Braden's Room

I never posted pictures of Braden's room because I was waiting until my mom finished his curtains. When they came to visit for Christmas, they came bearing presents...curtains!!! She also made his bedding and did an absolute fantastic job! My dad cut out and painted his name, and also did a great job! Kudos to creative parents. (I still have not put a picture in the fabulous frame Ashley made for me...maybe I'll do that today!) I just realized that there is not an angle where you can see the floor. It's red tile with a few khaki squares with a blue rug...if anyone was wondering!

Fun Stuff

I love hearing Avery and Kenny laugh and talk together. I love seeing them snuggle together. I love my family.

And in other news....check out my birthday present from my brother!!! Beautiful curtains for the living and dining rooms. (I haven't finished hanging the dining room ones yet; hence, no picture.) The picture does not do the fabric justice...it's a wonderful beige background, with an orange flower to match the sofa...get this..the leaves match the wall color perfectly! I'm amazed that Jason could pick that out all the way in Dallas. Talent.

Our Room

Here are pictures of the master bedroom. There's not much to say except that I don't have drapes yet, and nothing is on the walls. In most parts of our house we don't have things hanging up yet because the walls are made of plaster and could crack if you nail or screw things into it. So, we're going to use the picture molding and hang things the old fashioned way with wire and hooks. I think it's going to remind me of an art gallery.

Avery's Room

I guess I technically finished getting Avery's room straight before we left for Huntsville, but her bedding finally came in so I thought I'd wait to post pictures until it was complete. In actuality, I've realized that it's still not complete. Her name will be hung on the wall above her bed, but we have not had a chance to do that yet. For the irony of it all, her bedding has been at the store the entire time, I've just been receving contradictory emails. That's definately not something I'm going to stress about though.

I'm really pleased with the way it all came together, but most importantly, Avery LOVES it! She constantly talks about her new room, pink curtains, new pink rug, and her Big Girl Bed. Sometimes during the day I realize I haven't heard from her in a while only to find her in her room playing.

Whew!

As Kenny mentioned, we've had a very busy few weeks. Right when we got in the house and were able to start getting settled, it was time to hit the road again. My mind raced the entire time we were gone, trying to figure out what to start on first when we got back.

Well, we're home now, but there is only so much unpacking you can do in a day without getting 'sloppy.' I want things to be put away in a neat order, but by the end of the day, I find myself starting to cram things in closets instead of finding a better home for it. This is when I decide to take a break.

I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who helped so much getting the house ready and of course during the final move as well. My mom was here, and she's a picture-taker, so we have a picture of the group that helped us move. I'm not sure it's the entire group, but it was most of us. (I say us, but really feel like I didn't help much in the heavy lifting department...I'll make up for it after this baby comes.)

People have asked when I'm going to post pictures of the house...we'll not until the rooms are presentable of course. Some are finished, so I may update along the way.





I also feel like I haven't done justice talking about my family's visit. Maybe one of these days when I catch my breath I'll elaborate on how wonderful it was. To sum it up, Avery thoroughly enjoyed her Grammy and Pop, and of course they loved getting to be around her too. My dad worked his head off the entire time trying to get the house ready so we could move in. (Kenny learned quite a bit, and at times could be found under the house or on the roof!) Grammy worked her head off keeping Avery occupied so I could come to the house to work as well. It was a long awaited and much needed visit. Of course when they left, I started to miss them, but a few hours after they were on the road, we left for our trip as well. It was not until last night when I walked into the house and knew they weren't going to be there with us when the sadness hit hard. There are always future trips to look forward to, but I'm afraid they are always too few and far between.

Moving Party!

Moving Party at the Simpson's Thursday at 6:00 p.m. if anyone's free!

Highlights From Our Week

Football practices everyday as usual.

Volleyball practices on Tuesday and Thursday.

House closing set for Thursday morning at 10:00; postponed to Thursday at 3:00. Annoying.

Thursday night: rip up carpet in new house; sweep and mop floors. Kenny goes to 7 on 7 at the field.

Friday: Paint, Paint, and More Paint. (Thanks Dawn and Chris for all the help!)

Saturday: Trip to Lowes for more paint, then more painting at new house.

Saturday evening: Anxiously awaiting the arrival of my parents! Avery can't wait to show "Grammy and Pop what a big girl I am!"

No time to chat any longer; gotta pack more!

Whew!

There have been some ups and downs this week regarding the purchase of our new home. We even thought we caught a few glimpses that it all wouldn't work out.

To make a long story short (and not bore you with all the details in between) God has smiled on us, and things have worked out. A week from today we will be the proud owners of our new home!

To add to the excitement, my parents are getting to come help us with minor repairs and updates! We haven't seen each other since Christmas, and a visit is long overdue. Avery looks forward to her Pop and Grammy's visit. She relates when they will be here with the fourth of July and fireworks. It's cute to hear her talk about how "Grammy and Pop will hear and see the loud fireworks, but it will be okay because Daddy is here to protect us from the scary noises."

So, if anyone wants to come help paint, rip up carpet, move furniture, caulk, trim trees, etc., you're more than welcome! ;)

Answered Prayers!

On June 28th, we will be proud homeowners again!!!!! YEAH!!! Thanks for all the prayers.

New Home?

We put an offer on this one....we'll see what happens next!

They Countered...

...and didn't budge.

God has something even better in store for us!

We're Waiting...and Waiting...and Waiting

We bit the bullet and made an offer on the house last Saturday. Now, we're just waiting for an answer.

I must say it's giving me time to evaluate and realize the world won't end if this is not God's will at this time.

...But it sure would be nice to have a pool this summer!

Get Off That Train of Thought...

Have you ever obsessed over anything? I think most people would say they have. My latest obsession....this certain house....

From the first time I read about it online, I thought, "This is the house for us! It has everything we've wanted!" Four bedrooms: check. Carport/Garage: Check. Nice neighborhood: Check. Brick exterior: Check. Pool, what?!: Check, Check!

Then we saw it and I got even more excited. I saw something that we could put ourselves into and make it truely ours. And maybe in the process, raise the value for re-sale down the road.

Kenny, however did not. You see, this house had been foreclosed on, so the interior was not in the best condition, bad really, and a certain smell lingered. Not a good one.

The day after we looked at it, our realtor called and said, "the price on the Pepper Ave. property dropped today. I also talked with the realtor and he said the price is 'definately' negotiable!"

You can just imagine my excitement! With this news, Kenny even hopped on the bandwagon.

So, for a few days now, I have not been able to sleep or get much of anything accomplished because I am making lists of things that would need to be done, and things that I would like to do but aren't necessary. So, I have the new flooring picked out, most of the colors, the pool re-done and landscaped, new fencing, and even a wall knocked out. All in my head of course. And this is for a house that we have only seen once! Not even put an offer on, or are even close to a closing date.

I tried to watch television the other night when I couldn't sleep, but the only shows that seemed to be on were home renovation genres!

So, will someone please give me ideas of how to change my focus!