FOUND!

We found a room! A king suite! It will be nice to have more room that just a standard size hotel room, especially since we'll be in it for about 13 days! I guess instead of searching online I had to call the actual places!

Zach also booked us a room here on base, so our lodging is taken care of!

I made an appointment for our housing pre-inspection. Hopefully not too much will be required of us besides the basic cleaning.

It is unreal to me how fast time is going. I can't wait until my garage sale is over so I can focus on doing what I need to do in the house!

Forgot to mention...

They've already got the drywall up on our house! They're cruising! I can't wait to see it all completed!!!

House

For those of you who can't see images from here if you are interested I can email you some pictures. I forgot to mention that our carpeting will be the same color. I think our counters are different but I can't remember!!!

Good news or bad?

We really enjoyed the church! Even before we got in the building we were greeted by people- its a small church and they were expecting us! It was such a wonderful welcome! The people were wonderful- even the children coming up and shaking our hands! And it seems our kids made fast friends with other kids! The sermon was wonderful and the Pastor took us to lunch afterward. It was great getting to know he and his family better, especially after I'd been in touch with his wife for a couple of months via email.

We did more house hunting yesterday. One house (16th house down, in Stratford on Dryden) we went to was out in the country on 2.9 acres and was so beautiful on the outside. The inside was decent but needed work- like major paint jobs, new carpeting and a bit of updating in the kitchen. The bathroom had started being completed but wasn't finished. We really considered the house- it was so spacious, but would require work and money. Some of the other houses were ok, but nothing really stood out. There was one in Ames that I really liked. It had a nice sunroom, a nice playroom in the basement and was cute. Zach didn't like it, being an older home and it didn't have quite the number of bathrooms I'd like. Also, two bedrooms were downstairs and I wouldn't have wanted one of the kids down there alone! This one was so cool. Doesn't look old on the outside but on the inside it was so old- natural woodwork, cobblestone type kitchen floor. It was beautiful, but again not Zach's type. Which was okay with me, not sure its 'suitable' for young children to live in! We looked at a bunch of others but none really fit. I was a bit discouraged to say the least.

I haven't been sleeping well, in a strange smaller bed with hardly any room in the bed! Not to mention the stress of not finding something!!! We didn't have much of a game plan today and that concerned me, but we decided to drive back to Ankeny. Zach really likes this house which is being built and should be done sometime in May. I liked it too but thought the kitchen too small- not much cupboard space. So we met with our realtor and the listing agent and looked at it again. We also looked at another floor plan we didn't see the other day. My favorite of them all was this one which had a 'model' we could actually see The only thing different in the one they're building is that it will be 2 full bathrooms upstairs rather than the 'Jack & Jill' bathroom, which will add a bit of square feet. I liked the open floor plan downstairs. There is one of these being built, but they said it wouldn't be done until July!!! But then we found out if they 'sell' it they'll work on it quicker and put aside some of the work on the other houses that aren't sold. It's got the basement poured at this point and that is it!!! But we decided to make an offer on it and pray that it will be done pretty near to the time we move up. Our offer was accepted!!!! I took pictures of the model but of course I forgot my cord at home so I can't post them until we get back. Tomorrow we go to the builders service center to pick out flooring and all that...but we'll probably stick with the standard options as they are very nice.

It is weird that I'm not more excited about it all. I mean I'm very excited but not jumping up and down! I think I'm just so exhausted by it all at this point and it will kick in at some point! It is weird to think we'll be purchasing another home- a brand new one at that! We will have to build a garage at some point and also try to finish at least part of the basement to add more room. We haven't lived in a 3 bedroom home in a long time!!! But there are families larger than ours who live in homes smaller than ours and they manage! So...we have a home!!! Now maybe we can head back to MS sooner and quit spending money on lodging and food!

(I hope this post makes sense. I am tired and hungry and I'm not sure I'm thinking straight! I also have more I want to post about but just can't think straight!)

