All terms have been agreed upon, and paperwork is forthcoming - close is scheduled for Friday and we take possession on Monday. Wow. It's exciting and sickening and exciting (did I mention exciting?) all at once. Liam is picking out what color red he wants for his room, we need to pick out a color for the playroom, and make arrangements for the movers. And the cleaners. And the carpet cleaners. And get a bunch of stuff done. And - oh, yeah - turn in our 30-day notice!
So there you have it. We shall be homeowners (barring any other issues) before the week is out. I'm hereby issuing an open invitation to everyone to come and visit!
Cutest Blog on the block
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Ceana reading
UPDATE: Before I get to the good stuff, the challenge to the appraisal went in and we're hoping it will be done today. After that, we try and negotiate with the sellers. Otherwise, we have no news.
On to the fun! Lately, Ceana has been trying to "read" - she does a pretty good job of it, too. Basically, she picks up any book that has caught her interest, opens it to a random page and begins to describe the pictures on that page. Generally, very loudly. However, in the interest in keeping her excited about reading, we just make sure we don't too close to her! Anyway, I thought it was cute, so I took a little bit of video this morning to share. Note how she very kindly points out each of the items within the picture that she is describing...and on the page with the dogs, "Woof Woof" is her stuffed puppy and brother has one just like it. That should make sense of what she's saying! Oh, and I have some other random video from this summer that I will be sharing - randomly - over the next couple of weeks. Enjoy!
On to the fun! Lately, Ceana has been trying to "read" - she does a pretty good job of it, too. Basically, she picks up any book that has caught her interest, opens it to a random page and begins to describe the pictures on that page. Generally, very loudly. However, in the interest in keeping her excited about reading, we just make sure we don't too close to her! Anyway, I thought it was cute, so I took a little bit of video this morning to share. Note how she very kindly points out each of the items within the picture that she is describing...and on the page with the dogs, "Woof Woof" is her stuffed puppy and brother has one just like it. That should make sense of what she's saying! Oh, and I have some other random video from this summer that I will be sharing - randomly - over the next couple of weeks. Enjoy!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
The dreaded appraisal is back
And it's almost $15,000 low. So, we're waiting for a reaction from the sellers and filing a challenge to the appraisal - we'll see what happens. But it's looking less and less likely that we will be buying this house. I'm not sure the sellers are going to be willing to drop their price that low, though they are now working in a bit of a time-crunch. They have already begun selling their furniture and making plans for moving to an apartment. Keep your fingers crossed that everything is able to work out.
The kids are doing well (when they're not trying to kill each other). Liam is getting excited about school - he's even begun dreaming about it! He's starting to go back to bed at regular school time so that he has time to adjust. He had a terrific time at OMSI camp (though he forgot to take any photos) and came back filthy and exhausted but already asking to go back.
Ceana is going through a major separation anxiety phase - and it's driving me crazy. She wants mommy to put her to bed all the time and if anyone leaves without taking her, she has a complete meltdown. And everything is "miss you (fill in the blank)". Even if we just run to the store...
The exchange student is working out quite well - her name is Mamiko and now that the first week is over, things are working quite well. She is very nice and her English is quite good. We took her to the Farmer's Market, Krispy Kreme and Home Depot last weekend. She echoes what Chieko told us - it is always hard to get into Krispy Kreme in Tokyo...the lines are always very long. Even though the store is "bigger and very bright" (lots of colors like pink).
Anyway, that's the latest. We'll be sure to keep you updated on the house as we go. Hope you are all doing well!
The kids are doing well (when they're not trying to kill each other). Liam is getting excited about school - he's even begun dreaming about it! He's starting to go back to bed at regular school time so that he has time to adjust. He had a terrific time at OMSI camp (though he forgot to take any photos) and came back filthy and exhausted but already asking to go back.
Ceana is going through a major separation anxiety phase - and it's driving me crazy. She wants mommy to put her to bed all the time and if anyone leaves without taking her, she has a complete meltdown. And everything is "miss you (fill in the blank)". Even if we just run to the store...
