House Hunters

We have been hunting for just the right home for our family for almost a year now. 

   

For those following this story it started out with us contracting to build a beautiful 3200 sq. ft. home where we following and charted the progress on this blog only to have the bail out hit 60 days from closing effectively eliminating our financing.  Having given up our rental and moved in with my Mom we were suddenly without prospects.  We found another rental and settled in to wait out the economy.

     The house we rent is beautiful and very large...  BUT it seems that it was just not to be.  The homeowners of this property do not pay their mortgage and we get notices and phone calls from their bank every month. Then in April we got a notice from the county stating that the homeowners also haven’t paid their taxes in the past two years.  Add to that President Obama’s $8,000 incentive and you get very eager Bartletts!  So we signed on with a realtor, who is also a member of our Church, and hoped and prayed for good things to happen.  I found several properties and we picked out one that we thought would fit us.  

   We made an offer, and it was accepted...  BUT, it is a foreclosed property and the bank that owns it was not willing to give us enough time to raise the down payment.  Back in the hunt, I found a few more properties to look at, one that had a great back yard but we felt was over priced.  In talking with our realtor about the comps in the area we were told that there were no comps in the area.   

   Argh! 

So now Brandon & I are really getting frustrated.  We are doing all the hunting and while our realtor is a great person we have never felt like she is in our corner.  Surfing the home sites is fun, but without access to the MLS server we are searching the same properties again and again.  Back in the hunt, I found several more properties to look at - one right on the golf course.  It needed updating, but Brandon & I were sure we could handle it.  We made an offer and the homeowners countered way too high 

   - so we walked away.  

So back in the hunt, we find ourselves back where we started with the builder we had contracted with a year ago.  We found a floor plan that is smaller, but much more budget friendly.  

   So, here we go again...  We haven’t signed anything and we are more wary and informed than we were a year ago, but this has been a truly exhausting experience.  The silver lining to all this, we will eventually have a home we can call our own, within our budget.  

Jacy & Woof

Blaise the Bear

Family Pictures

Okay... so last year we took pictures with the Anderson/Gonzales/Kopriva side of the family the day after Christmas.  We LOVED the pictures - especially loved the fact that they were returned to us within two weeks.  So this year we went back with the Bartlett/McKenna side of the family the day after Thanksgiving and we JUST got the pictures back a week ago.  Now, I must admit that the pictures are absolutely beautiful...  You'll see a couple in the header - and more to come as I get a chance to post them.

Anyway, that is my little rant...

Love to you all!

The Bartlett 5

Count Your Blessings

So this week has been a little rough on the Bartlett 5.  Brandon's mom went into the hospital on Monday feeling not so hot.  It was discovered that she has cancer (ovarian & colon) - she had surgery on Wednesday.  The doctors are highly optimistic, that while the road to recovery will not be a walk in the park - she will recover and be back to her old self.  She will still have to undergo chemo, but everyone's spirits are high.

Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

Long Time No Blog

Okay, so I am a horrible blogger...  No, no...  it is true.  I just never get around to posting stuff, and then a week...  a month... more goes by and I think it is too late now.  So here is a brief recap of our fall and winter seasons...

The boys went back to school (Blaise 3rd grade & Keagan 1st grade).  Also, Jacy started pre-K so that she will be ready for kindergarten next year.  Everyone likes their teachers, they have made good friends, and are doing well in school.  Reading/Spelling are our toughest subjects, but we are working diligently on them.

If you have been following this blog you have seen pictures of the house we were building... Emphasis on the were... we lost the financing on the house thanks to the bailout.  Banks were sure running scared that week, and while we were sad about that particular door closing it has all worked out okay in the end.  We are renting (again) a house in a beautiful (gated) community.  It is only slightly smaller than the house we were building, and oddly enough was built by the same builder.  So all the great features I was so looking forward to in my new kitchen....  are here too! 

Here is a picture of the house at Twilight...  

Okay, so where was I?  Moving....  so that takes us to October.  Blaise turned 9, YAY BLAISE!!!  He is still in scouts (a Bear now - for those playing along at home).  And for the first time in YEARS the Bartletts did NOT make it to the Balloon Fiesta this year.  Whether it was the weather, or sick kiddos, or sick parents we just did not get out there.  I think we may have caught a Mass Ascension on TV one morning, but we just did not get out on the field.

