Happy Halloween!

May your explorations lead you to grand adventures!

Love,

Lewis, Clark, and Sacagawea

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.