House Sweet House

Oh dear House, how I love you.  You have been so good to us with your third bedroom, clean carpets and fenced backyard.
Really though, I could go on and on describing how much we love our new place. From the garage to the extra counter space, to the laundry room (as in like, not shared with the kitchen!), to a designated dining space, to the cute fireplace, to endless closets, to my very own walk in closet (yay me!), to a master bathroom, to the ceiling fans, to the endless space to stretch our legs, to not having to smell what our neighbors are cooking for dinner to well....everything!...Turns out we are house people. Ha ha.

The first few nights basically ended with John and I sitting down on the couch, looking around our new place, then looking at each other and talking about how happy we are with this little rental house of "ours."

We took off from Pleasant View as soon as John finished his test last Saturday.  We were exhausted from moving from Denver, then a week of partying with family but we were driven by excitement to see what our new home for the year would be like (we hadn't seen it yet.)

By the time we picked up our trailer in Caldwell and made our way back to Boise/Meridian, it was like 9:00pm. Our Boise home looked a lot more welcoming than our Denver Attic. It was love at first site and we were so shocked at how much space there was! (Our living room was about the size of our entire place in Denver).  It was awesome.

After two months of sleeping on cots and the floor, you better believe we backed that trailer up and pulled out our mattresses! Best. sleep. ever. Ha ha.  The kids marked their territory and ran up and down the halls and around the living room for about an hour straight.  Well, actually, just Johnny did that, and William crawled after him never really able to keep up.  Caity just laid in her "very own room of her own" making angels in the carpet and singing a song about how her room is always going to be clean.

We some how got the kids calm enough to go to sleep and we enjoyed a frozen pizza and watched Sabrina, not the teenage witch- the classic with Audrey Hepburn. The next morning, we made our way to the LDS church down the street only to realize we were at the wrong building! Ha! Isn't that rich? Apparently our building is about a mile or so away. It was nice attending church all the same.

After church, we came home and started the long, tedious process of settling in.  I am usually all for this part of the move- organizing and setting up house... but this time, I was a lowsy sport about it all. I just wanted to snap my fingers and go Mary Poppins all over the place.  When I packed those boxes I was up to my head in school work and I labeled half the boxes with clever little notes to myself like "You are really going to hate yourself when you open this one..." And sure enough, I proved to be prophetic- some of those boxes held no rhyme or reason!  

Well, we finally found a place for almost everything and I must say, it is feeling like home.  Sure we have a few boxes left and have some pictures to hang up... but it is feeling nice and livable now. We have loved "our" house.  There is room to breathe and room to not hear the kids some times...and call me bad parent of the year but...that is AWESOME.  You have to cut me some slack here though, Caity skips breathing and constantly sings- like constantly, take it to the back yard- that's what I say...because we have one now, you know...let the neighbors enjoy your melodic interpretation of everything in front of you.  :) I love that girl.  Then there is Johnny, it is so nice to let him run every where without worrying about the neighbors down stairs.

We next did what we do best and made our rounds on craigslist and got Johnny a car bed that we overhauled (a post for another day), a BBQ (for free!),an air compressor, a lawn mower and wait for it....a piano!! If you can't tell, I am pretty stoked about that piano. How we came to obtain the piano is a long story involving an evangelical preacher selling his great grandmother’s piano for 50.00, and when we realized we wouldn't be able to move it with our trailer so we had to decline. On our way out, he asked what we wanted it for and we said to practice hymns and he said “tell you what I’m leaving to go where the good Lord sends me in the morning, I’ll give it to you for free and set up delivery for you”  So he did, and it is a beautiful piano and we didn't even have to move it or have it tuned. Crazy story huh?   

Having a piano feels pretty grown up and sophisticated and I think it just adds such a cool presence in a home.  It has been fun taking turns playing it, or being bored and plunking out a hymn (only to have John sing the wrong one because he couldn't recognize what I was playing…ha ha)

Anyways- now I am just rambling.  I'll show the pictures I have on my camera, though I don't have any of the bedrooms yet...maybe later.

from the dining room^

from the hallway (I know, i need to hang up pictures)^

from the front door ^

From the kitchen doorway^

From the dining room door way^

The backyard!

Our soon-to-be garden and the sand box.

Well, here we are in Boise playing house and enjoy the fleeting summer days. If any of you want to enjoy the sage brush and brown hills of Boise...we love visitors! We'll even give you your own room. :) 
Here's to a great year with many great new adventures...ready or not, Boise- we're here!

The Attic

When we (finally) made it to Denver, we were pretty anxious to see our place.

We were in and out of touch with the landlord and weren't even certain that he had an apartment for us anymore.

It was a little overwhelming. 

