House Hunting

Jason and I had a successful house-hunting trip to Iowa last weekend.  We had a list of houses we wanted to look at and builders we wanted to meet with.  We had an audio book to listen to in the car (what would we do with all of that uninterrupted adult conversation?).  We spent 5 days driving though neighborhoods, empty lots, looking at for sale by owners, new houses, old houses, expensive houses, cheap houses... on Sunday night we finally targeted the neighborhood we want to be in and on Monday morning we put an offer on a house in the neighborhood and took a second look at a builder in the neighborhood- we wrote up a list of customizations we would want from them.  And then we drove home.  By Friday we decided to build.

The trip itself was fantastic- no dishes, cooking, laundry or waking up in the middle of the night.  The time alone with Jason was great.  The time away from the kids was fun but hard at the same time.  I am always grateful for pauses from my roles as mother and homemaker to help me remember how much I really do love my "job".

Other highlights from the trip-

Our realtor was a total grump, but her husband was an awesome retired architect who was a complete wealth of knowledge about the history of the area, the local billionaires and their collections of 150+ cars stored in underground garages, the ins and outs of the mechanics of a house, and the potential in resales.  He was awesome.

Discovering new and delicious local restaurants to get us excited about coming back for more.  We sampled a BBQ place and a sandwiches-soups-salads place that I'm already dreaming about... nothing like tasty food to make a place feel like home. 

While we were walking through a model home with a builder, he noted that there were hook-ups above the fireplace for a TV, as well as a two or three inch set back- just right for a flat screen.  Offhandedly, I said, "Well, you'll have to make that about 2 feet deeper for us because we still have a tube TV."  There were crickets in the room after that.... then he blinked and asked if I was joking.  I just laughed and said nope!

The frantic phone call we made to our favorite Indiana real estate guru who listened to our plight about falling in love with a FSBO house.  The owners didn't want to pay realtor fees... we came with a realtor... that was a house we decided to pass on.  

We were walking through a house full of cats and one darted out from behind a door and scared the daylights out of me.  I screamed like a little girl.  That, combined with the absence of any kind of backyard, took that home off the list.

We met with three builders, and each one had a different approach to selling us their homes.  The most nauseating one was a pitch filled with ego-stroking comments like, "This is the kind of neighborhood that educated people like yourselves would fit right into" and "Clearly someone as knowledgeable as you would understand why you couldn't possibly choose anyone else."  The most offensive comment she made was "What would someone like you have in common with a neighbor who is a mechanic?" and then the tour of the neighborhood included everyone's labels- "That is where the CPAs live... he's a doctor... she's a lawyer but she chooses to stay home with her twins..."  Barf.  I have decided that I will forevermore introduce myself as "Melanie- I have a Bachelor's degree in Sociology and I choose to stay home with my children."  Makes my decision to be a stay-at-home mom seem much more validated, right?  We did love those houses, but we passed.  

We also passed on the builder that quoted us a slightly ridiculous price on a lovely half-acre lot backing to a horse pasture.  The house was great, but the neighborhood was so isolated.  No playgrounds, bicycles, or playmates to be found anywhere.  It felt lonely.

In the end, we decided to go with the builder that Jason described as "the good ol' Iowa boys".  They said adorable things like, "You'll have to show me how you use that nifty Google technology of yours" (referring to Google Hang Out, as if Jason invented it...) The neighborhood is perfect for our young family- we'll be within walking distance to the elementary school, parks, the library, the sports complex, and have access to biking trails that take us to places like this- 

(a 25 mile system of local biking trails)

and this- 

(Saylorville Lake, where we can go boating, fishing, jet skiing and camping)

Our house will be just a bit bigger than our current house with a basement and a nice sized yard, and a lot of fun extras that will make the house delightful- a jetted tub in the master, hardwood floors on the main, lots of windows and built-ins, a bonus room off the kitchen where in envision us doing lots of reading, crafting, and homework in the years to come...  I also love the fact that we are so close to I-80.  Anyone who is ever driving across the country now has a place in Des Moines to stop for the night!  I'd like to think that will give us chances to see friends we might not otherwise in coming years.  Jason is heading back there this weekend to sign off on the plans and specs, then it should be just a few months before we can move into our home!  More pictures to come, I'm sure.  For now, all I've got is this- 

and the peace of mind that we're finding a place in Iowa to call home.

A Day With Daddy

The week between Jason's turning in of his thesis and defending of his thesis included the first Saturday we had seen him at home since... I honestly don't remember when.  We had a tea party to celebrate.

 It might very well have been Emma's first tea party.  She loved every minute of it.  

 And every minute of having her daddy around. 

That night we made marshmallow bridges- 

The next night we taught the kids how to play Uno, which was a total hit.  Adam won the second round and did a very happy little dance on his chair afterward.  He pumped his arms up and down and exclaimed, "I wished I would win and I won!!!"  

