My name is
Bob Lattin (Stacy’s dad) and I am the first generation in this
“multigenerational home project”. Although
the idea came to me sometime in September, I believe that the groundwork had
been laid for several years leading up to this project. Here is a little history on our story:
Stacy and I
have had many discussions over the last couple of years regarding homes and
property. She and her husband Dale had a
strong desire to live in the country and raise their three boys. Their dream was a mini farm where the boys
would have chores, responsibilities and an energy outlet similar to what she
experienced when she was growing up. I
felt that their desires were somewhat unrealistic because of the growing
difficulty in finding affordable property with a house large enough for their
family. They also wanted a small acreage
located near family, friends, church, and work. We live on such a property, with the
exception of our 1600 square foot house, which is really too small for their
family. We have lived in this home
for over 46 years and all our three children were essentially born and raised in
it. In addition, it is located within 5
minutes of our other two children, Ken and Wendy and their families, including
a total of eight grandsons. (As much as
it hurts Grandma the only pink in our family is from our girls and our
daughter-in-law). Although this blog is
about our building project between us and Stacy’s family, we are blessed to
have the love and support from our other daughter and son. We consider ourselves blessed to have all our
kids and grandsons living so close to us.
The long and
short of the story is that Dale and Stacy lived in a nice home on a residential
sized lot, located just five minutes from us.
This allowed a lot of interaction between our families. Stacy’s boys somehow got the idea about us
trading houses (I think I know where that came from). They thought their house would be perfect for
Grandma and Grandpa and that our house was just what they needed (although a
bit too small). Honestly, even though I
am getting older, I love where we live, and dreaded the time when we would need
to move to smaller quarters. When Stacy
and Dale sold their home with the intent to purchase property in Benton City, I
was sure that their new location would greatly reduce the family interaction that
we had grown used to.
Well, their
purchase fell through. They were
homeless and needed to move in with us until they determined what to do next. Dale saw this as a family of five simply
becoming a family of seven (no big deal).
We saw it as a retired couple becoming a family of seven (a slightly
different perspective and pace of life). They needed to vacate their house and we
were glad that we were in a position to allow them to move in with us,
realizing that it would be a little “tight”.
Around this
time I started formulating the idea of building a new home on our five
acres. The only logical location for a
new house is right where our existing home is located. Besides that, our house was built in 1960 and
had been remodeled a number of times and was in need of “another” update. So here we are, six months later, moving out
of our home of 46+ years. Preparing for
a new venture and phase of life where we can enjoy Stacy and her family, having
them close for help and future care. Stacy and her family can enjoy raising their
boys in a “rural” setting and the convenience of extra schooling tutors when
needed. There is no greater pleasure in
life than being called Dad and Grandpa and being part of God’s sovereign plan.
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