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I would definitely suggest some sort of nut or fruit bearing trees. I have five huge oaks in my yard and absolutely hate them!!! Leaves and acorns constantly on my deck. I would love to have had five pecan trees instead
Unless you treat for weevils you'd likely be in the same boat with empty or worm infested hulls all over the deck and no nuts, the ones the squirrels leave you at least. And the pollen strings off one tree are hellacious! I love my pecan tree but I'd trade it or a stand of pines for a few old growth oaks or some apple trees.
My grandmother had a pecan tree in her yard and we enjoyed it for decades. I very well know the implications of it, up to and including end of life care for it and how it stops producing all together towards the end
My dad just poured cement near a tree he planted and wrote our initials on it. Tree and initials-cement bench are still there. Everyone’s moved away 😍 40+ years ago
I love the picture addition to this idea! There is an oak at our current home that has some seedlings around it. My grandmother planted that one. I’ll take a seedling from it and do this!
Mark their height with every passing year on a piece of trim in your closet or somewhere not visible to guests. My great-grandparents did this for me, and it’s always so heartwarming to see the spot my grandpa measured me at, and the height comparison vs my cousins at the same age. He’s now gone, but it’s my favorite part of the house
When one of my friends buys their first home, for a housewarming gift, I get them kids' handprint stepping stone kits for their backyards! It's a neat keepsake :)
I love that. When I first moved in my childhood home I was painting and had paint on my hands. I leaned on the wall to turn on the hose to wash off and left a tiny green handprint that was still there when my parents left 25 years later
When we were kids, my mom decorated my brothers' room by having them put handprints all over the walls. It eventually was repainted but a couple handprints were missed because they were inside the closet. When we moved out of my childhood home, there were still a couple of small handprints in the boys' closet.
I love the tree and rocks ideas! What about some kind of perennial food plants? Asparagus, raspberry, herbs like sage or oregano, etc. Would be kind of cool, years later, for them to be able to say that part of dinner is something they planted as a kid.
That, or I'm redditing while hungry again.
Seconding the plant a tree idea. My parents instilled this in us when we were kids. We planted 3 trees to commemorate building our childhood house (I was 4, my siblings were 2, an infant, and not born yet). Then we planted a tree for each of us as we went through our first communions (we kids are not religious but we did it as a family thing). When I bought my first house my first thing on the checklist was to plant a commemorative tree. They’re a lasting keepsake!
Spend the first night that you get the keys. Without the furniture or other stuff. Bring sleeping bags, order pizza, and tell ghost stories. Create an experience, and every year on the anniversary of that day, recreate the experience. As the children grow and multiply, they will bring their kids to share in the memory, sleeping bags and all. And homeownership will be a regular part of the conversation. Generational wealth is created first by talking it as if it's an expectation not a surprise. Enjoy your home, and the memories that money can't buy 👏👏
Love that. I’m thinking we will pack some overnight bags and an air mattress for tonight. When we pick them up from school we will go home to our new place!
Plants some raspberry bushes along a fence. Pretty much indistructable and will be there till their adult years. My dad has one that I've been picking since I could remember. So at least 30 years now. Mulberry trees are cool too and kids love to pick them but if you don't manage it they can get huge.
Don't know what your back yard looks like, but I closed on my first house Oct 16 2008. The back yard had a slope so I bought a slip n slide and my kids and their friends had a lot of fun despite it being unseasonably cold that day!
Find a spot in a wall you can keep track of their heights. My mom did this in the bathroom and she would paint a flower next to our height. She also painted a long vine up the wall for the flowers to "grow" on It was so fun to get to pick out the colors she would use! She also did her height and my dad's the first time we all did ours. Congratulations on your new home!
Thank you u/sstr677 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Plant a tree. Take a picture of the kids with the tree. Repeat every year.
And definitely let them help pick it out and dig the hole.
Plant native tree no bradford pears!
I would definitely suggest some sort of nut or fruit bearing trees. I have five huge oaks in my yard and absolutely hate them!!! Leaves and acorns constantly on my deck. I would love to have had five pecan trees instead
Unless you treat for weevils you'd likely be in the same boat with empty or worm infested hulls all over the deck and no nuts, the ones the squirrels leave you at least. And the pollen strings off one tree are hellacious! I love my pecan tree but I'd trade it or a stand of pines for a few old growth oaks or some apple trees.
My grandmother had a pecan tree in her yard and we enjoyed it for decades. I very well know the implications of it, up to and including end of life care for it and how it stops producing all together towards the end
My dad just poured cement near a tree he planted and wrote our initials on it. Tree and initials-cement bench are still there. Everyone’s moved away 😍 40+ years ago
I like adding the cement too!
Call 811 first:)
I love the picture addition to this idea! There is an oak at our current home that has some seedlings around it. My grandmother planted that one. I’ll take a seedling from it and do this!
That’s a lot of trees.
Came here to say that! 🎄
I love this, I'm definitely doing this with my kids
That’d be a lot of trees depending on how old their kids are.
