For the past year we have been trying to find a new home that will fit the needs of our family. It has been darn near impossible. We can find houses that have 3 bedrooms that we like, but the 4th bedroom is in the basement. Or, we find the perfect house, but it is roughly $50,000 over our budget. We finally found a house that we could tolerate, it was a new construction and has been on the market for a long time. There were some things we would have to settle on, but the bedrooms and the kitchen were perfect. So, we went through the house with a fine-tooth comb ready to put in a low-ball offer. But, while going through the house we noticed so many things that were built half-assed that we decided that we would take the money we would have offered and build our own home. So, we started the process of interviewing builders and finding the perfect floor plan. We found a lot that is over 1/2 acre (which is really large for Huxley) and we put an offer in on it. Our offer was accepted, but the developer "realized" that he had listed the lot at the wrong price and that it really should have been $5,000 more than what it was listed at. So, we had to wait and try to talk him down to something more affordable. We ended up having to pay $3,000 more than our original offer. :0( I had some choice names for this developer, but I will keep this blog PG. ;0)
So, now we are waiting to get our final price/spec sheet from our builder and get that to the bank. Hopefully by this time next month we will have a basement dug and concrete curing!
I am so excited for the large yard for the kids and to have a separate bathroom for us... the list goes on and on!
Here is the floor plan we are mostly following. We have tweaked the 2nd floor a little to make the master have a tub and walk-in shower and we also took out the 3rd bathroom and made the laundry room bigger.
http://chad-ireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Samantha-Promo.pdf
Monday, September 22, 2014
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Football!
Football season is here in full swing. After a little persuasion Carter decided to go out for Flag Football. He was assigned to the Bears team and after the first practice has become a total fan of the game. Due to the weather our first practice was in the gym, so the next day we pulled out some cleats for him to try on and instead of taking them off he wore them for our evening walk, whilst carrying a football. Nut. He says he loves football now and wants to "bomb" the ball as often as possible. He had his first game this Saturday and he was a pro! He scored 2 touch downs and we couldn't have been prouder. :0)
Caleb has started full pads tackle football this year. This is pretty hard core. They have practice 4 days a week and games on Sundays. Chris was able to be an assistant coach for his team. They are both very excited for the season. Caleb is one of the smallest on his team, so if he does well and shows what he is made of he will get to run with the ball often. But, since he is so little, he won't be allowed to be "on the line". (I know NOTHING about football!) He had his first game today and he got the ball 3 times. I have found that with helmets on it is extremely difficult to find Caleb in the crowd. So, I really have to focus on the game which is really hard when there are people there to talk to! I missed 2 of the plays with him carrying the ball. Of course.
Kiera obviously isn't playing football, but we are trying to teach her some cheers. :0) Since we have too many teams to buy pom poms for each color I bought purple 'cause its pretty. Go, Fight, Win is what we are working on right now. Mostly she has to be tied into a stroller and given her pacifier so she will sit there and let me "focus".
Caleb has started full pads tackle football this year. This is pretty hard core. They have practice 4 days a week and games on Sundays. Chris was able to be an assistant coach for his team. They are both very excited for the season. Caleb is one of the smallest on his team, so if he does well and shows what he is made of he will get to run with the ball often. But, since he is so little, he won't be allowed to be "on the line". (I know NOTHING about football!) He had his first game today and he got the ball 3 times. I have found that with helmets on it is extremely difficult to find Caleb in the crowd. So, I really have to focus on the game which is really hard when there are people there to talk to! I missed 2 of the plays with him carrying the ball. Of course.
Kiera obviously isn't playing football, but we are trying to teach her some cheers. :0) Since we have too many teams to buy pom poms for each color I bought purple 'cause its pretty. Go, Fight, Win is what we are working on right now. Mostly she has to be tied into a stroller and given her pacifier so she will sit there and let me "focus".
