Tomorrow's the Big Day!

Think of me tomorrow, Milk and O's followers. I am such a mix of emotions, I can't even say which one is the most prominent, or lingering. I have set out my outfit, and I'm already in my pajamas. Now I'm going to soak up some of the calm oozing out of my husband, and head off to bed.

Last Homeless Weekend

Here we are, enjoying every last bit of the advantages of multi-generational living. This past week, we've gone on a boat ride with G and G, had a fire in the backyard fire pit and roasted marshmallows for s'mores, and enjoyed the wonderful luxury of letting the boys sleep under the watch of an in-house babysitter while going to pick up Annalise from school. We've also enjoyed Mom's wonderful cooking and the glorious hot tub. Grandpa and Grandma are now accepting applications for their next batch of houseguests...

Mom and Dad left yesterday for The Land, so we are left for the remainder of our stay here in PL, to fend for ourselves. Last night, Mike and Annalise brought home Red's Savoy pizza for dinner, after Annalise had an after school playdate with Alma. Our plans today are still undecided, but so far Colin has been put down for a nap, and the big kids have caught quite a few sunfish, and are now looking for oysters and clam shells, in hopes of finding pearls. Swimming suits in Prior Lake the last weekend of September- not too shabby!

I think we've got a zoo date scheduled for tomorrow, and Monday has Mike slated to be at the new house for half a day or so, to oversee the radon mitigation system installation. Yup, that's right, the new house tested over a 4 for radon during the inspection, so luckily the sellers were able to schedule a radon removal company for Monday, before the Wednesday closing. We found out yesterday that Wednesday is the only day that pods are not delivered, so we'll have to wait until Thursday for Pod Delivery (cue angels singing "Hallelujah"). We'll stay at the house as a family on Friday night, so as not to disrupt school morning routine Wednesday-Friday.

Delicious Progress

Mike was scheduled to be at The House today at 1:30 for the inspection. Well, I couldn't stay away. After picking up B from school, the boys and I went to Einsteins in my new 'hood for lunch, then cruised around the neighborhood, seein' the sights. We drove by Bryant Lake Regional Park beach- nice! We found the park, 0.3 miles from our new driveway. Bennett had a great time on the slides, balance beam, rocking motorcycle, and swinging gate apparatus and then we took a stroller ride to the house. Bennett played in the backyard on the swingset, and it was so fun to watch him get so excited and see him really enjoying himself at our new house. I left Bennett at The House with Mike, Mom and Dad (who had taken a motorcycle ride up to see the new place), and Colin had a carnap while we picked up Annalise from school. Twelve minutes from The House to school, and ten minutes back home! Woo hoo! Annalise was also excited to see the house, and "liked everything about it, except the kitchen." Apparently, she doesn' t like that it is painted burgundy/red, and suggests purple for the redecorating hue.

We did it!

We have been on a rollercoaster ride.

On Tuesday, we went to look at more houses after the weekend-long negotiation on the offer for the Minnetonka house fell through. On the ride home from house hunting Tuesday (where we saw one remote possibility, and one that was close, but not quite right), Mike and I made a decision to pursue the Golden Valley house that had been in the back of our minds for a while. When I got back to PL and on to my Saved Properties list, I discovered that the Golden Valley property was nowhere to be found. Our agent confirmed our fears that the seller had accepted an offer, and that really threw me into a pit of despair.

Mike stayed up after I went to bed a complete downtrodden mess, and discovered a house that we hadn't found in our previous searches. When Mike came to bed, he mentioned to me that he was really excited about it, and I sort of remember mumbling something like, "that's nice, honey." The next morning, I woke up before the sun to drive to Roseville to attend an All Staff breakfast meeting for my new job. I told Mike he should set up a showing of this miracle house of his (I was quite skeptical of anything working out for us at this point in time). Mike, Colin, and I showed up for an 11 am showing, and by about 11:04 were both ready to sign on the dotted line. Long, long, long story short- WE MADE AN OFFER, AND IT WAS ACCEPTED!!!

So, to summarize:
- Mike finds house late at night on Tuesday, 9/15
- We go to see the house Wednesday, 9/16, 11 a.m. and make an offer
- We find out our offer was accepted Wednesday early evening

and here's the great part..... we close on September 30th!!!

I suppose you want to know about the house? Give me a call, or I'll tell more in the next post. I know, I'm awful. I have to have a little fun though. Now, who's going to have a drink (or many) with us? We've earned it.

Rounding the Curve (summer to fall)

Here is a picture from the kindergarten roundup party we held the evening of the house closing. It was such a fun time (and not at all crazy to schedule on the same day as the chaos that is moving). And no, Bennett is not a kindergartener, but loved to be included in big sister's activity.

These two were from our trip with friends to Danielle's mom's cabin the last weekend of August.

The saga continues...

We are living with my parents since leaving our home of 7 years on August 24th. Mike and I have both been fielding job opportunities and scouting out various prospects for the past two months. Mike has had some success already with consulting work. I accepted a position as a physician assistant with a group of colon and rectal surgeons on Thursday, which also happened to be our ten year wedding anniversary.

We put an offer on a home in Minnetonka on Friday evening. We heard back with a counter this morning, and are still in the midst of negotiations. My first day of work will be September 29th. Aghghhh- that's soon! I'll be working out of a clinic at the Physicians Building next to the hospital in Edina. I'm excited, and nervous all rolled into one. Mike will stay home with the munchkins, and that is one of the major reasons I feel that I can even consider returning to full time employment.

Away from the home and job front, the kids are growing like weeds! Colin turned 10 months on Friday, and climbed a flight of stairs all by himself, also on Friday. Not to be outdone, Annalise ditched the training wheels, and has been riding her bike like a champion. Bennett seems to have grown up overnight since the first few days of preschool. He really seems to like the work he's doing at school, and is getting to know his classmates, which if you know Bennett, is an essential part of adapting to a new environment.

The computer is temporarily unpacked- here come some pictures!

We are here in PL, and I'm not even going to attempt to recap the events of our lives since the computer was unplugged in Minneapolis on 8/24, except to say that we are chuggin' along, one day at a time. Here are a few pictures of our last day as Minneapolitans...

Father/Daughter

What a difference five years makes! Mike and Annalise on the first day of her life, and her first day of Kindergarten.

First Day of Kindergarten

My sweet baby girl took a big step today. She entered the world of academia, and we wish her a successful, enriching, educational career. After a night filled with frequent wake-ups in all three children, we had our usual morning routine, breakfast, and classic Kindergartener wearing a humongous backpack photos on the front step. The whole family drove to Little Flowers this morning to see Annalise off on her first day of Kindergarten, and Bennett off to his first day of preschool at Little Flowers. They were both so excited!

After a smooth drop off, Mike, Colin, and I went to breakfast at Yum, and then on to Trader Joe's to stock up on blueberry bars. When we picked Bennett up at 11:40, we spied him holding hands with a cute little blonde classmate as they returned from the playground. That Bennett!