The One

This market has been taxing to deal with emotionally and I'm happy to report that we got a house and don't have to cope with the insanity any longer. We found "the one" even though it took us a few tries.

Since selling our house, we have offered on 4 places. (3 houses and 1 piece of land.) We actually offered on the first 2 houses the same weekend and unexpectedly got both houses. We never thought that would happen in this market. Then, we had to choose which house we wanted which was challenging. 

We ended up picking an Ivory home in Riverton instead of a rambler in South Jordan. I never imagined we would get a home that nice. From the moment we accepted the offer, I felt sick with worry. We were set to close the following week and our earnest money was due that day. After the inspection we learned that the deck needed to be replaced immediately (among other things), and we decided to walk away since the sellers weren't willing to work with us or lower the price at all. After having a bidding war, we were already $55k over the list price and money would have been tight. Andrew felt very confident that we would find something better. I was sad to walk away and may have shed a few tears, but I knew it was the right thing to do. (Side-note: I recently saw that this house was back on the market. Clearly, we dodged a bullet with the Ivory home. Looks like the other buyers backed out too.)

IVORY HOME

By this point, the other rambler we had offered on in South Jordan was already under contract. Coincidentally, those buyers fell through and we had another chance to offer on the rambler. It seemed meant to be! I had even played the owner of this house in ping-pong. I told him if I beat him, he had to give us the house. Well, I destroyed him. He even had his wife start recording us playing. He wanted us to pay $75k over his asking price which we were originally going to do. After our traumatizing experience with the Ivory Home in Riverton, we decided we wouldn't pay that much and gave a lower offer the second time around. The owner wouldn't consider it. Too bad because the ping-pong win getting me the house would have made a terrific story.

SOUTH JORDAN RAMBLER

After all of this, I was discouraged. We have to be out of our house by August 7 and there isn't much for sale that I like. I even started to wonder if moving was actually the right thing for us to do. It's a little late for that given the fact that we've already sold our house and are currently "renters."

A few weeks ago, a house was listed in South Jordan. I liked it, but the price was steep which is why I decided not to pursue it. Well, I've been watching houses like crazy and I kept noticing that the said house was still listed which is bizarre given the competition right now. Finally, the price was reduced. Even at that point, I was hesitant to see it. I didn't want to get in over our heads. I almost cancelled the showing multiple times. I didn't bother having Andrew come look at the house with me. I mean, how many times can he take work off to look at a house? My mom joined me to survey the house. The whole ride over, I was skeptical and said things like, "this is probably a waste of time." In my defense, the pictures posted online do not do the house justice. It was love at first sight.

"THE ONE"

I continuously said, "Oh no! Why did I come?" and "Dang, I really like this" while walking through. I was scared to deal with another hard experience only to walk away from the house. I definitely had some PTSD and trauma to work through. I had to think things through before diving back into the market. I told Andrew I wanted to buy the house and he was shocked. He came after work to walk through it with me. The realtor said she's never seen Andrew so excited before. That says a lot since we've been looking at houses with her for 2 years (not kidding). Andrew was giddy and I couldn't keep up with him as he toured the house. About 5 minutes after we got there, he was playing with the intercom system. I was slightly irritated and finally said something like, "Well, do you even like the house? You're playing with the intercom system." He gave an absolute YES which kind of surprised me.

We didn't offer full price on this one and we got it! What a night and day different experience from the last couple of homes. "The one" did have other bids and the realtor could have asked them to go higher, but he didn't. I think Heavenly Father intervened and pulled some strings for us. I'm so thankful that the house was overpriced at first, so that it wasn't snatched up by someone else. 

After seeing "the one" together, Andrew and I got in the car and Andrew suddenly became serious. He stammered a little and said, "Jenna, there's something I have to tell you..." Full disclosure here, his tone made me nervous and I started jumping to the worst possible conclusions in my head... Did Andrew get in a  car accident? Get a ticket? Lose his job? Thank heavens, no. Andrew had a neat spiritual experience relating to the house.