All righty, November brought us family!  We were lucky enough to host Ryan (Brandon's twin), his wife Kim, and their precious daughter Amelia over the Thanksgiving holiday.  Brandon's sister, Mandy & her two boys stayed with Graham & Cissy and we all had a very fun Turkey Day.  Did I mention that there were also 3 very large dogs with this party?  A lab (Emma), a retriever (Jack), and a lesser swiss mountain dog (Tobin - related to a St. Bernard) - it was quite an experience.   Me & Emma...  isn't she cute?  (oh yeah, my hair is dark again - it was light over the summer, but I colored it in early fall.)  Also, for those of you playing along at home...  Yes, two of the three dogs did originally belong to us (Tobin went to Uncle Ryan & Emma went to Aunt Mandy).  What can I say we are really good at loving animals, just not housing them.

Okay, moving on to December.  The kids, still warmed up from Turkey Day, were thrilled when their Great Grandmother (my Grandmother) came out to spend the entire winter break with us - all the way from Chicago.  They had such a good time with their Great Nanny, and were truly saddened to see her go home in January.  Santa didn't have to deliver any coal to our house this year!  With such great children is it any wonder that they each got one of the top things on their lists?  Plus, we are taking them to Disney World for Spring Break!  Okay, while I am on the subject of Christmas I MUST apologize.  I did not send out any Christmas cards or ornaments this year.  I have them...  I just didn't get the envelopes addressed and the cards mailed out.  Some of it I can blame on the move - I have no idea where my address book has gotten to, but mostly I just was not prepared this year.  My resolution at the start of '09 was to start all my preparations in September.  We didn't even take pictures until thanksgiving - what was I thinking?  Anyway, once our pictures do get in (they are now saying end of this month) I will get copies out to all those on my list.

Okay, I think you are caught up....  Hmmmm....  make sure to check the Mini Bartletts site for kiddo updates like Keagan losing teeth, Blaise's pinewood derby action, and Jacy's hunt and peck typing.  Last but not least, here is a picture of us with Brandon's parents up in the Jemez mountains in early January... Love to you all, Robin

(or not... Blogger says the server is down, I will try adding it later.  Or you can go to the Mini Bartlett site it is up there too.) xxoo-Robin

The last weekends of summer...

So after a long week of work, school, and extra curricular kiddo activities we took the monkeys to the zoo. This is me and the monkeys pretending to be flamingos... aren't we cute?

The weather widget on the computer said it was going to rain in the afternoon so we took sweatshirts and stuff just in case... instead it was about 90 degrees!

It was a fun day. The polar bears were swimming and one was even "growling" - not really growling, but making a sort-of "look at me" noise. Jacy thought it was funny, and the boys tried growling back. The lions, of course, were asleep, but the jaguar and the cougars were pacing in their spaces. What beautiful animals.

We have decided to try and make Saturdays our Family Fun Days since everyone's week is so stressful. Today Brandon, Keagan, and Jacy went with me to a Varsity Soccer game (Blaise was under the weather and opted to stay home with Noni) - not the greatest follow up to the zoo last week, but we still had fun playing on the stadium field before the Athletes got there, and went for pizza after the game. (We won, 1-0 by the way... beat La Cueva)

09-15-08 house pictures

So we went by the house this weekend and the workers were there getting ready to install the dry wall, and we thought you would rather see a picture of the house without all the cars in front of it.  Plus, the light was really pretty tonight.  There were scattered showers around town and it was just doing amazing things to the sky.  So here it is...  Treated for moisture, ready for round 1 of stucco, and dry walled on the first floor.  The second floor has a piece here or there, but it is mostly still framing and insulation.

Blaise the Scout

Blaise has worked very hard this summer to earn the badges, belt loops, beads, and pins he needs to obtain his Wolf badge.  He is such a good scout.  He earned three additional loops and pins this summer.  One for the basketball & soccer camps he attended, and one for his continued work in gymnastics.  We are just a few activities away from getting it all together and getting his Wolf!

