The Girls Are Home!

The girls finally came home Thursday! I was so excited to see them. It always amazes me how much they can grow in a short amount of time when they aren't home. I guess it is because I'm not looking at them every day. We were so grateful that John (Papa) was able to bring them home and stay the night so that he could help Mitchell get some more things done around the house. They got the new washing machine installed right away and then started working on the stove. That was project! Our existing stove was a drop-in so it actually sat up on about a 4 inch base board. They had to cut into the wall and counters and remove the base board just to get it in. They didn't even attempt to install the microwave. That is going to have to be a project for my Daddy. While they were busy working on their projects Brylie and I went to pick up the girl's new bunk beds and to pick out bedding. Being her first day back it was great to spend some one on one time with her. Letting her help pick out their new bedding was a trip! She was soooo picky lol! I would find something that I thought was cute and she would tell me it was "too bumpy" or "not soft enough." We went to 4 different stores before she finally found what she wanted. I will admit that she has good taste and the new bedding is super cute! Back home it took the boys 2 whole hours to put the beds together. The girls love them!

On Friday I put the guys to work moving furniture around. We got the entertainment center, china hutch, and lots of boxes all moved, unpacked, and put in their places. Our poor garbage men had another overwhelming load this week.

I finally let the guys take a break and go to Billy Bob's with Katy while Brylie and I stayed home to try and get some more done. The foundation repair company came out and we are all set up to get the house leveled within the next 2 weeks. Then we will be able to move forward with installing new floors. Trust me, even after a long weekend of working on this house we are still far from finished. I have to finish unpacking the hundreds of boxes I had packed up, finish painting the girl's room, hang stuff on the walls, and at some point find time to fold the giant mountain of laundry that has been stacking up. Once all that is complete we will move on to remodeling the bathroom, mudroom, and our bedroom. These projects seem to never end lol.

The pictures this time are some more that Papa and Lola took while the girls were there.

Mommy misses her girls :(

Yep, you guessed it, another long day of remodeling. Today was spent painting, painting, and painting some more. I am really hoping that the painting in the living room and play room will be over with tomorrow. Then we can start putting all the furniture back in its place and begin the fun part...decorating. Then it will be time to move on to the kitchen and the girl's room. I added some pictures of the girls that Lola has been taking of them on during their stay. I am missing them so much! I love my babies more than anything in this world!

Day 3 of Remodeling

It is an exhausting 1:30 in the morning and we have just wrapped up day 3 of our remodel. Our day started at 9:30 this morning with a few outside projects. Jordan came over to help and we are so grateful for that! We cleaned up all the scrap wood and metal that has been laying up against the house for over a year now. We also completely cleaned out from under the carport. Then we trimmed up all the trees and mowed the yard. Thank goodness it was trash day! We had soooo much junk out by the curb we actually felt so bad that we tipped the garbage men $20. Our pile consisted of old tires, lumber, 3 doors, metal scraps, a huge broken bench, sticks, logs, leaves, a broken a/c unit, old toys, boxes of the junk I cleaned out of storage, plus our normal amount of weekly trash. It was insane! The pile took up nearly 1/3 of our front yard. We were outside mowing when we saw the garbage truck coming so we all ran inside and hid lol. We were all peeking out the window wondering if they were actually crazy enough to pick it all up. Once we realized they were we conned Jordan into taking them a tip.

Next on the list was yet another trip to Home Depot. This time we got new 2 inch blinds for the living room, more paint and paint brushes, a jigsaw and blades, more lumber for our new tables, and a few other odds and ends.

Back home we immediately got to work. Mitchell put his new jigsaw to use and cut a hole in the front porch for our new porch light. Once that was up we got busy painting again. We are sooo close to having the entire living room painted. We just have to finish the trim and paint the built in book case. We also have to paint the big wooden wall for the umpteenth time. That darn wood is soaking up the paint like crazy! We even had to make a second trip to Home Depot for even more paint...and light bulbs for the new porch light.

