Ohio

We went to Ohio two weeks ago to look for houses and it was a roller coaster of a trip, but we ended up having a wonderful experience. We left early on Thursday, April 6 and had amazing friends to take our kids to (Eve went to the Cochran's and the boys to the Brennan's) at 6:30 a.m. We had a layover in Chicago for a few hours, but we made it to Columbus just in time for dinner at North Market. Kim recommended this place and we loved our delicious Indian dinner, shopping the cool shops and tasting Jeni's Ice Cream for the first time! It was a hipster's paradise.

 We got John and Abby some flavored olive oil at this cool shop and they loved it!

After dinner we headed north to Jon and Tara Kerr's home. Jon got a professor position last year and we had talked to them on the phone and I was so excited to meet them! We stayed at chatted for a couple hours and they got us excited for the hunt.

We got to our hotel that night in Dublin and were up and ready to hit the houses with Janet by 9a.m. We started with the Dublin homes first and we saw A LOT of them. 29 to be exact. It was an exhausting day. We didn't see a house that we truly loved and we started to wonder if we were looking in the wrong direction. We thought we would be willing to do some renovating to some of the homes that needed major updates, but when it came down to it, we just weren't. We thought about how much money we were going to be spending on the actual house, the possibility of having more kids in the next couple of years, and our complete lack of knowledge when it comes to house stuff and our desire and direction really started shifting.

We went back to the hotel that night and I slept for 1.5 hours before we headed to dinner with Darren and Cindy because I was just emotionally exhausted and my brain needed a break from thinking! A nap can do wonders for a tired gal and I felt a lot better afterwards and we had a great time at dinner. Darren had been pushing so hard for us to come to Dublin, but the day hadn't been too promising and we were hoping Powell had something in store for us the next day. 

We met Janet at 9a.m. again and saw 11 houses throughout the day. Towards the end of the day we went to a new build and were REALLY liking the idea of not having to do any work to a house. We spent a lot of time inside of it and even went to talk to the builders in case there was a different lot they could offer because we didn't like the high tower power lines a few hundred yards away from the house. We even ran into Jon and Tara Kerr driving through that neighborhood to get to their house and it made me want to live there more! Tara and I get along so well and I really wanted to be in their ward and being in the same neighborhood would be even better. After some more thought, we scratched the possibility of that house from our list because we didn't want to live in a construction zone with three kids. The neighborhood was still in the beginning phases and it would be at least 2-3 more years of construction. 

At the end of the day we still weren't sure if there was house we were willing to put an offer in on or which ones we wanted to go back and look at, but we definitely felt better about the idea/direction of what we wanted. 

We headed to dinner with Kim and Christian that night (who are moving to Omaha, NE this summer) and had such a fun dinner and dessert date with them! We went to a delicious tapas spot in Gahanna and then headed back to Dublin for more Jeni's ice cream! These two are some of our favorite people and though we don't get to see each other much, we always pick up right where we left off and have the best time! We called it a night and Brian and I went back and discussed and decided that we wanted to go back and check out a home in Powell, a home in Dublin and there was one in Lewis Center that we had seen Saturday that we were considering also.

Since we liked a home in three of the cities, we decided we would attend those three sacrament meetings on Sunday since they all started at different times. We didn't know anyone in the Lewis Center Ward that started first, but we really loved it! It was fast Sunday and all the testimonies were really great! Several people approached us after the meeting and we had a wonderful time meeting new people. We also found out the house we liked wasn't even in their ward...OOPS!! It was still great!

The Powell Ward was next and we LOVED it! The Kerrs had told the bishopric about us so they approached us before the meeting started and then after the meeting we talked to the Kerrs and Shenemans and met some others and just loved it and I wanted to be in that ward so much!

We had to switch buildings to make it to the Dublin Ward at 1pm and it was great too. Darren didn't introduce us to as many people as we thought he would, but their ward still had a great feel and we knew we could be happy there if that's where our house was. 

After all the meetings we met up with Janet again to go see the two houses that we wanted to compare again. The first one was on Quetzal Lane in Dublin and before we got there she told us there was an offer on it...yikes! And while we were there we did realize that we liked it a lot! Brian had liked it from the pictures since before we came, but I wasn't way on board until Sunday when we had decided we didn't want to do renovations and could potentially buy a different home after tenure is secured down the road. We went and checked the Powell house out again and while we were there we found out there was an offer on it too! But we did decide against the Powell house and figured we would make a run at the Dublin house even if that meant some back and forth with other buyers. Janet went back to her office to get things together, but before she could submit anything she heard back from the seller's realtor that they had already countered with the other offer so we couldn't even engage. We were bummed. Like super bummed. BUT we also realized that we couldn't have gotten to the point of feeling comfortable with putting an offer in on a house without going through all the processes that we did. I always look at these things as an answer, not a closed door. As hard as it was to leave empty handed, I knew Heavenly Father had something in store for us and we just needed to be patient. We have been married for 12 years and He has always provided, so we couldn't start doubting now!

