Gotta join the club!

Well, yesterday was Thanksgiving and I suppose that perhaps I wanted to share some of the things that I am most thankful for, as this wonderful holiday implies.

Yesterday Simon and I were not able to be with the rest of my family due to treacherous road conditions (and the fact that I am 8 months pregnant and didn't want to risk having something happen and me go into labor early . LOL). So, we had our own little Thanksgiving meal, with our little family. And you know what....as I was sat across from Simon eating turkey and watching Kaitlynn scarf down her mashed potatoes I realized that I am a very blessed woman. (not only because I was eating a most delicious meal..... but because I have a wonderful little family). I have been thinking a lot today, amidst my emotional roller coaster, and come to know that there are so many things that I have in my life that I take for granted. Although there are things in my life that frustrate me and cause me to feel overwhelmed, I have more blessings than I ever could ask for. I have a wonderful husband who works hard to take care of us. I have a beautiful daughter that makes me smile and laugh almost everyday. I have a fantastic family that support and encourage me in my endeavors; my parents not only are letting us live with them, but constantly help us to achieve the goals that we have set out to achieve and my brothers and sisters are constantly supportive of things we do, and we always have a good time together. I finished my college education, I am soon expecting another little person to join our clan and I have little miracles that happen daily that help me to continue forward when i feel I have no more steam. All I have to say is that the big man upstairs is constantly watching out for me and those whom I love. And today I realized that more than I have in a while and I just wanted to share that with everyone. Its really nice to have days when we can sit and contemplate the blessings we have been given. For me there are far too many to count and I hope that I may continue to recognize them, mostly though, I hope that I might be able to continue striving to help those around me find those wonderful blessings and be a source of support and friendship just as those I love are to me.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.....make it last all year!

Yellowstone pics for Caz

yummy the bears around here taste Great, as for the Monkeys they just make good Hats. Whahahaha
Here they come, who's first on the menu???
the weary travelers eat, what could be for the last time, if the bears come out tonight.
hey Dad i have left you a gift in my Diaper and i'll give you a clue, it's not a toaster!
old pictures found and added this first one was of the trip to Yellowstone National park good time especially to see Andrew and family and not forgetting Ben and family too

Progress....we have progress!

So, our little muffin is finally starting to get the hang of walking! Not only is her confidence up but her muscles are finally getting strong enough for her!!! Yeah! We actually started to take her to physical therapy last week to help build her hip muscles (they have been a little weak). And I think it was a great decision, especially now that she is FINALLY feeling more confident! One hurdle out of the way.....the only way is...well.....up.....and busy. I kept praying for her to feel more confident and just do it, and now i am thinking "holy crap, that is going to make life alot busier than it already is!" But that is okay. As long as she was walking before baby number two was here, I was/am very happy! And here is our best footage of her walking.....she is doing so well. Little blessings everyday...so thankful for them, they get me through all the rest of the rubbish. :)

SNOW!!!!!!

We have had a HUGE downpour of snow the last two days and I LOVE it.......so does Kaitlynn. We went out in it today just before the sun was completely down and I couldn't have made her any happier. The snow was so deep that it was up to her knees but she loved trudging through the cold white stuff! And of course, when she sat down in it, the first thing she did was of course, eat the snow. ;) She was also so enamored with it that she kept looking up into the sky to watch it fall and even though she kept getting flakes in her eyes the smiles never stopped.

I have always loved that the snow would come in the winter time, and with my vivid imagination it made my yard a place of wonder. And I think Kaitlynn will also love the snow. To be sure, winter is a magical time.

However, all this moisture is going to make house building go very slowly. Yesterday we were only able to work two hours because of the downfall. I am anxiously awaiting to see how the next few months bring. But on a lighter note, I couldn't wait to share these cute pictures of our little muffin REALLY enjoying her first snowfall.

