Letting go.

It's lunchtime.  I always feed Greta 4 oz of baby food for lunch.  2 oz of fruit and 2 oz of vegetables.  Once that is out of the way, the fun begins.  I toast some bread and break it up for her and slice some peaches and spread them out over her tray.  This will keep her occupied for at least a half hour.  And, funny, it keeps me entertained, too.  She is getting good at grabbing the food but she still hasn't learned to let go once it is in her mouth.  She ends up with a whole fist in her mouth trying to hold onto a piece of food she is now swallowing and babbling the whole time.  Incredibly cute.

We're Under Contract!!!

I never thought a house could break your heart.  A couple houses have.  I was picking out a very contemporary wallpaper for the kitchen in Spanish Fork and drinking ice water while watching Chris cook in the professional kitchen that the Mapleton house came equipped with.  Both houses dumped us before either of those fantasies came true.  And then there was the Orem house.  The one I didn't even want to get excited about because I didn't want to let it break my heart, too.  Turns out--it loves us back and wants us to be its family.  We are under contract.  It's perfect.  Really.  For us, it is so much better than all of the other  guys  houses that broke our heart.  It has 4 bedrooms and two bathrooms and 1400 square feet.   "Pics?" you say.  I'll give you what I have...only what was online: not the greatest, but you'll get the idea.

Front of the House

Living Room (errr one of the walls in the living room)

Kitchen

Dining Room

All of the pictures of the bedrooms are of a corner or a wall.  We were told it could take up to 60 days to close, which will give us just enough time to say goodbye to our apartment and enough time for me to decorate every room in my mind.  

My "Week Off"

I am not sure what I envisioned for my week off of house hunting.  I suppose I imagined Greta and I-- poolside--with a tall, frosty glass of lemonade and, of course, a sippy cup for the little cub.  Maybe nice strolls around the block.  Perhaps we would even have time to surprise Chris and make a feast for dinner...or learn how to make a feast, at least.  We have done none of those things.  Greta hasn't even wanted to go in her bouncy horse.  (!!!)  She has only wanted to roll around and mope and whine.  I believe we are entering the teething phase.

Doesn't she look worn out and tired and sad?  She was IS all of these things.  The celery stick only helped for so long.  Then we moved onto the hair brush, mommy's fingers, and a popsicle.  Looks like I picked the wrong week to start on some home improvement projects.  It's true.  This week, in the midst of singing "One lit-tle Gre-ta bein' a cran-ky pants" to the tune of No More Monkeys Jumpin' On the Bed I managed to repaint her nursery furniture.  

You may remember my enthusiasm when I picked out the furniture.  When it arrived, I was less than thrilled that the wood didn't all match as well as I hoped it would. The glider was a nice cherry, the changing table a darker, faker cherry and the crib was a beautiful walnut. I loved the walnut most; the others I dealt with for 7+ months and this week, I guess I had enough. I went out and bought some primer and a creamy-colored paint called Rice Cake and tackled the project in my kitchen because it is the only place that isn't carpeted.  

The Befores:

Now, I think Chris said I was being "sacrilegious" by painting these.  For 7 months I felt the same way.  You know the feeling, not changing something just because it is new.  Not taking your brand new school sneakers out of the box because you don't want them to get dirty--yet you know the look of blinding white tennis shoes is completely uncool and you hate it.  You're torn because they are new.  I guess this week I got over all those feelings.  I painted the furniture not because I didn't like the different types of wood, but because I didn't like how they looked TOGETHER.  

Anyway, The Afters:

After priming the dresser and then putting on 5 coats of paint (ugh), I decided to put a few more coats of primer on the glider and the paint covered a little better.  The paint job is far from perfect, but my mind is at ease when I look into the nursery now.  Goodbye clashing finishes and mismatched cherries. 

I accomplished something that I wanted to do.   Wow, that feels good.  Next on my list is refinishing Chris's desk and the three mirrors hanging above our bed.  So the week wasn't all frowns and tears.  I was definitely smiling when I finished the project.  Chris was smiling when the kitchen was cleared again and even Greta had a few smiles (literally, a few):

She somehow managed to unsnap her pajamas and get her arms out (!?) while I was loading the dishwasher.

Sitting in a basket is apparently a blast.

...and this one--just to make my day.

Crawler

Greta sits, drools, plays, scatters toys, pretends to read and, oh yeah, CRAWLS.  Go Girl!

Taking a week off.

