House to Eat and House to Clean

one last acitivity with the kids at home, a gingerbread house from a kit, which we made, then immediatley ate.the kids the morning we were suppose to close. They said goodbye to each room and asked if certain things were in the big truck.

Sad empty house.

What a long week last week was. We spent it packing, cleaning, stuffing a truck, frustrated with the buyers because they were being difficult, didn't close when cotracted to and were just a big headache ( I mean who texts you at 10pm to demand a list of paint colors). In the end, we finally closed the sale. And are still trying to recover.

I'm Awesome Like That.

Today Jake and I managed to move all that we believe we will need for 2-4 weeks into my parents home. . Even just that much moving was daunting. A small breakdown from me in the morning and Jake agreed skip some work and to help me at lunch make this small move. Should make the next two days of packing and cleaning the house that much easier to not be in the house.

After the kids were bathed and bed ready, we left them in grandmas care and decided we would go work at the house just the two of us.

These days we are calling that a date.

So we picked up some Coke and Ice for the evening and had big plans of getting most the rest of the house packed. Sounds romantic huh?

Well keep reading- things got pretty hot!

After about an hour of packing, some neighbors stopped by to talk. We visited with them. While we were visiting I smelled some burning, but I figured it was the just the smell from the oven I had put on "self clean" earlier that day. Our neighbors left and we continued packing and sorting in the living room. I kept smelling burning, finally I couldn't ignore it longer and was sure something was melting in the dishwasher or something. I went into the kitchen. We had been in the living room for well over an hour now. We couldn't see into the kitchen with out going in it because boxes are pilled so high on the counters.

Boxes were pilled high on the oven too.

Big mistake.

As I came into the kitchen I immediately discovered what was melting.

A box of kitchen stuff, a table cloth, some rags, a pack of matches, and some packing materials.

They were in full flames in the kitchen.

I screamed Jake's name several times. He didn't come running like I had hoped. By this time I had the sink sprayer on and was trying to put out the flames. Finally after I scream "Fire" Jake comes to assist.

With the two of us spraying the sink water and picking up the burning mass and placing it directly in the sink, we were able to get the fire out. It was about now all the fire alarms started to go off.

Apparently an hour or so earlier when I had stacked a box on the oven, it hit the knob, turned the range on and the box caught on fire. On the oven also happen to be rags, a plastic table cloth and a pack of matches, and some packing materials. The perfect concoction for house fire.

Thankful we caught it early, and that it didn't damage the house, we cleaned up the mess (just what we needed -more mess) and repacked the burned boxes, and finally got the smoke alarms to shut off after about 20 minutes.

We packed up a bit more, then came home.

I showered the smell of smoke off me. I needed to shower anyways as that was not something I had managed to get done during my busy day.

Lesson- don't stack boxes on the oven.

I'm just awesome like that.

Goodbye to the Nest

street view.

The backyard.

family room in basement.
play area in basement
office in basment

stairs from kitchen area to basement
out to garage
kitchen and dinning


dinning room we used for desk and bookshelves
front door entry
front living room
downstairs 1/2 bath
M's room-

Kid's Bathroom
Kate and Sam's room
Master Bedroom

master bath

We have to be out of the house on Friday. The new owners will be here at 9:00 am. At the moment the house doesn't even resemble our home as it is filled with boxes and in chaos. In order to finish the packing and cleaning we are going to stay with my mom for the rest of the week, and come over and finish after the kids are in bed each night.

Saying goodbyes is not easy. We feel like we have been doing to for a few weeks now, and it is exhausting. And saying goodbye to the house is on the list of hard goodbyes.

We moved into this home mid Nov 2006. I was half way through a pregnancy and anxious to

be in a home so I could create a space to bring my 1st born home to. We had not even learned the new babe was a girl yet. We bid on the house in a silent auction, offering $246,000. Now that seems ridiculous, but it was a different time, and it was the only livable house we had found for under $300,000 in Heber at the time. I can still remember going to see a home we though might be a possibility listed at $215,000. From the outside it looked decent, but the inside didn't even have a floor, just dirt, and no recognizable kitchen or bathroom. Needless to say when we walked through this foreclosure, we happily bid that amount. And we didn't even actually win the auction, but the people who did weren't able to get the deal closed, and it was offered to us. We felt to lucky. I remember Jake came to lunch at my mom's, and when he told me I jumped up and threw myself around him pregnant and all I was so pleased. We moved in, the home had a lot to do, but we were excited about it. The 1st time we walked through it after it was ours I told Jake "I can't believe how big it is" and I had totally forgotten there was an unfinished basement too. We happily lived in the finished 1600 square feet and slowly finished that basement ourselves. By the time all 2400 square feet were finished our three children and all their stuff had filled the house just fine, we were starting to feel like we might like a bit more room even.

