Moving On

Our new (old) house

It's definitely fall here (well really almost winter since we are freezing our butts off!)

Happy Fall Y'all!

This summer Kris' grandparents asked us if we wanted to buy their house. I don't think they really thought we'd take them up on their offer but we felt like the timing was right. We needed more space (read: bathrooms) and they could no longer handle the stairs so we decided to go for it. I have always loved this house and been drawn to it's history. An old home has a way of telling a story and this one is no exception. It was blessed by an apostle who stayed here once. It survived the flood (Kris actually remembers it), and as such contains much groovy 70s remodeling. The move was especially difficult for our grandparents since this is the home where they raised their family. They lived here for over fifty years and the home has been in the family since being built in 1901. I was apprehensive about the whole situation since everyone knows this as their grandparents/parents home and I knew it would be difficult to move on and let it go. I worried that we would never feel like it was "our" home, but as they moved more and more of their things out it became easier for us to envision ourselves living here. I love it here. There are tons of changes I would like to make (and hope to someday) but for now the things I thought would drive me crazy aren't really bothering me. For instance: the kitchen/dining room is smaller than our other one; the curtains are all straight from the 70s; there are eight (yes, eight) different kinds of carpet throughout the house, including in two bathrooms and yes, I have four little boys whose aim is not always spot on, so- ick! (Although, I have decided that vacuuming a bathroom floor is easier than sweeping and mopping.) AND- the first floor carpet is a light pink which is just perfect for grandparents but for a bunch of kids, not so much. Honestly, I am just learning to deal with these things and not complain and it hasn't been bad at all. We are loving our ward, Matthew finally has boys his own age, we love the school, and we are enjoying the extra space and living in the country. And we have a pretty awesome view out our back window! (Don't you think?)

And for a little Halloween fun I thought I would treat you to a poem by our little miss Katie Grace. In her own words (and spelling):

Once there were some vampires who didn't like blood.

They said it tasted like mud.

They drink strawberry smoothies instead.

It's blood they dread.

They opened a strawberry smoothie shop.

It's on top.

I go there sometimes.

I hope this rymes.

Goodbye.

Don't die.

(I saw this poem hanging on the wall outside her classroom while I was waiting for her parent/teacher conference today and just couldn't resist sharing. Luckily, she remembered the whole thing. I wonder what her teacher thought when she read it!?! P.S. She's going to be a vampire for Halloween.)

And, who can resist Halloween underwear? Not me, that's for sure!