Out Back

The weather has not yet allowed us to enjoy the backyard too much, but when it does, we take full advantage and LOVE IT! There have been a few nice days afterschool and neighborhood kids have come and gone from the backyard. Tommy got the girls trampoline built and they are in jumping heaven! The tramp is even great for rainy days. Tommy carries them threw the mud, they jump thier little hearts out, and come back in threw the laundry room (it gives the term Mud Room a whole new meaning)!!! They can strip their wet clothes there and then head to the bath to warm up. I can't wait for summer to really arrive. I think we will be living outside!

Those four trees across the back were a nice surprise. They bloomed with tons of big, beautiful white flowers.

Dont' let the safety net fool you. Reagan unzipped that thing and was balance-beam walking the outside on the first day. Gracyn can get herself out to! Thankfully I learned that quick and don't leave her in there if I am not watching.
This is my happy place!

Sweet girl with her sassy camera pose.

The neighbors have a pool. They just recently uncovered it for summer. Last time I talked to her it was a crisp 52 degrees. They have some warming up ahead, before any swimming will be done.

Easter Girls

Just a quick post to include the picture I had accidentally deleted.

Happy Easter

We had a great, busy Easter weekend, establishing new traditions in our new home. Saturday morning Addison and Reagan had their first soccer clinic. It was M-U-D-D-Y!!! The girls loved it. They liked the soccer and the mud was a bonus for them. Gracyn and I played on the playground nearby. She loved having my undivided attention at the playground. She isn't the biggest fan of posing for the camera these days! Addison has soccer skills!
The big girls had a few minutes on the playground after practice. We are in a very gray, rainy, gloomy stretch around here. It was nice to have a few dry minutes to play outside.

After soccer we headed over to an Easter celebration at a nearby church. They had egg hunting, bounce houses, games with prizes, face painting and a petting zoo. Gracyn was proud of her face painting!

Reagan got a butterfly painted on her face and then headed to the craft table.

Addison played a little golf and won an Easter necklace.

After all the indoor activities (moved indoor because of the mud) we headed out to the petting zoo.....by far their favorite part. You could hold these little baby ducks and Addison was in pure heaven. She stayed there forever just snuggling whichever little baby she could get her hands on.

Reagan loved this miniature horse named, "Mama". She was so gentle. She stood there the entire time and let the kids pet and snuggle her.

Gracyn and I were busy most of the time, playing tug-of-war with a goat who decided he wanted her Easter basket. After we won the match and got the basket back, she went over to visit Mama.

Next, we ran a few errands and then headed home to die some Easter eggs. The girls had a great time coloring and decorating their eggs. Gracyn is my first girl to actually like eating the hard-boiled eggs. Reagan got brave and tried a taste.....that resulted in one of my favorite home videos of all time....I seriously thought she was going to loose it!

Sunday morning, Reagan was up early, while the other 2 slept in. She was the first to discover the Easter loot.

Addison made it down next.
We are still visiting churches here. We have tried 4 so far. We picked one and headed to service this morning. This is where there used to be a cute pic of the girls in their Easter dresses, but I deleted it and don't have the energy to get it back.

Late in the afternoon, we headed down to a neighbors house. They were sweet to invite us to join their Easter dinner and egg hunt with their family. Their youngest daughter is in Reagan's preschool class, they were happy to celebrate together. We had a great dinner and fellowship.

All the kids from the egg hunt.

Adorable!

She is a little candy sneak!!!

Happy Easter!!!

Photographic Evidence

Photographic evidence to support Addison's Cincinnati quote, "This place is a rainy mud-hole!"

The Bathroom

When we bought this house, the master bathroom was almost a deal-breaker! However, since this was the only house that we even remotely liked in our price range, we had to go ahead, but we did so knowing that the bathroom was going to be a complete gut job! It is builder basic.....4 inch white tile everywhere, wasted space, a tiny shower, short countertops and no separate water closet. We H-A-T-E-D the whole room and wasted no time getting contractors over to get this project started. We were fortunate to have a great contractor recommended by one of Tommy's co-workers. He and his partner are a constant around here right now. They are nice and good at what they do. As a bonus they are super sweet to the girls.....even frequently bringing them donuts when they arrive in the morning. They have been great at taking all of our random visions and ideas and putting them together in a workable plan.

The white linoleum floor is my least favorite part of the room. It was 10 years old, yellowed, trimmed with gold pieces, and just plain ugly. The bathtub is great, but the space between that wall and the tub was about 3 feet of wasted space.

The shower was small and dark. The tiles were dingy and mildewed and the frosted doors are dated. We have since knocked that wall out and extended the shower 2 feet in length and it will have a granite bench at the back. He is also building it about 6 inches bigger in width.The white cabinet was left behind by the former owners and put to use because there is barely any storage anywhere in the room.

