Here's what I'm missing...

by not being at the new house. They have put in all of the lighting, some of the toilets, and they are doing the grout today, as well as the siding!! I'm sure there's something I forgot, but it hard to remember without actually getting to see it! When the boys get to see it tomorrow, they're going to think it's ready to move in, and I might just agree with them. I'm glad that we are going to be out of town for half of July, because it's starting to drive me crazy(no comments)!! I don't have any new pictures yet, but hopefully I'll get some tomorrow.

My kitchen!!

It's getting harder and harder to stay away from the house! I've already been twice this week, and we'll probably all go out there this weekend when the boys get home. I just couldn't resist going out to see the cabinets and countertops. It's been a while since we picked everything out, so it's nice to see it all actually in the house. I really like how it all looks together. The kitchen looks different from the other houses like ours because we moved things around and added the big cabinet pantry. That was the one thing I didn't like about the house is that it didn't have a pantry. I still wish it had one, but we're going to have plenty of space for everything. The cabinets are higher than the other house, so I'm definitely going to need a little step stool to reach everything!! Keith can barely reach the top of the cabinet above the fridge, so you know I can't reach it! There are a few strange things. Inside the cabinet pantry is an outlet!? What in the world are we supposed to do with an outlet in the cabinet? Very strange. Also, they put the cabinets in before there is grout on the tile floor. I know nothing about that, but you would think they would finish the floors before moving on to the cabinets. They also put the wrong handles and knobs in the kitchen. That one doesn't bother me because I know they'll fix it. So, that it. I just wanted to share the latest.

Chloe

Since the boys are with my parents this week, I decided to do a post about Chloe. I haven't done one in awhile, plus she's constantly changing and doing new things. So, here's the latest on Chloe.

• she loves to sing...anything, but her favorites are "Pat the Bible 123" and "Jesus Loves Me."
• she knows most of her colors, and some shapes. she also likes to read, but it sounds like, "ghyghyghy," with some variations. (you have to imagine her saying the letters in a sing song voice.)
• she is now asking "why" occasionally, which i wasn't prepared for just yet.
• she loves to talk on the phone, real or imaginary.
• her hair is getting longer and even more out of control, if you can believe that!
• she loves to tite (type).
• she is very girly and dramatic most of the time, but she's also pretty easy to reason with for a two year old.
• she LOVES her big brothers!!
• in the morning when Keith is leaving for work, she says, "no daddy go to work. stay home." i'm sure you can picture the face that goes with that.
• her favorite saying is either "mine!" or "i has to do it by myself!"
• she now wants a pink (toddler) bed in her new room.
• she really loves mindy, chris, hannah and stanley (the dog). i know she's going to really expect them to move with us to the new house.
• she would rather walk then ride in a buggy or be carried, which is why i bring snacks with us to the store. i bribe her to sit, otherwise we would get absolutely nothing accomplished.
• she wakes up in a good mood almost all the time. since we're currently sharing a room, we often wake up to her singing.
• she loves stuffed animals, dolls, jewelry, and whatever toy someone else wants.
• at lunch a couple of days ago, she chose broccoli over macaroni or fries.
• yesterday in the van, she said, "i drive," and she wasn't kidding.

Paint and tile

I know I haven't been great about posting lately, so here are some pictures of the house. It's coming along pretty quickly. I can't believe that we only have a month to go. They have the tile floors down, but no grout. They painted last week as you can see. I like the colors, but I can't wait to see our stuff in there. The first picture is the master bathroom. Last week when Keith went to the house, he noticed that they had crown molding in the master bedroom and bathroom, and the dining room. I love it, and I've always wanted it, but we weren't supposed to have it at all. I'm super excited about it, and I definitely won't complain about getting something extra. Our builder builds much bigger and fancier houses, so I guess we're getting some extras because of that. They also put in under the cabinet lighting in the kitchen. The second picture is the laundry room. I just wanted to put that picture on here so you can see the color of the tile better. You can see that it has some brown in it that I think looks really good with the wall color. The third picture is of the kitchen. You can see the dining room also. I just can't wait to see the floors with grout, and the hardwood in the dining room. So, hopefully in about a month, I'll be able to put pictures of a finished house on here!!