Pre-Dry Wall

08-27-08 view from the front

08-27-08 view from the back

The tile is up on the roof (they set it up there so that the house can get used to the weight of the tiles and settle were it will... they will install the tiles nearer to the end of the building process).  We have garage doors.. and I need to take pictures out there again, but the insulation is in for all of the exterior walls.  We met with the building superintendent on Thursday 09-04-08 to go through the house and look at the framing before they cover the walls up with dry wall.  There were a couple of places where we asked them to replace the wood used in the framing.  I tell you what, the grade of wood they are using to build homes with these days is pitiful to what it was 20 years ago.  The superintendent actually called it "bark or better".  Part of me is scared of what this means in the building of my dream house... the other side tries to reassure that they wouldn't be allowed to sell the homes if they weren't safe.  The superintendent says that he is hoping to have the home delivered to us by the end of October - beginning of November.  YAY!!!

11 Years of Marriage

So this weekend Brandon & I celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary.  Brandon surprised me with a weekend in Taos at the beautiful resort of El Monte Segrado.  The above picture is the view from the patio of our suite.  It is a "green" resort, where everything is all natural and healthy for the environment.  We took advantage of the spa at the resort also, it was a great weekend.

We also went horseback riding, Brandon is on Tatonca (like buffalo in Dances with Wolves) and I am on Santana.  We took a 90 minutes trail ride, and boy was it pretty.  You can see for miles up there to the Taos gorge, a church that has been around since 1920, and we followed an old Apache trail back down.  It was super cool.  The guide was very knowledgeable and told us all about what we were seeing.

There were hummingbird feeders all over the place at the horseback riding ranch, and the hummingbirds were so used to people that they were just everywhere.  This picture does not do it justice, but they birds were literally just a few feet in front of you.  There were at least 10 just around these two feeders that kept darting in and around us.  They are so quick it was hard to really get the camera to focus and snap the picture before they were darting away again.

Growing Monkies

What a great summer these Monkies have been having.  They have all kept up with their gymnastics, and have improved so much just since the beginning of the year.  They have been meeting new cousins, visiting older cousins, swimming, hunting wabbits, and taking care of Noni's poor feet (double bunionectimy - or however spell it).  These guys are real troopers, and I feel so very blessed to call them my children.  They are dealing with living all together in the same room while the house is being built, and for the most part having a great time.  Jacy wakes Blaise up when she can't sleep, and she says that Keagan snores.  It is funny.  We are down to just 85 business days until the house is scheduled to be completed.  Yay!!!!!

Superhero Monkies!

These guys are so funny & clever too!  They made sure each of them had a cape & a "hat" - they also ensure that each of their powers trumps the others.  It cracks me up...  Mommy, what beats lightning?  Mommy, what beats fire?  Mommy, is a tiger stronger than a lion?  It is truly funny!

All dressed up!

These guys are so good at Church!  They have small activity books in their Church bags that they color during the longer talks, and they just love going to Primary!  Jacy has been asked to give the prayer in Primary this month.  Keagan has been asked to give a talk in Primary, about being a Child of God - as well as giving a prayer, and an Article of Faith.  Blaise tends to get tapped in Primary a lot!  He has been asked to speak several times, and his teachers say he is always the first one with his hand in the air to answer a question or to request a song during the singing time.  They have such sweet spirits.

Go Figure

2002 Jeep Liberty

Go Figure!  So it is a normal Monday morning.  Brandon & I are getting ready for work, and as he is walking me out to my car we noticed something was missing...  THE JEEP!!!  Yep, that's right our Jeep Liberty was stolen from out in front of the house last night.  We called the local police department, we actually have a friend who is a Sgt. and he let us know that Jeep Liberties are a hot car right now, and that it is probably out of the country by now.  Great!  Fortunately for us we did purchase the GAP insurance, so the bank will cover the difference between what we owe on the Jeep and what it is worth.  However, this is also where it gets a bit tricky.  Since we are in the process of buying a house we can't purchase a new car until we close on the house -- at Thanksgiving.  Oy!  We are trying to work out a schedule to get everyone where the need to go - in one car.  It is going to be interesting, but I'm sure we'll figure it out. 

Go figure huh?!?!

Jacy's Summer

Jacy & Josh

Jacy's summer is one of travel.  She went with Robin, Shari & Sergio up to Utah for Jen's baby shower.  Later on this summer the whole family will head back up to Utah to see Baby Mason and the rest of our growing family.  Then we are off to Chicago for Great-Nanny's 90th birthday, and more family!  She really is a great traveler!  

Jacy celebrated her 4th birthday with a great surprise from Josh & Jen - the arrival of Baby Mason the day before.  She was so excited at the thought of sharing her birthday with Mason, and can't wait until they are old enough to have their birthday parties together.  