The 1st surprise of the new house was that the garage door wasn't automatic. That was changed the 1st week. The the water heater and kitchen sink both broke within the 1st week. Next we started with a fence and lawn. Though the home was four years old, it had not been landscaped. We painted rooms, finished a bedroom in the basement, and of course there were tons of small repairs along the way. The new light fixtures, kitchen sink, cabinet hardware.Then came the dreaded tile of most the main floor, a bathroom remodel,new blinds and screens, and eventually the completion of the family room in the basement. It changed the way we lived- no more toys every where. Then new appliances and lots of decorating. And new carpet for most the house. This past spring it started to feel like we had imagined it could.

I named the house the nest this past year. When the birds again built a huge nest on the front porch. It seemed fitting not only because of the bird nests, but because it was where all three of the children came home from the hospital too. When we moved in we had no children, and now leaving it we have three. Three children in just five short years. With all the newborn memories, it can't be named anything else. Though Jake says we should call it "stairway to heaven" because of the millions of stairs we feel like we are constantly climbing in a three story house. I think leaving the house full of all our children's memories will be sad for me. I don't remember things that well, but when I glance at the stairs I can remember Kate climbing them when she was just 8.5 months old. I can remember laying next to her for months on end for our afternoon nap on the couch when I hear the gate slam because of the wind. When I see the glass sliding door, I have all kinds of memories of Kate and Sam staring out at the dog. When I look at the tile floor I remember we did that when Sam was just a few weeks old, and we could do it because he was such an easy baby. The current nursery reminds me of how happy Sam would be in his crib when I would come to get him after a nap. In the driveway I can picture Sam dressed up for Halloween as a fireman. Marianne won't have too many memories here. Perhaps my bedroom and the hours I spent sleeping there before and after she was born, so sick I felt like I was going to die and the bathroom where I took two or even three showers a day just to feel kind of normal during her pregnancy. A short memory of her happy in our master bathtub, and laughing at herself in the big mirror. And oh the office, which gave us Jake everyday all day long. And how awesome it feels to know he is downstairs. I won't hear his muffled voice through the floor when he is on the phone, or get a skip in my step when I hear him open his office door to come up for lunch. The sound of airplane over head in the summer mornings as the kids played in their pool and I tended the garden, shouldn't be missed too much.

It is funny how many gifts we have to leave behind too as we move. The tree Jake bought and planted for my birthday, the tile floor was a mother's day gift, the super powered shower head another mother's day, the painted office I did for Jake as gift, the stainless appliances we got each other for Valentine's Day. How silly.

This was the 3rd time we attempted to sell the home. The 1st time I can't really remember I just know that we did. The 2nd time was shortly after Sam was born. Jake was not loving his job, and we figured there wouldn't be another one for him in Heber. We had the house under contract, but after something like 45 days if fell through and we didn't want to start over. Jake's own business was starting to take off around now too, and the 1st thoughts of quitting his law job came. A few months later he would decide to go for it and we wouldn't be moving after all. This time it sold ridiculously fast, faster then we expected or even wanted.

As we pack and clean it is crazy how much stuff we have now. I guess adding kids, 3 kids, will do that to us. We have only moved once in our marriage, from our Provo House to this home. We don't like moving. It is hard work.

Jake says he has never really like this house, because it trapped us for so long. We couldn't sell it, refinance, or leave because it wasn't worth nearly what we paid or owed on it. It still is not even close, but I guess now we are at a point where we can afford to take the loss. I'll be sad though. I like my house. Sure it is not my favorite style, the yard is a little small, and I do hate all the stairs. But it has been such a wonderful , safe, warm home for me and all my babies. I'll miss it.

Goodbye Nest. I'm sure when we are in town to visit we will drive by and wave hello- and see if the new owners are keeping you as kindly as we did.

Tiny Traveler

M and I were jet setters this week. With a quick trip to see what our new life looks like in person.

She was the best tiny traveler I could have asked for. This is her at the airport waiting with me. Though she lost out on a lot of sleep, she was still the perfect angel. We had a great flight there, even though we had a 2 hour layover. Luckily our late night seat was next to a granny who happened to also be a twin and loved babies. She was understanding of the few cries, and attempted to be super helpful. When we were getting off, some business man said to me that he flies three times a week for work and had never seen an infant do so well. On our trip back home the airline attendee tracked us down while we were waiting at the gate and bumped us to a direct flight at no extra charge because there was an open seat so instead of getting home at midnight we got home at eight. Seriously flying with her was such a breeze. In fresno, it was kind of special to be able to give her some much attention. We even took a nap one afternoon together. Another morning, grandma watched M and I ran some Christmas errands. It was only two days, but I felt so relaxed. It was such a great trip. Then I returned to a house in chaos mid packing, two more children with needs, and the stress of buying a home and moving. I kind of with M and I were back on vacation.

