Investeringshus nummer tre

Vi har skrivit kontrakt och fått beviljat lån, men själva köpet är inte genomfört. Mark har funderat på detta huset i flera veckor. Det är rätt stort - 4 stycken sovrum och ett badrum uppe. Nere finns kök-och-matsal-kombo, vardagsrum, badrum och rätt stor tvättstuga. Inget garage, men väl ett skjul på tomten som behöver kläs in med bräder eller nåt.

 Framsida (mot norr).

 Baksida (vätter söderut).

Västra sidan.

Det är inte speciellt vackert att se på och ligger i ett ganska sunkigt område. Men det ligger i Norman, till skillnad från våra två andra hus. Kruxet: jo det finns såklart flera. Vi köper ju bara ultra billiga hus.

Det är inte inrett alls inuti. El och avlopp är draget och stommen är rest. Fönstren är nya. Men inga väggar (gips skivor) är hängda. Men det största kruxet, och anledningen till att det överhuvudtaget var till salu är pga att han som byggde hade inte fattat att man måste få grunden inspekterad och godkänd innan man går vidare till nästa byggnadsfas. Så det blev totalt byggstopp när inspektören kom ut för att godkänna el och avlopp, och fick se den otrillräckliga grunden. Och nu har huset stått i ett år. Mark vet hur man kan fixa grunden, men det är ett slavjobb, så vi prutade ytterligare på priset. Själva planlösningen är kanske inte den bästa, men vi kommer inte att göra några ändringar, utan bara göra det färdigt för minsta möjliga pris.

 Nedervåningen. 

Mark står i köket. Isak är på väg in in "matsalen" från vardagsrummet. 

Julia är framför badrummet. Bakom badrummet är tvättstugan, med ingång till vänster om Elina.

Tvättstugan (vägg i vägg med badrummet).

 Ett av sovrummen uppe. 

Sovrum.

Taget från andra sidan (där Isak stod med orange t-shirt i bilden ovan).

Trappa ner. 
Badrum längst upp i bild (det svarta är en duschkabin).

 Harry Potter garderob!

"Åh, vad stort och fint. Mycket större än vårat hemma!" sa Elina. (Nja, inte direkt...)

"Jag är rädd för trappan," sa Julia (efter att hon klättrat upp och ner ett antal gånger).

"Det är inte så mycket privacy," sa Anja.

"Det här fixar nog jag och pappa nog ganska lätt," sa Isak (som hjälpte sin pappa mycket på DETTA projektet, som inte riktigt var av samma kaliber...)

Anjas första mjölktand borta!

Anja går i sin mammas fotspår och tappade inte sin första tand, utan blev av med den hos tandläkaren pga att den nya tanden kommer in bakom. Hon är officiellt den yngsta medlemmen i vår familj att få en ny tand på höstterminen av Kindergarten, endast 5 år. Isak hade gått färdigt Kindergarten och var bara några veckor från att fylla 6, och Elina var också sex år och tappade också sin första tand på sommarlovet mellan Kindergarten och ettan.  Om man klickar på länken tdär så ser man att Anja har på sig samma överdel som Elina hade när hon tappade sin tand. På grund av sin ringa ålder är hon den enda flickan i klassen som har tappat en tand. Killen som är hopplöst förälskad i Anja, Landon, har också tappat en tand. De två år de enda i klassen. Idag sa Landon, "I am only friends with people who have lost a tooth!" Smooth...

Norman Anthem

This song brought tears to my eyes on the day of the 5th grade concert. I did not get my own footage, but the clip below is pretty good. Isak sings it around the house with his pretty soprano that he will only have for a little while longer, and I am moved every time. I suppose it is because I have made my home here for a long time now, far from my original one, and we have raised our children here, and I do love this place. To hear the children's voices sing it reminds me that this is their home. They are part of the community here and even if we were to move tomorrow, Isak and Elina will always remember it as their childhood home.



"When I see a prairie schooner heading homeward to the west
toward the land of stars and sunshine, toward the place that I love best.
Then my heart goes home to Norman on the prairies of the west
Oh, my heart goes home to Norman, to the place that I love best."

All-City 5th Grade Choir Concert

Norman has a tradition of putting together all the 5th graders into one big choir. This year's concert was last night and it was great. My battery ran out during "Oklahoma" which was a bummer because that was by far the best piece. During the first video clip Julia is seen also, with her 1 hour old hairdo.

A Day of Mourning

Remember THIS? Scroll down to the last three pictures of that post.

How I LONG for that day. It was a little over 6 months ago and Julia's hair was beginning to noticeably grow. I was even thinking about trimming it this coming week and schedule individual portraits.