The new tub deck and floor of the shower will be river-rock and the rest will be neutral tile. He is building in storage, tiling the floor and then painting. We can't wait to see the finished project.

For now, we are all 5 sharing the kids bath. This toilet and the 74 inch vanity live in my bedroom and the entire master bedroom is coated in about 2 inches of dust. But, I have no complaints....just can't wait over the next 2 weeks to see what it turns into!

This was the white linoleum in the girls bath, before.

Amazing!!! All we did in here was change the floors and it makes an incredible difference.

Kitchen After

I am posting after pictures, but we are by no means done! Just happy for the moment!!! The wallpaper is down and the purple is gone. The old window seat/cabinets have been pulled out and replaced with a fabulous, well built, large windowseat that opens up for a great storage bin that houses all the girls art supplies. We initially told them it was the time-out bench and if they were in trouble, they would have to be put inside. We haven't done that, but it has been great for hide and seek. The bench wasn't painted yet, when I took the pictures, it is complete now. Unfortunately I have to shop for someone to make me new cushions and I might as well throw in new window treatments while I am at it. I have avoided that, as I know it will probably cost more than the bench itself did!

The final thing on my hit list (for now) are the metal barstools. I just haven't exactly decided what I want. Honestly, the main reason they haven't gone yet is because the girls don't fall out of them. I will probably eventually buy backless stools, and one of our 2-year-old friends just recently got stitches on her mouth as a result of her backless barstools.

Much better without dark, fruity wall paper.

The new window seat, awaiting cozy cushions.
The new tile backsplash.

If you are on facebook, you have already heard this story! Taking down the wallpaper is something I will never forget. Not for the wallpaper itself, but for the Swat Team arrival during the project. I was elbow deep in wall paper remnants and up on a ladder, when I noticed a strange procession of black vehicles coming down my cul-de-sac. I watched for a minute and was most surprised to have 2 of them pull into my driveway. The remaining 3 vehicles formed a blockade in my street and a final vehicle, marked "DEA K-9 Unit" brought up the train. In a matter of seconds, before I could even figure out what was going on, my house was surrounded by armed men, all dressed in black, with bullet proof vests. My dog was going nuts. My main front door was opened, so she had a great view. I cautiously approached the storm door, and the armed men circling it. Long story short, the former owners son was doing some shady business involving drug trafficking through multiple states. The police were here to arrest him and surprised to find that he had moved. The whole thing was quite the welcome to the neighborhood. After recovering from shock, I called Tommy at work and he had a productive phone call with the sheriffs office and the troops eventually left my yard. Now, the locks have been changed....the alarm has been serviced.....and the Daddy finally has my blessing to purchase a gun. So much for my quiet little Mid-West town!

K9 Reading Buddies

We made our first visit to the local library here last week. Wow, it was one of those moments I have fairly often here.....feeling like I had stepped back in time about 10 years. I would describe the library as quaint. It has everything a library needs, but is so far from the brand new, high tech, mega library we had in Highlands Ranch. And, there are certainly no self-check-out stations where you pile your entire stack of books up at once, it beeps, lists the books and you are done. They are plain, old fashioned, bring your books to the circulation desk and scan them one-by-one around here. They even have a section in the library where you can check out cassette tapes. I had to laugh when my girls asked me what they were.

On a good note, they have a K9 reading program, to get kids excited about books! Several Saturdays a month, they bring in a group of therapy dogs and the kids can take turns reading to them. Addison and Reagan were beyond excited about the idea of doing this. Addison picked two books, both about animals, that she thought they would enjoy. She practiced the books all week. Saturday morning she took her selections and Reagan took a board book that she knows all the words to, and off we went. They loved it. Each girl got a chance to read to several different dogs and then visit with the puppies at the end. They got stickers with the dog's picture on it, that they cherish. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again in a few weeks.

A Hard Week

This week has been a tough one. My sweet Grandmother, who had a big part in raising me, had a stroke last Tuesday, on Reagan's birthday. She is 90 years old. On Thursday evening, they made the decision to cease all treatment and move her to hospice. It was most definitely the best decision for her, and she has been peaceful and resting ever since. However, for her family, it is a terrible waiting game. The uncertainty of the inevitable is hard to take. And, at times like this it is very hard to be so far away.

I struggled throughout the week, wondering if I should go. I knew if I bought the $820 round-trip ticket for this weekend, I might not make it in time. I also know that I will need/want to be there for her funeral, so if I went now I would be looking at 2 back to back trips. While I desire to say good-bye to her, I also know that it is easier for me not to see her the way she is right now. I had a great visit with her in November and am thankful to have that as what will probably be my last memory of her. My thoughts and prayers have constantly been with my grandmother and the family that is struggling through this by her side. We are all emotionally exhausted. We are ready for her to be in heaven with my Papa, but that doesn't make saying good-bye any easier.

