So many houses out there!

Last night, we went out to Culver's to get ice cream (technically custard... lol) Anyway, after enjoying our treat, we drove past one of the houses that we are going to view on Monday. It's a short sale and someone has already put an offer in on it, but they said we can still take a look at it so we have a better idea of what we are looking for in a house that is in that particular price range. The kids both fell asleep in the back seat so we drove around some more trying to find the house we saw earlier in the week that was going to have an Open House on Sunday. In the midst of doing that, we found several other Open Houses and many more houses for sale. It's amazing how many are out there when you've got your eye out for the signs.

Tomorrow, after church, we'll probably check out a few Open Houses and then on Sunday, our agent scheduled us to view three houses. I'm falling in love with two of them right now, but am hoping that God finds a way to narrow down my choices because I just saw a few more online today that we might be interested in. 

The great thing about all of this is that God is totally preparing my heart for this process -- both emotionally and mentally. I feel like I know a lot more about mortgages, fixed-interest rates, home inspections, escrow, choosing a home, and so much more.

A glimpse into what we're looking for -- 

• 3+ bedroom -- If we find the perfect one and it only has 3 bedrooms, that's great. We'd prefer 4 just so there's extra room for any guests and we could potentially use it as a den/computer room. Although, if it has a half-finished basement, that'd add extra space too). 
• 1+ bathrooms -- I grew up with 7 people in my family and we all lived with just 1 bathroom so I know we'd survive. It's just a little nicer to have a 1.5 or 2 bathroom house especially with guests or get-togethers.
• Garage -- It's not a huge deal if it's attached or not. My preference is attached.
• Backyard -- If the yard isn't really big, I'd like to live within walking distance to a park. Otherwise, I'd prefer to have some mature trees in the yard to offer shade.
• Kitchen -- I don't know how to explain how it should look, but there needs to be enough room to have 2 people trying too cook/bake at the same time without stepping on one another's feet. The layout has to make sense. There also has to be a window or two because right now, there's no natural light in my cooking or dining areas.
• Living Room -- I'd like a big, old living room as a place to gather with friends and family.
• Saukville/Port Washington area -- We'd prefer to stay in this area since it's a shorter drive for Tim to go to work and it's a nice central location even if Tim (or I) would get a job in Sheboygan or Milwaukee. Also, everything we need is in close proximity -- church, grocery stores, parks, library, etc.

There are probably many other details that I'm leaving out, but that gives you the gist of it. It's so fun to look at all the options out there. The one great thing is that we don't have a deadline on when we need to buy so that relieves a little pressure on the whole buying process. I know once February and March start up, there will be more competition in the buyer's field. Hopefully we'll have a good head start on them!

Home Buying for Dummies...

is a really great book. But... it makes me a little nervous about everything involved with buying a house. Yes, we're taking a leap of faith and starting our journey of loan applications, real estate agents, and of course finding that perfect house. So excited!!

So far we've filled out a prequalification application (not to be confused with a preapproval). We're going to finalize a few more parts of our official loan application this weekend and send that out early next week. Also, we're utilizing the USAA MoversAdvantage® program where they assign a real estate agent to us and as long as we use them to close on a house, we'll get a bonus from USAA. We weren't expecting our agent to contact us so soon. She called Tim just the other day and sent us an email with a list of houses that meet our criteria. There are four of them that might work out for us - two in Saukville and two in Port Washington. We hope to view a few of the homes over the next couple of weeks just to get a better idea of what we're looking for, questions to ask, and to see how well the internet pictures match up with the actual house.

I must say that I'm a little nervous about all the different expenses and paperwork involved. It's our first house! I don't want to screw up! House hunting is so much more of a commitment than finding an apartment to rent. However, God is great and I'm just going to have to rely on Him to let everything fall into place the way that He wants. I've been trying to pray for Tim and I a lot more so that we're on the same page with all the decision making. Plus, I'd like to avoid any unnecessary stress and arguments.

Since there are other friends out there that are looking to buy houses, Tim and I are going to keep some more of the details to ourselves for now. So if we're a little more vague when talking about houses, locations, prices, loans, etc., please don't be offended. We'll share as much as we feel comfortable. For now, I'm going to enjoy this time of learning and will try and post any tips that I get from "Home Buyers for Dummies." 

