pouring walls

Seeing the forms up and the house starting to go vertical made me giddy. The basement walls are poured. I love watching the concrete guys. They do HARD work. You can see the perimeter of the house and the space between the inner forms and the outer forms. After they filled up the space with concrete and packed it down, one guy would stick a hose thingy down into the concrete that would vibrate it to remove any air bubbles.
Many people have asked what our floor plan is like and what the front will look like. Here is a scanned copy of a fax of our floor plan (not the best quality).



I like our floor plan because:

• None of the exterior walls touch anyone else's walls
• double the square footage (finished) than our current place
• it will be on an unfinished basement (translation: antlers out of the family room, plus I can actually store my Christmas decorations and kids clothes at my very own house instead of remembering to grab boxes at my parents' when we visit. And maybe people will want to come see us cause we will have room for them, and other good things)
• the washer and dryer are right near the bedrooms (I know many people opt for a laundry room in the basement but I say wash the clothes where they get taken off and no hauling baskets up and down stairs, plus if it isn't on the main floor, I KNOW I will forget the batch in the washer and have it go sour.)
• the kitchen/dining/family rooms are big, open, and vaulted
• pantry
• TWO bathrooms.
• My own closet
• A GARAGE
  

I will get a front elevation scanned in sometime so I can post it and everyone can get sick of reading about our house. But I don't CARE!!!! Ha ha ha.

school carnival

Total blast. A new personal victory for Hunter as he excitedly entered all the rides on his own accord. Happy mama. Happy kids.

footings

The forms were set up yesterday and the first of the concrete was poured today.

my darling first grader!

Preslie began first grade today. Her excitement could not be contained as she had a hard time falling asleep last night and I could barely keep her in the door long enough so I could get dressed and walk her out to the bus stop. I love the spazzy picture of her. She posed like that on her own and just shows how much spunk and personality is bursting out of that girl. The bus didn't show so after a phone call, I found out they dropped our route. I am guessing because of the price of gas. I was really counting on not having to take her or pick her up this year! We took her and found her class. After school, we picked her up and she told us all about her FUN day of reading The Kissing Hand, going on a treasure hunt all around the school to find cookies, yummy school lunch, her new friend Mya, and a boy that would not stop talking to her. She layed out her clothes and can't wait for tomorrow!

bazillion decisions.

We are thrilled at the chance to be able to pick everything in our house, but I must say, it's overwhelming and a bit frightening. Having all those choices is great but living in apartments for 10 years has left me no experience on how to bring all the millions of elements together to form one cohesive and comfortable home. It's not just paint and carpet (which is boggling in and of itself) but also cabinets, countertops, plumbing fixtures, light fixtures, interior and exterior doors, exterior materials and colors, windows, door knobs, base boards, tubs, sinks, and toilets. And that doesn't even cover it all. Each thing that needs to be chosen has hundreds of different choices within that category. Add all that and more with trying to stay in a budget and ahead of a deadline (winter) and there's your recipe for craziness. I knew I needed some kind of expert advice so Saturday I took the baby with me to Salt Lake and met with Dax's Aunt Megan who is brilliant in architechture and home design. She helped me pick exterior colors/materials, interior colors, and gave me tips on design and lighting. Getting her advice took SUCH a load off. She helped me get a vision and got me pointed in the right direction. I am still not a good or fast decision maker, but now I can rest assured that my brushed nickel plumbing fixtures and door knobs will go with my Wheat Grass paint and my Tony Taupe carpet. Yay.

OUR NEW ADVENTURE!

Holy cow. We have a hole! I squealed as the the excavator broke ground this morning. I still have butterflies in my stomach. This has always been a dream for us and has been on our mind heavily as we've house shopped and lot shopped for the past year. Finally, the stars aligned and we're rolling, baby!

Mack changes so quickly as of late. Every 2 weeks he is a different baby than before. I really love babies from 9-24 months. They just grow up and learn so much so fast. Really, all my kids have been growing and changing tons lately. I think we are entering a new phase in our family. Just a few months ago, I would have said I have 3 little kids. But I don't think they are little now. They are just kids. Preslie can read so well, she is such a great help to me with Mack and around the house when I need her. She is like a mini adult and understands almost everything that goes on and is my little buddy. She always amazes me at what her brain comes up with. She is constantly busy with one project or another... writing books, drawing, painting, hosting tea parties, setting up clubhouses, performing dances for us. I wonder what she'll be up to (or in to) next.

There is no sign of baby left in my little Hunter boy. He is long and lean and super bright. He borderlines obsessive about certain rules; buckling his seat belt, brushing his teeth before bed.

He is SO good to Preslie. He plays all kinds of stuff with her that some boys would barf about... Barbies, Polly Pockets, Care Bears, dress up. He remains crazy stubborn in many situations and I feel like I have to force him to do the littlest things sometimes. I think he is just a laid back guy that would rather play in his jammies all day and watch movies and eat popcorn. I love to catch him playing toys by himself while doing a running commentary. It gets me! He is a loving boy, still likes to snuggle, and will still let me kiss his cheeks-which are so much thinner than they used to be, but still good.

