After a grueling, long two years, we have finally closed on our new home! I almost wonder if acting as my own agent was worth it, but after many, many, many property viewings and several rejected offers, we are done!! Though Mesa was not part of our original search, we ended up in a gorgeous home on a great lot on the 6th green of Dobson Ranch right next door to Jonnie Meng Chou. We have already torn out a portion of the fence between the backyards...ha! The dogs are in heaven with all that run space! The house is completely remodeled with excellent craftsmanship and quality materials - not a quick flip. It met all of our must-have items and darn near all of our wish list items! We have spent 3 nights in the house so far, and it is getting better and better. Waking up to that backyard view is great and taking a shower with 4 shower heads sure does help! We are completely out of the Verlea house and taking our time getting unpacked and settled into the new one. I want to make sure everything has its place and take the time to unpack right! These photos are from the MLS before we moved in (though we are tempted to find a blue leather couch like that...ha!) and I will post more as we get settled.
The bar, which looks into where we have our pool table.
We were considering (and may still in the future) removing the built-in, but
it is growing on us. And as my aunt said, we will probably like it more
once the blue couch is out and our stuff is in!
The kitchen. Ahhhh....that kitchen!!!! <3
Laundry. Indoor laundry. And those cabinets!!!!
A master bath I can use. And that shower! And that jacuzzi tub!!!!
Seriously? Greg and I were saying we feel like we've been staying at a
fancy resort these past few nights...ha!
Our lot is HUGE...And they just had the fire pit put in...
The new "gateway" to Jonnie's house.
AND the course is our backyard? Now I almost feel like I'm bragging.
Writing about our place is making me fall even more in love with it!
We even have a grassy area for Ben to grow into!
With the move, I found myself surprisingly saddened by leaving the place we have called home for 7 1/2 years. That house has been great to us. Greg and I bought our first house together and we made a ton of memories there. It is the longest I have ever lived in one place and it is difficult to let that go. A lot has happened while living there - Greg proposed to me, we both went through challenging job changes, we got married, our little Benjamin joined our lives! There has been a lot of good times - of course sprinkled with some not so good times - and it was a great house. Now we're ready to create new memories in our new home as a family!
Okay...now on to my adorable little Benjamin!!
A boy and his bath!
Looking like a big boy and trying to use his
powers of telekinesis.
"This is the coolest thing ever!!!"
Ready.......set........throw!!!
Abbey enjoying her new oasis and Benjamin enjoying teasing her from inside.
Killer baby blues!!!
Trying on his new hat for the big game 12/23....GO BEARS!!!!
Silly toothy (9 already!!!!) boy!!
"Seriously? You put a Cardinals hat on me????"
Looking a little too much like daddy after a long night out.
Yes - it has been WAY too long! For how much I truly enjoy this blog, I can't believe I have waited 3 months to post. So, I'm not going to bore you all with the past few months. Let's see if I can sum it all up... Ben is growing far quicker than I would like (yet I am so anxious and excited for each of his next milestones). We've had lots of visitors and loved every one. I still go to work every day and still wish I was home with Ben. We are still doing the home search, which is hopefully very near to its close. I still have the best husband, family and friends a girl could dream of - thanks y'all for loving me!
My boys!
So a couple weekends ago, Greg and I took Ben up to Freeman Farms to pick our pumpkins. Joe, Shilo and Myles joined us, and we had a blast! The drive was easy, the weather was great and the farm was totally worth it! We will definitely head back next year.
"This year, I am thiiis tall!"
Ben's little tractor.
Mommy and Ben (and the ever present hands in the mouth!)
My two favorite boys.
Notice Ben's trying to kick Myles off.....ha!
Yeah, this was the best we could get. Trying to get two infants
to look at you through a hole is not an easy task!
I have the best family!!!
The McNeil family - love you guys!
Not one of Ben's best photos, but that is one
good looking tractor driver!!
Hurry.....get the pic...
......we're going.........
......and done!!! He was not having it at all....ha!
Oooohh....that looks like fun to put in my
mouth. (Mommy may have screamed once
or twice in the taking of this photo.)
Great family shot...though I would hate to be the
recipient of Myles' mad dogging.
Not quite sure what is so fascinating with Ben's mouth, but
we sure do get a lot of pictures with Myles' hands in there!
The "belly-free" boys! (I spared you all the photo
with all 4 bellies bared. :))
Ben's first hayride!!!
That sure is one pretty donkey...Ben is fascinated!
Poor little goat didn't know what was coming.
Staring at the cows...so cute!!
Just his size!
We made it out, so I guess we made the right choice!
Our pumpkin!
Well, maybe Greg's pumpkin...proud daddy!
In the process of writing today, I heard my little Ben dish out the biggest belly laugh. We tried to capture it, but missed the best part. This is still a pretty good video. He sure does love his doggies! Also, he pulled himself up from laying to standing using his new LeapFrog table. It is so amazing to see the changes he goes through and the growth he makes on an hourly basis. I could sit and wonder how much I miss while he is with Miss Angela during the days, but I choose to believe that he saves all the good stuff and all the 'firsts' for me!
It's Thursday. The dreaded day is Tuesday (back to work). I can't believe it's so close! I am having at least daily breakdowns, which I have thankfully been able to contain to only Greg's eyes. In an effort to avoid more emotional outbreaks than I have already, I am doing my best to surround myself with feel good stuff.
Best feeling in the world!
Of course, my Benjamin makes me happy!
That is one handsome man!
And we made a darn cute
kid, too!!
Greg has been awesome and I am so happy that he has been a little extra sensitive to my out of control reactions to the littlest things. I'm struggling and I couldn't ask for a better husband to offer the support and unconditional love that I get from Greg. I love you!!
I am so thankful for my family and friends. I was blessed with the best family in the world and I really know how to pick my friends. I don't say often enough how much I appreciate your friendship. I am especially thankful you have remained my friend despite my fantastic phone responsiveness!! :-) You guys make me happy!
Music makes my world a better place! Alternative, pop, rap, country...as long as there's music on, I'm happy. One of my favorite feel good songs that can always put me in a better mood is Just Another Day in Paradise. Thank you, Phil Vassar!
Zucchini lasagna -
yum yum yum!!
I have been cooking a lot and trying a ton of new recipes. My brand new 12 cup 900 watt food processor that I got for $50 on Craigslist has been a huge help and I am loving it! Thank you hoarder ex-husband who left your wife a storage shed of brand new items that you ordered online and never used. In preparation for going back to work, I have been cooking in bulk so that I can freeze a few extra meals. It makes me happy to know that I won't have to stress about dinner for the first couple of weeks and we will still be able to eat good, healthy food.
Couple other random feel good videos... The Duck Song - how can you not smile at that clever little duck? And the Ultimate Dog Tease - who has that much time on their hands??
Anyway - totally random post, but maybe you'll find your new go-to cheer-me-up! Also, if you think about it over the next few days, send some feel good thoughts my way...I could use it!
