Moving Along...

Our contract was accepted today - yea!! So now we just have to sell our house and hope that no one puts a contract on this one. Here are some pictures that I took of the house. It will be complete in 60 days - and I get to pick the cabinets, flooring, light fixtures, plumbing fixtures, paint, countertops and kitchen appliances. I am super excited:)

Here is the house. They are laying brick.

Close-up of the brick. It is brick on all 4 sides.

The backyard. It will be seeded and fenced.

This is what it will look like when complete.

These next pictures are from the house above that is almost complete. We have the same floor plan, but will get to pick out a lot of the stuff...

Master

Stairs to the bonus room & bonus room (below)

Family room

Taken in family room which leads into the kitchen dining area.

Kitchen

Aguilar Update

We are moving...in 2 weeks!
On Friday Gilbert accepted a position with a company called Conforma Clad in New Albany, IN. My employer has allowed me to continue my current position - with the hopes of building a presence in Indiana.
Our house in Austin is on the market and this week we are putting a contract on a home in Charlestown, Indiana. If it is accepted, I will give more of the details of the home...
We are very excited, stressed and sad at the same time. We have both loved living in Austin but are ready for a change.
Stay tuned for more updates...

Bailout

I just read an article on MSN regarding the big bailout of the financial markets. Let me first say that we are in a big mess - and I have no idea what is the best way to fix it. The government wants to step in a bail out all financial institutions by buying all the bad - nonperforming debt. I have a few thoughts on the matter - coming from someone in the mortgage industry...

2 summers ago stated income loans were all the rage. You would not believe the premium being paid to buy these loans on the street. Which transferred to good money for lenders, account executives and loan officers. The street was HUNGRY for this product. So regular W2 borrowers were convinced that doing a stated income loan was the best for them. They signed documentation that stated their income was one amount when they knew full well that they did not make that amount of money. There is no reason why a regular W2 borrower should do a stated income loan. Why the street was allowing this to take place is way beyond me. Stated income loans were meant for self-employed people - not for someone who just didn't feel like getting a copy of their paystubs and W2s. There were even no doc loans - which meant that you didn't have to prove or even list your income or assets. Who thought that was a good idea???

The other problem was borrower greed and "keeping up with the Jones". Borrowers were talked into buying a house that was way more than they could afford. They could either stretch the truth on their income or get an exotic loan - pick a payment, interest only, or negative amortization just to name a few. These products were developed for serious investors - who would purchase property and pay it off in a few months. Not for the average Joe - who would not understand the payment terms.

I think everyone in the financial market are to blame for the current crisis. And I think the government should have stepped in a long time ago. But as I read more about the plan that has been submitted to Congress - the less I agree with some of the measures they are pushing. They want to stop foreclosures and give money to homeowners facing foreclosure. I have a serious problem with this. If a borrower is in a foreclosure situation because they have lost their job, have health issues, etc. - that is one thing - and I think these individuals should be helped. But I do not think the government should step in and help people who knowingly lied on their loan applications regarding their income. Nor should the government help those who simply bit off more than they could chew. If you make $30,000 a year - why in the world did you think you could afford a $250,000 house? Shame on the financial industry for creating this loan - but the borrower should have to take responsibility as well.

I know that mortgages are tricky. I audit files and know there are a million documents that are signed at closing. But it is hard for me to believe that someone would just sign everything and not read or verify a single thing. Everyone needs to take responsibility - including the borrowers.

If there is one thing people could learn from this - it is to read EVERYTHING. Ask questions. If you feel pressured, walk away. This goes for buying a house, a car, a computer, etc. And remember that old saying, "if it is too good to be true....."

Emmy Red Carpet Commentary

Football is on, so I don't get to watch the Emmys. But I did look at the red carpet pictures on MSN and have picked what I believe are the best and worst dressed.

Starting with my favorites:

Jennifer Carpenter. I have no idea who she is or what show she is on, but I like the dress.

Brooke Shields. This is one of my favorite colors and I love ruffles and train.