The exchange student is working out quite well - her name is Mamiko and now that the first week is over, things are working quite well. She is very nice and her English is quite good. We took her to the Farmer's Market, Krispy Kreme and Home Depot last weekend. She echoes what Chieko told us - it is always hard to get into Krispy Kreme in Tokyo...the lines are always very long. Even though the store is "bigger and very bright" (lots of colors like pink).
Anyway, that's the latest. We'll be sure to keep you updated on the house as we go. Hope you are all doing well!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
*Big Sigh*
My boy is growing up. He left today for camp - all on his own - no familiar teachers or friends. He is attending an OMSI camp several hours away, and will be gone the entire week. I'm so excited for him, and I know he's going to have a GREAT time, but it feels weird knowing how fast he's growing. The fun stuff he will be doing and learning though is pretty darn cool. Ceana says "Miss you brother" and "brother bus" (he left on a big school bus). But, it might be a good prep time for her, since school will be starting up again before too long.
In house news, the inspection has been completed. It went very well - the house is in terrific shape. There are some small issues, but nothing majorly expensive or immediate. So, we put in the addendum to request that they fix the issues - we're waiting to hear back whether or not they plan on fixing them all, fixing some, or bargaining to have us take care of them after the sale. I'm hoping we'll hear something tomorrow or Tuesday. The appraisal from the VA has been ordered - the gentleman doing the appraisal has been notified and should have it done sometime this week. After that, the information goes back to the mortgage company for review, then we should hear the results. Seriously - it is going to be one of the longest weeks of my life, waiting to hear what the VA says. The realtor says that the comps (comparable sales of houses in the area) look good and should bear out our offer, but...the VA has a reputation for being very particular and somewhat sticky. So, until we hear back for sure, I'll be on pins and needles. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for us!
Our new exchange student is here - Mamiko. Thankfully, she is a terrific fit for our family. In fact, she reminds us somewhat of Chieko - very nice and down-to-earth. She is here for 4 weeks studying International Communications with an emphasis on English. She brought us a couple of the most beautiful gifts - her grandmother is a lady with a lot of talent! One is a picture she painted of a Japanese dancer facing the other way, walking towards a tree. However the dancer's clothes are actually made of cloth, and are puffy like a traditional costume. It's really neat - I need to find a frame for it so we can hang it up. The other thing is something similar to the mobiles we have here, but with two strings dangling. On those strings are sewn figures, flowers, and origami-like balls...a turtle for longevity...and a few others. The flowers are spring and summer, the children for our children...it's absolutely beautiful. I'm thinking it would be a neat thing to center the kids' playroom around if we do get this house.
Not too much else going on. Playing the waiting game - not something I'm very good at! Getting ready for some very warm weather coming this week - though it should be beautiful where Liam is! Hope this finds you all doing well, and feel free to drop us a line!
In house news, the inspection has been completed. It went very well - the house is in terrific shape. There are some small issues, but nothing majorly expensive or immediate. So, we put in the addendum to request that they fix the issues - we're waiting to hear back whether or not they plan on fixing them all, fixing some, or bargaining to have us take care of them after the sale. I'm hoping we'll hear something tomorrow or Tuesday. The appraisal from the VA has been ordered - the gentleman doing the appraisal has been notified and should have it done sometime this week. After that, the information goes back to the mortgage company for review, then we should hear the results. Seriously - it is going to be one of the longest weeks of my life, waiting to hear what the VA says. The realtor says that the comps (comparable sales of houses in the area) look good and should bear out our offer, but...the VA has a reputation for being very particular and somewhat sticky. So, until we hear back for sure, I'll be on pins and needles. Everyone keep their fingers crossed for us!
Our new exchange student is here - Mamiko. Thankfully, she is a terrific fit for our family. In fact, she reminds us somewhat of Chieko - very nice and down-to-earth. She is here for 4 weeks studying International Communications with an emphasis on English. She brought us a couple of the most beautiful gifts - her grandmother is a lady with a lot of talent! One is a picture she painted of a Japanese dancer facing the other way, walking towards a tree. However the dancer's clothes are actually made of cloth, and are puffy like a traditional costume. It's really neat - I need to find a frame for it so we can hang it up. The other thing is something similar to the mobiles we have here, but with two strings dangling. On those strings are sewn figures, flowers, and origami-like balls...a turtle for longevity...and a few others. The flowers are spring and summer, the children for our children...it's absolutely beautiful. I'm thinking it would be a neat thing to center the kids' playroom around if we do get this house.
