The Evolution of a House

We had been looking at houses for 3 years. It had almost become a hobby. Our kids were ages 7,5, and 3 and it had become their biggest nightmare. We tried to sneak it on them, we tried putting on a movie in the car, we tried bribing with treats but the second we got in the car together they were suspicious. I think they're all scarred for life. There is a chance that none of them will ever be able to search for a home of their own in the future.

We put in a couple of half-hearted offers on land as far north as Bountiful and a home with a blue tin roof south in Sandy-but nothing felt right. We loved our little house on Chapel Street, but had wanted a little more room. I always felt that I would just "know" when a house was right for us. I had yet to get that knowing feeling and had begun to chastize myself for being such a foolish idealist. When I became pregnant with Gabe, the search began to feel too intense and we both just decided that we were happy to stay put. We concentrated instead on how we were going to make the space we had work.

And then a friend mentioned she had driven by a house for sale just a few short miles from us. I balked at the idea of going through yet another disapointing dead end but indulged my friend and made an appointment. Nervously, I rang the doorbell and was greeted by the handsome home owner who invited me in to the front foyer.

It was at that moment that this foolish idealist knew that she was home.

We have loved everything about this house. We love our neighborhood, we love the schools, we love the ward and we love our friendships we have created here. It was where we were supposed to be. It was an answer to prayer.

14 years ago, our house looked like this:

Then a couple of years ago, we made some changes to the driveway and the landscaping.

Today, with the anticipation of a new, attached garage, it looks like this:

It's a little tricky with all of the different elevations.

When we moved in our kitchen looked like this: It still had the original 1936 cabinets.

Then this update. Still with the original 1936 cabinets (aside from the stainless steel shelves behind the girls).
A couple of weeks ago it looked like this:

Notice the old coal burning fireplace that was behind my kitchen cabinet. The spice cabinet, to be extact-as that was the only thing that would fit in that shallow space.

Today it looks like this:

My dream...a family room!

Jordan and builder, Jeff. Best. Builder. Ever.

A view from the "old" into the "new."

The basement 14 years ago: Christian didn't have to worry about hitting his head on the ceiling back then.

The basement today:

Jordan poses with his "baby." Only when it was his baby, it wasn't pink. I am a fan of this stuff. After all, it is what has made all of this possible.

I usually have a strong aversion to change. I've decided in the case of our home, I'm more than willing to make an exception. After all, with every change I just fall more in love.