We have known since December. We have held out a long time to tell. Estimated due date is August 29. I took the test and this picture on the Big Island just ten days after moving out of our house.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Proof It Happened In Hawaii
We have known since December. We have held out a long time to tell. Estimated due date is August 29. I took the test and this picture on the Big Island just ten days after moving out of our house.
Friday, March 13, 2009
What I Could Not See Then
Hotel life was really uncomfortable. And I use "uncomfortable"quite loosely because we did not exactly stay in the smallest or shabbiest of places. Still, the kids were out of a routine, out of their own beds, and eating out all of the time. We had to make the most out of that per diem, you know. Everything was a game, including calling the concierge every few minutes. I finally started unplugging telephones in all but the master bedroom of the eight places we stayed. Quite simply, they were bored. And they were going to make sure I understood that. I doubted I would ever see the end of hotel life. But something very special was happening right before my eyes and I could not even see it. I was probably blinded by the devious giggles and overtired whining.
It is only something that is beyond obvious now.. In our months of transition, through the poking at one another, and cavorting that drove me absolutely crazy, my kids grew super close. We had a whole lot of togetherness. There were days we thought it was too much togetherness, and I could not wait to move into our spacious home so the kids would not be in each other's faces.
But now, the boys insist on being together. They miss one another when they are apart. They constantly think of the other. Son1 grabs snacks for himself and his brother. He begs me not to put his brother to sleep so they can play. Son2 asks incessantly for his brother while he is at preschool. He calls out for Son1 whenever he wakes in his crib. Now it isn't dreamland. They still have their sibling rivalry. But their closeness tickles my heart.
I love my two boys. I am so glad they have each other. Together they are more than for what I could have ever wished.
It is only something that is beyond obvious now.. In our months of transition, through the poking at one another, and cavorting that drove me absolutely crazy, my kids grew super close. We had a whole lot of togetherness. There were days we thought it was too much togetherness, and I could not wait to move into our spacious home so the kids would not be in each other's faces. But now, the boys insist on being together. They miss one another when they are apart. They constantly think of the other. Son1 grabs snacks for himself and his brother. He begs me not to put his brother to sleep so they can play. Son2 asks incessantly for his brother while he is at preschool. He calls out for Son1 whenever he wakes in his crib. Now it isn't dreamland. They still have their sibling rivalry. But their closeness tickles my heart.
I love my two boys. I am so glad they have each other. Together they are more than for what I could have ever wished.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Kindergarten Kamp-out
I teetered and I tottered over Son1's Kindergarten placement. Our local elementary school has an amazing Dual Language Immersion program. Son1 is motivated to speak Spanish, particularly since he hears me speak it often. I don't think he ever believed Hubs that Mommy speaks Spanish like the Dora and Diego characters. And now that he hears me speak Spanish in California, Son1 is a wee bit envious.
The number one reason I was hesitant to place him in the program was the fear of teaching my own child English language arts. Which is actually ridiculous. And then my friend Katy commented on my last post. Katy, whom I haven't seen since I moved from Virginia. Katy, who is a non-native Spanish speaker and holds a Spanish degree and is a freak about correct English grammar. Katy, whom I taught with in Fairfax County Public Schools...yes, that school district. Katy, who reminded me that back in the day people actually thought I was a good teacher. Katy, who next to never comments on my posts. But I am really glad you did, Katy. I was down to the wire on time. You tipped the scales on my thoughts, and launched me into really thinking about bilingual education and not my fears about teaching English. Hubs and I had prayed for a few nights that we would have clarity on Kindergarten placement. Suddenly, I felt I was getting there.
So Hubs and I agreed that the Dual Language Immersion program was the right choice for our family, and for Son1's Kindergarten placement. But our choice meant one thing: a Kindergarten Kamp-out. (Yes, I know that is spelled wrong, I was the sixth grade spelling champ you know, but I was trying some alliteration.)
