www.novakellers.blogspot.com
If this is not showing up as a link for you, you are going to have to type it in your browser. Since we are no longer living in Maryland, we thought it appropriate to change our web address as well.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
the next chapter
And what a great one it is going to be!
Busy week ahead. Avery's last day of kindergarten tomorrow here in VA Beach. She is sad to leave her friends (especially Sera), but excited for what lies ahead.
Thursday we drive to NoVA and meet up with Stephen and our realtor to do a walk-through of the house. Make sure no pipes have burst, no major destruction since we last saw it in October.
Friday we close on the house at 3pm.
Saturday our cable/internet/phone is installed, watch for an email with change of address and phone number. Locks changed on house.
Monday the house is getting a move-in cleaning. Avery will meet her new teacher, get to walk around her new school.
Tuesday the carpets are being cleaned.
Our POD will be delivered! I will finally be able to rotate between more than three pairs of pants!
And Avery starts her new school (I am mostly happy about the change from morning kindy to afternoon kindy, it is HARD getting all three kids dressed by 7:30 to get to the bus stop!)!
Wednesday the movers come to unpack our POD.
Thursday the empty POD will be picked up. We can start unpacking! And we officially move in (staying in a hotel up until then).
Friday all of our things in our Baltimore storage space, as well as Stephen's 'office' aka Thomas and Jenny's spare bedroom, will be moved to the house/unpacked.
As well as our 'mattress' delivery. This HAS to be the most exciting part of next week. When we moved from NC to MD we tossed our ten year old mattress and box spring. So while living in Baltimore, we slept on our trundle bed, where the mattresses, when pushed next to one another weren't the same height. We splurged on a new bed (sleep number) and are so, so excited to sleep on it. We have heard rave reviews about back pains disappearing and experiencing more restful sleep through the night.
And that weekend we will probably have an impromptu celebration, house warming, Avery's 6th birthday, a huge sigh of relief that we made it.
Busy week ahead. Avery's last day of kindergarten tomorrow here in VA Beach. She is sad to leave her friends (especially Sera), but excited for what lies ahead.
Thursday we drive to NoVA and meet up with Stephen and our realtor to do a walk-through of the house. Make sure no pipes have burst, no major destruction since we last saw it in October.
Friday we close on the house at 3pm.
Saturday our cable/internet/phone is installed, watch for an email with change of address and phone number. Locks changed on house.
Monday the house is getting a move-in cleaning. Avery will meet her new teacher, get to walk around her new school.
Tuesday the carpets are being cleaned.
Our POD will be delivered! I will finally be able to rotate between more than three pairs of pants!
And Avery starts her new school (I am mostly happy about the change from morning kindy to afternoon kindy, it is HARD getting all three kids dressed by 7:30 to get to the bus stop!)!
Wednesday the movers come to unpack our POD.
Thursday the empty POD will be picked up. We can start unpacking! And we officially move in (staying in a hotel up until then).
Friday all of our things in our Baltimore storage space, as well as Stephen's 'office' aka Thomas and Jenny's spare bedroom, will be moved to the house/unpacked.
As well as our 'mattress' delivery. This HAS to be the most exciting part of next week. When we moved from NC to MD we tossed our ten year old mattress and box spring. So while living in Baltimore, we slept on our trundle bed, where the mattresses, when pushed next to one another weren't the same height. We splurged on a new bed (sleep number) and are so, so excited to sleep on it. We have heard rave reviews about back pains disappearing and experiencing more restful sleep through the night.
And that weekend we will probably have an impromptu celebration, house warming, Avery's 6th birthday, a huge sigh of relief that we made it.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Some more fun while staying in VA Beach
We drove up to Williamsburg to see the Yankee Candle shop all decked out in Christmas decorations and also took some time to walk around old town.
I LOVE Williamsburg.
Thank you Dad for instilling in us the importance of American history. I am sure you heard A LOT of complaining dragging, I mean taking us from one historical sight to another when we were younger. But it paid off. I enjoy those trips now, and love dragging my kids to them:)
The token picture outside the courthouse.
Carriage ride.
Avery and I loved looking at all of the decorations. We loved this house and their use of oranges. It was very cool to think about decorating houses with things in nature, before Christmas became so, well, you know.
I LOVE Williamsburg.
Thank you Dad for instilling in us the importance of American history. I am sure you heard A LOT of complaining dragging, I mean taking us from one historical sight to another when we were younger. But it paid off. I enjoy those trips now, and love dragging my kids to them:)
The token picture outside the courthouse.
Carriage ride.
Avery and I loved looking at all of the decorations. We loved this house and their use of oranges. It was very cool to think about decorating houses with things in nature, before Christmas became so, well, you know.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Tears of joy and relief
Second trust signed off on the house, we go to closing next week.
Six months of emotion is pouring out of me.
We have a home.
Six months of emotion is pouring out of me.
We have a home.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
this is it
I mentioned in our last post that we were going up to Maryland this past weekend to look at homes.
Well, we didn't have to make the trip because Thursday night we received a call that the first trust on the short sale finally signed papers!!! Our realtor called us after dinner and said, "This is a call I have wanted to make for close to 6 months now." The papers say we will close on or before February 15th.
