Alyson and Callie in their Easter outfits with matching dresses, bonnets, and socks. Thanks Grandma!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Cousins at Easter
Alyson and Callie in their Easter outfits with matching dresses, bonnets, and socks. Thanks Grandma!
Baby's First Toy
So Callie has other toys, but this is the first toy she has really played with on her own. It is a lavender hippo that makes a crinkely (is that a word?) sound.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Happy Diaper Change!
Callie loves to chat us up during diaper change time. I guess she knows she has our full attention and we always seem to talk to her about her "messes" while cleaning her up... so she has to defend herself.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
A Happier Time
This is the night we all went to Fuddrucker's for dinner. All while our house was being robbed.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Violated
Yesterday started out great. My dad is here visiting and we went to visit my sister and her new baby. After a while there we all went to dinner together and then drove by the new house. Upon arriving at home we opened the front door to find the house had been ransacked. They got a few things of value, my laptop, social security card, and a credit card. There was a message on our answering machine from the credit card company with a fraud alert. The credit card company stopped activity on the credit card after the fourth tank of gas was purchased. A few other things were missing they emptied my jewelery box (had nothing of more than $40 or $50 value and the credit card), carried out the laptop in the bag, took a power tool set (which had several pieces in various locations), and went through a file cabinet to take my social security card, leaving behind Callie's (next to mine) and Jeff's (in the bedroom). A few other random things are missing: a prescription of mine (I hope they decide to take it for kicks and it gives them their period :), that would be sweet justice), a travel alarm clock of my dads, they cleaned out our change jars, and took about $3 worth of change off a dresser, and my dads car keys (again sweet justice because they probably thought the keys would start his rental car that was in the driveway, but they are for a car parked 2/3 of a continent away in Tennessee). They also got my cell phone which had a dead battery (though I think they took the charger too), so for now (and maybe forever) I don't have a cell phone so don't bother trying to call me on it. We do still have Jeff's, as it was with us. There were several other things too, but I won't bore you all with the details.
The really terrible thing is the feeling of violation though. They went through my underwear drawer. They touched my bed, sat on my couch, and took away the secure feeling I have in my home. I hope they will be caught and will feel remorse... it would be nice to get the "stuff" back, but it is just "stuff". Last night I was so grateful for our family, that we were together and safe. I was also grateful for the things that were still here. My photos, my memories are still here, and again just extreme gratitude that we were safe--oh and a little bit of rage that I think I would be able to take out if we could find the cowards who did this (they struck during the middle of the day after we believe they knocked on the door and found out no one was home).
The really terrible thing is the feeling of violation though. They went through my underwear drawer. They touched my bed, sat on my couch, and took away the secure feeling I have in my home. I hope they will be caught and will feel remorse... it would be nice to get the "stuff" back, but it is just "stuff". Last night I was so grateful for our family, that we were together and safe. I was also grateful for the things that were still here. My photos, my memories are still here, and again just extreme gratitude that we were safe--oh and a little bit of rage that I think I would be able to take out if we could find the cowards who did this (they struck during the middle of the day after we believe they knocked on the door and found out no one was home).
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
We Got It, Yeah Baby We Got It!
On Friday, after I posted about the house we were hoping to get, a call came in from our agent. There were two serious bids and we were in the running. We were asked for our highest and best offer, so we made an addendum to our original offer to full asking price. Monday morning we found out we got it! We are so excited to be buying our first home. While we have gotten to this point before, this house is a much better fit for us. I had reservations from the beginning about the other house and this one just feels better.
