we'll be building on this lot.
We kept our deposit on the lot just in case the house we're trying to buy doesn't workout. We've set a deadline of this month for the house we're trying to buy. If it doesn't work out this month, we'll be renting by October and will plan to build.
'Twas a lovely evening at the park...
On the swings...
When suddenly, there was a THUMP.
Andy had fallen off the swing backwards and his cup of Pepsi and ice was splattered all over his face. After making sure he was ok, we couldn't stop laughing. Andy never does silly things like that. Turns out he had lost his balance when trying to balance his cup, swing and turn to watch Blake on the nearby play equipment. He was ok, just a little embarrassed and being the good wife that I am, I had to take a pic. :)
Well, the second interview has been setup for a week from today where I'll be meeting for a few hours with various people and then possibly going to lunch. This weekend: shopping for another outfit to wear since all of my work clothes are in storage!
Also, Casey is having her third baby today, baby girl Lainey. Congrats to her and her family!
Update! Baby Lainey was born at 7:57 this morning and is adorable!
Back at the beginning of August when it looked like we might be carrying two mortgages for awhile, I was applying for jobs a lot to help pay the bills. Once our house sold, I stopped really looking since financially it isn't a necessity anymore. One of the places that I had applied at was an ad agency that didn't really have any openings - I just applied because I think it's the best fit for me ultimately.
Yesterday I heard back from the agency and they just decided they would create an opening that happens to match my qualifications pretty perfectly. I interviewed there today and will be returning for an interview w/others in the company to get to know them and their jobs and for them to be able to ask me questions.
If I want to work, it will be the ideal opportunity for me. Not sure if I do or not. I get to spend time w/each of the kids alone right now (Blake in the morning before school and Payton gets home at 3 - about 1 1/2 hours before Blake), I have time alone to run errands and work out and then we're all together in the evenings. It's nice. Long-term it won't be nice when we don't have the money to furnish the house or to pay for the trips we like to take or to pay for the kids colleges (esp. Payton since that's only 6 years away) or for me to fund my retirement account. I think it's the constant internal debate for moms. We'll have to see if they end up offering me the position and make a decision at that point.
I'm not sure there's a kid in Andy's family that's not ornery and Blake is definitely no exception. He likes to proclaim things loudly to try to embarrass us. Amongst his past attempts:
-At Sonic, we are trying to order our food when he yells out the backseat window "I want some poop!"
-While shopping at Target with me, he proclaimed "hey, let's steal some stuff!"
-And the most recent one was today when he shouts "hey mom, stop kissing my uncle!"
Nice.
On Friday, our realtor called to let us know that it was recommended to the bank that they accept our offer because they were able to evaluate our offer vs. appraised value of the house. The realtor says we can expect a final answer from their lender w/in 2 weeks but sometimes it moves even faster. We have our fingers crossed that it will go as quickly as possible.
This article kind of outlines the process that we are going through. This quote from the article kind of sums it up right now: "The short sale is not for the impatient."
Practicing for a trip? Yep. Kami and I decided to a "test run" and stay in a hotel w/Blake and Reaghan for a night before we get to Disney World. Blake and Reaghan see each other a few times a year but usually Payton is with us and Reaghan thinks Payton is the center of the universe. We needed a chance for Blake and Reaghan to play and get used to being around each other. We stayed at a Holiday Inn and headed out to Exploration Place followed by a game of mini-golf.
Photos courtesy of Kami and her awesome Nikon digital SLR 
Afterward, we had dinner at the hotel, went to Target, and headed back to the hotel to wind down for bedtime. Sunday morning we just had time for a quick breakfast and then we parted ways knowing that the next time we see each other will be on an airplane!
There were some valuable lessons learned from our little hotel stint and it was nice that the kids mostly interacted well together despite having exactly nothing in common. 18 days until Disney World!
