Update on the House process

Yesterday we had an inspection of the house. It went well. Nothing major was found - so that is great. There was only one issue with the wiring in the electric panel that we are going to ask to have fixed. Just as a safety issue. Other than that, there really was nothing that was a big deal. So, we will have to negotiate getting the panel fixed, but after that its just completing the financing and waiting for the closing date. A few of you have asked where the house is. It's in Bolingbrook off of Rt 53 to Briarcliff and just a few blocks off of Briarcliff. And I finally got a good chance to take a bunch of pictures since we were there for a while yesterday. See below:

Front of house

Entrance to patio from lower level

Front door/foyer

part of the 24' kitchen

dining room

She is sitting up!

Just a quick note...this week Brooke has been sitting up on her own using her hand to hold her up...

But tonight I was sitting there and all of the sudden she was sitting up unassisted - using no hands! I don't know if you can really tell from the picture very well. It was really hard to get a picture because she pretty much falls over a few seconds later! But it is so cute!!

Brooke's First Visit to the Zoo!!

Today, Kevin & I took Brooke to the Brookfield Zoo!

This is how Brooke felt about it:

But it was a nice day, sunny and in the 70's and I think we all had fun. At first Brooke was more into the wooden fences, then the actual animals. In the end, I think she had fun though! She was a very good girl. And as you will see below, mommy & daddy quite enjoyed taking her picture!

Daddy & Brooke by the sloth bears Mommy & Brooke by the camels

Doesn't this picture look fake!

Oh no! Don't let that fishy get Brooke!

Brooke as we left.

All tired out from her first zoo experience!

New House - Take 2

An update on our house hunting. We went and saw 7 more houses on Wednesday. There were actually a few potentials. After some discussion and thought, we again put an offer on a house. And again, it was accepted. So, again, we may be home owners. Of course I am a bit paranoid now after what happened the last time. However, (and I sure hope this doesn't jinx us), it appears we are dealing with better and more professional people on the seller and realtor end this time. The seller is very motivated, as her husband had to relocate for work and so she has been away from him for 2 months already waiting until the house sells. So, I am hoping that is good for us, as she won't want to screw up any sale. Anyway, they already put the house in as "under contract" so we are already further along than we got last time. Also, we are having an inspection of the house on Wednesday. So, everyone please keep your fingers crossed for us that all goes well from here through June 29th which is our prospective closing date. P.S. I didn't have as much excitement this time around so the few pictures I took aren't great. But I plan to take a lot more pictures when we go for the inspection, so I will post pictures then.

Married...Again!

On Sunday, May 20th we get married again! When we got married the first time it was a non-denominational ceremony because it was outside. The Catholic church doesn't recognize marriage outside of the church. So, after Brooke was born and we were talking to the priest about her baptism, we decided to go ahead and do what we needed and have a ceremony in the church. We were married by Father George, who was Kevin's grade school priest. So, we got together the required documentation and even attended a pre-marriage class (in which we brought the baby!). Then we were set to have a ceremony and have our marriage blessed by the church. It was a beautiful day. And since it was much more low key and we had already done it once, it was not at all nerve racking or stressful. And our little Brooke got to be there!

Newly married McDermotts & baby

Lighting the Unity candle

Brooke really liked the church!

Brooke having fun after the wedding!

In other news...I am sad to say we did not get the house I posted about. It's kind of a long story and I am pretty sure the Seller's realtor is completely shady (...but that is another story)! The day after the sellers accepted our bid, they got another bid. So, we did up our offer a bit, but basically they didn't really give us a chance, they apparently just took the other offer without bothering to negotiate with us. So, it just wasn't meant to be. We are going out to look at about 8 more houses tomorrow afternoon (all in Bolingbrook). Hopefully we will have better luck this time around. Luckily we have time and there are lots of houses. One is just waiting for us! Of course, I will keep everyone posted on the progress.