Chris just left for work.  It's Monday again.  Last night, Brandon and Stephanie came over for dinner and I was explaining that I feel like I have deja vu often.  I set my cell phone on the counter to clean the kitchen and Greta starts crying in the background.  I realize I may not be having deja vu as often as I claim.  Often times, my days are very similar and run together.
As Chris was leaving he said, "Hey, let's not schedule any house showings for this week.  I think we need some time off." We have seen a lot of houses.  We were ready to buy the Mapleton home, and it went under contract.  That was heart-breaking. This past weekend, the search continued.  Our realtor took us to see a home in Provo that was just reduced $30K!  It was in a darling neighborhood with a nice big yard and mature trees.  There was a lady laying on the front porch leaning against a pillar.  I whispered, "I thought this house was vacant."  Chad (our realtor) shrugged.  As we approached the home, another lady with a long, gray braid approached the relaxed guard on the porch.  They started chatting until they saw us coming.  Gray braid met us on the walk and immediately grabbed onto my arm.
"Can I help you?"
"Uhh, we're here to see the house." I was so confused.
"Who sent you?"
"I work for century 21, I talked to Patrick and he said the house was vacant and we could come see it," Chad clarified.
"Oh, well I don't know a Patrick."
We looked at the for sale sign posted in the front yard, Patrick's name was right above it. Hmm.  Chad was getting annoyed with this lady, "I'm sorry, is the house not for sale?  Did someone buy it?  Does it have offers on it?"  Long, gray braid hesitated and fumbled and then declared that she just bought it.  Yep, her and her sister, aka lazy guard, just bought the house.  She was still holding onto my arm and she told me I must still go look at it because it is so cute and I would have to come visit.  And Greta would have to come and pick apples anytime.  My eyes were opened so wide.  I was in awe at this crazy lady.  She quickly dismissed herself to go feed "the neighbors" cats.  We walked passed the lazy guard and went to go look inside the house.  It was cute inside.  Needed a lot of updating, but had great tall ceilings.  We figured it was probably reduced $30K because it comes with those ladies and, all in all, we weren't looking to inherit any women that would make Greta call them her great aunts.
Over the next three hours we saw a lot more homes, our last stop was Salem, UT. There was a big home being sold "as is."  As we pulled up, I was impressed with the exterior.  The door was unlocked, we walked in and tried to find a light switch.  It was getting late and the sun was down and... the electricity was turned off.  Chad returned to his truck to get a flashlight.  From what we could see, the previous homeowners tried to do some renovating--but got distracted.  The place was trashed.  There was clothes and boxes and food everywhere.  The kitchen cabinet doors were missing and so were all the vents.  We were having trouble seeing, so we decided we would go back the next day. Brandon and Stephanie came with us.  In the daylight, the damage was a lot more apparent.  There was a hole in the living room wall.  Brandon peaked in and discovered that there was a box behind the wall.  A box and a fireplace.  The toilet was destroyed, the floors didn't match up, there was a lot of bottles of clorox in the garage.  Boxes and boxes of bottles of bleach.  This was a meth house.  We were definitely curious about what we would find if we did take the time to clean up this house and make it our home.  But I don't want to live in a previous meth house.  I don't want to risk someone coming back for all their bleach and oversized candy canes and whatever is hidden behind that wall.
We'll find something, just not yet and not this week.  Our contract for our apartment is up November 1st, but if we don't follow Chris's advice and take a week off, we'll start looking twice at trashed meth houses...oh wait.

Vote for Us!!

Entry #33 by Julia in Pleasant Grove, UT

We were buying our couch and ottoman, literally checking out--we looked over and saw this dining set. It seats 6, but is also expandable...we were only two at the time, my husband and me. But we both simultaneously said that we wanted to purchase it as well. It has inspired us to branch out and meet new people to have over for dinner. It has inspired us to have family dinners and now that we have a daughter, we look forward to filling all the empty chairs one day.




RCWilley is giving away a $1500 gift card to whatever entry gets the most votes.  There are only about 130 entries, so are chances are good--but only if we get votes, right?  We need your help.  Please vote for entry #33 (that's ours) here.  We hope to get a washer and dryer if we win for our new house that we don't have yet.  The winner is announced on September 3rd.  We'll let you know if we win and if you help us win, we'll even let you wash your clothes at our place.  Hehe. 

Tagged...so here it is.

