A woman's right

to change her mind and make no apologies for it. I spent the better half of last night lying awake in bed feeling uneasy about the choice we made on the two houses we saw on Saturday. Like I mentioned in a previous post, we liked both of them. Both of them are great houses.

The house we chose Saturday was the more conservative house as far as size and money. It doesn't have some of the bells and whistles that the other house has. On the more practical side, the house we didn't choose has much larger upstairs bedrooms than the home we originally chose. I didn't think this was really an issue for me because after all I'm not living in the upstairs bedrooms :). The layout of the home both inside and out fits our style and our needs a bit more than the home we chose. So, after some serious consideration and comparisons we have decided that the above home will be our new residence....as of today.

Let's hope I'm not jinxing us

Here is a picture of the home we are building. This home was completed in late September of this year.

Another shot of it from across the street.

This is the home next to our lot, our new neighbors. Feels kinda stalkerish since they don't even know we exist yet.

Our lot on Nickelby.

So stay tuned for tomorrow when I sadly announce that our deal to sell this house fell through again. Fingers crossed that doesn't happen.

Visit with Santa 2009

Jake at lunch

Anderson at lunch

We took the boys over to the Village of Rochester today for their pics with Santa. They happily climbed up onto his lap and told him what they wanted for Christmas...Super Why. They love the Super Why television show on PBS and would like anything Super Why for Christmas. Luckily Santa and Grandma have bought everything Super Why that the stores carry. Afterwards we had a nice lunch with Grandma and Grandpa

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Thanksgiving 2009 flew by. We hosted a brunch and then headed to Great Grandma Edgar's house for dinner. The boys enjoyed the day, particulary all of the balloons at G.G Edgars. On Friday we joined the McBride's at the Henry Ford Musuem for the Lego Castle Exhibit. It was crazy busy, but we managed to still have a good time. I think my favorite part of the field trip was the Bosco Sticks we had at the cafe. We left our stroller behind and the boys did a great job walking the whole time. Had to have been at least a mile, but they seemed unphased.

Today Kevin and I walked through the two different potential houses we are considering building. Due to the economy, the builder has no models of the different houses so he had to set up walk throughs of existing homes that people already live in. That's a little awkward to say the least. Thanks for letting us intrude....but really who is going to buy a home sight unseen?

It was really hard to pick a favorite, we were hoping to walk into one of them and say this is the one. We could have said that for both of them. Both homes were beautiful and had great layouts. Fortunately after talking about them, Kevin and I were on the same page. We were both slightly leaning towards the same house so decision made.

We will meet with the builder this week to discuss the details and draw up a purchase agreement. As far as our current home goes, everything went well with the inspection and now we are just waiting to hear back on the appraisal. No word on a closing date yet.

Let's try this again

We sold the house. Again. For the second time. On Wednesday we had three offers come in. None were that great, but we felt we could live with one of them. We were home when the family who purchased it came through. They had two small boys and I whispered to Kevin I thought the house would be perfect for them. One of their boys was around a year old so our nursery would be great for him and the boy's bathroom is boy friendly so that would totally work for them too.

We have the home inspection in about thirty minutes and the appraisal will happen on Monday. They are eager to get in, they sold their house in August and have been home hunting since so that makes me feel good that they liked what they saw. All parties are hoping the house will close by Dec. 11th. That way we can move out before my surgery. If it doesn't then it is more likely that we won't move out till after Christmas because I will be out of commission for a couple of weeks.

Kevin, the boys and myself spent the morning driving through neighborhoods and looking at used homes. Afterwards we stopped at the Pancake Pantry for a delicious brunch. I looked up all the info. on the homes we were interested in and unfortunately they were either out of our price range or we didn't like the pictures of the interiors. That's okay though because we really want to build anyways but felt that we should at least look at what was available in the used market. We are going to lay low for the next couple of weeks and make sure everything moves along with the sale of this home before we get ourselves in a happy tizzy again over the new build.

Happy Day

Watching the ducks below

Everlasting love

Jake has finally gotten over his fear of being on Daddy's shoulders.

Happy Day-Part Two

Jake was all smiles

We were desperately calling for them to look up so we could snap a shot.

After nearly three years I still can't believe these bubbies are mine! *pinch*

Anderson was giggling up a storm in the leaves.

Today was a beautiful day so we dressed the boys in their holiday gear and headed to Rochester Park for a photo shoot. While we were there, we found some huge piles of leaves so we let the boys have at it. They were happily burying themselves and jumping in and out of the piles.

We had a showing yesterday, today and one scheduled for tomorrow. We've been told a possible offer may be coming in sometime before Monday afternoon. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, this roller coaster sucks. A lot can happen between now and Monday afternoon and an offer doesn't really mean anything if it's not sincere.