Thursday, June 26, 2014
R.I.P. Oba
My paternal grandmother passed early this morning. She was a little Japanese lady with a mean back-hand (ask my husband). Despite living many miles and sometimes whole continents away from her most of my life I have lots of great memories. She was my Grandma Mac. We measured our "womanhood" by when we surpassed Grandma in height. Most of my memories are of her kitchen. Nothing fancy, but it was comfortable, clean and always smelled of fried foods, green tea and rice. She had a chalk board mounted on the wall next to the phone to write notes upon. I used that as my personal message board wishing a Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas or any other Happy holiday we happened to be celebrating that visit. Her sink was always there to play in and clean. Washing, drying and putting away dishes, so many dishes, was what we would do with Grandma after every meal. Staying with Grandma and Grandpa during the summers was filled with Ramen noodles before bed, Nick at Nite in the TV room while folding a plethora of origami shapes, playing Rummikub, and of course swinging on the porch swing. So many memories of the house alone.
My grandfather left us suddenly the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I had just seen him at Carter's 1st birthday party the weekend before. Taking for granted seeing him 4 days later I didn't take the time to talk with him that I should have. That was 4 1/2 years ago. Once Grandpa passed Grandma really never was the same. She moved to California with my Uncle Norio. Her mind quickly left us being taken by Dimentia. She moved back to Iowa into an apartment, but was soon needing more care than my parents could provide. She was moved into a nursing home so she could be taken care of the way she needed. I didn't get to see her much after that. Transporting Grandma was difficult. The last time I saw her outside of the nursing home was right after Kiera was born. That was the only time Kiera was held by her Great-Grandma. I visited Grandma this winter for a short visit. We walked her to a chair in a visiting room. She looked at me for a second like she might have known who I was, but had no interpretable words to share. Dad and I walked her back to her room where she quickly fell asleep. That day was the day I said good-bye to my Grandmother as I had known her. Today is when we lost her body.
There is so much I regret. She tried to teach us how to make Lumpia and Gyoza, our holiday staples. She tried to teach me how to quilt, how to make sushi... I guess I never really held onto the lessons thinking she would always be there to teach again. I wish visiting her more often would have helped her gain her mind again. I wish I would have taken more picture of her with the kids. I wish I would have called her more- I loved getting phone calls from her. Having caller ID you know who was calling, having a Japanese accent you could tell by her voice who it was, but she would still announce "Kate? This Grandma." Makes me smile every time. When Grandpa was still alive they would both be on the line while talking to you on the phone taking turns asking questions and making comments.
She is a great lady that will be missed more than she knows.
We love you, Oba!
My grandfather left us suddenly the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. I had just seen him at Carter's 1st birthday party the weekend before. Taking for granted seeing him 4 days later I didn't take the time to talk with him that I should have. That was 4 1/2 years ago. Once Grandpa passed Grandma really never was the same. She moved to California with my Uncle Norio. Her mind quickly left us being taken by Dimentia. She moved back to Iowa into an apartment, but was soon needing more care than my parents could provide. She was moved into a nursing home so she could be taken care of the way she needed. I didn't get to see her much after that. Transporting Grandma was difficult. The last time I saw her outside of the nursing home was right after Kiera was born. That was the only time Kiera was held by her Great-Grandma. I visited Grandma this winter for a short visit. We walked her to a chair in a visiting room. She looked at me for a second like she might have known who I was, but had no interpretable words to share. Dad and I walked her back to her room where she quickly fell asleep. That day was the day I said good-bye to my Grandmother as I had known her. Today is when we lost her body.
There is so much I regret. She tried to teach us how to make Lumpia and Gyoza, our holiday staples. She tried to teach me how to quilt, how to make sushi... I guess I never really held onto the lessons thinking she would always be there to teach again. I wish visiting her more often would have helped her gain her mind again. I wish I would have taken more picture of her with the kids. I wish I would have called her more- I loved getting phone calls from her. Having caller ID you know who was calling, having a Japanese accent you could tell by her voice who it was, but she would still announce "Kate? This Grandma." Makes me smile every time. When Grandpa was still alive they would both be on the line while talking to you on the phone taking turns asking questions and making comments.
