A Homecoming- Part 2

It was kind of an anti-climactic experience signing our papers on Wednesday afternoon (the former residents requested to stay for two days after closing as part of our contract), so I will begin our story on Friday.

At about noon. I received a call that our POD's from storage were arriving at the new house. Luke and I drove over to meet the truck and watch them drop the POD's in front of our new house. A few neighbor kids and their parents watched as well.

I met several of the neighbors that afternoon, and more the next day. I think that the new neighbors are our real treasure. We were wowed by their hospitality, and are excited to get to know them better. Also, it seems that everyone stays at home here. Next door to us is an elderly lady who is an original owner. Next to her is a empty-nest couple who were originally from Canada. He works from home. They brought over a cooler full of drinks on moving day. Next to them is a Catholic domestic missionary family just a few years older than us. They have 4 charming children and brought us the most delicious brownies. I could go on.... Life on a culdesac seems like it makes for a nice community.

Friday night was a terror. Luke was in the throes of the worst teething pain he has had yet and was up between 12am-4am. Bethany showed us the trick of watching the Sound of Music with Luke. He didn't sleep, but at least he didn't cry the whole time. Poor baby, molars are not fun!

Saturday went very smoothly. We had so many people to help and everything was unloaded by 2pm. It will take a bit longer for everything to find a place, but that is what happened. At least I have lots of closets to put boxes until I can get to them.

Sunday, Luke and I went to church while Nathan recovered. He had done a lot of heavy lifting and his back has been giving him trouble. Church was so refreshing, and it was only a 15 minute drive.

So there is the narrative. Besides that, I will say that I LOVE this house. It is the ideal family home. Thanks to all who helped out!

A Homecoming- Part 1

A few pictures to serve as an overview of our journey:

Luke on the ride over:



Enjoying a cold drink with Daddy:
The classic new homeowner picture:


Clara and her friend making use of our new back yard playground:
We love our house!

Luke Misses His Daddy

Since coming to Texas, Nathan and I have tried to be very consistent with a bedtime routine in order to help him feel more comfortable about sleeping. At the end of our routine, I usually take Luke to the glider to rock him to sleep, while Nathan stands at the bedroom door and waves "night-night." Last night when I put Luke down, he looked toward the empty door and vigorously waved "night-night." He seemed a little confused that no one was there. He sure misses Nathan.

I also know that he misses Nathan because he has pretty much been inseparable from me these past few days. He whines if I put him down and climbs up my legs wherever I am.

In general life has been tough for Luke lately. It is good for me to pay attention to his behavioral changes and to remember to have extra patience for him right now. His life is in flux right now and needs a little extra comfort. I laid in bed last night remorseful for how impatient I have been with his night-wakings, and need for extra attention.

Sorry Luke, I am trying.

Another Shot

We are taking another shot at home buying. Our eye (and bid) is on this one: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=79296837&backButton=Y&Address=7910%20Del%20Rey

This one is in a very family friendly neighborhood close to Evan and Bethany, and has a 1/4 acre lot! When we first began looking at homes in December, we saw one on this very street. It is kind of ironic how we have come full circle like this.

Baby Luke in Texas and House Update

Not a real original title. I haven't had much time to think, so that will have to do. Here are some pictures of Luke:


Looking out the window ( a new favorite activity):Playing the piano:


Smooshing face against the window (also a new favorite):

Bath time in the ducky. We left his bath seat with Aunt B in CA, so this is the replacement. It is actually very fun- the beak quacks when you squeeze it. :)

Bath hair:

Well, for hews on the house:

We terminated our first contract. The house was terrific in every way, except that it was about 20 minutes from Evan and Bethany since you have to take surface streets the whole way. We decided to look closer to them, and I will update that search later. Someone asked me what Luke thiks about the whole situation- I think he wants to stay with E+B. He loves all the action and especially cousin Clara. :)

Offer Accepted

Now onto the inspection!

Playing and Waiting

Well, still no word from the sellers on the house that we put the offer on. The house is being sold by a family Trust, so basically, all the kids have to agree to move forward. They are discussing our offer today, so we should hear soon. In the meantime, we are going to look at two more strong possibilities and play in the sun.

Here is Luke with his new pool from Grandma and Grandpa Holman. (Well, the actual pool that they bought didn't fit in our suitcases, so I returned it and bought a pool at the store near us today).

Almost Home?

We made an offer last night. Check out the house here: http://search.har.com/engine/dispSearch.cfm?mlnum=27205357&backButton=Y&Address=12327%20Rincon%20Dr

I will update the blog when I hear something!

House Hunting Day 1

Yesterday we met our realtor Pat at his office and went to look at houses. We looked at a LOT of houses (about 12). Most were ok, a couple were completely odd, and one was beautiful. The one that we thought was perfect went under contract (had a accepted offer) the night before. Too bad.

Luke was a trooper through it all. We were gone for about 6.5 hours. He loved crawling around in the houses that were clean. One had a big staircase and he climbed the whole thing all by himself. I followed along right behind him of course, just to make sure that he was safe.

I have no pictures of Luke right now because I don't know where our camera is packed. But, my sister-in-law Bethany has a video of him and cousin Clara dancing here. He is so cute!

Overflow

This last week has been packed with so many blessings that I am beginning to feel overwhelmed. Having recently completed a cross-country move with two cars and a sub one-year-old (and still being in the midst of it really), I have realized that there is a lot that goes into such an enterprise.
We were very blessed by all the help that we received from family, friends and work.