We were also very grateful tonight that our friend Heath came over to give us a lesson on how he paints and distresses rustic furniture like the pros do. I have done small projects in the past by the method of trial and error but we wanted an experts opinion before we ruin our expensive furniture. After we had a good idea of his techniques some how him and Mitchell ended up sneaking out to the front porch for a social session. I was left alone to continue painting. I painted every door and door frame and base board we have throughout the living and play rooms. They are all a very sterile white.

Everything is starting to really come together. Tomorrow we are going to get up early and go help my Dad paint on some of his job sites. Then we are going to make ANOTHER trip to Home Depot to pick up our crown molding for the living room. It comes in such long strips that we have to have my Dad's trailer to haul it.

Still no pictures yet. I just haven't had the time to stop and load them. Well I better go drag myself to bed. I need to be as well rested as possible for another day of all work and no play. :)

P.S. I would like to give a VERY SPECIAL thank you to Papa and Lola for keeping the girls for us this week during our remodeling. Lord only knows the chaos that we would have with two little girls and four extra "helping" hands. You gotta love grandparents!

When Life Throws You Lemons...

Make Lemonade!

Ok, have you ever thought that you wanted something sooo badly but after many failed attempts realize that it just isn't in God's plan for you? Well, that has been Mitchell and I over the last couple of days. After 10 long and miserable months of house hunting set backs we have finally decided that God has something completely different up His sleeve for us.

A couple of weeks ago we decided that maybe His plan was for us to not buy a house but rather for us to rent a house for a while. Well, we were wrong! After having a heart to heart with each other and our Mommies we realized that everything we need and want is right where we are...at home.

After thinking we had finally found a place to rent we started scrambling to come up with all the moving expenses. By the time it was all calculated we were well past the $3,000 mark. After attempting to block out the words of my responsible, always right husband I finally had an epiphany. Yep, it didn't come easily or even at a reasonable hour for that matter but it did indeed come. After Mitchell went to sleep Tuesday night I found myself with a million thoughts running through my head. You know the ones I'm talking about; all those what if's and maybe if's. Yep those are the ones. I laid in bed, no kidding until 2:00 in the morning, thinking of all the advice we had received over the previous 24 hours. It was then (2:00 a.m.) that I realized what I had been searching for was right in front of me all along.

Let me explain:

Waaay back last August when we began this whole fiasco of "house hunting" my wish list was simple yet specific. I wanted a country or "farm" type of house. A huge yard was a must and I preferred it to need some work so that we could put our own touch into it. I wanted 2 living areas as well as lots of character. I told myself there was no way I was going to buy a "cookie cutter" home. After looking at over 30 houses I never once found the perfect house for us. Sure the house we live in now is far from perfect but it fits my wish list perfectly. So I guess you can say that we have finally found a house.

Now remember, my wish list called for a house in need of some work. Well, by golly this house is in some NEED! We have been so eager to move for so long that all our projects have turned into never finished projects. I decided it was time to dive right in and get to work. The only problem was it was still 2:00 in the morning and Home Depot was most definitely closed. :(

Mitchell had to work Wednesday and then went to play golf with his co managers ALL day long. Not that I mind the peace and quiet but with no kids, peace and quiet, and a MILLION home improvement ideas running through my mind being alone was probably not the best idea. But, there I was pondering away until the temptation was too great. I'm not sure what happened next but I was in my car on the way to Home Depot in no time flat. I probably spent over an hour picking out paint colors and other goodies. I came home and got right to work. I had the entire living room painted before Mitchell even got home. Boy was he in shock! I think he thought I had lost it and in some ways I had. But hey, he was one of those trying to convince me not to move so I hold him partially responsible.

