If you are ever looking for a place to stay, we highly recommend this place.
It is much, much more than a bed and breakfast however. When you arrive at the home, you will be greeted by the owners with a huge hug and usually a freshly baked, delicious snack. We were pleasantly surprised to see a large pan of the owner's famous apple bars in the kitchen when we arrived. Throughout your stay, you will be treated to many other yummy, homemade treats. I recommend you try the homemade chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls, chili, and pancakes. It is very likely you will gain weight during your stay. (There is a treadmill you can utilize at the home).
When you return back to the B and B after a day at work or exploring the city, your clean, folded laundry will be in your room waiting for you. A hot dinner will be cooking on the stove while you change into something more comfy. The owners go above and beyond what they should do to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.
After eating more than you should have of the delicious meal, the owners will enjoy playing with your little ones, while you help clean up the dishes. The owners love children and are not afraid to get on the floor and play with them. They enjoy playing games, reading stories, and playing outside with children when the weather is nice.
While the sun sets and everyone heads inside, the owners are more than willing to help with bath time. This is so helpful because bathing more than 2 children at once can be challenging and exhausting at the same time. After a bed time snack and bed time stories, it's a group effort to get everyone down for the night.
The female owner has a plethora of jackets for you to choose from, if you're looking for something new to wear or are just sick of your own outerwear. I found myself making multiple choices from her coat closet during my most recent stay.
If you are ever in need of a relaxing get away, this bed and breakfast is a perfect place to go. With around 3 acres of land, there is plenty of room for you to explore, and rides on the owner's mower are free. Our son particularly enjoyed this perk. The large deck is a great place to relax at the end of the day, enjoying a glass of wine or cocktail. Our girls spent hours flying through the air on the tree swing, (and adults can enjoy it too).
Unfortunately, our stay is coming to an end. Huge thank you to the owners for their wonderful hospitality!
Friday, October 24, 2014
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
More Than Just a House
Our last week in our current house is here, which forces me to stop packing and just recall all of the wonderful memories we have had in this home.
This house is much more than just a house-so many things have happened within these walls over the last 8 years. We welcomed our first furry friend a year after we moved in, and although he remained nameless for a few days, he became part of our family. We've grown from a family of 2, to a family of 3, then a family of 5. We've hosted holiday parties, tailgating get togethers, Bunco with the neighbors and baby showers. The memories are countless.
Many firsts occurred in this home: First steps, first birthdays, first smiles. First dance moves, first somersaults and first flips off the couch. Cookies for Santa were set out, pumpkins carved and Easter eggs dyed. Tears have been shed, boo boos kissed and lots and lots of dirt has been washed down the bathtub drain. We've had eight different Christmas trees, all chosen and cut from my dad's tree farm. Each with varying decorations depending on who could reach the ornaments.
Each child has made numerous trips around and around our house, through the kitchen, into the dining room and through the foyer, pushing push toys, baby strollers or just running away from each other. We've baked many birthday cakes, cookies and muffins, with each little one helping to add the ingredients. Many bedtime stories have been read, songs sang and dances danced. Justin and I spent hours and hours calming babies at night, walking around the house, to promote sleep before laying them back down. Feeding twins in the middle of the night in front of the fireplace is a memory we will never forget.
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These walls surrounded us when we gathered both families in the living room to discuss a scary health condition. I can still picture where everyone was sitting when we made the announcement. Justin's parents were told they were going to be grandparents for the first time in our living room. Other important discussions regarding our lives occurred here: Deciding to change jobs, picking names for our three children, choosing a daycare, and most recently deciding to move.
We have put a lot of hard work into this house. Nearly every wall has been painted and every flooring replaced. Updates galore have been done so we can enjoy this home even more. It's hard to move away from a house you have put so much into.
Many balls have been kicked, thrown and hit in our backyard. We've enjoyed hours of watching little ones run through the sprinkler, giggling and screaming. Our three artists have made numerous creations on our driveway and sidewalk with chalk and sidewalk paint. They've walked up and down the street in the rain, barefoot, carrying their umbrellas and splashing in the puddles. Our Winters have consisted of making snow angels, being pulled around the house on a sled and building snowmen. A few unwanted creatures have also enjoyed our place, living under our shed. Over the years, we've trapped a raccoon (Rocky), a groundhog (Gordy), and a Opossum (Pete). We delivered them all safely to a new home out in the country. We've enjoyed the neighbors play set much more than they have and are so thankful they allowed us to use it.
Not knowing what the neighborhood would be like before we moved in, we definitely felt apprehensive. We hit the jackpot with this neighborhood: the people, the location, the parks, and the bike paths. This is what makes it so hard to leave this house. The day we moved in was the annual block party, allowing us to meet nearly everyone on the street. We remember feeling a little overwhelmed that day, but looking back, that day demonstrated to us the type of neighborhood we were moving into. We can't tell you the number of times our neighbors have helped us, (see previous post about 98th Street), and we know we will stay in contact with many of our current neighbors.
Today when I came home to an empty house and I had a mini breakdown-seeing the furniture gone solidifies what is happening. Thankfully there was some leftover birthday cake to devour and cheer me up!
This move is bittersweet but we're looking forward to our next adventure. We know the twins are too little to remember their first home but we'll have a plethora of pictures of help remind them. Were hopeful Alena's little mind will recall many special memories. Thanks for the memories 98th Street!
This house is much more than just a house-so many things have happened within these walls over the last 8 years. We welcomed our first furry friend a year after we moved in, and although he remained nameless for a few days, he became part of our family. We've grown from a family of 2, to a family of 3, then a family of 5. We've hosted holiday parties, tailgating get togethers, Bunco with the neighbors and baby showers. The memories are countless.