A little about Jules, through the eyes of her husband:


1. What is your signature color?
Pilot G2.  Preferably very fine point. Black.  

2. What is your most embarrassing moment? 
Does it have to be embarrassing for me?  If not, I would say every time I inadvertently stumble upon the Tyra Banks show.


3. Would you ever get anything pierced other than your ears, if so what? 
Well, I don't like to do things TOO over the top, so it would probably just be a rod of half-inch rebar through the thick of my calf.  I saw it in Cosmo...so hott.


4. Are you a social butterfly or a homebody?
I would say that there is really no reason to buy the Otter pops brand of popsicle, Fla-vor-ice popsicles are bigger, cheaper, and just as tasty.  Wait, what was the question?

5. Are you done having babies or do you want more? 
Have you ever seen the movie, Godzilla?  The new one, with Matthew Broderick.  Remember that scene, toward the end, where they are in that basketball stadium?  I am thinking something like that, minus the US government taking my brood out with a tactical missile strike.  


6. Are you loyal to your hairstylist or do you try every salon in town?
There's really only one salon in town and they have the best whiskey this side of the Mississip.  Or is that saloon?

7. How many times have you moved in your life?
Are we talking big moves or little moves? Because I'm typing right now, so that's a lot of little moves--but I'm laying in bed, so not much big movement.

8. If you could plan your vacation just you and your love, where would it be?
I guess it would probably be Chili's, because my love IS Chili's.  So, that kinda limits us.

6 month stats

Greta's pediatrician loves her.  He is older (I would say late 60s) and I hope he never retires.  He always comes in and talks to her for awhile like she can talk back.  He compliments her name every time and always tells me I am doing a great job, too.  I need to hear that.  Greta is a growing girl.  We just got back from her 6 month check-up.  She loved crinkling and tearing the paper covering the table.  She REALLY wanted to play with all the doctors tools hanging up.  She showed off her sitting up skills, her almost crawling skills and her cute smile.  When she got her shots, she gave the saddest frown--cried for less than 5 seconds--and then started laughing and smiling again.   She's a sweetie and everyone was amazed that she is "ONLY SIX MONTHS?" Yeah, she's pretty big:

Length: 27 3/4"

Weight: 18 lbs 4 oz

Head:  41.3 cm

I can no longer carry her around in her carseat.  It is way too heavy.  I thought that as she got bigger, my arms would gradually get stronger--not the case.  Now, if Chris isn't around to carry the carseat from the car to the destination, I just carry Greta in my arms.  We got home, Greta had some bananas and carrots and went down for another nap.  That's #2 for today--we're making progress!!

Battle of the Homes

We didn't get that house that we both loved so much.  It was a pretty depressing day when we got that call. Part of me still thinks that maybe in two weeks, they'll change their mind and say we can have it.  But while we subconsciously wait for that to happen, the Great House Hunt 2010 (that's what we're calling it) must go on.  We have now looked at over 40 houses.  When my sister and her husband bought their first house, they looked at one place and bought it.  I do love their house...but in my mind, I am always wondering what else is out there?  What if next week something more appealing comes on the market?  I am quickly getting over that.  On the contrary, maybe 40+ houses isn't "quickly."  Yesterday morning, we met our realtor, Chad, at a home in Provo at 9 am.  8 houses and 3 hours later I was sold on one and Chris was sold on one...different ones.  I think we both like both, but we both LOVE different ones.  So we made a pro/con list:

The Payson Home 

Pros	Cons
Vaulted ceilings	No dishwasher
Large master bedroom	Kitchen needs a lot of help
Deck off master	Storage?
Fireplace	Have to redo the fireplace
Yard	Storage shed has a curtain.
Unique	All carpet needs to be taken out
Attached garage	Floors refinished and repaired
Good size- not too much	Fish tank? What the...
Already in our price range- might get them to come down?	No Washer/Dryer
Can make a profit on it after updated	Needs paint
Comes with Home Warranty	Electrical?
Temple	Need Lawnmower
	Bathroom upstairs needs shower
	Shag carpet

The Mapleton Home

Pros	Cons
Professional KITCHEN!	Possible water damage in ceilings and basement
Hardwood floors	Old heater
Formal Dining Room	Higher asking price
Front porch	Detached garage
Location (save on gas, and pretty)	Upstairs bathroom needs to be made a full bathroom
Tile Work
Big- lots of square footage	High utilities
Unique	Needs paint
lots of rooms- room for office and exercise room in basement	No Washer/Dryer
Can make a profit on it after updated	Need Lawnmower
All yard has auto sprinklers	Small bedrooms
	Can’t be downstairs until the mold is removed
	Higher taxes
	No Home Warranty
	Electric- Avg. $90- High of $130-140ish

It doesn’t really matter who likes which one more.  We are going to go look at both again tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be directed to the one that is right for us.  We are excited and hopeful and exhausted, but mostly excited. :)

SIX

Just days old

1 month old

2 months old

3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old!!!

