More House Progress

There has been a lot of progress on the house in the last 2 weeks. The electrical work has been nearly completed, siding is going on, porch was laid, garage floor was laid and the drywall has started going in. Here are some progress pictures...

10-18-09

Dining Room 10-18-09

Side view of Dining room and Foyer 10-24-09

Kitchen 10-18-09

Kitchen 10-24-09

Great Room 10-18-09

Great Room 10-24-09

Boys' Bathroom 10-18-09

Boys' Bathroom 10-24-09

Master Bedroom 10-18-09

Master Bedroom 10-24-09

Blake's Bedroom 10-18-09

Blake's Bedroom 10-24-09

Our WILD Saturday Night

Okay, so I’m slightly embarrassed to admit this, but after living here in the frozen tundra for 9+ years, I have finally attended my first hockey game. Not just in Minnesota…ever. Honestly, I thought there was a chance I never would and I was okay with that. However, Kurt and I were so excited to accept an invitation from my wonderful friend Sarah and her husband Tom when they invited us to go to a Minnesota Wild vs the Carolina Hurricanes game Saturday night. They had gotten 4 AWESOME seats…1st level, 10th row right across from the bench. Who knew a professional sporting event could be so fun when you aren’t watching the whole thing on the jumbo tron!

We had such a fun evening and it was a really good game. The Wild won in overtime with a “hail Mary” goal. And, of course, there was a fight in the first period that I was able to get some good pics of. It was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. They actually stop the clock and just let the men duke it out. The refs just stand there and watch and then when it’s over they send them each to the penalty box and every one goes on about their lives. Now don’t get me wrong, as fun as it was, I am still very much hoping that my boys don’t ever discover this sport or show the slightest interest in it. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say my favorite part of the evening was just getting to chat with my friend Sarah!

Stylin'

Blake likes my shoes. Always has...always will?? I'm sure he'll grow out of his interest in my heels! :) He was dancing around the other night wearing one pair and had the other pair on his hands and I could not resist a picture. See below for a video of him dancing in them.

He is somewhat obsessed with clothes right now. He likes to come home from school and change clothes instantly (which we always do so I can't blame him). The twist is that he likes to wear a lot of clothes at once. The most we've had yet is 9 short sleeve tshirts and 3 pair of knit shorts. He couldn't even put his arms down all the way, but refused to take any of them off. And he's very particular about which order they go in. I chalk it all up to the road to individualism!

He's such a sweet and silly little guy and I wish I could capture more of him in photos and video, but he hates it so I try not to torture him. He's always singing a song or creating some game in his mind. His favorite song right now is Yellow Submarine. I actually like this favorite a lot more than his previous two...Dancing in the Moonlight and Easy Like Sunday Morning (aka "the oooh song")! Someday I'll have to get a video clip of him trying to do jumping jacks or jump rope...it's hysterical.

Side Stepper

Mr. Luke is finally getting more confident in his newfound mobility. This week he started the "side step". He has a tendency to walk sideways. It's so fun to see how excited he gets when he does it. We are so proud of him and can hardly believe that we have finally moved out of the baby stage and into the toddler stage. Every day he goes a little farther and that curiosity continues to build...see below for some video of him walking.

At his 15 month appointment he weighed about 24 pounds and is as healthy as a horse! He is starting to use his cute little voice to talk (versus scream) and makes some pretty cute animal noises...there is a video of that below too. He still has his wispy baby hair that Mama won't cut and a belly that makes him look about 9 months pregnant. This kid has had the appetite of a linebacker since the day he was born. He can seriously eat as much or more than Blake at every meal. Just look at this little arse and thighs! We often call him "Luke, the Body, Jarrett!"

Congrats on your big milestone little Luke. We love you and are SO proud of you!!

the MANY faces of Luke...

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned before how "serious" (aka grouchy, grumpy, sensitive, irritable...you get the idea) my Mr. Luke tends to be. Regardless, of his often less than sunny disposition, I could not love this guy any more. To me he is still perfect. My ears, the occasional exception, have learned to tune out the grumpiness most days and see through it to the sweet little boy I know he is. Here are some examples of his typical mood...

More Goodbyes...

Last night we said goodbye to someone really special...our Miss Theresa. She was one of Blake's teachers, a babysitter to both boys and someone very dear to all of us. Though we are sad to see her leave, we are so happy that she has decided to embark on a very fun adventure to Denver, Colorado. She's going to be a nanny for a VERY lucky family. We are so very grateful for the mark she has left on our sons' lives. Good luck Theresa!! We will miss you!!

Until we meet again...

Yes, we awoke this morning (October 10th) to a fine dusting of snow. Not a "heavy frost", but the real deal. I think the reality that summer has come to a screeching halt has finally sunk in. Oh how I love those 90 degree days.

To my friends - (warm breezes, shady spots, sun tans, flowers, air conditioning, shorts & tanks, and sweat) I will miss you all and will be thinking of you daily until we see each other again....June 2010!

Roof and Windows and Porch OH MY

Even with all the rain we have had in the last week, the house has really come to life. Tonight I drove by fully expecting no change from Saturday and low and behold the roof was on and the windows were in. The porch is also starting to take shape. It was very exciting to see the progress made this past week and to hear that we are still on track for a mid-December closing even with the rotten weather.

Happy Birthday Pappaw!

We want to wish a very happy birthday to my wonderful Dad! (Sorry we weren't more creative today, but hopefully you enjoyed hearing Blake singing happy birthday!) The boys love their "Pappaw" and I'm sure Luke will be saying it all the time now that he has gotten more practice! Thanks for being such a great Dad and role model to me. We think of you (and Mammaw) every day and miss you tons! Hope you had a happy day! We love you!!

It's really taking shape...

Our new home is really taking shape this week! Unfortunately, today was the start of a few days of rain, but by the end of day yesterday they had gotten the roof decking on and hopefully it won't be too much longer before the real roof goes on and windows go in!