Many firsts occurred in this home: First steps, first birthdays, first smiles. First dance moves, first somersaults and first flips off the couch. Cookies for Santa were set out, pumpkins carved and Easter eggs dyed. Tears have been shed, boo boos kissed and lots and lots of dirt has been washed down the bathtub drain. We've had eight different Christmas trees, all chosen and cut from my dad's tree farm. Each with varying decorations depending on who could reach the ornaments.
Each child has made numerous trips around and around our house, through the kitchen, into the dining room and through the foyer, pushing push toys, baby strollers or just running away from each other. We've baked many birthday cakes, cookies and muffins, with each little one helping to add the ingredients. Many bedtime stories have been read, songs sang and dances danced. Justin and I spent hours and hours calming babies at night, walking around the house, to promote sleep before laying them back down. Feeding twins in the middle of the night in front of the fireplace is a memory we will never forget.
These walls surrounded us when we gathered both families in the living room to discuss a scary health condition. I can still picture where everyone was sitting when we made the announcement. Justin's parents were told they were going to be grandparents for the first time in our living room. Other important discussions regarding our lives occurred here: Deciding to change jobs, picking names for our three children, choosing a daycare, and most recently deciding to move.
We have put a lot of hard work into this house. Nearly every wall has been painted and every flooring replaced. Updates galore have been done so we can enjoy this home even more. It's hard to move away from a house you have put so much into.
Many balls have been kicked, thrown and hit in our backyard. We've enjoyed hours of watching little ones run through the sprinkler, giggling and screaming. Our three artists have made numerous creations on our driveway and sidewalk with chalk and sidewalk paint. They've walked up and down the street in the rain, barefoot, carrying their umbrellas and splashing in the puddles. Our Winters have consisted of making snow angels, being pulled around the house on a sled and building snowmen. A few unwanted creatures have also enjoyed our place, living under our shed. Over the years, we've trapped a raccoon (Rocky), a groundhog (Gordy), and a Opossum (Pete). We delivered them all safely to a new home out in the country. We've enjoyed the neighbors play set much more than they have and are so thankful they allowed us to use it.
Not knowing what the neighborhood would be like before we moved in, we definitely felt apprehensive. We hit the jackpot with this neighborhood: the people, the location, the parks, and the bike paths. This is what makes it so hard to leave this house. The day we moved in was the annual block party, allowing us to meet nearly everyone on the street. We remember feeling a little overwhelmed that day, but looking back, that day demonstrated to us the type of neighborhood we were moving into. We can't tell you the number of times our neighbors have helped us, (see previous post about 98th Street), and we know we will stay in contact with many of our current neighbors.
Today when I came home to an empty house and I had a mini breakdown-seeing the furniture gone solidifies what is happening. Thankfully there was some leftover birthday cake to devour and cheer me up!
This move is bittersweet but we're looking forward to our next adventure. We know the twins are too little to remember their first home but we'll have a plethora of pictures of help remind them. Were hopeful Alena's little mind will recall many special memories. Thanks for the memories 98th Street!
Monday, October 6, 2014
Alena's Golden Birthday
Five years ago we were so anxious for your arrival, not knowing your gender, what you would look like, or what your personality would be. You have grown up so quickly and have become a smart, sweet, caring five year old. Turning five is such a monumental moment for parents. When holding a newborn baby, it's easy to look ahead five years and wonder what things will be like, knowing it is so far away. However, as life often does, it sneaks up on us, and before you know it you are celebrating your child's fifth birthday. I'm just glad we didn't have to send you off to Kindergarten too; I don't think I could have handled that.
You are a great big sister and are always looking out for your brother and sister. You and Lauren play a lot together, role playing and using your imagination to create new games. She pretty much does whatever you want her to do, although I hope you realize that some day that will change. When you want to rough house or run around, you pair up with your brother. You're quiet in new situations or around new people but once you acclimate to the situation, you become loud and boisterous. You have many friends at school and I'll never forget how proud we were of you when you told us you stuck up for the friend in class that other classmates were making fun of. (It's nauseating to think teasing and bullying can start that early). Your first question to me every day you get home from school is "what's for dinner?" You remain a picky eater and I find myself apologizing daily to my parents for being a picky eater too! I outgrew it so hopefully you will also...
You enjoy school and are starting to learn to read. Trips to the library will be so much fun once you are reading and I look forward to the day when you can read stories to your siblings. You seem to have natural athletic ability and have enjoyed two seasons of soccer so far. Next year you told me you want to play softball/t-ball so maybe we'll give that a try. We still think you will be a runner as you have a long stride and are quite fast-we're anxious to see what you'll want to do as you get older, but hope that you'll remain interested in sports.
You follow in your daddy's footsteps, asking multiple questions about things throughout the day. Your mind is always thinking, contemplating, figuring things out; a typical five year old. When asked what you will miss about our current home, you said the microwave and stove. When asked if you would miss our backyard, you replied, "no, because we're going to have a HUGE yard to play in." When asked if you would miss our neighbors, you said "we'll make new friends, Mommy." And when asked if you would miss being able to walk to our favorite frozen yogurt place, you said "we can just drive there." Sometimes I wish we all thought like five year olds-optimistic, sincere and honest. We love you Alena Jane and are so proud of the person you are becoming.