Registration started at 8am, but I arrived at the school at 4:30am, hoping for one of 40 Dual Language Immersion Kindergarten slots. I packed a bag of snacks, my camping chair, a blanket, and my registration packet. And when I arrived, I was number 30 in line. Number one arrived the night before at 8pm, and spent the night on the sidewalk. It was freezing, and the auditorium was not opened until 7am. And when I say freezing, it is all relative. But hello, I just moved from Hawaii. And high 40s and low 50s felt arctic. We looked like a freak show on the sidewalk. The local news channel even sent a camera crew for a story to prove it. But here is my own proof.
So Kindergarten, here we come!
The number one reason I was hesitant to place him in the program was the fear of teaching my own child English language arts. Which is actually ridiculous. And then my friend Katy commented on my last post. Katy, whom I haven't seen since I moved from Virginia. Katy, who is a non-native Spanish speaker and holds a Spanish degree and is a freak about correct English grammar. Katy, whom I taught with in Fairfax County Public Schools...yes, that school district. Katy, who reminded me that back in the day people actually thought I was a good teacher. Katy, who next to never comments on my posts. But I am really glad you did, Katy. I was down to the wire on time. You tipped the scales on my thoughts, and launched me into really thinking about bilingual education and not my fears about teaching English. Hubs and I had prayed for a few nights that we would have clarity on Kindergarten placement. Suddenly, I felt I was getting there.
So Hubs and I agreed that the Dual Language Immersion program was the right choice for our family, and for Son1's Kindergarten placement. But our choice meant one thing: a Kindergarten Kamp-out. (Yes, I know that is spelled wrong, I was the sixth grade spelling champ you know, but I was trying some alliteration.)
Registration started at 8am, but I arrived at the school at 4:30am, hoping for one of 40 Dual Language Immersion Kindergarten slots. I packed a bag of snacks, my camping chair, a blanket, and my registration packet. And when I arrived, I was number 30 in line. Number one arrived the night before at 8pm, and spent the night on the sidewalk. It was freezing, and the auditorium was not opened until 7am. And when I say freezing, it is all relative. But hello, I just moved from Hawaii. And high 40s and low 50s felt arctic. We looked like a freak show on the sidewalk. The local news channel even sent a camera crew for a story to prove it. But here is my own proof.
So Kindergarten, here we come!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Questions Answered, Question Unanswered
So I am finally getting around to answering those questions you asked about the house. I disappeared, I know. Trust me, the drama here has been THICK. But hopefully it is thinning out.
I am not going to lie. Life inKansas Hawaii was much simpler. We were settled in a routine. And as free spirited and less than organized as I am, I mask my schedule driven self quite well. I HEART schedules and structure, which includes time for blogging. I miss blogging. So I am going to pull myself out of the well where I have wallowed, and write. For you. For me.
Ok, confessional over! I am answering the questions and then I am going to share my own unanswered question.
Did we buy a home where we pay Mella Roos?
Yes. Most areas in CA that are newer require an extra Mella Roos tax in addition to property tax to create infrastructure for parks, schools, and additional building. If a newer home does not have Mella Roos usually the builder already raised the purchase price to include it. My parents live in 20 year old home, and still pay Mella Roos. Depending on when you buy your home, Mella Roos tax is required for 20 to 30 years.
What was the first project we tackled?
We paid a locksmith to re-key all of our doors. We found out just how mad the previous owners were about losing their home. They took off all of the locks/handles to the five or so exterior doors, and then busted the inside mechanism of the locks, and replaced them on the doors. What that meant was that while the handles looked fine, the doors could only be locked from the outside and not the inside. So the door fixtures actually had to be replaced so we could lock the doors from the inside.
Have we finished the pool? Is that why I blogged about stone workers awhile back? The pool is not finished yet. But it will be one of the first projects finished. Aside from the obvious danger to my children, it must be finished because the gas lines for the pool had to be run underground before the concrete could be poured in the back yard. The stone work is aside from pool work. The previous owners did not finish the stone work laid in the driveway they started. They left crates and crates of stone in the back yard. Strange, I know. They left mucho bucks worth of stone in the backyard but took our toilet seats, shower heads, and busted the locks. Oh...and put teeny tiny metal shavings in our garbage disposal, just to name a few things. Besides the driveway, the stone workers also completed the columns and wall.
