Let's see- We had Thanksgiving. That was great. All the local family came over, had a big time, and ate a lot.
And C and J ate, but not as much as we put on their plates- typical little boys. That's C's Indian vest he made for a school project.
And then that night we decorated for Christmas
And a few days later, Dad came over and visited for a few days. It was really good to see him.
And he brought the Deathmobile with him...
Then we survived until now. More updates later-
Here are some pictures of a couple of the rooms that we have almost together. There is still a lot of work to be done, but it's coming along.
The Master Bedroom
The Boys'/ Guest Bathroom
Dining Room
Dining Room Again
Living Room
Somewhere along the way, Caleb got ahold of the camera. Here are some of his pictures.
(You have to pronounce the titles with a French accent)
Ze Brush on Ze Floor
Ze Drink de Cold Sherrys
Ze Crayons de Jumbo
Here are some pictures of our recent trip to Kentucky. We had a great time- Can't wait to go back and see everyone again.
Quick- Throw him overboard
Southside KY gangsta style- Bustin' some caps
...And you'll never guess who we are!
You hold 'im Bugsy, I'll stick 'im in the gut...
Isn't that what a landlocked pirate says...?
Anyway, what you came here for. Lots of stuff has been happening with the house. Friday night, all day Saturday, Sunday after church, and all day Monday I spent laying the hardwood floor. Mel helped with most of it as well. She now knows how to operate a chop saw and a pneumatic nailer! It is all finished except for the last three rows in a couple of rooms that I have to hand nail.
The fridge and freezer are in the kitchen- and working.
John hired a carpenter to finish the stairs outside.
The final CO inspection is Wednesday. The bank is inspecting Thursday. And we are supposed to go finalize the mortgage on Friday.
Then we go to Kentucky to visit and when we get back, we move in... YEAH!
Anyway, some pictures:
Hey, we could have a dance!
Awesome transition from living room to kitchen
Front of the house... with grass
We got all of the lights installed with the exception of the dining room chandelier, which we are waiting until everything else is done in there so it won't accidentally get messed up. We have installed the kitchen stove and the garage door was installed today. The great room fan was fun to put up. It's about 17 feet from the floor, and weighs about 40 pounds. Lugging it up the ladder in one hand was quite the challenge. But it's up, and after some minor electrical issues, it runs!
The massive propeller- Lift your eyes and be amazed
The fan in our bedroom
The fan in the guest room- Come visit, and this is where you'll get to stay
The cool fan in the boy's bedroom
Stove- ready to be slid into place
The front of the house- Newly installed garage door and some fill dirt here and there that will eventually make up the yard
Hello everybody. A lot has been happening at the house. I have spent the last several days after work installing electrical outlets. We bought a bunch of lights and ceiling fans. The tile guys are working on the shower and the back splashes. It almost feels like a house now. There are places you can stand and it looks like a finished house.
The upstairs carpet is scheduled to be installed next Tuesday. The garage door is on order, and should be installed soon. The electrical installation is underway, and shouldn't take too terribly much longer. As soon as that is done, we can have the A/C finished and let it run to climatize the hardwood floor. Once that is done, we can install the floor. Other than that, I think plumbing is the only other major thing left. It is definitely coming along.
Our lovely master bathroom cabinets
Installed kitchen sink light... and it works!
Looking into the dining room from the kitchen- Notice the back splash tile matches the border on the floor
Kitchen cabinets and back splash half installed
Master bath shower with tile, but no grout
This is so funny, I'm going to do it in the form of a joke: A funny thing happens on the way to the daycare to pick up Judah. Mel calls and says he gave himself a haircut with the craft scissors. I get there, and I don't even notice, until I take a closer look; he looks like he has some strange disease that's making his hair fall out. We get home and I cut it all off. I used the 3/8 inch guard... and there are still bald spots. Mel comes into the bathroom, where we're doing the dirty deed, and says "Oh, my baby's pretty hair!" in that "Oh my God, what are you doing?" voice that mommies have. What a time...
Sportin' a new do
Check out the bald spots
After about four hours Friday night and about four hours Saturday, I've got a beautiful dining room floor. It needs to be grouted still, but I think it's pretty fancy.
With everything that's been going on, I haven't been updating very consistently. But here is a run down of progress. Doors, trim, and interior paint have all been finished. The stairs and bridge rails have been built and installed. I have spent the last several days laying tile. I finished the kitchen, laundry room, master bath, and the boy's bathroom. Still to do are the dining room, the half-bath, and the closet in the kitchen. John did the grout in the kitchen the other day, and the laundry room last night. Most of the cabinets have been delivered, and are supposed to be installed over the next couple of days.
Stairs and rails
Tile in the boys' bathroom- ready for grout
Newly tiled floor in the kitchen
I wanted to let everyone know how thankful I am for all of the prayers, flowers and other acts of generosity and love that been given over the past few days. God has truly blessed us through people. If you attended Mom's funeral, called, sent flowers, gave money, or prayed for us, we truly appreciate it. We couldn't have made it through this difficult time without your love and prayers. Thank You!
A couple of links: The story from the Meridian Star and the obituary from the Fontana Herald News.
All of the sheetrock is hung. They are finishing the mudding. They should be finished on Monday. Then we can get on with the trim and millwork.
The big deck has its rails installed and it looks great. Not too much longer.
Upstairs view across the bridge
Rails on the big deck
Well, it looks like the front porch is finally finished, with the exception of paint and a few minor touches, but it looks great!
The drywall is mostly hung. The last load should be delivered this afternoon and hung tomorrow. The tape and mud crew is hard at work, and they said they should be finished by the end of the week. Then we can move on to trim and paint. We're closing in on the end...
The kids attended VBS this week. And as always, we went to the Friday night dog and pony. The theme was "Outrigger Island" so they dressed in tropical attire. The kids sang some really cute songs. Caleb played a mean wiki-wiki. Then we went to Sonic and got some burgers with Paw-Paw and Grammy. Fun night!
Judah- Trying to keep time
Caleb- Stiking a pose
Sheetrock installation has begun!
Entering the laundry room
Boys' bedroom
In the dining room
Under the bridge- No that's not a 'Chili Peppers' reference
Here is Judah's 4 year old birthday cake. It's my first attempt at fondant. It took me a little bit to figure it out, but I think I did ok. It probably would have been better if I had colored the fondant, but I just spread regular colored icing on the fondant and cut out the pieces.
I'll put pictures of the party tonight or tomorrow. 