She is a great lady that will be missed more than she knows.
We love you, Oba!
Saturday, May 31, 2014
Time Flies!
This Spring I got to see my niece go to her first prom. She is 16 and went with her very serious boyfriend. Seeing her prep for prom made me reminiscent of my first prom. It was my first date with Chris our Junior year. I was 16 and it was 16 years ago. I have been with my soul mate for half my life. It is crazy to think that we have been together that long, but I see it everyday when we are so in sync with each other (for the most part). There are things one of us will say before the other just because we know what they are going to say. This year also marks our 10th wedding anniversary. As well as our 15th class reunion. I am starting to feel old.
We don't have much planned for our 10th anniversary. About the same time we will be going on a family vacation to the Dells. We purchased bikes last weekend and said it was for our anniversary. It would be nice to go all out and do something romantic, but who has time for that?! We don't.
We don't have much planned for our 10th anniversary. About the same time we will be going on a family vacation to the Dells. We purchased bikes last weekend and said it was for our anniversary. It would be nice to go all out and do something romantic, but who has time for that?! We don't.
Summer, birthdays and graduation, Oh My!
The boys are officially on summer break! Carter ended his preschool year last Wednesday, whilst a jealous Caleb finished up on Thursday (at 11am, might I add). Friday being Caleb's 8th birthday and the official first day of summer ended up being a very fun-filled day. Chris took the day off and Caleb had his friend Dawson stay the day with us. They started out the morning with a water fight. And since I was low on babies that day, I got to run errands for the birthday festivities while Chris took the lead with the boys and took the 3 to Big Creek for the afternoon. (Side note on my trip to Ames with 2 baby girls, they fell asleep (a much needed sleep) right as I got to Ames, so I tried to extend their sleep time by getting gas and getting myself lunch. I was able to eat a salad, albeit in the car, all by myself in silence! Ahhh. That was wonderful!) Once my last baby left we packed up the car and went to Incredible Pizza Company. The kids got to drive go-karts, play mini golf and play arcade games. Lots of fun! When we got home Chris started a fire while the boys played in the yard for awhile, then camped out in the tent.
Saturday started early with cleaning the house and prepping to have family over for Caleb's birthday. Carter had his preschool graduation!! He is officially a Kindergartener! He had Ms. Alyssa and Ms. Tricia for his teachers this year. Ms. Tricia was also his preschool teacher last year, so it was doubly hard to say goodbye to her. She had Carter and his friend Greyson for 2 years and said she was sad to see them go. She was a great teacher. After a wonderful ceremony we came home to prep for the party. Caleb was able to wrangle together a kickball game which everyone loves, including the adults. This year it was a little more mild than usual, not so much drinking involved!
Househunting is still in full swing. We looked at 3 houses the other night. We are very interested in a new construction, but it is a bit above our budget and the living room layout is funky. I have no clue how to place furniture in it no matter how long I think about it. Oh, but the master bathroom and the mudroom are to die for!! That makes up for the living room, right?!
Chris found out this week that he has been chosen to be one of the coaches for Caleb's football team next year. Caleb will start playing football with pads in 3rd grade. He is very excited!
If my computer worked properly, I would post pictures, but for some reason I cannot. So, view pics on facebook if you want some! (you know, when I post them there....)
Saturday started early with cleaning the house and prepping to have family over for Caleb's birthday. Carter had his preschool graduation!! He is officially a Kindergartener! He had Ms. Alyssa and Ms. Tricia for his teachers this year. Ms. Tricia was also his preschool teacher last year, so it was doubly hard to say goodbye to her. She had Carter and his friend Greyson for 2 years and said she was sad to see them go. She was a great teacher. After a wonderful ceremony we came home to prep for the party. Caleb was able to wrangle together a kickball game which everyone loves, including the adults. This year it was a little more mild than usual, not so much drinking involved!
