Crash On The Pillows

Backyard - Day 1

Can you see the patio area now? We laid out and built the wall that will serve as the boundary for our patio. In the next few days I'll dig out some of the dirt so that we can fill the area in with the appropriate base materials. Once all the gravel and sand is in, we'll compact it and then lay the pavers...and throw down some steps while we're at it.

Judo Kick Dancing

Baby Got Back (Yard)

So here we are - the beginning of spring in Colorado. That can only mean 1 thing...it's backyard time baby. As you can tell from these pictures, we haven't exactly used our backyard in the three years we've lived here. Since this is one of the last major improvements on my list and with baby #2 on the way, I'm highly motivated to get this done before 1 June.

I've recruited a professional consultant, contractor, handyman, and brute squad in one to help me get this done. Overall, this shouldn't be a very difficult project technically except for the stone patio. That part of the project will be the most time consuming, techincal, and expensive. So, we're going to hit that part first (also considering the weather flucuations). After that, we'll extended the sprinklers, and lay some rocks, mulch, sod, and plant a tree. A few flowers and some patio furniture later, and the project will be completed.

With Julia growing up and #2 on the way, this area will be a great place for them to play outside. We'll obviously play with them some of the time, but we'll also have the option to sit on the patio and sip iced tea while we turn them loose.

Oh, I Love It!

Over the past few weeks Julia has been exclaiming her excitement with the phrase, "Oh, I love it!" It's actually pretty cute when you know the context. Usually, it's about something that she has just learned about, no matter how dull or insignficant. The conversation usually goes like this:

Julia: "Dadda (or Momma), what's that?"
Dadda (or Momma): "That's a mouthguard"
Julia: "What's it for?"
Dadda (or Momma): "It makes my teeth feel better at night"
Julia: "Oh, I LOVE it!!!"

This phrase works for all things - from oily rags to ice cream as long as it's something new that she has just learned about. It's pretty cute to see this is her reaction to discovering new things, even if she really doesn't know what they are yet.

Ridgeview at Stetson Hills Housing Market

Today we received a mailer from Boylan and Company, a realtor in the local area. On the advertisement from them it listed a website with information and statistics about our neighborhood (Ridgeview at Stetson Hills). I was fairly certain that our neighborhood had held its value over the past few years despite the housing market and economy. I didn't have much to back up my claim other then my observations on what the listing and selling prices of houses have been in our neighborhood. I was happy to find out that the market statistics back up what I had thought to be true. The website, various links, and statistics confirmed that our home values had at least stayed the same and also filled me with confidence that buying in this neighborhood was a good decision.

The website has a great video summary of our neighborhood. Some of the better quotes from these realtors about our neighborhood are:

- stable home value is the unexpected bonus
- continues to be a stable neighborhood in terms of real estate values and market activity
- the micro-market of Ridgeview at Stetson Hills will do well in 2010
- a terrific seller’s market because demand is high
- through the course of the current real estate market downturn, this area has been extraordinarily insulated holding value and seeing strong resale activity
- this area has proven its ability to withstand the worst of economic markets

Statistics (as of February 2010)
Ridgeview at Stetson Hills vs. Colorado Springs (+ or - for us)

Housing Inventory
3 Months vs. 7 Months (+)

Median List Price
$211,000 vs. $185,000 (+)

Average Sale Price
$229,000 vs. $207,000 (+)

Listing Discount
1% vs. 3.4% (+)

Days on Market
51 days vs. 86 days (+)

Additionally, the average sale price for our neighborhood has been around $100-$110 per square foot. That's a little too high for our house in my opinion. If it were $90 per square foot we'd break even. So, the value of our house has essentially remained unchanged despite the housing market crash. Additionally, selling a home in our neighborhood doesn't seem to be a problem and from a sales/market perspective, a desirable place to buy a house. I'm glad to know on many levels that I was right.

Three Years Running

Well, today is my 3 year anniversary at work.

March 5, 2007 seems like so long ago. We moved in and purchased our first house and had our first child (among other things) since then. I don’t really have a lot to say about my job except that I’m glad I have one right now. Overall I can summarize by saying that it’s been a really good fit for me (and the fam). Maybe I’ll look for a new challenge in a few years; maybe not. I guess it’s a good thing that I’m not in a big rush either way.

I'm A Sucker

The last two nights I’ve come home from work with a present for Julia…i.e. a sucker. A coworker had a pile of them outside her desk and I grabbed one each night on my way out the door.

Today Stacey called me at work because Julia wanted another one. The problem is, they’re all gone. It was cute to have a “conversation” with Julia on the phone though. She took the phone from Stacey and said “hi Dadda”…and that’s about it. After a few seconds of not saying anything I asked her if she wanted something from me to which she responded “yeah”. She didn’t get the words out but I knew she wanted to ask me for another sucker. Even though she talks nonstop at home she hasn’t started talking on the phone yet.

Since the free ones are all gone, I may just have to swing by the store on the way home tonight and pick up my own bag of dum-dums.

World Cup 2010 < 100

For those who didn't notice the World Cup 2010 countdown clock on the right section of my blog, we just passed the 100 day mark! Only about 3 months to go now...

Julia's New Bedroom

As I mentioned in a previous post, we recently moved all of Julia's "baby" furniture to the boy's room in preparation for baby #2. That left Julia with an empty room. We purchased some really cute yet inexpensive furniture from Wal-Mart and this past weekend I put it all together. At 2 years of age Julia has no problem sleeping on the same twin mattress I used when I was single and purchased 10 years ago. Our approach was to buy something that she will be able to use for another 10 years. I think we scored a winner.

In case you're wondering whether or not Julia likes her new furniture, I think the pictures below answer that question.