We made our way down York St, anticipating what our new home would be like. 

We found the right street and started down the back alley way looking at addresses.

I mentally ranked each house we drove by on whether or not I wanted to live there.

As we pulled pass a certain home, I literally thought,

 "please don't be it, please don't be it, please don't be it..."

And as fate would have it, that was our home! 

haha!

A blurry picture of the back of the home- blurry is good, it doesn't look so bad!

All I saw was the electrical lines coming every which way from the house, the peeling paint, and the overgrown back yard.

All the kids saw was a little swing and a fort under the grape vines- they were in heaven.

I didn't say anything and tried to smile, but I'll be honest, my heart was breaking inside. 

How was I going to stay positive?

I mean, we've done dingy apartments before, and I knew we could do it again especially since it is only for two months.

But just because I could, doesn't mean I wanted to.

I smiled with my mouth, but I knew my eyes must have looked panic by the face expression I got from John.

I tried to look more convincing.

We got past the busted door and walked up the narrow flights of unvaccumed, stained-walled stairs.  I thought, "OK, I can vaccum! I can do this, and I just won't touch the walls!"  There are 7 apartments in this old "mansion" and we were renting the Attic.

We entered the apartment and what do you know, the previous tenants left us all sorts of pleasant surprises! 

The good news is, we didn't need dishes or bath soaps and shampoos or sheets or... well a lot of other things...including a bong.  The bad news is, we actually did need those things (except for the bong), because as it turns out- we just weren't into that kind of inheritance from people we didn't know. 

There was food in freezer and fridge, dirty dishes, stained area rugs, random "art work" spewed around the house, dirt and grime all over the floors, walls, doors and bathroom...and my heart sank. What was I going to do?  My optimism was slowly giving away as I realized it was bed time and this place was in no condition for my babies to sleep.

Johnny and Caity seemed to look on the bright side, Johnny was excited the window didn't have a screen, so he could just jump out if he wanted (remember- third floor people!)  Caity liked that she could see our room from her room (which I liked too.) William just drooled and ate a plastic bag.

Thank goodness for family in the Denver area.  John's grandparents live in Aurora and welcomed us into their home that night.  I was so grateful.  We sat and talked to them into the night and I felt so blessed to have had them there to lift our spirits.  Such great people.

The next morning brought a relatively expensive trip to WalMart for cleaning supplies. 

Off to our Attic we went with a renewed determination that it was going to be a great adventure.

7 trash bags later and the place was already starting to look better.

Then came the game changer.

John and I expected to spend the entire four days cleaning, but Kristen, Jordan and Cordan showed up early for their wedding and jumped right in to help us. John's grandparents also started right in as soon as they got there.  John's Grandpa was a tornado with the broom. Jordan and Cordan squeezed into the little bathroom and scrubbed away.  Everyone was just busy as can be and it felt kind of like when Snow White overhauled the dwarf's cottage.  Except we didn't enlist the help of animals. Though, there was a lot of cat hair. In the fridge. huh.  

That balloon was a on a box John's grandma put together for us full of food to stalk our kitchen for the first couple of days- boy, did it come in handy! The kids loved that balloon. I have only thought it was an intruder in the middle of the night twice! haha

Sometimes "thankful" seems so trite...this was one of those times.  We finished everything within a few hours. 

I couldn't even believe it. 

The little Attic looked completely different! 

And it felt like home.

From one corner of the living room. 

From the opposite corner (again, sorry for my cheap phone pictures!)

From the door of the kids room

From the door of our room

At the top of the stairs, looking into the kitchen.

The bathroom

Now that I have focused on the negative.  Let me tell you about all the positive.  The rent is awesome- did I mention utilities were included? We are just a block from a really fun park. There is a washer and dryer in the basement. There is a backyard for the kids to play in. We are only a couple blocks from a pretty legit Marijuana Clinic There is an area for the kids to ride their bike. The neighborhood feels safe. It is actually a cute little apartment, I like the colored walls. The apartment came furnished so we saved quite a bit on things we had planned on purchasing. The kids love the apartment. There are cool little features that you can tell are from the original house.

All in all, it is going to be a fun two months. I am pretty excited.

We have already made some lasting memories in our Little Attic.

The boys were playing freeze tag between a car and a stuffed dog. Caity made sure to unfreeze them over and over again.

Visiting The Partridge Family

(Warning: If there is such a thing as a picture overload- this is totally it!)

I was so excited to visit my parents on our way to Denver. They moved to Salt Lake a few years ago. 

It was so weird with David in Seattle, Matt at college and Becca on a mission in Peurto Rico, they were empty nesters!

(Not to mention James and Tayci and their kids were out of town! It was just weird!)