We made it

We arrived in Ames yesterday evening but I was too tired to let y'all know! Plus the kiddos were dying to swim in the pool! We had a pretty uneventful drive up but ran into some heavy rain yesterday. I'm assuming that if we'd been awake we would have felt tremors from the earthquake as we were on the border of Arkansas, Missouri and Illinois. I hear they even felt tremors up here in Iowa! Crazy!

We looked at our first batch of homes today. Some we really liked but they were a bit on the steep end of our price range. Some were ok and others we liked. There are about 3 homes currently being built that we really like, but they're a bit small. They are beautiful though, and quite affordable. We will see what tomorrow brings as its another day of looking at homes!

We also get to try our 'new' church tomorrow. I am very excited for this. I've been in touch through email with the pastor's wife for some time and just talked with her on the phone. It will be so nice to finally meet them!

We haven't had much time yet to explore Ames. Zach mentioned doing it tonight but I think I'm too tired. We've got baths to give, clothes to iron and sleep to gain!

Some funnies I wrote down that happened on our ride up:

Princess: Mom, when we go to Iowa house hunting are we going to be on TV like other people? (referring to House Hunters)

Little Man upon seeing round hay bales in Iowa declares: MEATBALLS!!!! I laughed so hard and when I told my mom on the phone I couldn't even talk because I was cracking up so much!

Cuddly boy asked (while playing with his sandals), "Where's our 'now boots?" He cried when I told him there was no snow right now!!! Thursday night when we'd stopped for the night I walked into the room to find him laying in bed with the hotels Bible on his lap!

And a note to my self: don't stop at 'hickville' gas stations. There are not enough regular gas pumps and you will pull up to a diesel not realizing it. The 'regular' pumps will be full...with a whole 2 cars!

Just in case

My mom said that she couldn't see indoor pictures of the house I really like so just in case here's the link where you can see more pictures. It is really priced great. There are others houses for the same price and they're not as nice as this one by a long shot (in my opinion).

Here's one that's the same price. We'd really have our work cut out for us tearing down that wallpaper!

Here's the other for the same price. While it's not bad I'm not keen on the bathrooms or wood paneling in one of the rooms. And the outside makes me think of the house on The Brady Bunch.

The Flipside

Ok so I showed you the houses that would better accommodate our family, but are a bit pricier. Here are some that are more affordable but rather smaller or just plain yuck.

Some that were sent to us before are pending sale so I can't find info on them. I'm telling you there is really nothing but junk for $130K and under. It is frustrating!

Here's the first one. I love the kitchen (not). And it is more than the $130! UGH!

This is one we liked. Obviously it says its pending. I think it was by RR tracks anyway.

This one looks nice and dark, not to mention tiny. Plus I think its a townhouse.

Then there's this one. Again, check out the kitchen.

Ok, I admit this one is nice. But who knows what it looks like inside!?!

I don't like this at all. Sorry!

Then we have this home which is just plain tiny.

Again the kitchen here is yuck and the bedrooms look like they're so small.

The last one.

When we move I'll be 6 months pregnant! With three children. The last thing I want to do when I move into a house is a ton of renovations, painting, etc. And I don't feel comfortable buying a house I won't be comfortable in, ya know? It is such a frustrating process, I just want to scream!

I found it!

This is the first house I've looked at that I absolutely fell in love with. I want it, I want it, I want it! We're going to Ames at the end of April to house hunt. I can't wait, although I'm dreading the long drive and the thought of spending money!

Where has the week gone?

These are the flowers we had placed in church on Sunday in honor of Malachi. Beautiful, aren't they? They smell so good! I hate that flowers die so quickly! That's one reason I never buy them. Saturday we went to eat at Olive Garden. Oh it was delicious. We hadn't been there in forever. I so want to go back...today!

