Anyway, here we are, here you are, how about a Haynes update?
Where or where have the Haynes been you ask. Well........
At the end of April we finally were given a clear direction from the bank and spent a couple of days hunting for homes with our realtor Rusty Johnson. It was the last house we looked at, a house that was not on our list, a house that had not been on the market for a whole month yet, and a house we fell in love with. We made an offer, got a counter, accepted it and 30 days later we closed on our very first home!
The house is a 3 story 1915 Victorian. It has 3.5 bedrooms, a full attic which once re-drywalled will make a wonderful living space addition in the winter months. It also has a full attic which is not finished, but will make a wonderful storage place!
The home was refurbished with double hung windows, a modern kitchen, new carpet. It has the original wood, pocket doors, and is truly a lovely house on the outside and inside. We feel extremely blessed that we were able to find such a home at the price we could afford.
We had a few issues with bats when we moved in, but it seems better now! Here is our first adventure, written by Chantel on her Facebook page.
"When we were moving in we
found a bat in the house. It looked about dead and the kids took it
outside in the yard where it laid and yelled at use every time we came
near it. That same night, while Vern Haynes and the boys were at basketball the girls and I were home unpacking. I
was in the downstairs bathroom (using it) when I heard some scritching
coming from under the sink and saw something move. At first I thought
it was a mouse. Now, the kids have seen the way I react to snakes,
slugs....and I have absolutely no control over myself...none...it
happens and that is that. So when this "thing" crawled up through the
floor (around drain pipes from basement) into the bathroom I promptly
stood up into the corner (remember I was "using" the bathroom....so my
pants are now on the floor) and screamed. That was when it started
flying around the bathroom...probably terrorized by my screeching. Well, you guessed it, the
flying made me scream louder...totally out of control. I was standing
in the corner of the bathroom screaming for Cody So Haynes
to come open the door. It seemed a long time, but she finally came
(probably only 3-4 screams later) and opened the door to find me,
pantless in the corner screaming and the bat laying on the floor
between us with its wings out. She says, "oh, oh, oh...mom it is okay"
Mom still screaming. Bat flies again this time toward me, then back
toward Cody and around the room until it slams into her foot and lands
again on the floor. Mom still screaming. Cody moves out of the way
yelling for Victoria Nunez and the bat flies into the kitchen. This is where pantless screaming mom runs into the dining room. The girls grab a fishing net
that is out and work very hard to catch the bat....mom during this time
is standing in dining room trying to pull her shirt down around her
knees. They catch it and take it outside (what brave girls we have). I
get my pants, close the bathroom door, text Vern Haynes
a text that he says is so hilarious that he is keeping it forever, and
head to Walmart to buy that foam filler stuff and not come back home
until the guys get home, per mom. We get home, fill the holes
around the drain (reclose the door), and are upstairs making up beds.
We are making my bed when another bat flies into my room. Out I run
screaming down the hallway. Vern and the girls catch this one too and
take it outside. This is when we close the attic door and stuff Vern's
basketball socks under the cracks (they are still there....don't ask!). And, so here we are. A week
in the house tomorrow. Boys at scout camp all week. Boxes everywhere
but no one will go into the attic to put things away. Victoria and Cody
doing laundry because mom won't go downstairs. Sigh."
So, we have a home! Now we move. Except, the day we signed to close on the house Mom had worked the 2 nights before, and Vern and the boys were leaving for their scouting canoe trip for two days. Then home for a couple of days to pack while Mom works another 3 days in a row before taking a couple of days off to move. We move in on a Thursday and Vern and the boys leave for Scout Camp the following Monday for a whole week. Mom, Victoria and Cody are left to clean up the old house in-between work days for Mom.
The boys get home from Scout camp and 4 days later the whole family leave for Minnesota to visit with the Tanners for a few days and enjoy Rochester Fest.
Back to home, back to work. Not a lot of unpacking getting done. To be honest, this is the slowest we have EVER unpacked after moving!!!
Finally, after all of the trips there is a small window to unpack before Mom runs off to Girl's camp for a week. How was Girl's Camp. Hot and very busy for the camp nurses (there are two, Mom and another).
Oh, and let's not leave out the extreme drought that has plagued the area all spring and summer. No measurable rain for months, no snow pack over the winter, temperatures over 100 degrees with lower than normal humidity (30-40% on most days). The Corn and Soybean crops are lost and will be used for silage for animals. Farmers are selling off livestock before they loose them to lack of water and food. The grass is brown, the trees are loosing their leaves like fall, and the ponds, lakes and rivers are drying up. Add temperatures in the 100's for weeks on end and you have a lot of problems! Burn bans, water restrictions and an active state of emergency in Missouri.
Needless to say we have not gotten much done outside of the house. That will wait until fall when the temperatures cool off. However, inside is finally coming together!
How are the kids? Wonderful!
They love the new home!
Victoria will return to Stephen's in August. She is planning to go on a mission right after she graduates with her Bachelor's. She has been home all summer with us, and we have really enjoyed having her here with all of us.
Cody will be entering her second year of college, this time as an official college student. She graduated from Seminary and High School this past May. She has begun the application process to BYU Provo and hopes to start there next fall. Her goal is a degree in Music and possibly teaching or working within some sort of music therapy.
Both girls have been attending the singles ward in Warrensburg, having callings (Victoria is in the Relief Society presidency, Cody is the assistant music director). They have also been enjoying summer Institute.
Cyrus has advanced to a Life Scout this summer and will starting college courses this year mainly in math. Mom has taken to calling him stretch because he has grown so tall. He is a wonderful, sensitive, kind and amazing young man!
Jared too is growing taller every day. He was able to ride the entire 40 miles of the bike trip, attended his first Scout camp this summer and survived, even with all of the spiders that tortured him, and will advance to 1st class scout next month.
Vern's business is growing, growing, growing. He has a beautiful office in our new home and is working hard to organizing it. He will once again be teaching computer classes at the local community college this fall and winter.
Chantel is still working nights at the hospital, although she hopes that a day position will come available soon. She has taken this summer quarter off from school, but will start up again in October. She attended Girl's camp as the camp nurse again this year.
All in all, everyone is busy, happy, healthy and settling in to their new home.
So, How are you?
