A House!

Here is the link to the pictures of the house we are moving into next week!

http://www.funda.nl/koop/odiliapeel/huis-47435072-zwaluwstraat-5/fotos/

It has 5 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an office that used to be the garage.  The 5th bedroom is actually downstairs and it will be the boys toy room.  I don't even know where to begin to describe how awesome it is.  If you notice, the downstairs floor is all tile.  This is because there is underfloor heating!  There is also floor heating in the upstairs bathroom.  Downstairs is also a sun room but we don't know what to do with it yet.  We're just going to leave it empty for now and see what happens.  There is a gas fireplace in the living room, a built in stereo system, and a big front window.  The kitchen is probably one of the best in the WHOLE country.  Did you notice the side by side stainless steel fridge/freezer with an ice maker and water dispenser?  Those don't exist over here.  That is probably the first and only American fridge in Holland.  And let me tell you, people are jealous.  A normal Dutch fridge is built into the cabinets and is probably a third of the size.  Pretty much only good for holding condiments.  You will also notice there is no oven.  They use tiny ovens over here that aren't big enough for cookie sheets, so we get that from Schinnen and it will go down the hall next to the washer and dryer.  The other awesome thing about this kitchen is 1) there's a dishwasher, and 2) look at all those cabinets!!  Storage space is slim over here so we lucked out with that too.  What you can't see are the GIANT drawers under the stove top that provide even more storage. 

Down the hall is the laundry area, and there's a door leading to the backyard.  That will be perfect for when the boys come in filthy, they can get cleaned up and clothes in the wash right away.

Also downstairs:  through the entryway, past the stairs, is the bathroom and the toy room.  The boys will have all of their toys downstairs in one room, and if no one feels like cleaning it, just shut the door :)  That room also has a built in closet for whatever we need it for.  (Closets are pretty rare as well)

The garage was converted into an office with a seperate entry way, that will be Brandon's space for whatever.  I know we'll at least have a desk in there and his computer.  Maybe one day it will be a photography studio as well.  I think down that hall there are 2 more storage closets.

Upstairs are the 4 bedrooms.  1 for us, with a massive built in closet so we don't need to buy dressers like we were planning on, plus an extra hanging space on the side of the bed, and there's a balcony overlooking the backyard.  1 bedroom for each boy; these are small but since the toys are downstairs they don't need much room up here.  And 1 for me!  The larger room with be for scrapbooking and for guests.....so the guests need to start planning some visits! 

The bathroom has a tub and a shower, and the shower has a massage column with about 5 or 6 heads on it.  That should be cool to use.  And the tub has a spray hose too, which will be easier on Brice then dumping water on his head with a cup :). 

Now on to the backyard!  There is a wooden play thing with a slide, a basketball hoop, and a set of swings.  The enclosed storage shed is half of a garage and the back half is a sauna!  The sauna isn't even finished yet, so it's never been used.  The owner is also leaving the yard tools like the lawnmover and hedge trimmers since we didn't bring ours. 

I think that's about it!  We opted for having an awesome house instead of an awesome car, and in the next few months I think I will really appreciate it when Brandon is at work all the time.  They're talking about working ALL weekend  for the next 2 months so we're hoping that doesn't happen.  Tonight we are going to meet the owner so he can show us how to control everything and seperate the zones of the house.  It has tons of lights that can be controlled by a remote, and every room has air conditioning.  (another rarity, especially out here in the country).  Ok, maybe now that's it.  I'll post our pics when we move in!