All together again

The boys have been gone all week, Avery at camp and Brady at my sister's house. Brady went to climbing camp at the gym, and had a blast. Here's the difference in my boys... I asked Avery if he missed me and he said not really. He said he was too busy having fun. You can't really argue with that. I definitely wouldn't want him to be unhappy. When I picked Brady up at the gym, he ran right up to me and gave me a big hug. I guess that's the difference between being 7 and being 9. Of course the boys have very different personalities too. Chloe was really happy to see them both.




The boys all had fun throwing the football tonight. I think these are funny pictures, but not because of Brady throwing. Notice Avery in the background. I'm not sure what he's doing, but it makes me laugh.



Avery wanted me to take a picture of him jumping and trying to look like he's climbing the tree. The second picture is one that he didn't know I was taking. He never would have posed for that one. He's wearing his hat made from duct tape. It's one of his prize possessions from camp.





These pictures are just Chloe being Chloe. She waited patiently for her turn with the football, and then she caught it on the first try. (It looks like she dropped it, but she was able to hang on to it.) She missed her nap today, and you can tell that she's tired.

100 Things About Me

So, Haley I've finally finished my list. Thanks so much for starting this. Okay Carrie(both of you), Carissa, Stephanie or anyone else, I would love to know 100 things about you. It's really fun sharing, and it's a great way to learn more about each other.

1. I'm not a list maker.
2. I don't like moving.
3. I don't like packing.
4. I don't like change.
5. I'm very unorganized.
   
6. I'm a pack rat, which explains #2, #3, #4, and #5.
7. I'm shy.
8. I wish I had tried to play soccer at some point in school.
9. I "played" basketball in elementary school, (I was the chubby manager.)
10. I love to cook.
11. I hate when my kids are sick.
12. I'm thankful for my family and friends.
13. I loved living in Alaska, and I hope to live there again one day.
14. I don't know what people do without church families.
15. Before I met Keith, I didn't want to get married and have kids.
16. I majored in marine biology in college.
17. I stink at chemistry, which is why I'm not a marine biologist.
18. I'm thankful that God is in control and not me.
19. All three of my kids were born in different states.
20. I'll never get over getting rid of our dogs. (I don't want to talk about it.)
    
21. Having kids has left my mind mushy, and my emotions just below the surface.
22. I play sudoku to get rid of the mush.
23. I'm more sensitive then most people know. (I get my feelings hurt easily.)
24. I think making the bed is a waste of time, but I'm planning on making my kids make their beds at the new house. :)
    
25. I got a B in calculus in college, which is good for me. Plus, I loved math in college, but couldn't stand it in high school.
    
26. My grandparents have all passed away. I miss them daily.
    
27. I now claim Keith's grandparents as my own.
28. Blogging is an addiction for me.
29. I played the trumpet in junior high and high school.
30. I took piano lessons for 12 years, but I haven't really played since.
31. I loved growing up with music in my life, and I really want the kids to take piano lessons at some point.
32. It made me mad that Lance (my brother) could play the piano by ear, so as I learned by practicing, he learned from listening to me practice.
33. I'm a vegetarian.
34. When I was little I used to say I wanted to be a vegetarian when I grew up, but I meant veterinarian.
35. I wore glasses in high school, but my eyes improved, so I don't need them anymore.
36. I miss my Nissan X-Terra, but I like all the room in the van and the gas mileage.
37. I don't really have a dream car, as long as it has air conditioning and runs well I'm good. (Although I do really like my mom's new Jeep Wrangler!!)
38. I talk to my kids about the dangers of smoking, drinking, drugs, etc. (I haven't tackled the big one yet!)
39. I love red tailed hawks. I studied them in junior high science, and then noticed one near my house. I've loved them since then.
    
40. I'm a dog and a cat person, but Keith is not a cat person.
41. I really, really want a swimming pool in my new yard, but I'm not holding my breath.
    
42. I'm thankful for Keith's job and I don't ever want him to work anywhere but a university because of the time off he gets.
43. I'm glad that he was in the Air Force because of all the opportunities it gave us, but I'm so thankful he's out. I wasn't meant to be an Air Force wife.
44. I secretly like reality tv.
45. I love 80's music and I don't care who knows it. (xm radio lets me relive the glory days)
46. I've never had a speeding ticket, and the only wreck I've ever had was when a tire(rim and all) fell off a truck, bounced over the median on interstate and hit our car.
47. My favorite movie is Parent Trap, the old one with Haley Mills.
48. I lived in one town (two houses) growing up. Keith and I moved seven times in our first seven years of marriage.
49. My favorite author is Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice)
50. I never believed in love at first sight until I met Keith. Okay, it probably wasn't love at first sight, but it was definitely crush at first sight.
    
