We have undergone a bit of blog and facebook silence because we decided to go ahead and list our home as a short sale. We weren't sure when/if/what we would tell people, but the fact of the matter is, this is part of our life too, and I would like it documented that I survived this ordeal.
We listed our home October 17th (I think?) and we got the offer Nov. 1st. Yup- quick! We hadn't made mention of listing our home because we figured it would take the usual FOREVER to sell, but we were wrong. The offer came in, cash, from some investor and it's at the bank now. That doesn't mean we're moving this week, or this month even, but probably by the first of the year. This has all happened way faster than we imagined, but fast can be good too...like pulling off a band-aid.
The crazy parts of having your house on the market:
- keeping it clean at all times...with 3 kids...no, make that 3 boys!
-showing your house with a husband who works nights, a baby who naps 3x each day and 2 kiddos who nap too. It was very interesting and often involved waking people up.
- signing papers across state lines. The offer came in right as I left town for a break so Ryan could sleep and the house could keep itself clean (kinda).
- getting WAY less for the house than what we bought it for. Thank you Vegas market and stinky economic times.
-praying that we can play the jump-through-hoop-games right and get the short sale approved!
That's the reason for the silence. I had zero time to blog between cleaning, fielding phone calls, and showing the house. And now, I will have no time because I will be packing...or at least attempting to pack as my children will most likely be "helping" me.
Monday, November 7, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The Many Faces of Adam
This little guy could light up a room. This was him Conference weekend (I think) so the first of October. He was 7 1/2 months old and I finally just spent the weekend on the ground with him and convinced him that he liked being on his tummy and rolling was fun. Now, he's an old pro and is getting closer to crawling...kinda.
You can see his 2 teeth if you look really close. He got his first tooth at 6 months, his second at 7, and we'll see when more come. Adam just turned 8 months old on Monday and when I'm not being lazy we'll add some more recent pictures of this little charmer.
I have been so grateful for how easy this little guy has been, especially this week. His big brothers have me up at the crack of dawn disciplining from the get-go, and sweet Adam will (generally) wake up happy, laugh at his brothers, go down for naps with a hug and a few minutes of cuddles, and then start the cycle all over again.
I feel like his little life is flashing by way too fast already! I am trying to take more pictures to capture the moments before they're gone. Although life is getting the best of me lately, I am so glad that this little one is part of our family.
Oh Boy!
Life with boys is always entertaining, to say the least. The boys enjoy having daddy home for long weekends (and dad pretends really well to enjoy it, even though he is exhausted from working nights and not sleeping well all week).
Tyler and Jake like to fight over who gets to keep Adam happy if I have to step out of the room. One day they wanted to keep reading Adam this little book of opposites. It has been funny to see Jacob step up and fight for his turn to "keep baby happy" (Jake still won't call him Adam).
Lastly, Adam is old enough and sits up well enough now to venture into the tub with his big brothers. I never thought I'd have 3 boys in one bath tub- but here we are!
These boys are nuts and drive me insane, but I am so grateful for the incredibly strong bond they already have with each other and I can't wait to see what it devlops into as they all get older.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Things are good...right now (as in this second)
The house is quiet, the boys are asleep, and getting them into bed was fairly easy tonight.
Let me actually start with a disclaimer** life is not all roses, but the time I have to write is typically when it smells a little sweeter, so I'm allowing myself to be happy, and know that this happiness is genuine in this moment. However, I should also disclose that my house is dirty, my kitchen table has yogurt all over it still, my floor is a sticky mess, I still need to shower, and I have about 3 loads of laundry waiting for me. Oh, and a confession: last night I ended up with both boys in my bed by 10pm, and if I'm being perfectly honest, sometimes I kinda like it ;) There was a thunder storm on and off throughout the night and once I heard the first clap of thunder I knew I would be in for some company. It makes it a whole lot easier to enjoy now that Adam is a champ and sleeps through the night.
