on the home front

Right now the condo doesn't look like a place we'll be moving into in about two weeks. I also know that a lot of progress can be made in that time. Right? I am so thankful that the bulk of the work will get done before we move in though, what a blessing!

This picture was taken pre-demo last week. The kids had a great time reading through the phone books that were left there. Kim and Morgan came over and the kids had a wonderful time tearing around the place with no furniture. Soon enough, our downstairs neighbor came up to see if everything was alright. I informed her that two three-year-olds were running around and she was relieved that we weren't bowling. Unfortunately for her, that is how we were introduced as her new neighbors. Thankfully she was kind and understanding after that.

All the trim ripped out. The previous owners would be aghast if they saw all their hard work piled up on the balcony. They spent an extraordinary amount of time putting it in wrong, on many, many levels. The spotlights have been removed (this is not an art gallery, it's a living room) and recessed lighting has been installed. Oh, and all the ceilings scraped!

Here where we currently reside, I have a paint booth set up in our neighbor's garage that adjoins ours. These babies went from bland to bold with a few cans of spray paint. My index finger is still asleep from the spraying and I can still smell the fumes...

And that same neighbor has been hanging on to this for Amelia for awhile. She loves it!

jingle, jingle

No, that would not be the sound of money in our pockets. Quite contrary, actually. It is the sound of keys to our very own condo! After seven offers on various houses, we closed escrow earlier today. Fortunately for some of you, it’s not an Eichler or Cliff May home (see Nathan’s previous post on this topic). Perhaps someday. For now, we are so excited to get to stay in the neighborhood, only moving a mere four miles away. This is four miles from the beach though, so we'll have to get used to that. :) Here are a few before pictures from when we walked through it the first time a couple of months ago. And don't expect to see any after pictures for at least a month or more! Or any other blog posts for that matter...


Did you happen to count those last three? That's three bedrooms! Oh, and two bathrooms. So now when someone is in the bathroom and one of the girls needs to go, we can just go in the other one. What a luxury. : ) And three bedrooms for three children to nap in so I can get some peace and quiet. I think I like the sound of that. And yes, there are trade offs moving from a (rental) house to a condo, but we've come to grips with those and are so thankful that the Lord has provided a place for us to live with our family in a safe neighborhood.

barbeque & babies

We got to meet sweet little baby EJ this weekend! She is such a cute baby, and at 2 1/2 weeks old, has more hair that Wyatt! She was super good at dinner and it was fun to spend a little time with her extended family (and ours!).

Proud new parents.

And yesterday, I put these two girls down for a nap in the same room.

Too bad it didn't work.

home on the range

Don't let this picture of relaxation fool you.

It was only for a few seconds before he moved on to his usual non-stop self.

Well, except when he's doing this. : )

His favorite new place to play.