Can folks come and visit?
Yes! We averaged guests 1/3 of the year in Hawaii! This home is much larger and we have plenty of space, so see you soon!
When will we see inside pictures?
Let's just say we were not completely unpacked on Friday, when five thousand pounds of storage items were delivered from storage in Virginia. Pictures won't be any time soon. Ask me in April.
Now for the unanswered question......
I am swinging back and forth on what type of Kindergarten I should enroll Son1. There is a highly coveted Dual Language Immersion program, where 90% of the day is taught in Spanish, and the other 10% is English. The program is designed for non-native Spanish speakers. First grade is 80% Spanish and 20% English, and eventually the kids get to 50% Spanish and 50% English. The program has met with great success, and the kids really grasp the language. I can't seem to decide if I want to enroll Son1 in this program. I don't want him to kill me later for making the wrong decision. Hubs is all for it. Kindergarten enrollment is Wednesday, so Hubs and I need to decide something PRONTO! Parents who have their children enrolled in the Dual Language program largely teach their children all of the English language curriculum at home. So I would commit to teaching English language arts at home for the years he is in this program. Ugh...so I will let you know what I decide on Wednesday.
I am not going to lie. Life in
Ok, confessional over! I am answering the questions and then I am going to share my own unanswered question.
Did we buy a home where we pay Mella Roos?
Yes. Most areas in CA that are newer require an extra Mella Roos tax in addition to property tax to create infrastructure for parks, schools, and additional building. If a newer home does not have Mella Roos usually the builder already raised the purchase price to include it. My parents live in 20 year old home, and still pay Mella Roos. Depending on when you buy your home, Mella Roos tax is required for 20 to 30 years.
What was the first project we tackled?
We paid a locksmith to re-key all of our doors. We found out just how mad the previous owners were about losing their home. They took off all of the locks/handles to the five or so exterior doors, and then busted the inside mechanism of the locks, and replaced them on the doors. What that meant was that while the handles looked fine, the doors could only be locked from the outside and not the inside. So the door fixtures actually had to be replaced so we could lock the doors from the inside.
Have we finished the pool? Is that why I blogged about stone workers awhile back? The pool is not finished yet. But it will be one of the first projects finished. Aside from the obvious danger to my children, it must be finished because the gas lines for the pool had to be run underground before the concrete could be poured in the back yard. The stone work is aside from pool work. The previous owners did not finish the stone work laid in the driveway they started. They left crates and crates of stone in the back yard. Strange, I know. They left mucho bucks worth of stone in the backyard but took our toilet seats, shower heads, and busted the locks. Oh...and put teeny tiny metal shavings in our garbage disposal, just to name a few things. Besides the driveway, the stone workers also completed the columns and wall.
Can folks come and visit?
Yes! We averaged guests 1/3 of the year in Hawaii! This home is much larger and we have plenty of space, so see you soon!
When will we see inside pictures?
Let's just say we were not completely unpacked on Friday, when five thousand pounds of storage items were delivered from storage in Virginia. Pictures won't be any time soon. Ask me in April.
Now for the unanswered question......
I am swinging back and forth on what type of Kindergarten I should enroll Son1. There is a highly coveted Dual Language Immersion program, where 90% of the day is taught in Spanish, and the other 10% is English. The program is designed for non-native Spanish speakers. First grade is 80% Spanish and 20% English, and eventually the kids get to 50% Spanish and 50% English. The program has met with great success, and the kids really grasp the language. I can't seem to decide if I want to enroll Son1 in this program. I don't want him to kill me later for making the wrong decision. Hubs is all for it. Kindergarten enrollment is Wednesday, so Hubs and I need to decide something PRONTO! Parents who have their children enrolled in the Dual Language program largely teach their children all of the English language curriculum at home. So I would commit to teaching English language arts at home for the years he is in this program. Ugh...so I will let you know what I decide on Wednesday.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Big Reveal
I loved your comments! They were more fun than the post!
