working hard

Oh, yeah. We've been working hard.

timing

Would you believe it?

The week that we're moving, and the tomatoes (which, you may recall, we planted really late due to foiled moving plans)........they're getting ripe.

How's that for timing?

the moving saga: plan E

We've had a few new developments in our moving saga this week. Midway through we learned that the appraiser would not agree to change his numbers at all. This was incredibly frustrating after waiting for two weeks to hear. There was a very good chance that this sale would fall through, as well - yet we held on, prayed, and hoped that a compromise could be reached.

And it has been! Obviously it's not exactly as we had hoped, but it's enough for us to sell this house and get out, for crying out loud. This house has been very good to us, and we've made some amazing memories, but for the last few months it's begun to feel rather like an albatross. And we are so ready to be rid of it.

So, a new price has been agreed upon, and papers have been signed accordingly. Also new: a planned closing date. August 14th. So that would be in, say, 6 days.

Um, yikes.

Nevertheless, we are getting back into packing mode. Even though we have opened a few boxes in the past few months, the vast majority of it is still packed. Things are in motion for us to begin moving into an apartment that same day. Thankfully, we do have a few days after closing before we need to vacate our house, but I want to be as prepared as I can. The sooner we put this chapter behind us, the better.

All the same, I wonder if I will really believe it until that last form has its signature...

another hiccup

Against all odds, we seem to be hitting another snag in the journey to a new home. This one involves a ridiculously low appraisal. Our buyers will not be able to get financing to meet the price we agreed to, when the house was valued at such a price.

The current plan is an appeal. Our realtor was able to access the appraisal which was done in April (with our original attempted buyers), and this new appraiser has a week to reconsider his numbers. This will likely mean a renegotiation of the price of the home. We'll find out next week, I suppose.

Regardless, nothing will be closing on July 31st.

For some reason I had held back from making any more preparations to move, in spite of the fact that as far as I knew, we would be relocating in just over a week. Some would call that procrastination, but I'm thankful for it at the moment. It tempers the "roller coaster effect," at least a bit.

So for now we're back in more waiting. Thankful for the house we have to live in now, but hoping it will truly sell this time around. And praying that we won't lose another home with which we've fallen in love.

This is all incredibly frustrating. The process of attempting to sell our home has turned our entire summer upside down. Nay, most of the year. I'm just hoping that it will be worth it, in the end.

As Jeff and I keep reminding one another: The Big Picture. The Big Picture.

I'm just wondering if God's view of the big picture is the same as ours....we appreciate your prayers! Please continue to pray for us. Thank you, friends.

the current plan

***UPDATE*** The building company accepted our offer! We're on! Yippeeeee!



At last we have a plan in place now, for where we'll eventually be living. Our future home.

Yesterday we started the process of having a home to be built for us. It's not far from here; the neighborhood is actually quite close to the house we had planned by move into last April. So yesterday, kids in tow, we chose a lot, wrote a check, and signed a large stack of papers.

The office where all the business took place is actually a model home. And that model home is nearly the exact floor plan that we've ordered. The only difference is that we've chosen to extend the upstairs loft, making it a full 2nd story. That's the main reason why we brought the boys - so they could see what it would be like. They behaved very well, exploring and eventually settling down in the family room to watch a DVD. (Yes, it's a fully furnished and exquisitely decorated model home!) Jeff's parents also decided to join us, largely to see the floor plan - but they also watched the boys while we signed all those papers. It was so helpful to have them there. The model home had no shortage of breakable decor...not exactly a good site for a wrestling match.

We had a fun time going through our list of available options (read: upgrades) and deciding what we did and didn't want - or rather, opted not to put onto the total count. I feel really good about our choices, and that we had a good balance of practicality and comfort. Now we just need to finalize an agreement on the price with the building company, and we're good to go. That should be accomplished within the next few days.

The thought of a new house - our house, designed and appointed as we will it - is, well, thrilling.

However, there is a small hitch. It won't be ready until January.

This is not good news for the pregnant lady. Not to mention that she's a pregnant lady who's been living out of suitcases and boxes for several months now. The pregnant lady whose official due date is January 28th. Not great news at all.

Still, I am choosing (reminding myself, again and again) to look at the big picture. The house we want, the yard we want, at a price we can afford. We love this unbuilt home: in fact, we love it more than the other house, the one we were planning to buy in April. I am hoping that this is God's plan for us, the reason that He allowed all that heartache and stress.

Of course, it all depends, once again, on the sale of our "old" house going through. Everything looks good so far. The closing date is still scheduled for July 31st. We've had the inspection, and are waiting for the appraisal to be scheduled. Things seem to be moving along as planned.

We shall see. Jeff and I are praying for a smooth process this time, but we have certainly learned that these things don't always happen the way you expect.

You may have noticed that there's quite a gap between July 31st (when the sale of this house closes) and January (when we hope to move into the newly built house). For the interim, we'll be looking for a rental. I'm a little anxious about these details - moving not once but twice, moving while I'm large with child, storing our stuff, finding a place to rent (will it be a house with a yard, or an apartment?). We'll be spending three family birthdays there, not to mention the holidays. And what if there's a delay with the construction? Would I really want a homebirth in some temporary living arrangement?

