Things I LOVE about our new house!

We haven't been here long, and we are still searching through boxes for things, but we are so grateful to have this house and are loving it more everyday. SO far, these are a few things I LOVE: (sorry, no pics, I'm still unpacking and cleaning!)

1. More Space! This house is 800 (much needed) square feet bigger. We can all spread out and do what we want to do without all being in the same room and on top of each other. You can actually watch TV or have a conversation without the kids passing in and out, and being underfoot. It's so peaceful!

2. The Location! In High School, my family lived within walking distance of this house (we are in the same stake) so I am VERY familiar with the area. There have been some changes and new stores come in, but it is SO nice to move and know where everything is! And we are so close to most things! Our church building is next to our neighborhood. Many members of our ward walk to church (we haven't yet, because our house is towards the back, and we haven't been ready early enough).

3. Our Neighbors! We have lots of neighbors in our ward and everyone has been so friendly. We met our next door neighbors the first weekend we moved in. They are a sweet couple with young grandchildren they were babysitting while their daughter and husband were on a date. They are LDS and brought us cookies Sunday afternoon along with their name and phone number if we ever needed anything. Down the street a few houses is a cute older lady in our ward who volunteered her driveway while we were moving in if we needed more space. She has been very sweet at church each time she sees us. Our neighbors across the street brought us brownies for FHE and introduced themselves, including their early-teenage daughter who volunteered to babysit anytime! (She has come well recommended too!) We haven't had a chance to take her up on it yet, but we're so excited to have a sitter we don't have to pick up and take home.

4. Our new ward meets at 11:30! This is my favorite time! You have time before and after church. Enough time to sleep in and have a nice breakfast, or finish preparing a lesson, or ironing the boys shirts, etc. After church, you can still make a good dinner, bake some rolls or dessert, take a nap, do some visiting or home teaching, or get together for a family dinner. It's a big ward with lots of youth, and we are adjusting to being the new people. But, everyone has been friendly. We haven't received any callings yet. It's strange, but nice, to get to go to church and just come home. I'm sure it won't last long.

5. The Backyard! First of all, it was professionally landscaped! We landscaped our own backyard about a month after moving into our old house, and neither of us were ever happy with the way it turned out. It's not super big, but big enough for lots of grass, the trampoline in the corner, several fruit trees, and to one side a garden area that is lined with tubing for water. Also, it has a long covered patio that is almost as long as the house. Perfect for BBQ's and family time.

6. The 3 Car Garage! This wasn't something we had even considered before, but it is such a NICE thing! You can have all your regular junk in the garage AND park your cars too! Currently, we only park my car inside, but once I go through some more boxes and get rid of a few more things and reorganize, we will have plenty of room for both our cars. What a strange concept to park your cars IN the garage! (PLUS we have a small shed on the side of the house for our lawn mower and other tools!)

7. The walk-in pantry! I LOVE being able to organize all the groceries and have room to store food storage and other supplies all in one place! I'm excited to fill it up!

8. 4 bedrooms! This gives Tyler (the more organized and clean one) his own room, Brayden his own room (for quite naps, and space for his larger toys), and Ryan and Mckay now share a room (trying to help Ryan take a more responsible older brother roll, rather than the little brother roll with Tyler. We're still working on the cleaning and organizing with these two).

9. The kids bathroom has a door separating the shower and toilet from the sinks and mirrors. I'm sure this would be even better if we had girls who needed to do their hair and makeup, BUT it allows for my boys to brush their teeth and gel their hair while the others are in the bath or shower. It just prevents arguments, and again provides MORE PEACE!

10. The master bathtub! It is one of those big, deep, corner ones, and it has a SEAT in the corner. Honestly, I'm not sure why I like the seat so much. The only actual use I can see are those creepy water births like on TLC, but I guess I just like the fact that it is BIG enough for a chair inside it! I have enjoyed it several times already!

There are so many other things, but I guess you could call these some of my favorites!