Mack is so crazy. He is either full speed or sleeping. That accounts for the perma-bruises on his forhead. He remains ridiculously attached to me. He loves to get in the measuring cup drawer, the dishwasher, and started standing up in his high chair today. So now I have to buckle him and keep the food coming so he won't climb out and break his beautiful round head. He loves to peek around the corner at me, he crawls pushing cars and other objects down the hall. He is very close to his first word. He can repeat back mama and dada, but I am not sure he knows what they mean, yet. I am waiting for him to say mama when he wants me or dada when he sees Dax. He loves music and will fall asleep to anything with a good beat. He can stand alone unassited for a few seconds, but isn't confident so he just falls on purpose when I try to get him to do it. Babies are so fun at this age, but so hard to take anywhere that isn't baby-proof (which is almost everywhere) because all he wants to do is get down and crawl in the dirt, eat rocks or other sick stuff on the ground, fall down people's stairs, etc. So I hold him. A LOT. My arms, shoulders, and back are buff, I tell you. Even though he's a baby, he is so much different than the floppy newborn I had 10 months ago. He is much more like a kid, with opinions, interests, personality, independence, and sweet smile.

Preslie starts 1st grade Monday and dance class this week. Hunter starts preschool next week. Mack will be one and walking and talking before we know it. Life continues to be fun and exciting and ever-accelerating. I love it.

family vacation

My sis and her family were the hosts

of our family vacation to the Oregon Coast.

Lighthouses, scenery, ocean views, and sand

We experienced beauty by sea and by land.

Old Town Bandon and Cranberry Sweets

Battered/deep fried prawns and halibut couldn't be beat.

Dax caught some crabs and cooked them up right

And hundreds of fatty sea lions were such a delight.

A boat ride, Cape Arago, and Coast Guard tour

Beach hopping from Coquille to Bandon, and more.

"Isn't Bastendorf the birthplace of Harry Potter?"

Said my bro as he threw a starfish in the water.

Picking blackberries and making freezer jam

was just as fun as playing Rock Band.

Golden and Silver Falls was next on our list

Oregon is so green and in the air there's a mist.

Gorgeous Shore Acres is where we stopped last

the gardens and beach there could not be surpassed.

Then bye-bye sis and hello sea anemones

And on up the road to Tillamook Cheese.

What a super vacation. I love my family!

It was worth the 19 hours to get there, YIPPEE!

I had to chuckle to just myself this morning as I was changing a stink-o diaper while instructing Preslie on how to use my paper trimmer when Hunter stands on the chair I was sitting on and says, "Hey Mom, let's jump!" and then proceeds to start jumping up and down on the cushion.

Life is anything but dull around here. This month we celebrate one year since moving to this town. WHAT a year! I must say that now, we like it here. Because we've discovered that summers here are FUN.

The elementary school has a summer reading program every Wednesday and Pres gets a free book and then they do a story and drawing for prizes. Every week they draw for a bike or a scooter and then a bunch of other small prizes. Preslie hasn't been drawn out yet, but we're hoping. We've started reading the Junie B. Jones series by Barbara Park and my kids just love that nutty little girl.

In the summer, the state funds a free sack lunch for kids 0-18 served at the city park every weekday and we've loved going to eat and then play with friends we see there.

Our town has a huge week long summer celebration where there are tons of events, a parade,

activities for kids, free swimming days, concerts, pageants, and fireworks. (Mack was not into the loud honking semi trucks in the parade)

This is aside from the 4th and 24th of July stuff that goes on locally, which we also enjoyed, including a magic show I took Preslie and Hunter to.

Add that to the fun trips to see family and friends and the fact that it is not 4 below just makes things a whole lot better.

So now that we've adjusted to life here (for the most part)-- time to start a new adventure!

...stay tuned...

date night

Dax was craving Chinese food, which is not my fave. So he took Preslie on a date and they stuffed their faces with shrimp while the boys and I dined on good old-fashioned American food at A&W. Works for me! I love how excited the kids were for our dates. Preslie planned her outfit 2 days in advance and even put on makeup for the occasion. Hunter wore a hat for me cause he knows I think he is a babe in a hat. The baby didn't know what was going on, but behaved himself while munching fries during our stimulating dinner conversation.

swim school

We completed our session of swimming lessons today. Two weeks of dressing, sunscreening, towels, flip-flops, swim diapers, plastic pants, showering off, back floats, front floats, motor boat, bobs, jumps, showering again, re-dressing, then coming home to hang swim suits and towels out to dry to start again the next day. And I actually waited in line for an hour to sign myself up for this! It was a fun swim season and the kids progressed wonderfully. I enjoyed playing with my little water baby in the Mom and Me class and seeing him kick and move his arms and try and blow bubbles and drink the water. So glad there is a pool here so my kids could get this experience and exposure to the water.