We are scheduled to close on Thursday...hopefully! I am trying not to get too excited just in case it falls through but would really like to get out of our apartment and noisy upstairs neighbors!!
I got my hair cut on Sunday. I think that I look more like my brother now. I am planning on going tons shorter but figured it would be best to go one step at a time...it looks similar to my haircut from two years ago (here). I also shed a little tear thinking about that apartment...I do miss that thing, I wish we could have taken it with us out to the burbs. But I digress....
Not easy taking a self-picture with a massive camera, can you see my hair cut??
This is as far as my arm would reach out...
Oh duh, I have a self-timer...don't mind the messy living room!
Lauren knows how to take her velcro diapers off, it looks like she won't be able to go clothes-less with a velcro diaper on anymore! Thank goodness we have plenty in snaps. She looks pretty mischievous here...
Our closing has been RESCHEDULED...ugh!!! There was an unknown issue with the sellers that will only take a few days to get sorted out. So next week sometime the closing should take place. Good thing we have until mid-June to get out of our apartment if we keep going at this rate!
Lauren was shocked to hear the the news as well...
I know a few of you have been wanting to read more about our house. Sorry for the delay, we have had some minor hiccups in the closing process and I just wanted to make sure that everything was in the clear before getting too excited.
Back in March we decided that we wanted to buy a house around this area. I know some of you were banking on us coming back to Iowa but we have really come to love this area and the community of friends we have established. We have been paying $850-1025/month rent for the past 3 years and decided it made more sense to invest our money into a house instead of blowing it on rent each month.
So in March we begin the search...about 40 houses later and 4 OFFERS (yes 4 offers on 4 separate homes) we finally found our gem. Now if any of you are familiar with the house-buying process, you have to get pre-approved by a lender and they look at your debt-to-income ratio (how much debt you have compared to how much money you are bringing in). Since I am not working and have a year left on my car loan plus graduate student loans (ugh!) I negatively affected our number. So when we went to sign the contract, I originally signed it...which wasn't supposed to happen. Because the housing market is so crazy right now and houses are being bought the first day that they enter the market (we snagged this one right away), we were worried that by signing a new contract the seller can technically look at any other contracts that have come their way after our original one was signed. Therefore, we had to get an attorney to deal with their attorney and make sure that nothing of that sort happened ($500 later...). Once we finally got the contract settled, we thought that we were done...not! Come to find out, gift money that we had received from relatives for a down payment needed proof: we had to have relatives sign a letter and fax their bank statement showing that the money was withdrawn from their account. Once that was finally done, we were FINALLY ready for underwriting on our loan. Thankfully it was rushed because of deadline in our contract and we are closing this FRIDAY!! Our lease at our current apartment expires on June 15th so we have some time to paint and slowly moved without feeling rushed. I have a feeling we will try to get out of our apt. as soon as possible with the noisy family upstairs! We were originally supposed to be out of here May 15th but it was cutting too close so we had to sign an extra month (which also meant $250 extra on top of rent)!
Without further ado...here is our new HOUSE! It is a 3 bdrm., 1 bath ranch built in 1972. The basement is semi-finished and a really nice size. The house is very similar to my Grandma B's house! It needs a new roof but otherwise no major repairs. We are planning on maintaining the 70's vibe for the most part except eventually the pink toilet and sink are going to have to go! The bathtub is also pink but it is not worth the time/money to take it out, especially since you can keep it covered with a shower curtain.
The bathroom floor...I love this! I am planning on painting the bathroom a robin's egg blue but am not quite sure yet...thoughts?
The 70's kitchen! I am really hoping we can get this oven to work, it would drastically change the feeling of the kitchen and I highly doubt we would be able to find something else to match our yellow sink. Oh yeah, did I mention no air conditioning or dishwasher...
Kitchen floor, this pic is horrible but you get the idea. Possibly hardwood one day. There is this amazing company in Illinois that makes things out of dead trees in your own yard...hopefully one day we can get some floors from that.
The piano in the basement. If anyone knows anything about pianos let me know what you think about this! Do you think it is 'tune-able'? It is an Edmund Gram Piano Co. (Milwaukee) which is not manufactured anymore.
Happy Mother's Day (yesterday) to all you Mommas out there! Although I was pregnant last year and considered myself a mommy, this year was much more special to have my little bug to snuggle up with instead of kick me silly in the insides.
