More house and kid pics...

The kids love to race in the basement. (Drives me crazy how this won't center under the pics)

Concrete is poured and appliances delivered.

We will be in our new home in 2-3 weeks. It is official. I am calling the movers today and scheduling the move in date for Monday, September 11th. Our builder said the house will be done by next week but we have to wait for the appraisor and actuary to finish up their paperwork as well. We are so excited and so ready to make this house our home. More pics to follow tonight.

Wonderful weekend...

We had such a nice time in Bardstown this past weekend but I am so sad that I have no pictures to show. I brought my camera but forgot the memory card that goes in it so I missed out on so many great photo opportunities. Donuts from Haydorn's, the kids playing the organ, swimming at Big Jule's, Will playing with his cousins, dinner at Chili's, and our first trip to Zappos. It was a non-stop fun weekend. With so many people to visit in different places, it is nice to at least stay one night so you aren't running around like crazy that entire time. We got to spend more quality time with everyone. Next time, I am bringing both cameras and an extra memory card. :)

First Day of Preschool

So, today was Will's first of preschool in Indiana and he did great. He was excited about going and never batted an eye. He didn't act shy or scared when I dropped him off. The only person who had any issues at all was Sissy. She cried like a baby because she had to leave "my bubba". She kept saying, "I unna play wif Bubba. I stay wif Bubba. No mommy." She was so sad to leave him. They have spent soo much time together this summer that I am not surprised she took it so hard. THey are so crazy about one another. Love those 2 kids. Love my little family. My heart swells when I look at them. I have always longed to be a mom and I am so grateful to be theirs.

Another good-bye...

Tracy, Sadie, and Doug are official Alabama residents now. So sad to see one of my best friends move further away from me. I have said way too many good-bye's here lately so I am changing my persective and trying to think of this as a new place to visit and something to look forward to. So funny looking back to the first time I met Tracy. She had this kindergarten-like-affect on me. From the second I saw her, I wanted to be her friend. It is so silly to say but so true. I even remember what she had on (is that normal?). A blue and white striped shirt and white capris. (I have the same exact outfit which is probably why it struck a cord with me.) All the Beaumont math teachers were sitting at the same table and I secretly hoped she would sit beside me. (Ok...now this is getting creepy.) Well, she did sit beside me and I was so happy. We instantly hit it off inspite of the fact that she put me to shame with her TI-84 graphing calculator skills. I could barely turn mine on and she was whipping out all these fancy little graphs. Super smart, super sweet, and super loyal. I am lucky to call her friend....or as my dad calls her...Jackio O. Looking forward to many 1/2 way trips in Nashvegas.

More house updates...

The countertops are in, the brick is done, and the drive way is about to poured. Home stretch!!!

Still need to finish the soffits and grade the yard. They will stain the front door next week.


Still need to install the plumbing for the sink and pendant lights over the island which are on back order .
We are so pleased with the color of the granite countertops and again so glad we went and picked out the slabs ourselves. Worth the time and energy.

And a full rainbow appeared as we were driving back to the town home. The kids were in awe.

Meet the teacher night..

Last night was meet the teacher night at Will's new preschool. He was surprisingly ok about going...talked about it several times that day to Sissy...but became very shy and quiet as soon as walked in. Brian and I found ourselves getting tickled when we noticed that we...the parents...had huddled into a little corner by ourselves with Will and Abby while everyone else was walking around. You wonder where he gets it?? :) Will did eventually open up and had a fun time playing with all the toys. Sissy did too. I am hoping it will be a good year for him.

We also stopped by the house before we went to Will's school. Here are some pictures from the evening. The house should be done in about 3 more weeks. The last coat of paint was put on today and the countertops were installed. Super excited to go see the new changes. Pics to soon follow.

Pics from our walk this morning

Will's "cool moves"

Will's high jump!

Sissy, her angry bird, and Brady

Raw Talent...

I am not sure if you know this or not but my hubby is a pretty talented man. Whenever he sings, I am amazed by the tune that he can carry. Whenever he draws, I am so impressed with what he creates. No lessons....just raw talent. I can only wonder how good he could be if someone sat down with him and and gave him formal training. I suppose it just amazes me because I have no artistic talent....none...zero...zilch. Can't sing, can't draw, can't design, can't play a musical instrument. Notta. Nothing. Brian's talent is no surprise though. He comes from a family rich in talent. His mom is a singer, pianist, artist, teacher, and seamstress. His sister is a super uber talented artist...not sure about her singing ability though. The talent runs deep all through out his mom's side of the family. Lucky Duck. Here's to hoping at least one of our children can carry a tune.

Here is my attempt at a jet. I had to turn it into a bird. Horrible

Will's jet is better than mine.

Brian's jet and his Snork. His jet is fab and his Snork is right on. (My kids are loving the Snorks right now.)

Will and his mini-me.

Less than cheery disposition...

