Moved! We have Moved!

The story of how we ended up in our new 'Forever Home' is so circuitous and fortuitous, it never would be put in a plot line of a book because the author would think, "Nah, no one would ever believe that!"

After a week of living at the lake house, and commuting back and forth to work, our friend and realtor, Heather, put out an all-points-bulletin to find us a suitable, fully furnished house to rent while our home was being repaired. At this point, we still believed our house would never be remodeled in a timely manner because of a fraudulent asbestos test that was holding everything up. Heather got two realtor friends that didn't have rentals that would work for us but did have houses that we may wish to look at - neither of which was on the market.

The First Mastermind Meeting, 2 days after we moved in! No chairs.

Off we traipsed to the two homes. One was the 'Treehouse Home' that Chris and I had long dreamed to own. Before kids, before marriage, we used to drive this neighborhood, looking and shopping in our heads and talking about the future. The 'Treehouse Home' wasn't on the market but it soon would be and for a fair price. It felt like a sign; after all, this was the house we had always longed for, eeven before we became a family unit. It's on the 'front row' of the neighborhood with unobstructed water views, a giant lot and yes, a treehouse. It's also a bit of a fixer-upper so we brought our contractor to look at the home with us. The view was awesome but the remodel needed was extensive and a bit overwhelming.

Off we caravan-ed to the next house. I had already been in this house one time before when it was on the market the previous year and had told Chris that I liked our (old) house better for the age our kids were. He had said that he actually thought the layout of the new house was better for older kids. It was surprising and surreal to be in the house I had mentally rejected a year before and see our now-older children happily running around, playing and frolicking in the generously sized lawn and play set at the house. That felt good. And, another thing that felt good? This home didn't require a remodel! Plus, it was only a block away from our old house.

Jamisen & manny Jason painted the AC box to make a play house!

The choice was clear to us - buy the home that we could move into right away. We put in an aggressive offer (20 day close, no contingencies) and then desperately tried to get a hold of our mortgage broker on the weekend. Little did we know she was in Mexico on vacation! We had a nervous few days while we waited to hear if we could get a loan and get the loan within 20 days.

After a little back and forth with the former owners, our Forever Home was ours with a 22 day close. We closed on this home exactly 2 years, to the date, that we closed on our last home - and, on our wedding anniversary to boot. The timing synchronicity was/is amazing.

There was a whole convoluted series of falsified asbestos tests that led us to the decision to buy a new house and we couldn't be more delighted with our new home. It was originally built in the 40's and then fully remodeled in 2007. The year it was remodeled, the former owner's children were 2 and 3 - the same ages of Lily and Jamisen (2 and 4). The house was designed for family, community and memories.

Every single detail in it is thoughtful and useful for our family of four. The house also absorbs extra people extremely well and we have loved entertaining here already. In fact, we threw a housewarming party the evening we moved in and in the last month that we've been in the home, have hosted at least 8 play dates and multiple dinner parties.

First trip to Costco with the kids

The kids have dealt with the transition amazingly. To move multiple times, be pulled out of school, to not have any of your toys and not have any of your clothes (!) ... all of that is a lot to take, especially if you're under 3 feet tall. Our family has grown stronger as a unit and our kids, more resilient - and who would have thought that we would have gotten a brand new house out of the deal!? Our former house will be ready to go on the market in the next 10 days and we're hoping to move it quickly to a new family that loves it like we did. I planted the garden for them so they will enjoy strawberries, raspberries, corn, beets, tomatoes, kale, and squash when they move in.

Grandma and Grandpa Renoud sent their love from Arizona by giving the kids a new toy shopping spree. Look at the smile on our little fireman's face!! He picked out a new school bus and two juggling pins (undoubtedly because his manny Jason is a circus performer).  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa! =)

This is the yard at the new home. There is a huge lawn for the kids to play, run, jump and slide on. We cannot believe our good fortune that we get to live here.

On more sad news, our old home has been mostly gutted downstairs and all the belongings downstairs thrown out - along with all the mattresses and bedding upstairs (all because of the fraudulent asbestos findings). We've thrown away two 40' dumpsters in possessions, including chairs, couches, and the beloved bouncy house.

All the soft toys were disposed of - and, for that matter, ALL the toys downstairs were goners including the awesome motorized train set that was a hand-me-down from our little friend Kyle who passed away. We are trying to find the silver lining in losing all the toys but it's hard since many of them would have been passed down to cousin Alise or donated to the Goodwill instead of going into the landfill. But with the fake asbestos tests dictating disposal, we couldn't even donate them.

