Start of Summer

Summer time is officially here in the Rollins household. We've started our crazy summer adventures, including looking for a house, a vacation, and a staycation. It's been a whirlwind of a month, but I'll try to recap.

We told ourselves we wouldn't get a realtor until June--but then we met Emily. We were spending that Saturday looking at open houses, a common hobby of ours, when we drove by a house I had seen listed online the day before. I didn't think there was an open house for it, but then I saw the signs and balloons. We went in and were greeted by Emily, who instantly impressed us. When choosing a realtor, one of the biggest factors is how well your personalities mesh. She clicked with us really well, and I felt she understood us in the few minutes of talking with her. She's the kind of person you want as a friend. After we left, she sent us a personalized video, going above and beyond, and that's all it took for me to know she would be a great person to help us. 

We met with her the next week to talk over our wants and needs, and then started looking at houses. It's very different to go through a casual open house compared to a private appointment. Open houses are low pressure for us, and it has been mostly daydreaming. Now, however, with our realtor, things just got real. I have to thoughtfully evaluate each house and question if I want to live there or not. Daydreaming is one thing, but trying to actually make decisions is very stressful. I want to make the right choice, but it's hard when my options change daily. 

We saw seven houses the first outing, and got a good feel for things but nothing grabbed our attention. Then on Thursday night, a listing was posted for a house in a neighborhood we really like. We scheduled to see it the next day at lunch, and while there, got excited. There were some downsides, but overall, we were happy enough to make our first offer. We went in a little below asking, but had a strong offer otherwise. However, our realtor found out there were already multiple offers on it and the sellers planned to accept the highest price on Monday regardless of other factors like order of offers submitted or quality of financing and such. We decided not to fight for that house, but were glad to get our first offer out of the way.

That night, Stephen and I left Paige with a babysitter and went to Park City with some of his coworkers for a "team activity" for Stephen's work. We toured a chocolate factory. This place prided themselves on the purity of their chocolate and only had the cocoa beans and a bit of sugar as ingredients, making the bars taste nothing like Hershey's. They were not my favorite flavors, but it was a fun experience and a good date night all the same. After the tour, we all ate at an Italian restaurant where Stephen and I actually ate during our Honeymoon. It was yummy and a fun night. 

The next day, we saw five or six more houses. We were immediately impressed with the first one we saw.  The flooring was really pretty, it had a family room and a living room, the kitchen was nicely done, but best of all, it had a double oven! Oh my goodness, enticing! There were some negatives, the like the laundry being out in the open next to the nursery, and the basement was only 50% completed (I like the idea of an unfinished basement to put my personal touch on, but it also equals work and more money). I also was really disappointed in the master bath. Overall, it was a good house--Stephen probably liked it more than I did, but I knew it had a lot going for it. 

We left that house and saw a few more, but none of them compared the the first one. Then, on the final house, we finally had some competition against the first one. It had a huge kitchen and a nice floor plan, with carpet in the living area. The basement was completely unfinished, but that means we can choose where to put walls and really design the full space. The master bathroom was impressive except for the carpet. Whoever decided to put carpets in bathrooms is gross. However, it would be an easy fix. The other down side is it's only a 2-bedroom house, and we were really looking for 3. 

We spent the next few hours going back and forth on those two houses, wondering which we should put an offer on, if either. We finally decided on the first house and submitted our offer that night. I was very unsure and had my reservations, but it was probably due to the process as a whole--I assume I'll be anxious over buying any house. We went to their ward that Sunday to get a feel for the demographics of the neighborhood and drove around the area more. 

The next day, Monday, we heard back from the sellers. They had countered our offer. We had gone in $10,000 below asking, but felt it was fair due to comps and such. They asked for an additional $6,000, which wasn't bad. I still felt uneasy about it, and after talking it over a lot more with Stephen and getting the advice from others, we decided to decline. We had only been in the market formally for a week and felt like there would be better options to come. However, before our realtor was able to formally decline the offer, the sellers revoked their counter offer--a move that rarely happens. It was weird and unprofessional, but since we didn't want it anyway, things were ok. 

That same Monday, Stephen and I went on vacation--but not together. Stephen's work has an annual company retreat. This year, they went to Zions. He hiked Angel's Landing, rode horses, and played lots of fun games with his coworkers. I decided to spend the few days he was gone with my family in St. George. There were wedding plans we wanted to get done that were easiest if I was there too. It was also good to have help taking care of Paige. I don't know how single moms do it. We had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Hutchins, as well as aunts and uncles. We made a lot of progress on the wedding plans and had a nice break. 

