odds and ends

We've had insane weather here in mid-Michigan - snow in the beginning of April, and 85 degrees at the end. Looks like we've settled back in to the 60s for a bit. It's that time of year where one tries to decide what the optimum temperature is for putting away the socks. Is 55 still too cold? How about 60? What if it's freezing in the morning and 70 in the afternoon? Ah, the agony of decision. Signs of spring are everywhere, from harried-looking students in their last week of class, to the blooming magnolia and tulip trees, the Gideons handing out Bibles on the library bridge. Ellie is learning about the buds - how God makes them grow with sunshine and rain into flowers and leaves.

Ellie has also been putting together longer sentences. Justin came in the front door over the weekend and she said "Papa's all wet from the rain." She also said "I try to get my hand down there" when digging out raisins from a box. I'm just glad she was digging for raisins and not other things that she's been known to seek out on occasion. She's also become quite the climber - I looked away for a minute the other day and when I turned around she was sitting in the middle of the dining room table playing with my phone.

We are still waiting to hear on the final loan approval for our house. It's taking a long time. We hope that's a good thing. One never knows.

house update

I know the blog posts have been sporadic at best, but that's largely Facebook's fault. OK, blame laid, now for news.

So, for those of you who may not be caught up with our house hunting adventures (cue Suzanne Whang and the doorbell) we have moved from seasoned hobbyists to actual buyers. Our realtor is breathing a sigh of relief. We've found a house in DeWitt (just north of Lansing) on which we've had an offer accepted. You can see photos here. It's an old church, built in 1856, that had been abandoned, fallen into disrepair, and was brought back to life with a complete renovation in 2006, turning it into a 3-bedroom 3.5-bath house. It's way cool and fits us to a T.

So, here is where we currently stand in the process. Our offer was accepted, we signed paperwork, and we just completed the inspections yesterday. We won't receive the results from the well/septic test for a bit, but the home inspection revealed that the house is in fantastic shape, right down to the old stone foundation. The renovations were done thoroughly and well.

Tonight we're sitting down to fill out the loan paperwork. We haven't hit any major snags so far, so we hope that trend continues. It's still possible for the entire thing to fall through - you never know. Next up, hopefully, is setting the closing date. I will try and update when that's been done.