It was a whirlwind of a trip and being on the other side of everything now makes it so much easier, but we weren't sure what to think when we left. Everything has worked out how it should and I am amazed once again to be in this spot where we were not forgotten and we got a home that is perfect for us. Post on that coming soon!

And while we were gone our kids had an awesome party weekend with their friends! Anna got my boys to school on Thursday and Friday and Abby made sure Eve got to her aquarium field trip for preschool and hung out with her before Sevi got home from school. She sent me this pictures and said that Eve asked, "Is this a crab house? Does it have stairs in there?"

 Brian and I got a great laugh, we sure love that girl! And I love that I have so many friends in my life that love her too.
These two cute girls finally got to have a sleep over and Abby even let Sevi miss school to hang out all day! I am so glad they got to spend so much time together.

 

They had so much fun at the trampoline place and Abby said she only had to put them in time out once at Crate and Barrel. Haha!

On Friday night Anna took them all to Hatch's and they just had the time of their lives! Eve made herself in charge right away and made sure she to to hold Gypsy's leash on all the walks and Audrey even let her pick out the dress she would wear all weekend.

 

On Saturday Eve was SPOILED rotten and went to lunch with a bunch of princesses at Round Rock High School-

 I sent a princess dress with Eve, but Audrey let her go pick out a new one and the three of them went over, Audrey, Marian and Eve. Seriously? This girl is so lucky!

 

She loved hanging out with Rapunzel in their matching dresses and Audrey said they danced together a lot! 

 

After tea with the princesses Audrey went and got the boys and took them to a historic home in Round Rock and they had fun! It was a cold day, but the toughed it out and had a good time.

On Saturday night the boys kept saying they wanted to do the "3AM Challenge" where they stay up until that time and then say something weird and dolls come alive. Audrey, Chris and Marian decided to have some fun with them and this is what they saw when they went into their room for bed-

  

 YIKES!! Audrey had those creepy dolls in her Halloween stuff and she totally freaked them out! She said the older boys knew it was a joke but she was a little worried about Wes, he wasn't as amused. He got over it and they all slept well. I don't think they even attempted after that crazy joke!

On Sunday they hung out, went to church and had a wonderful evening with some backyard fun-

 I think they all wanted to be a Hatch after that fun weekend!

I went to pick Eve up in the afternoon on Monday after we landed and I told Brian that she was going to be bummed to see me. Sure enough, when I opened the door to the back porch where Lizzy was painting her finger nails she sighed, "Mooom..." with the saddest voice. It was so funny! I know that girl just loves other people so much and loves to get spoiled...who wouldn't?

The girl had gotten her nails painted, hair braided and was eating Little Debbie cakes with Gatorade for lunch. I don't think I would want to leave either.

I sure love my sweet kids and all those who are so willing to help with them. Being able to trust friends like this is such a blessing that I will not soon forget!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

I love birthdays. I love my birthday, my kids' birthday, my husband's birthday...anyone's birthday! I just really love them! Luckily my husband and friends and family know it and made this one, my 32nd, another spectacular one! And the whole weekend was a blast because we found a house in Ohio that we loved and Kristen planned a fun dinner with friends the night before my birthday.

 My birthday was last Saturday, so Friday night me and 5 of my most favorite people headed to dinner at Blue Corn Harvest for a delicious meal and wonderful conversation-

 Kristen.Me.Audrey

Anna.Amber.Abby

Look at all those As!! Kristen and I had a good laugh over my list when everyone invited started with A! And Adrian wasn't able to make it, but she was invited...funny! I kept the group small because I had been so stressed out about house hunting and just wanted a night with people that mean so much to me. Each one of these ladies holds such a special place in my heart and the thought of not spending Sundays and play dates and nights in the cul de sac with them can make my heart hurt pretty bad. I have made some pretty amazing friendships that will last well beyond our years in Texas, and for that I am truly grateful.

We enjoyed delicious meals, I showed everyone the house we were in the process of putting an offer in on and Kristen had some fun stories to share that she got from Brigitte that led to lots more fun conversation. I can ALWAYS count on Kristen for good conversation that includes the whole group, it's kind of her specialty!

After a wonderful dinner Kristen and I weren't quite ready to head home so we made a stop at Target and bought ourselves some goodies-

 

Shopping with a girlfriend is always more fun!