We have continued playing Uno every Sunday night since.  Everyone has had a turn at winning, and the kids love making Jason "cry" when they stack their draw two cards against him.  Well, except for Emma- she hates seeing him cry and broke out in her own very sad tears tonight.  But the best part of the game comes at the end, when the kids pile onto the table and do a victory dance while Jason and I beat out congo-type rhythms with the stacked decks of cards.  Gotta love those odd family traditions...

Drawings

 Emma's first nursery paper, thoroughly scribbled.

 Adam's first self portrait, signed.

Leah's first attempt at forgery, failed, but still adorable.

(doonuse = donuts)

The premier portrait of "Black Baby"- Emma's superhero alter-ego, as dubbed by her brother and sister.  Black Baby has the superpower of disappearing in the night so no one can find her.

Acts of Love

Valentines Day is the best part of February, and we had a great time celebrating here and there throughout the first half of the month.  We spent one night writing Valentines to each person in our family, resulting in a cute garland reminder of our love for each other.  

The hearts say sweet things like, "Emma loves Leah because she reads me stories" and "Adam loves Emma because she loves me!" and "Leah loves Mommy because she snuggles with me" and "Daddy loves Adam because he's a great wrestler".

One night Jason and I had a "romantic" late night date, where we stuffed ourselves with delicious appetizers and sampled 5 different kids of lemonade at Applebee's... kind of a silly date, considering it's what we did for 5 days straight in Iowa last weekend, but it was so nice just to be together.  This was before Jason's thesis defense and there was still a lot of pressure hanging around our house.  It was great checking out of it for a few hours.

 We had our traditional "romantic family dinner" the night before Valentine's Day, since Jason and I left the next morning for our house hunting trip.  Emma Grace was equally mesmerized by the candles that night...

... and the chocolate-for-breakfast the next morning.

I'm not sure why I make candy for breakfast a holiday treat, but it has pretty much secured my position as "World's Best Mom"... at least to my kids... once or twice a year.

I also love the Valentine's morning tradition of giving books, and Leah was thrilled to receive her first journal this year.  She has been diligently updating it with notes, drawings and doodles ever since.  I'll have to ask her if she would mind me reading it.  I have kept a journal faithfully my whole life, so I know how precious a private place to record the thoughts and feelings of our heart can be.

Like Riding A Bike

Adam received a brand new bicycle for his 3rd birthday.

This week, he finally decided to give it a spin.

He was so focused, so determined to go around the cul-de-sac, then back again, then around again, then back again.  It was adorable.

Given the fact that he cut his cheek by falling off a bike, leaving him with what I refer to as his "not-as-light-as-I'd-like-it" and he refers to as his "red-only-upside-down-rainbow-scar", I have had no problem with his preference to wheel around on his far-too-small tricycle for the last 7 months.

But now that he's felt the power of the bike, I can tell there is no going back.  And I couldn't be more proud.  What a way to climb back on that bike, buddy!

Surreal

Jason's thesis defense was yesterday.  And he passed.  And, with just a few revisions, he's done.  It's very had to believe that this day has finally come.  And gone.

He did SUCH a great job in his hour-long presentation.  Given the constant head-nodding, note scribbling, and focused attention of the audience members around me, I'd say the results Jason presented were rather significant.

I tried my best to stay interested, but mostly I spent the hour thinking about all that we've been through to get to this point.  How we met.  Our first dates.  The semester we were engaged, when Jason did so horribly in his classes that he was placed on academic probation.  My graduation.  His first graduation.  The conversation we had on the lawn of the Brown Apartments when he told me he didn't want to be a dentist after all.  The summer he spent repairing sprinklers (I loved how he used to come home so tired and dirty, with pockets full of cash) and knew he wanted to stay in school.  The decision to stay at BYU so he could pursue a Masters degree in Genetics- he studied quinoa back then- a far less controversial crop than the corn he is an expert on now.  I thought about the time we've spent at Indiana and how great it's been for our family to have this adventure.  I thought about where we're headed next and all that is in store for us now that he's done.

Done!

His thesis is titled "Genomic Approaches For Improving Grain Yield In Maize Using Formerly Plant Variety Protected Germplasm".  It's 200 pages long, and the kids refer to it as 'Daddy's corn book'.  The dedication reads, "To my wife, Melanie, who has walked side-by-side with me through the struggles and successes of life.  She has been my rock when I have faced trials and uncertainty.  I could not have succeeded without her."

I certainly know I couldn't be where I am today without my best friend by my side.  I am so proud of Jason and all the hard work he has put into getting to this day.

