Our Home
Hey kids. We think it’s important that you know who you are, where you come from and where you live. These things are important because it gives you a sense of being and a sense of purpose. So let’s just dive into it. Who are you? There will be another section on this blog explaining how mommy & daddy met and our journey through life that brought us all together. We will go back a little in time to explain how we ended up in what you both know as “home.” Mommy and I used to live in our home in Staten Island New York. We used to live in a town called Huguenot in a little three-story townhouse. After living there for about five years and talking about having you guys join our lives we decided to move because we felt the house wasn’t big enough if we added children. So mommy and I decided to move to Long Island where we could get a bigger house. So we started our research and began “house hunting.”
The funny thing with life is that the moment we thought of you (Annelise & Tyler) every step, feeling, thought, we took was in your best interest. Everything thing we did we considered the two of you. As a matter of fact one of the first steps we took was changing cars. Daddy was driving a 2000 Chrysler 300M and it was daddy’s first new car. Daddy had this car custom equipped with a incredible sound system, navigation (which no one at the time had. This technology was still new) and television. But the two of you were so important to us (and you weren’t even here yet) sacrifices had to be made. I don’t want you to think that I was upset over it, I wasn’t. I was excited that you will be joining mommy and I and we made a decision to buy a SUV (sports utility vehicle) that could accommodate children seats and strollers and our penny. Penny is our boxer dog. As you read this and learn about me (your father) I get a little crazy. I tend to go above and beyond when I get my mind set on something. I wanted a truck that stood high off the road, that was strong and had the capability of handling well in extreme weather. So mommy and I bought a 2010 Nissan, Armada.
At this point we have the right vehicle. Now, we have to find the right home. To make a long story short we knew we wanted to live in Nassau county because of its close proximity to New York City where mom and I work. Mommy and daddy’s close friends live on the south shore of Long Island so we decided we would also move to the south shore. It’s nice to have good friends around, remember that. So like I mentioned earlier every thought revolved around the both of you. I say the both of you because we knew we wanted two children. Mommy came from a large family and wanted the same for you. I came from a small family and was the only child and I always wished I had a sibling (a brother or sister). I digress. We started looking at the best school districts. Where would be the best place to live so you would benefit from a good education and a positive environment. We didn’t want to live in the city and for many reasons. It’s too crowded, schools aren’t the best and you may be exposed to unnecessary violence. So we narrowed our search to Bellmore. Bellmore was settled primarily by Englishmen who crossed Long Island Sound from Connecticut in the middle of the 17th century. Christian Sorto purchased a 214 acre farm in what is now North Bellmore in 1655. Further south, near the bay, John Smith deeded 100 acres to his son, Jeremiah in 1676. John Bedell married Sarah Southard and moved into their new home on Merrick Road in 1689. Two communities grew out of these beginnings. Smithville was named for the many Smith families who lived in the area, and New Bridge, named for the bridge that joined the peninsulas south of Merrick Road. When the railroad was built through the area in 1867 they arbitrarily named their station Bellmore. Development followed as both communities grew towards the railroad and adopted the name Bellmore. By 1920, the Bellmores had populated of 3000 as well as stores along Bedford Ave.
We found a beautiful home with tons of room and a large backyard where you could play. As you can see it’s a corner property which automatically gives you more space to work with. We bought this house as a new construction. Basically it means we bought it brand new. However, we still had a great deal of work to do even though it was brand new. What I mean was that the grounds of our new home were not finished
It was a beautiful brand new home with all the trimmings and details one can only imagine but left on plot of land that was made up of dirt and weeds. So again, we have a wonderful home but we don’t have anywhere to to take the children out for fresh air. Yes, we could go to the park but there’s no place like home and the comforts of that home. We wanted the ability to step outside in the backyard with you (Annelise & Tyler) enjoy the smell of fresh cut grass in the summers eve. Run through the grass with bare feet and enjoy some ice-tea with a fresh lemon wedge.
Mommy and I knew that creating the right type of space will take some money and time so we halted on your arrival. We decided that we would complete the house with a well groomed landscaped yard made for children and adults. So the planning started in the late spring of 2012. We interviewed many landscapers and we found one that we felt understood what we wanted. Every detail was taken into consideration including the temperature fluctuations in the region we live in. This decided that we needed to place a concrete foundation for our pavers. As I mentioned on the home page of this blog daddy likes to cook we decided to build a kitchen so we could cook some fantastic meals while enjoying the summer nights with you and our friends. At this point once you guys were born you would always be with us no matter what. Now that all details were covered and agreed upon the excavation process started. Bulldozers were brought in and basically the entire plot around the house was ripped apart. Trenches were built for gas lines, electric lines, speaker lines and piping for running water to the kitchen. Additional piping was placed for the 9 zone sprinkler system for the trees, flowers and grass. The yard was starting to take form with the pavers and the building of the kitchen area and appliances that were arriving. The next phase was the grass, plants, flowers and trees that would be planted throughout the property. It was amazing how many trucks arrived at our home delivering all this lively vegetation. I think the entire process took 8 weeks to complete. But I have to say mommy and I were very happy to have made such a great investment that will give us years of enjoyment. You will see in the gallery section in both the photo sections and video section how much this yard is used by you guys. So after a long 8 weeks of excavation and construction the yard was completed the final result of the backyard
Welcome home
