end of year photo catch up

As you all know, recently we had a baby, and moved.... it's been a bit hectic, and there are still plenty of boxes left to unpack. We don't have blinds on any window on the lower floor yet... but there's one on the bathroom window, so that's a plus!! I have been taking pictures though, and we have been up to more than just moving.

So here you go:

Closing day during the final walk through... My new kitchen!! Woo hoo! There is more cupboard space plus a pantry, so in theory I should be able to fit all my stuff.... so far so good, but as I said... there are still more boxes to unpack!!
Moving day and the first meal eaten at, (though not in) the new house!
Natalie went to her first movie at the theater this month! Can you guess what it was? I'll give you a hint - she's holding the doll.... Tangled, (Rapunzel for those of you who aren't on the kid scene). It was great and we all enjoyed it, (Jackson was even quiet through the whole thing and I never had to leave my seat... Success!!)

Natalie gave her ticket to the ticket taker guy. She was very excited.
Maybe all the candy and popcorn she consumed were part of the reason she liked the experience so much.... I don't think her mouth was empty for even a moment. That probably helped keep her quiet though.

Natalie taking a picture of Jackson in the kitchen.... her picture probably came out straighter than mine!

Jackson on his first trip to the zoo, (and his first stroller ride!)
One of the four tiger cubs at the zoo. They're growing up so fast!
Playing doctor with Mama Sally...
Getting ready for her first ballet recital. This is the face she makes whenever I ask her to do something she doesn't want to do. Like smile for the camera... probably why I can't get as many good pictures of her as I used to! Did she learn to roll her eyes like that from me?!
Natalie's little class danced to the Chinese song from the Nutcracker. It was very cute. I'll post that video on Facebook soon.
Jackson enjoyed the show too.
Waiting in line afterwards for Santa. Natalie's the small one. :) She loves her dance class and is starting up the ballet/tap version next week! I can't wait!
Here she is listing all the stuff she wants for Christmas.
Again, not pleased I'm making her pose for a picture.
Cute Christmas outfit - Thanks Mama Kathy!
Getting ready for Caroline's 2nd birthday party! Notice the lack of a jacket at the end of December!
And again... no coat Christmas week!
But we have about six inches of snow now! That's more like it!

Happy New Year!!

picture catch up

It's that time again! Time to catch up on all the random pictures that don't really go with anything else. After this post, my camera is clear, and I'm all caught up! Maybe the baby has come by now and perhaps I've even managed to post something about that, (is that optimistic or what?!) Or maybe not.

Here's Natalie perusing the latest Fisher Price catalog, (lollipop in hand).

Painting at Discovery Days. Very fun event, but a little chaotic.

Thanks for the fancy lollipop Aunt Eileen!!
Natalie enjoyed going through all the baby stuff I've stored.
Another ballet shot.
The house! Painted!
And with wallboard! Natalie and her dad are sitting on the couch, watching something funny on the TV.
Nat in her new room. Now the walls are all textured, the trim is in. Tiles and cabinets are also in. It's getting close now!
Looking for eggs in Erik and Renee's new chicken coup. There was one!
Hanging out with Delwyn. I love their little matching Keen sneakers!
Trying on her dad's new BBQ'n gloves.

Showing us her ballet moves. All of her tutus are in storage so her dad made her this one out of tissues.
Eating chicken wings at the Dark Horse... our old college hang out!
And that brings us up to the present! Phew!

House update

Once again, my picture is a bit behind the actual house status. The only real difference from this shot and the current version is that now the front porch has been poured. Inside there is currently completed wiring and plumbing. Drywall begins next week. Then we're told it's sixty days 'till move in! That puts us in the house about a week after the baby's due date. Oof. It's going to be one crazy place here when that baby comes along.

going up

Once they started it, the framing for the house went up very quickly! It took the builders about three days from bottom floor to roof. It was so fun to go by and see the house take shape.

From the front.