20 Birthday Questions:
What is your favorite color? Yellow
What is your favorite toy? Crafts
What is your favorite fruit? Grapes
What is your favorite movie? Frozen
What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts
What is your favorite thing to wear? My Frozen Shirt
What is your favorite animal? Tiger
What is your favorite song? "Let It Go"
What is your favorite book? Berenstain Bears Series
Who is your favorite friend? Ean
What is your favorite snack? Granola Bar
What is your favorite drink? Apple Juice
What is your favorite breakfast food? Peanut butter toast
What is your favorite dinner? Chinese
What is your favorite place to go? The Park
What is your favorite game? Zingo
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride My Bike
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
What do you sleep with? Eeyore and Piggy and many other random stuffed animals
What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor
We celebrated your birthday by getting donuts for breakfast then heading to Ames to see Grandma and Papa. You got to pick out a new toy and then decided on where you wanted to eat dinner. You chose Valentino's and Papa made you homemade apple pie for dessert. You will have your first friend's birthday party tomorrow. It will be held at Skyzone, where there are a bunch of trampolines for you and your friends to jump on.
Over the last year, I've kept track of many of the memorable things you have said:
1/14:
I want to grow up and be a mommy some day and work with mom.
She went to the Science Center with mom alone. When I asked her if she had fun without the babies being there and she said, "I want them to come next time." I said, "Isn't it fun doing things by yourself?" and she said "No I always want them to come."
She said she can't wait to be 21 so she can drive. I asked her if she would be OK with driving C and L around too to where they needed to go and she replied "sure."
5/2014:
(While walking back from the park)-"I'm going to marry Landon." I replied, "oh really?" She said "well Lauren (friend at school), asked me to marry her but I told her I can't marry a girl." Then she asked if she could marry Caleb.
6/2014:
She was starting to ask a lot of questions about burning buildings and homes and wondered if our house would burn down and what we would do if that happened. Finally I reminded her that David was a firefighter and he would come put the fire out. She then replied "I want to be a firefighter." She also said that if there is a fire, she wants to make sure to grab her box of band-aids and art supplies before leaving the house.
7/2014:
They must have been talking about strangers in school because one day on the way home from the library she started talking about strangers. She wanted to know where strangers were. I told her strangers could be anywhere and that it was important not to ever get into a strangers car or go anywhere with a stranger. I then probably took it too far and told her that if a stranger ever approached her she was to run away screaming. Then a little while later she said "I wish I lived in the clouds." When I asked her why, she said, "because there are no strangers up there." Then I told her that if she lived in the clouds I wouldn't be able to hug and kiss her. She replied with "you can blow me a kiss."
She questioned Justin why she couldn't marry him or Caleb. Then she asked if she could marry a cousin. She then said she planned on marrying Ean (friend in school).
8/2014:
While I was washing my face in the evening, AJ asked why I wash my face every day. I told her it was because I had to wash my make up off. Then she said she will never wear make up, "ewww" The next day she asked me to put some eye shadow on her. She then proceeded to wash it off like I do every night. She also told me she "never" wants to get her ears pierced
You are a great big sister and are always looking out for your brother and sister. You and Lauren play a lot together, role playing and using your imagination to create new games. She pretty much does whatever you want her to do, although I hope you realize that some day that will change. When you want to rough house or run around, you pair up with your brother. You're quiet in new situations or around new people but once you acclimate to the situation, you become loud and boisterous. You have many friends at school and I'll never forget how proud we were of you when you told us you stuck up for the friend in class that other classmates were making fun of. (It's nauseating to think teasing and bullying can start that early). Your first question to me every day you get home from school is "what's for dinner?" You remain a picky eater and I find myself apologizing daily to my parents for being a picky eater too! I outgrew it so hopefully you will also...
You enjoy school and are starting to learn to read. Trips to the library will be so much fun once you are reading and I look forward to the day when you can read stories to your siblings. You seem to have natural athletic ability and have enjoyed two seasons of soccer so far. Next year you told me you want to play softball/t-ball so maybe we'll give that a try. We still think you will be a runner as you have a long stride and are quite fast-we're anxious to see what you'll want to do as you get older, but hope that you'll remain interested in sports.
You follow in your daddy's footsteps, asking multiple questions about things throughout the day. Your mind is always thinking, contemplating, figuring things out; a typical five year old. When asked what you will miss about our current home, you said the microwave and stove. When asked if you would miss our backyard, you replied, "no, because we're going to have a HUGE yard to play in." When asked if you would miss our neighbors, you said "we'll make new friends, Mommy." And when asked if you would miss being able to walk to our favorite frozen yogurt place, you said "we can just drive there." Sometimes I wish we all thought like five year olds-optimistic, sincere and honest. We love you Alena Jane and are so proud of the person you are becoming.
20 Birthday Questions:
What is your favorite color? Yellow
What is your favorite toy? Crafts
What is your favorite fruit? Grapes
What is your favorite movie? Frozen
What is your favorite TV show? Wild Kratts
What is your favorite thing to wear? My Frozen Shirt
What is your favorite animal? Tiger
What is your favorite song? "Let It Go"
What is your favorite book? Berenstain Bears Series
Who is your favorite friend? Ean
What is your favorite snack? Granola Bar
What is your favorite drink? Apple Juice
What is your favorite breakfast food? Peanut butter toast
What is your favorite dinner? Chinese
What is your favorite place to go? The Park
What is your favorite game? Zingo
What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride My Bike
What is your favorite holiday? Christmas
What do you sleep with? Eeyore and Piggy and many other random stuffed animals
What do you want to be when you grow up? A doctor
We celebrated your birthday by getting donuts for breakfast then heading to Ames to see Grandma and Papa. You got to pick out a new toy and then decided on where you wanted to eat dinner. You chose Valentino's and Papa made you homemade apple pie for dessert. You will have your first friend's birthday party tomorrow. It will be held at Skyzone, where there are a bunch of trampolines for you and your friends to jump on.
Over the last year, I've kept track of many of the memorable things you have said:
1/14:
I want to grow up and be a mommy some day and work with mom.
She went to the Science Center with mom alone. When I asked her if she had fun without the babies being there and she said, "I want them to come next time." I said, "Isn't it fun doing things by yourself?" and she said "No I always want them to come."
