Almost 10 years ago Hubby and I moved in to this brand new home. No one had ever lived here before. We watched as it was built from the ground up. It was the first home we purchased. We were just 23 years old when we were handed the keys to this place. Our place. Our home.
November 2001
November 2001Before the forms were laid for the foundation, my dad spray-painted some shovels gold and asked to take some commemorative pictures of our "ground-breaking ceremony." So sweet. Those shovels have picked up much pug poop since then...
(photo to come later - I think it's an actual print - it could be in any of my many boxes of photos!)
A lot of life has happened in 10 years. We leave this house with 3 more kids and 2 more dogs than with which we started!
June 2011
June 2011We put the backyard in little by little by ourselves. We built a beautiful arbor together on our 4th anniversary, each board put into place above, and each piece of brick placed below for a patio and walkway. It now has wisteria covering the top, showing us beautiful purple blossoms each spring.
We planted some evergreen trees to shield from the two-story behind. They cover us now.
UPDATE: Forgot this! We planted a "fruit salad" tree. It's a grafted tree of peaches, plums, and nectarines - all on one tree. We love that tree and the fruit it bears. And we used to joke that our kids would confuse people when they told them we had a fruit salad tree! So fun!
(photo later)
Hubby and my dad built some attic space to use for storage above the garage. As you climb the steps to the top you are greeted with Hubby's and my initials etched in the wood, connected by a heart (I think Hubby did it with a Dremmel?).
In the front yard is one of my accidental favorite plants. Being a new home, there was a lot of "hard-pan" dirt - hard as a rock and difficult to plant things. I bought a $5 plant from K-Mart, of all places. Planted it near the front door, not expecting much of anything. I didn't even know anything about the plant. But that plant took root, filled that space, with beautiful blooms in the fall and spring. Bougainvillea. Now I know it's name. I spot it many places, mostly coastal. We've tried to plant two more of the same plant since we liked that one so much...but they didn't take. They weren't meant to be. This one just flourishes there and greets each guest coming to the door. We've taken some family photos with it as our backdrop. I'm hoping it will bloom for me...just one more time.
(photo later)
There's a Japanese maple near the front door, to provide shade for one of the bedrooms (which was once a guest room, then an office, now a playroom). My Nanny bought it for us. She said according to someone, it was bad luck to thank the gift-giver of a tree...so we just nodded and smiled. It looks beautiful there.
(photo later)
The cottonwood. Oh, the cottonwood. Since the house faces West, we wanted a fast-growing tree to provide for some sun relief in the summer. Hubby chose a cottonless cottonwood tree. The nursery owner must have warned him a half-dozen times of how fast it would grow. You sure you want this one? Oh, yeah. It has provided us with great shade. I once heard a neighbor refer to our house as the one with the huge tree...
When we brought the pugs home, two sisters from the same litter, they were so tiny. They couldn't even climb over the 2x4s we had in the backyard to plan our cement.
April 2002 - 2 months oldBut here's the kicker. We brought our 3 babies home to this house. This house. When we first moved in, there were so many rooms. What to do with all the rooms? We had two guest rooms and an office, in addition to our master suite. Now, this house is just bursting with STUFF. And 3 kids. And 2 dogs. Getting a nursery ready for your first child...it's indescribable. Hubby, with both grandfathers-to-be, painting, installing wainscotting and crown moulding... Later hubby putting together a crib and changing table. Then the glider on which I would rock and nurse my babies. And then you walk into your house with your new baby for the first time. And he has his own room, that was prepared for him with love and excitement. WOW. Hubby did the funniest thing with each of the kids when they came home for the first time. He would give them a tour of their house. He would walk to each room and tell them what it was. So sweet.
And that's where I get all teary-eyed and wonder if we shouldn't stay a little longer. So much life has happened here. So much joy. So many learning experiences. And for all the complaining we can do about this house (the kids' rooms are too far away when a nursing babe calls in the middle of the night; both bathrooms share a wall with the nursery, so you can't flush at night; the white tile and grout that will never again be as white as it once was; the neighbor who thinks it a good idea to have a 50cc racetrack in his backyard - oh, and use a Bobcat at 10:00pm to build it when we have a 3 day-old baby at home and the Mama just needs some sleep)...it has served us well. And there were projects we didn't quite finish or even get to...those don't matter now.
We have one more opportunity to hang a birthday sign on the garage door and take pictures of the birthday kid and one of the family. I hang each kid's sign on that door in the same spot each year and take pictures of them with their birthday crown. Then each person that's here to celebrate with them takes a picture with them as well. Baby Girl's birthday is next Monday, then all after that...the birthday signs will be hung somewhere else.
June 2011 - Last family photo by a birthday sign at the house - for Baby Girl's birthday
June 2011 - Last family photo by a birthday sign at the house - for Baby Girl's birthdayWe have one more opportunity to measure a birthday kid on the board in the garage to see how much she's grown. We'll take that board with us...but it will be hung somewhere else from now on. The boys will have to be measured at the apartment!
June 2011 - before measuring Baby Girl for her birthday measurement - last time at the house!
June 2011 - before measuring Baby Girl for her birthday measurement - last time at the house!I'll admit, I feel a little funny to be shopping for a bigger, nicer house when there are so many who don't have what we have, who would give anything to have ANY house. It does feel funny. But it feels right to us, too. It's exciting. This was our first home and now we're ready for the next phase, with more space, and more memories.
The house feels funny - empty. I've taken everything off the walls. All the drapes/curtains/swags down. There are no decorations. Even some furniture is now in storage. And it starts to sink in. This moving thing. We've got 13 days until we hand over the keys. Our keys. And then it is no longer our home. Wow. We're moving.