Not sure why I am even sitting down do to a blog post because I am feeling a little gloom today. I know I have nothing to be "gloomy" about. I have so many good things in my life (my husband, children, family, life, home) but I suppose we are allowed to have those days. Today I am missing my church. We went to church this morning and it is just so different from what we are use to. We never realized how spoiled we were until we started visiting other churches. I just can't say enough about SouthEast...our home church. The music, the preaching, its guiding principles,....it truly is a flagship for all Christian churces. So, in saying that, I know it is not fair to compare any other church to it. I told Brian this morning that we are going to have to compare the churches in our town to each other (to find the best fit) not the churches to SouthEast. There is no comparison and by doing so..we will never be content. Please pray for us that we find a good church home and that our hearts are open and receptive. Other than that, I am just ready to get in our new home. This sleeping on an air mattress is the pitts and now......believe it or not....ALL of us are sleeping in one room. Yes, all 5 of us....me, Brian, bubba, sissy, and the dog. What was suppose to be a one time sleepover in Will's room has turned into a permanent vacation for the kids. We get no sleep and they love it. Sissy then decided that she too needs to sleep in a big girl bed aka on an air mattress (go ahead and laugh)...which means no more plack-n-play...which means the ability to get up and down or move all around...which means Brian and I aren't getting a lot of rest these days. Oh well...short term right. Here are some highlights from the week....

The kitchen is in. Counter tops will be installed Thursday.
Our sleeping arrangments. One queen size air mattress, one twin air mattress, one twin bed, a dog cage, and a spiderman sheet for curtains. Quite a fashion statement huh?

Will earned all 5 of his homework stars so he finally got his Thor mask and shield. Thank you Maw-Maw for your contribution.
And pretty Sissy. Always with a weed (or as she calls it...flower) in her hand and some type of animal. She carries around more stuff than any other child I know.

So, enough gloom and doom. We are looking forward to seeing the T family and Tracy this week as well as attending Will's preschool open house. We also have another playdate with the Newcomer's Club so our calendar is slowly starting to fill up. I am thankful for the new and familiar faces.

Messy Art Party

So, the kids and I attended our first mom/kid social event here in Indiana. It was sponsered by the Newcomers Club here (a great local organization) and it involved lots of paint, glue, mess, and fun. I can't tell you how nice it was. This group of moms went all out. There were age appropriate stations for the kids (which was no small feat because 62 kids were there), a neat craft at each station with all supplies provided (think t-shirts, paint, paint brushes, picture frames,..etc), sweet teenagers and moms helping at each station, and a potluck picnic to top it off. It was so impressive and we paid nothing to attend. The kids had a great time and so did I. I was so nervous this morning....had butterflies in my stomach on the way there. I am not use to being the "newbie" nor is Will. He always had Eli and I always had Jen so this really pushed us out of our comfort zone but we were blessed for going. Lots of super nice people and lots of fun. It was a great time.

Sissy's first Burger King experience

Finger Lickin' Good....or was that KFC's slogan?

House update...

Floors are in (still waiting on carpet), doors and most of the fixtures are hung, tile shower almost finished, kitchen being installed today, HVAC installed, appliances ordered (thank you Mr. T), and first coat of paint on. Things are really hopping along. They will finish bricking this week, hang the garage doors, and install the rest of the fixtures. We are so super excited and so pleased with the progress.

Can you say blog neglect?

Not sure how a whole week has passed by with out one blog post but it has. Sorry. This past week was super busy for some reason. We had a great time visiting Jen and...yes..the flood gates opened just as I had expected. I think I cried the whole first 10 minutes I was there. It was almost an out of body experience. I just couldn't quit crying. Seeing our old house, the kids' old swing set with Will's little blue swing, and then the T family...it was emotional overload. Too much. Once I got myself together, we had a great time. I just didn't realize how much I missed them.

We then headed to Lexington for A.J.'s party, got there at 5:00, left at 8:00, and were back home 11:00. It was a whirl wind of a day.

On Monday, the kids and I packed up yet again and went to Bowling Green to see our wonderful St. John friends. My time with Jennifer is such a treat and the kids had yet more fun with friends. Jennifer's home is out of a Pottery Barn catalog...so cute, so comfortable, and so welcoming. A true reflection of her personality.

Thursday, Jen and the kids came to visit us for the first time and we had a GREAT time. We went to the park, ate a picnic lunch, showed them the new house, and then came back to the towne home. It was so nice to have them here. I just need to find a way to get them here permanently.

Yesterday, Brian took off and we headed to Holiday World and we had a BLAST. It was soo much fun...pure exhausting fun. We were there for 8 hours (we had to get our money's worth) and we all left completely beat. Sissy passed out in the car within 4 minutes. A perfect picture of how we all felt. We can't wait to go back.

For the rest of the weekend, we are just going to recuperate. There is a big festival here this weekend and we are trying to take advantage of the some of the fun and activities that it has to offer. Rides, games, carnival food,...the Taylor's love funnel cakes.

Can't wait to post some pictures of the house. It has come sooo far the past couple weeks.