2005

Can you believe it? It’s been almost a year since Victoria and Sam were born!

2005 heralded a lot of firsts: first smiles and giggles, first teeth (Sam has 4, while Tori has 1 and a half), first family road trip (to visit friends in San Diego), first cross-country flight (JetBlue and Miami will never be the same) and even first steps.

Our children aren’t little babies anymore. And while we’re so excited to watch them grow and interact with the world around them, we’re sad that the first stage of their lives has come and gone so soon. It almost makes us want to have more kids ... almost....

Well, since we were on a roll with 2 tax deductions, we decided to try our hand at a third: a home in Burbank. We saw some really beautiful houses, and realized fairly quickly that we were going to have to stop looking -- the market was out of control. At best, we could afford a 2 bedroom,1 bathroom shack on a high-traffic street. So we both agreed, reluctantly, to hold off until 2006. And then, one day, David saw an online posting for a charming house. The price and the address weren’t listed, but we were able to find the house after driving around a little while. It looked just as charming in person: a nice lawn in front, hardwood floors throughout, a substantial backyard with a couple of fruit trees... As nice as some of the other houses were, neither of us could imagine ourselves living in (much less affording) them. But this one was somehow ... different. Of course, the house was probably already sold, or there was something seriously wrong with the foundation, or something... Nope. The broker had been out of town. Hilde and I looked at each other, and knew that the house was going to be ours. Thirty days later, we were in!

There are so many things that tenants take for granted, and we had a lot to do on our own. So we asked for help, and some wonderful friends helped us move everything from our old apartment. And then David’s father flew in from New York to perform some serious renovations, including installing recessed lighting and finishing the entire garage (which had originally been built in the 1940s). My brother came in from Miami to help out, too. We have the best family in the world.

The house looks incredible, and it grows on us day by day. David likes laying down in the backyard and staring up at the palm tree in front of our neighbor’s house. I like staring out the window from Sam and Victoria’s room. They’ve got a great view of our street and of the Verdugo Mountains in the distance. Their elementary school is just a few blocks away. (Maybe we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves on that one.) And there’s a really well-maintained softball field just around the corner.

We’re having a huge bash on December 23. It’s a combination holiday and house celebration / twins’ birthday / David’s birthday / anniversary of our first date kind of a thing. David’s Mom, Dad, and Grandma are coming in from New York to see the kiddies and to make Chanukah goodies. We can’t wait until they get here.

And you’re all invited to come visit us when you can. Just not at the same time!

So how was your 2005? Feel free to drop us a line. You can sign my guestbook too, and tell us all about it.

Love, Hilde and David and Victoria and Sam

 

P.S. Don’t forget to sign Hilde’s guestbook