I can't believe I barely posted all week! Monday I woke up feeling so much more energetic! I wanted to clean! But I didn't. Instead I committed myself to doing school! That's more important than a clean house, right? Zach was off Monday and Tuesday because he tested for Master Sergeant on Wednesday. He thinks he did alright, so I am really praying he makes it! We won't find out until June and if he made it he wouldn't sew it on until the summer of 2009 but its a good pay increase! So far he's made rank the first time testing, if not earlier so I'm counting on it again. He works so hard and puts up with a lot so I'm believing God will bless him, but if not its ok- he'll just test again next year!

Tuesday and Wednesday I cleaned, cleaned, cleaned. I went through clothes and have 3 huge garbage bags full of our clothes to get rid of. I cleaned the refrigerator. I cleaned. I was so tired of a nasty house! I also did school. It is nice to be getting back into school. We've been doing about 2 lessons a day because I don't want to be at it until July! And they really don't seem to mind working so we keep at it!

Today we dove right into our schoolwork. Little Man amazes me by how fast he picks up on math! Today he learned skip counting, and while not hard at all I wasn't sure he'd get it. Boy, he did awesome! Princess is learning cursive writing and really excited about it! By 2 pm I was exhausted and had to lie down. I think with all of the cleaning the past couple of days I wore myself out! I was going to go to Park Day today but wasn't sure how warm it would be (I was freezing for some reason). We were also doing well with our schoolwork so I thought we'd just skip it. I also skipped out on a dentist appointment I had today. It was that or take the kids with me and I could see that being a nightmare! Hopefully the date I rescheduled works for Zach to watch them.

On the moving front we can't be more excited. At first we were being shown some affordable homes but they were so small or ugly. We're tyring not to be picky, but it is a home we're going to be purchasing so we do want to be happy with it. We upped the price a bit and there's quite a few we like. We'll just have to see if we can afford that. We did look at our bills and try to figure things out somewhat but its so hard. We're hoping to drive to Iowa in April to really house hunt. I do not want to buy a house just looking at the pictures online! You never know what you may end up with or where it may be (there are many nice ones that seem like they're right by railroad tracks).

I have no idea what I'm going to do yet regarding the birth, but I'll keep praying about it and seeking information. I've gotten some names of midwives and such in that area from people I've been in touch with from there. The thing that excites me the most (I think I mentioned this before) is the church there. I know we haven't actually gone there yet, but it doesn't seem like it could get any better. The pastor's wife and I email back and forth and she is a wealth of information. Not to mention very encouraging. It is always difficult moving and leaving friends behind. When we moved here I was about 7 months pregnant with Cuddly Boy. Of course I was wondering how I'd meet somebody to care for the other two when I had him! I had a friend in NC who had a friend stationed here (the Air Force is a small world) and she hooked us up. We met the Blackmon's and became fast friends. They were the type of people I felt comfortable leaving my children with. And they were so helpful with us moving and having a baby! I feel like the Lord is providing that in Iowa also. He is so good in how He watches over us!

Jodie wants to see some pics of houses we like, so here we go!

415 Beedle Drive-the pictures the realtor sent don't seem as dark and stuff as these ones.

Red Oak Drive- this one is really expensive but I really like it!

Grant Circle- the rooms in this one seem big!

Larson Drive- another nice one

Duea Cr- I think I saw more pics on this from the realtor. I am not on my computer but the laptop so I'm unable to access them.

Greene St- Zach loves the bathtub!

I was trying to be content looking at 3 bedrooms but we've been so spoiled with room for so long that it is hard! And with adding 2 more children to our family this year its just more feasible to have a 4 bedroom and more room. Also, we've had 2 bathrooms for like 6 years so its hard to go to less than that for me. I've been quite spoiled (or blessed) in the houses we've lived in and I really can't imagine going much smaller. The house we're in now isn't very big but I love the open layout downstairs. I keep saying I wish we could just take this house with us! Anyway, I think I should wrap this post up.