51. We had three Japanese exchange students when I was in junior high.
52. I really miss eating bacon.
53. I love cold weather and snow.
54. My favorite restaurants are usually steak houses because they have the best salads.
55. I still can't believe that I have a daughter.
56. I really, really don't like to fly, and we have two trips planned this summer!!
    
57. I know how to walk on stilts.
58. I miss taking naps.
59. My favorite color is red.
60. Stomach bugs really freak me out. Really.
61. I don't mind being short, but I mind people thinking their better than me because they're taller.
62. I get embarrassed really easily, and I hate that!
63. I won't speak up in class at church because of #62, even when I really have something to say. I always think I'll sound stupid.
64. I was in show choir in high school.
    
65. I love to read. One summer I barely came out of my room because I was reading. I don't make time for it anymore. I get too into it and stay up late trying to finish it, so right now I choose sleep.
66. My mom and I watched every scary movie we could find(not bloody and gross, but suspensful scary) when I was in high school. We would scream and scare each other even more. I can't watch scary movies anymore.
67. I love roller coasters, or at least I used to. It's been a few years since I've been on one, but I remember thinking that I was going to die. I really want to go sometime soon, so I can remind myself how much I love them.
68. I want to learn more about gardening.
69. I'm left handed.
70. I can't believe that Avery's feet are as big as mine.
71. I can't imagine looking up to my kids, but realistically I only have a few more years.
72. I love to play games, board games, card games, almost anything.
73. I wish we lived close to all of our family, so that we could see them more often.
74. I don't mind doing laundry, but I don't like putting it away.
75. I got married when I was 19, and had my first baby when I was 21.
76. I'm overprotective of my kids.
77. I can't seem to get this list finished, and it's driving me crazy!!
78. I don't really care if we never build a house again.
79. I worked at Checkers (the fast food restaurant) for three weeks while I was in college.
80. When we lived in Anchorage, during the winter if it got up to 20 degrees we went outside to play.
81. We never intended to have our kids names be alphabetical.
82. When I was little, my sister and I shared a room, and I used to make her laugh and then pretend I was asleep when my mom came in to get on to us.
    
83. I can recognize and name most Air Force aircraft.
    
84. I can recognize three Army helicopters just by hearing them.
85. I used to be able to recite the military phonetic alphabet. (alpha, bravo, charlie etc.)
86. The coldest temperature I've ever been in was -35 degrees with a wind chill of -65.
87. I didn't know my hair was wavy/curly until high school. I bought a hair dryer that came with a diffuser and decided to try it. People thought I was lying when I told them I didn't get a perm.
88. My first car was a 1984 Honda Accord, and it was a stick.
89. I've had cats, dogs, hamsters, fish, frogs, hermit crabs, a turtle, a horse, three cows, and a tarantula as pets. Some of these were family pets and some have been the boys, and the turtle was found under our house by a termite inspector.
90. I've lived in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Alaska.
91. I loved the New Kids on the Block, especially Jordan. (I'm not too good to admit this either.)
92. I can't hit a golf ball, and I don't care at all.
93. I can hit a softball.
94. I'm much more of a computer nerd than I'll ever admit.
    
95. I've seen a brown bear live and not in a zoo. (Denali National Park)
96. I'm a good speller.
97. Our first cell phone was a bag phone! (Does anyone else remember these?)
98. When I was little, I used to share popsicles with my dog.
99. I'm horrible at making up my mind.
100. It has taken me way too long to finish this, but I'm so glad that it's done.
     

Yet another house update!!

We went by the house again today after dropping Avery off at camp. This picture was taken last week, which explains why you see Avery walking towards the house. If you look closely you can see Brady posing in the doorway. Anyway, today all the doors for the house were in the garage, along with all the tile for the kitchen and bathrooms. The house was swept out and ready for flooring. I really love the brick Keith picked out, and I'm glad that he picked what he wanted. We can replace a lot of things in the house, but brick isn't one of them. Oh, and Keith's attic ladder was there too. We are getting so excited about the house being done!! We went last week and picked out all the lighting. It was fun and not as overwhelming as I had expected. I don't think we have anything left to pick out. Now they just have to get it all put together.