Househunting is still in full swing. We looked at 3 houses the other night. We are very interested in a new construction, but it is a bit above our budget and the living room layout is funky. I have no clue how to place furniture in it no matter how long I think about it. Oh, but the master bathroom and the mudroom are to die for!! That makes up for the living room, right?!
Chris found out this week that he has been chosen to be one of the coaches for Caleb's football team next year. Caleb will start playing football with pads in 3rd grade. He is very excited!
If my computer worked properly, I would post pictures, but for some reason I cannot. So, view pics on facebook if you want some! (you know, when I post them there....)
Friday, April 4, 2014
Jeans!
Well, look at me posting 2 times in one week! LOL
I got new jeans today! Finally!! They were needed for a few weeks now. I went from a size 13/14 from Maurice's to a size 9/10. Felt good to finally wear clothes that fit properly.
That is all. :0)
I got new jeans today! Finally!! They were needed for a few weeks now. I went from a size 13/14 from Maurice's to a size 9/10. Felt good to finally wear clothes that fit properly.
That is all. :0)
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Stressed out, 18 months, crazy children, weight loss, daycare, house
I have attempted to update this blog a couple times. I have about 15 pictures that I wanted to upload, but they won't. I spend an hour trying to figure it out, then run out of time to actually write anything. I am so far behind on updating about what is going on in our lives that I give up. I will just update for as far back as I can remember, which really isn't very far back. So enjoy the rambling ride I am going to put you on!
The past month or so I have been pretty stressed out. Crabby. Short-tempered. Angry. Impatient. Just a bitch. I am not sure why. I know that this winter has been taking its' toll out on all of us. We all just need out of this house to enjoy some nice weather. I also noticed that my bitchier times are around "that" time of the month. Maybe I need medication for my god-awful PMS. I don't know. But, something has got to change, because I am not a happy mommy or caregiver. Not good. If you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment!!
Anyway, on to better things.
Kiera is just 2 short weeks away from being 18 months old!! I cannot believe that my baby girl is getting so BIG! :0( She has been walking for forever now. Climbs constantly. Much to my dismay. She is so loving to the babies and the little girl I watch for daycare. Although, she has quite the temper. And a scream that can burst your eardrums! She is ornery, funny, a stinker and a snuggler. She is everything I have EVER wanted in a daughter. Every time she does something I think- THIS is why I have always wanted a daughter. Some examples- she is still quite obsessed with shoes. When we go shopping she always points at the shoes and wants to put them on. She will bring them to me in the house just so she can clomp around in them. She puts on my heels, Chris' boots, the boys shoes... She loves her babies. She has baby dolls that she will tote around with her. She feeds them, burps them, covers them with a blanket and pushes them in her stroller. She loves the real babies and is constantly trying to bur them and feed them. She sings!! She will be in the car and she will hear a song that has a lot of "Ooo's and Aaaa's" and she will mimic the tune. She smiles and waves and LOVES when people walk in our door. Some examples of her stinker-ness: she climbs out of her crib already!!! I had to turn her crib around so the short part of her crib is toward the wall. Little turd. When she first started climbing out she would climb into Kailyn's pack n' play! She sometimes doesn't like to share things. When she doesn't she will scream or push. I have witnessed her push down the other one-year-old at our house a couple times. But, when she has done it too rough, she will go up to the child, sign 'sorry' and give her a hug. So cute! As I have mentioned already, she climbs. On the kitchen chairs and table, on the drawers in the kitchen, on the end tables in the living room, into the pack n' plays of the babies.... on EVERYTHING. it is quite frustrating. I would like to eventually sign her up for some type of a tumbling class so she can climb to her hearts content somewhere safe. Last but not least- she is starting to TALK!!! :0) She has been saying hi and heyyo for quite some time. Once she said "I see you", but only one night and never again... she also will say Cheese for the camera, but the past week or so she is just blossoming in the talking department! She will say Mama, Dada, Car ker (Carter), and tonight right before bed she said Nigh Nigh! She is growing up sooo much. I really don't like it.