So many of you loved House #3, and so did we. We loved it even more when the price was dropped 25% from the original asking price! We thought for sure God was hooking us up with this house. But it was not to be. After some detective work on the part of our realtor, we found out why we never heard back on our offer. Someone definitely got hooked up, and it was definitely not us. The price was definitely dropped for a specific client. How could the house be placed on the market by the bank, without a lock box, and three days later have an accepted offer, when no one had seen the house? I am going to be nice and not answer the question directly. But Hubs and I agreed that if this was not the house for us, God must have something else for us. I really did not like the proximity to the stop sign, even if Hubs did like those trikes in the neighbor's yard.
House #2 seemed like a good fit for our family, but we just couldn't buy at the top of our price range in this economy.
Just when less houses were left on the market, and it seemed there was no house for the Farmers, House #1 hit the market. We were so sure it was the home for us. Sight unseen by either of us, we asked our realtors to draw up a contract for this bank owned home. But even before our offer was written, the house was suddenly in escrow. On a hope and a prayer that the house just might fall out of escrow, we pursued this house. Our realtors thought we were a bit nutty. We bugged our realtors like crazy, and like cray, they bugged the bank. And you know what? The other couple with the contract made the bank a wee bit mad. That was all we needed. The bank knew we wanted this home enough not to fuss. But the bank chose not to relist the home after the previous offer fell through, and dealt directly with us. We have had many people drive by, knock on our door, and peek in our windows. Had this house sold? After all, it was never relisted. Nope. It's ours.
Now, you can ask me any questions you want, and I will answer. No price questions, though. Our parents don't even ask questions like that!
So many of you loved House #3, and so did we. We loved it even more when the price was dropped 25% from the original asking price! We thought for sure God was hooking us up with this house. But it was not to be. After some detective work on the part of our realtor, we found out why we never heard back on our offer. Someone definitely got hooked up, and it was definitely not us. The price was definitely dropped for a specific client. How could the house be placed on the market by the bank, without a lock box, and three days later have an accepted offer, when no one had seen the house? I am going to be nice and not answer the question directly. But Hubs and I agreed that if this was not the house for us, God must have something else for us. I really did not like the proximity to the stop sign, even if Hubs did like those trikes in the neighbor's yard.
House #2 seemed like a good fit for our family, but we just couldn't buy at the top of our price range in this economy.
Just when less houses were left on the market, and it seemed there was no house for the Farmers, House #1 hit the market. We were so sure it was the home for us. Sight unseen by either of us, we asked our realtors to draw up a contract for this bank owned home. But even before our offer was written, the house was suddenly in escrow. On a hope and a prayer that the house just might fall out of escrow, we pursued this house. Our realtors thought we were a bit nutty. We bugged our realtors like crazy, and like cray, they bugged the bank. And you know what? The other couple with the contract made the bank a wee bit mad. That was all we needed. The bank knew we wanted this home enough not to fuss. But the bank chose not to relist the home after the previous offer fell through, and dealt directly with us. We have had many people drive by, knock on our door, and peek in our windows. Had this house sold? After all, it was never relisted. Nope. It's ours.
Now, you can ask me any questions you want, and I will answer. No price questions, though. Our parents don't even ask questions like that!
Monday, February 16, 2009
House Hunters
I am just starting to get it. You miss me. You wonder what has happened to us. You don't care whether I finish blogging about Hawaii. Well I am gonna do it. You just wait and see. You are going to read the last of our adventures. HOWEVER, since you continue to be so good to me, I am going to interrupt the Farmers Say Aloha to Hawaii story and entertain you with some "House Hunters." The number one request these days is for pictures of our new home. Well, I am not gonna give them up until we play a little HGTV game.
