We Have an Address People!

We pretty much left Denver with just faith and a prayer (well, and a giant 26ft Penske truck!) that we would be able to find somewhere to live once we reached Kansas. There seemed to be more than a few things that wanted to get in the way of us having a smooth transition. We knew right from the start that we would be doing a DITY move (Do IT Yourself) rather than have the military move us. (I don't like the idea of strangers packing & moving all my stuff, and the money that they give us is also a very nice incentive!) So we were working on a time line to get the moving truck returned or face paying $100.00 extra each day past our promised return date.

We had been looking at places on the Internet a few weeks before-hand, but couldn't seem to find one that was good enough. We had also found that there was one home available on base and the only picture they claimed to have was one of the front of the house. I didn't want to get into some crusty old dump & the only info we had on it was that it was built in the 50's, had 4 bedrooms, & hardwood floors. I don't think of myself as a pessimist, but rather an "overly pre-pared for the worst-imist" So of course all I could picture was the worst :)

When we got there Matt and I left the kids at a nearby park with my parents while we went to check out the house. I was super nervous & got even more worried when we walked up to a house that was completely different than the one in the picture that I had been sent! Luckily it turned out to be a perfect fit for us. The house had been renovated in 2003, has nice hardwood floors throughout, a fully fenced backyard with a mature tree, a 650 sq foot basement (no tornado riding for us), and makes Matt's commute to work only about 5 minutes. ....deep breath....followed by...huge sigh of relief!

I haven't taken pics of the inside yet (I will when we get everything unpacked & in its place), but I did take pics of Brinley & Grayden enjoying the back yard. A picture of the front of the house will also have to wait until we get rid of the huge pile of empty boxes that are currently giving all the neighbors a great first impression of us as "white trash" :)

The look on Grayden's face pretty much sums up how excited the whole fam is to be in a HOUSE! Here is our nice big tree! I love opening the windows and hearing the dry leaves crunching in the wind!

Before we moved Brinley asked me if we could live in a house that had a backyard. That way she could have a garden "to plant vegetables in". I was so excited to see that her dream can become a reality (even if it ends up being a pretend garden).

I am so spoiled & now have my mail delivered to my doorstep. I don't even have to go outside!

We have this funky little tree in our front yard & I am falling in love with how unique it is. I am already planning the pics I can take of the kids sitting in its bizarre bendy branches. (It totally reminds me of the little Bonsai trees)

This is the view from our front door step. There are two baseball diamonds, a tennis court, & a small "tot lot" (that is what all the playgrounds on base are called & there are tons of them!).

The speed limit in the entire base housing is 15mph & the radar is just outside of our house. I am so glad I don't have to worry about crazy speed demons on our streets!

After I had taken the pics out front I went to check on the kids and found Grayden with no shoes or socks. I told him to put them back on or he would have to come in the house. His reaction was one of a typical 2 yr old in desperate need of a nap.

He caved & decided to pick up the abandoned clothing and come in the house.

Look at that sad face!