Down Memory Lane...Last years Mother's Day at Olivia's Baptism, my bump wasn't very big.
Kyle took Lauren to the grocery store early in the morning to get some juice and breakfast and came home with some flowers too!After Church, we went for a walk to train some more for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. We decided to stop midway through the walk for lunch and then hit up Menards on the way home to price shop on things for the new house (I will be sure to post more about that this week).Lauren rode in our new carrier for the month (we rent them), the FreeHand. I still think I am partial to wraps but the mei tai will be amazing when it gets really hot out. Half the walk she rode on the front and then after Menards she went on my back. I wasn't feeling well after lunch and was glad to have her off my stomach for a bit. The back carry wasn't quite as supportive as the front but it could be how the weight is distributed with my body.
Gramps... I am so glad that you got to meet Lauren this past weekend! I could tell that she could feel your presence, for someone who never stops moving and jabbering, she just sat still and stared. I know that you would absolutely love her...she is SO full of life and zest and has just the silliest humor. I can imagine her tailing behind you on the way to the park, fishing pole in tow and playing the leg trap game.
We miss you but know that you are saving a place for us up in Heaven.
Don't be mad if I cry It just hurts so bad sometimes 'Cause everyday it's sinking in And I have to say goodbye all over again You know I bet it feels good to have the weight of this world off your shoulders now I'm dreaming of the day when I'm finally there with you
Save a place for me Save a place for me I'll be there soon I'll be there soon Save a place for me Save some grace for me I'll be there soon I'll be there soon
I have asked the question why But I guess the answer's for another time So instead I'll pray with every tear And be thankful for the time I had you here And I wanna live my life just like you did Make the most of my time just like you did And I wanna make my home up in the sky Just like you did Oh, but until I get there Until I get there
Lauren is 8 MONTHS OLD TODAY!!! Oh my, where has the time gone?? She has turned into a little 'gremlin' as her auntie Amanda likes to call her, hehe! She loves to talk and make funny noises that sound like a monster. She laughs at herself when she sneezes. She pulls up to things on her knees and sits on her knees a lot. She LOVES crawling and has little rug burns on her knees to prove it! She has two teeth on the bottom that are still creeping up but has been sleeping a little better lately. She nurses about every 2-3 hours during the day and will have a longer stretch at night. She will eat just about anything and gets jealous when mommy and daddy won't let her eat what they are.
We hung out with Grandma Baker before heading to Debbie's Surprise Birthday Party on Saturday (read post below for details). Lauren loved climbing all over Grandma, banging on her with toys (sorry, Grandma!), sitting at her feet, and snuggling in for a little snooze! It was wonderful to see you Grandma, hopefully we will be back soon!
Playing with the fake puppy, Cousin Ethan loved this too when he was little!
Sucking on the knobs
Playing with her toy keys, THANKS Grandma!!
Hanging out at Grandma's feet, she loved listening to her
Kyle's mom turned 50 on Saturday and we celebrated by having a surprise birthday party for her in Iowa. Although I think she might have suspected something was going on, she had no idea that all her kids and one grandkid were going to be there!
We drove to Cedar Rapids on Friday night to break up the drive a bit and stay with Amanda. Saturday morning we drove to Laurens to spend the afternoon with my grandma Baker (pictures to follow in a later post) before heading to the party around 6:00pm. After 14+ hours in the car...I have officially mastered nursing in the car seat!! :)
The queen's throne!
Waiting for the guest of honor... ...and waiting...
...and waiting some more....90 minutes total of waiting!
Surprise!! I love this picture because of the look of accomplishment on Gary's face! He definitely pulled it off!
Getting adorned in all her '50 Gear'
50 candles is not an easy task!
It was a VERY short trip but so much fun!! Only downside...a few of us got upset tummies. Kyle and I are training for the Avon Walk and have been eating pretty healthy and Amanda is training to run a marathon in a few weeks and the Avon Walk so the weekend of fried food wasn't the best for us!
This is as far as my arm would reach out...
Oh duh, I have a self-timer...don't mind the messy living room!
Lauren knows how to take her velcro diapers off, it looks like she won't be able to go clothes-less with a velcro diaper on anymore! Thank goodness we have plenty in snaps. She looks pretty mischievous here...