The downstairs was fully gutted and will be getting new paint, new shreetrock, a new boiler, and new radiators. The new owners will have super efficient heating! =) And, a brand new rebuilt wine cellar too ... It will be nice when it's fully finished and sold. Soon ... it will be soon.

The journey to get into our Forever House was convoluted and winding but we are so happy here and thankful for all that we have gone through as a family. We have made so many memories. Life is precious and we know that even more acutely than ever now.

Lake House Fun

The lake house was super fun to live in while we were there. The kids had no toys for the first part of except what their friends sent or lent them so they made everything into a toy. Jamisen loved the crib box that Lily's new pack'n'play came in. The lake house is also smaller in size so the kids got to share a room which was fun for them. Of course, they both slept less and poor Lily really got the short end of that arrangement since she's supposed to be in bed a full hour before Jamisen.

Because of the small size of the house, we also had lots of family cuddle time. Every morning, the entire family would somehow end up in the queen bed, giggling and playing. That was fun. Jamisen also got to play with fire for the first time in his life and experienced a full-on bonfire. I don't know that he ever got any s'mores though; at least not while I was around! =)

Jamisen loved "fishing"  - and really loved anything that let him be out on the dock.

Lily was right there along with him. Being at the lake is fun because you never worry about what you'll be doing in the evening. If the weather is good, you're out playing in the water on the beach.

Chris brought down 10 or 20 bags of sand to make the beach more barefoot-kiddo-friendly. It has given the kids a giant natural sandbox to play in.

Learning to share and cooperate over toys. Why is it that each kid wants the toy that the other kid has? It's the strangest psychological phenomenon.

Sweet Jamisen experiencing his very first dandelion blow; another lake first.

Grandma and Grandpa Faiola came up several weekends to help wrangle kiddos while Chris and I worked on our living situation (aka: finding and buying a new home). We were thankful for their help and support - and the kids were beyond thrilled. It was a win-win for everyone, even the grandparents who were exhausted by the end of the weekend.

The Lake House Move

We moved from Seabrook to the Lake House. Thank goodness that we had a cabin to move into because the rental situation for a fully furnished house with little kids was dismal ... beyond dismal. The lake house is about a 25ish minute commute one way so that was an adjustment for everyone, especially the nannies.

The kids love the lake house. The water is good for hours and hours of creative (and messy) play. Of course, since neither of them can swim yet, it's also a little terrifying to have the lake so close to the house but we'll work on getting the kids into swim lessons so they can learn how to float.

The lake house also has a super sweet play area that Aunt Anamarie used to play on and now our little ones enjoy.

Seriously, you give 'em a slide and they're all over it.

Jamisen looks like he's watching closely over his sister but that's basically the only time. When he was at the water, he was all about the water only and making sure that he had plenty of toys and sand to play with. The house itself is fairly compact so the kids were outside a whole bunch during the few weeks we lived at the lake.

Lily and Jamisen enjoyed early morning fishing expeditions. The rule is, if you're on the dock, life jacket. No exceptions. The kids have the life jackets with the little belt on them too so they stay put.

One day, Lily grabbed my purse, put on a pair of her brothers Crocs, and opened the front door and trotted away, like she was going to work. Naked. It was so super cute but also a reminder of how close the dang road is to the house at the lake.

Thank goodness for this little red wagon. Chris drug the kiddos on walks around the lake (well, "around" is pushing it; it was basically half a mile in each direction) to keep them occupied and happy. They both love to explore and other than Lily trying to stand up in the wagon (hello, balance issues!), the wagon was a hit.

Jamisen's Birthday

Woo Hoo! Jamisen is FOUR YEARS OLD!!! Seriously, how did that happen? How did our little baby boy grow up to be a slimmed-out, tall, erudite little man? Things that are fun about Jamisen at this very moment in time:

• He is a tattle-tale. He is very good about solving problems by telling an adult about them.
• He will do just about anything for sugar of any type.
• He hates brushing his teeth but knows it's important, so we brush his teeth 2X a day.
• He loves loves loves to read. The other night, I caught him "reading" in his room at 10 pm at night(!!!), on a school night no less.
• He loves being an older brother and alternates between being the world's best older brother ("Lily, you're the best baby in the whole wide world") and not (closelining his sister as he runs full tilt down the lawn).
• His favorite foods are string cheese, macaroni & cheese, salmon, asparagus and fried eggs.
• He is super crafty and loves to do art projects at home

Right now, Jamisen is obsessed (!) with fireman stuff. He wears his fireman outfit to school daily and gets in fights with us on warm days when we try to have him take it off.

We had Jamisen's birthday at Perch 'n' Play since we were between houses and living arrangements. It was super nice to outsource everything to someone (yay! someone else to set up, clean, and cook). The pricing was a bit gasp-inducing so I'm not positive we'll do that many more times in the future though. Plus, I like hosting our family and friends at our house even if it's more work.