She said she can't wait to be 21 so she can drive. I asked her if she would be OK with driving C and L around too to where they needed to go and she replied "sure."
5/2014:
(While walking back from the park)-"I'm going to marry Landon." I replied, "oh really?" She said "well Lauren (friend at school), asked me to marry her but I told her I can't marry a girl." Then she asked if she could marry Caleb.
6/2014:
She was starting to ask a lot of questions about burning buildings and homes and wondered if our house would burn down and what we would do if that happened. Finally I reminded her that David was a firefighter and he would come put the fire out. She then replied "I want to be a firefighter." She also said that if there is a fire, she wants to make sure to grab her box of band-aids and art supplies before leaving the house.
7/2014:
They must have been talking about strangers in school because one day on the way home from the library she started talking about strangers. She wanted to know where strangers were. I told her strangers could be anywhere and that it was important not to ever get into a strangers car or go anywhere with a stranger. I then probably took it too far and told her that if a stranger ever approached her she was to run away screaming. Then a little while later she said "I wish I lived in the clouds." When I asked her why, she said, "because there are no strangers up there." Then I told her that if she lived in the clouds I wouldn't be able to hug and kiss her. She replied with "you can blow me a kiss."
She questioned Justin why she couldn't marry him or Caleb. Then she asked if she could marry a cousin. She then said she planned on marrying Ean (friend in school).
8/2014:
While I was washing my face in the evening, AJ asked why I wash my face every day. I told her it was because I had to wash my make up off. Then she said she will never wear make up, "ewww" The next day she asked me to put some eye shadow on her. She then proceeded to wash it off like I do every night. She also told me she "never" wants to get her ears pierced
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| First family photo |
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| Age 1 |
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| Age 2 |
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| Age 3 |
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| Age 4 |
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| Age 5 |
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
It's a fact that Justin and I do not like having to make major decisions. We avoid them at all costs. Unfortunately in the 15 years we have been together, we have had to make a few major decisions: Deciding where to move after I completed school, buying our first house, and naming our three little ones.
Over the last two months, we have had to make many more decisions. This period of time has been the most stressful time of our lives (or at least it has felt like that). Ten weeks on bed rest, not knowing when the twins would be born and hoping they would be healthy doesn't compare to the anxiety I have felt these past two months.
We have always thought it would be ideal to live outside of town, on a nice sized lot. We both want a little more room than we currently have now. We've thought it would be fun to build our own house some day although if we found a lot with a nice house, that would suffice too. Little did I know, Justin had been keeping his eyes open for available lots around the metro. A few months ago he found an acre lot north of Urbandale. He kept his eye on it for a bit and a few weeks after he first noticed it, the price dropped. He then showed me where the lot was on the map and a couple weeks later while I was driving one of the twins around, (trying to get a teething twin to nap), I decided to swing by it. I immediately feel in love with the location, the neighborhood and the size of the lot. However, the surrounding homes were pretty intimidating and I found myself being really annoyed that Justin sent me to look at a lot we could never afford.
As the weeks went by, we got all of our finances in place "just in case" we found something, and discovered that maybe this lot wasn't too out of reach. From time to time we would drive by the lot, while AJ sat in the backseat complaining about why we kept wanting to look at it. We also did a lot of investigating with regards to other lots that were available and new developments that were on the rise. One evening we wrote down all the pros and cons of the lot. No matter what we found, we kept coming back to this one particular lot. We knew this opportunity would never surface again-this amount of land, for this price, in a beautiful/desirable location. We decided to take a chance and in early August, while we were "vacationing" in Okoboji with my cousin and her husband, we put in an offer. We found out that evening that the seller was a physician who was vacationing in Utah at the time. I immediately thought he would reject the offer and I started thinking "it wasn't meant to be." We ended up getting the lot below asking price. We then had two weeks to back out if anything should come up.
We quickly met with a builder/contractor who looked at the lot with us. He immediately told us to add $20,000 onto the price of the land for installation of a septic system, extra concrete and a culvert. What!? I was ready to back out at that time, thinking maybe this wasn't meant to be. Instead we hurried and met with another builder who estimated these costs to be less. We were very impressed with this particular builder and he believed he could give us the home we wanted within our price range-bonus! Things were starting to look up again and we decided to keep the lot.
Then we had to decide what to do with our current home. Sell now, sell this Spring (when the market is better), use a realtor or add to our stress and sell by ourselves. We decided the latter in hopes of saving a little money. We had two Realtors comes through the home to help with pricing and staging of the home. Less than 3 weeks later, we were on the market. We listed the price at the high end of the range, knowing that most buyers do not ask full price.
I was pretty naive with the entire process. I really didn't expect any showings until we had our first open house, which I was planning on doing in a couple weeks. The day after Labor Day, I received a call from a realtor wanting to show my house that day at 5:00. I freaked out a little bit, called my mom, and asked if she could meet me at my house to help me get everything ready. Obviously, we had already de-cluttered and had pretty much staged the house, but some cleaning was needed. We worked our butts off for a few hours but everything looked great. There were a number of items we had to move out of the house: high chairs, the kids chairs that are in the living room, Milo's stuff (and Milo), our laundry basket, etc. (I'll never forget when one Realtor called me saying "a big black cat just ran into your house." I made up a silly story that it was the neighbor's cat that the kids had taken a liking to).
