The Packing Begins!

It actually makes my stomach hurt to think about packing right now. Much like how my gut was all twisted when my wonderful friend/coworker (hi Angie!) threw me a lovely going-away party back in June, before we had a single plan nailed down. It's a matter of counting chickens before they hatch, and it makes me very, very uneasy.

At the same time... it is inevitable that we will be moving, at some point, and there are certainly plenty of things that we will not need between now and then. And, since we came home to find tons of boxes neatly stacked in our driveway (courtesy of my former coworker who moved in up the street), it seemed like the time to get started.

For someone who has packed/moved classrooms several times in the past few years, you would think I would understand this whole process by now... But it never ceases to amaze me just how many boxes a person needs! I filled ten boxes alone from the two bookcases in our living room. The majority of our wedding china and crystal pieces took up three more. And then there was another large box containing various decorative items from one of the glass cupboards in our entertainment center. That's fourteen boxes so far, and the change is not even noticeable! When you look at it that way, it gets kind of overwhelming. Thankfully, one of the movers we got an estimate from a few months ago had all sorts of helpful tips that he shared. Like getting a big wardrobe box, dropping in as many of the "big" kid toys as possible, then dropping in a bunch of the tiny toys to pack them in. That's doable! And we can load our armoire with as much clothing as we want, because they will move it that way.

Anyway, I'm not going to go too crazy, since I have no idea what our future holds. But I don't know. I have a really good feeling about this second house that I never had the first time around. Gus and I have talked about it, and it was kind of like everything happened for a reason, and that we were meant to find it. I mean, think about it...

• When we signed the contract for house #1, the expiration date was July 15th. We didn't do any house hunting after that, though I did always ready my nightly real estate emails to see if there was anything interesting. Occasionally, there was, but nothing to change my mind.
  
• July 15th came and went. My personality tends to be on the paranoid side. Gus planned a business trip to MA, and I insisted on going along to look at other houses and determine the backup plan. We weren't sure what the dates would be, since he had a few other trips to work around, but we decided on July 22nd-26th.
  
• On July 21st, I got my nightly email with a house that made me go "Whoa!" It had JUST dropped down into our price range that day. I emailed our realtor instantly and asked her to add it to the list. Totally an impulse, because it sounded so good in the listing... I was worried about the location, though.
  
• On Sunday, we were out looking at houses. Our realtor told us that she wasn't sure we would like the Main Street location, since it wasn't like the other (very private) roads we were looking on. We very nearly decided to skip it. We took longer at the house before it, and were planning to just drive by.
  
• We pulled into the driveway, and Gus and I both said we wanted to go inside at basically the same time. And we both loved it right away, which never happens!

In other words, a whole series of events happened that brought us to this house at exactly the right time. We couldn't have bought it 6 months ago. We didn't even know about it until the day before our trip. And yet here we are, with an accepted offer as we prepare to move forward on yet ANOTHER short sale (sigh).

I don't think the first house is going to work out, for a whole host of reasons. It's just become shady all around. But I am excited that this second house will be "the one," and that things will work out the way they are supposed to, in the end. And until then... I will pack unnecessary items and dream about paint colors! Cross your fingers!

Another House Update!

Well, we have the offer in on the second house (and the first house), and are waiting for the official word, but it looks like the sellers are going to accept it without an issue. The broker wanted to play around with a few of the dates on the contract, but that was the only thing. Not a big deal. And since we are only here for one more day, we figured it would be smart to just go ahead and get the home inspection done now. It's a lot easier when one of us (in this case, me) can walk along with the inspector, see things firsthand, and ask questions. It made sense.

When you are considering buying a house that is 181 years old, you get a little nervous when it comes time to figure out what's wrong with it. I know with the first house, I was seeing dollar signs every time the inspector told us something would need to be replaced. Granted, that was a less expensive home, but it needed a lot of work. Shockingly, I am pleased to report that this 1830 Colonial is in excellent condition!!! It is, as we initially thought, move-in ready. Wow, wow, wow!