Alright, now that we're on the up-and-up... the end of today was a good one. One of the endings that make me glad I have three kids to love on. Adam was tired and went to bed really easily after our evening mail walk around the neighborhood, which was actually two laps tonight. Then, the boys and I cleaned up the garage- which has become a disaster since our washing machine broke, got fixed, re-broke, got put in the garage and replaced with a new-used machine, and now takes up a bunch of real estate just sitting there. After that, it was hot chocolate for the boys and I worked out before putting them to bed. GENIUS idea on my part. It was only 20 min. and the boys came to join me and even kinda stayed out of the way. It was fun, it was funny, and it reminded me that kids totally watch what their parents do and emulate it, good or bad.
Tyler and Jake thought it was cool that they got to stay up with mom and exercise, I thought it was cool that I had it out of the way and wasn't rushed or annoyed with their endless questions at bedtime and I got to enjoy reading them stories and singing them songs. I think this may be a new ritual.
So, the skinny on life as of late. We just recently found out that Ryan will not be transferring to Roseville, which was kind of a bummer. We had hyped ourselves up pretty good for the potential move so it was hard to hear "no" after waiting for three weeks to hear a "yes". We love Vegas, well, I love the friends I've made in Vegas, but we are kind of ready for a change. Ryan and I are grateful he still has a job and we still have a house and a place to live with friends and stability, but it was still a let-down.
As I alluded to before, we had a crazy three weeks without a washing machine. Oh man, let me tell you, of all appliances to be without, a washing machine may just be #1 pain-in-the-you-know-what. Especially with three boys, especially when one decides to puke and go through at least two outfits per day between messy eating and getting destroyed outside. The good thing is, I got to be "forced" to see my sister two weekends in a row to do laundry at her house- a little bonus on the side. Well, we used a craigslist find- bad move. The guy was nice enough and told us what was wrong the first time. So, after paying him up-front (idiots!!!) we ordered the new part ourselves and after not hearing back from him once we got it, I put the new timer in and the machine worked (yay!) but then, on about load 5, I went to check and I had 1/2 inch of water all over my laundry room floor...not so fun. I cleaned it up with towels that I now had no where to wash. Arg! I was holding out, hoping this guy would come fix the problem, and still no word back. So, on Monday Ryan and I finally went to buy a new- refurbished machine since we can't afford a new one. Laundry has never been more enjoyable!
Other than that, Tyler is still a stinker (or as he would say, "tinker") and doesn't listen to a word I say. But he loves both of this brothers sooo much. He also will remind me constantly, "I still love you mommy." most frequently this is right after he has done something naughty.
Jacob is still stubborn, but improving, I think. He is definitely his own person with his own ideas and we just butt heads sometimes. He copies Tyler without thinking- but then again, he's only 2. I think I'll try potty-training sometime before Christmas with this guy...maybe. I have been enjoying our special time when Tyler is at Preschool and Jake is big-man-on-campus. It has been eye-opening and a riot sometimes.
Adam is rolling over proficiently (finally) at almost 8 months and he's even got a little scooting around...very little. He is such a happy guy and he's got two teeth now! The first was right at 6 months, and the second right at 7. He can sit up pretty well, but I won't leave him without something soft behind him, otherwise he'll get MAD when he falls down. He loves food and started eating little bits of "human" food off my plate. Soft carrots, small pieces of bread, cheerios, baby puffs, bananas. He would probably eat a stake if I'd let him. He's just like his big brothers in that way. I love his laugh and his big ol' Denos smile. (he's got the Denos mouth for sure- just like Jake)
Ryan is still working nights. Bored out of his mind and tired beyond measure. The boys try to stay quiet during the day...kind of...but it's just not easy for Ry to sleep in such a noisy house. Only 4 more months of nights to go.... oh man!
I am trying hard to get back to being optimistic. I am trying to drink more water, eat less junk, and be more active. I am also trying to be a better example to my kids and be more productive with my time. This week we made a fun mobile and make a volcano spontaneously with vinegar and baking soda and the boys thought it was so cool. I've also been trying to encourage the boys to do "thinking" activities (not video games or watching TV) so they have been practicing cutting, gluing, using stickers and stamps, etc. It has been more work, but it is fun to see them sit and focus.
