Building a house - Step 1: Find some land

In June of 2007, we approached a seller for a 9.7 acre lot in rural king county. The property was large enough for us for sure, but there was also a beautiful stream running through the property. In the summer, this stream is just amazing. However, there were two other things that drew us to this property:

1 - The property had a former residence on site, a mobile home. The mobile home was removed, but the title did not show it.

2 - The property, because of the former residence, had both an existing septic system and a well. Power was also on site, but inadequate for a permanent residence (since we would use a heat pump)

Now, since the property had once been occupied, there would be a substantial savings on the building permit. A couple of the most expensive aspects of a king county building permit are in two fees called the "road impact" and "school impact" fees. These fees normally total about $7,000 dollars each. With our building permit, which came to about $6,500, this would have put our building permit at close to $21,000. For most people, when they begin to consider the cost to build their own home, this is a hidden cost that most people do not consider. And as you can tell, this is a significant cost.

So in the end, when you look for property...make sure to look for a nice, beat up mobile home!

Backyardigans - Surf's Up!

A new episode came out today for the backyardigans...Surf's up! Great songs! This might be the best one since the cowboy one!

The Backyardigans!!!

Okay, This show is like the greatest show of all time (better than the Shanna show...can you believe it!)

If you haven't already seen this show, you MUST check this out. It's on Nickelodeon at 11:30 (in Seattle) in the morning.

The songs are AMAZING...end of story...There is some basic dialog and the characters are pretty basic other than being a little more diverse, which is really nice to see. Here's a link to some info for this show...

http://www.tvtome.com/Backyardigans/

Also, check out nick jr.'s site...I think this is it: The Backyardigans

New years resolution #5 - update blog on regular basis

Okay, the barrier to getting me to do this on a regular basis is that I am too lazy to come to this site to update my blog. I need a way to do this on an offline basis and then sync up what I do on my computer to this site (stay away from my idea ;) ... patent pending)

Its been a great new year so far. Macie is now 7 months old. How did this happen?!!?!?

We are still in the process of selling our house/looking for a new home. We will likely move to the countryside and purchase 5 acres to build a house we can live in for a long time.

Canyon and Payton are both so interesting to me as of late. Canyon is amazing. The creativity level he displays blows me away, maybe its stuff he is picking up from his brother...I dont know... Payton meanwhile continues to shine in school and everything else. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he wakes up every day at exactly 6:55. He then goes around the house, as he did today, letting everyone know how much he loves them (kissing us while we are still asleep, or coming into the bathroom while I am showering to tell me good morning!) Then he plays about 30 minutes of video games (his problem solving skills are crazy-mad) and then he makes his breakfast, takes macie into the living room to play with here...on and on, same routine every day...

July 24th - Blueberries and Summer!!!

I love this time of the year. Blueberries are one of God's greatest creations! We did so-so picking rasberries this year, and we're gonna make up for it with blueberries! The place we go to is located in North Bend, Wa. and is right at the base of Mt. Si. It's an unbelieveable location with spectacular views and GIGANTIC blueberries....some the size of quarters!!!!

Macie, Canyon and Payton slept the whole way out and woke up and started picking blueberries. We had a big contest to see who could find the biggest blueberrie. Shana won, of course.

Pictures below :)

Mt. Si and blueberries! 

Canyon and Payton in the blueberry feild 

Look what I found hiding in the feild 

Canyon shows his strength! 

The Day Before...

July 4th...coming up tomorrow!!! yee haaaaw!

We're off to our freind Sacha's dad's house (Dewey)...the kids love it there, they are the greatest family on earth. Not sure how this is gonna go, Canyon is down with a cold, and summer colds are the worst!

Macie is staying alert for so long each day now, seems like she was awake for most of the day! The down side is she has learned to cry to get food.

Today we had a great time playing at the water park (like every night)...Canyon can hold his breath under water for a full 5 seconds. Payton is crawl stroking about 5 or 6 feet straight. The swimming lessons really paid off for him!

Jayne came over later, along with Peter and we had a great barbecue: Sockeye samlmon, flank steak, prawns, fresh salad...the works!

What a great day...

Alison and Adam's Wedding!!!

Well, we went to Adam and Alison's wedding tonight, they have been one of our favorite couples for the longest time! We are so happy to see them hitched! Payton and Canyon will always remember them as their first babysitter(s) :)

Brothers and little sister! Payton loves holding Macie, he comes in our bedroom every morning asking to hold Macie. Canyon still isn't all that interested in her... 

Shana and Macie Jay at home...14 days old! I can't believe how much she has grown and changed since we got back from the hospital! 

Canyon Blaise trying not to smile