sold

Yes, it's true, our very own little reds house is now sold. And the great part is that another young couple has purchased it to make it their home. It was a busy Saturday, and we arrived home at the end of a long day with a number of offers after lots of showings with many people interested in purchasing our home. In fact the couple that bought it also really like our decorating and furniture, how nice. So much so, they are interested in purchasing some pieces which will make our move a bit easier, that was especailly nice to hear. Life is getting back to normal, we can be messy again, a few pieces were brought back in, the chalk board door is now gone, but Anna's got some altneratives, Sam is busy feeding his new dinosaur banana's that he can now eat again, it's all good around here folks.

a day of dinosaurs

We exited our house this morning at 9am to begin a day of all day showings, so we thought a road trip would be in order. Packed with snacks, winter and spring wear we made our way to Drumheller. We climbed up the largest national dinosaur in Canada, yes, that's us looking out through his mouth!

right now

The worker bunnies visited our house this Easter. Yes, Stew's entire family from Edmonton came to help us lift, sort, wipe, purge, remove, dump and recycle. Included in there too, is a whole bunch of child care so Stew and I could make decisions on every item we own. Do we take it, do we donate it, and do we pay to move it, the question for every item in our home. This is the part I find very challenging, the physical work is hard, but I'm not complaining, a good spring cleaning was needed around here, and parting with university clothing and boxes of items we didn't unpack seven years ago from our last move made many of the decisions very easy. We are almost there.... our handyman Jim is done his giant list of to do's, Viiolet the Clean arrives on Thursday am, and our house is going on the market on Friday. Our agent Kelly tells us it could be a quick, competitive sell, so we are hoping we won't have to live in a 'staged' home for very long.

As a side note, I want to thank everyone for their kind notes, emails, cards, calls and support as we tackle a few of life's biggest changes you can make all at one time. We feel your support, love and arms around us as we prepare for lots of change. The kids are doing well - Anna knows she is starting a new school, and she's seen pictures of her new room. Sam only notices there are lots of boxes to jump in, and that many of his usual toys are not accessible anymore. Instead he's bitten into all the apples in my 'staged' fruit bowl, and playing with every one's toothbrush in the hidden drawer in the bathroom. We are very happy with the progress we've made over the past two weeks, stay tuned for the finished product in a few days. We can see the first of many finish lines!

goodbye and hello

Seven years ago this very month, Stew and I purchased this house. It was a long wait, we saw it, loved it, and had to wait for it to go through many lawyers, as the previous owner had passed away with investments and his family needed to deal with them. 

We took a weekend trip to Vancouver , threw a  penny into a foundation and made a wish that this home could be ours, and it was.

That summer we scraped stucko off ceilings, we primed, painted, painted and primed until our arms hurt.  That fall we got married, ripped out the kitchen, hosted Christmas for Stew’s family only six weeks later and cozied into a home and made it ours in preparation of all the growing and changing our lives had in store.

And growing and changing is just what happened.

I have been pregnant, I have miscarried, we brought two children home from the hospital and into this home. We have laughed, cried, and yelled in this house. We have come to know and love our historic neighbourhood and neighbours in the heart of downtown. We started new jobs in this house. We have done a lot of dancing in this house. We’re worked so very hard on this house. And, we have dreamed and talked a whole lot about what might be next in this house.

This house has been our first home in the truest sense of the word. Our family started here, and has grown here, and I will always hold a special place in my heart for all that’s happened within its walls, for it has been so very good to us.

But the time has come for us to find a new home, and we’ve done just that.  Our next home is in a place that holds a special place in all our hearts. It’s where we both grew up, it’s were we have summer memories of family and friends, and it’s where our cousins became our very good friends. Yes dear readers, the time has come, we are moving to Ontario at the end of June.

Stew has accepted a job opportunity at the City of Guelph, a role that will challenge him, and we are hoping will bring him just as much success and satisfaction that jobs here have provided us.

We have purchased a house in Guelph, that we can officially call our home at the end of June. It has great historic charm, is move in ready, is centrally located near Anna’s new school and Stew’s new office, with Kate and Craig being close by. It has a playground and splash pad in the park right across the street; it has four bedrooms, and a fully furnished basement, with a storage room, closets, a garage and backyard on a corner lot on a quiet street.  It is what we need right now. We are excited about the new adventures to come, there is so much more for us to live and see and do in this new home of ours and we look forward to sharing it here with you.

feeling better

He's feeling better. Yes, Sam....was under the weather over the weekend with a stomach bug, but he's back to himself tonight. Boy, he's so much more pleasent when he's feeling himself and he feels like playing again. Anna is glad too, she said to me, Mom, 'it's nice to see his smile again'.

this moment

learning and practicing

Anna has been learning all about our five senses. She's learning what they are, and what they do. She's also learning the difference between vertical and horizontal. Last week they practiced lots of lines, and this week, they've moved onto diagonal lines. Her teacher wants them to practice, as they are getting them ready for Kindergarten in everything they do. She tells us Anna is very ready to start in the fall, she's keen to learn, apply the idea or technique and her willingness to practice is there. Sam on the other hand is smearing himself with meatpie and drinking out of bowls, oh the stages of development how different and unique you are!