For as many times as we've seen friends reach this fantastic goal, I really couldn't appreciate the work, the sacrifice, and the sheer energy that has gone into it right up to the end.  Some days it was more of a mind game than anything- getting the work done was no small task for Jason, and supporting him in it for months was an effort for our whole family.  And we did it!  We made through together.  One day while Jason was in the thick of writing his thesis he confided in me that he felt this was the closest he'd ever come to understanding being pregnant- there is only one way out and he was the only one that could do it!  Another day he shared a story of total and complete writer's block that was overcome as soon as he knelt down in his office and prayed for help to keep writing.  This entire experience has been an amazing one for all of us.

My meager contribution to the day was refreshments- 15 dozen cookies and juice.

Once the defense was over, Jason's advisor took the entire lab out to dinner at our favorite local pizza place.  Jason has been doing happy little jigs and letting out satisfied sighs of relief ever since.  He got right back work today, but the real celebration starts this weekend- we are taking a 5-day home-finding trip to Iowa without the kids.  Hopefully we'll have another success story to tell soon!

No!

For as much as I come to detest this word in the toddler years, it continues to be one of my favorite "first words".

I also adore how emphatically Emma says "yes!" when asked if she wants her "pass"- her pacifier.

Hooky

Jason and I traveled down to Indy for the awards luncheon of the Indiana Crop Improvement Association yesterday.  Jason was presented with an award for outstanding graduate student work and the luncheon was lovely.  I only took one picture of the event, and it looks ridiculous because I was sitting in the front and center of the entire room.  But there were about 300 people sitting behind me, seemingly watching my every move, so I just took one picture.  The food was tasty, the speeches were inspiring, and the accolades were pretty fun, too.

But the best part of the day was just being together.  We left the kids at school and with friends, and just spent the day together.  We talked- uninterrupted- for a total of 2 and a half hours on the way there and back.  We had a bit of extra time when we first got there, so we walked around the nearby upscale mall, dreaming about our future home and what kinds of memories (and stuff) we might fill it with.  I let out an audible gasp when I discovered a See's chocolate shop, and, of course, we had to indulge.  We might have stopped by the Cheesecake Factory, too, but with the excuse of picking up a slice for the baby-sitting friend.

It reminded me of when we were first dating.  The hand-holding, the dreaming about the future, and did I mention the uninterrupted conversation?  It was refreshing to take a break from every day life and just reconnect.  We are going to Iowa next weekend to (hopefully) find a house, so we'll get lots of time to reconnect then, too, only with that added stress factor of figuring out where the heck are we going to live for the next 5 to 7 years.

Jason's school-to-work-transition plan has changed so many times in the last few weeks, I haven't really bothered to update the blog about it.  But the plan is set now, and we are moving forward.  Jason defends his thesis on Tuesday (Tuesday!) and then has about 3 weeks to edit and deposit it before he starts work for Dow on March 11th.  He will start his employment with them here in Indiana.  He will spend his first week as a Dow employee in Chicago at a week-long conference.  Then he will come back here and spend the next 3 weeks finishing up some publications and presentations that are coming from his thesis research.  He will report to work in Iowa on April 8th, which means we will be moving General Conference weekend (the first weekend in April).  Man, the best laid plans, right?

But that is, indeed, the plan.  The only constant of our lives is change, I suppose.

We're thrilled to be spending a bit more time here- more time for Leah to be with her kindergarten teacher that she loves so much, more time to be able to find and buy a house (although we're hoping to get that out of the way next weekend), and more time to wrap up the research-related work that Jason is doing at Purdue for Dow before he has a new job to focus on.  And instead of spending my first week in Iowa sans-husband (while he is in Chicago), I'll be here, surely throwing birthday parties for myself and playdates for my kids (somehow I turn into the world's best mom when we invite friends over).

It seems like the best scenario possible.  Now we'll see how it all really comes together... in the weeks to come!

A Night at the Symphony

We had a family date last weekend at the symphony.  Leah and Adam both remember the event from last year and were genuinely excited to attend again.

They loved the instrument petting zoo- strings continue to be the general favorite, although it's always fun to see who can make the loudest blast from the tuba.

The night included an extra dose of fun because we had two other families full of friends join us! You can read more about the night in general here.

I always love exposing my kids to cultural experiences like this.  We own a TV, yes, and we do turn it on, but more often than not my kids can be found crowding around the tape player listening to Standin' Tall tapes, learning about the value of work or dependability or gratitude, or listening to the music of Vivaldi, Mozart or Beethoven through Classical Kids.  Adam spent the entire day today- with the exception of meals, potty breaks and a trip to school to pick up Leah- sitting at or near the craft table, coloring, painting, or studying books.  That is extremely rare.  But it made me pretty darn happy.

Happy Birthday To You!

We sing happy birthday around here a lot, mostly because of this adorable little cutie.

Pinkie

Emma Grace is very much in love with her new pet flamingo, Pinkie.

 He makes her happy.

See?  She's smiling!