
He has been so busy with work he has only taken the time to set back up the things he needs and one of the computers. (I think this is a bit of a punishment for the rest of us. He doesn't like me or the kids using his stuff or being in his way when he is working or studying. (Which is most of the time!!))
So there are my excuses for not posting more.............pretty lame I know! ;)
Well the house is in full swing.
They dug about two weeks ago. We have foundation walls and they have hooked us up the the water and sewer at the street and they are busy plumbing the basement for the bathroom and wet bar and sump pump, drains, etc. before pouring the basement floor. They are moving quickly in spite of the near tropical rainstorms we seem to be having at least 4 days a week! But the good news with that is, I haven't had to water my lawn yet, and it is the middle of June already!!
Thank heaven for that little money saver right there.
I just get so caught up in day to day life, that I don't often spend much time on the computer.
(The past couple of weeks I have spent reading the Harry Potter books again) So that is how I have been spending all of my free time.
And......we only have one computer set up right now. A few weeks ago, Alana was trying to push away from the computer table and shoved off with her feet and tipped the entire table over. Two BIG flat screen monitors, two switches and a host of other "network guru items" (that I have no idea how they really work) went crashing toward the window and floor. Thankfully everything fell in such a way that nothing was broken. I cannot tell you how relieved I was....... Rob thinking he must go out and spend thousands of dollars on new computer equipment is enough to send me over the edge!!
He has been so busy with work he has only taken the time to set back up the things he needs and one of the computers. (I think this is a bit of a punishment for the rest of us. He doesn't like me or the kids using his stuff or being in his way when he is working or studying. (Which is most of the time!!))
So there are my excuses for not posting more.............pretty lame I know! ;)
Well the house is in full swing.
They dug about two weeks ago. We have foundation walls and they have hooked us up the the water and sewer at the street and they are busy plumbing the basement for the bathroom and wet bar and sump pump, drains, etc. before pouring the basement floor. They are moving quickly in spite of the near tropical rainstorms we seem to be having at least 4 days a week! But the good news with that is, I haven't had to water my lawn yet, and it is the middle of June already!!
Thank heaven for that little money saver right there.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
What is a good title?
I have the hardest time coming up with titles. Why do I need to title things anyway?
Things here are good. In a quiet kind of way. I like it. I like when I don't have huge worries and things to stew about all night long. I have been sleeping great!
The house paperwork is nearly complete. We are waiting on answers from a few of our "non-standard" requests. They have said yes to everything so far, so I am hopefully optimistic.
We have finished picking out all of our interior appointments. Hardwood color, cabinet wood and stain, the granite for the kitchen and master bath and the fireplace surrounds. The lights, faucets, etc. It has been really fun. It is really amazing how quickly everything adds up though! (not in a good way!)
They have yet to break ground, even though we were told it was happening two Tuesdays ago! But I expected this. It will take lots of time and I just need to be patient.
Things here are good. In a quiet kind of way. I like it. I like when I don't have huge worries and things to stew about all night long. I have been sleeping great!
The house paperwork is nearly complete. We are waiting on answers from a few of our "non-standard" requests. They have said yes to everything so far, so I am hopefully optimistic.
We have finished picking out all of our interior appointments. Hardwood color, cabinet wood and stain, the granite for the kitchen and master bath and the fireplace surrounds. The lights, faucets, etc. It has been really fun. It is really amazing how quickly everything adds up though! (not in a good way!)
They have yet to break ground, even though we were told it was happening two Tuesdays ago! But I expected this. It will take lots of time and I just need to be patient.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Lazy Day
Rob has been out of town for several days, to his cousins wedding. He has been having a blast hanging out with his friends and going and doing whatever he wants.
He sent me some beautiful flowers for Mother's Day from him and the kids. It was so fun. It has been a long time since I have had flowers.
The girls are off playing with friends in the neighborhood and the boys are watching Cars. The house is so quiet it is a little weird.
The day started super early this morning. Alana was up by 5 AM and was sitting out in my glider pressing on a water bottle. So it was making these loud crinkly popping sounds. It woke all of the rest of us up. By 6:10AM all of the kids were up, dressed and fed. What a great way to start the day!! --And I am actually not irritated at all. I know how hard it is to read tone in a post. But I was a little irritated when I was awakened, but I decided not to let it make it a bad day. So all is well here.
