new home = lots of projects, pt.1

For the no one left who reads this blog.... :)

Wow!!! Where have we been??!?!?! No, I'm not pregnant...I can't count how many people have asked me if that's the reason I have not blogged ;) We've just been VERY busy with this house.

So, the trouble with buying a "new construction" new home is that you're the suckers who have to install all of the "stuff". For example: the gas line for a gas grill, laying sod, the sprinkler system for the front and back yards, the landscaping, then ripping up half of the sod we laid for more landscaping & other basics. We enjoy doing projects.... but these were HUGE projects all at once. Whew! Glad it's over.... and I'm glad our marriage is still intact :) Nothing like huge projects to bring out your inner patience!

....more to come! Including updated finished product pics :)

luvs

You'd think that by the time your third child comes around you won't be as smitten by every single thing they do. Well, not so much. We are so crazy in love with baby Ava!! We just can't get enough. And I love, love, love how in love Gracie and Haylee are with Ava. It's just the sweetest ever.

Ava is 17 months old now and talking like a big girl. Here are the words she shares with us: sisters, more, juice, milk, bottle, barbie, sophie (my sister's dog), river, water, dog, eat, stuck, cracker, cookie, all of our names, go, no, me, mine, bye-bye, come, bath, down, shoe, outside, jump, climb & play.

Well, those are the words I can think of at the moment. I'm sure she has a few more. She is just so much fun!

I said the other day while kissing her, "Ava! Mommy wants to eat you for a snack!" to which Haylee said, "No, Mommy! Ava not a snack. She a girl."

grace's prayer

this was grace's prayer at dinner last night:

"dear heavenly father,
thank you for mimi, grandma & papa.
please help us to not run off in the store.
i don't want another spank
and i want to go to the store again with my mommy.
i not happy when i get a spank.
my mommy goes to the store and i want to go, too.
help me to not run off at the store.
my mommy not take me next time.
my mommy give me a spank.
thank you for my food.
jesus christ. amen."


(fyi: we rarely ever give our kids a "spank"... and this is why...they remember = i feel terrible.)

little mermaids

As you all know, Grace & Haylee are only 10 1/2 months apart. Yep. Gave birth twice in 12 months. I totally recommend it to everyone ;)

Long before we knew we were going to be moving back to America, we had Grace and Haylee's mermaid birthday party planned. Well, as it turned out, their party was on the 28th of November and we moved home on the 29th! Craziness. But totally worth it.

So, here's the birthday pictures - two+ months late - but, happy 3rd birthday to our little pixie Haylee & happy 4th birthday to our ballerina Grace!

could i BE any more in love?!?!

our new house

Yes, that is my mom mobile. Giving birth to three children isn't what made me a mom. The fact that I now drive a van makes me a mom.

I am in love with the 'Juliette Balcony' (which is the actual term). Cant wait to use it! I'm going to make Bruce sing me songs from the driveway.

The dining room.

View into the living room from the entryway.

Kitchen into the living.

LOVE the ceiling!

The entryway. It's a great big space for the girls to play.

Looking down into the living room.

Kitchen

Master bathroom. Off to the left is a huge shower. It could fit a party of people in there...not that our parties consist of showering with our guests :)

The game room at the top of the stairs.

Media room

The powder bathroom. Don't you just love the onyx and glass sink top?!

More kitchen

We decided to go big and have Plantation shutter installed throughout the entire house. We may need to sell one of our children to fund it :) The shutters should be installed next week and I'm SO looking forward to that. There's a lot of other new homes being built behind us, beside us, across from us, etc. - and I'm not a big fan of lots of men watching me through wide-open windows all day.