Later that evening after Alena's soccer practice we moved everything back in. Wednesday morning I got another call...We had a showing (or two) almost every day that first week. Friday of that week a realtor called stating her buyers wanted to go through the home a second time. I grabbed Milo and drove over to Homemakers. He hung out in the truck while I did a little shopping. Saturday morning we received an offer. We weren't too impressed with the offer so countered back. Later that afternoon, they countered back to us. I had already committed to another showing the following day and another realtor called Saturday to say his buyers wanted to take a second look at the house. We decided we weren't going to give our current bidders an answer to their counter until Monday morning. Meanwhile, they became nervous and upped their bid. We waited all day Sunday for another offer to come in, but it never did. Monday morning we accepted their current bid. Although less than the asking price, it is the price we were hoping for. After they tried to bully us after the inspection, we didn't back down and will close this Friday on the house.
Needless to say, I never want to sell a house again. Running home every day to get my house in order, leaving the house each evening, and waiting for offers to come in, is stressful. I'm so glad we only had to do that for a week-I can't imagine those who do this for months.
We better start getting better at making decisions, because it looks like we have a lot of decisions ahead of us...
Over the last two months, we have had to make many more decisions. This period of time has been the most stressful time of our lives (or at least it has felt like that). Ten weeks on bed rest, not knowing when the twins would be born and hoping they would be healthy doesn't compare to the anxiety I have felt these past two months.
We have always thought it would be ideal to live outside of town, on a nice sized lot. We both want a little more room than we currently have now. We've thought it would be fun to build our own house some day although if we found a lot with a nice house, that would suffice too. Little did I know, Justin had been keeping his eyes open for available lots around the metro. A few months ago he found an acre lot north of Urbandale. He kept his eye on it for a bit and a few weeks after he first noticed it, the price dropped. He then showed me where the lot was on the map and a couple weeks later while I was driving one of the twins around, (trying to get a teething twin to nap), I decided to swing by it. I immediately feel in love with the location, the neighborhood and the size of the lot. However, the surrounding homes were pretty intimidating and I found myself being really annoyed that Justin sent me to look at a lot we could never afford.
As the weeks went by, we got all of our finances in place "just in case" we found something, and discovered that maybe this lot wasn't too out of reach. From time to time we would drive by the lot, while AJ sat in the backseat complaining about why we kept wanting to look at it. We also did a lot of investigating with regards to other lots that were available and new developments that were on the rise. One evening we wrote down all the pros and cons of the lot. No matter what we found, we kept coming back to this one particular lot. We knew this opportunity would never surface again-this amount of land, for this price, in a beautiful/desirable location. We decided to take a chance and in early August, while we were "vacationing" in Okoboji with my cousin and her husband, we put in an offer. We found out that evening that the seller was a physician who was vacationing in Utah at the time. I immediately thought he would reject the offer and I started thinking "it wasn't meant to be." We ended up getting the lot below asking price. We then had two weeks to back out if anything should come up.
We quickly met with a builder/contractor who looked at the lot with us. He immediately told us to add $20,000 onto the price of the land for installation of a septic system, extra concrete and a culvert. What!? I was ready to back out at that time, thinking maybe this wasn't meant to be. Instead we hurried and met with another builder who estimated these costs to be less. We were very impressed with this particular builder and he believed he could give us the home we wanted within our price range-bonus! Things were starting to look up again and we decided to keep the lot.
Then we had to decide what to do with our current home. Sell now, sell this Spring (when the market is better), use a realtor or add to our stress and sell by ourselves. We decided the latter in hopes of saving a little money. We had two Realtors comes through the home to help with pricing and staging of the home. Less than 3 weeks later, we were on the market. We listed the price at the high end of the range, knowing that most buyers do not ask full price.
I was pretty naive with the entire process. I really didn't expect any showings until we had our first open house, which I was planning on doing in a couple weeks. The day after Labor Day, I received a call from a realtor wanting to show my house that day at 5:00. I freaked out a little bit, called my mom, and asked if she could meet me at my house to help me get everything ready. Obviously, we had already de-cluttered and had pretty much staged the house, but some cleaning was needed. We worked our butts off for a few hours but everything looked great. There were a number of items we had to move out of the house: high chairs, the kids chairs that are in the living room, Milo's stuff (and Milo), our laundry basket, etc. (I'll never forget when one Realtor called me saying "a big black cat just ran into your house." I made up a silly story that it was the neighbor's cat that the kids had taken a liking to).
Later that evening after Alena's soccer practice we moved everything back in. Wednesday morning I got another call...We had a showing (or two) almost every day that first week. Friday of that week a realtor called stating her buyers wanted to go through the home a second time. I grabbed Milo and drove over to Homemakers. He hung out in the truck while I did a little shopping. Saturday morning we received an offer. We weren't too impressed with the offer so countered back. Later that afternoon, they countered back to us. I had already committed to another showing the following day and another realtor called Saturday to say his buyers wanted to take a second look at the house. We decided we weren't going to give our current bidders an answer to their counter until Monday morning. Meanwhile, they became nervous and upped their bid. We waited all day Sunday for another offer to come in, but it never did. Monday morning we accepted their current bid. Although less than the asking price, it is the price we were hoping for. After they tried to bully us after the inspection, we didn't back down and will close this Friday on the house.
Needless to say, I never want to sell a house again. Running home every day to get my house in order, leaving the house each evening, and waiting for offers to come in, is stressful. I'm so glad we only had to do that for a week-I can't imagine those who do this for months.
We better start getting better at making decisions, because it looks like we have a lot of decisions ahead of us...
Monday, September 29, 2014
Twins-2nd Birthday
I've been anticipating this special birthday for a while now but it definitely sneaked up on me. We've been so busy with selling the house that I didn't even remember what the date was. The day before their big day, I realized that TOMORROW was their birthday and we needed to get to the store to get some birthday treats for school!