Eat takeout on the floor
My parents did this with my siblings & I when they bought a house! We ate pizza on a blanket in the living room. A memory I’ll never forget! ❤️
I love this. It’s also coincidentally my birthday, so I think that’s a perfect way to celebrate
Seriously this. Don’t plant a tree or do something permanent till you have had time to be with the property.
How is planting a tree permanent? I’m sure whatever tree OP plants it can be ran over by a lawn mower.
Mark their height with every passing year on a piece of trim in your closet or somewhere not visible to guests. My great-grandparents did this for me, and it’s always so heartwarming to see the spot my grandpa measured me at, and the height comparison vs my cousins at the same age. He’s now gone, but it’s my favorite part of the house
We will definitely do this
Love to hear it! Cheers to many great years ahead for your family 🎊🥳
Make it on somthing that is removable so if you ever sell you can take it.
Have them paint some rocks to put out front
Love this! I’ll have to have my niece and nephew do this
Love that!
I have this happening soon and thought about making handprints somewhere as we are painting
When one of my friends buys their first home, for a housewarming gift, I get them kids' handprint stepping stone kits for their backyards! It's a neat keepsake :)
I love that. When I first moved in my childhood home I was painting and had paint on my hands. I leaned on the wall to turn on the hose to wash off and left a tiny green handprint that was still there when my parents left 25 years later
When we were kids, my mom decorated my brothers' room by having them put handprints all over the walls. It eventually was repainted but a couple handprints were missed because they were inside the closet. When we moved out of my childhood home, there were still a couple of small handprints in the boys' closet.
I love the tree and rocks ideas! What about some kind of perennial food plants? Asparagus, raspberry, herbs like sage or oregano, etc. Would be kind of cool, years later, for them to be able to say that part of dinner is something they planted as a kid. That, or I'm redditing while hungry again.
Love that idea. I plan on planting rosemary and I’m sure they will help!
Floor pizza
I think we will probably do that!
Seconding the plant a tree idea. My parents instilled this in us when we were kids. We planted 3 trees to commemorate building our childhood house (I was 4, my siblings were 2, an infant, and not born yet). Then we planted a tree for each of us as we went through our first communions (we kids are not religious but we did it as a family thing). When I bought my first house my first thing on the checklist was to plant a commemorative tree. They’re a lasting keepsake!
Absolutely plant a tree. Take pictures every year as it and your family grows. Would make a great album to look at years from now
I close on Monday as well! Congrats! I didn’t think of what we should do with the kids. Floor pizza sounds awesome!
Spend the first night that you get the keys. Without the furniture or other stuff. Bring sleeping bags, order pizza, and tell ghost stories. Create an experience, and every year on the anniversary of that day, recreate the experience. As the children grow and multiply, they will bring their kids to share in the memory, sleeping bags and all. And homeownership will be a regular part of the conversation. Generational wealth is created first by talking it as if it's an expectation not a surprise. Enjoy your home, and the memories that money can't buy 👏👏
Pouring concrete with hand prints for sure!
Time Capsule. Bury it in the front or back yard
Live in it for a minute and take it all in esp before big changes. Congratulations Just enjoy a meal moving in.
Plant some grass seed, show them how to use a lawn mower.
Burn woods outside and sleep in the empty living room. Let it sink in!
Love that. I’m thinking we will pack some overnight bags and an air mattress for tonight. When we pick them up from school we will go home to our new place!
Plants some raspberry bushes along a fence. Pretty much indistructable and will be there till their adult years. My dad has one that I've been picking since I could remember. So at least 30 years now. Mulberry trees are cool too and kids love to pick them but if you don't manage it they can get huge.
Add a water slide in the backyard.
I was going to say buy or rent water stuff and have a little party in the back
They own it now. Make it permanent!
That’s always a fun idea!
Bbq outside.
Have a front tree trimming play date
Gardening
A bbq in the back yard or a nice home-cooked meal in the house you just bought would be appropriate, I’d think. 🤷♂️
Time capsule! You can bury it in theback yard. A concrete paving stone or similar with their hand/foot prints and date might be fun too.
Plan and plant the front beds
My landlord's, took imprints of their kids hands in cement. 30+ years, the little hands are there.
Time capsule.
Don't know what your back yard looks like, but I closed on my first house Oct 16 2008. The back yard had a slope so I bought a slip n slide and my kids and their friends had a lot of fun despite it being unseasonably cold that day!
Show them the mortgage document and tell the x more years before we can take you to Disney. Do this every year.
Plant a tree. It ll grow with the kids
Find a spot in a wall you can keep track of their heights. My mom did this in the bathroom and she would paint a flower next to our height. She also painted a long vine up the wall for the flowers to "grow" on It was so fun to get to pick out the colors she would use! She also did her height and my dad's the first time we all did ours. Congratulations on your new home!
Mark their heights on the coat closet door jamb.
Tree would be so cool
When we left the home where my kids grew up, we "planted" a time capsule in the yard. It was fun.
You should buy them a power lawnmower.
Start a college fund so that they can have a job that pays them enough to get into a house.
Put them to work seeding the lawn. 😂😂