I'm praying that we won't have to make that choice. We're told that these builders are really "good on their dates," and I'm holding onto that. But if there is a delay, I know we'll manage. God will take care of us. He alone knows when and where the babe will be born. Although it may be the first time in my life that I'm glad my babies usually come well past their due dates.

Oh....I suppose you'd like to hear what the house is like? I nearly forgot, silly me. Let's see... it's a bit over 3200 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, a beautiful master suite, an office/den, living room, family room, and "loft" (which will be more of a family room) upstairs. The kitchen is lovely (and includes a "cook's pantry"). The lot is level, and a good size. Lots of room for those boys to shake their sillies out, thank goodness!

So that's the news. Now we need to apply ourselves to finding a rental, and preparing to move in about a month. We're back in the saddle again, and this time in a good way!

same song, 2nd verse...

...hopefully not the same as the 1st!

Once again we have a buyer for our house. Yesterday we received, and accepted, an offer. Yes, it's true! It all still seems like a dream to me. All the same, the papers have been signed. Things are in motion!

Now, of course, we have the task of finding the home we want to buy. We looked last week, and hope to go looking again in the next few days. We don't want to be hasty, but we're feeling the pressure to start the process for our new home. You know, wherever it may be.

It sounds like closing will be in mid- to late-July.

Lord-willing!

moving update: this is getting ridiculous

These updates are just getting depressing, yet I feel bound to let you know what's happening. We got some more bad news last night. There's another snag with our buyers' financing. And so, we're on "Let's try this, we think this will work," Part 4.

This is just getting ridiculous. Really.

The current estimate is that we will close at the end of May. We'll know more details as time goes by, of course.

So for now, we're taking a deep breath, putting away our plans of moving next week, and settling in for the long haul. I do feel bad that Ben and Kyle have no beds assembled. Jeff took the bunk bed apart, and put it in the garage, on April 18th (just hours before we got word of the first delay, as you may recall). It was cute that they'd be using sleeping bags for a couple of weeks...but this is going on way beyond what we imagined. Ah well. I suppose camping out in their bedroom is an adventure!

Thank you for your prayers, and please do keep on praying for us. This is an incredibly stressful time, for our whole family.

bittersweet

The thought of leaving this house, of moving on, is both bitter and sweet.


It was here where we brought home our first wee baby, and began learning the art (never a science) of parenting.

Here in this house where Kyle was born...

...where our sons began learning what it means to be brothers.

Owen, too, was born in this home.

We've had so many happy times here.

I know we will create wonderful memories in our new home, but for now I'm indulging a bit in a sentimental journey...

unraveling

Everything seems to be unraveling lately. My closets. My kitchen. Any shred of organization. My entire house, along with any hope of order.

And I'm not really handling it well. I didn't handle it very well in December of 2007 when we (and by "we" I mean Jeff and some other guys) re-did the floor of our downstairs. It's all just...upheaval. Furniture moved out of rooms, everything rearranged, a huge amount of extra clutter, piled on top of any previous clutter. I hate it. It's the kind of thing that makes me seriously question whether I could ever handle any major kind of home improvement project. I really think it has the potential to make me lose my mind. Therefore, we shopped more for bigger houses than for, say, big lots where we could build onto the house. A friend recently told me the story of when they added onto their kitchen and dining room. She cooked Thanksgiving in her winter coat because there was a wall missing. Me? I would come unglued.

Just the same, I am struggling with even this. Rooms half packed, the couch lined with boxes. Deciding what we'll need in the next three week or so, and what we can live without. Trying to imagine what it will be like to make the actual transition, when I'll have to stop cooking in this kitchen, etc.

And, of course, there is the cooking. A daily task, as I am out of practice at doubling recipes and freezing half of it ~ not to mention the fact that we've implemented a new budget, and I have yet to figure out just how to make that function, budget-wise. I'm working it out one week at a time, but buying extra and stocking up is still a bit of a mystery. I'll figure it out, but that's not helping the way my life feels right now.

Unraveling.

I'm behind. I'm sure a big part of it is that we've been sick for the past month or so. First there was Benjamin's pneumonia, the rest of us have had colds. And then a second round, which included a fever for both Owen & I. This turned into an ear infection... you get the idea. So it's been a challenge to keep up with the laundry & cleaning (not that I'm that great in the best of times). I'm keeping my head above water when it comes to food preparation, but barely. And I always seem to be a step behind on the clean-up...

And then there's the packing.

I think I may be a bit in denial of the fact that we are moving in three weeks. I mean, I'm packing, but...there is a lot to pack. We're talking about seven years' worth of stuff, including the transition from being a childless couple to having three boys. It's overwhelming to think about; I barely seem to scratch the surface, and I inevitably stir up a mess every time I make an attempt. This only adds to the general feeling that I am losing control of my house here.

Still, I have no doubt that it'll all be worth it. I am eager and excited about the change that we're making. I know that this is a necessary step in the process; that what will be moved must first be taken a part. But it's all pretty unsettling, unnerving. I feel that I'm living in a chaos of my own making.

I'll just focus on the idea of everything being knit together again....