We've Moved! (Part I)

After a lovely stint of 20 months in our 2 bedroom condominium, it was time for some elbow room!

Picture of our front door, made by a Hospital of Hope volunteer medical student in 2004, back in the day when our rent house was HOH's guesthouse!

 

 

Exactly 10 years before this picture was made with my four kids, I was waking up to my first morning in Bolivia in the very same house!

 

 

 Move Day, August 1! Only made possibly so quickly and effectively by a team of 8 guys from Holland visiting Casa de Amor who loaned us their muscles for the morning.

Moving in! Picture from Sophia's bedroom window

 

Walking in the front of the house. Both of our cars now fit in our driveway!

 

 

 Just to the right of the entryway, by the stairs 

(Notice the painting of my friend Amy with our street friends, left in this house that they have also occupied! The other painting is thanks to the Booher family. It's HUGE but is PERFECT for this wall.)

 

 

The heart of the home!

 

I went from a kitchen with exactly 3 drawers, to this kitchen with FIFTEEN DRAWERS! At first I couldn't figure out how to use them all. That didn't last long though!!

LOVE my "baking corner" in this new kitchen. The drawer below has baking items like measuring cups and spoons, rolling pin, whisks, etc.

 

Now to just be rid of the ants, and get hot water to the sink...

The kitchen nook leads to the laundry room and to the back yard, where the boys and even Sophia spend lots of time!

 

 

 I also have my "pantry" there, all nice and organized

 

Sophia and Shaggy, the back neighbor's dog, supervising me hanging up laundry

 

 

Entry to the living room/dining room

Our living room (Jake would want you to notice the big projector wall) 

 

 Our book shelves!

Dining room! When we're not taking our meals on the upstairs balcony...

 

At the other end of the downstairs, by the garage, is our office! Since Jake now has a full time job working from home, he spends a lot of time here beginning in the early morning.

 

 

Across the hallway from the office is a large bedroom that we are currently using as storage and for our extra bed. Since it has a bathroom, maybe it will be our future visitor room! 

 

 

The boys are super happy with our two little neighbor friends, one of whom has the same name as one of our boys. They play together almost every moment they're not doing school or eating.

Next post: the upstairs tour!