Andrew said that when he was praying and thinking about whether or not we should back out of the Ivory  home, he felt very strongly that we should. I remember his confidence and I was shocked that Andrew felt so sure we'd find something better. Andrew proceeded to tell me that while he was praying about what to do, he saw an image in his mind of our future house. Apparently, as soon as he walked into "the one," it was the picture he'd seen while praying. The instant he saw the arches in the entryway, he knew it was the "better house" that we'd been praying for. It matched. No wonder he'd been so giddy during the home tour. This powerful experience gave me the chills and has helped me trust that this is the right place for us.

Things we LOVE:

• It's a RAMBLER. A dream come true for me.
• The floorplan. Wow! It's ideal. There's a Jack and Jill bathroom between the 2 kid bedrooms, there's a piano room, AND a den, as well as a formal dining room. 
• There is room to grow. The basement is unfinished, but has the potential to be amazing someday. Andrew and Chris were busy scheming the new movie theater room setup.
• It has a 3 car garage! We have so many kid bikes/strollers/outside toys. I can't wait to have more space for those and to stop scratching my car every time we get something out.
• The location! "The one" is in South Jordan. I can walk to my grandparent's house. It's a 3 minute drive from Jess and Chris' house and 8 minutes from my parents. 
• The address. I mean it has a pretty cute street name. I'm thrilled it's not a boring address with numbers only.
• The neighborhood is beautiful! We actually offered on a house 2 doors down from this one about a year ago. Clearly, we're supposed to be in this area.

This house is going to need some work, but it has good bones. During the inspection, it was discovered that water was leaking in the basement. Some broken sprinklers were fixed and additionally, someone will be working on fixing some foundation issues in the basement. There is a MASSIVE water feature in the backyard. We're having that removed stat. The water feature screams safety hazard for young kids and it is gross. The landscaping needs to be cleaned up. We are getting some new flooring too. I'm not a fan of the tile, but the worst part is the fact that some of the family room carpet backs up to the island in the kitchen which is a big no no. This weekend, we'll be painting the kitchen cupboards. It's so exciting and I can't wait to see it all come together.

With this home, things seem to just be falling into place. One example is that I was able to get James the last spot in the preschool nearby. What a relief! We close on the house tomorrow! We were able to offer a 9 day close. Even then, we're able to close a day early. Yippee! I'm eager to move in starting this weekend and am looking forward to scoping out the ward. Oh how quickly things have changed. We have a house and it's a good one!

Summer Lovin'

I don't know where to begin! We've been busy having fun and BUYING A HOUSE! (Stay tuned for the deets. Future blog post coming.)

Movie Theater

Our kids have never been to the movies! We planned on taking James last year around his birthday, but that's when COVID began. I was pleasantly surprised by how well the kids behaved! We saw "Spirit Untamed." It was the perfect intro movie because it's semi-short. Triple play Tuesdays are my favorite because you get popcorn, a drink, and a movie ticket for $5. James was a little scared during part of the movie, but still enjoyed the experience. He'd like to go to the theater again. Me too buddy, me too. My parents as well as Grandma Langlois joined us on the outing. It was helpful to have some extra hands to carry all the goodies and hold my babies. This theater runs kid movies throughout the summer for only $2, and I plan on taking advantage of that.

Dino Camp

My friend mentioned that Thanksgiving Point does summer camps. We signed Harrison and James up to do a dinosaur camp together. I wasn't sure if James would like it. He's been iffy about extracurricular activities in the past. He was a huge fan of this camp though and I'm thrilled. I wish I had signed him up for other camps because now they're all full. And, just in case you're wondering, yes I did call and try to get him on a wait list for another camp. I failed. Oh well. Next year, I'll definitely be signing both Izzy (who will be potty-trained) and James up for multiple camps.

Strawberry Days

Strawberry Days is an annual thing and includes so many events for families. This year was big because it was the 100th year celebration of Strawberry Days. Pleasant Grove is such a cute city and I'm definitely going to miss it. I entered Isabelle into the baby contest. (She's one month from aging out. When did she get so big?) How did she not win!? Apparently scoring was also based on personality. Right before, she got hurt and was crying. Look at me, already justifying why she lost. She was shy in front of the judges. Mama Bear is coming out. Notice her freshly painted toes? I also painted her fingernails which was a first. She's definitely won me over (and nearly everyone else).

