It's Official!!!

Well folks, the day we never thought would arrive is here - we bought a house!!!  Chris ventured out on his own this March, so we were no longer tied to Santa Monica and the west side.  Prices drop considerably when you move out about 30 miles....  We weren't really looking, but a trip to Magic Mountain led us to the Valencia suburb in Santa Clarita and we fell in love.  It is a great area, a brand new home, good schools, family friendly, and - if you time it right - only a 30-40 minute drive back to the city. Most importantly, what we needed and what we could afford were a little more in line... We are so blessed - thank you so much to all of you who supported our dream of finally owning a home.  Come out and visit!

Front of house - door is around to the right.

View from family room through the dining room, front door, and living room (aka Chris' studio)

Master Bedroom

Loft

Master Bath (the closet is unreal....)

Kitchen

Family Room

Our First Backyard!!!  Not very big, but we are excited all the same. :)

I am sure more pics will come as we move in and get settled.  Wahooo!!!  It feels so strange!

Little Lady Elora

Day One

Year One

Four Years Old!!

August 2, 2009 - We love you, Elora!

Our Little Man

Day one...

Year one...

Five Years Old!


July 6, 2009 - Our little man is all grown up!  We love you, Jackson!

Patio Nightmare

So -

We have this great big enclosed patio on one side of our little pink house, and I am clueless.  Indoors, I have ideas to go all day long.  Plants and such stump me completely.  Thus I have decided to make my own version of "Rate My Space" and get all your ideas!  Keep in mind that it has to be kid friendly and client friendly at the same time... tricky, I know.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Rockers and Drummers

So I picked Jackson up from preschool today, and he had a huge hole in the knee of his new jeans.  I asked him what it was.  He informed me that that's how rockers and drummers do it - they wear holes in their jeans!  He was quite proud.  I later learned that the hole had occurred as he slid across the classroom rug on his knees... He completed the day by coming home and playing the drums on Rock Band.  Gotta love it!

Oops...

For all of you patiently waiting for me to update (again), I beg your forgiveness.  The promised Christmas post is in debate, as I completely forgot to bring our camera to Utah in the rush to leave on time....  I struggle.  I am trying to compile a few from other cameras - if you have any send them my way!!!  Until then, know that we had a wonderful time and felt very blessed this season.  Wish me luck with the future posts!

Party Time!

I have to admit - I love Halloween!  It gives me a chance to dress up and be silly and eat lots of junk.... okay, sometimes that is everyday anyhow but I still love Halloween!  We were in a real neighborhood for the first time in our married lives, so we got to have a pumpkin on the porch, hand out candy, and walk down our own street.... such a joy that I took for granted growing up!  Courtesy of Grandma B. I enjoyed the night with a beautiful  "angel-fairy-princess" and a handsome astronaut.  I love it!

I feel like I look silly here, but the costume was great - Natalie put it together from the collection of her boss.... amazing!  Check out Damsel In This Dress  online sometime!

Chris got to be home this year for the whole experience - yeah!!!  He even put on token devil horns for the trunk-or-treat at church, and sported an orange shirt for Halloween night.  He loves me!

This is Elora and her friend Aiden - totally unplanned but really cute costumes together!

Grandpa Erdmann will be pround.

We even decorated cookies this year - and got to try out the new aprons that Aunt Katie made - so cute!