Best birthday ever!

Matt kept promising me that this birthday would be the best birthday ever. I told him I wasn't getting my hopes up...based on previous birthdays. We have been looking, unsuccessfully, for a house to buy for months and he told me he was going to buy me a house for my birthday. I repeated my skepticism . Monday night, my birthday, he surprised me and drove me to our new home! (Well, it's not ours yet, but we have signed a Buy/Sell agreement...so almost ours.)

This is not just any house, this is a house that we tried to purchase a month ago and were heart-broken to learn that another family had submitted a Buy/Sell hours before our offer. It fit all of our criteria:

• price
• land (almost an acre!)
• 3 bdrms, 2 baths
• office
• place to park work trailers
• livable condition
• one level

I know this is news to some of you, but I purposely chose not to blog about it because I was extremely disappointed and didn't want to revisit the disappointment every time I logged on. I spent many moments 'discussing' my disappointment with my Lord. Anyway, we moved on with our lives and continued to look for a house...nothing, NOTHING, came close to "the one that got away", as I named it. I had all but given up hope and kept telling Matt that we would have to build a house (not a great option in the current market). Well, long story short - the other family was unable to buy the house and so we got a second chance. Woohoo!

When Matt pulled into the driveway and told me it was my house, I couldn't believe him at first, but he slowly convinced me and all I could do was smile, smile, smile.

Here I am, smiling, in my new kitchen - butcher block, solid-surface counter tops, wood floor, window over sink, this girl's dream!

Self-portrait of two very happy almost-homeowners!

Front of house - we are dreaming up a new front porch already.

2 car garage, large driveway and a place next to the garage for the work trailers.

My trees! (So big and mature...not like the spindly branch growing in my current front 'yard'.)

The den...whatever that is...with a wood burning fire place.

The large living room...did I mention that I get to keep all the furniture?!?!
And the street that we will live on is called 'Wildflower Way' - isn't that a nice name for a street? I'll keep y'all posted on when we close and move in and all that.
Aunt Addie lovin' on M (left) and S. Good lookin' bunch.

The boys and I spent an afternoon playing outside, enjoying the sunshine. I had the foresight to bring the camera out with us. Smigg-a-doo in gray.

Mase-Mose surveying the thousands of rocks that still needed to be thrown.

M and S found some of Dad's tools. S, wielding a screw driver, is attending to the garage door bracket.Mason is 'fixing' the tire on the jogger. So handy, these boys of mine!

Mason's working hard...hence the tongue out.

My little sweetum, Mase.