New Love

There is a new love in my life.

His name is Austin.

We met online, and though we've never met face to face, I sneak minutes here and there through out the day looking at the 30 pictures or so I have of him.

And he is oh so charming.

I find myself falling asleep thinking about what my new life will look like with him.

And I have decided to fly on an airplane next week to meet him.

Want to see?

Careful- you might just fall in love with him too. And he is mine.

Are you loving this scandalous news for your Friday afternoon?

Well take a look at the best picture I have on him.

Austin

The name or at least temporary name for our new house.- it is just the street name. That is how Jake and I reference homes so we can talk about them through the buying process.

He is not ours just yet- we won't close until Dec 13. So some paper work and some hoops to go. But it feels so good to have this currently under contract. We can't wait.

He is more than we had hoped for. With incredible perks like being able to walk to three playgrounds, the elementary school and our ward building. We can't even walk to our ward building here in Utah. A gorgeous wrap around porch, and gated pool made him the one that stole our hearts.

Don't you like the turquoise?

I can't wait to give you the full tour.

Baby's Room is Ready and So am I.

I've been putting off finishing the last few things in the baby's new nursery.

Maybe because if it is not done, than I will not feel as prepared, therefore not as disappointed that she is not here yet. But today I went and finished off the last few things. That really only included making my bed, (the twin bed we have in there for me to sleep on those first exhausting few weeks) and moving out the boxes of Sam's old clothes. I still would like to hang on the wall the canvas I painted pink and intend to put her footprints on, as well as the blessing dress I bought her on these cute door knobs I got. We will see.

The preperation for this little girl's coming as been more minimal than the other two kids. It mostly included a bottle of DREFT and and entire day and night of the washing machine going. I washed so many clothes, blankets, the swing, the car seat, the bassinet- so much washing and that is mostly it. I didn't even make her a quilt. Well I attempted to, but it turned out horrible and I refused to finish it.. I had originally planned to make her room orange and purple- the quilt material I had purchased- but when it didn't work out, she got several hues of pink left over from Kate's room and previous projects I'd made for others. She did get that sweet butterfly mobile that I made one afternoon as well as a matching shadow box, and a few new swaddling blankets. That made me feel a bit less like I was cheating her. In the end Jake pointed out I shouldn't feel bad, since she may not have the perfect nursery I spent hours creating, but she is the first child whose life we are not risking by sleeping her in an old hand me down crib. We finally broke down and bought a new crib, lucky girl. I did purchase two outfits for her, some new socks, new bottles and a new hat as well. But her closet is literally bursting with Kate's hand me downs as you can see. That picture of the closet is clothing to 12-18 months plus all the storage bins in the changing table. There are two totes full of clothes beyond that for future sizes. Seriously, I guess I didn't realize how much a kid gets in four years.

So now all we have to do is wait. I have bags packed, and am trying to maintain a clean house. We really have 14 more days. That seems so long when you can't move. But I guess and end is in sight. I can't wait to not be pregnant. Even more we can't wait to meet our new family member.

Spring Finally Came

A lot of people make fun of our dog. She looks pretty ridiculous in the winter. We make her live outside, so we don't shave her at all and she looks like some kind of hairy black snow creature. When the weather warms up, we have her winter coat shaved and groomed and she looks like she lost 30 lbs. What a great dog she has been. She lets the kids tease and tackle her. Also she just started liking dog toys- though she never has in the last years. The kids have been picking out new toys and playing fetch for hours in the yard with her.
Sam shows off his hair I just put gel in. And the Batman shirt he loves.
Kate's swim suit may look familiar. Like she is wearing the same swim suit she wore last year, and the year before that. She may not grow much, but she is not wearing the same swim suit for the 3rd year running. I just let her pick our her swim suit at the store.... and she again picked out almost the same one.

The kids haul every yard toy into the pool to play with only to realize there is no room for them.
Sam reads himself a book and looks adorable as always.

We've finally been enjoying a few days of warm weather around here.
At least enough to put the garden in, mow the lawn, BBQ once, let the kids play in their pool (though I had to fill it with warm water from the kitchen) and do some digging in the dirt.

