Just Telling Our Story

I am trying to remain patient...but I don't need this stress!

What a difference for our future a few weeks can make.

Chad and I have been planning on building a house for some time now, and while we are still on a two- to three-year plan for actually moving, we have been casually looking at properties (empty lots) for some time now. We had several in mind: First, we considered half-acre lots in Wexford Commons, a newer subdivision in Danville. Then we were drawn more and more to Woodfield on Washington, an older community in Danville that still has a few empty lots but also has another entire section set to open sometime in the future. We had considered (ever so briefly, for me) finding a random plot of land in the country, too, but for various reasons (lack of city water and lack of neighbors, for two), I just couldn't see myself living completely outside of a subdivision. So until a couple of weeks ago, we had decided to wait things out, to see if and when Woodfield opened its third section and to see if anything fell into our laps that we couldn't live without.

And that's exactly what happened.

On March 10, a Tuesday, two weeks ago today, Chad was driving home from work and drove past a sign announcing a couple of acres for sale. We drove out there that night to see it, and we knew almost instantly it was where we wanted to live for the rest of our lives. It has everything going for it: It's close to town, there will be neighbors when all is said and done, it is surrounded by residential property (so no industrial parks or dense residential neighborhoods/apartments/mobile home parks or worse will spring up in our potential back yard any time in the future), and it is secluded from the hustle-and-bustle of traffic and noise. It is bordered on one side by a creek, on two sides by trees and on the fourth side by a cornfield that has already been platted for a nice neighborhood. The developer raves about the deer and wildlife he sees out there regularly, and we could actually hear birds and — gasp! — silence in the middle of a weekend day. (At our current house, all we hear is the constant traffic of the nearby US highway.) It's beautiful. And it feels like home, even without a house on the property!

We dug a little deeper. The price turned out to be nearly twice what we had planned to spend, but we would be getting more than five times the amount of property (depending on how you look at it, another story for another day). And this subdivision doesn't require land owners to build within a year, like every other property we've considered before has. So we can sit on the property and pay it down long before we decide to build — perfect for our two- to three-year plan. Another benefit to that is not feeling like we have to rush along the way. We'll be able to take it easy and go one step at a time. Neither Chad nor I, after all, can afford to take on too much more stress right now.

Ah, stress. That's where we are now. We don't even officially have the property, and it's stressful.

Why? Only three days after seeing the land for the first time, we applied for a loan at a local bank. I guess I was naive in thinking we would have an answer quickly, much like we would if we were applying for a loan for a car. (And I think when we applied for the loan for this house that we didn't have to wait long, if at all, either.) Not so much. We just found out yesterday (a week and another business day after the application) that we were approved for the loan, but the extension in the amortization that we had been pulling for would not be approved for another week. Then today, more news of waiting. It has been delayed again. So we will wait yet another week. (Seems everyone and his brother is refinancing houses right now, and the mortgage department is swamped.)

We want to go about things the right way, so we are waiting to make an offer on the land until we know for sure we can afford it. (Logical, I suppose!) And while we could technically afford the loan as it was presented and approved for us, it means we would have close to nothing left to save toward building the house. Not good. I don't want to live in this house another 10 years! So as much as we really want that lot, we might have to take our chances and let it go until we can save enough to be able to afford the current loan as we were approved. I am still hopeful that we won't have to, but it will be almost two more weeks (UGH!) before we know for sure.

So we wait. I try to be patient with most things in life, but I'll tell you, it's stressful. To think we know where we want to live, (we even know what could be our next and final address!) and that we are this close (picture my thumb and pointer finger about a cm apart) to getting it — but that at any time, someone else might sweep it out from under our feet — is completely nerve-racking. And because this is a small town, and there aren't tons of lots available here, and someone I know and/or who reads this blog could very well be eyeing the same property, well, I need to not share too many more details about where it is or what it looks like. I'd really hate to lose it to someone I know! :o)  We have lots of pictures, though, and as soon as I'm confident it will be ours, I'll be sure to share! Until then, I'll pray hard for patience, and I'll have to accept that if it doesn't happen for us, God must have another plan. But boy, that's hard to remember in a time like this!