Can I get an AMEN??
So now we wait for the second trust to sign. Have been told it won't be long, rolling our eyes at this statement.
But we are also waiting for our mortgage to finalize. We decided to apply for a mortgage that falls under the USDA, due to our home being in a rural part of Virginia. Well, you know how long government agencies can take with paperwork...so for a mortgage we applied for in late December, we are still waiting. We have been told we will have the mortgage by the end of next week, but if not, our broker is ready to move forward with another type of mortgage. It would be FANTASTIC to get this USDA mortgage AND close by January 29th, we would be able to keep our lock-in rate from December.
But if not, who cares, we finally have a house. A home. Pinch me, it doesn't seem real.
Well, we didn't have to make the trip because Thursday night we received a call that the first trust on the short sale finally signed papers!!! Our realtor called us after dinner and said, "This is a call I have wanted to make for close to 6 months now." The papers say we will close on or before February 15th.
Can I get an AMEN??
So now we wait for the second trust to sign. Have been told it won't be long, rolling our eyes at this statement.
But we are also waiting for our mortgage to finalize. We decided to apply for a mortgage that falls under the USDA, due to our home being in a rural part of Virginia. Well, you know how long government agencies can take with paperwork...so for a mortgage we applied for in late December, we are still waiting. We have been told we will have the mortgage by the end of next week, but if not, our broker is ready to move forward with another type of mortgage. It would be FANTASTIC to get this USDA mortgage AND close by January 29th, we would be able to keep our lock-in rate from December.
But if not, who cares, we finally have a house. A home. Pinch me, it doesn't seem real.
Monday, January 11, 2010
a little update
Avery is doing well with the transition to kindergarten. Having her cousin with her on the bus and in some classes during the week has been such a blessing. Evan tells us Avery holds part of his coat as they walk down the hall together to their classrooms! She seems to really enjoy school which is great.
She is a little under the weather today, as I type she is napping.
In fact all THREE kids are napping right now, WAHOO for some peace and quiet for a few short minutes.
The news on the house...This Thursday our 45 day lock-in rate expires. So as of January 14th, there is nothing tying us down to this house in Virginia.
So we are heading up to the area this week to 1) look at rentals in VA to wait for the contract to go through on this house and 2) look at other resale homes (NOT shortsales!) including homes in Maryland. We are praying for clear signs as to where we are supposed to be, because we are DONE with this gypsy way of life.
Jackson is using lots of words. Fish, hot, balloon, jet, ball, juice, shoes. Of course to the average ear they are just sounds, but to mama's ears, he is communicating! Still carb loading and getting into lots of trouble, but cute as ever.
Another photo from our trip to the aquarium.
She is a little under the weather today, as I type she is napping.
In fact all THREE kids are napping right now, WAHOO for some peace and quiet for a few short minutes.
The news on the house...This Thursday our 45 day lock-in rate expires. So as of January 14th, there is nothing tying us down to this house in Virginia.
So we are heading up to the area this week to 1) look at rentals in VA to wait for the contract to go through on this house and 2) look at other resale homes (NOT shortsales!) including homes in Maryland. We are praying for clear signs as to where we are supposed to be, because we are DONE with this gypsy way of life.
Jackson is using lots of words. Fish, hot, balloon, jet, ball, juice, shoes. Of course to the average ear they are just sounds, but to mama's ears, he is communicating! Still carb loading and getting into lots of trouble, but cute as ever.
Another photo from our trip to the aquarium.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
First day of school
We finally bit the bullet and signed Avery up for kindergarten. We are still in VA Beach so there were some extra papers to fill out regarding shared residence, but she started today and it went great!
Here she is ready to go.
Charlie spotting the bus as it turns toward 'home'.
Smile on her face getting off the bus. Her first words were "I missed you mommy" but then went into how much fun she had in gym, riding the bus, etc.
While Avery was at school, I ran to the post office with only two kids! It was a breeze! And then we came back to Tracy's and while Jackson napped, Charlie and I baked muffins and read stories. It was great to finally have some time just for him. I think Charlie was a little sad to have Avery at school, but we'll all get into the routine quickly and I think he will enjoy the one on one time more each day.
The hardest part is going to be getting her on the bus by 7:30 every morning!
And while I expected to be a little sad about our little girl growing up and going to school, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself excited for her! Not sad at all. Excited for the new opportunities, new friends, new experiences.
Here she is ready to go.
Charlie spotting the bus as it turns toward 'home'.
Smile on her face getting off the bus. Her first words were "I missed you mommy" but then went into how much fun she had in gym, riding the bus, etc.
While Avery was at school, I ran to the post office with only two kids! It was a breeze! And then we came back to Tracy's and while Jackson napped, Charlie and I baked muffins and read stories. It was great to finally have some time just for him. I think Charlie was a little sad to have Avery at school, but we'll all get into the routine quickly and I think he will enjoy the one on one time more each day.
The hardest part is going to be getting her on the bus by 7:30 every morning!
And while I expected to be a little sad about our little girl growing up and going to school, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself excited for her! Not sad at all. Excited for the new opportunities, new friends, new experiences.
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