The roof is less than 10 years old, and should last for at least 15 more years. The boiler and water heater are about 6 years old. The oil tank is immaculate. The plumbing (which would need replacing in the other house) has already been replaced here with the flex line (which you don't have to worry about in freezing temps). Everything is well insulated. The inspector marveled at how well-built everything was, pointing out all these details that I guess you just don't see in newer homes. There were a lot of "they just don't make 'em like they used to" comments. :)

There was one area outside where a drain pipe had come loose and needed to be fixed, but that's something we could easily do ourselves. And the attic needs more ventilation, but that seems to be the case with every house we see. But that was it! Really, I was amazed. And this guy went through all 3,700 square feet, inside and out, with a fine-tooth comb. He was incredibly thorough.

And aside from his attention to detail, the guy was sort of an architectural history buff. He pointed out parts of the house that were most likely built in different time periods, based on the materials and techniques. The house has been added on to/rebuilt a lot in the last 181 years! In the main (original) part of the house, he told us that the timbers in the ceiling indicated that the house was probably made by shipbuilders in their off season. And we knew that the floors were all Southern Yellow Pine, but he also pointed out that the siding was cedar (good) and that it was actually better than vinyl siding in terms of its life expectancy.

Oh, and my favorite part???? We were all up in the attic, checking it out (it's huge), when the inspector noticed a hatch on one wall (well, inside of the roof, technically). It blended in with everything else, so we hadn't noticed it. But he opened it, and it led to ANOTHER massive attic, even bigger than the first! It's the whole back half of the house! That was insane! The back attic is really not meant for storage (it doesn't have flooring laid down), but it was like a whole secret compartment in the house. Who knew??

Anyway, we are certainly leaning toward this house now, and I really hope it works out. The sooner the better! I took a lot of measurements today, too, and I can't wait to get home and measure some of our furniture!

Good Grief!

This is officially the THIRD TIME I have written this blog post today! Things keep changing, so I start over... then they change again! I shall explain.

We are in good old Central Mass right now, combining a business trip (for Gus) with yet another househunting adventure. New England, much like the rest of the country, has been slammed with a heat wave lately, but it really hasn't been too awful! It's definitely more humid than we're used to, but it's not totally miserable. Actually, the most miserable thing about the heat is how all the commercial establishments are BLASTING their A/C. For example, we went out to dinner last night, both wearing shorts, t-shirts, and sandals (like everyone else). I thought I was going to die of hypothermia in the restaurant! I changed into pants before we went out to see the new Harry Potter movie, but it was still FREEZING! I guess these people don't like to be warm at all, huh? haha! At least the movie was great. I really, really enjoyed it!

Anyway... we spent all weekend looking for our "backup plan." As it turns out, our contract on the short sale house had a clause in it allowing for an automatic 30-day-extension. This is actually not a bad thing. During the extension, we can back out at any time without penalty-- up until the bank approves the short sale. At that point, our hands are tied. But if that happens before we buy another place, then that's a good thing! We still do like that house a lot, after visiting it again yesterday. We would be totally fine with it.

However... we found another house that we like even better, and we were poised to make an offer today. We *thought* it was bank-owned, which would have been a quick sale but, alas, we were wrong. Yet another short sale! Mentally, I mourned the loss of that house, because I was not willing to consider buying another short sale at this point.

Then, Gus got a call from our realtor. Yes, it's a short sale, but it only involved one bank (yay!), and this bank typically approves short sales in 30-45 days. Not six months, like the Bank who Shall Not Be Named (*cough* B of A *cough*). So... we're making an offer! We could technically get two houses at the same time! ha! Not, but seriously, we won't withdraw our offer on the original house. By having offers on both houses at the same time, the worst case scenario is that we lose the money we put down on the first one (which wasn't much). By withdrawing, we could end up with neither house. So, we will stick with Plan A and take our chances.

Anyway, wanna hear all about this new house? Of course you do! Well, here's one picture of the outside...

It actually goes far back, and there is even more that comes off to the right. There's also an attached two-car garage. The driveway is wide and flat, and would be easy to keep clear in the winter. And even though this house is literally on Main Street, it's far enough back from the road that it feels very private. And, being on Main Street, it also means that the heart of the small town is just a short walk away. How fun to be able to walk to the library, the pool, etc.? Plus, that road will DEFINITELY be well-maintained in the winter, since it's the only way into or out of town.

