We Have a House!

So we pick up the keys today!  A huge dumpster will be dropped off tomorrow in preparation for all the work we will start doing this weekend.  

Here are just a few photos of the house.  It was built in 1909 and has been cared for nicely.  The exterior needs some love but structurally it has "good bones" as they say.  It has a huge undeveloped attic space that we plan to make usable very soon.  The 4 bedrooms are small as bedrooms were 100 years ago.  The kitchen has this lovely commercial Wolf Junior oven...under that wood cutting board is a big griddle for pancakes etc.  I plan to paint the tile.                                                                                                  

  

 The cabinet door on the right open up to the built in china cabinet in the dining room...I like that feature.

This is the embossed
 wall paper in the entry hall....I love it.  I don't know why I can't find any pictures of the sitting room and it's lovely feel.  I will do that soon.  I am trying to make a good record of what things looked like before we altered them.  Notice the carpet in the diningroom?  There is carpet covering the dining and living room areas and underneath is hidden gorgeous 5.25 inch douglas fir planks that will be beautifully restored in a few weeks....more on that later.

 

 We were so excited to be signing these documents!

 The notary and Gail making everything understandable to us property virgins.

 We aren't the first people to ask to have a photo with the notary and realtor.  I told Gail that her job is similar to mine...she doulas/midwives people through the homebuying experience.  It was so great having her there for us!

This is a moment we will always remember!

First Backpacking Trip with the Kiddos

John has been looking forward to taking the kids on a backpacking trip for years.  He decided that this would be the summer and he and Roger took them to Coast Camp in Point Reyes.  Its only a couple miles in so it was completely doable and the kids had a good time.  Darragh was the only one not to wear a pack since she had broken her collar bone 6 days earlier and was healing.  Nathanael and Grandma Ava walked into camp with them and had dinner before walking back to the car and I had the pleasure of running into their camp in the morning to hike out with them.  The kids did great!  Everyone had good attitudes and carried their packs with pride.  The only surprising thing was that they had a very hot night sleep.  One would expect pretty cool if not cold weather on the coast at night in northern California but it was almost too hot for bags.  This is the first of many trips like this for us all.

Judah is eager to head out on the trail before everyone is ready.

Papa and Grandpa packing gear.

It is quite amazing how dirty these kids can get in less than 24 hours.  Judah was literally laying in the dirt with his backpack on looking for quails (they were everywhere) and lizards.

The only group photo we got of the campers...at least Darragh was paying attention!

One of my favorite images from my morning with them.  They held hands and Grandpa explained how not to kick dust while hiking the trail.  I could see Judah trying to comply but it was an internal struggle I am sure.  

Hiking with my little broken bone girl.

Darragh took this one.

We always end our trips with a bath and a naked tea party.  Sounds perfect!

Trying to replace anxiety with peace

Buying this house has been one of the few things in life that has disturbed my mind enough to keep me awake late into the night as I ponder all the possibilities and worry that we won't get it.  I love to fantasize about living there and what paint we would choose or what changes we would make but when it dawns on us that it isn't our house yet, it hurts to force ourselves to stop.  As soon as the sun is up and touches my face, my brain wakes up again with the same thoughts and my night of sleep is over.  I think I have been averaging 5 hours a night for the last 2 weeks.
We got a call from Gail this afternoon that the bank's inspection of the house was good and that this bodes well.  So now that we have been financially approved and the house has been deemed worth the loan the bank is making to us, all we have to do is wait for some high up people to make the final decision and sign some papers.  We may even know by Friday if we get to buy this house!  I don't feel totally secure yet so this constantly delayed celebration is wearing on my nerves.

We snuck into the house to wander the rooms and dream by ourselves after attending a wedding a few blocks away.

The NEST

I am going to take a big risk and write about something big happening in our lives before it happens.  It is still possible that it may not happen but I have a feeling in my spirit of confidence and of even providence.  I see the events as though watching the actual hand of God bring things to pass that He has been working on for years.

We are in the midst of buying a house.  