We also went to the carnival. The heat was brutal and we only lasted about an hour, but I think it was worth it. Grandma Langlois joined us and she's the expert at running ahead to the next ride and saving us a place in line.

Not all sunshine and smiles

We also went to the special Strawberry Days story time in the park. A princess helped out in the puppet show which the kids loved. Huck Finn Days was also an adventure. The kids were in heaven playing games and getting prizes. We saw lots of friends there! Nearly everyone who manned the games commented on how adorable Isabelle is. I mean, come on baby contest judges! haha. A lady even asked if she could take a picture of my kids to put on her Instagram business page.

5k

Running in the 5k is an annual tradition of ours. Unfortunately we were slackers our first year living here and didn't participate in the 5k in 2016. This year marks our 4th time participating! (I guess I did do the half mile race as a kid a couple of times if you count that.) I always forget how hilly the second mile of the course is. My stomach felt off during the run. Surprisingly, I ended up winning my age-group. I love this race tradition! I've considered coming back and still running it next year, but I think it will be fun to start a new tradition in our new city. I'm grateful my mom watched the kids during the race, so we didn't have to haul them in the stroller. The T-Shirts this year were maybe the best yet. 

Time Comparisons:

2017

Andrew: 27 minutes 8 seconds

Jenna: 30 minutes 1 second

2018

Andrew: 27 minutes 47 seconds

Jenna: 27 minutes 17 seconds

2019

Andrew: 25 minutes 36 seconds

Jenna: 8 months pregnant... Was a great cheerleader

2020

COVID was in full-swing, so it was a virtual race only. We did not bother.

2021

Andrew: 26 minutes 12 seconds

Jenna: 26 minutes 48 seconds

We ended Strawberry Days by going to the parade. Honestly, watching how excited the kids were was amazing. They had the best time and got oodles of candy. James was literally jumping for joy. Andrew got some excellent video footage of the kids dancing to the music as the floats went by. I have some treasured memories from this year's Strawberry Days. 

Stay tuned for more...! Things are just getting started around here. St. George and swimming lessons are next! (Oh and a MOVE.)

Recital

Another recital is in the books. This year, Jessica's students joined mine to perform. This was delightful and made the recital infinitely better (and longer). In the past, some of my recitals have only lasted like 10 minutes (not kidding). 

Highlights:

• I got to accompany most of Jessica's violin students on the piano. I enjoyed doing this and am always up for learning new songs. Note to self... cut my nails next time before performing. Oops.
• My parent's came to cheer us on. They even brought flowers. 
• Jessica did most/all of the announcing which I did not mind one bit.
• Our treats for the performers were classy and cute. I gave students boom chicka pop and Jessica gave flowers. I'm sure the students didn't mind getting 2 goodies each.
• Jessica made elegant programs that she printed on darling music paper. (Unfortunately, I didn't get a good pic.)

My students: Amanda, Scotty, Zoey, Drake, and Miles

Low-Points:

• The facility failed to turn the air-conditioning on. I was sweating like a pig. After a while, my dad jumped in and got us some much needed air-flow.
• Jessica teaches one student remotely who lives in another state. They performed via zoom. My parent's brought a massive T.V, so the audience would be able to view it. Unfortunately, the apple T.V wouldn't connect to Zoom. We ended up scraping the T.V and watched the student play their piece on a computer screen which was fine.

This was a bittersweet experience for me. My students all played so well and performed their pieces memorized (even the one who has only been playing piano for one month). I've been teaching 2 of my students for almost FOUR years. They are getting advanced and sound so good. One can even play a few hymns. It was sad knowing I won't be teaching these two boys much longer. I do have some students lined up for when we move though! The recital is over. And with that, happy summer!  Now I know that all practicing will go out the window and you know what? I'm ok with that.

Cali!