Happy Mother's Day to all!!
He sent me some beautiful flowers for Mother's Day from him and the kids. It was so fun. It has been a long time since I have had flowers.
The girls are off playing with friends in the neighborhood and the boys are watching Cars. The house is so quiet it is a little weird.
The day started super early this morning. Alana was up by 5 AM and was sitting out in my glider pressing on a water bottle. So it was making these loud crinkly popping sounds. It woke all of the rest of us up. By 6:10AM all of the kids were up, dressed and fed. What a great way to start the day!! --And I am actually not irritated at all. I know how hard it is to read tone in a post. But I was a little irritated when I was awakened, but I decided not to let it make it a bad day. So all is well here.
Happy Mother's Day to all!!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
We are building a house!
So I have been a huge slacker in updating after the last post.
The phone rang literally before I could hit the "publish post" button. So I hit it quickly and ran for the phone. The builder countered our counter and came down an additional $5000. So not too bad. They are finishing the basement for free. They are paying all of our closing costs. And they came down $90,000 in the price. YAY!!!! Not to mention all the other things we asked for in the offer. Paint that is NOT a flat finish (I hate flat paint with all my heart!!!!) The are finishing the basement bedroom with an egress window. (So it is actually a legal bedroom instead of a "den".) And several other things that I can't seem to think of right this minute!! But you get the idea!
WE are SO excited to finally be moving forward. They have already pulled the building permits and are starting this week. I will be taking pictures and hopefully posting them. I need to figure out the whole downloading and posting pictures thing. (Not to mention Rob is a little weird about me posting photos) So hopefully you can enjoy this ride with us!!
The phone rang literally before I could hit the "publish post" button. So I hit it quickly and ran for the phone. The builder countered our counter and came down an additional $5000. So not too bad. They are finishing the basement for free. They are paying all of our closing costs. And they came down $90,000 in the price. YAY!!!! Not to mention all the other things we asked for in the offer. Paint that is NOT a flat finish (I hate flat paint with all my heart!!!!) The are finishing the basement bedroom with an egress window. (So it is actually a legal bedroom instead of a "den".) And several other things that I can't seem to think of right this minute!! But you get the idea!
WE are SO excited to finally be moving forward. They have already pulled the building permits and are starting this week. I will be taking pictures and hopefully posting them. I need to figure out the whole downloading and posting pictures thing. (Not to mention Rob is a little weird about me posting photos) So hopefully you can enjoy this ride with us!!
Monday, April 27, 2009
I am waiting.......
I am waiting anxiously for a call from our Real Estate agent. We should be hearing back from the builder this morning. I am sure they will counter. We offered a fairly low amount for all the things we were asking for. So hopefully by tomorrow we will have a ratified contract. And then they can get started.
I was talking to the sales manager yesterday, and she said that everyone is on "High Alert" that we want to get in as quickly as possible. I am so excited!! It seems like everything is coming together!!
A few of you have asked if I could post the floor plan. Here it is. The model is the Emerson, and we are doing elevation one.
We are making a few small changes here and there but that is pretty much it. Instead of a two story open family room, we are doing a fifth bedroom and bath upstairs, I am also moving the laundry to the alcove in the master bedroom closet and turning the old laundry space into a big walk in pantry. We are also doing the sunroom extention on all three levels so it brings the square footage up to 5400. We are also doing a three car garage.
Ring phone ring.........
I was talking to the sales manager yesterday, and she said that everyone is on "High Alert" that we want to get in as quickly as possible. I am so excited!! It seems like everything is coming together!!
A few of you have asked if I could post the floor plan. Here it is. The model is the Emerson, and we are doing elevation one.
We are making a few small changes here and there but that is pretty much it. Instead of a two story open family room, we are doing a fifth bedroom and bath upstairs, I am also moving the laundry to the alcove in the master bedroom closet and turning the old laundry space into a big walk in pantry. We are also doing the sunroom extention on all three levels so it brings the square footage up to 5400. We are also doing a three car garage.
Ring phone ring.........