Oliva Wilde. Very classy and elegant.

Jill Fink. Had to pick my favorite basic black.

My absolute favorite of the evening. Mariska Hargitay. LOVE IT.



And now for the bad and the ugly:

I have never liked Jennifer Love Hewitt. Maybe because every guy I knew in high school and college watched Party of Five just for her. But this dress is bad. And her hair is just as bad.

Love you Eva - you usually get it right. But this is all wrong....

Forget Whose the Boss - Whose your stylist??? For me, this was the worst of the night. And check out those stripper shoes - nasty!

Dancing Queen

Since I work from home, I am at home with Eva A LOT. And sometimes I just don't know what to do with her. So I turn on some music and dance. She loves it!

It doesn't look like she likes kisses, but she really does!

If I need a few minutes to do laundry or eat, I put Eva in her crib with her soft blanket.

She likes to put it in her mouth!

Trying to teach her to roll...

She is trying REAL hard!

Getting ready to give it another shot.

Dinner Time!!

Eva has been waking up more at night the past week or so. It has been really tough on Gilbert and I - especially since we both have a lot going on with work and with putting the house on the market and preparing to move. Since she is now 4 months old, I did some online research on when to start rice cereal. Many of the websites said that 4 months was a good time to start - so after consulting with my medical professionals (i.e. my mom and sister) I decided it was time to give it a shot! I looked for recipes online - as I wanted to make it myself. But my Mom gave me good advice and told me I could be a naturalist later - but to make it easy on myself and just buy the boxed rice cereal and mix in a little bit of apple juice for taste. I was prepared for her to not be interested or to spit most of it out, but by the 3rd spoonful or so, she really had the hang of it. And she started crying if I didn't give it to her fast enough! I guess it was the right time to start. I am keeping my fingers crossed that Gilbert and I can at least get 4 consecutive hours of sleep tonight!

Getting ready for her first meal in her Bumbo.

First taste

That wasn't so bad!

Pleased with herself!

4 Months Old

Eva turned 4 months old today! Can't believe how quickly the past months have flown by!

She is following things more with her eyes. She loves to look at the TV, her hands, my hands, faces, ceiling fans, and herself in the mirror. It is getting harder to keep her in the carseat at the store - she likes to be held so that she can check everything out. I think this is good for her development, but is causing me some serious neck and back pain! I have a wrap that I love - but I don't always remember to take it!

She still loves to be on her changing table. It is a great way to get in her daily dose of tummy time!

She loves her playmat and exersaucer - but both are time limited. I have also started this week to lay her on a blanket in the office and put a few toys down. She seems to really like it and is attempting to roll over! She rolled over on her own a few days ago, but hasn't done it since.

She likes music and dancing around. She loves to wrap her hands in my hair and pull. She has also started to grab at whatever I am holding.

Can't wait to see what this next month brings!

New Pics

Last month we went to our photographer to have some more pictures taken. I think they turned out wonderfully. Family and Friends will be receiving their own copies soon:)

3 of the pictures are not downloading. How annoying! I guess I will rescan and post later!

Eva's Baby Dedication & Baptism

My parents were in town this weekend for our church's baby dedication. Gilbert and I had met with the pastor a few months ago to see if he would also baptize Eva - and he agreed to do it. The baptism was really nice - we had it in the chapel and were surrounded by family and friends. Thanks to those that came to share the day with us!

On stage for the dedication.

Eva on the big screen.

Outside of the chapel.

Inside of the chapel. I don't have any pics of the actual baptism because my Dad was videotaping it...

Aunt Nikki

Aunt Nikki, Uncle Brad, Cousins Robby & Katie

Cousins Robby & Katie

Danyelle, John & Brett

Jeremy & Cat

Eva looks like she is trying to get away from us!

This girl has a zillion pairs of shoes. And would you believe that the 2 pairs that would have worked with this dress were both too small? I guess her feet grew overnight!

Before the service.

After her baptism. Her hair was a little wet, but she didn't seem to mind!

Mimi helped her discover her toes!