It feels like Spring around our house too with all the Spring cleaning.
Less cleaning, more like major home improvements. We finally finished the family room in the basement, then re-carpeted most of the house. That is like moving. Just instead of a new house you unload everything back to the same house. With the addition of the basement, we've had to reorganize the house, so we've been cleaning out all our storage areas and garage. And have really only begun. Thankfully I can send the kids outside to play and get something done.

Jake is 32!

Jake is celebrating his 32 birthday today.
Well really all week in small pieces.
I think he would agree it has been one of the best years of the 32.
I would comment that that is because we spent more time together as a family than was ever possible before.
Happily because Jake's working from home plan is working out so well.

Sadly his office was looking like this.
It had become the temporary storage while we refinished the basement starting back in November.
With us still working on (but very close to finishing) the rest of the basement I couldn't let him work in this disaster any longer.
What is that- a microwave? our christmas decorations, furniture with no place?
Oh and flat white primer on the walls.
I think his computer is somewhere around here!
How was he even running a successful business out of this hole?
For his birthday we surprised him and sent him away for the day.
We 1st had to clean out everything, then the walls got real paint.
New furniture and accessories, a CD player and a selection of books on tape finished the room off.
Now when he meets with clients, they won't have to sit on the old microwave.
It is a much better arrangement.
Since then sometimes I sneak down in the middle of the day just to sit in the cleanest, prettiest room in our house.
We had a cake and some presents the kids picked out for him too.
When the kids pick out presents for you it is the best.
A Thomas the Train card- a nerf ball and a squirt gun.
Yesterday for his birthday I planned a date for just the two of us.
Forgive the horrible pictures- they were taken with my video camera.
Just the two of us haven't been on a date other than a quick trip to buy Christmas gifts in secret since, I'm going to go with October. How pathetic.
We decided to try Joe's Crab Shack for dinner. Not only had we never eaten here- we also basically got free parking for the soccer game later because it is across the street. Jake and I always say we don't eat seafood. We don't. That is because we think we don't like it. That is because we both got really bad food poisoning from it years ago.
Turns out we really do like shrimp and crab legs though on special occasion.
Whole buckets full of them.
Really we haven't decided if we like the food so much because of what it was, or because it is the 1st meal we have eaten without our children in several months.
Either way- I am already planning on eating my weight in crab legs when we go to the coast in April.


Jake and I at the Real SL game.
It was our 1st time at the new stadium and it was so much fun. They have crazy fans, and it was a full house. It only rained on us a bit too though the forecast had predicted lots of snow. They played LA Galaxy- with some of the best players in the league- but Real pulled out an easy victory. Our tickets were front and center too so we didn't miss a thing. Well except for when I went to get us churros and the line was like twenty minutes long.


All in all, I am so glad it was Jake's birthday.
It was so much fun to spent time just the two of us doing new and different things.
Its not like I can forget how awesome Jake is.
He gives me small reminders every day of his awesomeness.
Like when he gets up with the kids and makes them blueberry pancakes.
or when we comes upstairs from work to change a diaper because I am sure it will make my pregnant self vomit.
Or how every night we watch a little tv before going to bed, and he laughs out loud, and it makes me laugh too.
Or how he feeds my dog every night because I am tired and don't want to go out in the cold.
No, I don't need to be reminded of how awesome he is,
but spending all evening just the two of us made it just that much more clear.

Good Things

1. Jake was headed to the temple this week. Kate asked him where he was going. When Jake replied to the temple, Kate replied "Be reverent and listen to what Jesus tells you".

2. Sam arrived to trick or treat at the very 1st house last night. In his bag a chocolate tootsie pop was deposited. He picked it out of the bag and had it unwrapped and in his mouth in under 5 seconds, and before we could get off the porch.

3. After 10 days of not having a usable bathroom on the main floor of the house, we finally finished the remodel of Friday. You can see it and all our back breaking work here.

Favorite Things about a Rough Week.

Traditionally this is one of my favorite weeks of the year.
I mean who has a favorite week?

Me.

I guess really I would go ahead and include every week that is entirely in September.
I love it.
One of my very 1st blogs posts was all about it.
It is still warm enough to do everything you want outside, but the cold has crept in too.
It rides in on the wind with the smell of drying hay, and the mountains, and old-ness.

The grasses are all blonde.
I kind of like blondes.

This week is nostalgic.
A good portion of my favorite memories come from this time of year.
Today is actually the date of the 1st time Jake told me he loved me.
It was the Sunday before Labor Day, two days before school would start.
He had just returned from Harvesting the family farm.
I guess he missed me.

Plus even though I don't start school any more, my mind is conditioned to get excited.
It is also conditioned to buy school supplies and lay newly sharpened pencils in my desk.

