we're movin' to Gretna...

if we sell our house that is.

WE FOUND A LOT!!! In Lincoln Place in little Gretna, Nebraska.

We have been looking at lots for about a month now and just didn't feel comfortable with any of the neighborhoods we looked at. I guess we're a little picky. We want a big, flat lot (so that our kids can play and I can have a garden), west facing (so we get lots of sun and our driveway melts in the winter), on a quiet street, and not in a neighborhood with all towering two stories (since that's what ours will be). We looked at Lincoln Place, Whitehawk, Cinnamon Creek, Lincoln Place, Harrison Woods (which does has a sweet pool if anyone wants to move there), Falcon Ride and....Lincoln Place. We just kept on coming back to that neighborhood.

It felt like home.

We went around and around about the pros and cons about living in Gretna vs. Omaha and finally we decided that Gretna was the right place for us. It's actually only 5 min. from Lincoln Place to our current home so that means only 5 extra min. on Chris's commute. We also really like the school system, and although we're planning on sending our kids to a Christian school we like the option of sending our kids to a public school and it's good for re-sale. We also feel that b/c our church is in Gretna we would like to become more involved with the community there. We have friends there. Hannah is going to preschool there.

So, the decision was made.

Now, we just had to find the right lot. We looked for about a week and found one that we really liked. Only problem was that lots in Lincoln Place run about $6000 more then the lots we had picked out in Omaha. So, we just prayed that God would provide the perfect lot for us at the perfect price.

And he did.

Chris actually was the one who said "let's just drive up this street and see if there's any lots available." I agreed but figured we wouldn't find anything since most of the lots were filled with existing homes. But there it was, right between two houses, a ranch on one side and a corner lot on the other so we're not right next to that neighbor. It was west facing, flat, didn't have an electrical box in the yard, is was BIG, and our neighbors even had up fences which means we'd hardly spend anything finishing our portion of the fence.

We went home and checked the price...and to our shock it cost $7000 LESS then the average lot in Lincoln Place. We were a little confused though b/c although the lot looked really big the measurements on the Internet were REALLY small (hence the lower price). So we talked to our builder and realtor who checked into it and found out that the Internet was wrong and the lot was actually 40 feet larger then what the Internet showed.

We met with our builder at the lot site and he said he would call the developer and try to negotiate a price for us. We were just hoping and praying that they didn't decide to raise the price. Ed (our builder) thought he'd just try for a low offer and see if they'd take it...

and they did!!!! We ended up getting the lot for $9000 less then most Lincoln Place lots.

We are so pumped!!! We both really felt like this was where God was leading us and he TOTALLY provided. We drove by the lot and prayed over it and that was awesome.

I remember doing the same thing with our lot here in Coyote Run. We prayed that God would give us clear direction with the house, that we would seek him, that he would close the doors if this was not his will, and most of all the HE would be GLORIFIED in that home.

So, another journey has begun in the Wassenaar household. We're signing the documents on Monday night and our house goes on the market on Wed. night.

It's been a crazy process so far. But both Chris and I have felt God's hand leading and we are just trusting that if he wants us to build this house that he will continue to provide.

We'll be posting pictures soon. Pray for us.

the house situation

So I said that the house situation was another blog for another time and I guess this is the other time.

Chris and I have been looking at homes for about 5 months. We've looked at exsisting homes as well as new homes. First let me say that we absolutely LOVE our home right now....it's just that we are quickly outgrowing it. We've done a lot of researching, looking and praying and feel that right now would be a great time for us to move to a new home. Interest rates are low and with the 8K tax credit we think it may be easier for us to find a buyer for our home this year. So, we have decided that we are going to build a new home!!!! We found a home that we both love, it has everything on both of our wish lists. Nothing is final yet though. We've met with the builder and are working on picking out a lot. We drove around tonight and found ONE that we like. (I guess we're kind picky about the lot!) We have four months to sell our home while our new home is being built so we are busy getting everything ready to put our house on the market.

I'm super excited about building a new home with my husband. But, I have to confess that even though we'll be getting a bigger, nicer home it's going to be SO hard to leave our old home. We've been here for six years which is longer then I've lived anywhere. We also built this house together and have had both of our kids here. We love our neighbors, Hannah has friends here, we have a running trail, a park near by....the list goes on.