We both came home Wednesday and had some downtime before Memorial weekend. Heidi, Stephen's sister, Scott, her husband, and their daughter Elise came to stay with us for a few days during the long weekend. Elise is only a few months older than Paige, and while it makes a bit of a difference now, as time goes on, the age gap will matter less and less. I'm glad they have each other as cousins, and can grow up to be friends. 

It was fun to have their family visit. We went to Wheeler Farm Saturday morning and the girls loved seeing the animals. Paige was just old enough to appreciate her surroundings, and Elise had fun making the animal noises. Afterwards, we came home and had lunch and let the girls nap while Heidi and I went to Ikea. I want to shop there more--they have a lot of good deals on more than just furniture. 

That afternoon, we gathered everyone up and went to Temple Square in Salt Lake. The girls liked watching the water fountains in City Creek, and had a lot of fun in the children's play area in the Church History Museum. The weather cooperated for us too, even though the report made us worry. We put the girls to bed that night and stayed up playing games. Sunday we went to church and then had dinner with Stephen's Grandma and Grandpa Barth who live nearby.

On Memorial day (which is today as I'm writing this), we took the girls to a splash pad nearby. Today was the first day of the season for the splash pad to be open. I expected a crowd, but when we got there, it was just us. People trickled in though, and there was a good turnout by the time we left. Paige was very hesitant and unsure about the water. She wanted to be held rather than play in it. We helped convince her that it was suppose to be fun, and she slowly got into it more and more. I'm hoping more exposure will help her be more comfortable. Elise had a lot of fun splashing and playing. 

After we had our fun there, we went and ate In-n-Out burgers. We said our goodbyes after lunch since they drove back up to Idaho right afterwards. It was a good staycation for us, and glad to have family to share it with. It's different being the parent when planning vacations and activities than as a child. but a lot of fun still. I hope to do more holidays like this in the future.

Right now, I'm enjoying a bit of down time while Paige is napping before doing some shopping and cleaning. The rest of the summer is going to be as eventful as the past two weeks have been, so stay tuned for more blog posts to come, and cross your fingers we find the perfect house!

April Overview

It's been almost two months since I last wrote. Now that I'm not specifically doing monthly updates on Paige, it's harder to fit this blog into my life. I keep meaning to write, but it's one of those things that unless I make time for it, I'm not going to find time for it, and there are plenty of things in my life I want to make time for. Paige and Stephen have been my top priority, and right now, their needs are met, along with mine, so I might as well take this time to share what has been happening in our lives.

I wish I could capture every moment of Paige's life and share it with everyone. It would be great if I could remember every little detail at every phase of her life. Maybe in heaven, when I get to watch my life story, I'll be able to watch hers as well. She is the light of my life right now. Paige is a sweetheart and a happy child. I love watching her play and learn and interact with me. She talks a lot more now than she use to. Her vocabulary includes: Dada, Mama, Ball, Water, Bubbles, Nana "Nurse", Bye, Yes, and a very vague I Love You. She doesn't cry much, but she has lately started to squeal when she is upset. But with her better capacity to communicate, I'm able to meet her needs easier so she's not so cranky. She will also sign for food, and wave. 

Paige is a full-blown runner. With my broken foot, she is faster than me. There are times I struggle to catch her before she runs too far off, but for the most part, her walking has been a blessing. She likes to climb the stairs (with my help) by stepping up each step. It basically requires her to raise her leg to a 90 degree angle to get her foot on the next ledge. I hold her hands so she can pull herself up. It's pretty fun. She also likes to walk to where she's suppose to go. Paige will walk to the car from our door and wait for me to open it and put her in, and she will walk to her room when it's nap time or she needs a diaper change. She's really obedient and compliant with that, and that can only be attributed to her peaceable nature. 

She's also very social. I've been making a point of getting out of the house more and doing things. My broken foot has slowed me down some, but we manage. Many of our favorite stores have electric carts for me to use. I put Paige on my lap and drive around the store, more often than not just browsing. Paige will wave to people and leaves smiles wherever she goes. We've also attended a lot of mommy groups through La Leche Leage and other events, and she's done really well playing with other kids. She loves watching older children run around, and is very curious about younger babies (though not always as gentle as she should be). She has been going to our gym's daycare as Stephen and I work out twice a week for a half hour, and that's been good for her social development. It's a safe space for us to practice separation and independence (she's better about it than I am).

