New house update

Last weekend they made some headway on the new house. Thursday and Friday were the first two days we didn't have rain, the hurricane sucked out all the moisture and kept it dry. On Friday they started putting up the wood structure inside and the support beams for the second floor. It's funny that in each stage the house feels really big, and then somehow so much smaller. DH said he couldn't believe the house could fit on the property, then with just the slab it felt huge, now with the second floor beams it seems a bit smaller and dark again.

Here is the schedule of things that have happened on the house so far:
July 14 cleared the property
July 17 Design Center meeting
July 27 laid in the pipes and prepped for slab
July 31 poured the slab
Aug 5   dropped off the bricks for the exterior walls
Aug 10 the exterior walls go up
Aug 13 the wood for the second floor and walls is dropped off on the property
Aug 27 hurricane Isaac brings lots of rain
Aug 31 the second floor beams and interior walls go up
Sept 3  Labor Day Holiday

 

the bulldozer was removing the grass and dirt and leveling the property out. we could see the actual property boundries.

 

 

ok, i had to get the kids into one of these pictures, the blocks are on the slab of the house.

 

front of the house, garage is on the far left.

 

 

wood framing goes up, second floor beams go up.

 

the interior, far left will be the kitchen, that beam of light shining in the middle will be the stair case

Back to school

the kids took their first "back to school" picture together. i hope to make this a tradition.  the girls are going to preschool and nate is in pre-k. so far they are loving it, both classes are very full with learning but i think what the girls love best are their backpacks. :-) this week they walked around the house with their backpacks on for about 1 hour before we had to leave, they love them!

Wow

i can't believe that it's been nearly 3 months since i last posted. YIKES, bad mommy blogger. Well so much has been going on, i don't even know where to start. since my last post we started looking for a new home to buy, we thought it was a great time to start looking and before prices start going up, along with interest rates, we wanted to look for a house in a great school district and a tad bigger for our family. We found a builder who was building it's last inventory homes and it really was exactly what we were looking for. On father's day we signed the papers and bought a new home. Tell me that's not the best father's day gift ever!

Since we bought in such an early stage of the building process we were able to pick out all our own colors, tile, lighting, cabinets and counter tops. We had our design center appointment in early july and we had so much fun. We were overwhelmed by all the choices and upgrades that we had to go through. it took us over 5 hours to go through all the items. we are extremely happy with all we were able to get and can't wait to see the final product. the house should be done in early December. We are praying that the weather will hold out a bit and give them time to get the house built, the hurricane that just went past us did delay them some already.

In july we got a family portrait, i will be uploading a few of those pictures for you to see, i am glad we were able to get a few great shot, it is really difficult to get all three smiling at once, but we did it.

In august the kids started back to school. over the summer they went to a preschool that only had a few kids attending. i switched them all over to a new school, the girls go 2 days a week, nate goes 4 days a week. so far they are all really liking their new classes. the girls are in the same class and of course are a big hit. Nate has a very full day including, math, reading and Spanish. I'll add pictures of their back to school day soon.

 

Growing

the girls are growing so fast, i can't get over how big they are now. finally they have slowed down and have been in the same size clothes for the last few months. when they first came home they were in size 3-6 months, and in a matter of 9-10 months they went through 6 sizes of clothes! they were very small when we brought them home and now they have caught up. unfortunately there were clothes they wore 1 time and probably some they didn't get to wear. Then you have to double the amount you need because there are two! They have finally slowed down and are wearing 3T clothes, and they both seem to have their preference of color. paige tends to like blues and greens and phoebe likes pinks and purples (haha in the pictures below they are the complete opposite, paige is in pink). they both love to wear pretty shoes and like to walk around in my heels. they can put on their own shoes and often i find them wearing their dress shoes around the house.
My girls are growing up so fast, they are so happy and sweet and i can't get over how perfectly they fit into this family.

Little snackers

i don't normally do this, but i wanted to share this plum district deal i found. i am excited about this because my kids are huge snackers and are always asking for a snack and drink. it has been so hard to find good healthy snacks that they like and want to eat. this deal is exactly what i have been looking for.

Nature Box
Each month, your box will include 15 to 20 servings across 4 to 6 different NatureBox snacks.  You can trust that our products will be made from the most wholesome ingredients and will be minimally processed, if at all.

no high fructose corn syrup
no partially hydrogenated oils
no artificial sweeteners
no artificial flavors or colors

Regularly $19.95 a month, i just ordered it for $10 a month for 3 months.
Here is a link, check it out.

nature box monthly snacks

Staying busy

Since January 1, 2012 we have been busier than we have ever been. As I look back upon all this, I can’t believe how much we have done. I thought that after Christmas things would slow down and I would have a chance to breathe, haaah! I can’t believe how much has been on our plates and how busy three kids have made us.
Here is the rundown of things:
New years eve
nates’ birthday
family day
Chinese new year
DH's birthday
valentine’s day
starting the process of finalizing our adoptions
monthly mops meetings
couple of play dates
3 friends birthday parties
court date to finalize adoption, yah!
Searching for a great school to send nate to VPK, found it!
3 sick visits to doctor
2 well visits to doctor
girls 2nd birthday, we had fun!
starting a new weekly home team
date night, Tim Hawkins' show was fun!
Starting our taxes. Enough said!
nate starting soccer, a practice and a game every week.
Weekend vacation for spring break
2 family visits
Easter
Filed taxes this week!

I know things will probably only get busier as the kids get bigger. I don't know how families do this with 5 or 6 or 9 kids, how do you do it?? maybe things will slow down and I will get a chance to breathe, just breathe right? :-) oh ya, and maybe i will have some time to blog too, can't forget that one!!!

paige

Two in two days

I know, what can I say, two posts in two days, a record! Probably won't happen again anytime soon...haha.
Here are a few pics of the kids at the park, it's January and 80 degrees, so we are taking the kids outside often.

Year of the dragon

Chinese New Year is China's biggest holiday. It is also known as the Spring  Festival. Each Chinese year is represented by a repeated cycle of 12 animals,  the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, ram, monkey, rooster, dog, and  pig.
This year the Chinese New Year is January 22nd through the 25th. Most  Chinese will celebrate that whole week, and through the following weekend. They  will attend lots of parties with family and friends. There will be lots of food  and cakes and candy for everyone to enjoy.
Chinese people often greet one  another with "Congratulations and Happy to You" or "Congratulations and be  Prosperous" during the Chinese New Year.
As part of the Chinese New Year  celebration, people buy presents, decorations, special foods and new clothing.  Railroad stations throughout China are filled with travelers who take their  vacation days around New Year to return home for a family reunion. It is a time of thanksgiving. We had a wonderful time out to dinner with friends; great food, great show too. Happy New Year!