Some highlights of our journey:

We moved temporarily to a fully furnished home- Nathan's sister and her family opened up their home to us while we look for a place of our own. This has given us some normalcy in an otherwise chaotic time. I can cook and we can have family dinners, and a normal-ish routine for Luke's sake.

Nathan filled out paperwork yesterday for his new position (he is in the same job, with the same parent company, but a different subsidiary since we are in Texas) and discovered that we will have better health benefits for about half as much as we were paying in CA. It feels like an instant raise.

Luke and I visited a church on Sunday and the people were very friendly (without being too friendly). I love Southern hospitality! I had several offers to babysit Luke while we house hunt by the end and an invitation to join the choir. Mostly, I was just grateful to be somewhere familiar- an advantage of being Orthodox is that the liturgy is the same in CA and Texas.

Luke and I explored our new area Saturday and Sunday and found a great grocery store and nearby Target. I think prices for most things are better here. I got 4 big bags of groceries for less than $20 without using coupons. Also, gas is $2.37.

I am overwhelmed by this new life. So many new things, new people, new everything. I miss home, but I am grateful for God's provision.

At the Zoo In Northern CA

Luke and I have been in Northern CA this week while Nathan was driving to Houston (he made it safely on Wednesday). We have enjoyed seeing grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, and friends.

Today we went to Micke's Grove Zoo to have a picnic and see the animals. I have fond memories of the zoo from when I was a little kid. Luke was especially enamored with the lemurs and the turtles. We also went in to see the lorakeets.

Tomorrow, we drive to Berkeley to spend our last night in CA with the Torgusborg bunch. They have graciously offered to host us for the night and take us to the airport Saturday morning. Nathan will pick us up in Houston. Boy do we miss him!!

Here are some pictures:

A thoughtful pose after eating some carrots:

Sharing some fried chicken with grandpa:
In with the Lorakeets:
Happy, but tired on the way home:

Prayers for Sick Baby

Well, the move had gotten to Luke. He began running a fever today and has been one sad baby! I am not feeling 100% either. Please pray for us as we move.

One Week to Go

That's right, we are only in Southern CA one more week. Next Sunday afternoon Luke and I fly up north to see my family before heading out to Texas. Nathan and Evan are driving our cars out beginning Monday morning. I only say "beginning," because it will take them 3 days!

The goodbyes are getting more difficult as the move draws closer. On Saturday, we all went over to go swimming with a family from our church. They have a little boy (the same one who asked me if Luke had "hatched" when I was pregnant) who shares the same God-parents as Luke. He discovered this one Sunday and declared himself Luke's God-brother. Well, I guess that is so. :) Anyways, we had a great time swimming and Luke had a great time crawling around and watching the boys play. When we had to go, his God-brother went inot his parent's bathroom and wouldn't come out. He didn't want to say goodbye to Baby Luke; they were just beginning to be such great buddies.

I about cried at that point. I understand a little of what he was feeling (though from the other side). I too feel like I am leaving behind developing friendships. We will do our best to keep in contact from Texas, but I know things cannot be the same.

So that this is not just a sad post, I have one cute Luke story to relay: I was holding Luke yesterday as we were singing our last hymn at church. He liked it so much that he began singing along too. It sounded like "laaaaaaa.....laaaaaaaa." He has done this before, but this time I could hear him trying to match the pitch. He was also trying to hold out his note a long time. I was amazed, and he looked very pleased with himself.

Fast!

Time is going by FAST! Luke is going FAST! Fast describes our life right now. For instance, today I packed several boxes, got 4 new tires on the Avalon, got pre-approved for a home loan, went on too walks with Luke, took all of our recycling in, went grocery shopping, and read a little.

Tomorrow will be a slower day. We have church in the morning and I will pack while Luke naps in the afternoon. I think that I will spend the rest of the afternoon just with Luke. He seems to be aware that everything is changing around him. Maybe all the boxes in our living room a re a hint. :)



Here is a video of Luke crawling on hands and knees. He is so fast!

Our Grand Adventure

Yesterday, Nathan, Luke, and I announced publicly that we are planning to move to Houston at the end of July.

Our reasons for moving are many and varied. Above all, I suppose, is that we want to put down roots and live somewhere where the cost of living is not so demanding. Nathan has been working a second side job on and off which takes away from family time. It is sad when Luke is already asleep when Nathan gets home. Other reasons for moving include moving closer to family, moving closer to church (right now our drive is 30 mins w/o traffic), finding a place with better long-term job prospects for Nathan, and realizing our dream of owning a home and having a backyard for Luke and any other little ones who come along.

We have been thinking about this move since Christmas last year. We have seriously looked at all of our options and compared them again and again (truly. I have an excel spreadsheet to prove it). We looked at real estate around here that was closer to our friends and to work, we explored the possibility of living in Escondido near Nathan's family, and northern CA near mine. In the end, Texas seemed the most prudent choice.

In saying goodbye to California, we will leave behind many great blessings. Mostly, we are sad to leave behind our family and friends. Yesterday at church, I was up in the choir loft and noticed Luke's little fingerprints on the wood beam in front of me. I will always remember holding him there. It was sad to think that I would leave those little prints and the church behind. Nathan and I were married in this church, we were chrismated in this church, we were loved and encouraged in our Christian life in that church.

At the same time, we are looking forward to the move. We are looking forward to living near Nathan's sister and her family, and beginning our new life in Texas.

Here are a couple of pictures of our Little Cowboy :