Electrical..check Heating...check check!

We are moving quite along thanks to Kenny and Jessica! Their expertise is amazing. I wish I knew of a good way to thank them!

NEXT: Sheetrock!

Framing...check!

4 fights, 2 days, a nailgun and a broken water pipe...not bad for amateurs! Thanks Dad for fixing our water pipe (I don't have that much water storage) Thanks Kenny for your nail gun (and all other tools) and help! Thanks Richard for your referee skills and help on the rough DAY 2

After it's all said and done we will still be married. (hopefully) Co just doesn't realize that I am a framer by nature and he really should listen to me.. :)

A journey...a chore...a hammer?

Another boy means we need to build a room. Cody and I are notorious for our handy skills. I think we have a hammer somewhere...
Braeden was anxious to vacuum the spider webs out of the window sill. This was his biggest concern of having a new room he also had an outragous request of some walls and a rug...
Talan is still convinced we are having a girl named Krista, yet was more than willing to help his dad carry the Christmas tree to the shed. He is such a powerhouse!
Our basement is a wealth of treasures...OK we put everything down there we don't care to use, see, or be bothered with...

Lexee is so proud...kind of

We decided to do a gender check at the hospital. Lexee came with us, in the event the baby turned out to be a boy, she would be the one to tell people. We felt that the more involved she was the better for both her emotional status and the well-being of our new arrival. So we got situated in the ultra sound room and the tech came in and started checking. The tech then started saying how much she wished she had only brothers and how she wished she could have been the only "princess" in her family. And then it happened. Lexee was reading the TV above when the tech wrote, "It's a brother!" She seemed OK at first...then she started telling people. Pretty soon I started hearing with a tad bit of attitude, "I know, I know I will be the only princess!" or "Yep all brothers!" or "ANOTHER boy!" I have to admit all I could think about was, "Boys get girls preganant...and now my chances are even greater!"

Talan's 3rd

Talan has been looking forward to his birthday for months. We kept telling him that it was after Santa comes and after Daddy's birthday. He woke up this morning and was thrilled it was finally here. They sang Happy Birthday to him in Nursery. He sang Happy Birthday to himself at his birthday party. We celebrated with his grandparents, aunts & uncles, and cousins with cake and ice cream. It was perfect! I have had so much fun with Talan. We joke he is an old soul in a little body. He is witty, flexible, athletic & energetic. He is anything but self-entertained, luckily he is a fun guy to be around. Looking over the past short time he has been on this earth, we feel so blessed he chose our family. He is curious, a tad bit mischievious and funny. You should never wake him. You should never think that he will get hurt if he tries that. You should never let him cry alone because he will go down like a ton of bricks. When he comes to he forgets why he was crying and carries on with his original plan. He loves to eat, lead music, dance and play games. He loves to play set-hike with Brae and "house" with Lex. His scooter has worn out and he has decided to take up skateboarding. He can flip on the tramp and has been known to let go of the swing in mid-air. We love you Talan! Happy Birthday!!!

Nana's Banana Bread

Nana's banana bread has become very popular recently. She made some fresh today & sent a loaf to our family. What should have been neatly sliced and enjoyed with a little butter, was ripped into by Talan. He took the foil off and licked the entire loaf and then there was none! Bite after bite Talan polished off the entire loaf.

Laughs & Cheese Fries

It's hard to believe we didn't grow up together. Melissa and I were able to reconnect a few years ago. Cousins by relation and truly friends. We found out after many hours how similar we are. It's amazing to know exactly how someone has felt and it's great to know that someone knows how I have felt. After our husbands laughed about regular yucky boy stuff, we talked about just about everything & we realized that not only were we similar but our cute husbands could have been brothers. We are sad to see them go back to Phily and look forward to their quick return for good!

A lesson learned

A good friend of mine reminded me that blogging is about a history for our children and the importance of helping them see the ups and the downs of life. I realized that I don't want to portray perfection either in my blog. I even dreaded blogging Christmas because it didn't turn out the way I anticipated. I have always felt an incredible pressure to make sure the holiday season was filled with memories, enjoyment & perfection. This year there was emphasis on expectations. I worried about everyone else's expectations, I was enveloped in watching the clock because someone was expecting us somewhere, I focused so much on what I had to do to, I became bitter. Cooking & cleaning for the next guests, party or activity took precedence over enjoyment. I know it's just part of growing up. I hope that by reading this post next year I can prioritize and remember what I did wrong this year.

Christmas Day

Yep that's a porta potty! We are that much closer to being prepared...

Christmas Eve