{the new house...eventually}

So here it is in all it's current glory. We are so excited to close soon so we can start playing - ha! Closing will hopefully be Friday (finger crossed), so said the title company today. Here's to hoping...

Can't wait to landscape, that should be fun. We plan to re-sod in March. And check out the awesome porch.

Three-car garage! It's about time!

So, what do you think of those floors!? Well, since there is roughly 1,500 square feet of it downstairs, it stays for a while until we have the time, energy and some moneys to deal with it.Perhaps a dark wood to match the master bedroom and dining room?

Aaaagh, now this flooring is more like it!

HUGE master bath!!

One of the first projects we plan to take on will be replacing the gold shower casing and all faucets and doorknobs with oil-rubbed bronze - it's a simple change that will make a big difference.

Chandelier will be replaced too - also with an oil-rubbed bronze fixture Dev chose.

playroom/gameroom upstairs

a bedroom - all 4 upstairs look like this (not that you can see much because I don't have a wide-angle lens). The bedrooms are so much bigger than our current house so it will be nice to separate the boys' bunkbeds and still have plenty of space leftover.

View from one bedroom down the hallway to another. The hallway on the other side of the gameroom is identical.

office/extra bedroom

front entryway

pool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Safety gate has already been ordered because I won't sleep a wink until it's up. (And yes, it needs more cleaning. You should have seen it in December - greenish/brown and murky. It's come a long way. LOL.)

{why the blog's been neglected?}

Number 1: I started working from home in July for a local company, which is great, but uses up a bit of the "free time" I once enjoyed.

Number 2: Dean started kindergarten in August and Eli started preschool in September. This seems like it would make like easier, but then I went and volunteered to be Room-Mom for both classes, which are at two different schools. So, these gigs use up a bit more of what I used to consider my "free time".

Number 3: I was called to be the Stake Director of Public Affairs at church in October which is also great, but uses up any and ALL of my remaining "free time" after the work and school stuff. This new change in my life is definitely the most time-consuming but I do love it and I love working so closely with my Stake President - he is a very wonderful man!

Needless to say, something I have learned in the past 6 months is that time is NEVER "free"! And I certainly wish I had more of it. Something else I have learned is to be willing to say "no" to others. I have been asked to be the chairperson of Hearing and Vision Testing for our distrist, which I declined. It requires coordinating certifications and training as well as attending all the testing days at each school. If you know anything about Texas, you know there are a LOT of schools! No thanks! I was also asked to be the room-mom coordinator at my Dean's current elementary school, to which I also replied, "thanks, but no thanks." This one was an easier "out" because we are moving and he will be at a different school in the district next year. Phew!

Number 4: If you've been reading along, you've probably guessed it. We have decided to move. We were waiting until late spring or even late this summer to do so in order to let Dean finish school where he's at (thankfully, they are letting him do that anyway). However, we went and looked at a foreclosure a week before Christmas and made an offer just two days later. We dove in earlier than expected because the deal is too great to pass up. The home is just shy of 4,000 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, on a cul de sac, three-car detached garage, with a swimming pool. Yes please! Even better, because it's a foreclosure it is marked 100k below market value (more on this in an upcoming post). I will also post pictures soon. We close no later than next week. (It was actually supposed to be today, but our title company is awful - you gotta love dealing with foreclosures!) It will all be worth it.

{silly little Ava}

This girl is so goofy! Just a few examples...


I found her like this watching TV one day. The boys had their sleeping bags out earlier in the day but Ava didn't have one yet (she does now), so she fancied her own out of a bag laying on the ground.


This was during a play date with all of her friends over. She herded them, like little sheep, one-by-one into the fireplace enclosure and then climbed in and closed up. It's like a little cage and, yet, they were all very amused. Little goofballs!


And this was on my birthday. I celebrated at the elementary school with Dean and the kiddos. It was such a delight to surprise Dean with a happy meal and cupcakes. He is very into birthday celebrations and was a bit bummed that Daddy and I had made a date night that didn't include him, so this was our little "party" together. (On a side note: Dean was so sweet and woke me in the morning of my birthday with a card and a kiss. When I went downstairs he had colored "birthday banners" and placed them all over the house - sooooo cute! He takes such good care of his mommy.) Anyway, I caught Ava scurrying past me like this shortly after getting home from lunch. Can you guess what color cupcake was leftover? I love this little cupcake bandit!