The timing of our trip to CA was tricky. It didn't seem like the vacation was going to workout. I am so grateful it did! My grandma has been battling some health problems and with us trying to buy a new house, we weren't sure if we should flee UT. We went anyway and all is well. My grandma did okay while we were away and Jessica ended up touring a house for us. We facetimed while she walked through the house. It wasn't "the one," but I am appreciative she did that. We left for California on Thursday, May 27 and returned late Wednesday, June 2. It was a nice setup staying at my parent's condo in Seal Beach. 

Pool and Beach

We were spoiled being so close to 2 pools and a hot tub. The kids couldn't get enough. Even though our first dip into the water was piercing, we had to force the kids out of the pool when they started to shiver. Luckily the pool was much warmer other days. Both children wanted to "swim on their own" with their floaties of course. We had the pool to ourselves. We also utilized the gym in the complex which was so convenient! My mom and I went running outside together one morning which was dreamy. 4 miles flew by while we were chatting.

At the beach, Isabelle said that the sand was "slippery" and had a hard time walking on it. She got used to it though. The ocean was chilly, but that didn't stop us from having a blast. We learned our lesson after having the kids get in the water the first day. The other times we went to the beach, we just played in the sand. Isabelle was a big fan of the water. She waited for the water to run over her toes and watching her face was pure joy. The playground on the beach was a favorite and we went several times.

Then: James April 2018

Now: May 31, 2021

Hair goals

San Diego

We took a mini trip to San Diego and got to see my Aunt Heather, her husband Kade, and their kids while we were there. James and Izzy had a blast playing with my cousins. We timed our trip to San Diego to align with my Mom's birthday. We got to eat at her favorite pizza place of all time... La Bella's. We got to leave the kids with my cousins which made for a relaxing, tantrum-free dinner. Andrew has heard talk of Labella's Pizza for nearly 9 years and finally got to experience it. We were laughing hysterically because Heather tried to conspicuously tell the waiter that it was my mom's birthday. The restaurant suddenly became silent, so everyone heard her. The waiter responded in a monotone voice, "Well, happy birthday." (In an "I could care less tone.") We were bursting with laughter. The waiter did end up bringing her a free dessert, but no birthday tune for her.

We stayed the night with Heather and Kade. My abs got a good workout from all the chuckling we did. Heather tells the best stories. Heather and Kade mentioned that their neighbors have a pool and can be extremely loud. Heather was hoping they wouldn't have a big loud party that night, so we'd be able to sleep. Well, they had quite a party. Things escalated quickly and Kade had to go intervene. There was an intense fight with 2 drunk people. They were screaming profanity at the top of their lungs and throwing things. One man overturned their pool table in his anger. The argument started because one of the men wanted more to drink and knew the other guy was lying when he said, "We're all out." Kade saved the day. He had to separate the two and got shoved in the process. He then waited with one of the men (since clearly driving was out of the question) to be picked up.  Heather said, "I bet that doesn't happen in UT." 

My parent's met and grew up in San Diego, and it was neat to drive by their old houses. Growing up, we'd visit San Diego a lot because both of my grandparents lived there. It was a walk down memory lane to see where I spent many childhood vacations.

Legoland

Pronounced "Yay-Go-Yand" by Izzy. This was a highlight. None of us had ever been before. The song "Everything is Awesome" was on repeat and it was such a fun atmosphere. I'd heard this park is best for younger ages and I agree. James could do about everything. Waiting in long lines was a struggle for a 4 year old, but it was worth it. We definitely didn't get to everything. We did a flight simulator ride which kind of scared James. James got to go to "driving school" and was thrilled to steer a car. We rode in helicopters... Even Izzy was tall enough to do that. She let everyone in the park know how upset she was to get off the ride. I thought James would be terrified to ride on a roller-coaster, but he grinned from ear-to-ear. Nana and Papa took Izzy on the merry-go-round a couple of times while we were waiting in lines. She made her opinion known once more when she had to get off the carousel. Let the fun continue forever! There was a tent within the park that let you build with Legos. James was over-the-moon! The Legos were in unique colors and there was an infinite number of them. James was quite proud of the towers he created and kept showing them to a stranger. Of course, we got souvenirs and ice cream.