I will get some pictures on this thing eventually, but for now, I just wanted to catch up on life. And remember how good it feels to be excited and happy about my three sleeping angels. I hope tomorrow is another good one. I can feel it!
Let me actually start with a disclaimer** life is not all roses, but the time I have to write is typically when it smells a little sweeter, so I'm allowing myself to be happy, and know that this happiness is genuine in this moment. However, I should also disclose that my house is dirty, my kitchen table has yogurt all over it still, my floor is a sticky mess, I still need to shower, and I have about 3 loads of laundry waiting for me. Oh, and a confession: last night I ended up with both boys in my bed by 10pm, and if I'm being perfectly honest, sometimes I kinda like it ;) There was a thunder storm on and off throughout the night and once I heard the first clap of thunder I knew I would be in for some company. It makes it a whole lot easier to enjoy now that Adam is a champ and sleeps through the night.
Alright, now that we're on the up-and-up... the end of today was a good one. One of the endings that make me glad I have three kids to love on. Adam was tired and went to bed really easily after our evening mail walk around the neighborhood, which was actually two laps tonight. Then, the boys and I cleaned up the garage- which has become a disaster since our washing machine broke, got fixed, re-broke, got put in the garage and replaced with a new-used machine, and now takes up a bunch of real estate just sitting there. After that, it was hot chocolate for the boys and I worked out before putting them to bed. GENIUS idea on my part. It was only 20 min. and the boys came to join me and even kinda stayed out of the way. It was fun, it was funny, and it reminded me that kids totally watch what their parents do and emulate it, good or bad.
Tyler and Jake thought it was cool that they got to stay up with mom and exercise, I thought it was cool that I had it out of the way and wasn't rushed or annoyed with their endless questions at bedtime and I got to enjoy reading them stories and singing them songs. I think this may be a new ritual.
So, the skinny on life as of late. We just recently found out that Ryan will not be transferring to Roseville, which was kind of a bummer. We had hyped ourselves up pretty good for the potential move so it was hard to hear "no" after waiting for three weeks to hear a "yes". We love Vegas, well, I love the friends I've made in Vegas, but we are kind of ready for a change. Ryan and I are grateful he still has a job and we still have a house and a place to live with friends and stability, but it was still a let-down.
As I alluded to before, we had a crazy three weeks without a washing machine. Oh man, let me tell you, of all appliances to be without, a washing machine may just be #1 pain-in-the-you-know-what. Especially with three boys, especially when one decides to puke and go through at least two outfits per day between messy eating and getting destroyed outside. The good thing is, I got to be "forced" to see my sister two weekends in a row to do laundry at her house- a little bonus on the side. Well, we used a craigslist find- bad move. The guy was nice enough and told us what was wrong the first time. So, after paying him up-front (idiots!!!) we ordered the new part ourselves and after not hearing back from him once we got it, I put the new timer in and the machine worked (yay!) but then, on about load 5, I went to check and I had 1/2 inch of water all over my laundry room floor...not so fun. I cleaned it up with towels that I now had no where to wash. Arg! I was holding out, hoping this guy would come fix the problem, and still no word back. So, on Monday Ryan and I finally went to buy a new- refurbished machine since we can't afford a new one. Laundry has never been more enjoyable!
Other than that, Tyler is still a stinker (or as he would say, "tinker") and doesn't listen to a word I say. But he loves both of this brothers sooo much. He also will remind me constantly, "I still love you mommy." most frequently this is right after he has done something naughty.
Jacob is still stubborn, but improving, I think. He is definitely his own person with his own ideas and we just butt heads sometimes. He copies Tyler without thinking- but then again, he's only 2. I think I'll try potty-training sometime before Christmas with this guy...maybe. I have been enjoying our special time when Tyler is at Preschool and Jake is big-man-on-campus. It has been eye-opening and a riot sometimes.