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Are you sick of hearing about my house hunt yet???
Well yesterday we took the plunge. We signed a contract to build a new house!
The other day when I went our with our Real Estate agent one of the houses we went to look at took us to a neighborhood that was great. I didn't really care for that house (or any of the others we saw that night) but the yard of this house was GREAT!!! Huge (for this area) and FLAT!!!
We have search and hunted and begged and pleaded for a big flat yard. We have a big yard with the house we are in now, but we also have a HUGE HILL sloping into the trees. The kids used to like to play ball, but not anymore after chasing it down a ski slope 7956 times.
So we decided to go talk to the builder in huge yard land and see if they could build me something to love. I honestly did not think I was that picky until I started house hunting. I guess that is one problem with having too much choice. So my agent and I toured the model and it is beautiful!!! They can do five bedrooms upstairs and it has 4 baths all upstairs too. I get my laundry upstairs, and a big pantry. What mom of many could ask for more?? But there is more!! We also have a Sun room extension on all three levels and the basement is fully finished with a media room!!
So I was really excited to find a house I was really finally happy about. And I knew that Rob would love the yards. So I took him the next day and he was thrilled!! He says this is what he has been looking for for the last two years.
So off we go!!!
We signed all of the initial contracts yesterday and gave them our deposit. Now there are a few things we asked for that we are waiting for approval on then they will pull permits and we are off and running. I am so excited. They are also going to try and have it done for us by the end of August so we only have to ask for one extra month on the rent and we will hopefully be in by the time school starts!!
The other day when I went our with our Real Estate agent one of the houses we went to look at took us to a neighborhood that was great. I didn't really care for that house (or any of the others we saw that night) but the yard of this house was GREAT!!! Huge (for this area) and FLAT!!!
We have search and hunted and begged and pleaded for a big flat yard. We have a big yard with the house we are in now, but we also have a HUGE HILL sloping into the trees. The kids used to like to play ball, but not anymore after chasing it down a ski slope 7956 times.
So we decided to go talk to the builder in huge yard land and see if they could build me something to love. I honestly did not think I was that picky until I started house hunting. I guess that is one problem with having too much choice. So my agent and I toured the model and it is beautiful!!! They can do five bedrooms upstairs and it has 4 baths all upstairs too. I get my laundry upstairs, and a big pantry. What mom of many could ask for more?? But there is more!! We also have a Sun room extension on all three levels and the basement is fully finished with a media room!!
So I was really excited to find a house I was really finally happy about. And I knew that Rob would love the yards. So I took him the next day and he was thrilled!! He says this is what he has been looking for for the last two years.
So off we go!!!
We signed all of the initial contracts yesterday and gave them our deposit. Now there are a few things we asked for that we are waiting for approval on then they will pull permits and we are off and running. I am so excited. They are also going to try and have it done for us by the end of August so we only have to ask for one extra month on the rent and we will hopefully be in by the time school starts!!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Offer Update
Well we did not get that house!
I am bummed!!
I talked to our agent and there were 20 offers on the house!!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!!
The jerks just hold it out there and keep everyone on the line, hoping.
But OH WELL!!
My agent sent over 9 new listings, and there are 5 of them I am REALLY interested in! We are going to see them this afternoon, if I can get a hold of Rob and get him home from work ASAP!
Holy Cow, I am really starting to hate this home buying thing! I just want the perfect house with the perfect yard at a great price, is that to much to ask? ---I don't think so!
I am bummed!!
I talked to our agent and there were 20 offers on the house!!!!! WHAT THE HECK!!!!
The jerks just hold it out there and keep everyone on the line, hoping.
But OH WELL!!
My agent sent over 9 new listings, and there are 5 of them I am REALLY interested in! We are going to see them this afternoon, if I can get a hold of Rob and get him home from work ASAP!
Holy Cow, I am really starting to hate this home buying thing! I just want the perfect house with the perfect yard at a great price, is that to much to ask? ---I don't think so!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Offer update
So after much thought and research we decided to up our offer by $25,000. We still feel like this house is a great deal, even at the higher price.
So our agent updated the offer and our bank upped the amount on the pre-approval letter and the offer was faxed over yesterday afternoon.
