Remodeling

I have taken some pictures of our new house but then I keep forgetting the camera so, pictures will have to wait a little longer but .... here's the short version of what's been going on in our world:

My dad (who is doing all our remodeling for us) got here Tuesday morning early and demolition began! At first, we were thinking we needed a staircase put in. The house has a loft with a tiny banister railing across the second story (which looks over into the living room/kitchen area) and only a spiral staircase to get to it. Our idea was to put in a real set of stairs and a wall in place of the banister and to make the upstairs our "master bedroom". My dad, who has been in construction/carpentry/architect for probably 40 years, just couldn't figure out a feasible way to get the stairs in without tearing up too much of the rest of the house. It would have been a MAJOR ordeal and very costly. So, R and I decided against the stairs for now (in the future if we see we just can't live with the staircase I guess we will have to bite the bullet and do it anyway or buy a new house) So, for now, the upstairs will be the kid's room and Ryan and I will take one of the downstairs smaller bedrooms. For obvious reasons, I didn't want to be climbing steep, winding stairs all the time. I guess the kids and I will have to work out a new bedtime routine or something-- I don't know how it will work out but, we will make it work. Anyway, so we tore out the banister railing completely, a closet, and a bathroom (there were two upstairs--weird!) And plan on putting in a wall where the banister was and a new closet where the bathroom was. (I know this makes no sense until you see pictures...)

So right now, we have this open second floor-- completely open to the bottom. They have been throwing all the trash over the edge and onto the living room floor-- what a mess! The good thing is, this means I get all new carpet! The bad thing is-- what a mess! We have decided the upstairs project and new flooring and paint are our first priorities and then we will see how far money and time will go after that before deciding on what small projects to tackle.

It has been a lot of fun working on this together. The kids have been pitching in and carrying out trash, picking up nails, pulling out nails, and being generally helpful. The people who lived there before us left the yard a mess so we have been picking up trash out there in our spare time. They love going to the new house and Benjamin yells out, "We're home!" every morning as we pull through the gate! They have even fixed up their own club house with things they have found around-- some old chairs, pots, and even a piece of a grill they turned into a couch. They even tied up some old antlers to one of the outside walls for a "decorative entry!"

On a more serious note...please pray for our safety and especially for Benjamin. He was sitting on a six foot scaffolding and somehow fell off backwards, landing on his back and back of his head. I wasn't there and didn't see it, so I don't know what happened exactly but that is what we have figured out happened as he tells us. He was fine-- immediately jumping up and screaming for his dad. There was no cut, no bruising, no bump. We have watched him now for two days-- I even got him up three times during the night, just to make sure, and he seems fine. He has been a little more whiny than usual and has complained of a headache at the front of his head. He will go off and play and then come back and want to lay around a little but other than that, he seems pretty normal. Please just pray that R and I would have wisdom to know if something serious is going on that we can't see-- I have heard that swelling of the brain can happen even days after a head injury.

I hope to have pictures up soon-- no promises though!

Our weekend plus a kid funny

Just an update on our past few days plus a kid funny thrown in for good measure:

My brother and sister-in-law (Cody and Megan) came down for the weekend and we had a great time! It was pretty relaxing as I hadn't planned a thing. I was just wanting them to tell me what they wanted to do-- I didn't even really plan meals except breakfast. On Saturday we ended up taking the 1 1/2 drive to see our other brother, sister-in-law, and their two boys for a few hours (Randy, Danielle, Max and Luke). We took the tour route and stopped at a couple of canyons and had a picnic lunch on the way there. We were able to see where the Rio Grand and Pecos Rivers merge and the mountains of Mexico. It was extremely windy so lunch was everyone hunkering down behind a stone pillar to eat as quickly as possible but it was fun anyway!

Once we got to my brother's house, we climbed the hill behind his house-- you can't beat having your own hill! Actually, the kids and Cody climbed the hill, I made it about half way up and then "pootered out." I enjoyed being out though and watching them scurry up like ants. They made it all the way to the cave at the top and had a great time exploring. Climbing or hiking in our area is like trying to tiptoe barefoot across a pin cushion. Everything is covered in plants or bushes that are knee high and they all have thorns on them. It is an adventure of its very own!
After dinner, we headed back home for baths and bed.