To even write those words is surreal.  We have always hoped, we have prayed diligently and still I am surprised that God is answering our prayer.  I had faith that if there was a house out there for us, it would all come together at the right time and be a smooth process.
ONE WEEK ago today I invited my dad on a walk around Deer Island as a belayed birthday hike.  (He had been lecturing in the city the evening of his birthday and in light of his recent heart attack, I wanted to acknowledge his life.  I arranged for the rest of the family, Grandma Darragh, Mom, Emma, John and the kids and Mary and Sean and their kids to meet us at Dr. Insomnia's in down town Novato as a surprise.  I got a call from Emma during the hike saying mom was running late so when we finished the hike I tried to stall our arrival at the coffee shop by taking a quick drive by where I knew a house was that my friend Moriah had looked at buying.  John and I had seen the house online a few months ago but when we discovered how close to the railroad tracks it was we decided to not even look into it.  A commuter rail is due to be completed in 2015 and that would mean trains would be going by all the time.  When I actually saw the house in person I was intrigued and when we finally were sitting in the back patio area of the shop with scones and coffee, I mentioned it to mom.  Her response was "lets walk over and see it!"  So we did.  My mom saw the house and right away called the realtor.  Her interest increased mine and by that afternoon, Gail Koren, a dear family friend and neighbor was showing the house to us.  At the end of that visit John was highly motivated to buy it.  Of course Gail being the veteran realtor in Marin we discovered that we were quite blessed to have her on our team.  She knows everyone in this business and just how everything works.  Once the ball was rolling we found ourselves running in front of it like Indiana Jones.  Gail was calling and emailing us every few hours and we were jumping around gathering info.  We submitted our offer on Tuesday and on Wednesday Gail called saying "wanna buy a house?" meaning the offer had been accepted!  I drove right over to the job John was working at to tell him in person.  We were both in shock.  We called those who had lent the money for the down and thanked them.  Then, the ball started rolling faster.  Today I spent the entire morning gathering all of the detailed info needed for the bank.  During all of this time, John had more work than he could handle and was working at a job that had spotty cell service.  I was at home caring for kids and their friends, driving to swim lessons and discovering poopy diaped toddlers going through my purse and stabbing themselves with Grace's emergency glucagon syringe. (That last one had me pretty shocked but he was ok and I ended up having to pray and pray to get focused on the paperwork I still had to do) This afternoon I took the stack of paper work in to be scanned and emailed to the bank.  Phew!
That is all of the details that stay in my mind after this crazy week.  I have hardly slept and find myself awake at night thinking of all I need to do and all the work the house will need if we get it and how we will pay for the repairs (it is bank owned and sold as is and needs a couple of things like a new deck, repair of the furnace and the sidewalk in the front needs to be fixed as the old elm tree has buckled it.)  John and I have prayed together often and late into the night.  We both feel that this place is for us and we can plan to be here for the rest of our lives.  Our children are young and we hope to have their spouses for dinner here.

Here the kids are waiting while all the grandparents are walking all over the property

This is how they really felt.

It's a hundred years old and about to have yet another adventure.

I talked to my sister on the phone today and she said that I should blog about this whole adventure. So here we go.

On one cold and wet December day my friend Susan and I finally embarked on an adventure we had been planning to do for a while.  Leaving our kids with their fathers early in the morning we headed down to Mill Valley to hike the Dipsea trail.  Having both grown up in Marin and neither one of us had hiked it we felt this needed to be rectified. Plus it gave us time to hang out and talk without being interrupted by little people.  

 One of the many sets of stairs...688 in total.  The Dipsea trail is the site of the oldest cross country trail running event in the US and has been run almost every year since 1905.  I am a big trail runner but have yet to run in this event because running along side dozens of people on the narrow paths and stairs does not appeal to me in the least.  My husband has run in a few times and will run it again in June. Susan was toying with the idea of running it too...another reason for us to check it out.

 Going down the stairs this time....the trail is 7.5 miles long and goes over two mountains with a total of 2,200 feet elevation gain and loss.

 Starting up hill again after passing Muir Woods.

 And down again on the softest redwood forest floor ever.

 We stopped at this bridge to take off our jackets.

 At the end, a little group of small people were huddled under a tree for protection from the rain as they waited for their moms to arrive.  After eating lunch and playing in the sand they were ready for a cozy (and hopefully sleepy) ride home.

 At this point the men put on their jackets and waved goodbye as they headed back up the trail we came on.