Saturday morning I was going to try and sleep in, but we had put the offer in on the house and I couldn't stop thinking about it! I don't lose sleep over much, but I just couldn't stop thinking about our house! It was so perfect and I could see our family living in it and I just wanted to know if they had accepted our offer. Luckily I woke up to darling kids that had gotten up early to make crepes with Brian and sing happy birthday to me...I love them all SO MUCH! I headed downstairs for a delicious breakfast with my amazing family and just loved being with them.

Eve started a funny thing and said, "Mom, here is my birthday move for you!" and did this-

 I loved it so much the boys had to come up with moves of their own for me-

I love those kids and their birthday moves!

 The kids played outside while Brian and I anxiously awaited word from Janet about the house. At 8:07 a.m. I got an email from Zillow that said "Pending Sale on Belvedere Green Avenue" and we started freaking out! We checked the MLS and it said "Contingent Finance and Inspection" and started freaking out more and were really hoping it was our offer that was accepted! Janet called about five minutes after the email and confirmed that is was indeed our offer that had been accepted! We were just over the moon excited about it, it was the best birthday present I could have ever asked for!

 We were finally under contract on our first home, and a very beautiful first home at that!

We were on cloud nine for the rest of the day. We were excited about it, our kids were SO excited about it and all of our loving and supportive friends and family were excited and it just added the most awesome feel to my entire day!

After letting everyone know our good news and looking through the pictures a few times we got ourselves ready and headed down to Austin to check another Texas outing off our bucket list: 

Bullock Texas State History Museum

We have been to some movies in the IMAX theater here, but we had not gone through the actual museum. We had lunch right when we got there and then headed to the top floor.

 

I love that Eve wore this birthday hat that Audrey had brought to my dinner the night before all day at the museum. She is the best!

When we headed to the top floor after lunch we ran into this awesome exhibit about the Comanche Indian tribe- 

 At the end Brian was watching a movie about the artist and his work and said the guy out by the artwork taking pictures of it all was THE artist! I came and checked it out and sure enough, it was him! We went over to him and talked to him about his work and found out it was the first day of the exhibit. The VIP event had been held the night before and he was in town for it and wasn't really able to check things out the night before so wanted to look at it all before he left town.

He was SO incredibly nice and it was so fun to talk to him about all of his amazing art. I got a picture of him with Brian in front of Brian's favorite piece (the white horse on the left). Such a fun surprise!

After the exhibit we checked out a few more things before heading the the Texas Spirit Theater.

 

We saw these posts with a post hole digger and took the opportunity to tell the boys that Grandma Teresa had to dig one when she would get in trouble. They love stories like that!

We got tickets to the Texas Spirit Theater that was just on the second floor. We knew it was a short movie about the history of Texas, but it surprised all of us with how good it was!

  There were all sorts of screens going up and down and special effects that we weren't expecting! When the show talked about a locust infestation, a puff of air blew on everyone's head! The kids didn't notice because their heads are below the top of the seat, but it blew my hair and freaked me out! They were all laughing at me and we loved it! We also got "rained" on when they talked about a hurricane and felt a "snake" under our legs when they talked about all the snakes the settlers ran into. It was only 16 minutes, but it was a blast!

We checked the rest of the place out after the movie and headed home for cake and ice cream and so Eve could head to Sevi's birthday party while we went on a date.

This was a perfect way to spend my afternoon on my last birthday in Texas. I sure love this state and all the wonderful people and experiences I have had in it!

We got home and had my favorite strawberry short cake, took Eve to Sevi's and lounged until it was time to head out on our date.

 I don't think I could be any happier at this point in my life and I couldn't even really think of a wish because all my desired wishes have come true: my amazing husband, my gorgeous children, supportive and loving friends and family and a new house to boot! What more could a girl ask for?

 Maybe a unicorn?! 

Well, that wish came true, too!

 

I love these two little besties SO MUCH and am so sad they don't get to keep growing up across the street from each other, but I am really so grateful for all the time they have spent together and for the forever friendship we have with their family. Sevi is such a good friend for Eve and I'm so glad she got to celebrate her birthday!

We dropped the boys off at the Hatch's and headed to dinner at Fuego Latino for our first time and it was delicious! We had to wait a little too long for our food, but it was delish! 

I love any date I get to go on with that handsome husband of mine and am so grateful he planned such a fun day for me. We went and saw the movie Chappaquiddick afterwards and I may have dozed a little here and there (I never knew the new recliner seats had seat warmers!), but it was a good show and even better company.

It's hard to believe my five birthdays in Texas have come and gone because they have really been some of the best. I have learned and grown in ways I never knew I could and I am just so grateful for all the people by my side as I've done it. My life will forever be better because of my five years here and it makes me very excited to see what the next five in Ohio will bring me.

Peace out, 31! Bring on 32!