The view that could have been...

We took a dive into the world of real estate this summer when we realized that we might be able to save a lot on living costs by buying rather than renting. We love the condos that we live in, and we loved the idea of owning one (still do). We had to jump through all of the hoops of getting a purchase contract before we could get clear answers from the HOA about various questions we had. We weren't satisfied with the situation in regards to earthquake insurance, and so we decided to pull out of the deal. Wow, we sure learned a lot, though, and we're super excited to buy a house someday!

We loved the condo with which we were in contract. It was perfectly situated on a little pond, with weaping willow trees wistfully blowing in the breeze and the sound of water fountains gently splashing... This would have been our view:

Sigh... oh well... :)

What happened to the summer?

Whew!!!! Hello again, dear blog readers...it's been too long! :)

It's been a very busy and very good summer. We've enjoyed a long visit from Grandpa Butler, we almost bought a condo, we had a good friend visit from Germany, Mark had minor surgery on his hand, and Evan had lots of firsts and is running and talking more than ever. Hopefully I will have time to blog about all of these, but at a minimum here are some photos and a promise to be a better blogger from this point forward:

Evan discovers Mommy's cosemetic bag

Evan's introduction to Legos

Mark shows off his cool cast

Evan and the giant redwoods in Muir Woods

We visited the Little Farm in Tilden Park, and Evan got to see all the farm animals that we've been pointing to in his books. The excitement in his eyes was incredible to see, as he made connections in his brain between his books and the live animals.

Evan steals a piece of lettuce from a cow.

Climbing on a mountain Lion

Evan and Daddy dance to Michael Jackson