Move 'em on out

We are moving again, can you believe it?  I hardly can.  We weren't looking to move out of our current residence, and there are a  lot of great things about this place: an over-sized two-car garage, a fenced yard, a nice little neighborhood, a really great park right behind our house, which also means no houses behind us, just to the side, and a great school to go to.  But an opportunity arose to move to a one-acre lot.  How could we refuse?!?  It will also be lower rent and cheaper utilities, thus enabling us to finally save up to buy a house!  Hopefully it will be for only two year, as it's still a three-bedroom home with smaller bedrooms, but we are excited to live on property and have a beautiful view of our mountain.  We move early next month, and I look forward to planting a big garden with lots of berry plants too.  There's a lot of improvement to be made in the yard.  For example, there are no perennials that I'm aware of, and there are big, ugly juniper bushes all along the front of the house.  Sadly, there isn't a garage, but happily there is a HUGE carport and a shipping container of all things with plenty of storage space, so we don't need to buy a storage shed, hooray!!!  I'm excited to put the trampoline underneath the carport so the kids can jump year-round without being in the rain. 

The biggest downside is the lack of walk-in closet, which has been wonderful to have while living here because the crib fits in the closet and a closet makes the best little bedroom for a baby, nice and dark and quite.  We don't quite know what we'll do with coming baby yet.  Maybe roll the crib into the bathroom (which has double doors) during the night so it's not in the same room.  Hopefully that will work, and thank goodness for double doors and a crib with wheels if it does. 

Another downside is the lack of concrete or asphalt for the driveway; it's all gravel.  The kids can still ride their bikes, but we will have to take our scooters elsewhere if we want to ride those.  The lack of concrete also makes it dirty!  The entire house is laminate though, so I can get it really clean.  I see much mopping in my future.

I will really miss our current master bathroom and bedroom.  The bedroom is the perfect size, large but not overly large.  The bathroom here has a double vanity with the toilet and shower in it's own separate room, and then the walk-in closet.  The master bathroom in the new house is lame, in my opinion.  I think it was designed for someone who might use a walker.  It has a soaker tub with jets, which I care nothing about.  HH is really excited about it, so I'm happy for him.  I think they're a big waste of space.  The bathroom is one big room, with a double vanity, a small closet area, and the toilet, shower and tub.  Eww.  Not even a separate room for the toilet.  Oh well.  I live in luxury and convenience so I will try not to complain.  I just would rather have a walk-in closet than a soaking tub. 

The kids are excited to move, except for Big Sis, who is rarely excited about change.  Big Sis already gave the home a name: Hazelnut House, because there is a hazelnut grove right next to us.  Thankfully we don't change schools or wards, so that will make the transition easier for the big girls.  We have lots of ideas for improving the place like clearing out blackberries (if that's possible) and seeding the big side yard, building a fire pit, etc.  I just missed a free play structure on craigslist, so if you or someone you know is getting rid of a play structure for cheap, let me know! 

Hopefully I will take and post pictures soon, but no promises.  You know me too well for that.