A lot of details still need to be worked out before everything is a go, but so far it's looking good. We are trusting that if this is God's plan for us that he will continue to open the doors. If not, it will be disapointing, but we trust in Him and his plan for us. We know that everything is in his control and he works all things for our good.

We'll keep you posted on the progress!

Our crazy week

Last week was crazy!!!!

First of all, we are in the process of getting our house ready to put on the market (that's another post for another time.) So we've been packing and decluttering our house which has made for some busy days. We've also had several meetings with a couple from our church and our builder this week. In the middle of all that I decided I needed to make strawberry jam...don't ask me why, I guess it's because I got strawberries for $.99 a pound and I just couldn't pass up such a great deal. Anyway, the jam turned out GREAT so it was totally worth the extra time.

Then we had a garage sale! Who knew a garage sale would be so exhausting!!!! I was telling a friend of mine that having a garage sale is kinda like having a baby; after it's over you can't think about the next one for a while! :) Finding tables and getting our signs to stay up proved to be quite a challenge...but we survived! We actually had a combined garage sale with the Hydeens and it was so nice having a friend to hang out with in my garage all day.

Did I also mention we had our five kids with us ages 4 and under running around during all this? They had a great time watching movies, eating lunch outside and running through the sprinklers. One of the mornings Hannah and Lillian even had a lemonade stand. It was really cute for about the first five minuites until Caden kept trying to spill the lemonade and gouge his fingers into all the brownies! :) (and let me tell you those brownies were AWESOME!)

I have to say though, even though it was a lot of work it was totally fun, in a crazy way. Considering the older kids didn't get naps and the younger kids were completely out of their routine they did surprisingly well. Hannah absolutely loved hanging out with Lillian all day, I loved having an adult to talk to while I worked, and I even made a little money!

And thank goodness for my awesome husband! He got home early on Friday and played with the kids and let me spend yesterday recovering while he cleaned up dishes and played with the kids while I took a nap. He also bought Hannah a new bed and brought our extra furniture over the Arms.

So... we survived one crazy week, now for this week. We just have to get the oil changed on the car, call the plumber, meet with our builder, find a realtor to sell our house, patch up a few paint spots on the wall, get groceries, do laundry, find a lot to build our house on, go to Tulip Festival, run the 10K... all in a weeks work right??

yes, I'm a bloglifter (thanks for the idea andrea)

Dear Hannah,

I can't believe you're four!!! Well, I can and I can't. Some days I look at you and see this grown up girl and I think time is flying by to fast, but then other times I can't remember what life was like before you came along.

I have so enjoyed watching you grow from a tiny 7 pound baby to my four year old little girl. You have many amazing talents already. You love to sing and can pick up any song after hearing it once. You sing all day long while you play, you really like to make-up your own praise songs. I think your favorite is "Jesus loves me in my little tiny heart." You also have a crazy ability for puzzling, you're better then me for sure. I remember right after you turned one you could flip pages in a puzzle book and find the correct puzzle piece for each page. Now you can whip out a 100 piece puzzle by yourself during your quiet times.

I think one of my favorite things about you is your passion for life. You LOVE to laugh. Our dinner times are filled with laughter. You can make Caden laugh SO hard...I love it!

You are full of energy; you run, not walk, wherever you go. You love to ride your big girl bike. Last summer you were a little scared of riding without mom and dad holding the handle bars but this summer you're riding like I pro. I am so proud of you for facing your fears and not giving up!

I am also so proud of you for not sucking your thumb anymore (well, mostly, we're still working on bedtime). Mommy sucked her thumb when she was little to so she knows how hard it is to stop.

You LOVE your brother. You are going to be the best mommy ever. You always make sure Caden is buckled in his seat belt, you remind him to say please when you share your snacks with him. You make sure he eats his dinner before giving him candy. You always want to hold him and snuggle him.

You are learning so much about God and asking so many questions mommy doesn't even know the answers to. We've had many long conversations about death and life and heaven. You have an amazing ability to memorize Scripture.

Mommy loves you so much Hannah, just for being you. I love your craziness (most of the time :) ), I love your excitement over seeing a wild turkey, I love how we scrapbook together and how you get to come along on girls day with mommy, I love your fearless determination to do anything that you set your mind to. I am so glad that God blessed mommy with such a beautiful little girl! You are a gift! I LOVE you times infinity + forever!

Love, Mommy