Just some updates

Ashlyn can now ride a two-wheel bike. Her friend Evelyn came over one day riding hers and that quickly prompted Ash to ask me to take her training wheels off. She asks every day if we can go out and practice which we've done every day this past week. And just yesterday she learned to start the bike herself. No need for me anymore. It's such a hoot to watch little kids ride those little 12-inch bikes with their legs pumping as fast as they can go and really going nowhere. She's also learning to read very simple books.

Nate finally lost his first tooth and the other bottom is quite wiggly. If it doesn't come out this week I'm sure the dentist will pull it on Thursday.

No much with Erik. He and Nate have enjoyed playing tackle football in the yard every day after school.

Kiersten got brave and asked her orchestra teacher if she could move up to the intermediate class from the beginning. Her teacher agreed to let her try it. That means I no longer have to take her 3 mornings a week to the junior high. Intermediate is only 2 days a week and another mom and I are carpooling, so that means I only have to drive one morning a week. Very nice.

We still have an offer in on a short-sale house, but have completely done a 180 degrees. After walking through many homes and seeing things we liked and disliked, Tyler and I decided that maybe we should build. But where? Stansbury has a shortage of lots for sale and the ones that are for sale are priced too high or are small lots for what we want to build. There was a particular lot in the Ponderosa subdivision in Stansbury that was .81 acres but priced rather steep. We even went to the trouble of hiring an appraiser to appraise it just so we'd have something to back our offer. The seller came down a little but not much and so we were back to wondering where we could build that didn't need a septic system or a well dug. Lake Point to the north seemed like a good option with 1-acre lots. Our kids would still go to the same school, but they would be bussed and Ty has family out there. However, the developer was asking a lot for the land out there. It just was seeming like land in this area has not come down like other real estate properties or that sellers were willing to sit until the market turned around. We drove through Lake Point, liked what we saw (you can see the Great Salt Lake to one side and the mountains on the other), but were bummed about pricing. We gave our searching a rest for a day and then Tyler told me last Friday that a listing had come up on the MLS with 3 lots for sale in Lake Point that were significantly cheaper than what the developer was asking. This was a builder who had picked up these lots intending to build on them and is now in need of some cash and dumping some of his properties.

I was a little hesitant to move out of Stansbury. We've enjoyed living here and it is a nice community. Lake Point has a more rural feel to it and it will just take some getting used to, some adjustment like any move. I really feel that this is where we are to be, especially with the way these 3 lots showed up so suddenly. Tyler checks the MLS listings every day and we've never seen them before (even though there are for sale signs on the property that look like they've been there awhile). We are offering tomorrow. I hope all goes smoothly.