Not too much else going on. Playing the waiting game - not something I'm very good at! Getting ready for some very warm weather coming this week - though it should be beautiful where Liam is! Hope this finds you all doing well, and feel free to drop us a line!
Saturday, August 08, 2009
They accepted the offer!
After a bit of negotiation, the sellers have accepted our offer on the house!! The inspection is now schedule for next Wednesday, once the excitement from mom's wedding has died down somewhat. Then, after the inspection is over, the VA will be notified that we need to have an appraisal done and that should take between a week and 10 days. The tentative closing date is September 4. We'll continue to keep you updated as things go along...
In other news - mom is getting married today! So far, the weather looks absolutely beautiful - let's hope it continues. I'll be taking pictures of the kids, particularly since they are both in the wedding (Liam is walking mom down the aisle and handing over the rings, and Ceana is (in theory) going to be walking with a basket of flowers). It will probably take a few days, but hopefully I'll have some cute pictures to post.
Well, it's time to start getting ready to go. Kids need dressed, hair combed, stuff loaded...catch you on the flip side when mom will be Mrs. Kenny Lovell!
In other news - mom is getting married today! So far, the weather looks absolutely beautiful - let's hope it continues. I'll be taking pictures of the kids, particularly since they are both in the wedding (Liam is walking mom down the aisle and handing over the rings, and Ceana is (in theory) going to be walking with a basket of flowers). It will probably take a few days, but hopefully I'll have some cute pictures to post.
Well, it's time to start getting ready to go. Kids need dressed, hair combed, stuff loaded...catch you on the flip side when mom will be Mrs. Kenny Lovell!
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Your Funny for the Day
So, the latest update on the house - the bid went in last night. We should hear something by Thursday evening (I believe) according to the bid. So, for now, I'm checking my email 100x an hour and going crazy...
Now, on we go! We were all outside yesterday evening - Liam was riding his bike with Helen, and Ceana was chasing them up and down the sidewalk. Phil and I were sitting on the grass, chatting and keeping an eye on the kids. The next thing we know, Liam is riding by us and hollering back at Helen. You may be asking what it was he was hollering? Let me share the conversation as Phil and I heard it:
Liam: "You're a hot...chicken nugget!"
Helen: "What does that mean?"
Phil and I, exchanging looks: "Yes - what DOES that mean? This should be interesting...."
Liam: "It means...you look TASTY!!!"
Segue into Phil and I dissolving into laughter on the lawn.
From there, the conversation between Helen and Liam degenerated into whether or not he has a crush on her, while Phil and I relived the original conversation in every form we could. At one point, Liam wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, and he rode up (hard) the curb (which ended up popping his inner-tube). Helen told him he needed to pay attention to what he was doing...at which point I hollered at Liam that he needs to start listening to his "chicken nugget".
I decided to post this on the blog for a few reasons:
One, for posterity. Really, that's a conversation that should never be lost.
Two, because I knew the grandparents in particular would find it hysterical - and who are we to deny them the humor?
And three, because when Liam is older and actually DOES begin to date, we can remind ourselves to ask his new girlie-friend if he told her that she was a TASTY CHICKEN NUGGET!!
Which, for the record, Phil says is the lamest pick-up line he's ever heard...
Now, on we go! We were all outside yesterday evening - Liam was riding his bike with Helen, and Ceana was chasing them up and down the sidewalk. Phil and I were sitting on the grass, chatting and keeping an eye on the kids. The next thing we know, Liam is riding by us and hollering back at Helen. You may be asking what it was he was hollering? Let me share the conversation as Phil and I heard it:
Liam: "You're a hot...chicken nugget!"
Helen: "What does that mean?"
Phil and I, exchanging looks: "Yes - what DOES that mean? This should be interesting...."