Paige is a voracious eater. She's getting a little chubbier, but overall, she's still petite. I did put away some of the 6 month size clothes last week, but I sure got my money's worth out of them. She loves to eat and wants to taste everything. Paige especially loves if the food comes off of my plate. She knows what dessert is and persistently asks for food. She will literally eat more in one sitting than I do sometimes. She also loves to eat frequently. It seems like every ten or fifteen minutes, she asks for a snack. She loves applesauce, wholegrain crackers, fruit snacks, cereal (chex and cheerios mostly).

We had some struggles with nursing after she turned one. I wasn't sure if I wanted to continue or not, and she wasn't being very considerate of my needs. After talking with a lot of moms, I've been able to set boundaries with her and teach her nursing manners, and that has helped us a lot. We now really only nurse in the morning after she wakes and at night before she goes to bed. Every now and then we slip another nursing session or two in during the day, but it is now so much more manageable for me, and we'll continue until it no longer benefits us.

Paige is super playful. I'm having a hard time keeping up with entertaining her. We've gone to parks and she loves the slide but hates the swing. She enjoys shopping and likes to turn off the power on my electric cart while we're driving around (she enjoys it far more than I do). Paige loves her toys, especially the ball she got for Easter (have I written since Easter? I just checked--no I haven't). While she and I are buddies, she thinks daddy is hilarious. She loves her books too, and knows each book well. 

Thinking about Easter has reminded me of all the large events I haven't recorded here. I've tried to keep my facebook updated, and I've taken a lot of pictures and videos. Briefly, we celebrated Easter. It was so fun to set up a basket for Paige. I loved picking out gifts for her, and sewing her a new dress. She caught on to the egg hunt idea, and it became a lot more fun for her when she realized there was often chocolate inside them. She also had a lot of fun at the family Easter party with Stephen's relatives--she even took second place in the egg roll. We enjoyed watching General Conference and hearing inspirational talks. Paige did pretty well during the sessions so that we were able to watch and glean information from them. 

I've been doing a lot of wedding planning for Susan. There are only a few weeks until she gets married. I've also been socializing, as I mentioned above. I've enjoyed strengthening friendships. This past week, I was able to strengthen the relationship with some of the women in my life through Women's Conference. This was a two-day event of spiritual classes as well as service and socializing. One of my favorite parts was the concert with a lot of great LDS musicians. I had a lot of fun with my mom, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, aunt-in-law (is that a term?), and grandma-in-law (again, probably not a real term. I just call them my aunt and grandma). Stephen took off work to stay home with Paige. That was the longest I'd ever been away from her. It was sad to miss putting her to bed for the first time, but she did great with daddy.

One of the biggest new things in my life is mturk. It's something I heard about on a blog about ways to make money at home. Most of my attempts at making money have been through apps that give me a little bit here and there. It has taken me months to earn even $20 on one app, and while I have a few going at once, it's nothing dependable or impactful. However, mturk is different. It's done through Amazon, so you know it can be trusted. It's basically people hiring out work that artificial intelligence can't do. It tends to be a lot of surveys, but there are other jobs such as evaluating photos or transcribing audio clips.

I've been doing it for three weeks now, and I've almost made $100. I know it's still not a huge amount, but for me, it's a lot. I'm basically rich now! It's all done on my computer in my free time, so I never have to compromise my roles as a wife and mother. I can do as little or as much as I want. There was a curve at the beginning, but now I can easily make $5-$10 a day without stressing out. Talk to me if you want more info. We're using this money to save up for new furniture, and that motivation keeps me going.

The new furniture will be going in our new house! Except, we don't have a new house yet. Sorry to get your hopes up. But we are getting close to starting the process of home ownership. We got pre-approved for a loan, and we are happy with the amount. We should be able to find a great home within our budget, though it will probably be farther away from the freeway than we are now (we are like, a quarter of a mile from the freeway now). We're looking at Daybreak or Herriman, though I prefer Daybreak by a long ways; Herriman just feels so rural and far away from everything where Daybreak has its own community and a lot of great shopping close by. We're hoping to find a good realtor in June and be more serious about the process. It will be sad to move from our basement apartment--it has been good to us--but we don't want to stay underground forever. 

As you can tell, life has been exciting. Everything is on the up. My foot is getting better, and while I'm still using special equipment like my boot or new surgical shoe, the break is healing on its own. I get it checked again on Thursday, but as long as the trend continues, I'll be walking normal and even running in no time. This summer has a lot of exciting adventures in store, and it'll only be more fun to watch Paige experience the warm weather and family outings. We're happy with what we have now, and grateful for all the plans God has for us. We are blessed.