As far as the inside of the house goes... I don't even know where to begin! The basement is a typical one-- concrete, unfinished, slightly spooky. It's clean, though, and the boiler/water heater appear to be in good shape. The laundry hookups are currently down there, but we would move them upstairs. Which brings us to the first floor!

The first floor is huge. It has a big, open kitchen with new maple cabinets and brand-new (white) appliances. We'd probably sell the appliances and get stainless, and then replace the counters with granite (instead of laminate), but the layout is great. Right off the kitchen is a HUGE bathroom which was converted to be wheelchair accessible. Considering there is another bathroom downstairs AND two more upstairs, we would get rid of this one and make it a laundry room. There is a massive formal dining room, a living room, another room that could be a sitting room/library/breakfast room, and then two more rooms. One of them is huge, and I don't know what I would put in there! The other is small (office-sized), and has an exit door leading to the enclosed porch. It would be a perfect, safe place for the kids to run around or ride their tricycles. I love it!

There are two flights of stairs leading to the second floor. This house was built in 1830, which means that there are stairs leading from the kitchen that were probably once used by servants. Upstairs, there is a huge master bedroom with two closets (one walk-in), a decent-sized bathroom, and a built-in bookshelf. Across the hall, there are two identical bedrooms that we would put the kids in, separated by a tiny little room that we could do something fun with, I am sure. A little reading nook, maybe? There is also a huge bathroom, and another large bedroom that would be our formal guest room. At the back of the house, there is yet another enormous room, with doors leading out onto the deck. I'm thinking this would be a nice playroom for the kids. Or perhaps an indoor roller rink? I forgot to mention that this house is 3,700 square feet. It is MASSIVE! And then there is another flight of stairs leading to the gigantic walk-up attic, which has more storage than I would know what to do with. My house would never be cluttered again, haha!

Anyway... The backyard is grassy, surrounded by tall trees, and it has so much potential. We might add another deck on the first floor. Gus would want to build a workshop out at the back of the property (almost three-quarters of an acre). I want a raised veggie garden, and maybe a nice gazebo out there with a picnic table. Really, the possibilities are endless. We are SO excited. Here's a pic of about half the yard... It looks even bigger than this in person!

And if the other house DOES finally get approved? That's a great house, too. I would be happy either way. It needs a lot more work, and is smaller, but is cheaper. So many tradeoffs! Here are a few pics I took of the flowers in the yard at that house. It's really overgrown right now, but I just love the sheer variety of flowers that grow here. It's amazing what grows in places that actually get rainfall, haha!

Being Proactive

Well, we're kind of over it. With no real end in sight, an expired contract, and the bank calling for yet another property appraisal on the short sale house we're trying to buy, we are headed to the East Coast this weekend to find a new home. If we find one we love, we will make an offer. Unless, of course, we magically hear an answer before then (highly unlikely). The good news is that we have found about 12 houses that all look very promising. It feels good to finally be back in control, after sitting around and waiting for the bank for nearly seven months. We are so done with them! I could go on and on... but that's not really the focus of this blog (though it certainly does affect our family life).

In the meantime... Let the packing finally begin! I didn't want to start packing prematurely, but the houses we're all looking at are regular sales and we would be looking for a quick closing... so I guess it's time! Tomorrow morning, I'm going to load the kids up in the wagon and walk to my old coworker's new house (a few houses up the street). He had stopped by a week or two ago to tell me he had a ton of moving boxes we could have, so I'm hoping to take him up on that offer. I don't even know where to begin, but it still feels good to be proactive!

In the meantime, summer continues here in full force. Today's agenda included running errands in the morning, watching Mommy exercise (which is apparently VERY entertaining), having a picnic lunch (as usual), lots of playing outside, pretending the wagon was a boat (with a broom for an oar), talking to the kids next door (and Bonnie) through the fence, splashing in the pool, riding bikes, and (my pièce de résistance) "painting" our back fence with paintbrushes and buckets of water. Dinner was good, the house was clean, and I felt like Super Mom. So... there you go! Not a bad day, despite a few typical meltdowns over who-had-what-toy (refer to Nikos' face, below, for photographic proof, haha!). Here's hoping that we have some real progress by this time next week!