Jamisen loved the party. He was so happy to have all of his little friends around him (there were 9 little friends that joined us plus all of their adults). We served pizza, string cheese, and for the parents, got meat'n'cheese plates. The kids also got sugary lemonade. Lucky them!

Anna and Weston came as well and Baby Alise bonded with the beard. =) Happy fourth birthday, Jamisen. We love you more than you could ever know (until you have a baby of your own).

Work wise, last month was busy - Handmade Beauty Box did a live talk show on King5 and promoted our nail polish box. Chris's company continues to try to make inroads in the Middle East and explore new income opportunities as well.

I also got my Master Soapmaker's Certification from the Handcrafted Soap Guild after 2 years of studying, practice and ridiculous amounts of hard work.  It feels good to be done with it.

Summer 2015 Bucket List

** On our Summer 2015 adventures list

1. Explore the tide flats at Birch Bay. **
2. Finish the summer reading program at the library. **
3. Visit the Whatcom Museum.
4. Explore the arboretum at WWU. **
5. Explore the WWU campus and outdoor art.
6. Visit the Bellingham Railway Museum.
7. A beach day at Larrabee. **
8. Camp at Silver Lake. ** (Note to self: Reservations, ASAP!)
9. Go sledding/play in the snow at Mt. Baker.
10. Hike at Mt. Baker in the summer. **
11. Have beers while the kids play at Perch & Play.
12. Ride that little train in the mall.
13. Walk from downtown to Fairhaven on the trails. **
14. Throw rocks in the water at Boulevard Park. **
15. Take the trail at the end of Lake Whatcom as far as it will go. **
16. Ice cream at the dairy. **
17. Walk in the Junior Ski-to-Sea parade.
18. Check out Semiahmoo. **
19. Explore the Interurban Trail. **
20. Watch the sunset from Clark’s Point. **
21. Play on every elementary school playground in Bellingham. **
22. Spend an afternoon on the patio at Kulshan Brewery.
23. Summer concerts and dinner picnics at Elizabeth Park. **
24. The Fair. Enough said. Worthy of a list of its own. 
25. Watch football games for all three Bellingham high schools.
26. Hike to Fragrance Lake. **
27. Participate in the All Comer Track Meets at Civic Field. ** (Every Monday night!)
28. Check out the Old Settlers celebrations in Ferndale. **
29. Hit the ice at the Sportsplex.
30. Spend 4th of July in Blaine.
31. Find Nooksack Falls. **
32. Hit up all of the u-pick berry farms: strawberry picking at Boxx Berry Farm. **
33. Find a sweet spot to watch the Ski-to-Sea Parade. (we did this! post coming soon!)
34. Visit the Jansen Art Center in Lynden.
35. Spend more than 5 minutes at the touch tanks (Marine Life Center).
36. Follow that trail that goes along the stream at Million Smiles Park. **
37. Discover all of the little public beaches along Lake Whatcom. **
38. Visit Pioneer Park. **
39. Check out Back to Bellingham weekend. (we did this! post coming soon!)
40. A day visiting all of the best spots in Fairhaven. By foot. **
41. A day visiting all of the best spots downtown. By foot. **
42. Take bikes around Lake Padden. **
43. Paint the big rock on I-5 Northbound.
44. Spend a rainy afternoon at CreativiTea.
45. Catch the outdoor movies in Fairhaven. **
46. Get our buzz on at SPARK.
47. Watch the sunset from the top of the Parkade. **
48. Visit the Big Rock Garden. **
49. Visit the Fairhaven Spray Park and the Cornwall Spray Park, all in one day. **
50. Explore Tenant Lake in Ferndale, including the boardwalk and viewing tower. **
51. Get some fresh and local goodies at the Bellingham Farmer’s Market. **
52. Go rollerskating in Lynden.
53. Watch the ferry depart for Alaska. **
54. Jump and slide our hearts out at Jump Around Fun Zone.
55. Cross the border at the Peace Arch.
56. Find Locust Beach. **
57. Take the ferry to Lummi Island for a day of exploring. **
58. Explore Hovander and visit the animals. **
59. Fly kites at Zuanich Park.
60. Take the kids geocaching. **
61. Hula hoop at Boundary Bay.
62. Visit Bellewood Acres for cider and pie.
63. Freeze our toes off at a polar bear plunge. Kidding. This isn't happening.
64. Get dinner ingredients at Joe’s Garden. **
65. Find a favorite trail off of Chuckanut. **
66. Cheer on the Bellingham Bells. **
67. Head to the Birch Bay Waterslides. **
68. Find somewhere to go mini golfing. **
69. Hit up the bowling alley.
70. Watch an IMAX movie at the theater. **

Easter is Never Tardy

Note: I know this post is a month late. I have a good excuse. Our house blew up. I am trying to catch up. I will. Behold, the first of the catching up.