Sometimes when Greta wakes up from a nap, I tell her how much she has grown in just a couple hours.  Looking back on the last 6 months, it's incredible.  She has grown, literally, before my eyes.  It is a miracle to watch.  There are definitely some things I miss about a newborn.  I miss the way Greta used to let me hold her.  I should have never complained about her never letting me put her down.  She doesn't like to be cradled like a little baby anymore.  She wants to be upright and in the action.  Now, after her baths at night, I wrap her up in her towel real snug and I tell her for a couple minutes she is going to be my little baby again.  I hold her and cradle her and she wriggles the whole time.  She is still my baby.  She doesn't sleep like she used to anymore either.  I am learning that my 6 month old wants to play!  She wants to roll around and almost crawl to get her toys...and when I am not looking--I think she DOES crawl.  One of these times I'll catch her and figure out how she moved several feet forward.  She doesn't have time to sleep, at least that is what I pretend she is telling me as she is figuring out the best way to chew on her Brown Bear Brown Bear What do You See book.  She is getting better at naps.  We are working up to two a day.  She is fighting it, but she always has.  I have learned that soft hymns and a little silky blanket help.  And by evening we are ALL ready for bed.  Bath time right around 6 and she is usually asleep by 6:30.  Chris and I then make dinner ...who am I kidding... CHRIS then makes dinner (hehe) and we get some talking and snuggling and HGTV in, before we hit the sack ourselves.  Truthfully, I am exhausted.  Every day, I am tired and I have the bags under my eyes to prove it.  But I am grateful.  I love my little girl.  I don't love that she still wakes up at 5 or 5:30 to eat...but I think we'll work on that in these next couple weeks. Every month it seems to get a little easier in some aspects, but new challenges always arise.  The latest is trying to figure out what foods are easiest on her little tummy. Peas aren't...Pears are.  Bananas are...Sweet Potatoes, well, we are still trying to figure that out.  I am only nursing her 4-5 times a day now, which I am grateful for--but now I am seeing it is so much quicker to just nurse her than spend 20-25 minutes at the highchair trying to help her concentrate on eating and forget about my painted toes.  Ohhh Greta, I love you little girl.  She is so forgiving.  She never remembers that I let her whimper until she fell asleep or left her in her bouncy horse a little too long so I could get a shower.  She quickly forgives when I take my magazine or shoe or whatever she managed to get a hold of and replace it with a plush elephant.  She has taught me so much about myself and my potential in the past 6 months. 

                                            ...it's really been SIX months. Whoa...

Photo Booth

While my sister, Andi, was in the states visiting we spent about an hour playing with Photo Booth on her Mac.  We laughed and laughed.  Just imagine these characters posting the following pictures on their facebook and captioning them as, "Just partying with my friends."

I'm cracking up all over again.  I miss her.

The offer is in.

We put an offer in on this 2062 sq ft twin home in Spanish Fork.  It has everything on our wishlist. 

Gated community

Huge kitchen

Dining room

Walk in closet in master

Gorgeous master bath with a deep tub and His/Her vanities

Backyard 

2 car garage

An unfinished basement already framed for room to grow 

^^(this is not me making an announcement)

We are supposed to hear by Tuesday.  Stay tuned...and try not to squeal.

Venting Start.

Today seemed like a hard day.  It started off decent.  I worked out and showered before Greta got up for the day.  My visiting teacher came over and we had a good chat and then it started going downhill.  Greta has become more mobile.  She can get around a room.  She rolls and scooches her knees under her and then pushes off and can move forward (it's fun to watch).  The only unfortunate thing is she is still spitting up a lot!  She spit up all over the place.  I was so frustrated.  I picked her up and she spit up all over me.  I clean everything up and she does it again.  This happened three times over.  I try to just put her in her bouncy chair and she starts whining because she really wants to move around--I am covered in the worst kind of spit up--Peas spit up.  I wish she didn't spit up so much.  I wish someone could hold her without me worrying about her covering them.  Ugh.  Venting over.

I DARE you not to smile

while watching THIS.