So now it is just a waiting game. Hopefully we will know soon. I hate not knowing.
If it is meant to be it will happen, if not, there is something else better for us out there.
So our agent updated the offer and our bank upped the amount on the pre-approval letter and the offer was faxed over yesterday afternoon.
So now it is just a waiting game. Hopefully we will know soon. I hate not knowing.
If it is meant to be it will happen, if not, there is something else better for us out there.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Housing.....why do we need it anyway?
So since my last post about the housing situation more has happened.
The following Monday our landlord called and wanted to talk about selling the house we are renting to us. It is a great house. And we have talked to him in the past about the price he would be willing to take for it. But it was always higher than we really thought it was worth in the current market. He has been dumbfounded about how low the prices in the neighborhood have dropped. So he found out some information that is part of one of the real estate recovery programs the government is trying to introduce. The one he is trying to do would pretty much make up any loss he has had on the house since he had to move on orders in 2007.
Our real estate agent, who also happens to be his agent, does not think the package will apply to him. His rank is quite high and he makes a lot more money than most military people. And these packages are designed to be VERY hard to qualify for. So she thinks he will either have to do a short sale or find someone else to rent after we move.
So as the government finalizes the rules, they should be out mid-April we decided to keep looking. And if we found something fabulous we would move on it no matter if the landlord sale thing would work out or not.
So I went out again to a house that I had tried to look at before. The day before we were to go to Great Wolf Lodge we went to see this house. (it is house number 1 ) At that time we couldn't get in to see it. There was no lock box on the door. So my agent called the listing agent, and only got the office and was told a variety of lies about why there was no key on the house. So she ended up threatening to report them because to have a house listed on MLS without a lock box is a $1000 fine. So the listing agent promptly took it off the market.
We went on vacation and came back and decided to keep looking. Our agent sent us a bunch of new listings to look at, and the same house was there but for $40,000 less than when I tried to go and see it before. SCORE!!
So we went to see it, and it is great!! It really fits our family's needs. 5 great size bedrooms upstairs. Fully finished basement, three car garage, great storage and more. It is not super fancy inside, I think the poor people who originally built it spent all their money getting the size, with all the bump-outs and additional rooms, that they did not have enough to finish it really nice inside. But the finishing touches are easy to do and will not cost that much.
So we put in an offer! That next day we submitted an offer for 12oo over list with extra so we could ask for closing costs. Essentially we offered 14000 more so we could get the 14000 back for closing costs.
So today, we get a call. There are multiple offers on the table. Give us your best and highest by 11PM. So now we have this huge dilemma. What the heck to we offer. We have no clue what anyone else has offered. We don't even know how many other offers there are. The bank said specifically that they will take no escalation clauses. So that really sucks! (an escalation clause says, "we will beat your highest offer by x amount") So we wouldn't have to pay more than absolutely necessary. But they won't do that. They want absolutely as much for the property as they can get.
So we are just sick. We really, really want this house. But don't' want to pay much more than we originally offered. We could just say, our original offer was our "best and highest" and just see how things go. But I think if we do that, we will lose it! ARGH!!!
The comps in the neighborhood are all over the place. And the tax assessment is for $140,000 more than we offered. So there is lots of up potential.
Man, I don't know what to do!!
I need to talk more to Rob, right now he just wants to say, our first offer is the highest, but then there is no taking it back, no second chances! I don't know what to do!!
The following Monday our landlord called and wanted to talk about selling the house we are renting to us. It is a great house. And we have talked to him in the past about the price he would be willing to take for it. But it was always higher than we really thought it was worth in the current market. He has been dumbfounded about how low the prices in the neighborhood have dropped. So he found out some information that is part of one of the real estate recovery programs the government is trying to introduce. The one he is trying to do would pretty much make up any loss he has had on the house since he had to move on orders in 2007.
Our real estate agent, who also happens to be his agent, does not think the package will apply to him. His rank is quite high and he makes a lot more money than most military people. And these packages are designed to be VERY hard to qualify for. So she thinks he will either have to do a short sale or find someone else to rent after we move.
So as the government finalizes the rules, they should be out mid-April we decided to keep looking. And if we found something fabulous we would move on it no matter if the landlord sale thing would work out or not.
