Not complaining about what we DO have--

I started this post along with the last one-- just to even things out. 

We'd love to have our acre somewhere, but where we're at right now isn't anything to complain about.  We like it alot!

And the more I've looked around at other places, browsing craigslist and real estate ads, the more I've come to realize how awesome our little place really is, however temporary it is... (hey, anywhere you live is temporary anyway, right?)

This is one view of our living room- when it isn't covered in trucks and blocks.  It may be smallish by some standards.  But it has a charming kind of character- which, combined with our awesome view of rock trucks and such, just makes us happy.

We moved to this 1 bedroom apartment where we now live with 3 kids, from a 3 bedroom place where we lived with 2 kids.... The math doesn't really seem to work out, but I like this place lots better.

The 3 bedroom place was oddly designed, with not very many closets to put anything in, and I felt really cluttered/disorganized the whole time.

Here, it's the most efficient use of space I've come across in any apartment I've seen. (check out that closet-- There's more storage above it!  It's awesome- and all the closets are like that. And there's a big cabinet above the bathtub like that too- No wasted space I tell you.!)

And I feel the most organized I've ever been... because we Have to be, really. 

It's taken a while to get past the cultural expectation we feel from people when they find out we're in a one bedroom apartment with 3 kids.  That of course we need 3 or 4 bedrooms if we have 3 kids- and the feeling that people are thinking 'man, you guys must be insane...'

Sometimes though, you can have multiple bedrooms and they're just small anyway, and you feel claustrophobic in all of them.  I prefer our one, large room with all the sunshine from our huge windows. Sure we all have to share a room, but we like each other I think. 

What makes anyone think we need 1000 square feet each anyway? It really isn't necessary ya know?  We're quite comfortable.

We've even had another family of 5 over to visit for a weekend.  Because we also have awesome friends who are cool with staying in our living room, despite the lack of space.  That is cool. We can't complain a bit.

As a side note, if you want to get very distracted from what you're supposed to be doing, just google small apartments, tiny living space, 50 square foot apartment, whatever-- you'll see that there are tons of Really small living spaces-- It's almost like a game with people taking the challenge to make the smallest space available into a place to live.  It's pretty awesome how creative people can be-

  

Anyway. We love our apartment.  Come visit.  We'll be planting our 2nd bedroom soon- (that's what I've decided our Garden is going to be.  We'll live in it half the time. Can't wait! :)

maybe if I blog about it, I will stop thinking about it? does that work?

I suppose everyone has a 'dream home' of some sort...

Some go for this sort of million dollar kinda thing ^   (can you find me in the picture? I'm kinda blending in with the bushes-but I'm in there-  I was bringing some sewing work to the folks who live there and Gabe took a picture to document my fancy pants clients... :)

Well, anyway- Maybe I'm nuts, but that place is not my dream home--it's just too sterile and museum-like to be a Home... to me. (sure, we'd live in it if that's what we had... it's just not our very first pick--)

I found one version of my personal dream home here in Meridian-- at a somewhat smaller price. (But for all practical purposes, it might as well be a million, because we simply don't have enough money for it at this point....)

Check it out if you want...

http://boiserealestatecenter.com/photoshow-98456349

$130,000 for an acre of land  (that's an ENTIRE acre, mind you... none of that 0.10 of an acre stuff...)  with a cute little house-- a couple of bedrooms and a fireplace...  Also a smaller side home (maybe to rent out to sisters or brothers for cheap, eh? or kick the kids out to when they're being too sassy?)

And a barn/shop.  And a little stable area.  (maybe we'd even get a horse or something?)

On an Acre of Land!  This is exactly the sort of thing I'd love... enough land for a big garden....   maybe a bit of grass as well for us all to run around on.... not so much land that it's intimidating to take care of, but plenty to have have chickens and a big garden. (did I mention we'd like a BIG garden?)

True, it's kind of old-  I haven't seen it except for driving past (ok, and pulling into the driveway and maybe daydreaming a little bit....)  So maybe we should go check it out just so I can find a flaw with it so I won't think about living in the place anymore.

Anyway.  I know since it isn't in our immediate reach, I probably shouldn't think about it at all.  But then, if people never thought about future dreams they wouldn't ever become reality.

So perhaps some day we'll get our acre... somewhere...

We Like Henry!

 

 

This is a picture of Henry about a year ago I think... We were at the Portland zoo and thought we saw some bit of resemblance on the poster there. 

He's a good guy.

And now he's 2 years old.  That's cool.   Happy Birthday man!

We thought you might want to see this...

 

You can thank the proud father Gabriel for his fabulous capture of Williams Very First Spit Up.  

William Oliver White was born Thursday, January 20 at 11:09 PM and we're all very happy.

I will soon need a running partner. And a babysitter....

It's my number one pregnancy craving so far--  to go running.  I'm excited for when that becomes a possibility.  I'm not really a 'runner'  exactly.  Not at all. I've attempted to be at some points, like the time in high school I joined the track team for exactly 2 weeks (the first two weeks... then came the time they went to run at an actual track meet and I just chickened out...)   But then the summer after Henry was born I got enough into it to run a few miles every day that I could.

(it Really helped that we lived with this as our back yard--)

 

This is when we lived right next to Yellowstone National Park, and we were surrounded by nature/heaven/the best running trail Ever.

If I ever did get to the point of running a marathon or anything really dedicated like that, this is exactly the kind of place I would pick to do it.

 

Well, on the up side, even though we don't have that particular backyard view anymore (remember, our new one?)  we do still have the best home work-out machinery ever invented--

Check out that awesomeness--

What is my point in this randomness?   (I didn't even really blog about our Christmas or New years yet... maybe I'll get around to it later? In case I don't, it was great... )

I guess my point is just that it's nice to be able to use your muscles and be healthy.  And that being pregnant really makes you appreciate that.  Not that being pregnant isn't healthy, it's just obviously a little tricky to do some things when you're awkwardly huge the last couple of months.