You have seen the show, haven't you? Here are the top three homes that we considered, and we DID buy one. I am sitting inside one of these very homes right now. Now, if you are family or know which house I bought (which I don't think anyone besides family knows, but my memory may be clouded by moving boxes right now), DO NOT SQUASH THE FUN AND TELL PEOPLE WHICH HOME WE BOUGHT. Didn't I tell you I have a competitive spirit when it comes to fun and games? Now I am not going to add any doorbell sounds to this post and I am going to skip the whole Susan Whang hostess deal, because really people, I have boxes calling me before the kids wake up.
You must know that I never went inside any of these actual homes before we wrote a purchase contract. We had seen many similar to these when we were in California in June and July. We were not ready to buy until late in 2008, after we sold our home in Hawaii. Hubs made a few trips to California without me, and took a gazillion photos of each home, and emailed them to me. My mom said I was brave to have him buy a home without me standing in it. She was in Hawaii with me when Hubs was in California. My dad went with Hubs to look at some of these. My mom cracked me up because she said she could not let my dad choose a house without her. But this is not the first time Hubs and I have bought a home where he wrote a contract without me. I had faith he could do it again!
All three of these homes were bank owned foreclosures. All needed minor work.
You have seen the show, haven't you? Here are the top three homes that we considered, and we DID buy one. I am sitting inside one of these very homes right now. Now, if you are family or know which house I bought (which I don't think anyone besides family knows, but my memory may be clouded by moving boxes right now), DO NOT SQUASH THE FUN AND TELL PEOPLE WHICH HOME WE BOUGHT. Didn't I tell you I have a competitive spirit when it comes to fun and games? Now I am not going to add any doorbell sounds to this post and I am going to skip the whole Susan Whang hostess deal, because really people, I have boxes calling me before the kids wake up.
You must know that I never went inside any of these actual homes before we wrote a purchase contract. We had seen many similar to these when we were in California in June and July. We were not ready to buy until late in 2008, after we sold our home in Hawaii. Hubs made a few trips to California without me, and took a gazillion photos of each home, and emailed them to me. My mom said I was brave to have him buy a home without me standing in it. She was in Hawaii with me when Hubs was in California. My dad went with Hubs to look at some of these. My mom cracked me up because she said she could not let my dad choose a house without her. But this is not the first time Hubs and I have bought a home where he wrote a contract without me. I had faith he could do it again!
All three of these homes were bank owned foreclosures. All needed minor work.
Home #1
This home is located in a culdesac. It has only one neighbor to the right, and a very large lot size. A pool was started in the back yard. It has a tandem three car garage, and two full bathrooms and bedrooms downstairs. The previous owners did not finish the work to the home, and a lot of stone is stacked in crates in the back yard. The floor plan is very open, with many windows. This home was already in escrow when we looked at it. Many, many people wanted this house because it was priced really well for the lot size and number of square feet.Home #2
Home #3
This home has a very open and beautifully flowing floor plan. The back yard is large, and perfectly flat, and perfectly ready for a pool. My favorite feature of this home is a side courtyard from the interior of the home. One thing I told Hubs was that if we were moving to California I wanted a home with a courtyard. The home is well priced, but it is at the very top of our price range.
This home is priced the best value for the dollar, square feet, and lot size. It has tropical landscaping, and views to the mountains. It sits on a wide and quiet street. It is upgraded throughout, and located in an area with no Mella Roos, unlike the other homes. Mella roos is a special tax in California. It is paid above and beyond property tax, and assessed for 20 years on new homes to build community parks, schools, and infrastructures. This is a very big deal in California! It is the second house from a stop sign, which could mean through traffic. A gorgeous stone wall surrounds the home on all sides, with custom lighting on the perimeter. There are trikes at the house next door. Maybe nice children live next door.So you choose! Which house do you think the Farmers purchased?
Friday, February 6, 2009
Lost and Found
I found an old SD card to my camera. This was just before we left VA for HI. Do you know the girl in the glasses?
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