So I went out again to a house that I had tried to look at before. The day before we were to go to Great Wolf Lodge we went to see this house. (it is house number 1 ) At that time we couldn't get in to see it. There was no lock box on the door. So my agent called the listing agent, and only got the office and was told a variety of lies about why there was no key on the house. So she ended up threatening to report them because to have a house listed on MLS without a lock box is a $1000 fine. So the listing agent promptly took it off the market.
We went on vacation and came back and decided to keep looking. Our agent sent us a bunch of new listings to look at, and the same house was there but for $40,000 less than when I tried to go and see it before. SCORE!!
So we went to see it, and it is great!! It really fits our family's needs. 5 great size bedrooms upstairs. Fully finished basement, three car garage, great storage and more. It is not super fancy inside, I think the poor people who originally built it spent all their money getting the size, with all the bump-outs and additional rooms, that they did not have enough to finish it really nice inside. But the finishing touches are easy to do and will not cost that much.
So we put in an offer! That next day we submitted an offer for 12oo over list with extra so we could ask for closing costs. Essentially we offered 14000 more so we could get the 14000 back for closing costs.
So today, we get a call. There are multiple offers on the table. Give us your best and highest by 11PM. So now we have this huge dilemma. What the heck to we offer. We have no clue what anyone else has offered. We don't even know how many other offers there are. The bank said specifically that they will take no escalation clauses. So that really sucks! (an escalation clause says, "we will beat your highest offer by x amount") So we wouldn't have to pay more than absolutely necessary. But they won't do that. They want absolutely as much for the property as they can get.
So we are just sick. We really, really want this house. But don't' want to pay much more than we originally offered. We could just say, our original offer was our "best and highest" and just see how things go. But I think if we do that, we will lose it! ARGH!!!
The comps in the neighborhood are all over the place. And the tax assessment is for $140,000 more than we offered. So there is lots of up potential.
Man, I don't know what to do!!
I need to talk more to Rob, right now he just wants to say, our first offer is the highest, but then there is no taking it back, no second chances! I don't know what to do!!
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Happy Birthday Alana!!
Sweet Alana Nicole turned five years old today.
She had a wonderful day. She had a little party this afternoon, with some friends from church and the neighborhood. It was really fun!
Five years ago Rob was traveling with his job quite extensively. He had been in Guam for about 6 weeks followed closely by Spain for a month. He was so nervous he was going to miss the birth. I was doing fine. I was not really that nervous. I was the Primary president and Avalon was only 16 months old, so I had plenty to keep me busy.
We picked up Rob about 4:00PM on the 27th. He was dead tired after traveling for about 14 hours on a plane. So we headed home and went bed before 7:00PM (hey, I was just about to have a baby, I was tired too.)
The next morning I woke up to contractions. They were not really powerful, yet. I was even debating whether or not we should go to church. I woke up Rob and he got showered and ate breakfast and I rushed around packing a bag and making phone calls.
We had a young boy we picked up each Sunday, had to arrange another ride for him, and let my councilors know I would not be there, as well as let our friends know who were taking care of Avalon for us.
Then we headed off to the hospital. We arrived there about 9:00AM, and by that time, there was no doubt I was going to have a baby, and soon. They got us checked in and into our room. The doctor arrived soon thereafter and stayed through the remainder of the labor. She was terrific. I had no pain medication at all, and was really scared. It was going really fast and hard. Rob was the best coach ever. Even after the birth the Doctor and the Nurses all complimented him and told him what a great job he did. He was so dead tired from his long journey the day before, but was so excited for his new baby girl.
Alana was such a sweet wonderful baby. So quiet and so easy. She slept well from the very beginning and was so good natured!
We are so grateful to have her in our life!
We love you!
She had a wonderful day. She had a little party this afternoon, with some friends from church and the neighborhood. It was really fun!
Five years ago Rob was traveling with his job quite extensively. He had been in Guam for about 6 weeks followed closely by Spain for a month. He was so nervous he was going to miss the birth. I was doing fine. I was not really that nervous. I was the Primary president and Avalon was only 16 months old, so I had plenty to keep me busy.