Thanks for the date Susan!

Henry's Birthday

In honor of Henry's birthday I will finally write his birth story.  I share here the abridged version.

One year ago today I woke up having contractions 9 days past my due date.  I called my midwife Griselda and after breakfast the kids were sent off with Grandma and Grandpa.  John and I had a sweet time laboring pretty much alone for several hours while my three midwives knitted and drank tea in the living room, periodically coming to check fetal heart tones and my blood pressure.  One of my dearest friends Juanita came to take pictures throughout labor and of the birth.  My lovely sister-in-law Hannah came to watch and video the event.  It was one of the most special days of my life as were all the birthdays of my children.  I was truly able to feel the sacredness of what was happening as well as enjoy the pleasant company of my mate, the father of this little one.  While the majority of the labor was mild, the last hour was quite challenging and I was still able to huff and puff up that mountain that women climb when they give birth.  Each of my four labors have been very different and this one was particularly sweet as I was aware that this was my last time being pregnant and going through labor.  I have formed a close bond with my midwife who has attended the births of all of my children.  Her assistants have also been been to a few of my births and I felt close to them.  I was literally surrounded by people lovingly looking for ways to support me and make sure I was safe.  At 3 o'clock in the afternoon Henry was born into his father's and my hands.  Here are some pictures from the event taken by Juanita.  Don't worry, there will be no blood:)

Early labor after breakfast....waiting for things to pick up a bit more.

John has been through this a few times and is the perfect "dude-la".   His presence was absolutely necessary this time....my body ceased to have contractions whenever he left the room for a break.   Therefore for several hours we were alone in our room laboring close.

Yana is here taking fetal heart tones to make sure Henry was doing ok.

Yana reading and Griselda knitting in the dining room.  It was so comforting knowing there were there when I needed them.

I love this picture because it captures one of the beauties of homebirth.  My midwives came to attend to me in MY space.  I was not in a hospital in someone else's territory.  Remember, I am not anti-hospital.  I feel that homebirth is right for me and my babies. 

He is still doing well...just checking again. :)

Griselda updating Hannah who has just arrived.

A great labor position.

Looks like an ad for Birth Pool in a Box!  I labored here for a while expecting to birth in the water as I did with Judah but decided that I felt like birthing on dry land. 

This is one of my favorite pictures ever. Me eating yogurt and laughing with Griselda at about 7-8 cm dilated.  My water hadn't broken yet and contractions were relatively easy. 

 After moving to the bed and dealing with pretty tough transitional contractions I asked to have my water broken to get the show on the road.  Because Henry's heart rate was having a hard time coming up after contractions we decide that this was a good idea since he seemed to be in a little distress.  Gris broke it and he was born within 6 minutes I believe.  He pinked right up and started to cry.

Welcome little Henry!  Join the crew!  We are so happy you are here!

10 days old on Mount Tam in June

He may have had the most hair of all the kids but only by a small margin.

Look what the fairies left me!

Yes, he is a child of John Hoffman.  How did you guess?

All of these photos were taken by my dear friend Juanita Cannan.  There were so many great photos of the labor and delivery that I had to control myself from posting all of them.  She captured the event so well.  The newborn pictures were darling and it was really fun walking around the gardens at Ralston White retreat finding nice places to shoot.  I love how they came out.

Many thanks to all who were involved with that special day last May.  Thank you to Griselda and Yana and Leopi for being my guardians during the birth as well as providing comprehensive prenatal care. Thank you to Hannah for being there and video taping it all. Thank you to Juanita for spending the whole day with us and beautifully capturing the event in photography.  Thank you to Roger and Ava (aka Grandpa and Grandma) for taking the kids on a fun trip to Star Restaurant and the park and to my parents Ben and Peggy and sister Mary and her husband Sean for watching the kids at their house and in the creek all afternoon and evening....they still remember that day as one of the best in their lives.  Thank you to my patient, courageous and tender husband John who caressed me and massaged me as well as laughed and cried with me through ALL of my labors.  Without you, I literally could not have done it.  And most of all, thank you Lord for all of the blessings in my life.  Even when times are truly hard, I cannot even count all of the gifts You have given me.  The day that Henry was born, You showered them down on me even more.  Happy birthday my little one.