Frustration

Well, our contract deadline on the short sale house came and went without so much as a single phone call or email. Sigh. So I am not sure where we stand at the moment, particularly since our realtor in Massachusetts just got back from vacation a few hours ago. The listing agent will most likely ask us to renew the contract, but we'll see. All I really have to say is UGH!!!! And also, we're going to Massachusetts next week to look at other houses. That makes me feel a little better, at least.

Anyway... In an effort to keep myself distracted from all the house drama (which I have only barely touched upon here), I've been focusing on my most important job as "mom." We've been to the park. We've gone shopping. We've played outside (a LOT). We've picnicked every day. We've done just about everything imaginable, including my personal favorite: playing "car wash" in the back yard on several occasions. We've kept the house immaculate, since people have been coming by more often to view it. Yesterday, we found and caught a caterpillar, and did our best to make it a cozy little home where we can watch it grow and maybe turn into a moth (though I admit that the odds are against us). I've started turning lunch into art, creating little scenes with their food. To an outsider, I might be losing my mind, haha! But really, I've just been enjoying my time with my two amazing kids, and hoping that we get some answers soon. Because really, this whole uncertainty-thing is very unpleasant. Ugh, ugh, ugh!! Honestly, if this works out, we will be getting a great deal on a house we love and can see ourselves in for a long time. But I don't think I will ever buy a short sale house again!

Anyway... I have been slacking in the blogging department lately, but have, as always, taken plenty of pictures. So without further ado, here are some highlights from the last few days!






Don't worry, no toddlers were harmed in the making of this post. Though the first picture looks dangerous, they weren't actually moving. And Gus was supporting Nikos in the last one, as he stood on the barbecue and peeked over the fence to talk to Bonnie (our daycare lady). :)

Another Day...

...and still no news on whether or not we got the short sale house. Really, it is SO HARD when your realtor (and the rest of the world) seems to think we could hear "any day now," but they have been saying that for over a month. And with our contract deadline coming up in just two days... Well, we're working on the backup plan. I try not to focus on it too much, because I would drive myself crazy. But it's really hard when you constantly run into people you know in this small town, and their reaction is ALWAYS the same: "Wow, what are you still doing here? I figured you'd have moved by now!" Yup. And it happened again today. sigh...

Anyway, we did have a fun day, despite a few major moody meltdowns from both kids (yikes!). We spent the morning relaxing at home. I worked out on our new elliptical (yay!), took a shower, cleaned up, addressed an ant situation in the kitchen, and got the kids dressed. They played superheroes for a while. We eventually got around to baking some brownies (Nikos had a 20-minute meltdown because I didn't give him what he considered to be "a lot" of chocolate chips). At lunchtime, we decided to picnic in the backyard, which naturally led to playing out there.

Once Maya went down for her nap (complete with a meltdown about her missing pacifiers-- she still has one, but that's apparently not enough), Nikos and I went back outside. I moved my lounger so that my legs were in the sun, and read from my Kindle while Nikos played all around me. It was actually very peaceful! Once I realized I was getting a sunburn (OOPS), we went back inside and Nikos built things using various pieces of games (Jenga blocks, dominoes, checkers, and chess pieces).

Maya eventually woke up from her nap, and the three of us headed out to the local farmer's market. After wandering around and picking up a few things, we rode the train. When we got back, Nikos insisted on going next door to say hi to Bonnie, so we visited with her (and Teagen) for a bit. And then it was dinner, bath, and bedtime! Another day complete!

Here are a few photos, starting with two that I took yesterday and absolutely love. I may be biased, but these are two of the most beautiful people I have ever laid eyes on. I love them so much!

Cousins!