We picked up Rob about 4:00PM on the 27th. He was dead tired after traveling for about 14 hours on a plane. So we headed home and went bed before 7:00PM (hey, I was just about to have a baby, I was tired too.)
The next morning I woke up to contractions. They were not really powerful, yet. I was even debating whether or not we should go to church. I woke up Rob and he got showered and ate breakfast and I rushed around packing a bag and making phone calls.
We had a young boy we picked up each Sunday, had to arrange another ride for him, and let my councilors know I would not be there, as well as let our friends know who were taking care of Avalon for us.
Then we headed off to the hospital. We arrived there about 9:00AM, and by that time, there was no doubt I was going to have a baby, and soon. They got us checked in and into our room. The doctor arrived soon thereafter and stayed through the remainder of the labor. She was terrific. I had no pain medication at all, and was really scared. It was going really fast and hard. Rob was the best coach ever. Even after the birth the Doctor and the Nurses all complimented him and told him what a great job he did. He was so dead tired from his long journey the day before, but was so excited for his new baby girl.
Alana was such a sweet wonderful baby. So quiet and so easy. She slept well from the very beginning and was so good natured!
We are so grateful to have her in our life!
We love you!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Announcing.......
Avalon got in!!!!!!
We received the letter from the Charter school today. I came home from a long morning out. Target, Doctor's office and back to Target for prescriptions. I came home and got the mail before pulling into the garage. There was the envelope. It was thick. Always a good sign. Thick envelopes mean more papers to sign and more information. Thin envelopes, one page to say, you are wait list number 3458.
Avalon's was thick, and my stomach jumped to my throat, "she got in" I thought!! I ran inside and called to Avalon, to come upstairs so we could open it together.
Congratulations!! We screamed and hugged and jumped around. We are thrilled!
Avalon just kept saying, "They said yes!!"
Now, she is a little sad that September is so far away.
SWEET!
We received the letter from the Charter school today. I came home from a long morning out. Target, Doctor's office and back to Target for prescriptions. I came home and got the mail before pulling into the garage. There was the envelope. It was thick. Always a good sign. Thick envelopes mean more papers to sign and more information. Thin envelopes, one page to say, you are wait list number 3458.
Avalon's was thick, and my stomach jumped to my throat, "she got in" I thought!! I ran inside and called to Avalon, to come upstairs so we could open it together.
Congratulations!! We screamed and hugged and jumped around. We are thrilled!
Avalon just kept saying, "They said yes!!"
Now, she is a little sad that September is so far away.
SWEET!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Major catch up......again!
Man, I pretty much suck at this blogging thing! Life just gets too busy! We still have tons going on, and I am feeling really stressed lately, even with working my butt off at the gym lately. The workouts help relieve my stress, but added stress makes me eat like a pig, so thankfully I am not gaining, but not really losing either! I really need some things in my life to settle and normalize a little bit again. I have been feeling out of control lately, and those who know me well, know that out of control is not a phrase that describes me!!! ;-)
We are still looking for a house. We are being really picky. We have seen tons of really nice houses that we could easily afford, but we are holding out for everything we want. Hopefully we will find it soon.
We had decided that we were going to go ahead and build the Davenport with Brookfield. They are a great builder and we felt like we were getting a good house for the money and the incentives were incredible. So we went in to sign a contract and get things rolling. To make a REALLY long story short, we were in the office for 5 hours and still did not have signed papers, so we took the blank contract home to read over and sign and return. Two nights later our renters from our house in Mass called to let us know that he had lost his job and that they were giving their 30 day notice. So then it all made sense why Heavenly Father created so many road blocks and circumstances that kept us from moving forward on the house like we had originally planned. If we had gone forward when we had first planned we would not have been able to back out of the deal, and we would have been super stressed financially paying for both homes.
So now we are keeping more realistic expectations and are only looking for homes that the mortgage will be about the same that we are paying in rent. Because we know that we can afford both homes with no issues. It is definitely the wiser course of action.
We went last week and spent a night at Great Wolf Lodge with some good friends of ours. Our friend is a Doctor and in the Navy and is being deployed at the end of the month. So we wanted to go and let the kids and us have some fun together before he heads overseas and we move away. We had a GREAT time!! This was our second trip down in the last few months and it was even better this time. We knew better what to expect and pack, and the kids had a great time!