Today I got up at 6:00. No kiddos to wake me up and I was still up at the crack of dawn. I tried to go back to sleep but I was too eager to do some more renovating. I went outside and removed all 500 (exaggeration) of my packed boxes from the shed and poker room and then I proceeded to organize everything that was left to still be stored. I then cleaned off the entire back porch so that we can begin to work on finishing closing it off. After that I painted the entire playroom. Unfortunately I realized that I was going to have to put an agonizing second coat on so I decided it was lunch time. I went to wake up the still snoozing hubby and we were off to Home Depot. This trip took us 2 whole hours. Mitchell caught my renovation fever so that just added to the hunt. We got more paint (for the kitchen and the girls room), a new porch light, and some lumber and tiles for Mitchell to make us some new end tables that I am overly excited about. We also picked out our new backsplash but it has to be ordered so it won't be in for a couple of days.

Of course all these improvements come with a pretty little cost so our next stop was to Nana's house. I am so grateful that I have the most wonderful Mommy in the world! She gave us $600 to help with all the expenses. Thanks to her not only can we finish all our current projects but now we can work on painting the outside of the house, rebuilding the front porch, and landscaping both the front and back yards. My Mom is AWESOME!!!!

Well, that's about all. Sorry I had such a mouthful this time around but we were kind of thrown for a loop this week so I needed to blog away. No pictures this time! I'm way too busy lol!

My Job as "Mommy"

Being a mommy has blessed me in so many ways over the last almost 5 years. It gives you a feeling that is near impossible to describe. I love my girls with all my heart and they are my world. Along with being the biggest joy in my life, parenting is also of course the biggest challenge. As a parent you constantly feel as if others are judging and grading your parenting skills. While I may not score a perfect A+ on things like discipline I can guarantee I score beyond that on love. I realize that the girls are often wild and forget their listening ears but name a child of their age that doesn't sport the same characteristics to some degree. Does it make us bad parents? Some may think so but I don't. Mitchell and I give our girls everything under the sun within reach. They are loved unconditionally there is no doubt about that. I believe that I have succeeded in the most important job I have as a parent. I have taught my children about Jesus and I am bringing them up in a Christian home. They are learning to follow Jesus and will one day walk with Him in faith. So while they may run circles and be a little dramatic and whinny, they are also children of God and they are my children of God. This is my journey. No one elses. I have learned that each day when I wake up to the most beautiful little girls that I have been blessed with God’s most perfect gift. I have learned to take each obstacle day by day. Whether that obstacle is a whinny four year old or a tantrum throwing two year old my obstacles will be faced with Jesus. I am never alone on the decisions I make for my family. They are God's gift to me and I will therefore always raise them in a way that honors Him. I pray that my girls have a magical journey and seek God with every step. I don't need others to judge or question my parenting skills. The only judge I need is God and in His eyes I know that I am doing a good job.

Swimming with Daisy Duck

Trip 2 to Lumberton

Well, it's been another looonnnggg week. Brylie got to go to Vacation Bible School with her bestie Kendal. This years theme had to do with cowgirls and cowboys. Brylie came home the first day and demanded to know why in the world she was learning about Jesus and cowboys at the same time. Ha! Only she would analyze it that way. She had a lot of fun none the less. On Thursday I went with Amity to her doctors appointment. After waiting an awful 2 hours we at least determined that baby Carson still has his "package" and we won't have to return anything. After the appointment we finally were able to get a late start on the cake we had to make for a little girls 1st birthday. I will have to wait and post pictures when we get home from Lumberton. It turned out super cute! The next cake we will be making will of course be for Brylie. So far I have not a clue as to what to do for her birthday this year. I hope a brilliant idea will soon pop into my brain!

Wonderful, fabulous news this week.....KATY JAYNE IS FINALLY POTTY TRAINED! Yep, that's right! She finally decided that going in the toilet can be quite entertaining. We now just have to get her to not wet during the night and we will be DIAPER FREE! Mitchell and I have been buying diapers for the past 5 years so this will be a great plus! It will be like getting a pay raise lol. Well, since we are out of town the pictures this time are just some random ones I discovered on Papa and Lola's computer. The first few are from our visit this time and the others are from the time before.