Well, we had a great visit and took advantage of our time with Grandma and Grandpa Partridge.

These two sure enjoyed teasing each other.

Caity helping my mom water flowers- my mom has the prettiest flower beds! 

When you are at grandma's house you can have 4 bowls of any cereal you want in the middle of day, even if you didn't finish your breakfast- they just chatted away.

My mom and Wills. (Map of Peurto Rico in the background so we can see where Becca is)

My brother brought this back from his mission to Ukraine! I am the 5th one down! Isn't that the coolest thing?

On Memorial Day my dad had the day off, so he took us on a "behind the scenes" tour of Temple Square and the LDS Conference Center where he works, it was cool hearing all his stories.

Then, it was off to the Church History Museum to check out the children's area. 

PS- the museum is so cool, and has a lot awesome exhibits on everything from the pioneers to boy scouts to temple artifacts- it was so interesting!

It was a bit of a walk to get there, but I was there with my trusty camera!

(well, clearly I didn't take this one...)

 The kids had a blast at the museum!

Caity's favorite part was learning a Mexican dance, she probably would have danced there for hours! 

William played the matching game. He lost.

Johnny hated the idea of dancing about as much as Caity loved it.

My mom and Caity, John got a video of all three of us trying to learn the dance together, but I am pretty sure I would die if that EVER surfaced on the internet- haha, just kidding, but I am still not posting it! haha

Building towers. How she got Johnny to build before destroying is beyond me.  Maybe is something I'll learn with age.

John and I were pretty much artists. 

We came home and ate some pizza and enjoyed each other's company.

Then my mom and I took the kids to the splash pad.

The next day we went and visited my Grandma Ogden.  My Grandpa met us there.

My Grandma has Alzheimer's and although most of the time the only person who can understand her is Caity (no surprise there)

We had a couple of really special moments where I think we really connected.

John loves talking with my Grandpa- he does have some pretty cool stories. I love when they talk together

 We went shopping, and I came home and did some homework.

Then, Tayci and James surprised us and got home from their trip earlier than we thought they would! 

It was so much fun seeing them,

These kids love their cousins!

Oh my goodness, Miles' funny face here! He is just so cute.  I have the cutest nephews in the world. 

Everyone hanging out

 Tayci caught Miles and Johnny just sitting by themselves at a table eating plastic pizza.  Not talking to eachother, just sitting there enjoying their make-believe meal.  It was pretty cute.

Well, Caity couldn't have us talking pictures without getting involved, so she hurriedly played role of waitress. 

So funny.

It was such a fun visit, and made me want to live closer. 

I just love my parents.

In other news, today was our first Sunday in our new ward. 

Our new building is in the middle of downtown Denver.

It is three stories, and you park in an under-garage and take the elevator up.

It was so different, starting on level three, then dropping the kids off at level two for Primary- cool-different though.  We felt all inner-city and stuff.

We met another couple on a law internship who have kids our boys' ages.

We also met a bunch of other amazing people, and we are excited to be here.

Today was testimony meeting and I was so touched by the light shared and the many strengthening testimonies given of our Savior and His Atoning Sacrifice.

I love His gospel and am so grateful for Jesus Christ.

On our way out, our landlord (who meets in the same building) reminded us to pick up some of the Panera bread he brings every Sunday.  We turned the corner and saw mounds of Panera baked goods, he gave us a bag and we grabbed a loaf of bread, a couple cinnamon rolls and flat bread.

We came home from church and ate so many carbs I feel like I may explode, hours later.

We used the flat bread to make little pizzas for dinner- so yummy.

John showed me the park he took the kids to- it is SO close- the good mom in me says I will take my kids there EVERY SINGLE DAY this summer.

The other mom says, "Now wouldn't that be nice...." haha- maybe at least a few times a week.

Day 26: Splash Pad

Last night my mom and I took the kids to the splash park by her house.

I loved how nervous these two were:

...so they had to hold hands approaching "the unkown"

Caity took the first leap:

She kept shouting "I'm crazy! I'm crazy! I'm crazy cold!"

And singing a song about Jesus being baptized in the River Jordan

 

John said, "Mom! I'm going to go through the BIG splash! Can't go under it, can't go over it...Gotta go through it!"

Yes.  That is the "splash" right there. It was about 6 inches tall.

He was thrilled and terrified at the same time.

William was a trooper and tagged along in the stroller.

He watched from the sidelines with my mom and me.



It was so fun enjoying the cool night air and spending time with my mom and watching the kids play in water that was probably full of backwash and other unmentionable accidents.

 Such a great end to a busy, busy day.

I'll have to write about everything else once the pictures are uploaded.

Until then....tomorrow we are Denver bound!

With no A/C!

This shall be an adventure!