I'm excited to be able to wrestle around with my crazy boys without saying "don't squish your little brother!"  (on second thought, I guess I'll probably still be saying that for a while...just in a different way.)

I'm excited to go running.

And, I'm excited to meet this new little guy.






(Anyone that wants to come running with me, let's go!  I mean... in a few weeks...or a couple of months... I know I'm completely jumping ahead of myself here.   I promise I won't go running the day after William is born or anything (that's what we're naming the man, we think--)    ANYway--  I'm just that excited, ok?    I guess I must be anyway, because I hardly ever plan things Months in advance... but I'm sure planning on this...)

Scrooges we are....

I got an email from Ebay with the title Don't disappoint them, get the hottest toys!!!  today, encouraging me to hurry and buy all the most awesome new toy trends before they're out---

I realize they were implying that it is my kids who will be disappointed if I don't hurry and grab all these new toys before everyone else does...
  
But actually, I suspect that they aren't at all concerned about my children-- (!)

I suspect it will disappoint the marketers and manufacturers and sellers of the toys-- more than it will disappoint my kids when I don't go buy all those things.

My boys sure don't care. They like cardboard boxes and cans. (see the previous post--)  Haven't people learned that that's what kids like to play with?

The thing is, Gabe and I talk about this all the time---  We just don't believe in buying brand new toys.  Really. We really don't believe in it.  (you can call us Scrooges, bad parents... whatever.)

It isn't that we're anti-fun, or anti-childhood.  We just happen to like to pick up the awesome old toys from thrift stores that have stood up to the test of time--Or just do a toy trade, where you get rid of the ones your kids are tired of and swap with other parents whose kids are tired of their toys.  Or build a fort out of cardboard boxes.

(guess what else? Kids can get tired of ANY toy, whether you just bought it brand new for $37 or whether you found it at a thrift store for 50 cents. They don't discriminate--)

And, another thing... If awesome toys like the "little people" from 20 something years ago can still be found, that also means they survived!

And they might survive another round of another few kids, right? 
Besides, they're so much cuter-- as well as space efficient--( **At our house, it's always all about space efficient...I mean, you tell me how to live in a one bedroom apartment with two kids without paying attention to downsizing even silly things like that...?**)


See that comparison?  (I'm sure I'm not the only one to notice the correlation with the obesity rate of the country...?)

(actually, in defense of the newer design-- there was some kind of concern about choking or whatever, which is why they made them bigger and one piece.  But, guess what--- Kids can find just about ANYTHING to choke on, or somehow get into dangerous situations with--- It's called....... you must watch your kids!
If you leave them unattended, EVEN with their 'newly improved, non-choking hazard' Little People, you'll return to find them in some other kind of mischief....  I Promise!

 So. I'm "Pro-Choking-Hazard Little People"...  Does that make me a bad mom?

(........maybe people aren't going to want me to babysit for them anymore....but I promise I won't let anyone ingest any Little People heads............I promise.)

Anyway... Maybe I'm rambling a little...

But just think of all the crummy chunks of plastic that are newly manufactured every year...when there are already so many crummy chunks of plastic filling landfills and thrift stores and garage sales everywhere as well-

Gabe and I submit that we have an ample lifetime supply of toys for everyone-- already in existence.  Not to mention the fun kids have with things that are not designed to be toys exactly...

So, sorry Walmart, K-mart,.... ToysR'Us, and Everybody else... We are not doing any Christmas shopping for new toys.

We've been busy picking up things at garage sales from people that listened to all your stupid marketing junk and then realized their house was overflowing with everything they bought and really really didn't need.  

HA!   

(and plus, the highest price they can ask for any of the plastic junk is around a quarter a toy.... because nobody is feeling a supply shortage problem with the garage sale toys!  HA!   Hahahaha....! )

Ok.  I'm done now, I promise.  Are we alone in these 'crazy' sentiments?  Anyone else out there who agrees with me?    Anyone?

(note to Grandparents---  Used toys are awesome. Truly.  Save your dough, ok?  The boys will Love it. We'll Love it.  Your wallet will Love it.  You probably already knew about all our 'crazy' anti-new-toy thoughts...because we are us...  But just in case you forgot...or got sucked into any marketing schemes on the "Latest Awesome Toy" this is a reminder... Hope we aren't too late---either way we love you...)


14  Days Until Christmas!!!  Happy Holidays from us Whites!

Changing seasons here...

 

This summer was beautiful.  There was an endless supply of sunshine and outdoor activities for us all.

 We spent many summer afternoons meeting Gabe for lunch at this water fountain.  

 

We took the bike, our favorite form of transportation (we found this bike trailer on craigslist for $20 in June! best $20 spent this year, I think....I wish I knew how many miles we've put on it already.)  

It is just a few blocks to the little downtown area here where Gabe worked at the Boys and Girls club. We met him there as often as we could and would eat our packed lunch of whatever we brought....ranging from less-traditional picnic fare like soup, spaghetti or pad thai, to the more normal sandwiches or bread and cheese and fruit... 

Some weeks we would be there every day.

It was awesome, to say the least...

Now that there is snow everywhere, we stay inside a little more often.... but we still find things to keep us all entertained.

 

The boys invaded our recycling box so they could transform into robots...

 

and of course, plenty of cardboard box forts.

Since I have just started this blog, we'll probably be reminiscing our eventful summer a lot, but I'll try to throw in our current doings as well.

Everyone informs us that a Boise winter is far superior to those we've experienced in Rexburg... I guess we'll find out!