Years and years ago, back when James and I first got married, we dreamed of one day moving to San Luis Obispo and building a Spanish-style house. We envisioned a beautiful view and room to entertain and we called it Casi Cielo… “Almost Heaven” in Spanish.
But then we found ourselves the perfect little 1930 Spanish-style bungalow with all of its original details on an idyllic tree-lined street in the heart of San Jose. A neighborhood with a beautiful new library and a new elementary school, historic homes and an inviting rose garden, Peet’s and Pasta P, all within walking distance. I took one walk around the entire house, noted the milk delivery door and the mail slot and knew it was exactly what we were looking for. Baby Jakey rolled over for the first time on a clean blanket covering the filthy matted dining room carpet.
We moved-in in October, after scraping together enough to renovate the one full bathroom and redo the hardwood floors. We saved and spent, saved and spent, one project at a time until seven years later, the house was exactly what we knew it could be.
And over the years, we brought Baby Natesy home, too. And we filled that house with memories… every nook and cranny brimming with stories of our baby boys:
- The back door, where Jacob could barely walk and already knew how to take my keys to try and unlock the door and leave. He was mad and wasn’t getting what he wanted.
- The kitchen floor where we spent hours playing… Nate perched in his high chair as Jake put on a show.
- The boys running circles around “the track”– the loop that was naturally created between the living room, dining room and kitchen.
- The unfortunate view from the kitchen table of little Nate in the half bathroom.
- Coming home at night and Nate rushing to open the front door for me. And making me re-close it if I opened it myself.
- Seeing the boys watching TV, always cuddled together on the couch or in a chair– their little blond heads just inches apart.
- Reading and ‘nuggling and “telling stories with my mouth” in the bottom bunk every night, just the three of us.
- The boys hiding plastic snakes and cockroaches in my unsuspecting luggage as I packed for business trips.
- The little pebble pit by the back door where I had to start storing the “bootiful wocks” Nate would bring home for me every day from St. Lizzie’s.
- The boys splishing and splashing in the inflatable pool in the backyard, and later on, watching movies outside as we curled-up under a blanket.
- Thursday play days with Grandma and Granddad.
- Bathtub shenanigans.
- Hot summer days, laying on a picnic blanket in the front yard while the boys dug in the dirt in their diapers and their birthday suits.
- Eating play kitchen meals and playing games of Old Maid and Magna-block building challenges.
Packing-up the house and saying goodbye was much harder than we anticipated and really, it’s because we weren’t just saying goodbye to our beautiful little home and our jobs and our family and friends. We were also saying goodbye to Baby Jake and Baby Nate– recognizing that their babyhood is already over and now they’re bigger than ever.
Yesterday the sale closed and we said one last mental goodbye to Shasta… finally realizing we had already lived-in the Spanish-style house we dreamed of so long ago… our Casi Cielo.