Update...Move & New House

Last Saturday we drove out to look at 30 houses in two subdivisions in the area (Summerwood & Eagle Springs) we were interested in living in. It was a blistering sunny day, but the kids handled it very well. By the halfway point Ben stopped climbing the stairs. They never complained that we looked at houses for over 7 hours and that we were away from home over 12, but they were ready for bed. We narrowed the list down to 7 houses that we went back and looked at again on Monday. Three were resales and 4 were new constructions. After looking at the first two resales again we decided on a new construction. We looked at those again and it came down to two identical floor plans by the same builder just in different subdivisions. It took us forever to make a decision! They were both on cul-de-sacs, but one had a huge yard that backed to a 30 acre nature reserve and the other had a small yard with no trees and several houses nearby. Guess which one we chose! The one with the nature reserve (Summerwood). The house sits in a court that will have 4 houses, but ours is the only one built for now. The other lots aren't even for sale yet, so it will be a while before we have next door neighbors. It's not the subdivision that I preferred to live in, but it's only 6 miles from everything (Lexi's preschool, grocery store, etc.) and that's no different than the distance I drive now for the same things. It's right off of the beltway, so it will make getting around to different places in Houston easy.

The house was originally being built for someone else, but they lost their job the day before we went out there. The house had ever been on the market. The original buyer had carpet installed, but we can replace it with hardwood once we get settled. They also didn't want blinds installed, so we'll have to get the windows measured so they can be installed the day after closing. When we left on Monday the only thing that still needed to be done was installing the appliances and laying the sod. We'll go back out there on Tuesday for a walk through with the builder and inspection.

The house is 5 bedroom, 3 1/2 baths. The kids will have a jack and jill bath. If we're still living there when they get too old to share one of them can move. It also has a game room (similar to our lst house) and a media room. We'll finally get to have a real guest room too. There is a large study off the foyer and a formal dining area. The kitchen has dark wood cabinets and granite. The master suite has 6 large windows that face the nature reserve. We would never be able to sleep in there without blinds installed.

Lexi is excited, because not only does she have a huge backyard with lots of trees, there is a playground and splash pad right around the corner. She also get to pick which room she wants. The one facing the nature reserve or the one that looks out onto the court. She is registered at the Montessori school for her last year of preschool and ready to begin dance at Lake Houston Performing Arts. If this name sounds familiar, it's because they were on America's Got Talent this season.

Things are moving along and we are very busy. The movers will be here on September 1st. I'm guessing this will be my last post until after Labor Day.

I hope Ben has an enjoyable 2nd birthday on the 5th!