Liam: "It means...you look TASTY!!!"
Segue into Phil and I dissolving into laughter on the lawn.
From there, the conversation between Helen and Liam degenerated into whether or not he has a crush on her, while Phil and I relived the original conversation in every form we could. At one point, Liam wasn't paying attention to what he was doing, and he rode up (hard) the curb (which ended up popping his inner-tube). Helen told him he needed to pay attention to what he was doing...at which point I hollered at Liam that he needs to start listening to his "chicken nugget".
I decided to post this on the blog for a few reasons:
One, for posterity. Really, that's a conversation that should never be lost.
Two, because I knew the grandparents in particular would find it hysterical - and who are we to deny them the humor?
And three, because when Liam is older and actually DOES begin to date, we can remind ourselves to ask his new girlie-friend if he told her that she was a TASTY CHICKEN NUGGET!!
Which, for the record, Phil says is the lamest pick-up line he's ever heard...
Tuesday, August 04, 2009
House Update....
So, we did all the paperwork and got it to the agent, who was just getting ready to submit it when she decided to check her email. There was an email from the sellers - they just wanted to let her and her know, but that they had decided to LOWER the price another $5000! Yeah! So, this morning will be spent redoing the pre-approval letter and paperwork, getting signatures, etc. and then it should be faxed in as an official offer by mid-afternoon. When Donna (our agent) got the email, she called right away - the sellers knew we had been interested, they have had no other offers, and the open house they were to have last weekend didn't pan out. So, we really have a shot at the house. I'm guessing that they knew we were interested and thought that maybe dropping the price would finally reel us in...little did they know!!
So - continue to keep your fingers crossed and I'll continue to keep you updated!
So - continue to keep your fingers crossed and I'll continue to keep you updated!
Sunday, August 02, 2009
Keep your fingers crossed!
So, Phil and I spent almost all day yesterday visiting houses with our real estate agent. It was a hot, long day (though the kids had fun - they were at Kids Clubhouse!). The second house we looked at (out of 5) was a terrific little house. Nowhere near the crazy size of the first one we looked at, but it has a front and back yard, very nice layout, flat neighborhood for the kids, AC, and includes all appliances (including an amazing washer/dryer set). It also includes the patio furniture and an outdoor projection screen and projector, along with built-in sound in an outdoor covered patio specially built by (apparently) one of the best in the area. To see the listing, look HERE. The master bathroom tub is sooooo cool - clawfoot tub with a high back. They just had it put in, too.
So, after talking it over and getting some questions answered - we're putting in a bid today. As incredible as that last house was, it was just...too much. The heating/cooling costs would have been insane, it was on a steep hill (no bike riding!!), and it just wasn't us. This house, while substantially smaller, is still bigger than what we're in now and is just a very nice house - well-loved and very well taken care of.
So - keep your fingers crossed for us! The house is NOT a short-sale or bank-owned (one of the few) and the owners are acting as their own agents. Something we have going for us is that most people looking to buy right now are going for the short-sales because of the houses like the one in the last post. It doesn't appear that there are really any other offers on the house at the moment, so...we'll see. The only BAD thing about the house is that it has a Homeowner's Association - and they do not allow chickens. Bah. I'm just going to have to try and change that over time ;)
We'll keep you all updated as we find out what's going on!
So, after talking it over and getting some questions answered - we're putting in a bid today. As incredible as that last house was, it was just...too much. The heating/cooling costs would have been insane, it was on a steep hill (no bike riding!!), and it just wasn't us. This house, while substantially smaller, is still bigger than what we're in now and is just a very nice house - well-loved and very well taken care of.
So - keep your fingers crossed for us! The house is NOT a short-sale or bank-owned (one of the few) and the owners are acting as their own agents. Something we have going for us is that most people looking to buy right now are going for the short-sales because of the houses like the one in the last post. It doesn't appear that there are really any other offers on the house at the moment, so...we'll see. The only BAD thing about the house is that it has a Homeowner's Association - and they do not allow chickens. Bah. I'm just going to have to try and change that over time ;)
We'll keep you all updated as we find out what's going on!
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