Adam is rolling over proficiently (finally) at almost 8 months and he's even got a little scooting around...very little. He is such a happy guy and he's got two teeth now! The first was right at 6 months, and the second right at 7. He can sit up pretty well, but I won't leave him without something soft behind him, otherwise he'll get MAD when he falls down. He loves food and started eating little bits of "human" food off my plate. Soft carrots, small pieces of bread, cheerios, baby puffs, bananas. He would probably eat a stake if I'd let him. He's just like his big brothers in that way. I love his laugh and his big ol' Denos smile. (he's got the Denos mouth for sure- just like Jake)
Ryan is still working nights. Bored out of his mind and tired beyond measure. The boys try to stay quiet during the day...kind of...but it's just not easy for Ry to sleep in such a noisy house. Only 4 more months of nights to go.... oh man!
I am trying hard to get back to being optimistic. I am trying to drink more water, eat less junk, and be more active. I am also trying to be a better example to my kids and be more productive with my time. This week we made a fun mobile and make a volcano spontaneously with vinegar and baking soda and the boys thought it was so cool. I've also been trying to encourage the boys to do "thinking" activities (not video games or watching TV) so they have been practicing cutting, gluing, using stickers and stamps, etc. It has been more work, but it is fun to see them sit and focus.
I will get some pictures on this thing eventually, but for now, I just wanted to catch up on life. And remember how good it feels to be excited and happy about my three sleeping angels. I hope tomorrow is another good one. I can feel it!
Friday, September 23, 2011
A small miracle today
I don't know if I've even written about it yet, but sleep is a rare thing in our house lately.
My big boys have been waking up between 4am and 5am on most days for months now and I have tried everything to get them to sleep in; noise machines, dark curtains, fans, putting them to bed earlier, later, watching what they eat and when, etc... nothing worked.
Adam had been getting up 3 + times a night still for no apparent reason.
Last night, that all changed. All 3 boys were in bed by 6:30pm and nobody was up (for the day) until about 6:30am. (Adam did get up to eat around 5:45 but he went back to sleep until 7!) It was a miracle and I'm praying that it will happen again. Only time will tell.
*Adam has slept through the night 3 nights in a row now. I'm really hoping we're on to something here. Finally, at 7 months :) Now I can get back to being a sane person....well, at least not a sleep-deprived person.
My big boys have been waking up between 4am and 5am on most days for months now and I have tried everything to get them to sleep in; noise machines, dark curtains, fans, putting them to bed earlier, later, watching what they eat and when, etc... nothing worked.
Adam had been getting up 3 + times a night still for no apparent reason.
Last night, that all changed. All 3 boys were in bed by 6:30pm and nobody was up (for the day) until about 6:30am. (Adam did get up to eat around 5:45 but he went back to sleep until 7!) It was a miracle and I'm praying that it will happen again. Only time will tell.
*Adam has slept through the night 3 nights in a row now. I'm really hoping we're on to something here. Finally, at 7 months :) Now I can get back to being a sane person....well, at least not a sleep-deprived person.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Some of our California Trip
We were lucky enough to go to California for almost 3 weeks in August. We had a fun-filled time with Daddy the first week, then the boys and I were on our own for about a week. We wrapped things up with Ryan's Cousin, Camille's wedding.
Tyler's (second) 1st day of Preschool
Although this was nearly 2 weeks ago now, I thought we'd throw a picture up just for fun. Tyler started preschool on September 1st this year. He goes 2 days a week and so far is loving it again. On his first day of school we also had Adam's 6 month appointment so it was a crazy morning.
Tyler did okay at school but his sensitive tummy had him feeling gross by the end of the day. Thankfully, he has learned to control his nerves and excitement a little more and this week he hasn't had any more upset tummy from going to school.
Jacob missed Tyler a ton during school, but we had our own fun with just Jacob and mom for awhile. His favorite thing to do is play with some old leap pad books that we got from family while we were in California. I think he likes it because I can actually sit down with him and help him learn how to do what you are really supposed to do with the books. We also made some rocketships out of diaper boxes and Jake got to take Adam for a ride.
I can't believe my boys are growing up so fast!
Next year, Kindergarten!
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