7283 Acorn Way

When we moved here to Naples I began researching, studying, stalking and looking at houses.  In the short time we have been here, the market has not only stabilized, the market is beginning to pick up.  This annoyed me - we lost a bunch of money on the sale of our home in Asheville and we were hoping to pick up on the down real estate market in Florida.  When houses I liked were on and off the market in a week or less, I began to get nervous.  And, the real estate agent we had hoped to work with turned out to be a bit of a flake - maybe he wasn't interested in the lower end of the market that we were willing to purchase into...

Anyway, I really started to study new construction.  I focused on two neighborhoods in the same area we are renting.  One neighborhood seemed reasonably priced for the size of the home but it was not in the target school district we were hoping for.  The other neighborhood felt like it was out of reach.  My original goal was to secure a four bedroom, three bathroom home 2,500 - 3,000 square feet.  In order to be in the geographic area we wanted and in the the schools we wanted, it wasn't going to happen - especially not for new construction.

I kept being drawn back to Black Bear Ridge "the neighborhood" that seemed out of our reach.  I studied house plans and lots in the neighborhood.  I even set up appointment to speak with the sales broker.  It felt right every time I was in the neighborhood.  I wanted to be there.  I decided on a house plan that did not fit my original goal.  The Sarasota house plan has three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms at 2322 sq/ft.  On Saturday we signed a contract to have a home built for us in Black Bear Ridge!

The pictures below are of the same house plan that was built in the neighborhood a few months ago...

The Sarasota Home

Three car garage - so nice since we no longer have a basement...

Kitchen pictures - lets face it, it isn't just mom who spends most of her time in the kitchen...

Master bedroom and bathroom

Great Room

Kids bathroom - I love how the sinks are separate from shower and toilet!

For now, we will not have a pool but we will have a back, screened in patio, it extends the length of the house and is aprox. 7 1/2 feet out from the back of the house (where you see the pillars).

Black Bear Ridge is a gated neighborhood and offers a community pool, clubhouse, exercise room and a small playground for tots. 

I am still telling myself it is okay to have the girls share a bedroom.  It is okay.  Hopefully it will help them be good college roommates.  We do not need a gigantic home to be happy.  We are buying a home we can afford and pay off in a reasonable amount of time.  Proximity to Ryan's work and the school district were key components in making this decision.  And, if at some future date we feel the house isn't big enough, we can move.  I have learned not to call my home my "forever house" because one never knows the circumstances that will affect us in the future.  

Elysse

It seems I never post enough about Elysse.  She is growing, learning and loves routine.  Weekends throw her off as she is very rigid about schedule and likes to know what is happening next.  Here are some cute pictures of her...

School

Nathan is in second grade at Laurel Oak Elementary.  His teacher is Ms Cabreara.

Audrey began VPK - voluntary pre-kindergarten at Our Savior Lutheran Preschool.  It isn't Nativity but she has made friends and depending on the day, she enjoys it...

The best part of all - Daddy gets to bring her ever morning!  

Nathan's Birthday Dinner

The day before Nathan's birthday we had a birthday dinner (his actual birthday was on Monday and we never know when Ryan will be home from work).  We had our friends the Kurbec's over to celebrate with us.

 Suppose to look messy - like a cloud...

 Nathan wanted to decorate it with animals...

 This is our friend Eden...

 Surprise, it is a rainbow cake...found it on Pinterest - 

Yes, I know it is loaded with food coloring but we only had it once...

The candle on the table was my lame excuse for birthday candles.  

Guess what I just found the the drawer in the kitchen....

Fort Lauderdale Temple

When we took Nathan and his friends to the Miami Zoo we drove past the new LDS temple.  It is about an hour and fifteen minutes from our house in Naples.  The temple is not scheduled to be complete for at least a year, maybe eighteen months.  This will be the closest we have lived to a temple since we lived in Michigan.

We took a few pictures of the temple from the car...