We're still here

Wow. What a summer it was. I'm not sure where to even begin, I have so much to catch up on.

Heidi turned 1. What a fun girl she is! She's so full of personality and she knows how to hold her own against two rambunctious big brothers.

We went on a fun road trip to Ivins and San Diego for Sam and Sarah's wedding. Abram didn't get to go with us, because he was busy finishing up the house. We drove the whole way with Mol. What a FUN trip! I think my favorite part (besides the beautiful temple ceremony, of course) was playing at the Del Mar beach with Elijah, McKay, Heidi, Mol, Gompy, Shane, Gabe, Henry and Aubrey.

 Elijah turned 5, and he started Kindergarten. I've been dreading sending my baby off to school, but he really loves it! And it's a good time for McKay and Heidi and I to have some quiet(ish) time. And Heidi's FAVORITE part of the day now is walking (or riding in the wagon) down the gravel lane to pick Elijah up at his bus stop after school. Here's Elijah on his first day (and the rest of us picking him up after).

I also had a couple of projects in the works before we moved. Remember our old red couch?

 Tada! I made a fully washable slipcover and recovered the throw pillows. Fresh and new for under $80.

And my $50 piano that Abram snagged for me from the middle school? Complete with scratches, dings, and kids' initials...

Now it's my beautiful Plum Piano! I love it!

So that's our summer. I guess that about sums it all up!



Oh yeah, and we got our house all done and we're all moved in! (Haha. Did you really think I forgot?)

I just love our new little home. We are so blessed.

And our final news is... our baby boy is halfway through baking in my belly, and he seems healthy and well. Another wonderful blessing.

The expected and the unexpected

We're making progress! About as much as we expected. This week they are finishing the mud and texture on the sheet rock. Next week: interior paint. Then it's up to Abram to finish the house: floors, doors, trim, shelves, cabinets, etc. About the time he has to go back to school. Nice timing, right?

We've lived in a camp trailer (borrowed from some very generous friends) for over a month now. It's been... different. I guess I should have expected all this. Cooking on a grill or in the microwave; doing laundry outside (including washing - Abram hooked up my washing machine to the garden hose and built a box to protect it. Brilliant!);

getting to live on our very own land and watch the progress on the house;

living in very, very tight quarters (the three kids share a bed, I sleep on the couch, and Abram sleeps on the floor). I guess that's all part of living in a camper. In some ways it's been fun. Definitely memorable.

But there are some things I hadn't taken into consideration. A) I wasn't expecting grilled meat to taste gross and almost unbearable after the first day or two (except for fish, I'm loving fish); B) I wasn't expecting the heat to zap me energyless, even when the "heat" only reaches 85 degrees; C) I wasn't expecting to feel car sick every day and every night, even though the trailer never moves.

The one thing I have been expecting this whole time was this:

Around March 3, 2013. Which explains A, B, and C above. :) This came as a surprise to us, but we will welcome this new little one into our family with open arms. 9 1/2 weeks into it, the little bean looks healthy and has a great heart beat. I'm thankful for this new life. And I'm thankful that we'll be in our house long before he/she is born.

Framing

I really don't have much time, but I didn't wanna leave you hanging. Am I talking to myself? Maybe. But in case anyone out there wants to see the progress on the house, here are a couple pictures.

Framing day 1: I-beams installed and subfloors started

The first wheelbarrow-full of our very own well water! Oh boy!

We love it up here!

Elijah building a desk all on his own.

Framing Day 2: Main floor (this was SO EXCITING! SO fun to walk through!!)

Our view out the front window (North). Not too shabby, eh?

My dish-washing view from the kitchen (South).
Sigh. So beautiful.

Special delivery!

This week while we (mainly Abram) were unloading our firewood at our new land,

we saw this truck driving up the highway. It was loaded with lumber - specifically trusses. Then it slowed down at our road.

It was for us!! Special delivery indeed!!

McKay couldn't take his eyes off of the trusses being delivered. But I'm glad I took my eyes away long enough to see and capture the special moment from another view.

Two days later the rest of the lumber arrived, along with the hardware for framing.

The well was also completed this week, including the pump, water tank, and electricity hooked up to it.

Shortly after, the garage floor was poured. Too bad we didn't get there soon enough to put our hand prints in it! ('Course, we may have ended up with boot prints, too, so maybe it's a good thing.)

Starting Monday the framing goes up. They said if we get the Mexican crew, it will be done in TWO DAYS! If it's the white guy crew it will take 4-5 days (which still seems awfully fast to me!).

Stay tuned.

Making progress

Well, we're making good headway! They put the footings down, then molds for the foundation.

 The power company put up a pole and strung wires across the road for us. Since then, the electrician has put a box on the pole, and tomorrow (Tuesday) it will be inspected. Upon completion (and passing) of the inspection, the power company will be returning to add a meter and charge it up. They said they will do it tomorrow.

 And look! The molds got filled in and we have a foundation! Hooray!

 And the well has been drilled. At this very moment, they are up there setting the pump and the tank. We will have water as soon as the electricity gets hooked up!

I don't have pictures yet, but they have back filled now and have dumped a load of gravel for our driveway. I will post pictures later this week.

In the meantime, we have been packing and moving boxes into a storage unit. Next week we plan to move into our friends' big camper up on our property, hooked up to septic, water, and power. We'll use propane tanks for now and get a permanent (big) propane tank later. Abram and I have also been working on some of our own projects, which I'll have to post pictures of when I don't have so much to do. Back to work!