New Home

Exciting news - we closed on a house! People say it's a buyer’s market, and although it can be true, navigating all the short sales and foreclosures sure made for an interesting process. The Lord is faithful, and we ended up purchasing what will be a great spot for us.

We discovered a townhouse in a neat area about 10 minutes from Brian's work. It has nice surroundings and is in close proximity to some great parks and shopping areas. This will likely be more of a short-term spot for us (3-5 years, maybe?) but it's a good size for us for now (1800sq ft, 3bed & 2bath), and we got it for such a great price that depending on how life unfolds it could make a terrific long-term rental property as well.

The purchase process was quite an experience. The townhouse was in foreclosure, and we made a full-price offer which they turned down. Then they put the house into auction. We ended up purchasing it through the auction…for less than we had initially offered. Crazy! The Lord is so good.

We closed on Friday and will move-in by the end of May. We're doing a few updates to get it ready (new paint, flooring, etc) and look forward to setting into our new home. Here are two photos that we found online from the original listing, and we'll try to take/post more photos as we move in as well.

Freedom Day

April 15th is now affectionately called "Freedom Day" in our home! Brian has been working incredibly hard (6 days & 80+ hrs per week) since the first week of February, all leading up to the 4/15 tax deadline. We are so proud of Brian. He handled the pressure beautifully and did a commendable job balancing work and family during this crazy season. Nevertheless, our time with him has been sparse over the last few months, and we are SO happy to have 4/15 behind us (for this year, anyway!) and to having more time with Brian! We had a wonderful weekend together as a family. Brian joined us for our weekly Gymboree class on Friday, we went to a couple different local parks, took some nice walks, went swimming in the indoor pool at our apartment complex, and stopped at our favorite local ice cream (OK - it's frozen yogurt) shop where Owen tried his first chocolate treat! Yummy! We also enjoyed some nice "grown-up" time on Friday, when Brian's dad came and spent the afternoon & evening with Owen so we could go out on a date. Such fun! Here are a few photos from our weekend (click to enlarge).

11 Months + Easter

Owen turned 11 months just before Easter weekend. In this 11th month - Owen quickly went from crawling, to pulling onto his knees, and up onto his feet, and now he even jumps in his crib (while holding onto the rail) - hilarious! Practicing these new skills ended in few spills, resulting in his first bonks & bruises. Oh well, many more to come no doubt. Owen has had 6 teeth since December, and this month he got his 7th – a molar! Ouch! Owen's favorite activities include bubbles, bath time, and playing with balls - his current favorites are colorful whiffle balls. Owen also started playing a simple version of "hide & seek" - where we'll hide behind a chair, etc, and he'll come find us. Such fun to play and be silly with him, and amazing to see him learn that just because he can't see us, he can still find us! He also loves it when we sing - especially "Wheels on the Bus", "BINGO", and "Old McDonald Had a Farm". For months we’ve been doing simple sign language with Owen, and this month he did his first signs! He signed “milk” when ready for his bottle, and signed “more” – although it didn’t seem to apply to anything in particular yet. We're looking forward to month 12...and the countdown to Owen's 1st Birthday!

After sitting so nicely for his pictures, he enjoyed playing with his new cars

A few Easter photos. The majority of the pictures were taken on the grandparents' cameras and we still need to get copies!

Under the Weather

I aim for a blog posting each week...and for this past week, the events can be summed up with one photograph:

Owen got his first big cold (he's had a runny nose, etc, before - but nothing like this). And the generous boy he is...he quickly shared his cold with both of us. It's always a bummer to be under the weather, and a sick baby is extra sad. But thankfully we're on the mend and look forward to a great Easter celebration with family!