The boys have been their usual crazy selves lately. Worse I think because of the weather and my bitchiness. So, we are cracking down on them listening and following directions. I HAVE to get better and making them follow through and giving natural consequences. I can't tell you how mnay times we threaten, "do that again and you will be in BIG trouble"... Yeah, not so scary. So, we will see if anything changes. Fingers crossed.
I have officially lost about 20 pounds. I am not down to my lowest weight yet, but about half-way there. It has been a frustrating process so far, but I am definitely seeing the results. I just ordered jeans that were 2 sizes lower than the ones I am wearing right now. :0) I am starting to run outside now, which is so nice especially when I get to run by myself. I ran 3.2 miles the other day. I haven't ran that far since the one and only 5k I ran 3 years ago. I am really hoping to keep going so I can run a 10k. Maybe I will even be able to run the 10k during Prairiefest this year, 3 years after I ran my first 5k!! We will see. I have a lot of work to do before then. I have been trying to run with the stroller as much as possible, so that when I do run without the stroller it will feel so much easier! I have also been doing a lot more strength training this go around as well. I would love to do a KOSAMA or Ferrell's 10 week program, but I don't think there will ever be a time that I can actually reliably leave the house kidless just to do my own thing... Maybe when they all move out! ;0)
Speaking of kids- daycare is going really well. I currently have 2-4 month old little boys, Brooks and Abram and a 1 year old girl Kailyn. I also have 2 preschool girls Callie and Maddie. It is quite the house full some days, which again adds to my bitchiness, but it has been going well. I still get calls weekly for more kids to come. Sadly I have to turn them down, but it is a good feeling when they say they have received several recommendations for my daycare.
Also, we have been looking into getting a new house. We priced out how much it would cost to build a home, but it just isn't in the stars at this point in time. What I want probably won't ever be affordable and why build something mediocre? We looked at several houses the other night it was an easy decision for a couple of the houses. There is one that we really liked, but the yard looked like it would have water problems, the basement wasn't finished, and it was a little higher that we would like to pay. We are going to try to wait and see if anything else comes up. In the meantime we are sprucing up our house to get it ready to sell. We are getting new carpet for the 2 upstairs bedrooms (the cheap stuff) and we just bought lots of paint to paint our bedroom and the tv room downstairs. Now I just need to start purging and organizing so our house doesn't look so cluttered. I might need to invest in a storage unit!
Okay, updated and I think that is about all I can remember.
The past month or so I have been pretty stressed out. Crabby. Short-tempered. Angry. Impatient. Just a bitch. I am not sure why. I know that this winter has been taking its' toll out on all of us. We all just need out of this house to enjoy some nice weather. I also noticed that my bitchier times are around "that" time of the month. Maybe I need medication for my god-awful PMS. I don't know. But, something has got to change, because I am not a happy mommy or caregiver. Not good. If you have any suggestions, please leave me a comment!!
Anyway, on to better things.