Our kiddos are the cutest, most amazing, most precious kids on the planet. Lily has no idea what Easter is, why it's important but she is fully on board with the secular way that we celebrate it: by searching for candy.

Despite being a little, she really cleaned up on the candy. In fact, a month later, I still have 60% of those same eggs in the back of my car (which leads to fun little stowaway incidents as the kids try to climb in my car to find the candy).

Jamisen totally knows what Easter is about. It is not about Jesus Christ miraculously rising from the grave; no, it is about candy. And it is about candy that is scarce. And must be elbowed and clawed for. We were worried that he might pull a 'wallflower' and not fully participate in the giving spirit (wait, did I say, 'giving?' I meant, candy-fueled, bonkers, craven, exploration that is children's group Easter egg hunts). Ha! That kid was full on WWF and certainly swooped onto his fair share of the sugar happiness.

The kids also enjoyed more sedate activities, once it was clear that candy was not currently on the agenda. 

It was super nice that both of the children's Easter Egg hunts that we went to had an area for little teensy kids to hunt for eggs without being fully run over and marauded by those older kids; you know, those 4 and 5 year olds.

That look of rapture is because she knows exactly what is in all the eggs she is gathering. Special thanks to Auntie Sharon for that outfit. I'll have you know that when the house exploded and we could only grab one suitcase of clothes for the kids in a 7 minute period, that dress was the one I took. It is THAT cute and special.

Notice the fireman boots? Those are the last time we saw those beloved boots. We lost them on Easter day and had to buy another pair. Jamisen was heartbroken (like, seriously, bereft) that we couldn't find them. 

Big thanks to Uncle Erik and Auntie Cheriss for going way way way above and beyond to host the entire family for Easter brunch. They even made pancakes in the shape of Easter Bunny faces. It was awesome; not just because the pancakes were pseudo-healthy protein pancakes that tasted delicious (!). It felt so good to be together on Easter as a family after all we've gone through in the last two months.

Seabrook Memories + Jamisen Scares Us

We had such a lovely 2 weeks at Seabrook. It was alternately frustrating (limited childcare, not limited workload) and amazingly fun. The kids LOVED the beach. Like, love, love, loved it.

There was this amazing tree house that the kids enjoyed playing in, complete with a peekaboo window for the kiddos to show their happy little faces out of.

Lily loves to drink tea, asking for it if she sees anyone drinking out of a mug.

We brought the wagon to Seabrook and the kiddos loved being rolled around the adorable little town, looking at the sights and trying to find the "hidden caboose" (the main feature of one of Jamisen's storybooks).

We spent a LOT of time trying to find that hidden caboose; literally, days traipsing through the entire community, looking under logs and covering a lot of ground trying to find the hidden caboose. We never did find it but it was sure fun to try.

Jamisen and Lily soaked themselves daily at the beach, building moats and learning the basics of building the perfect sandcastle. After the first couple of days, they did a fairly decent job of being teammates, rather than little fiefdoms fighting for supremacy of the sand fort.

We had mostly good weather - a few terrible rainy days but for the most part, cold but clear.

We were just a few blocks from a play ground and the kids also enjoyed many hours there.

We were so glad that Grandma and Grandpa Faiola visited several times, with Grandma driving hours each day to come spend time with her grandbabies.

Jamisen did give us quite a scare. We went on a walk and he was looking at tadpoles (or rather, trying to find them). I saw the owner of Seabrook up ahead so hurried to speak to her. When I looked back, Jamisen was no where to be found. I took off at a run to do a few blocks to find him. Only, he wasn't there. He was no where to be found. I ran back to the owner, who called out the cavalry, including all the golf carts in the resort town, bikes and Chris and my Dad in cars. I continued to run all over the town, screaming his name at the top of my lungs and telling people what he had been wearing. Jamisen was found by construction workers, about half a mile away, in the middle of the road. He refused to go with anyone, latching his arm around a stop sign, and waiting. He heart-breakingly told Chris, "Mommy left me", when Chris asked what happened. It was, bar none, the worst experience in my life, way way way worse than any simple house explosion could be.

I did such a good job telling people what Jamisen was wearing that Grandma Faiola was stopped hours later by responsible citizens asking her if the little boy she was with was really her grandson. True story!

We've been back in Bellingham a few weeks now - but are thankful that we had a lovely, fully-furnished respite to go to in our time of need. The kids loved every minute of it.