•••••

Our future house has been on our minds a lot, lately. And I use this blog as a journal of sorts for my own personal well-being — as well as for sharing info with our out-of-state relatives (hello, Dad, Anita, John, Colette, Seth and Sheryl - if you're reading this!) and friends (there are several of you), and in-state relatives and friends. So bear with me as I am likely to share more details about our house-building project over the coming years than you probably ever cared to hear!

A peek at E's monthly/yearly book

I scrapbook a lot of stuff. I admit it. And while I love that I have a fun way to document my kids' youngest years, I know that sometimes I just keep track of too much stuff. But I'm OK with that. I'd rather keep track of too much, than not enough, I suppose.

Because I know that by the time my kids reach college, I'll have far too many pages (hopefully) done for each of them to be able to show an overall picture of their childhoods in a short amount of time, I decided long ago to make each of them a single book that includes one page for each month of their first year, then one page for every six months until they get to school, then one page for each school year. That way, by the time they graduate from high school, I will (hopefully) have lots of books that include all of our events, the kids' quirks and simple moments I want to remember; and then I'll have a single book for each of them that sums up everything over their first 18 years. Make sense?

So, here's a page out of E's monthly/yearly book. I know she's 4 years old, and I'm only in her second year...but G's going on 7, and I'm only in his third year, so I'm on track, relatively speaking, for E's book. Let's just not talk about how far "behind" I am for both of them in their "everything" books. I'm trying not to think about it...it's supposed to be fun, right?! :o)

{Click page for larger image}

Here's the journaling (if you have a few minutes!):

13 months • drinks from a straw • size 5 diapers • March 21 (13 mos.): 25 lbs, 15.5 oz. • likes puzzles • feeds herself • starts to dance! • likes big Legos • likes Mommy’s cell phone • dances to ABC music on Fridge Phonics • March 30: MRI, 6 a.m. • says “more” and “there” • comes to me, turns around and sits in my lap • walks backward • walks in tight circle • April 13: tooth #11! • says “wow!” • 14 months • comes home from school with ponytail and barrette; hair’s finally long enough! • says, “Book?” as in, “Will you read me a book?” • points to her belly button when asked where it is • loves her sunglasses • practices walking backward • around May 7: tooth #14! • points and folds fingers to palm, saying “give me” • gets fitted for flower girl dress for Margo’s wedding • 15 months • says “all gone” several times • pushes scooter all by herself • has another ear infection • May 18: 33 inches tall. 27 lbs., 10 oz. • May 21 - 28: Colorado! first trip • says “E***” and “thank you” • doctor visit (check-up). 27 lbs, 2 oz. (95th percentile). 33 inches tall (97th percentile). head, 19.75 in. (greater than 97th percentile). size of average 21-month old • gets onto and off of small chairs alone • went down slide by herself at day care • climbs up onto G***’s bed all by herself! • says “cheeseburger” clear as day...odd! • says “Michele” (Catellier) three times • says “bye” over and over; probably not the first time to say, but first time she intentionally says it repeatedly • says “off” • June 17: tooth #17! • likes to feed Molly treats, close doors, play with G***, throw things in the trash, make car noises, color with crayons or anything she can get her hands on, climb on the couch or chairs or G***’s bed • runs! • moves her stool around to climb and reach higher • doesn’t do big meals; snacks, mostly • not interested at all in TV or movies • LOVES to color and draw • says “more,” “do’” (dog), “Da Da,” “Ma Ma,” “the’” (there), “ma” (more) and “hi” • getting good at using a fork, even though we don’t give her one often; seems to have a natural knack for it • 16 months • still loves her paci • says “hello” into phone • says “home” • says “ucy” (i.e. Lucy, our cat) • got bit on right forearm at school • got bit again a day later in same spot • got bit again three days later in same spot • got bit again two weeks later and again a month later (geez!) • can reach and hold onto door knobs • says “thank you” twice • says “arf” when she sees a dog (maybe last month) • can point to her nose, ears, eyes, cheeks, nose and mouth when asked • zoo trip with Jeff & Robin Bernfield and Michele Catellier • fitted for dress for Margo’s wedding • says “let’s go!” loudly while at Bed, Bath and Beyond • says “cheese” for the camera • says “love you!” to Mommy • says “baby” • 17 months • county fair with Austen, Sara and Heidi • loves to feed the animals and watch someone cook • went up ladder and down slide by herself (at Willow’s) • 29 lbs., 7 oz. • says “good girl” and “excuse me” • can buckle her booster seat straps (her seat at the table) • state fair trip • begins Marlins & Minnows water familiarization classes • knows how to push G***’s buttons • loves sweets!

