Moving on Up

So it has been a while since I've updated on how the whole home buying process was going.... and it is going great. We have a contract on the house we wanted. In the contact the seller gave us $2,000 for a carpet allowance and let us use the remainder to replace the back french doors. The old doors were leaking and ruined the laminate floor in the living room. The last few weeks have been a whirlwind. We've had it inspected and selected out home owner's insurance. We picked out carpet and doors and had them installed. We signed our loan papers and are on track to close on February 26th. We've even started packing... which is quickly becoming my least favorite part of this whole experience.

The first thing Lucas did when he saw the new carpet was take his shoes off and drive a toy car around.

Dear Lucas (4 years 6 Months... and some days),

This is the latest I have ever been with one of your letters and this is NOT a habit I want to keep. It has been quite a busy month. We are currently in the middle of buying our first house and we all all excited.

Today we got brand new carpet and you were so happy to see your new room. When we got home you wanted to start packing up your room so we got out the boxes and let you pack up some of your toys. The first thing you packed... your trains. Hopefully you understood when we explained to you that we aren't opening the boxes until we get to the new house. I think you are going to be very happy there. We are planning to turn the spare bedroom into a playroom and there is a playhouse in the large backyard. We should be moving in there in just a few weeks.

To go along with our new house you and your Dad decided we needed a new dog. So about a week ago we welcomed "Nicey" to our family. You are the one that named her, "because she is nice." She really is a sweet dog and she loves to cuddle, so you guys are two peas in a pod. Every night she comes crawling in your bed to snuggle after you have fallen asleep. She is pretty much your dog. We were planning on getting you a loft bed for the new house but have been rethinking it because then Nicey couldn't crawl in bed with you. We asked you if you would rather have a high bed and Nicey not be able to sleep with you or a low bed so Nicey could snuggle with you. Your response totally cracked me up. You told us you wanted a high bed with an elevator for Nicey.

You've been asking for a brother lately and you've gotten the next best thing in your book, I started watching your friends David and Gabe again. When I started looking for a job last month it really hit me that I was going to have less time with you and just the thought of it was killing me. Right around the time I started getting interviews, David and Gabe's babysitter gave notice that she would be moving in a month and Priscilla asked if I might want to start watching them again. It seemed like a perfect solution, you would get to spend time with your best friends and I would be able to still be a "stay-at-home mom."

Snuggle Buggle, I love you to the moon and back,

Mama

P.S. The next letter should be written from our brand new home!!!!

Wait and Hope

"All human wisdom is summed up in two words- wait and hope." -Alexandre Dumas Pere


We still haven't heard any word back on if our offer was accepted or if they will counter-offer. It's all a waiting game. Right now it doesn't seem real that one day we could be will be home owners. Instead it just seems like we are talking about something that may happen in the DISTANT future, instead of something that could happen within the next month. Even if this house isn't in the cards for us, we'll keep looking.

This whole house hunting process has brought Curt and I even closer together. It's been so much fun to go look at different houses together and talk about what we both want and to browse and make a wish list for furnishings. It's nice to have something new and exciting to talk about around the dinner table. Even Lucas is getting in on the fun. He has asked if he could have a bunk bed in his room, for when he finally gets his big brother.

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Today we put our very first offer on our very first house. Now all we have to do is sit back and wait. When we signed the offer today we took Lucas to see the the house for the first time. His favorite part of the whole house is outside in the fenced in backyard. We're trying to get our hopes up because we know there is a chance that the offer won't be accepted and that in the end we can't agree on the terms of the house. We're trying to not be too optimistic just in case but we REALLY LOVE THIS HOUSE. The seller is out of the office until Wednesday so we won't even know anything for a couple days.

Right after signing the offer on the house I got a phone call about a photography job I applied for a few weeks ago. I passed the phone interview and now I go onto the in person interview. I go Thursday morning and I am so excited. I have a really good feeling about this too. I'm so excited with all the new possibilities but at the same time I'm trying to restrain myself. I am so used to being thrown curve balls this past year that it's like I am just waiting for the bottom to drop out of everything. Could things really be going this awesome for us? I guess all we can do is hurry up and wait and see how this all plays out.

Something to Talk About

A few nights ago Curt was playing a game on his computer when Lucas walked up to see what he was doing. Apparently the game wasn't going so well because out of nowhere Lucas says, "Man Dad, you are getting your ass kicked!" and then turned and walked away. (Then Daddy and Lucas had a conversation about how we do not use certain words in our house)
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Last weekend we were in the car and I was driving and Lucas was eating a snack. He accidently dropped some on his lap and I hear him say, "Damn it!" and when I asked him about what he had said he tells me, "Oh mom it's just a song dammit, dammit, fammit, hammit" Yeah, if he is already able to pull excuses out of thin air at four, I am in BIG trouble.
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Luc: "Mom in our new house can I have a bunk bed?"
Me: "I don't know baby, why?"
Luc: "So when we get my older brother he can have a bed to sleep in already, and he'll always be in my room."

Beginnings

This year brings so many possibilities, so many adventures, and so many unknowns. The first big change is that since my Grandma passed away a few weeks ago I now have a whole lot of free time. During the school week I helped take care of her a few days a week. Now I've just been by myself while Curt is at work and Lucas is in school.

Our plan was always for me to go to work when Lucas started school... so here I am job hunting. I've applied for a job at a local library but haven't heard anything. The problem is finding something that starts after 9AM since I have to take Lucas to school in the mornings.

The other big thing is we finally have a decent size amount of money to pay off our credit card debt and still have some left over for a down payment on a house. We've been looking around at houses here and there but feel a little overwhelmed. I've started reading "Home Buying for Dummies." I wish we could skip the whole home buying process and go right to the home decorating.... I've already been googling "train themed twin bedding" for Lucas' new room.

The last thing I am focusing on is getting back into the gym. In the last month between four Thanksgiving dinners, losing three loved ones (Southern Fried Funeral Food anyone?), birthday cakes (Curt's and mine) and all the Christmas festivities I have gained 15 pounds... in one month. The sad thing is I have a gym membership to a place right next to Lucas' school that I haven't seen the inside of in quite a while. That ended this week after I realized how much weight I've packed back on. Now a few days a week I drop Lucas off at school and then head STRAIGHT for the gym before I do anything else.

So here I am just a little scared and a lot excited and I'm ready to see how this year is going to unfold.