I have a picture in my mind of me laying in the hammock outside at our 1st house under the apple tree reading novels one afternoon. It was this week of 2003. I always remember this moment. There was nothing special about the day. But they say smell is the biggest trigger of memory. And it smelled just like the 1st week of September outside.
Does it get more September than reading novels under an apple tree in a light sweater?
Just moments ago my children dug in the dirt watching airplane and catching grasshoppers while I ate cherry tomatoes straight from the vine
I live a charmed Autumn existence.

You get it.
I love this month.

So far the month has been rough for us though.
Two sick kids. It never ends.
Until last night not one member of our family had slept for more than four hours a night this entire week. I have knots up and down my arm and back from literally holding sad, sick children 20 hours a day.
Thankfully yesterday afternoon things started looking up.
And when we didn't see the hours between midnight and 5:00 am last night- they looked even better.

I hate when the kids get sick.
But not even that can bring me down on my favorite week.
even if instead of bike riding through the Autumn air I am Lysoling my home and cleaning up puke.

Here are some of my favorite moments from sick kid week.


1. Kate and Samuel sitting on the couch.
They haven't eaten solid food in two days really, until Sam requested a PB & J minus the PB
and Kate requested a PB & J minus the J.
I loved this. Not only that they were eating FINALLY
But that I realized Sam always only eats bread with only jelly and Kate always only eats bread with only Peanut Butter. I guess they are a perfect match as siblings.

2. The dance party we had to
"Shake, Shake, Shake, Shake a Shake it" (Metro Station)
"Single Ladies" (Beyonce)
"Tonight's gonna be" (Black eyed Peas)
Say what you want about popular music- but my kids love these songs.

Mostly because I was dancing. And my children were dancing around me in circles. And Sam copied Kates every action. And it looked choreographed. So much so I am sad Jake was not there to witness or tape it. I'm talking side by side somersaults, high kicks, and disco arms.(by the children- not me- just to clarify).

3. I taught Sam to kick a ball.
Every time he would kick it I would praise him, and then he would run into my arms for a hug.
Now he thinks that is what you do all the time when you kick a ball.
I can't wait until he is 5 on a soccer team and runs to give his mom a hug after every kick.
I am pretty sure that would get him kicked off the team...
or at least teased.
I guess I am not finished teaching him yet.

4. Kate's Halloween costume came in the mail.
She had told me that she wanted to be Ariel
We talked about what kind of costume she wanted.
I ordered it off ebay.

When she opened it she said "MOM THIS IS JUST THE ONE I WANTED!"
She put it on and the went to examine herself in the mirror for a good 10 minutes.
It is awesome to make her dreams come true.

5. Jake mowed the lawn yesterday. He was wearing camo shorts and a white t shirt with some logo on it. Sam went outside to follow him back and forth on the lawn like he does every time.
Turns out I had dressed Sam in camo shorts and a white t-shirt that morning too. Jake and mini Jake back and forth, up and down across the backyard lawn. They looked exactly the same except for the fact that Sam was wearing Kate's old shiny black church shoes.
He has shoes of his own.
Lot of shoes.
Boy shoes.
He just likes to change his shoes, and that was the last change.

He threw a 15 minute tantrum this morning because he found some of his old tennis shoes despite all my stretching and pushing I could not get them on his feet.
15 minute of tears and begging. Really! I should have had the video out for that too.


6. The family of birds that lives on our front porch.
This was not a happy moment- but I'll let it be a funny moment of the week.
I want to get rid of these birds.
They poop all over the front walk. It is gross.
Jake gets out the hose and ladder. Children watching, he sprays them with the hose with intent to cover their happy home in sharp spikes so they won't sit here anymore.
The birds fly away
Within seconds twenty or more bird friends literally dive bomb us almost getting into the house, hitting the children and have Jake on the ground for fear of being hit by barn swallow flying 30 miles an hour at his face.
Upon closer examination it looks like that column is hollow. And a nest or two of baby birds sits inside out of reach.
The attack- plus the fact we can't reach them -has left us resolved to letting the birds live there until their babies are old enough to fly away.
Then we will put up the spikes,
and hopefully have no more BIRDS scenes.


UPDATE:
Our 3 Mama birds never returned.
We heard baby birds later that evening, but not the next day.
We haven't seen or heard a bird near since.
I think we may have drowned/ frozen the baby birds.
It makes me feel real bad.
But I went ahead and put up the spikes.
Scrubbed the bird poop off and repainted everything.
It looks better.
So sorry birds.


Guess I had a lot to say. Well I haven't been out to talk to an adult other than my spouse, aside from a pediatrician all week. Cut me some slack.