Sandy

Last week I was in Utah with Keith house hunting!  It sounds more fun in theory than it is in reality, unfortunately.  I am not a very good decision maker, especially when it comes to big things, and Salt Lake is such a huge area with so many options, that I felt pretty overwhelmed the entire time.  We spent the weekend driving and driving and driving, and trying to decide what locations we liked.  Then I spent a 12 hour day Monday with the realtor (Dave came since Keith had to work, and I was so grateful!) We found a house in Sandy that I liked, and a few others in Draper, and then that evening Keith checked the houses out too.  We liked the one in Sandy enough that the next day we made an offer, and after they countered and we countered, they accepted our offer.  Yay!  And then I went into shock thinking oh my goodness this happened so fast and is this really what we want???  A few more days for that to settle though and I am doing fine now.  So assuming everything goes well with the closing then we should be moving in by the beginning of December :)


OK so here's the story on the house.  It is in an awesome location at the end of a cul-de-sac and has the most beautiful view of the mountains.  The bedrooms are big and the house has been kept up really well.  It has a three car garage and an unfinished basement (I am so excited to have a basement again!)   The bad news is that it must have been decorated in the late 80s/early 90s because the inside is a floral wallpaper nightmare!!   So you have to use your imagination looking at the pictures and help us figure how to update it.  It's going to be awesome.  

Just a few pictures.....

View from the backyard.  I am so in love with this!!!!

Remember don't focus on colors, just potential :)

Master bedroom.  I don't know how these people slept at night, it's just so.....flowery.

Master bathroom.  Yes that's going to need some work too!!

Other bedrooms.....

A few more backyard shots.

I have been watching a lot of HGTV and I am welcoming all ideas.  Any thoughts?

100th POST

I thought for my 100th post I should say something of significance.  OK, so here it goes:  We are moving to Utah!  Trust me, these are words I never thought I'd ever say.  Nothing against Utah, it just seemed a very unlikely place for us to end up considering the company Keith works for and the field he is in.  I used to say that the only way we would end up there is if the perfect job fell into his lap. Well, I guess it kind of did :)    


Keith was put into contact with someone who works for a company based out of Salt Lake called Brahma Group (hooray to my cousin Nate Barnson for making the contact!!)  Anyway, Keith spoke with them on the phone, then flew out to interview, then they made him an offer, and he accepted it (in a nutshell.)  Keith was very impressed with the company and it looks to be a very good fit for his experience and also what he would like to do going forward.  So cool!  I have been praying for a few years now that he would find something to lure him away from Bechtel. Bechtel has been great to us but the prospect of moving around every 2-3 years for the next 30 years just did not appeal to us.  And it is only going to get harder on the kids as they get older.  We have been wanting to get back west, maybe Colorado, Washington, Idaho, something like that.  Really Salt Lake was never on my radar screen.  But can I just say that I AM SO EXCITED!!!


Of course these kinds of things are bittersweet.  I have made some wonderful friends here who I love dearly and I am sad we'll be leaving sooner than planned.  There will be some back and forth as Keith starts his new job, we look for a house, and then we'll have to transition the kids to a new school.  My head is spinning constantly and I can't sleep at night.  And I wonder if I am emotionally and physically ready to do this again.  But it is easier to stomach knowing that (hopefully) we will actually get to stay put for awhile.  That is such a blessing and I am so grateful for that.  So wish us luck these next few months.  We're gonna need it :)

And this is totally off subject, but I had to include some pictures of Kate - in her giraffe-print pants and zebra-print apron - helping me make banana bread.  She is one sassy girl!

Adorable!!

Day trip to Dayton

Recently we took a little road trip to Dayton, Ohio.  "What is in Dayton Ohio?" you might ask.  Well.........not much.  The main reason we went was to check out the Air Force museum and I've got to say it was much much better than I thought it would be. Yes, totally worth a trip to Dayton!!


So these pictures are kinda boring but I jut loved everything there was to see there.  You'll notice I seem especially fascinated by propellers for some reason????  Anyway, we had a great time!

Cameron and Connor are both in there, you just have to look carefully....

Kate was the only one who didn't love it here. She asked me to take her to the bathroom at  least three times, because apparently going potty is more interesting than looking at planes.

Owen was incredibly patient and had a good time as well.  

We are so grateful for all the awesome places we've been able to see in the 6 years we have been in the midwest :)

It's Kate's party and she'll cry if she wants to

Kate turned 4 this week!  She had a very eventful birthday - first a party at preschool, then a party at the house with friends, then a family party in the evening.  


I was very nervous that morning because Kate has been unsure how she feels about preschool and has been dragging her heels a little about going (ok actually kicking and screaming each day I drop her off.)  But on her birthday she didn't give me any trouble at all. Whew!  Things didn't turn weird until we got home and I told her 4 of her good friends would be coming over for lunch and cupcakes.  When they showed up she locked herself in her room and said NO ONE could come in and she was NOT coming out.  That lasted about 20 minutes then I coaxed her out with some food.  She ate and then locked herself back in her room. I was kind of embarrassed.  What do I do?  If it's her party and she wants to hide in her room then I guess she can.  Luckily she eventually let her friends in and then presents and cupcakes made everything all better :)  Man kids really keep you on your toes!


Some Kate quotes for the day I don't want to forget:  


"Everyone eyes at me!" (when she was opening her presents and Cameron and Connor weren't paying attention.)


"Besides Mom I don't even care" (when I told her I would be visiting her class to celebrate her birthday.)   Not sure if I should grateful for her independence or sad that she really doesn't care about her mother being there.  But I'm sure she actually does.  I hope.


"I-can-do-what-ever-I-want-because-it's-MY-birthday" (with hands on hips shaking back and forth for each syllable.)  Thank goodness birthdays are only once a year, I think I will need the next 12 months to recover!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!!!!

Hanging out with her cute friends :)

Say cheese!

We had a really fun picture-taking day at the park recently. Several of us got together to take pictures of our kids and it was a blast. My super talented friend Lillian gave me a few tips for the settings on my camera, and my pictures instantly improved. Imagine that!

Owen in a rare moment where he is actually looking at the camera. Usually my shots of him end up more like this:

I tried to get a cute picture of the kids while they were sitting on this bench, but apparently I need to work on a sneakier approach because they all saw my camera and ran, except for this cutie. This is why I have no pictures of Cameron and Connor. They are such stinkers!

Kate pushing Owen on the swing. He loves getting attention from his big sister!

I love this one!

Kate with one of her little friends :)

Some of the pics Lillian took. I love them!

Owen had a birthday :)

So Owen was totally ripped off this year for this birthday. Friday was such a busy day with other things going on that we didn't actually celebrate until Sunday. Oops! But anyway, a few thoughts on this little guy.....

-He has the most gorgeous gray/blue eyes and his eyelashes are ridiculous. It's amazing he can hold his eyelids open.

-Owen loves his siblings, particularly Kate. When he sees her first thing in the morning his face lights up and he starts squealing (see below)

-Lately he has taken to shrieking/squealing/screaming all the time. He screams if he wants to be picked up, wants to be set down, needs a toy, needs something to eat or drink, if he's happy, scared, sad, angry, tired (get the picture?)

-He is very cuddly, like a little koala bear (my nickname for him)

-He is generally a pretty happy kid but also sort of demanding. He is quick to let us know if things aren't going just the way he wants :)

-Owen is very social and he will reward anyone who gives him attention with a gorgeous dimpled smile.

I really just can't believe Owen is 1. The time goes WAY TOO FAST.

Owen with his birthday cupcake. He wasn't too excited about it.....

I adore this boy!!!