Some new photos of the house.

Computer/den area.

Living room to dining room.

Living room to other areas.

Living/entry.

Kitchen/dining.

Kitchen.

Den, where we spend most of our time.

We've just done the bathroom, so updated pictures to follow. And I still need to take pictures of the upstairs.

It's been years, I know.

Since my last blog post, things have been more crazy than ever. Ever as in, the infinite sense.

Since we got an offer for the house on Owen's birthday, things have magically fallen into place. I remember saying to Natalie, "things have to work out eventually, right?" Eventually finally came.

On February 24, we closed on the apartment and the Bird House. The apartment was no longer ours, and instead we now own something so perfect for us, it makes us all so happy.

The closing was a very hard day. I worked the night before, went home, shortly after went to the first closing, went and bought appliances, had lunch, slept for one hour and then went to the second closing. It was a loooong day. On top of that, we still didn't have everything packed, and we had so much to do. I can't remember ever being so exhausted.

On February 26, Owen spent the day with Mamaw, and Mommy and Daddy hired some movers and took up residence in the Bird House. We bought a new washer and dryer, refrigerator, and furniture and TV for the finished basement. Oh, a king-sized sleigh bed. Favorite. Thing. Ever.

It's been three months, and I'm surprised to say we are not completely unpacked. We have done little improvements all over the place. A new faucet. Took down some hideous shelves and repainted. Put in a new mailbox to replace the ancient one. We have discovered a leaky pipe connecting the two bathroom sinks that we are dealing with this week. The mortgage payment every month makes my heart race. But... we love it here.

There is so much green and color surrounding us. In the winter we had four deer that regularly showed up to be fed. Next winter I will give them names. Whoever lived here before us had several green thumbs, there are so many flowers and plants and GREEN. Owen has a crab-shaped sandbox on the patio. The cats sit at the sliding glass door and watch the birds and chipmunks and dream of being outside cats.

We have a two car garage, which is one of my favorite things. Since I bought my new car, I'd like to take as good care of it as possible, so it can be Owen's first car ;). One project I'd like to take on maybe this summer or fall is electric garage door openers. Who doesn't have those? Us.

Down the street, (and I should point out that it is a dead-end street that is very safe to walk on, and probably about a half a mile long), there is a Head Start, where I hope Owen will spend his first official year of school. Behind the school is a playground designed for very little people, so it has become Owen's favorite place ever. He wakes up from his nap asking for "Park?"

We had some unhappy times in the apartment. Clint was laid off for two really long stretches of time. That caused financial issues I hope to never experience again. However, no matter how difficult that time period was... our son was born while we lived there, and I will cherish memories of him taking his first steps down that loooooong hallway, among others. Without having lived in that apartment, we wouldn't be able to be where we are now, which is perfect.

I'm on PTO for a few days, so pictures will follow. But for now, the kid is up.

Where have two years gone?

These pictures are out of order. I wish Blogger would have a better system for uploading pictures, I would seriously post more often if it wasn't such a hassle to upload five pictures at a time.

Daddy and Owey the day of his party. How cute is this kid? Owen's new BFF, Eliot.

Nat and El

Two years old. In the tub.

Lily Dilly in profile.

Me and the monkey. Love him.

Owen got to take a special trip to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday. Here he is driving a car with Mr. Stuart Little.

He really likes bath toys.

Pointing out his teeth.

Rotten, like his dad.

So fun!

Thanks for showing me what to do, Daddy!

Apparently he loves Cheetos.

Running up and down the hall with Bruiser.

Owey just had his two year doctor's appointment today. He's about 26lbs, 34 inches tall. Long and lean. All his weight is in his cheeks. He doesn't say many words, about 25ish, but he understands MANY. He can point to all his body parts, many many animals, can follow simple commands, and respond by nodding or shaking his head. He's smart. He actually sat patiently while Dr. M examined him and only got upset when he had to look in his mouth (and said, "Oh, does he suck his thumb?") By the way, still LOVING the new pediatrician. So glad we switched. AND! His lead levels are completely back to normal.

I would blog more, but the monkey has just woken up from his nap! Stay tuned for more exciting news!

Christmas with the Amies

Some new friends. His train stool.

First glimpse of the train on Christmas morning. Big hit.

"Choo choo!"

Some new books.

I really like wrapping presents.

Tree

Owen had just as much fun decorating the tree.

He really liked the strands of beads.