From the back.
A day later from upstairs, our bedroom window.
Natalie checking out her bedroom. She knows what all the rooms are now. Her favorite things to do in the new house so far are take a bath in the master tub, (which is just framed in), and go in the linen closet and say "I'm towels!" or "I'm sheets". I think her dad started that one.
Heading up the stairs.
And from the front!
I need to get over there again after work hours are over.... they've made a lot of progress since this, but nothing I've been able to capture in daylight. There is a meeting with the head construction dude on Monday, and that's when we should get an official finish estimate. Up until then they've been unable to give us anything since the built so far has been so dependent on weather. But it's been nice and dry (not so good for the fires around here) so they've been able to move right along.

house progress

It's both exciting and very frustrating having a new house built. It was very fun going to the design center and picking out all the colors and textures that will be a part of our future home.

And my brain is constantly working with ideas for the new back yard, and how I will set up my sewing room etc.

But in reality, it feels like it's all moving very slowly. Two weeks ago we were excited to see a hole start to appear.
And last week, when the concrete molds were removed we actually had a basement!!

And that's how it's been all week. There has been some activity at the site, but nothing noteworthy, (or even noticeable) has been done.

I'm not even sure which will come first - the house or the baby. But starting this week, I'm officially in my third trimester! The baby in my basketball-sized belly is moving like crazy and very healthy.

And send good thoughts our way because, ready-or-not, today we officially close on our first house and move in with my mom to await the new construction. Cross your fingers that the buyers don't back out on us, or we'll have to go through all this selling stuff again!!

big news and playing catch-up

I'm going to pull out all my excuses for being a slacker and not posting even pictures lately! And I'm also gonna try and make up for it by at least catching you up on most of the pictures from the last month, (though there are some on my camera that I can't vouch for, so you'll just have to sit tight for those!)

So first; my excuses. I have not been trying to keep it off the blog, but it just hasn't come up, since I post mostly about Natalie, but I am 21 weeks (or 5 months) pregnant. That has mostly just caused me some fatigue, clumsiness, and absentmindedness so far. But along with that I've been using most of Natalie's naptimes, (i.e. my blogging time) for my own naptime. More recently, since the first trimester fatigue has gone away my time has been spent getting our house ready to put on the market. That has been a ton of work, but we are on the home stretch. Our house is already one big playroom, and adding another kid to the mix wasn't going to help that. We had always planned on finishing the basement to give us a playroom, extra bathroom, guest and work rooms, but when we figured out how much that would set us back, and how much work it would be, we realized we might as well just upgrade to a new house. So, assuming we can sell ours in the next few months, we will be moving shortly before the baby is born, (due date November 13th.) The new house will have rooms for each of us, plus a guest room, play room, and (my favorite) an office slotted to be my sewing room/library. Plus an unfinished basement for all the rest of our stuff! It will also have a slightly smaller yard (not on a corner), back to a "green belt", and be four doors down from one of our favorite neighborhood parks. And it's only a couple blocks from where we live now.

Here are Natalie and her dad checking out the lot. Natalie is standing on what will be our back fence.
And again you can barely see them, (or at least the blue shirt) standing in the same spot. The path hooks up to the Erie path system which may one day actually go somewhere but for now really just hits old town and the rec center/library/park complex. If you follow the path to the horizon it goes to the little neighborhood park.
So anyway, that's our big news. Hopefully you'll excuse my past, (and possibly continued) blogging negligence! Now on to the pictures!!

Nat loving the water wings at our friends' neighborhood pool. We now know from our swimming lessons that these aren't the best thing for her, but they did help her get over getting her face wet!

Teddy Bear picnic, put on by the library staff. Natalie led the bear hunt.

Getting her haircut by Nan. Love the juicy mustache!
And playing on Grandpa's swingset afterwards.

It took the strawberries a bit longer to ripen this year, but now they're going strong.
Poor Robert hanging out with all these silly little girls!
At the "beach" with Aanya.

She's such a little girl these days! I'll try to share more pictures and news soon.