The Siemens... Moved!

And just because 2014 hasn't been very exciting, we decided to throw a move in this year. You know, just the birth of Dakota, Ben moving to a new company, Mackenna turning 3 and starting a new school, going on a family trip to Disney, I started a photography business... We decided to move our family! (Insert sarcasm.)

It is a true statement to say that this move wasn't planned. In fact, after attempting to sell our house last year and move, and not having it go very well, we had mentally checked out of the process all together. That is, until it was mentioned to me by a colleague that she was going to be listing her house. I inquired about her home, as I do with most people due to my interest in real estate. Within hearing a few sentences about the location, layout, and some details (4 1/2 acres, open concept, three car garage, private) I knew it was our dream home. Once I saw it in person, at the risk of sounding corny, I can tell you I knew it was our family's forever home. Keep in mind, we hadn't even listed our home on the market at the point that I heard of it!

We couldn't be luckier in regards to how the course of events went over the next few weeks. We listed our home, got a near full- price offer, accepted the offer, and had our offer accepted on what is our home now. And within a matter of a month, we packed up our life and moved in. We are on cloud nine and absolutely love our new home. We are in Scarborough, just a few minutes and couple of miles from the ocean shore. It is a private, picturesque country setting near the coast.

The house itself is unique, homey, cozy, spacious, full of character, and full of love. While there are some changes and updates that we plan to make to the house over the next few years, we are excited to do them. The home was built in 1982, and we are the third owners. Fun fact; The family that lived in the home before us (my colleague's family) had 2 girls as well. They are now Abby and I's age.

Without further ado, here are some photos of the house that were taken by the listing agent before we purchased it. Of course, none of the furniture is ours since this was taken before we moved ourselves in. Notes are below the photos to help guide you through this digital tour.

The "entrance" to our home. On the left, the front door. And on the right, the entrance to the mudroom.

Driveway view of the home. It is a circular drive with a ginormous tree right in the middle.

The kitchen. Plans for this area are to eventually replace the cabinets and counter tops, and put in tile floors. We absolutely love the Jenn Air double wall oven, gorgeous light filled windows, and the Viking gas range which isn't seen here but is in the island.

The sun room, or mudroom as I have been calling it. We don't have the abundance of plants that the previous owner had, and we have already started to turn this area into a storage area of sorts for the kids outerwear, boots, etc.

The living room. We fell in love with the cathedral ceilings, redwood walls, and catwalk upstairs. The catwalk connects our master bedroom to the other side of the house where the girls bedrooms are. This room is Ben's favorite area of the house.

And this is why it is Ben's favorite area. There is a double hearth chimney set-up here A wood stove on one side with brick, and a stone faced side with a fire place on the other. Perfect for the cold Maine winter days. 

The rear of the house. There is a wrap around driveway that allows Ben to drive anything right into the basement through this door. The dormer area above the garage (seen here) is an apartment that we are using as a guest area/ storage/ bathroom for the girls. Its connected to Dakota's bedroom.

And my favorite photo. An aerial shot that shows the house's close proximity to the ocean. 

Looking back on the past two months, I have no idea how we managed to pack up our whole family, 3000 square foot home, and unpack it. It was crazy, humid and hot in August, and stressful at times. But all worth it, and we couldn't be happier with our decision. We always knew that we wanted to move before Mackenna started kindergarten, and this is in plenty of time. I am much closer to work, and Ben is closer to accessing the highway which in turn makes his commute shorter.

Most people ask, how does Mackenna like it? Well, over all I think she likes it. If you ask her directly, she replies that she liked her old house better, but I think its just a three year old response. She enjoys her new bedroom, new (pink!) bathtub, and absolutely loves to have her own playroom with dolls galore. Her favorite activity, playing babies. 

I know we couldn't have done the move without the help of my dad who has been a handy inspector and source of advice, my mom who watched our girls for many hours so we could pack and unpack, and Ben's mom who has helped us update many areas of our home with new pieces. I will post updates and projects from time to time on here. I've also contemplated starting a new blog with home renovation and decorating tips, DIY projects, etc. Since I love it so much. Either way, we will be sure to share more photos and family memories in our new space soon.