By the way, in case you're wondering about the logic behind 13-17 months (an odd grouping, I admit). Here's the thing. I do one page for 0 - 12 months, so 12 months was covered. Because age 2 starts with 24 months, trapped between one and two years is this odd 13 - 23 months, and I needed to divide them up into two groups. So I chose 13-17 so that the next would be a somewhat more logical group - 18 to 23 months. So there's my screwy logic. I know...who knew scrapbooking could be so complicated!

A page to pass the time

Just a quick share of a digital scrapbook page I did on the plane on the way home from Colorado. The warm weather last weekend made me eager for spring and summer. Enjoy.

Here's the journaling:

Our front yard is one of our favorite places to be in the summertime. Chad and G*** love to kick the soccer ball, hit baseballs (although G***’s getting too strong for that recently) or play croquet (!). Meanwhile, E*** will entertain herself (like she did on this day, dragging her toys out under the extra soccer goal and making herself at home), or she’ll run and kick a soccer ball, too. I like to play with E***, kick the ball with G*** and Chad or just take photos. I also like to talk to neighbors while the kids play with Sophie, Micah and Delaney. But most of all, I just love having all of us together, at home, enjoying a quiet summer afternoon. There’s just nothing better. • This front yard holds lots of memories for me. I’ll miss it when we sell our house.

Sweet little swimmers

G and E had their final swim lessons last Thursday, and they walked away after eight sessions more confident in the water.

G became pretty much a master at freestyle, after we had to talk his instructor out of trying to teach him butterfly until he was a confident swimmer in the most basic stroke. He can't quite get how to breathe at his side, but by the end, he was at least able to stick his head out of water (straight in front of him), grasp a quick breath and keep going without putting his feet down. Our main goal with him was just to get him to be confident in the water, so this summer, he'll be able to go down the big slides at the pool, come out in the deep end and be able to make it safely to the side of the pool. As some of you might remember, we had some serious issues at the pool last year with his day care (where he will NOT be returning this year). With his new, old day care (the one he went to for a few years as a young little boy), he'll be going to the pool as well. We want to make sure he's confident in the water. I think we're set. And for this paranoid mama, it goes a long way to know that he will be able to keep himself afloat this summer. (I have nightmares about my kids drowning.)

Here's G with his instructor, Paul, and his goodie bag at the last session. G remembered that goodie bag from the last time we did this a year ago. A few little gifts make an impression with him! :o)

We had some issues this year with the group sessions, only because G was the youngest and least experienced swimmer in his group this time around. The others in his group were probably two or three years older and masters at freestyle before the sessions even began. I think they would have been better off on a swim team, rather in swim lessons. It kind of left G on the sidelines, and we had to remind his instructor a couple of times that he wasn't ready to move on if he couldn't swim the most basic stroke. But things got better along the way, and we ended up happy with our little man's progress.