Unfortunately they have no idea what it means to have a birthday! I love the little things they do at school for them: They get to wear a special birthday hat and pick out a new book to take home. I'm still trying to teach them to hold up two fingers when others ask how old they are. AJ picked out a present for each of them, but they don't yet understand the concept of tearing open wrapping paper. I guess it's true, that birthdays for the first two years are definitely more for the parents than the little ones we are celebrating.
Some days it feels like years ago when I found out I was going to be a mommy of twins and other days I feel like they were just born. This stage is absolutely much easier than when they were 1. From age 2 to age 3 is probably my favorite stage-I love hearing their vocabulary grow and seeing how the little things bring so much excitement for them!
Party Pics:
Lauren: You are finally growing (at least height wise), and have become a better eater than your brother. You still prefer your veggies and fruits over meat and carbs but hopefully that will change down the road. You LOVE milk! Your other favorites are corn, peas, yogurt, cheese and watermelon. Your personality is huge and you are constantly making me laugh. You are definitely the "loud twin," and you know when you want something. "No" is frequently heard out of your little mouth. You know when you are doing something you shouldn't and will smile real big, flashing your dimples, all the while being naughty. We are going to be in trouble because you know how stinking cute you are that you think you can get away with everything. I've seen you push and hit your brother a few times and you're never afraid to tell him to give you space. You love morning and evening cuddles, but during the day, you are full of energy. You still have 4 baby teeth that need to come in, plus your 2 year molars (God help us!). The entire world is ending when you are teething! Your vocabulary is amazing and you are putting 5-6 words together frequently. You were really interested in potty training a few weeks ago and were going pretty consistently at home and at school, but recently you aren't as interested. I've decided that's OK because I just don't have the time to work on that right now. Hopefully you won't regress back too far. Your favorite toys are babies, play-dough, anything crafty, and throwing balls around outside. You and your older sister love dressing up and wearing "capes" around the house. You do whatever she does and I frequently find the two of you laughing at who knows what. Your teachers love you and each one has been sad when you have moved to the next room. I think you are going to be a very outspoken, well-liked little girl. Thank you for making us smile and laugh every day!
Caleb: You are fascinated with trucks, lawn mowers and tractors. You will love riding on the lawn mower with daddy at our new house! You are much more reserved than your twin sister, but there are many times when you are hilarious, laughing at yourself doing silly things. You love books but are not too fond of having your picture taken (we call you Uncle Jerod, sometimes). You give the best hugs any 2 year old has ever given and love to snuggle. If Papa is around, nobody else matters (unless they have ice cream or a cookie). I look at your adorable face and just smile, thanking God for giving me such a sweet boy. Over the last 6-9 months you have become a more picky eater. You also eat much less than you used to and are really lengthening out. Your favorite foods are watermelon, corn, yogurt, and peanut butter. I usually give you peanut butter with apple slices. You use your apple slices as a vector to move the peanut butter from your plate to your mouth! You like your sleep and will often sleep more than your sister, especially naps during the weekend. You have also shown some interest in potty training and like to sit on the potty. We haven't had any success stories yet, but I know it's too early to start training you, plus I'm sort of dreading the mess that goes along with training boys! You love pushing cars and tractors, throwing balls and stacking blocks. You prefer to play with mommy or daddy and we often end up eating our dinner in the playroom so we can play with you. Your favorite phrase right now is: "I ride Papa's tractor."
It's been so fun watching both of you grow over these past two years. We just wish we could slow things down a little bit!
Unfortunately they have no idea what it means to have a birthday! I love the little things they do at school for them: They get to wear a special birthday hat and pick out a new book to take home. I'm still trying to teach them to hold up two fingers when others ask how old they are. AJ picked out a present for each of them, but they don't yet understand the concept of tearing open wrapping paper. I guess it's true, that birthdays for the first two years are definitely more for the parents than the little ones we are celebrating.
Some days it feels like years ago when I found out I was going to be a mommy of twins and other days I feel like they were just born. This stage is absolutely much easier than when they were 1. From age 2 to age 3 is probably my favorite stage-I love hearing their vocabulary grow and seeing how the little things bring so much excitement for them!
Party Pics:
Lauren: You are finally growing (at least height wise), and have become a better eater than your brother. You still prefer your veggies and fruits over meat and carbs but hopefully that will change down the road. You LOVE milk! Your other favorites are corn, peas, yogurt, cheese and watermelon. Your personality is huge and you are constantly making me laugh. You are definitely the "loud twin," and you know when you want something. "No" is frequently heard out of your little mouth. You know when you are doing something you shouldn't and will smile real big, flashing your dimples, all the while being naughty. We are going to be in trouble because you know how stinking cute you are that you think you can get away with everything. I've seen you push and hit your brother a few times and you're never afraid to tell him to give you space. You love morning and evening cuddles, but during the day, you are full of energy. You still have 4 baby teeth that need to come in, plus your 2 year molars (God help us!). The entire world is ending when you are teething! Your vocabulary is amazing and you are putting 5-6 words together frequently. You were really interested in potty training a few weeks ago and were going pretty consistently at home and at school, but recently you aren't as interested. I've decided that's OK because I just don't have the time to work on that right now. Hopefully you won't regress back too far. Your favorite toys are babies, play-dough, anything crafty, and throwing balls around outside. You and your older sister love dressing up and wearing "capes" around the house. You do whatever she does and I frequently find the two of you laughing at who knows what. Your teachers love you and each one has been sad when you have moved to the next room. I think you are going to be a very outspoken, well-liked little girl. Thank you for making us smile and laugh every day!