Catch Up....Trip to Sea World

Boy do I have a lot to talk about! It’s been over a week since I last blabbed on about our lives so I’ve got some catching up to do!

To start, last, last weekend Mimi came to visit us. The girls are always so excited to see her when she comes. We had a very nice 3 days with her. I couldn’t ask for a better mother-in-law. Of course I got to sleep in which is always very wonderful! Sunday I got to go with Amity to register for baby Carson. I still can’t get over the fact that she is having a boy lol. Much to my surprise it was lots of fun looking at all the little boy things. It was very different from shopping for all the frilly girl stuff. In fact, I must admit that it made me think of what it would be like to have our own little boy. It would definitely stir things up a bit. I do know that looking at baby things was the LAST thing I needed to help my “baby fever”. I really do miss having a baby in the house. After all, Brylie has been begging for a baby brother….then again our luck we would have yet another DRAMATIC little princess. Of course that would be fine too but I know how much Mitchell wants a boy.

After Mimi left on Monday, it was time to start packing for our trip to Sea World, San Antonio. The car ride down there couldn’t end soon enough. We were all so eager to hurry and get to Sea World. Once we finally arrived we had a really great time. When we first got there Brylie insisted on riding a roller coaster first. Yes, my child insists on riding roller coasters as opposed to seeing the animals, which was why we were there to begin with. However, this trip is about the kiddos so the roller coaster it was. After that we let the girls cool off in the water area while we waited for our first show to start. Believe it or not, Brylie was actually frightened by the dolphins jumping around. Once she got used to it she loved it. Katy was so amazed by it she cheered, laughed, clapped, and danced the entire time. After our first show I took Brylie on a much bigger water ride. It went waaayyy up high then spun you around backwards, shot you down a hill, spun you back around, took you waaayyy up high again, and released you into a big pool of water that of course splashed/soaked us. Needless to say, Brylie did not like it very well. We then moved on to see the whale show. We sat right up close and got what I believe to have been the best seats in the house. When Shamu came up and splashed us with his big tail we got SOAKED! It was so funny watching the girl’s reactions. All Katy talked about for the rest of the day was Shamu splashing her eyes. We then saw the alligators and penguins then headed back to the hotel to check in. That evening we went down to the heated pools to let the girls swim. The kiddie pool only got up to 1.5 feet deep which was perfect. Even Katy got used to it and swam her little heart out. That night the girls crashed HARD. The next morning we woke up to a very sick Grandma. She had gotten too much heat from the day before and it left her bed ridden for the remainder of the trip. So Nana, the girls, and I went back to Sea World while she rested. This trip we got to see the dolphins, sharks, aquariums, and sea lions. The sea lions were my favorite. I even got to feed them dead fish. It was so funny to watch them beg and bark like dogs. We then took both the girls on the log ride. It was Katy’s first roller coaster ride and she loved it. She especially loved going down the bigger hills and getting splashed. After day 2 of Sea World we went back to the hotel to do some more swimming. That evening we decided to cut the trip short by a day and take Grandma home. We had an awesome vacation!

Friday of course was my birthday! I cannot get over being in my upper 20s. I guess it is so weird because I can remember when my mom was in her upper 20s. To this day I can remember her having blue Garfield pajamas that said she was 28. Now I’m the mommy making memories for my own children. Saturday we took Brylie to her friend Kendal’s birthday party then went to Aunt Ammie’s for a gathering. Ha! See, I just called a party a gathering. I am getting old lol. Brylie ended up running fever that night so we came home a bit early. Sunday was spent resting then it was back to Aunt Ammie’s for a Memorial Day celebration. Brylie, Katy, and Lexi enjoyed swimming and playing on the slip n slide.

Whew! I told you there was a lot of catching up to do! I will end by saying that Brylie managed to pass her cold on to Katy and myself so now we are one miserable group. We all have fever, runny noses, the sneezes, body aches, and sore throats. What a way to end a very nice week and a half. I hope you enjoyed ALL the pictures!