The Calm

The past two weeks have been insane. A whole new level of insane that even our 'three kids three and under usual insanity' is not used to. Sterling was in Philadelphia, then he was home and frantically trying to catch up. I spent several hours every day with a real estate agent looking for an apartment. Stressing about costs/location/space/pros and cons/as well as time frames. I did not believe anything could be as crazy as finding an apartment in Miami until we actually lived through it last year. It's pretty much buying a home anywhere else. Credit checks, over two thousand dollar deposits on top of first and last months rents, HOA approvals and credit checks and fees, real estate agent fees and credit checks, on top of the ANXIETY because if you don't have an offer in the moment you hear about the place, it will probably already be gone when you decide you do like it and...I could go on. I will spare you.

Luckily, we found a real estate agent that we just fell in LOVE with. I turned to Sterling after he met him for the first time (I had spent several hours with him looking at apartments already) and said "This is the first person I have met in Miami that I feel could be Mormon, but isn't." He is just so kind and wonderful and so focused on the same things we look for--a space for family friendly activities, away from the city hustle and bustle, and a home conducive to kids. No laundry facilities to walk to, no huge treks across parking lots, no major distances to parks and grocery stores. He really understood us. Maybe because he is one of the few people we have met in Miami who actually had THREE kids?! No kidding, it is really unusual here. Anyway, he was great to work with. As an added bonus he sent us tons of emails with a wealth of information on local parks to bike at, swim at, play at and further biking trails to explore. 

After all of that stress, we put an offer in on an apartment I was in love with, but didn't actually save us too much money. But we were one offer too late. Then I contacted our landlord in one last desperate attempt to salvage that situation, while debating putting in an offer on a second apartment. Our property manager got us reduced rent and an addendum to our contract stating over ten items that they will repair (that have been broken since before we moved in), a few more items that have broken since arriving here (not our fault...this apartment needs some updating), and a clause stating that in the future they will respond to our needs within a week. No more waiting six months to get my oven fixed! Huzzah!

While maybe not the result I wanted, it definitely is a good outcome. Much less stress, and I think we needed that right now as first year is wrapping up. So while the last two weeks were a CRAZY whirlwind of Miami traffic and torturing decision-making, at least we can rest easy for one more year.

Oh yeah, on top of all of that, we have all had these horrible head colds ever since Sterling got back from Philadelphia. The kids have been more ornery and more tired, I have been more ornery and more tired, and it has not made for the greatest days. OH AND, our washing machine is broken. Again. Because they didn't fix the problem the first time. It has now been seven days and we are running out of undies. So I'm hoping they can be here tomorrow. Here's to a relaxing weekend, more sleep, and a better week to come, right?!

I told ya we've been tired around these parts!

Kayli, she plays with these constantly. Thank you SO SO much!

And more being tired.

Her lashes. I just adore her gorgeous long lashes. 

On Sunday, even though we were a little out of sorts, we went on a walk--the kids rode their bikes--to give us a little breather from being cooped up. It was nice.

She had a skirt on, but they always get caught in her wheel and end up all black. Luckily, Will had an extra pair of shorts in the back of the van. Why do I try to find 5T bermudas when she could just wear boys 3T shorts?!?!?! Oh yeah, because she needs the pink polka-dot kind. :) 

Can you spot the GIANT iguana we saw?

See it across the river? 

Oh, this boy. Never did a boy say 'no' to me so often and make me love him so much all at the same time!

Oh the craziness! 

Too hot to not.

Life is good.