My surgery date is official. My lower jaw will be sawed in half in two places, advanced forward and held together with plates and screws on December 15th. This is such a long time coming, I'm having difficulty putting into words how I feel. So many thoughts come to mind...realizing for the first time that I had buck teeth. I was in sixth grade and felt pretty good about myself until I found out my nickname was Tammy "no chin" Guitar. Being told by a distant family member "put your teeth back in your mouth" as a joke. Always fearing to really let loose and laugh aloud because I knew my teeth were sticking out. Suffering from ear and jaw pain because I spend half my day forcing my jaw into a position it's just not meant to be in. I'm just skimming the surface with these thoughts, if I really divulged here I'd fear judgement. As a friend on facebook said this week "your own mind can be the worst tormentor".

This sucks

Home sale is over just as fast as it began. I guess it was a really long dream that I was abruptly woken from this morning. We are left with more questions than answers but bottom line is the sale if off. Our dream home will have to wait for the moment and I must readjust my frame of mind.

It's funny how my bubbies can make everything seem miniscule. I wallowed in some self pity for a few minutes but then I quickly reminded myself of the real, true treasures in my life. As long as I've got my three men at my side I can live in a box. Not to say I'm not really p'off at these people for jerking us around or that I'm not mightly disapointed that I don't get some new "stuff". But at the end of the day, stuff is just that, stuff.

SOLD!

We sold our house on Thursday! Two offers came in on Wednesday night and on Thursday we met with our agent to work out a deal. I keep feeling like this is some sort of LONG dream that I haven't woken from. Everything happened so quickly! Yesterday was the home inspection and things went well. We have just one small issue to address but it shouldn't be a problem at all. The next hurdle is making sure the house appraises for it's selling price. The buyers actually offered us more than our asking price with some concessions. So even though we don't get more than our asking price (or our asking price for that matter) the house must still appraise for that amount.

Yesterday we met with Tuscany Builders to discuss floor plans, lots and the details of the home purchase. We also spent some time walking the new neighborhood and picking out a lot. We are still on the fence whether or not we are going to do a walk out basement or not, but if we decide to then we have a lot we really like. It is actually right on the border of the older phase of the neighborhood, so all of our backyard neighbors would already be established as well as the neighbor on our left. We won't have to deal with construction or dirt and the boys will be able to ride their bikes up and down the street safely without gaps in the sidewalk due to empty lots.

If we don't do a walkout basement then there are still 30-40 lots to choose from so at this point we are in good shape. Right now we are just trying to decide between two different floor plans and weighing the pros and cons of a walk out. Of course the only con is price. It is actually pretty reasonable, but when you factor in building up a deck or patio to accomodate a walk out, that is when the numbers start spiraling.

On Friday night we started taking things over to my Grandmother's condo. Today we have already made three trips with at least one more to go. It feels and looks like we haven't even put a dent in the work ahead of us.

Halloween 2009

Anderson as Mickey and Jake as Donald

Mickey and Donald had a great Halloween. We didn't get to do our big night at Greenfield Village due to the rain and Rochester was a bust but they still had a great time on Friday at Grant and Claire's school and yesterday trick or treating. I was impressed that they made it all the way around the block. They struggled to carry their increasingly heavy candy filled bags, but they refused any help. When we got home I popped some popcorn, threw in some m & m's and they sat in the foyer and watched the trick or treaters come to the door. We even let them have a sucker. I took their candy out of their bags and they didn't protest. I packed away some to take to school with me and left some out on the counter. They haven't even asked once if they could have some.

On the house front we had one showing yesterday and two scheduled for today. Yesterday's showing was during the boys naptime and they were so cranky and wound up by the time we put them down that they never really got any quality sleep. When they called about today's showings they asked to come during naptime again and I said no. New rule, no showings between 1-3. Probably not the best selling strategy, but self preservation for all in the family comes first.

Hurry up and wait

It's official. We had our first showing and we've been told they want to come back for a second showing. That was yesterday and no word yet so I'm feeling a little discouraged. Tomorrow we have a showing scheduled...during the boys nap. Of course.

The last house we sold took nearly six months to sell, so by then you can imagine how fed up one becomes of keeping the house spotless. We were told we had a showing and I decided I wasn't going to clean. As in not even make the bed and wet towels on the shower floor. That was the showing that led to the sale of our house. Go figure.

Today we carved pumpkins and took the boys to Grant and Claire's Halloween parties and parade at school. Claire's classroom is my old classroom. I taught my first two years in that classroom. It was strange to be in my old classroom where Claire is now educated daily with my own children by my side. I couldn't help but notice all the sh!t her teacher (male teacher I might add) had piled up in MY room. The place was a mess! The boys had a great time in school. Those hotshots helped themselves to treats, bingo, trinkets from Grant's classmates and even tried to get in on the parade.

The warm up

Mickey Mouse aka Anderson

Donald Duck aka Jake (Jake insisted on a black dot for his nose as well)

Momma's bubbies have struck again

Today we took the boys to downtown Rochester to trick or treat. It was a miss. Their overall awareness has increased dramatically from last year. They get what candy is, they don't get what a line is, they make obscure demands and have little stubborn minds of their own. While we were trick or treating they had several meltdowns. One guy wanted a purple pencil instead of the orange one he received and one guy wanted to hold all his candy in his hands and not put it in his bag. Oh, and of course they thought all the candy they got was fair game and they couldn't understand why they couldn't eat it as soon as it was dropped into their bag. They did come out victorious with one sucker. Let's hope those little minds reset overnight and forget about the rest of the candy they scored.