For E's group, they worked on kicking while holding onto the side of the wall, floating on their backs, treading water, going to the bottom of the pool and working on elementary backstroke basics (chicken, airplane, soldier). Hers was pretty straight-forward...no problems at all. She was a trooper. Generally a very shy child, she overcame her hesitancies for the most part and did everything she was asked...eventually. There were a couple of days she didn't want to go to the bottom of the pool, but she did on some days, and she was able to successfully float on her back alone, go underwater to get rings off the platform and do everything else. Way to go, big girl!

E and her instructor, Megan:

If you live around here, we'd highly recommend the swim lessons at Plainfield Aquatic Center. The older the kids, the more likely they'll be grouped with kids of different abilities, though, as we discovered, so with G next time, we'll probably pay a little extra and get him one-on-one instruction times. We'd probably get more for our money that way. But for E, and for G last year (when he was paired with just one other kid who was at the same level he was), the group lessons were well worth the money. Sessions are ongoing, year-round, and you don't have to be a Plainfield resident to take them. Have fun!

The newest animal in the family

Papa and Omi (my dad and Anita) sent home with us a giant bear for G & E. He barely squeezed into a giant suitcase, and the kids have LOVED him since he joined our family (another animal!) on Thursday. (I got home Wednesday, but the kids were already in bed.)

Just wanted to share a few pictures so Dad and Anita can see how much they enjoy their new friend. Thanks so much, Papa and Omi!

Lucy wasn't sure she was too wild about the new bear, who, by the way came home named Alan (or was it Alex?) but was quickly renamed George by G&E (sorry, Dad!).

And a final shot (for which Chad will probably kill me for posting!) that shows just how BIG this bear is! That's Maddie, curled up on the floor, and the rest pretty much speaks for itself.

Thanks again, Papa and Omi!

Love,
G&E

So good to be home

I love coming home almost as much as I love going on vacation. For some reason, the process of coming home after being gone for a while awakens my senses to all of the things I love about my family, my home, my animals, my way of life. I need that reminder on occasion.

Coming home (yesterday's thoughts)...

I love hurrying down the airport terminal hallway in anticipation of seeing my husband again.
I love that first hug and kiss with my hubby after being apart for a while.
I love the scent of his cologne.
I love catching up with my hubby on the way home from the airport.
I love pulling onto our street and knowing I'm almost home.
I love hearing the dogs bark inside the house because they know someone's home when the garage door opens.
I love being bombarded by two big dogs who missed me.
I love seeing my house after being away for a while.
I love that my husband and kids cleaned the house before I returned.
I love that my husband bought me flowers to welcome me home.
I love going in to each of my kids' rooms and giving big hugs and kisses to sleepy little ones.
I love unpacking my stuff and getting settled back into my routine.
I love having space to myself in the bathroom again. (Chad doesn't take any space at all!)
I love sleeping in my own bed again.
I love sleeping next to my husband again.
I love my cats sleeping at my feet and on my pillow.
I love my dog sleeping right next to my side of the bed.

(and today...)

I love waking up to my alarm and getting started on an average day.
I love that both kids come in and give me giant hugs (now that they're awake and really realize I'm home) while I'm still in bed.
I love that my little girl wanted me to get her ready this morning. (Daddy usually does that when I'm in the shower.)
I love that Chad took both kids to school (bus stop & day care) so I could have some extra time to get ready this morning.
I love that I have today off, sort of, with only one lunch meeting on the calendar.
I love that I could take care of house stuff—paying bills, unpacking—without having to immediately worry about my workload.
I love that my desk is still clean.
I love that I got mail (paychecks!) while I was gone, and now I get to open them all at once.
I love that the weekend will be here soon.
I love being back to "normal."

I loved my vacation, too; don't get me wrong. But there's something wonderful about home when you've been gone. I'm feeling very appreciative of home and my little family today. I want to feel like this every day.

Have a good Thursday, everyone.

Driven by insanity

I think the only reason anyone would want to do what we saw a group of guys doing yesterday would have to be an insane amount of adrenaline.

