Summer Fun-More house pictures added

A little milk to wash down the chocolate ice cream cone

Crazy lady at the Provo Farmer's Market had bunny cages strapped to the top of her 1980's Civic,
even crazier, she was trying to sell un-weaned bunnies that needed to be bottle fed every 3 hours.

Rockport Reservoir

These hot days are filled with many trips to the pool, ice cream cones, playground visits, farmer's markets, and fishing trips while we anticipate moving into our new (old) house.

And, for the first time since becoming a mother, I let us stay up late and venture out to see fireworks instead of going to bed at 10 and cursing the noise outside.  I thought I'd start our new tradition early and go to the Sugarhouse fireworks.  It was perfect weather, Eli loved rolling down the grassy hills and playing at the playground while we waited for the show to start and neither kid melted down out of exhaustion or minded the noise.

Yesterday was the house inspection and despite some problems (you know, roof, plumbing, electrical), Brian says we can still take it. Don't worry about us parents, namely Suzanne and Frank. Buying an old house sure makes me appreciate past renting days and our newish condo.  But I'm totally convinced it will be worth it. I forgot to take pictures, but I'll try and find some on Brian's phone from our last walk-through on that rainy father's day.  He couldn't zoom out to include more of the room, so I'd been waiting to get some better ones, but here are some.

I love blue, I love aspens, and the neighbors are so nice.

Besides the house's location, this yard is the main reason we're buying it.

Eli coming back from petting bunnies.  Along with a big back patio,
there's this area for eating outside, complete with perennial herb garden.

Right when you come in the front door, we'll have to squeeze a seating
area in here too since they are using a bedroom as a living room.

Half of the good kitchen, maybe a new Ikea kitchen some day, but for now I'm happy.

Eli's future room in basement, complete with built in desk and book shelves.

And I went last Thursday for a sewer-line inspection that the inspector recommended. The owner was there and she told me about the garden she added with fruit bushes (elder berry, currant, raspberry), fruit trees (fuji and honey crisp apple, pear, peach, apricot, and plum that haven't been fruiting)  and that there have only been 4 owners since it was built 65 years ago. The first owners must've stayed for 40 of them, since some people knocked a couple years ago and said it was their grandma's house and wanted to see where they grew up.  By some strange coincidence our realtor helped his client buy it back in the 90's, one person after them, and the current owners. We've promised Eli bunnies and they're leaving the chicken coop.

When we went that rainy day we were trying to decide which of two houses to place an offer on. I had found this one in March, right after it was listed and had loved it since, but we weren't ready with the down payment then. Luckily it was still around in June. Brian liked another one better. It had a lifetime aluminum roof, was bigger, sizeable yard with garden box and play set (but zero shade) and was 3 houses from the elementary school. We were standing there in the rain and I was almost teary saying goodbye since I knew Brian liked the other house better and I was okay with it.  He took a walk out by the raspberry bushes (maybe his favorite thing to eat) and stood a while thinking.  He realized that this yard would make more of an immediate impact on our lives than a couple hundred more square feet and a formal dining room.  It would've taken 5-10 years to get the garden the other house had, besides the gigantic shade trees on the West side of the yard.  And so, he agreed. Can't wait. Every day we talk about our new house. But the owners one request was for a closing date at the end of August. Which is good because it gets us 6 more weeks to find renters.