We love Nana and Papa

The park wasn't at full capacity due to Covid-19 which was amazing! It already felt crowded, so I can't imagine how packed it would have been. Masks were required which did not bother me at all. In fact, it made me feel comfortable bringing my kids there. We'll be first in line when the vaccine is available for children.

Aquarium

I've been wanting to take the kiddos to the aquarium in UT and haven't, so we decided to go in CA. There was lots to see. We watched a coral reef movie, touched Stingray, saw unique jellyfish, and fed Lorikeets. We were some of the first people of the day to feed the Lorikeets and man, they were viscous. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture from when we first entered the feeding area, but 10 plus birds were fighting for the food. It was a bit frightening to be honest, and I had marks all up my arm from their pecking. Izzy was sobbing and wanted to be held, but I couldn't pick her up since I was carrying the bird food. Hence, the bottom pick. If we had a re-do, we might skip this part, or buy less food. I think it was traumatic for the kids, but Nana bought them stuffed animals in the gift shop which helped gloss over the birds. James named his Sammy the Shark and Isabelle got a Mermaid. 

Clearly loving it

Pedicure

There's a story. Let me just start out by saying that this was by far the best pedicure I've ever had. It was thorough and my feet have never looked better. My color choice was spot-on too. Additionally, my ticklish feet handled the pedicure without too many freak-outs. Pictured below, you'll see that I'm engrossed in a book. I read "The Choice: Embrace the Possible" By: Edith Eger. The book has amazing reviews, but it wasn't my favorite. I spontaneously decided to get a manicure as well. After the lady finished my nails, I noticed that she missed some of the corners. I didn't want to put up a fuss, so I just grabbed the color off of the stand and touched them up myself. The problem was that I didn't have the clear top coat, so I had to track down an employee to get that for me. She ended up fixing those 3 nails for me and we headed on our way. When we were outside, I noticed that the 3 touched up nails were a different color... orange instead of pink. Oops. Lesson learned, just speak up next time, so I don't grab the wrong color while touching up my nails.

Can you spot the 3 differing nails?

Food

We ate like royalty. I finally tried my first acai bowl and will be having another. Obviously, I ordered a bowl that included peanut butter. I won't tell you every single place we indulged in because that would be embarrassing. I will say that having a Cold Stone right on the Seal Beach boardwalk is the perfect business model. I even branched out of my usual order which rarely happens. When you find something as good as "Peanut Butter Cup Perfection," (substituting the chocolate ice cream) why waver? I guess when I get ice cream a few times in one week, I'm willing to be more risky. Andrew and I spent a sunset on the beach, eating our ice cream and listening to the waves. Nana and Papa watched the kids another morning, while Andrew and I got breakfast burritos and roamed around the pier. Take me back!

Minnie Mouse Shoes

We did some shopping and I purchased Izzy Minnie Mouse shoes. She adores them! She couldn't contain her excitement when I showed them to her. She wanted to wear them right away and I could not take them off for any reason! She even slept with them on. I believe she wore them for 36 hours straight. They are sparkly, pink, and light up. What more could a girl want?

Drive

Andrew navigated the drive to CA well (I mean, he has been professionally trained as a driver) and I was content entertaining the kids. They exceeded my expectations on the drive there. Extra T.V time definitely helped. I also brought several new books which were a hit. Well, the drive home was even better. What!? We only had to stop ONE time on the nearly 10 hour drive. My dad drove which I so appreciated. Andrew flew home late Memorial Day, so he didn't have to miss more work. What did I do to deserve such well-behaved children!? I can partially thank our morning trip to the aquarium which tuckered them out. We cut it close to making it home without having to stop for more gas, but we did it. The gas light was on and everything (a first for me), but our journey could not have gone smoother. 

This was a week for the books! Vacationing with my parents was wonderful. Their hospitality and generosity was noticed! Having my mom around was like having a full-time photographer. We got so many pics thanks to her! Both my parent's were so eager to jump in and help with the kids which made traveling much easier. I'm already missing that ocean breeze, especially at night. I slept so well while we were there and we've come back to ninety plus degree temperatures! We snuck away from UT despite all the odds fighting against us, and now we're back and ready to find "the house!" We might be one step closer... We've offered on 2 homes since our return, so fingers crossed.