More house hunting

So last Saturday morning, John, me, and all three kids traipsed around the Brighton and Penfield areas looking for our dream home--biggish and yet within our price range (not an easy feat here in Rochester). The very last house that we looked at MIGHT be it. Four bd, two full bath, 2 car garage, large lr, den, and a huge, very well-maintained yard with lots of nice trees. Beautiful. We're contemplating putting in an offer--or taking a chance and looking around for another couple of weeks. Hmmm....

We got several compliments on our children's good behavior. Reminds me that what may be annoying and irksome to ME, is not-so-annoying to a third-party observer--especially one who has probably "seen it all" when it comes to the behavior of kids while spending a very long, boring afternoon looking at numerous houses and not being able to touch things! So kudos to the kids for being seemingly good around strangers that mommy and daddy are trying to impress. They've got their priorities straight!

So here is the first warning to all our wonderful family and friends. IF John and I actually pull this off and buy a house, there will probably be NO trips home this year. We'll be poor and begging you all to come see us. And maybe now we'll actually have room for you!

House hunting

John and I spent most of the weekend dragging the kids back and forth to the mortgage broker and open houses in our whirlwind, last second attempt to find, buy, and move into a house by mid-August. Of the houses we drove by, we are interested in them all but one (and we didn't even get to see that house--the road it was on was so narrow with idiot neighbors/drivers blocking the thoroughfare, we passed it by before we even noticed it and knew for a fact that that street was NOT for us). Sunday we managed to catch two open houses. We liked the second house better--but the location isn't the greatest. It's right next to a collision center--right next to a very busy road. Hmmm....we'll chalk it up as a "maybe".

John's pretty excited about the idea of finally owning our own home--looking up how to straighten the somewhat crooked garage of the one house and what is the life-span of a water heater, anyway? I'm keeping my excitement somewhat under the surface. I think the whole concept is still too surreal for me. John and me--buying a house? Inconceivable!

In the midst of the house hunting, Mary Anne also had her dance recital on Saturday. Mary is a very sensitive kid. You really never know how she's going to react to something until you see her actually react to it. All week she's been excited about this recital. Every time I'd mention it, she'd jump up and down and say, "Yay!" Not so, Saturday morning. I knew we were in trouble when she woke up and complained of being tired. Well, when I mentioned the recital, the pouting began, and "I don't want to go" became the theme for the day. She cried while getting ready and cried the whole 15 minute drive to the auditorium. She cried when I had to leave her--sitting on the floor of the dressing room in her tu-tu and tights, hair wrapped up in a bun. Thankfully, she seemed cheered up by her first dance. But someone must have looked at her wrong the second dance--the tap number to "Under the Sea." Right in the middle of it, the scowl came back. I took her out to Pizza Hut afterwards and said, "No dance next year, right?" She agreed. I guess she's going to be a sports kid--she said she'd rather do indoor soccer. Fine with me! I can certainly do without the outrageous recital/costume fees.

For you Katamari Damacy fans, you'll appreciate this. Sunday I hear Keith humming the theme under his breath (very addictive, that tune). I look up, and he's got a lego man he built rolling a whiffle ball on the coffee table towards a collection of unsuspecting Little People. Oh no! Too funny!

My first blog

Well, after years of keeping simple word documents as records of my life, I've finally made the great leap to blogging! What a concept!

Life is crazy for me, as always. My husband and I are running very quickly into the end of our lease in our townhouse and are desperately trying to find someplace else to live. Every year we go through this. We can never decide whether to move out of Rochester or stay and buy a house. This was supposed to be the year we make a firm decision. Well, the time has flown by, our landlord is knocking at the door wondering if we're going to renew, and we now have just over a month until the lease runs out. I actually called a mortgage broker out of desperation the other day. Maybe we can get lucky, get qualified for a loan, find a new home, and get moved into it within two months (and only have to extend our lease one month). From others' experiences, I know not to hold my breath.

Otherwise, the kids are keeping me busy. Poor Mary currently is on medication for an ear infection. And through this, she's having the busiest week of her life. Dance rehearsals (recital is Saturday) and t-ball games, and a visit from her Great-grandma. Through all this, it's almost impossible to get her to bed at a decent hour, and I feel bad for her. Now that GG has gone home and dance will be ending on Saturday, I'm hoping that her life will be a little less crazy and virus-free.

Izzy had one of her (what I call) "Frankenstein fits" the other night. Izzy is a very well-tempered baby--the most mild-mannered of all our three kids--but every once in a while, she goes into a screaming, stomping, rampaging fit from which she cannot be consoled. This one happend in the middle of the night, and I'm beginning to wonder if it was a night terror. Not something pleasant to behold. When you see your child screaming and crying you want to be able to sooth them. It's the most frustrating thing in the world when they won't let you and don't even seem to notice that you're there. I just put her on the floor and let her rampage around the house until she finally collapsed in my arms--sucking her two fingers. Poor baby.

Keith is the only happy one currently in the house. He's a great kid. Middle child with two sisters--he is so doomed.

Nothing else new to report except for my excitement about getting away to Cedar Point at the end of June with all our FTW Shadownet friends. John and I need a vacation this year, and this little weekend get-a-way is perfect timing....