Cleaning out the Closets

We've been trying to clean out our closets and get rid of anything we haven't used in a while or that we plain old don't need anymore. It's hard to part with material items. Part of it is that I'm a pack rat and always want to save for a rainy day. Who knows when we'll need this or that? Another part of me is relieved to get rid of all the clutter in our apartment. It'll make it a lot easier when the time comes to move into a house. Although... once we have a house, we'll have more room for our treasures  junk. I think the hardest part of declutterizing (I just made up that word if it's not one already) is that I'm stuck on the monetary value of what we're "losing." I have a difficult time knowing that we spent x amount of dollars on something and now we're going to give it to St. Vincent DePaul or sell it for significantly less than we spent. I guess it's God's way of humbling me and making me realize that the things I truly need are not of this world.

When I was living in Costa Rica for a semester during college, I pretty much lived out of my suitcase. If it didn't fit in my luggage, I really didn't need it. It was so liberating to live in such a simple manner. When I did my rural stay for two weeks, I went without a computer/access to Internet for the entire time. I didn't even miss it! Now, I feel like I'm glued to my computer just to stay in touch with people. Maybe I should clean out more than the closets in my apartment and reevaluate what it is that is truly important.... and maybe humble myself once again.

Christmas / New Year's (Round 2)

This year, Tim's family was able to come up to Wisconsin and help celebrate Christmas. We all drove up to Grandma and Grandpa Wagner's house on December 30th and enjoyed the peace and quiet of the north woods. There were more gifts to open and fun games to play!

Playing 'Sorry' -- Caleb's new favorite!

Caleb is playing Santa and handing out gifts

Unwrapping a gift...

Caleb was so stoked that he finally got a Piggy Bank!

Tackling Grandpa Nikolai

Sonya and Uncle Peter

Caleb and Aunt Kelly

Taking a nap with Grandma Nikolai

Playing 'Apples to Apples'

Sonya and Papa Nikolai

Aunt Kelly with Caleb and Sonya

Sonya with Great-Grandma Wagner and Grandma Nikolai

We all stayed up late on New Year's Eve -- the neighbors were shooting off fireworks which we could see through the skylights. It was kind of cool. I don't think very many of us made it 'til midnight though. Overall, it was a great time with family. We ate lots of chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, and fudge and of course the kids were spoiled with their great gifts.

Sonya's First Christmas!!! (Round 1)

Isn't she cute in her little Christmas dress?

It was exciting to see what Sonya would do by the Christmas trees and if she would be interested in opening the gifts at all. Plus, Caleb was finally old enough to understand what Christmas is all about. 

Waving at the Camera

 Pretty girls

 Mommy and the kids

We went to the Christmas Eve service at Open Door. Sonya just learned how to clap before we left for church so she was practicing that during the songs. It was so sweet how she lifted her hands in the air like she was really praising God. 

After that, we drove to my parent's house to celebrate Christmas with them. Everyone stayed up late -- eating cookies, sipping eggnog, and talking. Sonya didn't want to go to bed at her normal time. I can't blame her. She was in a new environment and over-stimulated by all the excitement. Plus, she's too darn curious and wants to always know what is going on. The next morning, my mom made a big breakfast since we had to wait for my brother to get home from church before we could open gifts anyway. I was very surprised that Caleb didn't beg to open his gifts like some kids would. He was completely content just leaving the presents under the tree and keeping busy with the other toys at grandma and grandpa's house.

Oh, Christmas Tree

Sonya and Caleb sitting with Grandpa Pauly

The Nikolai Family

The Pauly Family Inc.

Caleb got a remote control car from G&G Nikolai

 and he and Sonya got an Adventure Play tent with a tunnel!

Sonya was intrigued by the wrapping paper...

Now I have two dollies! One from G&G Pauly and one from "Santa"

Christmas Dinner (and two goofballs!)

Sonya cuddling with her dolly in Grandma Pauly's lap

There were so many other photos from that day, but I figured I'd choose from a few of my favorites. Hope you enjoyed them!