Caleb: You are fascinated with trucks, lawn mowers and tractors. You will love riding on the lawn mower with daddy at our new house! You are much more reserved than your twin sister, but there are many times when you are hilarious, laughing at yourself doing silly things. You love books but are not too fond of having your picture taken (we call you Uncle Jerod, sometimes). You give the best hugs any 2 year old has ever given and love to snuggle. If Papa is around, nobody else matters (unless they have ice cream or a cookie). I look at your adorable face and just smile, thanking God for giving me such a sweet boy. Over the last 6-9 months you have become a more picky eater. You also eat much less than you used to and are really lengthening out. Your favorite foods are watermelon, corn, yogurt, and peanut butter. I usually give you peanut butter with apple slices. You use your apple slices as a vector to move the peanut butter from your plate to your mouth! You like your sleep and will often sleep more than your sister, especially naps during the weekend. You have also shown some interest in potty training and like to sit on the potty. We haven't had any success stories yet, but I know it's too early to start training you, plus I'm sort of dreading the mess that goes along with training boys! You love pushing cars and tractors, throwing balls and stacking blocks. You prefer to play with mommy or daddy and we often end up eating our dinner in the playroom so we can play with you. Your favorite phrase right now is: "I ride Papa's tractor."
It's been so fun watching both of you grow over these past two years. We just wish we could slow things down a little bit!
Friday, August 29, 2014
Toddler Teeth
I said to Justin today, I can't wait for the day when all three of my kids can brush their own teeth without supervision. What a chore getting three sets of teeth brushed, (plus my own), before 7:00 AM!
When the twins only had a few teeth, they loved sucking on their toothbrushes and would allow us to at least brush over their few teeth a couple times. Then, a while later, they both started hating the toothbrush. We literally would have to clamp them down and double team them to get their teeth brushed. After a while, we had to stop doing that because I didn't want them to associate brushing teeth with being held against their will. Thankfully that helped and they now will at least take the toothbrush from us and attempt to brush on their own. We've started singing the ABC's or counting while we brush which has seemed to help. I usually make it to S or T before they decide they are done, but at least it's progress. There are still times when C will fight us so we have no choice but to resort to "forced brushing." We're all so relieved when it's done in the morning, only to know that in 12 hours we will be repeating the process.
We brush AJ's teeth and although she sometimes states she doesn't want to, she doesn't give us much fuss. She likes to choose who does it each morning/evening and of course it's always the parent who ISN'T holding her toothbrush. For over the last year and a half we have been flossing her teeth and using mouth rinse. (OK, not daily but a few times a week!). Unfortunately our period of time where we thought it was OK to give her fruit snacks on the way home from school caught up with us. She has her first cavity (or two!), so will need to make an extra trip to the dentist. Hopefully this is a good learning experience for all of us. I haven't bought fruit snack in forever and will never purchase them again! Plus, I'm hoping AJ and the twins will continue donating their Halloween candy every year to the local dentist who will exchange their candy for money-a great deal! Yes I feel like a guilty parent for "allowing" my child to get a cavity. The first dentist AJ saw, (mine and Justin's dentist), blamed me for feeding her too much candy and juice. As you can imagine he got an earful from me and I will never see him again (nor will AJ). I could go on and on with how wrong he was to say that, but I'll step of my soap box now...
I really like AJ's new dentist and wish I had taken her to a pediatric dentist all along. Her first visit was great. They let her color on her little "bib," explained everything so well and she got many "prizes" when she was all done (stickers, toothbrush, a flashy new ring...). Her dentist explained there are some people who can get away with out flossing and there are those who can't. Unfortunately, AJ falls in the later group (as do her mom and dad). Hopefully we can make flossing a regular part of every one's dental routine (although I'm not ready to tackle that with the two littlest Schaacks yet-poor L is still waiting for 4 teeth to come in!).
And in 8 hours the process will begin again...
When the twins only had a few teeth, they loved sucking on their toothbrushes and would allow us to at least brush over their few teeth a couple times. Then, a while later, they both started hating the toothbrush. We literally would have to clamp them down and double team them to get their teeth brushed. After a while, we had to stop doing that because I didn't want them to associate brushing teeth with being held against their will. Thankfully that helped and they now will at least take the toothbrush from us and attempt to brush on their own. We've started singing the ABC's or counting while we brush which has seemed to help. I usually make it to S or T before they decide they are done, but at least it's progress. There are still times when C will fight us so we have no choice but to resort to "forced brushing." We're all so relieved when it's done in the morning, only to know that in 12 hours we will be repeating the process.
We brush AJ's teeth and although she sometimes states she doesn't want to, she doesn't give us much fuss. She likes to choose who does it each morning/evening and of course it's always the parent who ISN'T holding her toothbrush. For over the last year and a half we have been flossing her teeth and using mouth rinse. (OK, not daily but a few times a week!). Unfortunately our period of time where we thought it was OK to give her fruit snacks on the way home from school caught up with us. She has her first cavity (or two!), so will need to make an extra trip to the dentist. Hopefully this is a good learning experience for all of us. I haven't bought fruit snack in forever and will never purchase them again! Plus, I'm hoping AJ and the twins will continue donating their Halloween candy every year to the local dentist who will exchange their candy for money-a great deal! Yes I feel like a guilty parent for "allowing" my child to get a cavity. The first dentist AJ saw, (mine and Justin's dentist), blamed me for feeding her too much candy and juice. As you can imagine he got an earful from me and I will never see him again (nor will AJ). I could go on and on with how wrong he was to say that, but I'll step of my soap box now...
I really like AJ's new dentist and wish I had taken her to a pediatric dentist all along. Her first visit was great. They let her color on her little "bib," explained everything so well and she got many "prizes" when she was all done (stickers, toothbrush, a flashy new ring...). Her dentist explained there are some people who can get away with out flossing and there are those who can't. Unfortunately, AJ falls in the later group (as do her mom and dad). Hopefully we can make flossing a regular part of every one's dental routine (although I'm not ready to tackle that with the two littlest Schaacks yet-poor L is still waiting for 4 teeth to come in!).