It is kind of a funny story how we ended up backing out of the other house deal. Jeff and I were kind of at odds after we had accepted the offer for Asheboro. I didn't like several things about the house and he thought it was a little small, but we talked ourselves into it because it was going to be our first house and we would need to make sacrifices. All through the house buying process I had said that anything wrong with the heating and air conditioning it could be a deal breaker. Eventually, we found out the system was sabotaged by who ever was getting foreclosed on. The day before we found out the system was messed up I had looked at the listings again and the house across the street from the house we were in escrow for was up for sale. From the listing I could tell that it was 320 sq ft bigger and there was some updating done, and the lot was larger (nearly twice the size). It was listed for $9900 more than we were paying for the first house. I told Jeff about it and he was upset with me for looking when we were locked into a deal. The next day our agent brought us a whole bunch of paperwork to sign about the first house not being on a floodplain and not threatening any red bellied yellow toed salamanders and while she was there the sellers called and admitted to the huge HVAC problem. She said we can renegotiate the deal or walk away. Jeff left the decision to me and I told our agent about the new house I saw across the street. She agreed to preview it and called later to say we would love it. We saw it and did love it, and put in an offer right away. We walked away from the first house deal and I do feel like that is a blessing. The house we are in escrow for now is a much better fit for us!
As soon as I get into it again I will take some pictures to post for ya'all to see.
It is kind of a funny story how we ended up backing out of the other house deal. Jeff and I were kind of at odds after we had accepted the offer for Asheboro. I didn't like several things about the house and he thought it was a little small, but we talked ourselves into it because it was going to be our first house and we would need to make sacrifices. All through the house buying process I had said that anything wrong with the heating and air conditioning it could be a deal breaker. Eventually, we found out the system was sabotaged by who ever was getting foreclosed on. The day before we found out the system was messed up I had looked at the listings again and the house across the street from the house we were in escrow for was up for sale. From the listing I could tell that it was 320 sq ft bigger and there was some updating done, and the lot was larger (nearly twice the size). It was listed for $9900 more than we were paying for the first house. I told Jeff about it and he was upset with me for looking when we were locked into a deal. The next day our agent brought us a whole bunch of paperwork to sign about the first house not being on a floodplain and not threatening any red bellied yellow toed salamanders and while she was there the sellers called and admitted to the huge HVAC problem. She said we can renegotiate the deal or walk away. Jeff left the decision to me and I told our agent about the new house I saw across the street. She agreed to preview it and called later to say we would love it. We saw it and did love it, and put in an offer right away. We walked away from the first house deal and I do feel like that is a blessing. The house we are in escrow for now is a much better fit for us!
As soon as I get into it again I will take some pictures to post for ya'all to see.
Friday, March 7, 2008
This Is All I Got?
For Callie's three month birthday we actually gave her her present a little bit early. Can't tell what the present is from the picture? She discovered her hands last week and now she spends several minutes at a time throughly examining them.
Three Months Old!
We can hardly believe Callie is three months old already. Here she is giving Grandma some loves for Grandma's birthday that was Monday.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Another One Bites The Dust
Since the second week of January we have been attempting to buy a home. I had no idea how difficult it would be. I went in a little naive. We have since made offers on several homes, had several homes we would have made offers on-had they not already been sold or had 5+ offers pending, seen several homes that are near being condemned, and signed my name to more forms than I can even count.
Many of you knew we were in escrow for the purchase of a home. The escrow had been extended once already due to some delays on the part of the seller. During the inspection we found there were some possible problems with the hvac (heating & a/c). Yesterday, the seller admitted there were MAJOR problems, which they allegedly did not know about until now... So after a month in escrow we are backing out. It stinks. We were so close to home ownership and it has now slipped from view again and while we aren't quite back at square one it is a little frustrating.
I do feel like we are going to be getting something a lot better. So today I put the pen to the paper again. We are bidding on a house across the street from the other one we were in escrow for. It might work out it might not. Time will tell... hopefully about 30 days worth of time to be in escrow for it all to work out.
Many of you knew we were in escrow for the purchase of a home. The escrow had been extended once already due to some delays on the part of the seller. During the inspection we found there were some possible problems with the hvac (heating & a/c). Yesterday, the seller admitted there were MAJOR problems, which they allegedly did not know about until now... So after a month in escrow we are backing out. It stinks. We were so close to home ownership and it has now slipped from view again and while we aren't quite back at square one it is a little frustrating.
I do feel like we are going to be getting something a lot better. So today I put the pen to the paper again. We are bidding on a house across the street from the other one we were in escrow for. It might work out it might not. Time will tell... hopefully about 30 days worth of time to be in escrow for it all to work out.
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