With Grant and Melissa currently in Europe, my parents have been staying at their house and watching little Colton. And, since we had the time and Nikos has been talking about swimming a lot, we decided to drive up and visit with them yesterday! It's a long drive (a solid three hours each way), but the kids did great. We got up, got dressed, ate in the car, and arrived at the house at around 10am. Both kids loved seeing Colton again, and so did I! It's amazing how much he changes every time I see him (which clearly isn't often enough).

Anyway, both kids were crazy in love with the pool. Nikos used to be the kid who would cling to us for dear life in there. Well, with his awesome little Puddle Jumper on, he was completely independent! Obviously, we never left him unsupervised (my dad and I were both in the pool... I just got out for a minute to take the pics below), but he really didn't need us. He was kicking and paddling around like a madman, and enjoying every second of it!

Maya, too, enjoyed swimming, despite the fact that she hadn't been in a "real" pool since she was six months old. And she's never had a lesson. But with very minimal support, she was kicking and paddling and putting her face in the water-- it was like she was part fish! She kept telling us to let her go so she could swim by herself, but she really wasn't ready for that. Still, I think that both kids will be independent swimmers before long. And I wish they made Puddle Jumpers for kids that weigh less than 30 pounds. Maya totally needs one!

Anyway... Swimming consumed most of the day, with breaks for food and napping. We left at 7pm, and both kids conked out fairly quickly. Nikos is already begging to go back, so we will have to visit again soon (maybe when Grant and Melissa are actually there, hehe!). :)

And now... the photos!





Today has been much more relaxed, as I have needed the time to recuperate from all the driving and swimming yesterday (my arms are sore from repeatedly catching a little girl who wanted to jump off the side). We did, however, make time to watch the last shuttle launch this morning, which was especially interesting to Nikos:

And then the mail came, bringing a bracelet I had ordered from an Etsy seller I know through my online mommy group. And she included a little something extra-- some personalized spoons! They are technically baby spoons, but both kids can easily use them as toddler spoons. She wrote me a little note saying she needed some names to use for her new product. Love her! That was such a nice little treat, and the kids went crazy (especially Nikos, who recognized both names). Check out this picture from her website-- the kids are famous, hehe!

Wednesday, In a Nutshell

We went grocery shopping, played outside, took naps (notice the plural!), and went to our favorite park. We rode the little train together, sat on the banks of the "creek" (which is nearly dry) and looked for little tadpoles and minnows in the puddles. We dined on spaghetti and meatballs (Nikos' favorite). All in all, a good day, despite being hot and humid! Tomorrow, I'm taking the kids to see their cousin and go swimming. It should be a long, fun-filled day!

Fireworks!

And no, despite the title of this post, I do not have any actual pictures of last night's spectacular fireworks display. For one, I brought my little camera, which wouldn't do a great job. And then there's the fact that both my hands were occupied covering a child's ears. But we'll get to that!

We got to the local high school at about 8 o'clock last night. We knew we'd have some time to kill, but thought we could get a better parking spot if we left early. Anyway, most people tend to camp out on blankets on the grass, but we usually sit in the bleachers because they are less crowded and we get an unobstructed view.

Anyway, the kids had a blast! They played dance music for the last hour before the fireworks started, and both kids were thrilled to dance around in the stands. They were hilarious to watch! I did take a quick movie (just ignore Gus' face... he wasn't that bored, I swear!).

And a few still photos, too!


Then, at 8:55, they sent up a few small fireworks as a warning that they were about to turn off the stadium lights. Both kids were instantly in our laps. We knew Nikos would want his ears covered, since he doesn't like really loud noises, but Maya wanted hers covered, too. So, I held her in my lap and covered her little ears. Then the lights went down, and I looked down at her to tell her something... only to find that she was ASLEEP! Yup. In following her big brother's footsteps from last year, Maya was completely asleep during the entire fireworks show. And it was LOUD!!! The only thing I can think of is that she was super tired (since it was so late), and the combo of me snuggling with her and the stadium being dark made her nod right off. And really, she's a sound sleeper to begin with-- so it's not too surprising that the fireworks didn't wake her up!

