Another surprise

A few months ago, James and I realized that our two bedroom town home wasn't going to be big enough for our growing family. We began looking at houses and realized that what we wanted is currently out of our price range. I've always wanted to make sure that we could pay a mortgage payment with only one income in case something ever happened to one of our jobs and our dream houses just didn't fit that. We decided that the only way we'd ever get into a decent house was to save up a huge down payment. Now that sounds easy enough on two incomes, but with student loans, it's rather hard to save large sums of money that could go to paying off those pesky loans.

We decided the answer to our housing problem was to wait to purchase a house and in the interim to purchase a four bedroom town home about four doors down from ours. This seemed like the perfect solution: we'd have a bit more space, it was cheaper than a house, and we'd be able to save for a dream home. The only snag was that we found out the Bishop of our ward wanted to purchase the same town home. He has two kids and actually needs the space whereas, we just wanted the extra space. James and I were unsettled. We were doing what was right financially for our family, but I felt so guilty.

Last Sunday, I started looking at properties. I'm not even sure why I started looking, but as I was perusing the website, James suggested I ask a friend of ours who was building their home. I texted her and she called me back pretty quickly to tell us about a house that's being built in their subdivision. I looked it up and it was perfect. Four bedrooms, three baths, a formal living room and a downstairs family room, a two car garage, and half an acre of yard. The real selling point was the price. With what we have to put down, the mortgage will be the exact amount I was willing to take out. I got very excited about this home.

The next day, I emailed the realtor and James and I ended up meeting with the builder and the realtor that evening. We spent a couple of hours going over the plans while the builder answered all of our questions. James and I got very excited about the plans and what the builder was doing with our home. We decided to drive by the house that night. James HATED the yard. There were too many trees and a steep hill in the backyard. I was so disappointed because everything about the house sounded so good.

We decided the house was worth a second look in the daylight so on Tuesday night we drove out during my lunch break. The property looked a lot better in the daylight. There weren't that many trees and the slope of the hill was much gentler. James wasn't convinced yet but he was getting closer.

We spent all week praying and trying to decide what to do. Finally we ran out of reasons not to purchase the property. The only drawback we couldn't change was the fact that the house is in Iowa. James had a very hard time accepting that he could live in Iowa. The house is about 5 minutes from Omaha and will only add about 10 minutes to our commute times, but it is in Iowa.

On Friday, we were pretty sure we had an answer, but decided to look at one finished house just to make sure. We didn't get to look at our specific floor plan, but we did get to see the kind of work that the builder does and hear about another person's experience.  Everything about the house and the neighborhood felt right, so we followed the real estate agent back to her office and signed the purchase agreement. And like that, we're buying a house.

Upstairs floor (if you click it, it should be bigger)

Downstairs floor

I know it seems rash to decide to purchase a property within a week's time and without looking at other properties, but when something is this right, it just falls into place. We're so excited to move and enjoy a much bigger space with our very own yard. We close May 9th and hope to be all moved in by June 1st.

James and I feel so blessed to have this home almost fall into our laps. We can't wait to start our family in our new home. We have plenty of room for visitors, so feel free to stop on by!

A Poem

First comes love,

Then comes marriage,

 Then comes the baby in the baby carriage.

 

Baby Polson ETA: July 13, 2012

Surgery

On the 6th of January, James had a total hip replacement. We were so excited for this surgery because of the pain it would relieve for James. It's amazing how one surgery can fix a lifetime of pain and suffering.

The day of the surgery, James was in a lot of pain and could barely sit up on the side of the bed, but by the second day, he was up and walking around.

James at his sexiest.

Two weeks later, James is doing awesome. He's still on the walker, but is becoming very proficient at daily tasks. He can even help with the dishes (my personal favorite) and is a master of the stairs.

I can already see vast improvements in James's gait and his pain level is down. I'm so excited for his full recovery. There will be so much he can do and experience that he's never been able to do. According to the Surgeon, he will even be able to ride a horse. I'm sure we can at least get him on one, but riding one may be a different obstacle.

James still has a long road to recovery. He'll start physical therapy soon and in about three months, he should be in tip top shape. But for now, the biggest obstacle is the boredom (There's only so much on daytime TV). But he's battling through that with the help of Netflix and Call of Duty. So, if you're ever up to whooping some poor rehabilitating guy on Call of Duty, give him a call. I'm sure he's up for the challenge and would love the company.

General vs. a Helicopter

James and General have a mutual animosity. Both of them like to bug the other. General's favorite method of tormenting James is to grab his pant leg and not let go, no matter what James does. General will even follow him upstairs all the while holding on to his pant leg with a death grip. General also likes to play "get the sock that James is trying to put on." Both of these games serve the purpose of frustrating James and giving me a good laugh.

Unfortunately for General, James got an upper hand on tormenting General. I present, General vs. the toy helicopter:

In the end, the helicopter won.

Christmas Presents for Ben & Brina

This year James and I had Ben and Brina for Christmas. I asked Brina for a Christmas list and warned the girl that she was getting socks for Christmas if she didn't give me a list. Well, guess who didn't give me a list. Maybe she'll listen next time :)

Despite the picture, the socks are actually a really pretty purple rather than blue. The shell pattern was fun and easy too. And I have to admit, they're not too bad for my first (completed) pair of socks.

I also decided to make two of their other gifts. One was a picture of the Salt Lake Temple set on a mirror and a wall hanging of framed burlap that says "For this child I prayed . . ." which is from 1 Samuel 1:27.

 It was fun to be crafty this Christmas and give Ben & Brina gifts from the heart, but I think I've used up all my craftiness for the next year.

Quick update

I've realized that it's been forever since I posted anything and just want to give a quick update. James and I are just plugging along right now and looking forward to spending Christmas together. We'll get two whole days to be together, I can't wait!

After the holidays, James is scheduled for a total hip replacement on January 6. We're looking forward to his surgery and for the day he can walk without a limp. I'm also excited for it because the surgeon told me that he can ride a horse once it's healed. Of course, now I have to convince James that he can ride a horse, but I'll tackle one obstacle at a time.

That's about it for now, I've got some other posts queued, but most of them have to do with Christmas presents, so you'll just have to wait.

Finished

Blessing dress for Baby Girl Nelson

When Nicole found out how much blessing dresses were, I offered to make her one for her expected Baby Girl. I used a soft Pima cotton that was super easy to work with and it only took me about two months to complete the project (I could do it a lot quicker if James would let me quit my job and stay home and knit all day). It was a fun project to work on and I'm happy to help Nicole make her adorable little one even more adorable.