The new house!

We got to move into our new house on Monday, and let me just tell you... it is amazing! First of all, it is huge. They just finished a major renovation project on base this summer, and we are the lucky recipients of one of the newly renovated 4-bedroom houses! They took a duplex of 2 side-by-side 2-bedroom houses, knocked down some walls, and created a gorgeous 4-bedroom home. Basically, one wing has the kitchen, dining room (that used to be a living room) and living room (that used to be 2 bedrooms), while the other wing has 4 bedrooms and 2 full baths. 

 The kitchen is old cabinets, but new tile and appliances. I am standing in the former dining room, which is now basically an entry area by the backdoor and has a standing freezer and a large pantry. The window over the sink opens out to the courtyard.

  

This is one of the biggest dining rooms I have ever seen! We are so glad there will be room for our china cabinet, and that we can fully extend the table. Another amazing thing-- tile floor, not carpet like our last house! Finally, I can feed my messy family in the dining room instead of the kitchen. Actually, the ENTIRE house is tile floor, which is strange to me. The kids are going to have to adjust to the slipperiness. And I am quickly learning that an empty room with tile floor and concrete walls means LOTS OF NOISE! We need to get some rugs and curtains fast, because when all 3 kids are babbling in that room, it gives me an instant headache. 

This is one side of the great room/living room. The other side is empty right now, but will soon have our desk and bookshelves, to Dan's great delight. :-) The furniture is all temporary, loaned to us by the base until our shipment comes in a few more weeks. The rug is ours though, we just got it. It will look great with our espresso colored shelves, leather couch, and cranberry curtains. That's not a tv, btw, it's a window, and just outside it is a beautiful palm tree. :-)

And here is the courtyard, which is in the center of the house, connecting the 2 wings. The green awning can be retracted for extra sun or shade. We already have a nice patio table to put out there, with plans to grow lots of flowers and herbs too. There is a looooong hallway connecting the two wings, which you can see thorough those door and big window. The little window is to the playroom.

All 4 bedrooms are a pretty good size too! The Master has a nice bathroom and HUGE walk-in closet. Sophie's room looks pretty empty here, but we just got here a new bed and a purple area rug, so that will make it a little cozier.

 

 For now, Danny gets his room to himself, while we are getting settled. But once the other furniture gets here, we plan to put both boys' beds side by side in here. (Alex has a rail to keep him in, but he is fine in the pack-and-play for now). The kids have their own bathroom, which is quite stylish and modern, like the other bathrooms in the house! Very nice!

 

So there you have it, all you family who have been eagerly awaiting pictures! :-) So far, we love almost everything about the house. The layout is unusual, but I think it is going to work out really well for us. I love having no stairs to go up and down all the time! Honestly, we feel a little ashamed moving into a place like this, because it is big even by American standards. So if this is what the Spanish think Americans require for a family with 3 children, well, I can see how that would breed some resentment. The place is more than adequate with tons of storage (indoor and outdoor), more closets than I know what to do with, a huge fenced-in yard, and--oh yes-- automatic sprinklers. Because we live in the desert and can't be expected to water our own grass every night. And since we are on base, we are walking distance from the school, the playground, the pool, and all our future friends. Seriously, we are being really spoiled and we are so grateful to get such an amazing place. Kudos once again to my husband for getting us on the housing list early and helping us to move in so quickly!!!

One final comment: people on base have been REALLY friendly so far. It's a very small community, so I guess everyone recognizes a newcomer, and everyone has introduced themselves and offered assistance right away. A neighbor is even lending us a car for a few weeks so we don't have to pay out of pocket for the rental while we are completing paperwork to buy a car for Dan! (Our van won't be here for a few more weeks). Amazing, unexpected generosity. Moving in has been mostly ok, but it is great knowing there are people to turn to for all the challenging questions. Looking forward to the rest of our time here!!!