And in 8 hours the process will begin again...
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Meal Planning
Being a working mom of three, my meal planning usually takes place during the weekend, doing our weekly grocery shopping on Saturday or Sunday morning, (with the rest of city). For years now I have been planning our menu week by week, aiming to only have to make one stop at the grocery store each week, (or week and a half if I'm lucky). Many times I would ask Justin and Alena on inputs regarding what they wanted for meals that week. Alena loves breakfast for dinner and would usually respond with "french toast or waffles." I would flip through my recipe books looking for favorite recipes or being daring and trying something new, knowing my time to prepare dinner during the week was limited. The meal planning became one of my least favorite weekend activities!
This past Winter my co-worker mentioned that they had signed up for a meal planning program where recipes were sent to them each week. I thought it was crazy, paying $60+ for a meal planning program when you could just find new recipes on the Internet for free.
Then I came across a special for the same meal planning program, Fresh 20, which was hard to pass up. My co-worker continued to rave about the program, saying the recipes were good, her cost of groceries were similar to previously if not a little less, they wasted less food/groceries, and meals took less than 40 minutes to make. We decided to try it and I recruited my sister in law and brother also, splitting the price, thus making it even more affordable.
Fresh 20 is a meal planning service that focuses on fresh, healthy meals, using 20 fresh, seasonal ingredients per week. The plan gives a detailed guide regarding grocery shopping, and meal preparations that are done during the weekend to make completing meals during the week even easier. Each meal will serve a family of 4, although we find that we often have left overs. There are options for a vegetarian, classic, gluten free or kosher meals.
I was most worried that we wouldn't like the meals but honestly we have liked nearly all of them. I do make some substitutions occasionally. For example, this week's meal plan included a meal with scallops. I don't care if they are deep fried and covered with chocolate sauce, I won't eat scallops. So we just skipped that meal and had a leftover night instead. Actually I have found that we usually don't need to make all 5 meals during the week and sometimes will save a meal option for the weekend or skip one all together. I enjoy cooking and like that I am learning some new techniques, using ingredients I haven't used before, and trying different combinations of foods. This week one side dish was an apple and celery slaw with a homemade dressing. It was yummy! Many times Justin and I find ourselves saying "that was a really healthy meal," and every meal is so light you don't get that sick to your stomach feeling that can sometimes happen.
Grocery shopping is actually enjoyable again. I'm sure you've heard that you should only shop the perimeter of the grocery store because that is where the nutritious foods are. I can definitely say I do that now (except when Justin needs crackers :)). Most of my grocery cart is filled with produce, followed by meat and dairy products.
I look forward to my weekly email with next week's meal plan and the service will continue for an entire year. I plan on keeping the recipes we love and adding them to my personal recipe book so that when the year is up, I will have a conglomerate of new recipes to choose from.
I've also recently created a menu board that we can look at each week. Usually the first thing Alena asks me when she gets home from school is "what are we having for dinner?" Hopefully someday she will be able to read the board and will have a different question for me when I see her after school. It's helpful for me too because I sometimes rearrange the meals and forget what order I was going to make things.
I love that the meal planning for the week is taken care of for the next year and I'm looking forward to trying many new light, healthy, delicious recipes!
This past Winter my co-worker mentioned that they had signed up for a meal planning program where recipes were sent to them each week. I thought it was crazy, paying $60+ for a meal planning program when you could just find new recipes on the Internet for free.
Then I came across a special for the same meal planning program, Fresh 20, which was hard to pass up. My co-worker continued to rave about the program, saying the recipes were good, her cost of groceries were similar to previously if not a little less, they wasted less food/groceries, and meals took less than 40 minutes to make. We decided to try it and I recruited my sister in law and brother also, splitting the price, thus making it even more affordable.
Fresh 20 is a meal planning service that focuses on fresh, healthy meals, using 20 fresh, seasonal ingredients per week. The plan gives a detailed guide regarding grocery shopping, and meal preparations that are done during the weekend to make completing meals during the week even easier. Each meal will serve a family of 4, although we find that we often have left overs. There are options for a vegetarian, classic, gluten free or kosher meals.
I was most worried that we wouldn't like the meals but honestly we have liked nearly all of them. I do make some substitutions occasionally. For example, this week's meal plan included a meal with scallops. I don't care if they are deep fried and covered with chocolate sauce, I won't eat scallops. So we just skipped that meal and had a leftover night instead. Actually I have found that we usually don't need to make all 5 meals during the week and sometimes will save a meal option for the weekend or skip one all together. I enjoy cooking and like that I am learning some new techniques, using ingredients I haven't used before, and trying different combinations of foods. This week one side dish was an apple and celery slaw with a homemade dressing. It was yummy! Many times Justin and I find ourselves saying "that was a really healthy meal," and every meal is so light you don't get that sick to your stomach feeling that can sometimes happen.
Grocery shopping is actually enjoyable again. I'm sure you've heard that you should only shop the perimeter of the grocery store because that is where the nutritious foods are. I can definitely say I do that now (except when Justin needs crackers :)). Most of my grocery cart is filled with produce, followed by meat and dairy products.
I look forward to my weekly email with next week's meal plan and the service will continue for an entire year. I plan on keeping the recipes we love and adding them to my personal recipe book so that when the year is up, I will have a conglomerate of new recipes to choose from.
I've also recently created a menu board that we can look at each week. Usually the first thing Alena asks me when she gets home from school is "what are we having for dinner?" Hopefully someday she will be able to read the board and will have a different question for me when I see her after school. It's helpful for me too because I sometimes rearrange the meals and forget what order I was going to make things.
I love that the meal planning for the week is taken care of for the next year and I'm looking forward to trying many new light, healthy, delicious recipes!
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