Housal Abuse and other stuff

Life has been crazy around here for us these days. We're one month into a double mortgage, as we purchased a foreclosed home the first of May. We got a heck of a deal but the home had been vacant for two years. Which everyone knows leads to a whole lot of "issues". The house had been built in 1978 and not updated a single time...so yeah, we walk in and are staring down orange vinyl flooring, wallpaper with wheat pictures on it and yucky wooden cabinetry with black hardware that looks seriously phallic. We have our work cut out for us but have already done an exhaustive amount of updating in the last month, including tearing out the kitchen and putting in new cabinetry and countertop, new laminate flooring throughout and had all our ceilings re-textured and painted. (it had popcorn texture ceilings) We fell in love with the house for the layout and space. It's 4 bedroom upstairs and a really open, spacious floor-plan on the main level. Twice the space for less money.

On the other hand, we've finally made the decision to list our current home with a realtor. We've had it fsbo for 2 months now. I've been close to a nervous breakdown a few times as getting the house spotless for now 30 showings with two mess-makers. And then there's the kids! :) There has been times where I've gotten the place clean, ran out and strapped the girls in their car seats and then run back into the house 3 minutes before the showing to pick up and put away all the stuff Blair got out on our way to the car!

I should quit complaining though. We're excited and think the new house will be a real "pad" by the end of the summer.

Blair is the ever-independent, vivacious, ball of energy she's always been. It's evident she's a perfectionist with a wild imagination. Two months ago, when we were getting our house ready for our first showing, I overconfidently packed up 90% of her toys and moved them to the new house thinking we'd have ours sold in a few weeks. So far, I've refused to go back and unpack them, but really considered it a few weeks ago when I saw her playing "house" with a screwdriver and a ballpoint pen, making them talk to each other.
Speaking of pens, she's entering the stage where I've always got to keep one handy as she says the funniest things. A few days ago at Lowes a man passed us with scraggly brown hair down to his shoulders with a mustash and beard and wearing a baggy white t-shirt. She excitedly pointed to man and said, "Mommy! That's Jesus!"

London has made a 180 degree turn from where she started 7 months ago. I remember noting that it took a solid 4 months until we could put her in her carseat and drive somewhere without her screaming the entire time. I really thought I had the touchiest baby on the planet as I struggled through our first 16 weeks. But you'd never know it now. She is so easy-going and happy, smiling and laughing all day, rarely crying and soothing herself to sleep at nap and bed time. She watches Blair like a hawk and is always most comfortable in my arms. She is already over 20 lbs and wearing clothes that Blair wore just last summer! She's definately more affectionate than Blair, loves being kissed and held. Her hemanginomia is big, obtrusive and hard to cover up with skimpy summer dresses so we often find ourselves on the recieving ends of stares from people in public or being questioned about whats on the back of her neck. It's humbling, but could definately be worse...some kids get these things on their face!

Everything else going well. It's just starting to get hot in Iowa, so I'm looking forward to days in the sunshine, sitting on the edge of our city wading pool watching the girls splash around.