Kiera is just 2 short weeks away from being 18 months old!! I cannot believe that my baby girl is getting so BIG! :0( She has been walking for forever now. Climbs constantly. Much to my dismay. She is so loving to the babies and the little girl I watch for daycare. Although, she has quite the temper. And a scream that can burst your eardrums! She is ornery, funny, a stinker and a snuggler. She is everything I have EVER wanted in a daughter. Every time she does something I think- THIS is why I have always wanted a daughter. Some examples- she is still quite obsessed with shoes. When we go shopping she always points at the shoes and wants to put them on. She will bring them to me in the house just so she can clomp around in them. She puts on my heels, Chris' boots, the boys shoes... She loves her babies. She has baby dolls that she will tote around with her. She feeds them, burps them, covers them with a blanket and pushes them in her stroller. She loves the real babies and is constantly trying to bur them and feed them. She sings!! She will be in the car and she will hear a song that has a lot of "Ooo's and Aaaa's" and she will mimic the tune. She smiles and waves and LOVES when people walk in our door. Some examples of her stinker-ness: she climbs out of her crib already!!! I had to turn her crib around so the short part of her crib is toward the wall. Little turd. When she first started climbing out she would climb into Kailyn's pack n' play! She sometimes doesn't like to share things. When she doesn't she will scream or push. I have witnessed her push down the other one-year-old at our house a couple times. But, when she has done it too rough, she will go up to the child, sign 'sorry' and give her a hug. So cute! As I have mentioned already, she climbs. On the kitchen chairs and table, on the drawers in the kitchen, on the end tables in the living room, into the pack n' plays of the babies.... on EVERYTHING. it is quite frustrating. I would like to eventually sign her up for some type of a tumbling class so she can climb to her hearts content somewhere safe. Last but not least- she is starting to TALK!!! :0) She has been saying hi and heyyo for quite some time. Once she said "I see you", but only one night and never again... she also will say Cheese for the camera, but the past week or so she is just blossoming in the talking department! She will say Mama, Dada, Car ker (Carter), and tonight right before bed she said Nigh Nigh! She is growing up sooo much. I really don't like it.
The boys have been their usual crazy selves lately. Worse I think because of the weather and my bitchiness. So, we are cracking down on them listening and following directions. I HAVE to get better and making them follow through and giving natural consequences. I can't tell you how mnay times we threaten, "do that again and you will be in BIG trouble"... Yeah, not so scary. So, we will see if anything changes. Fingers crossed.
I have officially lost about 20 pounds. I am not down to my lowest weight yet, but about half-way there. It has been a frustrating process so far, but I am definitely seeing the results. I just ordered jeans that were 2 sizes lower than the ones I am wearing right now. :0) I am starting to run outside now, which is so nice especially when I get to run by myself. I ran 3.2 miles the other day. I haven't ran that far since the one and only 5k I ran 3 years ago. I am really hoping to keep going so I can run a 10k. Maybe I will even be able to run the 10k during Prairiefest this year, 3 years after I ran my first 5k!! We will see. I have a lot of work to do before then. I have been trying to run with the stroller as much as possible, so that when I do run without the stroller it will feel so much easier! I have also been doing a lot more strength training this go around as well. I would love to do a KOSAMA or Ferrell's 10 week program, but I don't think there will ever be a time that I can actually reliably leave the house kidless just to do my own thing... Maybe when they all move out! ;0)
Speaking of kids- daycare is going really well. I currently have 2-4 month old little boys, Brooks and Abram and a 1 year old girl Kailyn. I also have 2 preschool girls Callie and Maddie. It is quite the house full some days, which again adds to my bitchiness, but it has been going well. I still get calls weekly for more kids to come. Sadly I have to turn them down, but it is a good feeling when they say they have received several recommendations for my daycare.
Also, we have been looking into getting a new house. We priced out how much it would cost to build a home, but it just isn't in the stars at this point in time. What I want probably won't ever be affordable and why build something mediocre? We looked at several houses the other night it was an easy decision for a couple of the houses. There is one that we really liked, but the yard looked like it would have water problems, the basement wasn't finished, and it was a little higher that we would like to pay. We are going to try to wait and see if anything else comes up. In the meantime we are sprucing up our house to get it ready to sell. We are getting new carpet for the 2 upstairs bedrooms (the cheap stuff) and we just bought lots of paint to paint our bedroom and the tv room downstairs. Now I just need to start purging and organizing so our house doesn't look so cluttered. I might need to invest in a storage unit!
Okay, updated and I think that is about all I can remember.
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