Kevin was out of town this past week from Monday till Thursday. He hasn't had to travel since the boys were born so this was a first. On a whole things went well, the boys were pretty good and I survived. We did have one stressful night, Anderson woke at about 2 a.m. wheezing with croup. I took him outside on the porch for a bit and set up the humidifier in his room and it passed. Of course I couldn't sleep after that, as I was too concerned about checking on him to make sure he was breathing okay.

Today I did a really stupid thing and cut all my hair off. I got a graduated bob and I'm less than thrilled with it. I've been at war with my hair for some time now, I was bored with it and stuck in a rut. I thought this would help. It's not terrible, it's just hair and life goes on.

My jaw surgery is tentatively scheduled for December 15th. I'm still waiting on insurance approval before that date becomes official. I wanted to back it up to Christmas break at school so I would have an extended recovery time and use as little sick days as possible.

Kevin and I have decided to list our house on the market. We met with our agent for about three hours this afternoon. We have spent the past couple of weeks weighing the pros and cons and ultimately decided that this would be a good move for us. Of course the real estate market has tanked and we will never get back what we have into the house but we now have access to a larger home in a more desirable area that was beyond our reach before the market tanked. The boys will start school in just a few short years and we both want to stay in the same house during their school years. My family moved three times during my elementary years and it sucked. I wouldn't want to do that to the boys. I can't imagine being in this house for the next 20 years. It is a very nice home but we have just outgrown it.

There are a lot of unknowns at this point. We may not be able to sell at all and if that's the case we are still in a great house in a great neighborhood with great schools. We aren't sure where we will move to. We have a general idea of where we want to go and we think we will most likely build a new home down the street from the McBrides, but we have not ruled out a used home either. We do have the option of moving into my Grandmother's empty condo if we decide to build so that is a relief. Her place is small but we will have a two car garage and basement to store all of our stuff.

Now I just need to figure out how to keep this place presentable on a daily basis.

More weekend pics

Birthday dinner for Jared at Bastones

Zhenders chicken...he made the boys shriek the last time they saw him when they were only nine months old

Inside Bronner's Christmas store

Recreating a picture I have of myself in front of this snowman when I was a little girl

The boys were happy to see Santa

Weekend in Review

We had a very busy weekend, but we planned it that way and enjoyed every minute. On Friday we took the boys to the Rainforest Cafe for dinner. They absolutely love that place! After dinner they got to ride the indoor carsouel at the mall and we made a trip to the Disney store. Santa picked up a couple of gifts, but the boys didn't notice.

Yesterday we headed to Upland Hills Farm with the McBrides. This was our third year in a row, so I guess it's becoming something of a tradition. Anderson and Jake fed the geese, milked a cow and watched a farming demonstration. The best part of our trip has always been the wagon ride through the woods. This year the boys were big enough to get off the wagon and follow the Storybook Trail and they enjoyed that. They were quite the hotshots hiking up the hills through the "dark forest".

After the farm it was time to come home for a nap. After some R and R for the boys, we went to Altermatts. Altermatts is a small ma and pa vegetable stand right down the street from our house. This year they set up a pumpkin patch area with all kinds of painted wooden signs and a couple of cute things for the boys to explore. They picked out their pumpkins and we picked up some peppers and sweet potatoes. Kevin got his favorite Cajun peanuts too.

In the evening, Kevin and I headed out to Royal Oak to celebrate Jared's birthday. Jared had about twenty of his closest family and friends at a celebratory dinner at Bastones. A good time was had by all. After dinner we headed to another night spot for some cocktails. Good times!

Today we took the boys on a long trek to Birch Run. We had a "we're sorry we screwed" up gift card from Pottery Barn and I wanted to use it at the outlet store. Long story short, there were two attempts by Pottery Barn to deliver our media wall unit and both times they failed to produce a complete and quality product. The second delivery attempt was on Friday, Kevin took the afternoon off work to make sure history didn't repeat itself. It did. We were so frustrated at that point we told them to take it all back. We were done. I'm so disappointed, I loved the wall unit. Now we are back to the drawing board. The new TV is sitting on our coffee table and looks ridiculous.

We used their bribery money towards some big boy bedding for when our little guys are ready to make the transition. We bought them matching quilts/shams, the most darling "abc 123" sheet set, and new lamps. After we shopped we headed to Bronners Christmas Store. The boys were in sensory overload. They each picked out an ornament and both of them managed to break it before we paid for it. It wasn't even glass! After the Bronner's experience we stopped in at Zhenders and ended our day with a nice chicken dinner.

Upland Hills Farm 2009

Pumpkin Patch

My pumpkins

The McBride pumpkins

Jake likes this one

Anderson found one

Grant James

Daddy and the gang on the wagon ride

Watching the farm demonstration

Jake milking the cow

Anderson was not so sure about Tot the two week old piglet