Today we went to church this morning, had lunch at Chili's, and then went for another hike along the lake. The water and weather was beautiful! Then we got to go show off our new house to Cody and Megan. They had some great ideas of things we can do to modernize and make it ours. I don't know if I have mentioned it before or not but we have quite a bit of work to do on it before we can move in. I will show some "before" pictures soon. Looking at it empty seemed overwhelming at first because there is going to be so much cleaning up to do! But, having Cody and Megan there helped because they have great ideas and helped me visualize what it can be with a little elbow grease and a few new things here and there.
We had a wonderful time with them and hope they come back soon (hint, hint!)
.................................................................................
Now for the kid funny:
Ryan, Megan, and I were standing together talking and Maya comes up, throws her arms around her Daddy, and says, "Thank You Daddy!"
"For what?" he asks.
"For my new brother or sister!"
"Were you just overcome with joy, Maya?" I ask.
"Well, Daddy's the one, " she says.
"Uh, the one for what?" I ask.
" You know, the one who was broody," she says.
(Don't forget we have chickens.)
"Oh! That's a hen, Maya. Hen's get broody when they want to lay on their eggs."
"Well, he's the one with....you know....oh what's it called? What's it called Daddy?"
"Uh, I don't know what you are trying to say Maya, but I'll just let you figure it out," Ryan says.
(So Maya thinks for about 5 minutes as we continue on with our conversation-- thankful she seems to be content to let it go at that...)
"Fertilizer!" Maya yells out.
"What?" Ryan says.
"Fertilizer. You're the one with the fertilizer for the eggs!"

Of course we can barely speak by now we are laughing so hard. It is so funny how they put all this together. They know about roosters and chickens and cows and bulls and fish and so obviously, it must be something like that right?

Maybe we need a small amount of sex ed thrown in with our geography lessons?

Little Bitty Ditty

Here we go to close on our house,
Close on our house,
Close on our house,
Here we go to close on our house,
On this sunny Friday morning....

Kid Funnies

I walked into the living room the other morning and Benjamin and Maya had pulled the couch out from the wall and were back there with blankets over their heads. I asked them what they were doing. Here is the conversation that followed:

Maya: We're making plans.
Mommy: Plans for what?
Benjamin: We are going to ask PipPop to build us a big boat-- after all he can build houses so surely he can build us a boat, right?
Mommy: What do you need a big boat for?
Benjamin: We are going to go on a 1 1/2 year mission trip all around the world to tell people about Jesus.
Mommy: Oh!
Maya: But we need someone to go with us Ben.
Benjamin: Well, let's ask Daddy--he IS a genius you know. He can ask his boss if he can have 1 1/2 years off work to go with us.
Maya: Ok. But first we are going to sail to Nevada.
Mommy: Nevada?
Maya: Yeah, I'm going to get a wild horse and Benjamin is going to get a rattlesnake to take with us.
Mommy: OK. (thinking to myself-- just what kind of mission trip do these kids have in mind anyway?) You know Nevada is a desert right-- you couldn't sail there.
Maya: Oh, that's ok. We'll just sail to the edge of the desert and then walk from there!

(Maybe we need to work on geography some more?) :)

ahhhhhh.....

This is going to be a random, thoughts as they come kind of blog so bear with me....

I am feeling SO OUTTA CONTROL!!! Our house is in absolute chaos which ALWAYS seems to put me into absolute chaos...first, our dining room table (the one that is piled high with packing paper and picture frames) has no chairs at it because of a little re-painting job Ryan and the kids started on last week before it decided to rain all this week. So, we have been standing around the edges of the table (yes the one that is pile high with packing paper and picture frames) to eat every meal. Secondly, there is a HUGE leak in the ceiling over Sarah's bed in the kid's room which means Sarah and her brother and sister have been sleeping with me or on my floor for three nights which means there are pillows and bedding piled high in bedroom and a mattress and box springs overturned (while they dry out) in their room. There is also a leak in the living room over where the couch would normally be (it is currently sitting in the middle of the living room floor) but that is another story. Thirdly, the dogs have been going crazy with the wind and thunder so all night long I am trying to pacify a dog, pacify a kid, or ignore the whole group... plus one of my children wet the bed last night which means ALL pallet stuff must be washed today.