My girls have been great therapy. It is amazing to talk with them about it. Everything is so simple for them.....she will just be in heaven and that is good! They have prayed with me for her and we mailed her special pictures they made (praying they make it in time). I have been singing "Amazing Grace" , Granny's favorite song, to Gracyn while I rock her to sleep. Now, she asks me to sing, "Granny's song". I am thankful my girls got to know their Great-Grandma.

I am so thankful for the blessing my sweet grandmother has been in my life. She is one special person. She often comes to mind on a daily basis, when my children have a million requests for me. During the times I get impatient with serving them, I remember her. I think of all she did for me.....any breakfast my heart desired, homemade french-fries for an afternoon snack, hundreds of clothes shopping trips, getting up before me to turn the heat up and warm the house, and much more. She did anything I ever wanted, with love and a smile. I love her dearly! Praying that she will sleep peacefully until she is wrapped in the arms of our Lord. Wish I was there to tell her I love her and hold her sweet hand one last time.

My Favorite 4-Year-Old

Sweet Reagie had a big birthday today! She was surprised to wake up and find that Addison and I had decorated the kitchen after she went to sleep last night (Thanks Lil' Smith's for the idea). Shortly after she discovered the streamers our contractor and his helper (who are pretty much full time around here for the next month) arrived for the day with birthday wishes and cookies from the local bakery. She opened one present.....a blingy journal with a shiny silver "R" on it, and then we got ready for our day. Today was the girls 3rd karate class and their first time to get to spar. Oh my goodness, that might have been the funniest thing I have ever seen. They did great. Reagan blew her teacher away. She called Reagan "Tiger Woman" and just shook her head saying, "It's always the little scrappy ones that surprise me!". Her karate success was a great start to her birthday. Afterwards, she picked Noodle and Company for lunch and then we took her to school. Reagan was so excited to get her "Birthday Tag" from Mrs. Meagan and take treats to her friends. This evening we opened presents with Daddy, went to Red Robin for dinner and ate cupcakes for dessert. Reagan was blessed with many sweet cards in the mail and phone calls from many friends and family members!

There's my birthday girl with her cupcakes. You can see my tile backsplash going in back there.

Loving her day!!! Notice the 2 candles in Gracyn's cupcake too, she had to blow some out! Present time! She was so happy to get a new CD player for her room. The girls new fav thing, since we moved here, is to blast out the worship music on their radios and sing and dance in their room. Her CD player was broken, but she is all set up now.

My girls at Red Robin, same booth as last week, same squished up girls. The birthday girl is happy, I don't know what is going on with the other two??

Birthday song and an ice-cream sundae.

Daddy led the birthday song.

She had to work to blow those candles out!

My sassy girl with her Daddy!

Love, love my Reagan. I loved telling her about her birthday today and she even let me hold and rock her like a baby for just a few minutes. This girl is a joy to our lives. She keep things interesting around here. She is funny, without even trying. Reagan is joyful, usually easygoing and compassionate. The girl loves her bible.....she keeps me on my toes, making sure we read it everyday. I am so proud watching her explore her new surroundings and try new things here. She has just jumped right in and started making friends. We love you baby girl, can't wait to watch you grow some more!

Our First Visitors

We were so happy to have Grandma and Pampa here visiting on the girls spring break. They got a great taste of the phenomenal mid-west weather. It was rainy, cold, windy and gray the entire duration of their visit, but we didn't let that stop us from having fun. We spent plenty of good time just hanging out at home, ate and ate tons of good food, and explored the town some.

Pampa got some snuggle time and a haircut from Reagan (with her doll hair scissors).

Grandma read, and read and read! Good thing she is one of the people who passed on their love-of-reading genes. There was plenty of snacking at the island.

Friday, Tommy took the day off and we headed to Northern Kentucky to the Creation Museum. It was 70,000 square feet of exploring information about the bible and God's Creation. The girl's favorites were a video on Genesis and how God created the earth, an enormous model of Noah's Ark, and many moving dinosaur models.

Grandma and Pampa stayed in where it was warm, but Tommy and I took the girls out to explore their beautiful gardens and see the petting zoo. It was definitely my favorite part of the day. They had wooden bridges, rolling hills and beautiful landscape. I would love to go back in the summer when it is all in bloom.

The petting zoo is ALWAYS a favorite for my kiddos. Thankfully many kind strangers took pity on us, and gave the girls quarters to buy feed for the animals. Oops....Mommy and Daddy took no cash outside!

On their last night in town, we had a great game night! Game night with this crew is pretty hilarious! Addison is super competitive and so into it! Reagan is interested, but laid back and Gracyn is climbing the table, taking game pieces and making all manner of noise! Coulter family, we love the "I Spy" game.

Thanks for coming to visit! We will see you in Texas this summer.