At Box Canyon Falls just outside of Ouray (pronounced Yur-ay), every night someone turns on a series of faucets that unleash running water over the sides of the canyon. The water freezes, of course, producing these enormous shields of ice. Each morning, then, climbers come to the park and start climbing the frozen falls. Yesterday, we watched a man climb up one of the falls.

We spent about 45 minutes watching him ascend about half the height of the falls. This picture was as he was approaching the top. Shortly after this picture was taken, he dropped one of his hand picks (not sure what they're actually called), and we thought for sure we'd see him fall. But a group of climbers that were watching him from a nearby bridge rushed to his rescue and lowered down one of their picks. The next picture was when he only had one of his picks and had to use his hands to climb for a bit.

That's about all for today. We had a pretty relaxing day yesterday. Today we're spending most of the day flying. We'll be leaving soon. Chad, G and E, I'll be home soon! Kiddos, I'll be sure to come in and give you big hugs and kisses when I get home (it will be after you go to bed tonight). I miss you and love you all! See you soon!

Dad and Anita, thanks so much for a great trip! I have really enjoyed myself this week, and we are looking forward to our next trip—with all four of us—this summer!

Colorado from a new view

On Monday, I experienced Colorado from a different view—deep into the "back country" in the mountains. With no roads in sight, we went on a 2.5-hour snowmobiling trip just above Telluride about 11,500 feet in elevation. Most of our tour was through national forest, and the views were oh-my-gosh incredible. There were dozens of times I wish that I had a camera on my helmet so I could grab a photo of the amazing forest and mountainside we were powering through. But of course, I was holding on to the handlebars with all my might, trying to stay inline with the narrow paths and winding curves, many of which were on the verge of falling off the mountainside. (I said before I was nervous about the roads...well, our snowmobile path was sometimes just barely as wide as the snowmobile. One false move, one big rock, one split second of taking my eyes off the path, and it would have been all over for me!)

Out of a group of about 14 of us at first, we lucked out and got a tour guide all to ourselves. The four of us were split from the rest (the others must have all been one big group). Our tour guide, Jack, was really good. We stopped several times, and he told us a lot of the history of the town of Alta, an old mining town that is just a few shattered buildings now. It was pretty interesting.

Out of all of us, including the other group, I was the only one who obviously had never been before. I didn't have the gear. I don't really have a reason to own snow gear—snow pants, gator (neck cover), boots, snow-proof coat, helmet, goggles—and I have never skiied before, either, so I was a bit unprepared. I had to borrow everything from the tour company. Boy, did I look like a goober! The smallest suit they had, they warned me would be huge. That was an understatement! It was ENORMOUS! And it was a size small! I tell ya, I felt like an astronaut in all of that gear, and it made for some pretty dorky pictures!

I did have my little point-and-shoot camera with me. I couldn't bring my good camera that I love because it would have been bouncing around like crazy and would have been quite a pain to carry around. My point-and-shoot fit into my pocket of my giant snowsuit, and it did the job OK. Still, there were many, many times I wish I had had my good camera. The scenery is amazing. Makes me want to rig some way to get it out there next time we do this. I would have had some AWESOME pictures!

Anyway, we got a couple of good family shots, too. With the mountains in the background, it's pretty hard to take a bad picture here.

Man, with my helmet-head hair and giant snowsuit, I kind of want to cringe when I see myself! But the rest of the family looks good!

The one above was just about at treeline, 11,500 feet. It was our highest point of the tour.

The funny thing is (and it doesn't really show here) that it was 65 degrees in Telluride, just below where we were snowmobiling yesterday. It was a gorgeous day. There was plenty of snow (something we were a little worried about when we had had a few 50-plus-degree days leading up to our snowmobile adventure. But the guides said they had had a major snowstorm in December and the snow was pretty packed, so it wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. There were some really deep areas...one of which I feel back into! I stepped off the groomed snowmobile path by no more than foot (trying to back up to get a better picture) and fell into three feet of snow...which happened to be on top of a lake. So I was lucky to not have fallen into the water!

