House Update!

The Christmas bug has bit me hard and so I've been a slacker with the house photos (sorry Gma!) Too much to do in so little TIME! It's all been holiday bliss though...just not a whole lot of time to breathe.

Here's the last few photos I've taken.

We have a roof!

If a house had clothes I guess this would be considered it's underwear? It's "outfit" (siding and rock/stone) is still being determined. I've got about a week to commit. Ahhhh!

Windows and doors!

The plumbers and gas people (gassers? ;-) are finishing up inside right now and then we'll get started on the electrical. It's really starting to take shape and I'm still super happy about the layout so my nerves are in check...for now.

We Have Walls!

The basement and main floor have taken shape in the past couple of days.

I can't wait to see what the second floor looks like! Then I can start to explain what's behind each window.

THIS MAKES ME FEEL GOOD

When I was gone late one night I came home to find this on my pillow after the kiddos had gone to bed. It made me smile.

Riley had recycled an old race ribbon of mine. I like this award much better!

Wanna Win?

I've got a contest going on at Fitness Junky and I just wanted to spread the word for those of you that like free stuff but haven't taken a gander at my other blog. There's only so much blog stalking you can do right? Well here's what's up for grabs...

A pair of Brooks NightLife reflective armbands.

These are a great accessory to anyone who is walking, running, biking, hiking, skiiing, snowmobiling, etc... and want to be more visible. They are VERY reflective and adjustable so they will fit over anything you are wearing plus you can put them on your arms, legs, or wrists. Click HERE if you'de like to enter for a chance to win. Good luck!!!

Squeezin' It All In

If your like me you have TONS of pictures from the October festivities and so instead of creating a post for each activity I'm just throwin' all my favorites pics up in one post. It was still hard to pick them out but I think these sum up our month.

Can you find something in common with these next 3 pictures?




It's a trait inherited from there Dad. In order to concentrate my kids have to stick out there tongues. Riley barely pokes hers out. Tyler just pokes his straight out. Then Sam gets hers going all over the place. As you can imagine there was a lot of licking going on during the 30 minutes she painted her pumpkin. We had to apply chapstick on her lips and the area around her lips for a week afterwards.


These next photos were takin' at the Paradise Halloweeny Raost. It's a farm turned Halloween with tractor/train rides, haunted barn, and a guided tour of there spooky decorations. SO CUTE...and FREE!!! (The pics aren't great because they were takin' at night then doctored in photo shop). They have a fire pit too that we brought mellows to roast. YUM! I love this pic becuase their peronalities shine through. Sam is looking as cute as possible, Tyler is distracted, and little mommy Riley is trying to get Tyler to follow directions. Then our little friend Savanna who is a little crack up is doing her thing too. Luv it!


Train Ride

Gramps/Grams with a bunch of the grandkids. We were missing about 1/2.



Family pic before we headed out to hit some stores. I let the girls pick what they wanted to be then tried my best to make it happen without spending too much $$$. Riley wanted to be a butterfly, Sam picked to be Corrine off of Barbie 3 Musketeers (maybe 2 people new who that was) and Ty was a Ninja. I went with a runner and pinned on an old race bib to some running clothes. I know it was kinda a lazy costume but it was a great excuse to not do my hair or make-up and then skip a shower so I could top it off with a "runner's smell". It was a crazy morning okay!

Before it's freezing...

After it's freezing...


"Patiently" waiting for her number to be called. My little sweet shy Sammie has almost NO patience whats ever. If you think she's mad about having to wait for a number to be called, you should have seen her when it wasn't her number. Good thing this was our last stop at Macey's because it was the kicking and screaming kind of fit. Stinker.


FYI - Lee's is the BEST place to stop. Macey's is usually better but it was still fun. Especially if you get the mini pizza that Papa Murphy's hands out next door. The mall is a joke...don't even try. I appreciate the effort they made but there's just so many people that it was rediculous. We've yet to hit down town so maybe next year. Hope you too had a wonderful Halloween! I"ve taken down my scary decor but don't have a lot of Thanksgiving stuff to add. I'm hoping I get to see some of your ideas on your blogs. Please share!

Foundation

We got our foundation finished just before the big storm. They actally took the braces off a few hours before the rain started but now we have to wait for the ground to dry up a little so they can finish pouring the garage and floor. Bummer!

I'm SO not ready for this weather. I think I've been freezing for two days straight. It's a good thing I love hot chocolate and warm apple cider so at least I've got a good reason to mix me up a drink. It's never the same sipping on cocoa when it's 90 degrees outside.

Dad's Elk

Last Saturday Brandt went up the mountain and came home with this baby....or....big daddy I should say. It was a 6 point elk and the biggest one he's got yet. Why my girls are so interested in seeing the dead Elk's brain and watch Dad extract the prized teeth are beyond me. But they are and Brandt thinks it's great. Good thing it doesn't bother me too much either cuz Brandt just chucked the Elk's head (you see it next to the horns) into the garbage with it's brain sitting right on top of it. What a wonderful surprise it was to open up the garbage to throw out a stinky diaper and find that. Thanks honey, really, highlight of my day. At least we have a freezer chuck full of steak, roast, and ground Elk that should last us until next year!

Footings

I'm afraid this blog is going to have a "house update" theme to it for the next 6 months. There's a couple reasons for this.

First - Of course I want to document the whole event to prove to myself it's really happening and then in the following years we can remenisce about how we survived the process.