She did, however, wake up as we were climbing down from the bleachers, and was wide awake and cheerful for the entire 45 minute drive home (to go ~2 miles??). She claims that she "loved the firetrucks" last night, which cracks me up! Nikos, to his credit, stayed awake this year and really DID love them! And both kids slept in until 7am this morning. Hallelujah!

Happy 4th of July!

It's been a great (albeit HOT) day so far! Once we were all dressed and I got the ribs started in the crock pot, it was off to our favorite park for the morning. Did I mention that it was hot? Oh boy, I just about melted. At any rate, our first stop was the train, of course! We had to wait in line for about 30 minutes, but it was totally worth it! They had the big steam engine out today, and we sat in the indoor passenger car. Both kids had a blast!


After that, we got out and walked around a bit. Both kids got flags, we watched some square dancing, we listened to some music, and then we watched the train get robbed-gasp!! Actually, that's what they do-- on alternating train rides, they stop the train before it gets to the station, and a bunch of train robbers stage a fake gun battle. Very entertaining, but not so much for Nikos-- which is why we intentionally did NOT get on one of those rides (thankfully, they let you know ahead of time that your train will be robbed, ha!). Still, it was fun to watch from afar! They also shot off the cannons a few times, and the kids enjoyed looking at some antique cars. All in all, it was very fun-- and INCREDIBLY crowded. I mean, this park is always crowded on the 4th of July, since it's the center of all the daytime activities, but it was especially insane this year. And hot. Did I mention the heat?


It was close to lunch time, and the lines for food were crazy long, so we decided to go home to eat (and enjoy the air conditioning!). We made a quick stop at the market for some milk, and I took these pics of my babies in their carseats while we waited for Gus.

We came home, ate some lunch, filled up the pool for later, and put Maya down for a nap. Then Gus promptly fell asleep on the couch, and Nikos crashed on the living room floor (which I will try to take a picture of soon!). I'm glad everyone is napping, because it's going to be a late night! After dinner, we will watch a movie then head over to see the fireworks at the high school-- Maya's first time! I can't wait! :)

My Babies!

I just wanted to share a few pics from today. It was a pretty typical day, aside from being Gus' birthday. :) The kids and I cleaned the house, went grocery shopping, made a chocolate cream pie for Daddy (his request), played outside a lot, and did an art project. Oh, and had movie night, which has become our fun Friday night ritual (this week's feature: "Gnomeo & Juliet," which I think is so darn cute!).

Anyhow... I brought my big camera outside at one point, thinking I would get some pics of Maya in the new outfit she was wearing, which was beyond cute! But Maya just kept wanting to snuggle up next to me on my shoulder, as she often does, and I thought I'd try to get a picture of it. And, I did! Sure, I chopped the top of my head off... But I challenge anyone to do better while holding and attempting to fire a several-pound combo of camera and lens at arm's length. I think it turned out really well! And, this is one of my favorite things that she does, so I'm happy to have a picture of me and my little snugglebug!

Then I tried to convince Nikos to take a picture with me. He ran over, smooched me on the cheek, leaned his head against me for .2 seconds, and this is the picture I got. Total Nikos! Crazy kid!

While we were outside, we started talking to Bonnie (our daycare lady/neighbor) over the fence, as we often do. She asked me if I wanted some art projects to do with the kids, and of course I said yes! She had prepped for several different 4th of July-themed projects, and had extras. Today, we did one of the projects. I think they turned out pretty cute! Maya's is on the left, and Nikos' is on the right. Both of them were big fans of the "jumpy legs," as Maya called them.

Finally, one pic from yesterday, just because I love it. The unofficial theme of the day yesterday was "pretend play." From the moment they got up, they were firefighters, doctors, chefs, rock stars, racecar drivers, trash collectors, ballerinas-- you name a profession, and they probably pretended to be it at some point. It was like I wasn't even there, which was nice-- the two of them were both fully absorbed in their little world, let by Nikos. And this picture was when they were pretending to sleep in Nikos' bed. They'd say "Bed time, goodnight!" and lie down for a few seconds. Then they'd say, "Ooh, it's morning, time to get up!" and proceed to jump on the bed for a few minutes. I mostly just love Maya's face, with her silly grin. They were hilarious to watch!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GUS! :)