Hiking, sort of...

With having so much to do to get the condo ready for selling, we're needed to spend more weekend mornings at home.  The kids have been great about it, and last weekend Silas had the idea to go 'hiking in our front yard'.  I used to take him out there wearing Daphne when she was just a newborn.  I still remember when it got so hot the end of October, and we needed to get out of the house in the afternoon.  I'd put Daphne in the sling and go 'hiking' outside with Silas.

We cancelled escrow on the Sheldon house since we weren't comfortable with the quote they came up with for foundation repair.  The selling agent has called Todd again asking if we're still interested and what it would take.  We'll see if they will get a few more quotes from foundation experts and go from there.  There's still a chance things might work out, but I'm not holding my breath. 

We did find a buyer for our condo, two actually and they both agreed to allow 90 days for us to find a replacement property.  Hopefully something will turn up, but it wouldn't be so bad to stay at the condo a little while longer.  With all the de-cluttering we have done we can make better use of the space, and it's a good opportunity to save some money. 

On The Move?

We've been more busy than usual these last two weeks.  We've been house hunting since December, but hadn't found anything we liked within our price range.  Then a couple weeks ago, we did a second trip to an open house that had recently dropped the price and we decided to pursue an offer. 

They actually accepted our contingent offer, but gave us only 17 days to get our condo into escrow.  We quickly got a storage unit, had a painter come to get rid of the orange wall, and cleaned and packed and cleaned and packed and cleaned and packed.  The poor kids did great, but they were getting pretty bored with all the time spent at home.  We made it, and got the condo into 'showing condition' in just a few days.  We had a lot of interest, many scheduled showings we had to be out of the house for and open houses the following weekend.

The good news is, we got a few offers on our condo and have accepted one for $631k.  We'll make it into escrow within the 17 day deadline.  Unfortunately, there was some not so good news with the house we are trying to buy.  The house was a flip and was newly remodeled. The plumbing, roof, electrical is all new.  However, the house was built in 1920 and they didn't touch the foundation.  The inspections uncovered some significant issues with the foundation that we've asked the seller to fix.  We haven't gotten a formal response yet, but it sounds like their fix of the issues won't be up to the standard we're looking for. 

It's not officially over yet, but I think we'll be back to the search for a house.  It's OK, I know the right house is out there for us and for now, we're fine staying in the condo. 

High Flying!

Silas' recent most favorite game is 'flying' onto the couch.  He jumps pretty high, and is almost too big for this game.  I'm glad he is enjoying it while he can, and of course Daphne wants to try too!

Breakfast Sillies

There have been a few school holidays already this year, so I have stayed home.  It's very different being home with both of them now that Daphne is older and more independent.  Some aspects are easier, some harder, but it's fun to spend so much more time with them. 

Out to Lunch

One of Silas' favorite places to have lunch out is the Proud Bird, what he calls "The Airplane Restaurant".  It's food court style ordering with a great view of the planes landing and other traffic too and from LAX.  They also have some smaller planes outside on display. 

Now that it's getting a little easier to take Daphne to restaurants, we went there for lunch.  Daphne seemed to like it, but didn't eat much of anything.  They both liked running around outside after eating. 

Another trip to the LA Zoo

Silas said that he liked the San Diego zoo, but didn't like the hotel, so for his birthday he wanted to go to the LA Zoo.  Both kids did really well, and seemed to enjoy it.  I think Silas liked seeing the different animals and Daphne loved it when she got a chance to run around the paths on her own.

A letter to Silas, on your birthday

Happy Birthday, Love!!!  I can't believe you are 4 years old.  I so clearly remember the moment you were born, I'm sure I will forever.  When I first heard you cry, I was happier than I ever thought I could be.  I am so lucky to be your Mom and to have been able to spend so much time home with you over the last year. 

I love your infectious laughter, your seemingly endless energy, your love of music, your sensitivity, your creativity, and your insatiable curiosity.  One of my favorite things to do is to curl up with you on the couch or in bed to read. 

My parents never told me these things very often, so I will make sure to tell you.  I love you.  I am so proud of you.  I truly believe you can achieve anything you set your mind to, and I will always be here to support you.  Always.  You are perfect, exactly as you are. 

I love you more than you will ever know,
Mom