So snowmobiling was a great time! Chad, you would have loved it. Wish you were here. G and E, when you get a little older, we'll make sure we take you guys out, too. I miss you all. Love you!

*****

After snowmobiling, we headed into Mountain Village (also above Telluride), to the Peaks and See Forever, where my stepmom is concierge and manager. We toured a couple of the $6-million units (gasp!), and the views, again, were spectacular. (You'd have to be a millionaire to live in Telluride or Mountain Village...literally. Even small, small houses—smaller than ours at home—sell for a million bucks in Telluride.)

Those black/gray areas are rolling shades/blinds. The views...geez. This unit was owned by the in-laws of Dancing with Stars star Brooke Burke.

That wrapped up our day yesterday. Today, we're going to explore Ouray, a small town near where my dad lives. More tomorrow!

More Colorado beauty

On one of our drives yesterday, we spotted this wolf. Had to grab a picture. Too cool. The roads up here are death-defying, and I think I would die of a heart attack if I had to drive on them every day. The road we were on when we got this shot was probably 15 minutes straight up a mountainside...and one false move (or one patch of ice), and we could very easily have gone over the side. Stresses me out! Beautiful scenery, but I just don't think I could live here and drive on these roads on a daily basis!

Anyway...after that trip (to go check on a house Dad is overseeing while its owners are out of state), we headed into Telluride for some shopping and dinner. It's a very cute little town that's swamped with skiiers.

That's Anita crossing the street.

Everywhere you look in Telluride, there are dogs galore. They're in stores, in cars, with people, parked outside while shoppers shop...just everywhere. I love that about this town. Made me wish I had one of our dogs with us.

Today, we're planning on going snowmobiling, but it's also going to be 57 degrees in Telluride, where we're going, so we're hoping there's plenty of snow. I'm also hoping I get to feeling a bit better. This chest cold has moved into my head, and I have almost completely lost my voice. Not fun!

Chad, G and E, I love you and miss you!

A quiet day on Sky Mountain Ranch

It's a quiet day today at Sky Mountain Ranch, the subdivision where my dad and stepmom live. (They're the only house in the subdivision, though! There are four other lots that have been sold but haven't yet been built upon. Three of the lots were sold to one person, so in the end, it will just be three houses here over about 170 acres. This is just amazing to me when I think about Indiana's affection for cramming in houses. At home, there probably would have been about 300 homes on 170 acres.) (Edited, 10:17 p.m. Indiana time: I found out I was wrong on the sizes. There are seven lots and a total of 300 acres. Oops! But it doesn't matter much...Dad's is still the only house here right now.)

We're traveling into Telluride later today for some shopping, a dinner to celebrate my dad's, my sister's and my February birthdays and possibly a tour of a 10,000-foot house (!) that my dad is looking over while its super-rich owners are gone. (Even for the super-rich, it seems like 10,000 feet might be a bit on the verge of overkill.) For now, though, the three of them (Dad, Erin and Anita) are taking a dip in the hot tub while I kill some time online. I've been ready to go for quite a while! If I had known they'd be getting in the hot tub, though, I might have put off getting my shower!

To Chad and my two favorite kiddos, I miss you!

I talked to Chad and the kids this morning, and G, especially, is missing his mom. He's such a sentimental and loving kiddo. E was missing me, too. I think maybe it's good for all of us to be apart for a few days, but it breaks my heart to hear such sadness in G's voice. I told him I'd be home before he knew it, and he said, "No, not before I know it. I want you home now." Such a sweet kid. I love you, Buddy. And E, well, she just has the sweetest little 4-year-old voice and was talking to me about the chicken nuggets and tater tots she was having for lunch and was just not at a loss for words. I love her little conversations. E, I miss you, too! As for Chad, well, I'm just happy he's a good daddy and doesn't mind (too much!) having to take care of the kiddos as a single dad for a few days. Thanks, hon. I miss you, too. Love you all!

Hope to post more tomorrow...