Then we had our annual pumpkin carving. Julia decorated hers and then disappeared. She often does this. She was playing upstairs just like any other day. And then comes the scream from Elina that one of the guine pigs is missing. A mad goose chase and we found her. Julia had hid the guinea pig in Elina's closet, in a box. No one looked very closely at Julia, we were making sure Maja was okay. And she was.

I then went in to my bathroom where the mat was a little crooked and one corner folder over. I went to straighten it and gave it a little shake. Long strands of blonde hair, 6 inches or so, flew out from underneath. It could only be Julia's or Anja's. But Anja knows better.

This is not my first time living through this, but it is the worst. Isak cut both Elina's and Anja's hair once, a couple of places each. Then Elina cut her own - okay, so that was pretty bad, but still nothing like this. Anja cut her own, but just a little bit. It is still growing out, as a matter of fact. I saw it this morning again. But only she and I know it is there. I will laugh about this in two years, I am sure.

Prepare yourselves, people. Here it is, Julia's new hairdo. On the up-side, I did not lose my cool, though I made my position known. And we can all be super impressed by the fact that Julia is ambidextrous so far, equally skilled with the scissors in both left and right hands - same when she draws and paints.

This morning I tried to part her hair on the other side and comb the hair over. Her hair does not naturally want to part on that side and besides it just wouldn't be covered because of the extensive cuts on the back of the head. It looked awful. I just don't know what to do. Mark wants leave it alone to just let it grow out, and if we do that I guess I'll just trim the rest shorter and keep trimming until the cut portions eventually catch up. The alternative is just cut it boy-short, pixie style, but even that won't look right because she has cut so close to the scalp in several places. (I wonder how much extensions are?)

Julia 2 weeks ago:

Tvåspråkighet är kul

Pappa mekar med bilen i uppfarten och är oljig.

Julia, 3 år: "Vad har du där, pappa?"

Mark: "Jag har... erhm, grease. Jag vet inte hur man säger det..."

Julia: "Men jag vet det, pappa. Det heter pig."

Elina's 3rd grade music program "Thwacked"

Elina and the rest of the 3rd graders put on a great musical performance (actually three showings of the same program). Poor Elina was home extremely sick on Tuesday and Wednesday with a particularly nasty stomach flu. She missed the big rehearsals Tuesday and Wednesday, including the dress rehearsal on Thursday morning, because we had a long ago scheduled allergist appointment that morning. But she did fine in the program, even though she was given the mind numbing news that she is allergic to both cats and dogs right before (including grass, weed, tree, mold, dust, - you name it)! We don't have to get rid of Sadie the doctor said, and when he heard the dog is only allowed in the kitchen and dining room which are both uncarpeted he was delighted. This must be why we have never suspected her to be allergic to Sadie! Good news: Elina is NOT allergic to guinea pigs!

Here are pictures from the Truman 3rd grade program, 2012 - and scroll further for video footage:

 Set decorations looked nice, don't you think?

I didn't even get the houses in the picture here, but you can see one below:

 Having fun on stage!

 After the Wednesday afternoon performance we went to a cast party in Elina's classroom.

Julia locked herself in her sister's locker!

 The choir waits during a solo.

 Elina and Sofia in front of one of the three set houses.

Grodan som sjunger solo med krona på huvudet går i Elinas klass.



Links to past music performances at Truman:

I Dance Myself to Sleep - Elina, Kindergarten
BUGZ - Elina, 1st grade
Giraffes Can't Dance - Elina 2nd grade
Olive the Other Reindeer - Isak, 2nd grade
A Neverland Tale - Isak, 3rd grade
SHREK - Isak 4th grade

Potluck

We had a potluck at our house when my parents were here, so they could meet some of our friends. It was a pretty full house. The kids played mostly outside. We fed them before the adults.

 There was lots of good food. 

Family Pictures 2012

It is now a tradition to take family pictures when my parents are here. In Sweden this is not as much of a common practice as it is here, but we have taken to this American way even if we have trouble getting everyone to look in the camera at the same time. This was actually one of our easier sessions. We always reward the kids with chocolate or ice cream afterwards.

My mom took a few snap shots with her iPhone during the shoot.

Here is the professional result from SEARS portrait studio. We NEVER get perfect pictures. Someone is always a little off in each shot, so this is about as good as it gets:

Two full group pictures:

One of our family:

And one of the grandparents and the kids:

Afterwards mormor treated the kids and me to frozen yogurt in the mall:

The Pumkin Patch 2012

We went to TG Farms Pumpkin Patch, according to tradition. (Well, last year we missed out Pumkin Patch visit because Elina broke her arm on our way there.) So glad mormor och morfar could come with us. In fact, they sponsored the event!

 Farm entrance.

 Great tire swings! (They sell them at Attwoods.)

 And a playground.

 Anja loves the tiny pumpkins.

 Height measurement.

And entrance into the maze.

 The hayride!