House Hunt (Part I)

In case you don't already know, Brian and I have been hunting for a new house since around August. Right away we found one we really liked BUT (and its a big but) it had transmission power lines going through one side of the property. At first we thought it was something we could deal with for the right price, but after doing some research I found that there are a couple of studies that show a tiny tiny link to juvenile leukemia and living near high intensity power lines. So that option was out. The next house we found that we really loved was in a neighborhood called Long Lake which is super close to church and it had an awesome basement! We put a bid on it then found out there was another bid submitted that same day. The price had been reduced on the house which makes sense that there would be more traffic but it had been reduced two weeks earlier so it was interesting that we both picked the very same day to put a bid in. Unfortunately we got out-bid which was a real bummer because the house was really awesome. Every house we saw after this we compared to the house in Long Lake. I must confess we had some doubt in our hearts that God was going to provide a house as perfect for our family as we thought this one was. But we knew God had a plan and we kept reminding ourselves that God put those other people there on the EXACT same day with an offer for a reason. Here are a couple of pictures from the Long Lake house that I snagged off the web.

Awesome basement.

Open living room with fireplace.

We looked at houses for several more months and found nothing. Finally one popped up that was a foreclosure and met all our criteria but was a bit more than we had wanted to spend. The house was HUGE and AMAZING, but there was no backyard and the driveway was terrible. You had to make a 5 point turn in order to actually get a car into the garage because the driveway was so narrow and the house had been built on the very back of the lot. Hence, why it was a foreclosure after being for sale for a very very long time. On the other hand, the house had been reduced by $300,000 from the original list price!! And the house was soooo amazing and we could have never bought a house like that otherwise. Since the price was more than we had wanted to spend we were a little hesitant. We prayed about it a lot and sought some Biblical and financial council. Finally we decided to go for it and let God decided if this was where he wanted us. The day we placed our bid there wasn't one, but two other bids!!! I might add that this house had been on the market for over two months at the current price. Brian and I quickly realized that either God really wanted us to have that house or he really didn't but he wanted us to know that whichever way it worked out it was his will!! Brian and I both felt so at peace, even more so when we heard there were 3 offers. We knew God wanted to make his will for our lives known and we were grateful for it. The next day we found out we were out-bid but unlike the first time, we accepted it and kept looking. We both really felt God working in our lives and knew these experiences were growing our faith and causing us to lean on Him.

This was my favorite part of that house. The awesome kitchen and island completely open to the living room. Unfortunately the beautiful wood floors were buckled (which doesn't really show up in the picture) because the house had been empty for so long.

Well.... the baby just woke up so I guess you will have to wait in anticipation for part two :)

Eastgate Park

We tried out a new park today. It was really nice because it had a rubber mat play surface and was fenced in. It also had trees for shade which was great. Clara loved it. She did have a little fall flat on her face and got a little bit of a bloody nose and scraped up her forehead. But it didn't stop this one! She cried for about 30 seconds then wanted down so she could go back to playing.

More teeth!

Poor Clara has had a rough week with several new teeth coming in. She has had a mild fever for a week so we went to the pediatrician today but they agreed that its probably just the new teeth causing it. We've watched a lot of Baby Einstein and I've had to give her formula because she isn't eating much. We tried popsicles hoping the cold would help her teeth but she wasn't really carried away with them. Hopefully these teeth will all come through soon!!

Where's Clara?

Well I don't get to sit down a lot these days. Clara would much rather explore (aka see which doors mom left open so I can get into something I'm not suppose to) than play with her toys. This morning I was trying to get ready for Bible Study and Clara wasn't in the mood to watch Baby Einstein (which is how I'm able to take a shower most days). I got busy and realized I hadn't heard her in a while. This is where I found her. I have no idea how she got in there all by herself!!!

Good Morning!

Bananas are my favorite food!!

Love this warm weather!!

I took Clara outside today to play in some water since it was so warm out. She loved it! Her favorite thing was drinking it out of a big girl cup and drinking like Abby. She may have consumed half a gallon of water but I think she had fun!!

Easter 2013

Fun Friday

What a fun Friday night! We played in the yard while dad grilled us some steak for dinner. Followed by Clara's first taste of ice cream at Sweet Frog. Well her first taste since she was born at least. I'm sure the taste of cake batter ice cream seemed quite familiar given the massive quantity I consumed while pregnant.