Decision time

Wow, everyone, thanks for playing along! I'll get to our housing choice in a minute, but first let me blab on about the crazy week that we've had. First of all, it really is fun to wander around people's houses and see if your furniture would work in the house and to see the weird (ok and wonderful) ways that people choose to live. Second of all, I looked a lot of houses that are going to be on the market until a very special type of person finds them. I'm glad I don't have to be special (which means we did NOT choose the bomb shelter house, as tempting as Katherine made it sound for me to have a private retreat).

We made an offer on house number 1 (the fixer upper with a short commute), subtracting the price of repairs from the asking price of the house, but thankfully they counteroffered with the full asking price and a request for more earnest money. Chris says this is the real estate equivalent of being flipped off.

But then house number 2 came on the market right after we found out that house #1 was insulted by our offer. The park, the open floorplan, the neighborhood all sold us on the house and we knew we had to act fast. So we put an offer in and then did some negotiating and got the house (provided financing and appraisal go well)! I can't wait until we're inside and I can take better pictures of all its nice features. And when we can walk out to the park.

What else is going on? Hm . . . Chris got nominated for a trip to a conference in Lindau Germany where he'd get to hear Nobel Laureates talk about physics. I guess there's one more hoop for him to pass before he knows that he's going, but just being nominated is an enormous honor.

Moira is picking up a lot of words--Grandpa, Beth, meat, bath, toes, poop, etc. She continues to greet everyone with a happy "HI!"

Oh, and Ellie started preschool with cousin Zoey. Aunt Katie was in charge of the letter "M" for the week, and she led the kids in marble painting and macaroni crafts. And they ate Ellie's favorite food group--Marshmellows! E also started Sunbeams in what will be our new ward. Here is a picture that she drew of her in her beautiful dress when she marries her friend Henry in the temple:

Notice the veil and the E L and the H. Please oh please, Holly, assure me that Henry returns her love.

That's all for now.

Reba