Jacy is still in gymnastics as well as the boys, and is getting better and better at it!  We are all looking forward to the fall also when Jacy will start pre-k.

Blaise's Summer

Blaise at Cub Scout Camp - the theme was Dragons & Knights

Blaise the Giant!  At gymnastics they were working on the high bar, and Blaise's coach had the boys doing giants!  They did a great job, and while he was a little worried on his first attempt, on the second time around his form was great!  Every week since he has been asking "Coach Gabe" when they can do giants again.  Needless to say the upcoming Olympics have us all excited!

Blaise at soccer camp

Blaise & Keagan went to a soccer camp put on by one of the boys in the neighborhood.  Blaise discovered that he was a pretty good goalie - by the end of the camp he was blocking some shots by the bigger kids too!  Blaise also went to a basketball camp put on at the high school I work at and had a bunch of fun!  Gymnastics has been a constant as well - he is really making some great progress.  It has been a very sports centered summer so far.  He's not quite sure which of these sports he likes best.

Blaise also went to Cub Scout day-camp where he got to wear full armor and joust with the other scouts.  They had one day that the scouts were supposed to go swimming, but due to a lack of lifeguards, they had to cancel.  There was a silver lining to this day though, as the local fire department heard about the Cub Scouts, and came out to the park and let the scouts run all over the fire truck, and then even sprayed the scouts with the hose.  The had a blast!  

All in all it has been a pretty fun summer!

Keagan's Summer

Keagan the Soccer Stud!

Be vewy, vewy quiet.  Its wabbit season!

Keagan finished off his soccer season with one goal!  GOAL!!!  He did a great job for his first season in soccer.  We are looking for a team for him to play with that is closer to our new house in Rio Rancho, especially since we are walking distance from the sports complex and soccer fields.  

Keagan also went to Cub Scout day-camp with Blaise this summer.  They had so much fun, he can't wait until he turns 8 and can be a scout too!  A neighbor held a soccer camp at their house and the boys, naturally, had to be involved.  While he had a good time playing soccer with his friend, his biggest attraction was the zip line in the backyard and pretending to sail down it like Indiana Jones!

We will be heading up to Utah the first weekend in August to see Baby Mason and the rest of our growing family.  Then we head out to Chicago for Great-Nanny's 90th Birthday.  Keagan is excited that this trip to Chicago will also include a trip to Fannie May Candies, where I'm sure he will use his considerable charm to procure lots of free samples.  Those eyelashes of his just melt the ladies!

Interior Framing

We have stairs up to the second floor!  All the interior walls have been framed out, and it is just splendid!  We took Brandon's cousin, David Henry from Taos, and Brandon's parents out to see the house and Brandon & I were just overcome with emotion at how much has been done in such a short time.  We still have 100 business days to go, but oh my gosh - I am just overwhelmed!

Looking More Like a House

front view of the house

side view of the house

back view of the house

from the corner

Once again we swing by the house after 5 PM and the crew is still out there working on the house - putting plywood on the roof, and getting ready for the tradesmen to come out next week.  Just in the 10 minutes we sat there they finished the roof.  Amazing, it looks like a house!

Roofing

from down the street, what a beautiful sky

side view

side view from the corner

from the back

Hard Workers

view from the front

another view from the front

We keep trying to catch the workers after they have finished for the day so that we can walk around and explore the house, but they work... and work... and work.  We have swung by after 5 PM on several occasions and they are still there!  I am grateful for their hard work, and hope that they stay safe.

2nd Floor Goes Up

view from the back

view from the front

We just drove by quickly after work to see what was going on today, and discovered that they have framed out the second floor.  Only 103 business days to go!

Exploring

STAIRS!!!

Jacy & Keagan explore the kitchen, the room just past is the dining room

our fireplace, hopefully Santa will be able to use it this Christmas!

view from the dining room

view from the kitchen - isn't it glorious!

Brandon took the kids out to the site.  I'm not sure what anyone was expecting, but it sure wasn't this!  They have been working so hard at putting this house together.  We are so grateful for the construction workers and their craftsmanship on this house.

Drive by

Brandon drove by the house on his way home from work today in hopes of getting some pictures of what was going on inside the house.  He wasn't able to do that though because there were workers on the site, and far be it for either one of us to ask them to stop working just so we could take some pictures.  We'll come back this weekend!