Adam did SO much better this time as well. Last time he pretty much stayed in the kids pool and only did the slide once and was pretty nervous to venture far. But this time he did GREAT!!! He did the slides over and over and played all over the big climbing structure. Even with all the sprayers and geysers he did fine! He is making so much progress lately, I am so proud of him!
Our friend loved it too. We are so glad we did it!
I went to see the developmental pediatrician today for the "results" portion of our visit after she evaluated Adam. She does feel that he is on the Autism Spectrum. She mentioned several strengths that she saw as well as a few weaknesses. She suggested that in addition to his preschool classes that I start him in private speech and occupational therapy.
Overall it was a good informative meeting. She gave me a list of books and websites to look into and a list of doctors and therapists to work with as well.
We will go back in for a follow up in a few months after the start of a new school year when he will have been in speech and OT for several months and will have started his preschool classes four days a week.
She feels that he is very high functioning and has lots of potential. Hopefully we can get him all the help he needs. I feel very blessed to live in an area that has so many resources available to us.
Well, I am tired and think I will sign off for tonight, and go and waste some time watching TV.
See you!
Hey, all you guys out there, leave me a comment if you are reading. I had site meter, but it is not registering any visits, ever! According to the stupid thing, no one has ever been to my blog to read it in any way..... so if you are out there, give me a quick hello!!
We are still looking for a house. We are being really picky. We have seen tons of really nice houses that we could easily afford, but we are holding out for everything we want. Hopefully we will find it soon.
We had decided that we were going to go ahead and build the Davenport with Brookfield. They are a great builder and we felt like we were getting a good house for the money and the incentives were incredible. So we went in to sign a contract and get things rolling. To make a REALLY long story short, we were in the office for 5 hours and still did not have signed papers, so we took the blank contract home to read over and sign and return. Two nights later our renters from our house in Mass called to let us know that he had lost his job and that they were giving their 30 day notice. So then it all made sense why Heavenly Father created so many road blocks and circumstances that kept us from moving forward on the house like we had originally planned. If we had gone forward when we had first planned we would not have been able to back out of the deal, and we would have been super stressed financially paying for both homes.
So now we are keeping more realistic expectations and are only looking for homes that the mortgage will be about the same that we are paying in rent. Because we know that we can afford both homes with no issues. It is definitely the wiser course of action.
We went last week and spent a night at Great Wolf Lodge with some good friends of ours. Our friend is a Doctor and in the Navy and is being deployed at the end of the month. So we wanted to go and let the kids and us have some fun together before he heads overseas and we move away. We had a GREAT time!! This was our second trip down in the last few months and it was even better this time. We knew better what to expect and pack, and the kids had a great time!
Adam did SO much better this time as well. Last time he pretty much stayed in the kids pool and only did the slide once and was pretty nervous to venture far. But this time he did GREAT!!! He did the slides over and over and played all over the big climbing structure. Even with all the sprayers and geysers he did fine! He is making so much progress lately, I am so proud of him!
Our friend loved it too. We are so glad we did it!
I went to see the developmental pediatrician today for the "results" portion of our visit after she evaluated Adam. She does feel that he is on the Autism Spectrum. She mentioned several strengths that she saw as well as a few weaknesses. She suggested that in addition to his preschool classes that I start him in private speech and occupational therapy.
Overall it was a good informative meeting. She gave me a list of books and websites to look into and a list of doctors and therapists to work with as well.
We will go back in for a follow up in a few months after the start of a new school year when he will have been in speech and OT for several months and will have started his preschool classes four days a week.
She feels that he is very high functioning and has lots of potential. Hopefully we can get him all the help he needs. I feel very blessed to live in an area that has so many resources available to us.
Well, I am tired and think I will sign off for tonight, and go and waste some time watching TV.
See you!
Hey, all you guys out there, leave me a comment if you are reading. I had site meter, but it is not registering any visits, ever! According to the stupid thing, no one has ever been to my blog to read it in any way..... so if you are out there, give me a quick hello!!
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