a merry christmas to all...

Christmas is off to a wonderful start in and around our house. We are finally enjoying kicking back and enjoying our new home.

We have found that the snow falling on our backyard has revealed a treasure of a sledding hill for the girls. And these little ladies sure do love their snow.

Now, we do have a few trees back there, so watching them at first was quite unnerving. I was met with extreme blank stares when I suggested they wear their bike helmets. So, instead, we have a "no-head-first" rule and they were taught to "bale out" before running down a rhododendron, pine tree or bird bath. Something they now find quite fun to do (as Sarah demonstrates below).

  Lauren had to take the daredevil bit up a notch and now stands in her sled as she goes down the hill...a snowboard is definitely in her future.

We have this little creek in our backyard and they've made quite a home out of it! I got a tour when I ventured back there yesterday. Here's Sarah in what is called "the hammock". She's about three feet off the ground and will just lay here and chill (literally).

 Lauren jumping the creek.  

 They are actually standing on the ice here (well some are standing anyway).

We're definitely having a white Christmas here in Michigan, and for these girls...that's a gift already received.

the grand unveiling (or something like that)...

Before I just willy-nilly toss up the pictures of the remodel, I feel we should first have a little reminder of the how we got to where we are today.

When we first set eyes on this house back in April, the picture below was the kitchen. Fortunately, we wore our rose-colored glasses that day and were able to see what it could look like "one day".

Oh, yes, "One day" we would tear down the pastel flower wallpaper with very helpful scripty writing that identified each flower. (oh...honeysuckle...how I miss you so). And "one day" the cabinets above the peninsula would go, along with the mirrored door fronts (behind chandelier...and, yes, the chandelier would go too).

And...then the day came when "One day" got a whole lot sooner than we planned. Saggy ceiling is pictured below.

 We thought the master shower was to blame, so out it came! Bit by bit and dust by oppressive dust.

 And since the ceiling had to go...out with those pesky cabinets it was!!!...and the chandelier, of course. Let's not forget about the wallpaper either.

 How bad it all looked before it got good...was pretty dang bad.

And slowly but surely, it got all patched up again. And here we are....

Here is the same wall in the above picture...today....

 Here is the full view of kitchen, sans upper cabinets...(eventually, the very appealing blue berber carpet in the dining area will be hardwood...'cause it's never cool to vacuum dried up oatmeal off your dining room floor)

 View from kitchen into dining. The upper left of that far wall is where the kids were jumping out of our shower...

 And...this is our new bath. Note: We had already replaced peach-colored carpeting when we first moved in. So...just close your eyes and picture that loveliness (or don't...it's not worth it...really).

While the countertops didn't play a menacing role in our little disaster, we felt they were...frankly...ugly. So we replaced those too (and the ol' faucet)...with this...

 It's waaaay more detailed then I thought to plan a new shower. Even if it is 3ft x 3ft. Did you know there are over 100 different grout colors to choose from?  C'mon!

  So....there it is. No more projects for awhile is the word around here. For now, I'm happy to have the house all to ourselves again!

We celebrated Sarah's birthday and mine last week. Marking those milestones in this house is beginning to make more of a home of it. We're pretty happy folk just settling in...with just slight tendencies to get jumpy when this old house makes noises.

filling the wall space isn't easy...

Many folks assume that in my line o' work I have oodles of pictures of the kids.

It's true, I may have a few more than what may be the norm...I dunno. But I most certainly don't get as many "take-'em-out-'n-practice" pics of my girls as I'd maybe like to.

I scared (or is it scarred?...both are accurate) them the first year I got into this and they made their displeasure known (I really can't blame them). It got to the point that for practice, I didn't even make them smile anymore...

So, it wasn't too much to ask to take them out and grab our once-a-year "make a pretty Christmas card" pics. Or was it...

why yes...her eyes are still that wonderfully blue...

but no amount of photoshop will fix

the emotion coming out of her mouth...

we were out a whopping 10 minutes,

when Julia struck a yawn pose,

Sarah might be asking for a snack

and Lauren is doing her "best"...

here's the first attempt at

being directed to "be yourselves"...

here is the ultra-realistic "be yourselves"...

there comes a moment when you realize

the "shoot" is over...typically...it is when

you are ignored completely...

