Life's Helmet

Monday, March 25, 2013

Daddy Daughter Date Night

Ryan recently took Maeli on her first official daddy daughter date. In preparation for the date Maeli got bathed, dressed in a "princess" dress, and had her hair done. Dad picked her up at the front door with a flower in hand and they were off on their adventure.

The date began with dinner at Johnny Rockets. Ryan said Maeli was like a little adult sitting perfectly at the table enjoying her strawberry milkshake and chicken strips. Maeli loved the one-on-one time with Dad and had fun clapping as the servers sang and danced.

After dinner they headed over to the Lego store where Maeli got to choose her own pink Lego set and designed Lego people for each member of our family. When she came home she was so excited to talk all about the night and show off her new Lego toys. I think it's safe to say that this guy will be getting a second date from Miss Maeli.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Adam Way

It took us over a year to find our first home. We looked at over 200 homes and put offers on at least 7 or 8 properties. At that time the economy was in a deep recession and the real estate market consisted primarily of foreclosures and short sales. Because so many of the homes were foreclosures, a lot of the homes were trashed and had been stripped of their finishes. Some of the more memorable homes we saw included one that smelled strongly of urine, one that had all of the carpet padding removed, one that had all of the kitchen cabinets and light fixtures removed, and one that had messages written on the walls throughout the house. When we would finally find a house in good condition there would be multiple offers on the property and we would lose out. Needless to say, the home buying process was completely frustrating.

We fell in love with a great home in the Cooley Station North community and although it went under contract before we could place an offer, we decided that neighborhood was where we wanted to be. We began aggressively searching in Cooley Station viewing each property the day it came on the market. We randomly came across 842 S Adam Way on several occasions and liked it but weren't completely sold (Ryan was sold but I needed some convincing). We continued our search and eventually decided that 842 was where we needed to be.

Looking back at the last four years, it's hard to say goodbye to a home that has brought so much good to our family. We still remember sitting in the living room talking about how great life would be when we got to spend our Sunday afternoons playing with our future kids. Years later that dream became a reality as we got to bring two of our kids home from the hospital to the house.

Reflecting on the many late nights and weekends spent working on projects and the major milestones our kids reached in the home, it's easy for us to see why we've grown so attached to the home. The friends we've made and the experiences we've had over the last 4 years have played an important role in getting us to where we are today. We're sad to say goodbye but excited to start a new chapter in our lives. Take it easy Adam Way!

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Miss Congeniality

This girl thinks she's the funniest 2 year old around! She loves to banter with us and can often be found with her eyes closed belting out the song "Oh I just can't wait to be king." We love our little Maeli Grace and all of her crazy antics!