Baby Days: June 2010

I've not even gotten round to posting any of our many house hunting pictures, and I'd actually decided to give the hunt a bit of a rest for a little while, but then, well: I walked past this street, and that house had a For Sale sign up that wasn't there before, and I though I'd just ring about the price for this handsome little piece of property, and it turned out to be affordable and in need of modernisation just like I'd come round to wantin; so before I knew it I was walking round the house a few days later, thinking, Oh isn't this just right!
South-West facing garden, 4 bedrooms, plenty of light around the house, and just the right size between being too squishy and so big I feel out of my depth. It needs a new kitchen and bathroom as well as floors and heating (which is reflected in the price), so we would get a house finished to our liking, which is much better than buying something done up to other people's tastes but being unable to replace it because it's new and you exhausted your funds buying it new, never mind having to have builders in for a few months! Location: a central tiny cul-de-sac, no thrugh-traffic and everything in walking distance, busses, (classy) supermarket, city centre and shops, harbour and beach, park and playground the other direction, gym, nursery and library all between 2 (library) and ten minutes (park or beach).
The only downside is that there is only on-street parking, but then that's pretty normal for a central location.
We saw it on Saturday, I've slept badly since cause I've been planning kitchens and bathrooms in my head at night, and come Monday morning (that being today), I've placed an offer just a tiny bit above the asking price (as there are other offers as well). We hope to hear back this week.
Bet I wasn't much fun to be around for the kids this morning, spending most of it on the phone, ignoring Tara and her half-assembled scooter, Leo dangling from my arm.
But Tara is concerned with lots of other issues anyway: Mummy, can I scooter to nursery? Mami, my legs are tired. Come on, Mummy! Mami, I want to take my knee pads off. And my helmet! Mami, if I was Father Christmas I wouldn't want to get stuck down the chimney.
Where ever did that come from?!
Well, it's a while to Christmas. Fingers crossed we have good news about the house (or another one if this one's not meant to be) before then, and then I'm all for seeing Father Christmas stuck in a chimney if only it's mine.

Left half of the semi-D at the end: Is it meant to be? (And have we offered enough?)

Across the street, or: View from front room (nice ey?)

And a bit further up the street, going up towards the park at the end

I used to have - and I used to treasure - a tape that my parents recorded when I was about 5. On it were some random little snippets like me, in my little voice, naming my favourite colour (blue). Also, there was a conversation between my parents about houses they'd been looking at. So, one of them said, which of the houses that we've seen do you think it is then, said one to the other. The house on what's-it-called street, the other voice replied, sounding not quite so sure but hopeful. And the house on what's-it-called street is indeed the house I grew up in.
I look at my children and I think: It's time we stopped paying other people's mortgages. Thanks to my parents there is enough for a deposit on a house, and by the time my sweet little poppets will need money for their education, we could be done with the mortgage and able to pay for it, or put some aside for a deposit for their future homes perhaps. Or both. (Or, given the state of the nation, keep our dear old selves in food despite some minimal pension, instead of having to move in with one kid or the other.)
Look at them. What comes to mind is a pink room, and a blue one. One for the future engineer, the other for the future musician. *Grins*