Fear not...We did accomplish the mission at hand and the girls were promptly rewarded.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE :: It's done. We are happy. It's feeling more like home everyday. Pictures coming soon.

from a chapter in julia's book on getting what you want...

The other morning, with both of her sisters in school, Julia begged me to turn on the TV (or "TB" as she calls it) and I insisted it was play time instead. Here's how the conversation went ::

Julia : "I want to watch a show."

Me : "You can...at quiet time [in the afternoon]"

Julia, ignoring the response as she often will do : "How about Bolt? I will watch Bolt." (as she climbs on the couch to get comfy)

Me (as I sit down next to her) : "Ok, in a few hours at quiet time...I'll set up Bolt for you. Right now, we will play with toys."

Julia : "Now. I will watch Bolt now."

Me : "No."

Julia, with a huge smile : "I have money."

Me : "Ok. Do you want to play with the money in your piggy bank?" [we do this at times]

Julia : "No... I will give you money and you will turn on Bolt."

Oh....boy....

i'm speechless (or maybe i wish i could be)...

Like most kiddos, Sarah hasn't been entirely forthcoming with telling us what's happening at school. Everyday I ask and everyday she shrugs and says, "I dunno." As with Lauren, we do eventually get some tiny details that give us a glimpse of her day (it's usually a stall tactic at bedtime).

Today, I asked again and got the same response, followed by..."Why do I have to tell you what happened at my school anyway? Don't you remember what you did at your school?"

I explained, "You're gone from me all day and I miss you and I just want to know what you're doing when you're not with me."

That must have pulled at her heartstrings ever so slightly because she sighed, thought for a moment, turned to me and said ::

"If I tell you about my day at school, YOU are going to tell me how all us babies got out of your stomach."

Gulp. It was a tough deal to make, but at that point I didn't want to seem like her day wasn't worth the trade. There weren't many details provided...I mostly just clarified some misconceptions she had on the matter. In the end, I think she was somewhat satisfied with the explanation.

I'm a little concerned about how many questions she's got rolling around up there...but now I'm sure glad she only goes to school three days a week.

and she's off...

Sarah had her first official day of school today! Kindergarten is underway and so far she seems thrilled with what the next 13 years have in store for her.

Yesterday was visiting day, where we took some of these pictures. Below, she is standing by her locker. All of the school's students have lockers this year. We're relieved that this spares us from an entire year of "Why does Lauren have a locker and I don't?".

The classroom has this smart board dealio, where Sarah could drag and drop her name from the "absent" to "here" side of the list. It was pretty cool.

Here she is working on a little Pre Calc. Seemed a bit aggressive a task for visiting day, but Sarah managed just fine...

So, this morning kicked off the official start of school. Sarah was raring to go and the picture of cuteness in her self-picked-out outfit.

She, too, sported the flip flop look for footwear...

Nerves were up at the bus stop. She did not let her big sister out of sight. I guess being escorted by someone with one day of bus-riding experience, is better that going it alone...

Typically, one at a time fit up the bus steps. Sarah never left Lauren's side. It was pretty dang sweet.

So, it's just Julia and I three days a week now. Today was pretty quiet in the house...especially since Julia's been running a temp of 103 for three days! So, I do believe a doctor's visit will be in the works for tomorrow's plans. We don't do much thumb twiddling around here... We can always rip down another wall if boredom sets in, I guess. (we have walls now, by the way :-)...just drywall, but walls, nonetheless)

construction update...

I supposed I would be remiss to not give an update on our aforementioned, unscheduled remodel.

Here it is : There are still studs in my kitchen. And they are not of the nice-looking gentlemen variety. I can still see my roof from the dining room, but I can no longer see my bed from the kitchen sink. Progress is slow and somewhat steady. The good news is I have no good reason to clean the house. The bad news is precisely the same.