Part I: Buying a House

As I mentioned in my last post, Stephen and I recently bought our dream home.  It is a beautiful two-story brick home in Mason, located in a quiet, sidewalked neighborhood right behind our favorite park.  There are paths leading all the way into the heart of Deerfield, meaning that when our children are older, they will be able to ride their bikes safely to a variety of shops and restaurants, as well as to the movie theatre and gym/pool.  Until then, we have a nice, flat backyard in which to run around.  The nearby park offers two large playsets, one specifically for toddlers, a big open field, a walking path, a picnic shelter, a basketball court, and a duck pond.  There is so much to do outside, but when it rains or is too cold, we are thrilled that our new home is spacious enough to create playrooms throughout the house while still having space to entertain visitors who don't want to sit on the floor and/or dig through a pile of discarded blocks and balls to find their things.  We have a finished basement and the previous owners are leaving behind a gorgeous pool table, so Stephen officially gets his "man cave" and will undoubtedly love hosting football get-togethers throughout the season.  As for me -- I love the formal living and dining room.  I love that I'll have an area to put things that are special -- like my mom's dreidel collection, which I've gratefully inherited -- without having to worry about little toddler hands breaking them.  I also love the huge great room...and the master bathroom...and the spacious kitchen...  Heck, I really love the whole place.  I can't wait to get our hands on it and make it our own.

We close on the house at the end of September and will spend a few weeks getting a painter, handyman, electrician, landscaper, and carpet cleaner in before moving in ourselves.  As of now, October 9 is the day we will officially change our address and become true Mason residents.  We feel very blessed by this next phase in our lives and are so looking forward to creating memories in our "forever home" as a family of four.  What an exciting summer it has been!

Mason, here we come!