House update

As we slowly whittle away at our to-do list our house is becoming a home. Everyday we check this overwhelming huge wipe board with a tons of daunting tasks that need to be done. It seems that as we get one project done a few others pop up. Right now our focus is on the pool trying to get it ready for summer. The boys are so excited and can't wait for it to warm up so they can go swimming. Oh the joys of owning a home but we are enjoying every moment of it. The boys have also found their favorite spot to play... the big pine tree in our driveway. It makes me nervous but I do enjoy seeing them have such a wonderful time! As we get things finished up around here I will post pictures.

Best Friends

Best Friends are like diamonds
precious & rare
hard to find and
impossible to forget.

What else can I say..... I am lucky to have such wonderful strong women in my life who have help make me a better and stronger woman. So to them I say Thank you & I love you!! You will always have a special place in my heart & in my life!!

Keigan & Emilia's Baby Shower

On Saturday we had a dual baby shower for Casey & Danielle. We had a great time and ate lots of good food. Thanks Ashley :) The girls got lots of neat things for their new little bundles of joy. I can't believe how many new fangled things there are. Baby stuff has changed so much in just a matter of a few years. Watching them open up the little clothes and toys made me sad for the days when Owen & Ashton were that age. It is hard to believe that time has just flown by and they will never be little again :(

CACI Outing

Last night we had our first CACI event. We got to enjoy a Dayton Bombers game and meet people that Justin works with. We had such a wonderful time. Owen was really into the game and had a great time. Ashton enjoyed the popcorn & Seirra Mist the most. That boy and his food! It was a great time and we are looking forward to more CACI events.

Super Sunday

This morning we said good bye to my parents. The went home early today to rest before beginning a new work week tomorrow. Casey and the girls also left this morning after breakfast. Justin and I spent the rest of the day working on the pool and cleaning up the house. The boys played with the neighborhood kids all day. They had a blast climbing the tree and riding their bikes that Grammy & Papa brought this weekend. When it was time to come in for dinner it took a lot of coaxing. They were having to much fun and did not even want to eat. We finally did get them to come in, we had left overs and the boys & I played cards while I finished up the laundry. Sundays are usually lazy days @ our house but I have to say Justin and I worked really hard today. Hope everyone has a great week!! Thanks for reading.

First BBQ at the new house

Today was a good day. We had our first BBQ at the house. Our friends came and we had a 14 pound brisket slowly smoked all day, ribs, cole slaw, potatoe salad, baked beans, & tons of desserts. The guys hung out and did manly things while us ladies had a great time chit chatting. We played cards again tonight but everyone was so exhausted from being up late the night before we only played for a bit. It was still a good time hanging out together like we used to on good ole Snowberry Circle. You never realize how good you have it until something changes. It was nice being all on the same little circle hanging out all the time but we knew being in the military things change and quite often. We are very lucky to have made such wonderful friends and have grown to think of them all as family. Heres to many more BBQ's and tons of laughs.

Grammy Cindy & Papa Bill visit!!

This weekend my parents came to visit. We had a wonderful time and hated to see the weekend end. Time always seems to fly right by when family comes to visit. We hung out, ate lots of good food, and did some stuff around the house that needed to be done. Ashley, Dustin, & baby Canni came by for a visit as well. We stayed up until 12:30 playing Nertz and watching Comedy Central. So between all the name calling during the card game and the comedians on TV you can image the laughter that was erupting from our living room. Luckily we didn't wake the kids or grandpa Bill up. Good times were had by all!!

Pool

We started cleaning up the pool. It is nasty and smells horrible. Since the house sat for almost 1 1/2 years there is a lot of yuck at the bottom of the pool. This weekend, Justin pulled the wire off the boards and rolled it up. Yesterday we took the make shift cover off. It took a couple of hours to take the boards apart. Now we have to move the stack of boards from the middle of our yard and stack them up by the shed. Then the real fun will begin. We get to drudge the bottom of the pool for all the leaves and sticks and I am sure a huge layer of algae. I am getting ready to call our local fire department to see if they can fill it up for us once we get the leaves and sticks out of it. Wish us luck!!

Spring Pictures

Just wanted to share the boys Spring pictures that they had done before they left Stevenson Elementary. I love Owens cheesy smile but poor Ashton didn't smile. When I asked him why he didn't smile he told me that he couldn't smile. Kids.... You gotta love them.

Yea for warm weather!!

Happy St. Patricks Day!!

The boys informed me that today was St. Patty's Day and they were to wear green to school this morning. They really seem to be enjoying school which makes me happy. I love those two boys to death and it makes me sad that they are growing up so darn fast.

Well today it was finally warm enough to hang the clothes out to dry. I am so excited that I finally got to use my new clothes line. Our furnace is almost finished so I will be so happy to have heat in the entire house. Paying the bill on the other hand not so much. As soon as the guys are finished installing it I will post some pics. Well I need to get off here and finish the laundry and start pulling down the wall paper in the ugly yellow bathroom. Hope everyone has a wonderful week.

And so it begins....

Well our first week in the house has been exciting to say the least. We met our neighbors, got the boys started in the new school, set up the house, snaked all the pipes, had the Roto Rooter guy out last night until 11pm to cut tree roots out of the line to the sewer because it was backing up in the basement, got a new stove, light fixtures, and set up the Heating people to put in the new heat pump (which they will begin Monday) and scheduled the Chimney people to look at the fire places. It has only been a week and I am beginning to feel like the whole world is coming down around us. Oh the joys of owning a home. Wish a luck and pray that things get better next week. I am also including some pictures of the house that is somewhat finished. I still need to wipe down walls and decide on a new color scheme but at least the room is put together. Top left is living room, top right is dining room (ugly green carpet is gone) and bottom right is the breeze way that connects the kitchen, living room & dining room

The boys have enjoyed the new house because they have tons of space to roam around. The especially the big tree off the side of our drive way. Apparently the entire neighborhood loves to climb this tree. Someone has even put a little stand in it. Our house had sat empty for over a year so all the neighborhood kids played in the driveway and in this tree. So when we moved in all the parents came over and asked if it was okay that they still played in the tree. We of course agreed and were happy to see that they were so many kids close to the boys age so they will have people to play with.

We are home!!

Sorry it has been awhile but moving has been so hectic. We passed our final inspection through housing and didn't owe them anything but rent and utilities. Yeah me!! I worked my butt off cleaning that place. Now we are on to cleaning our house and getting it set up. Chuck and Leta were here this past weekend to help us out getting things done. Chuck & Justin made me a clothesline which I am super psyched about, hung a new light in kitchen, put in the new stove, and did some electrical work. Leta helped keep the boys entertained and helped me put up my yard signs. I finished catching up the laundry, cleaning, putting up pictures, and so much more. It is a working progress but owning a home is always a work in progress. As soon as I get things cleaned up and set up the way I want I will post some pictures.

Visit with friends

We had a wonderful visit this weekend with Casey, Makenna, & Tessa. The kids had a wonderful time playing and fighting. If we didn't know any better we would think they were brothers and sisters as much as they fight. Casey and I had a great time shopping for scrapbook stuff and then helping Casey get started with the girls scrapbooks. It is addicting and so much fun!! It was a nice way to end our stay here in base housing.

First bike ride of the year!

The boys finally talked me into getting their bikes out before we moved. They have begged and pleaded for a little over a week now. And I finally broke down when we had the couple of warm days. Even though it was not real sunny and warm, they had a great time racing around the bike path at the playground and our little circle.