Then there is all the piled up guilt I am feeling for not being an on-the-ball expectant mother-- making bad food choices, not studying up on the birthing process, not praying for or even thinking about this child, worrying about the name, and on and on...plus, feeling like a lazy mother for my kids right now because we have just sort of been in "gotta get it done" mode around here instead of "lets embrace life and live joyfully" mode. Then there is the fights I have been picking with Ryan, the friends I have been trying to minister to (while I am currently on empty), and the feelings of anxiety about the house we are supposed to close on next Tuesday (where in the world am I going to put...(insert item here), what do I get rid of, what do I keep, is it worth storing...etc.?)

While I am typing this (as my eldest child looks over my shoulder-- WHY DO THEY DO THAT?) I know the answer rests in Christ-- after all He is the Prince of Peace. So, if I am making Him Prince of all my concerns then I should be filled with peace instead of this AHHHHHHH feeling-- right?

Well, maybe as you read this you could pray that I would be able to do that because right now that just seems like one more thing on my list of things I don't seem to be able to get to.

Do Not Pass Go...

OK, Aaron...I just wanted to let you know that all those Monopoly marathons I forced you into as a kid are coming back to me...vividly!

Sarah has been working on counting money so I thought that after a few lessons we would play Monopoly, she could be the banker, get some practice in, end of story. WRONG!!! Three days later we are still on game #1 and that is all she wants to do in her spare time! Of course I LOVE spending the time with her and I LOVE seeing her add, subtract, make change, etc. But, I think my time of sitting on the floor, patiently going round and round the board with my little Scottie dog is quickly coming to an end. How do you end Monopoly anyway without one or the other just saying, "I'm done?" I guess I could go a few more rounds....

Is this MY body?

I think packing and moving is going to be a little more physically challenging than I had first anticipated! The kids and I worked on toys, games, and books today and I am POOPED with a capital POO! I guess it is a good thing my hubby encouraged me to go ahead and start so I can do this a little at a time...gotta go put my feet up....

Marshmallows

The kids and I got back from a walk the other evening and Ryan was up from his nap (he's working midnights right now). He had the fire pit all ready to go complete with chairs and firewood waiting. We were so excited-- it has been awhile since we have sat out under the stars by a fire. I was super excited when I realized I even had marshmallows in the house! So, as Benjamin and his Dad did the manly duty of starting the fire and the girls gathered the puppies to join in the fun, I went on a marshmallow hunt-- looking for the bag I knew I had put somewhere in the pantry several months ago (intending to make rice krispy treats but never actually getting around to it-- I'm sure you understand! :) Well, it wasn't long before I located the bag and pulled it out of its hiding place with an exclamation of joy at my own cleverness! My "exclamation of joy" soon turned into an exclamation of woe as I realized they were MINIATURE marshmallows stashed away in the back of my pantry! "Oh no," I groaned, imagining the disappointed looks on the faces of my family. (I admit I was also groaning at my own lack of cleverness now!) Then I remembered that marshmallows, even tiny ones, are pretty sticky! Before taking the bag outside to those waiting, I experimented with squashing up a handful of the tiny mallows to see how well they would form a ball-- not perfect but pretty good I decided. As I presented the bag of marshmallows to the kids and explained to them how THIS marshmallow roast was supposed to work they laughed and squished with glee! And just so you know, they do melt off the stick pretty quickly so you have to be fast, but after all, a roasted marshmallow IS a roasted marshmallow, miniature or not!

Update

* I had a baby appointment today-- I am 22 weeks. The Dr. moved my "due date" up to July 4th! How cool would that be? Anyway, I prefer to think of it as a "due week" rather than a due date-- it helps me to be more patient if I go past my "due date." I have gained 10 lbs total and would love to post a picture of this adorable tummy I am sporting :) but realized today I HAVEN'T TAKEN ANY YET!!! Where does the time go?

* We have put a contract on a house. It is a small house but is on five acres-- which is something we have really been hoping for. We are supposed to close on March 17th. It is about 8 miles out of the big town we live close to, which will give R about a 20-30 minute commute everyday. I worry about the house but R just says, "Hey, if it gets too crowded inside, just send them each to their own acre!" :) I keep reminding myself that God knows we have left the size of our family up to Him, and God knows we homeschool (since He is the one who told us to!) so I am sure He will help me organize this home well...right?

* We also have two new additions to our family-- two 6 week old black lab puppies we have named "Jack" and "Bill". They are supposed to help with security and safety (ie. snake patrol) on "the ranch". Maybe in a few years?