And the glittery bulbs. He only broke one and pulled the hooks out of five or six... :/

Lights... I love this picture. It sums up his awe of all things Christmas.

Decorating.

Helping Daddy with the bulbs.

Decorating Frank.

House stuff.

So, I don't want to get too excited yet, but promising things are happening with the house.

About three weeks ago, my realtor called me out of the blue (we hadn't had anyone look at the apartment for at least a month). He wanted to let me know he wasn't giving up and eventually we would get our apartment sold. In that same phone conversation, he mentioned a house he just listed for someone that he thought we might like. He said it was extremely well cared for, reasonably priced, the right size for us and had a large lot.

I told him that I didn't want to look at any more houses until we had someone interested in our apartment, because we have technically lost two houses. The first in Warwood, where we had the contract, the close date, the inspection, appraisal, etc. I had even bought some new curtains. Then our buyer backed out. The second was not so involved. We made the offer, she accepted, and then changed her mind because she wasn't comfortable with the contingencies.

So, by complete coincidence, my realtor called again a few days later saying someone wanted to look at our apartment on Sunday. We said fine, if someone was looking at ours, we would look at a few as well. (We have looked at maybe 25 houses by now...)

Long story short, the first house we looked at that day, the house he had told me about, is, in a word, perfect. As soon as we got out of the car, Clint loved it, which is rather aggressive for Clint, as he is the mild mannered and reserved one of the two of us. It's a newer house, (built in 1969, which is about 50-60 years newer than houses I typically like) it's in North Park, where we have lived before (renting when we first got married), three bedrooms, two bathrooms, rec room/play room, remodled kitchen, two car garage, covered back porch, adjacent lot included in the purchase, beautiful refinished hardwood floors, lots of closet space, it's on a flat cul de sac with only two other houses, it has a large driveway, perfect for a basketball hoop in a few years... I think Clint was ready to sign that day. Of course, we were reserved, waiting to find out about our apartment.

Apparently, the couple looking at our apartment really liked what they saw, had spoken with the co-op president, and wanted to come back with their contractor to price a new kitchen. We were thrilled. It had been so long since anyone was interested, and this happens right out of the blue. So, they planned to come look at it again on Black Friday. The requested parking information, and the bylaws of the co-op association. They told my realtor they would get back to him soon. My realtor is convinced they are extremely serious. Which made me feel comfortable with the following.

Last Sunday, anticipating this couple making an offer on our house, and us wanting to make an offer on the North Park house, we drafted a contract to be submitted once we had an offer on the apartment. We wanted to be prepared, and catching us through the week can be tricky. Tuesday my realtor told me that someone had looked at the same house on Sunday and then were planning to go back Tuesday afternoon. We agreed we didn't want to take any risks, and were willing to lose the front end money over losing the house to someone else, this close to getting an offer on our apartment. I told my realtor to submit our offer, and then held my breath. The next day, he told me our offer was accepted. No counter offer or anything. He agreed to our terms, no questions asked. We have a close date at the end of January. I'm meeting with the bank people on Tuesday, have received preapproval and been provided a good faith estimate. Everything looks great.

Of course, we are still going crazy over whether or not these people are going to make an offer on our apartment. I think at this point, we will accept any offer within reason, as long as it covers our expenses of getting the new house (realtor fees, down payment, etc.). Like I said, my realtor is very confident, and he knows the seller pretty well. He said that if we needed to extend the close date, he feels confident that the seller would be comfortable with that. He feels the couple interested in our apartment is just taking their time (you mean people don't rush through buying a house?) and reviewing the bylaws and all that. My realtor said someone else contacted him about the apartment, someone moving to the area mid December (which is already very close).

We are still nervous as hell, but this all feels right. The house is literally perfect for us. The finance end of it looks good. I'm not going to worry yet.

Here's a couple of pictures from the realtor's website. Everyone cross your fingers and keep us in your prayers. We deserve a break!

The missing months, in pictures.

Polar bear vest.
Bubbles.

The Wares + bubbles.

Hiding behind Daddy.

My sister in law, Tricia.

Foot.

Watching the big kids play.

Brave.

The last warm day.

Big yawn.

Reading by himself in his room.

Giggle pants.

Hide and Seek with Daddy.

That's my phone charger.

Tickling the ivories.

I see you, Mama.

My favorite picture of him, ever.

He wanted his privacy.

Still my baby.

First Trick or Treat.

Jean jacket and my mom's siding.

Owen's girlfriend, Charlie.

The hubs.

Owey in the tub.

Good morning.