Second - For my dear Grandma who may be the only other person who is more anxious than I to see each step completed. So to help her with her nerves and to resist the temptation to drive up here each day I dedicate the next months worth of house photos to you! (Oh, and I wouldn't mind if you came to visit each day. 100 miles is just kinda far.) Luv ya tons!

So here are the next progress pictures.

We've got our footings layed and are waiting for the foundation to be poured with in the next day or two. So far so good!

Here's What's Going On at My Place

Somebody pinch me! I still can't believe this is happening. I had to drive by our lot several times today just to make sure I wasn't having some sort of cruel dream. But it's true! We actually have a hole! Just a moment....I gotta do a jig....Hooray!


The last month has been a blur. We finally sold our house and moved (which goes down on my list of things to do only once, maybe twice, for the rest of my life). We have squeezed into a tiny rental house in town but it's been worth it to stay close to school, church, friends, family, and now to keep an eye on our house being built. The clincher is that we also have a two car garage which for us is a big storage unit. I'm determined to somehow fit my van into it come winter but we shall see. We gotta whole lotta crap!

Our contractor has told us that he thinks our home will be finished in April but I'm just going with sometime next Summer. I've had my hopes dashed WAY to many times through this process already (I think it's taken us 2 1/2 years to get this far) so I'm trying to under promise myself and hopefully they'll over deliver and I'll be thrilled!!!

12 Years to Go

A few weeks ago Riley began her next 12 years of all day school. It was of course a bittersweet day for Mom but it's also fun to hit these milestones. Being a first grader is cool because "You get to have three recesses, sit at your own desk, and eat lunch at school" - Riley.

Ready...

Set...

Go!!!

(Don't you love how the back-packs are as big as the kids)

With Riley taking these first milestones for our family we had cousin Sophie come over for a play date so Sammie could also have a special day. They were rockin' the 3D glasses.

Could Tyler look any more nerdy? I love it! The girls put his hair in a Mohawk after his bath and paired with the glasses it looks like a Dennis the Menace hairdo on steroids. One of those pictures that makes me smile whenever I look at it.

Bringing in the End of Summer

Holy Catch-Up Post! Man-o-man did August fly by and I'm still struggling to get my breath. To ring in the last month of summer break we planned a fun-filled week to celebrate our last moments of freedom. We were going to head up to our family's condo in Bear Lake but somehow ended up first at the Lagoon. ;) It was a fun surprise and the girls were super excited.

This is how Tyler felt about the whole experience...

This was his first and last ride. He was okay with Lagoona Beach and the train (as long as Mom had him in a bear hug) but that was about it.

The girls were die-hards and rode anything and everything they could. Brandt snapped this picture of Sam on the whale ride. I love the little nose crinkle she gets when she smiles.

Riley's favorite was the bumper cars. She is quite the driver and found joy in chasing down the boys and giving them a good bump or two. Sam was worried she was hurting the other kids and preferred to be Riley's sidekick. Quite the opposite pair.

This isn't a very good picture but I thought it was funny that it looks like I'm half horse. Yeah, I might have forced Tyler on the carousel. He's pretty happy about it. Aren't boys supposed to be tough?

My helicopter pilots in the making.

Can you tell that the operator was taking his sweet time getting this plane ride going? Sam would've jumped back off if she wasn't buckled in.

After a day at Lagoon we finally made it to Bear Lake around midnight. Luckily the kids all slept in and Wednesday was slower paced with a walk down to the Marina to look at the boats and to collect shells. Then Dad took the girls swimming while I stayed back at the condo and watched from the deck. Tyler was taking a nap so I decided to catch some rays and read a good book instead. It was tough but someone had to do it. ;)

This made me a bit nervous.

Good thing Sam pulled up her shorts. The water was getting pretty deep. ;)

Thursday we had lunch at a park then headed up to Minnetonka Cave. This is Brandt and Ty at the park watching a family launch rockets. Anytime Daddy wore his hat, Tyler insisted on his. It was one crusty, filthy hat by the end of the trip, but well loved.

The kids REALLY enjoyed the cave expedition and did great with the 888 total steps...well the girls anyways. Ty got a free ride from Ma or Pa's shoulder's. It was money well spent though and Riley still talks about it. Great memory!

On the way back the kids wanted to stop and see what a cattle guard looked like since we always honked when driving over one. Riley is a very curious girl and wants to know details about everything so she is now an expert on cattle guards. Funny that, that was one of the highlights of the trip to the cave.

Friday was our beach trip and we found a FREE one about 3 miles south of Sweet Water. I even got in the water (okay only enough to push the raft around) but still that shows you how "warm" the lake was. I'm a WIMP when it comes to cold water...I hate it.

Right before we left the kids and I threw together a quick sandcastle to mark our territory...and so Tyler could knock it all down.

Saturday we hit the pool for some more swimming and then did a little lounging before it was time to go. As you can see we played..."How many people can we fit on the chair". Don't worry that the sofa and love seat are both within arms length of the chair but that's no fun.

What else have we been up too?

Sammie started dance and hasn't stopped smiling about it. This is her posing with her mini-cupcake after the first day of class. I think this girl has found her calling.

Tyler has started a career in modeling shoes.

Mom has been running around town.

And we've hit as many parks as possible. Sometimes picking up a few extra kids along the way.

Hope the end of Summer has found you all well and that you'll help me by holding onto as much sun as possible. I'm SO not ready for the warm weather to end!