we bought a house!

So eventually (or maybe sooner than later) I want this blog to be about more than just my pregnancy and babies - I want it to be about the life of our family and everything we're up to. I now think it might become a chronicle of home renovations . . . because Kyle and I just bought a house!

It's a 101-year-old Victorian in the Highlands in NW Denver - the area we've been living in, but I was always hoping we'd be able to stay here. I thought we'd never be able to afford to buy here, but we kind of cheated - the house is on a busy main street, so we got WAY more for our money! And it's a big house, which Kyle definitely wanted: almost 1700 square feet, plus an unfinished basement. There's a big fenced backyard with a big old tree, and a big front porch. It's 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and has a new kitchen (another of Kyle's dealbreakers - no more nasty kitchen!).

There's definitely work that needs to be done: there is no landscaping, and there's a huge tree stump in the front yard that needs to go. And the inside needs some tweaks as well - the kitchen and downstairs bathroom have gross dropped ceilings with fluorescent tube lighting (like in an office), and the downstairs bathroom isn't quite finished. And there's a wood burning stove where a fireplace used to be, but no mantel - it just looks like a stove in the middle of the living room. So something has to be done there. Plus we have to install washer and dryer hookups asap. Kyle is already talking about rebuilding the deck in the backyard (which is crooked and old), and I know he's dreaming of a hot tub.

So, I'll be posting lots of before and after shots as these things develop! First we have to get through this insane 30 day close! The seller just agreed to our offer yesterday, so today I am scheduling 5 inspections, finding homeowners' insurance, and getting documents together for our loan. I can't believe I have to have this entire house packed in 28 days!