So many blessings

Okay, So I suppose that this post is going to be super long, but pictures speak a thousand words. So, mostly, we are sharing those rather than me blathering on. However, explanation of such pictures are kind of important. :) The last few weeks we have had a lot of fun things and just little happy moments that were worth documenting. Most recently was just a two days ago. Mom and I were frantically raking up the last of the autumn leaves since a BIG storm was forecast for our area. If we didn't do it that day then, well, the leaves would have been stuck under and everlasting freeze. So, the pregnant woman and the older woman with a bad back raked up leaves for more than five hours and the little person sat and watched. I think it tired her out alot, she fell fast asleep after a little while and stayed so for almost two hours. She was cosy of course in her newish coat and the cute hat and scarf that I made for her. :)
Mom and I, of course were completely worn out by the time we were done. My back was killing me and I went to bed that night before nine. Terrible, i know but man slept well that night!

And on a fun note, we had to celebrate Bonfire night! It was alot of fun actually. When Simon made his Guy Fawkes, Kaitlynn couldn't stop staring at it. I am sure she was wondering "why the heck did you stuff wonderful paper in daddy's clothes?" It was so funny to watch her. She just sat there
shocked or just blown away by this thing. And then of course, when the fire was lit she couldn't get enough of it. The ashes that kept flying up into the sky were a huge hit for her. She kept pointing and saying ,"Whas that?" It was very exciting for her. And then of course she had to try and get close to the fire to touch it. Yeah, that obviously did not go so well with me. ;) After a while I actually had to bring her inside becuase she was getting so moody. (it was after all past her bedtime, but Si and I were both super excited to share the holiday with her). It is becoming so much fun with her. Her little personality is in full swing and watching her take everything in is wonderful. She is learning all the time and it just makes me more aware of what I am doing....or not doing for that matter. LOL However, I know that this little girl is going to be a great big sister for our newest addition. The last few weeks I have been telling her about the baby in my belly and she completely understands. She has leaned down a few times and kissed my belly just to show her love (becuase she is totally enamored with babies. Everytime she sees a baby all she wants to do is kiss and love and hug the poor little thing). In fact, she couldn't get enough of kissing my belly the other day. I said something about the baby in my belly and asked her if she wanted to give the baby a kiss. I then lifted up my shirt and she immediately buried her face in my huge belly! And at that point the baby kicked really hard, she lifted her head up in surprise, and a huge smile spread across her face. Then she started to squeeze and tap my belly to, what i assume, make the baby move again (since she has seen me do the same). She even put her face up to my belly and started talking to the little one. It was so cute. And it's moments like that that make me even more grateful for the little girl that we have been so blessed to have in our little family. Her heart is so full of love and happiness. She loves to give loves and kisses to Grandma and Papa and especially Daddy. Its difficult for me to get upset at her sometimes, becuase not a moment later she will lean in, give me a kiss and smile, as if to say "sorry mommy, I didn't mean to make you mad." Being a parent is so difficult, but I am thankful everyday for our little muffin. ;)

Speaking on that note, she LOVES to be outside. And the other day we were all outside doing odd jobs. She decided that she wanted to help mom and I clear out the dead flowers from the flower bed. My goodness she couldn't get enough of it. Playing in the dirt and "pulling out" the weeds and flowers, she was in heaven. I even captured this moment when we was totally excited about waving around a big ol' flower stem. Everything that is new to her is exciting, and it makes me realize how much i tend to take for granted. However, I wonder if her excitment for helping out around the house is going to last for very long....well, I know it will last until she is at least a pre-teen. LOL

Concerning our building project, I think we are making really good headway as a group. (Although this isn't the most updated photo) We have framed two basements and then put the main floor on those basements, so they are covered. We won't have to be digging at least those two basements out when we get more snow! On the whole I think our group is working fairly well together. We do have a few that sit back and watch more than they should, but i think if we keep our spirits positive and continue to encourage each other we will continue to make good headway. I am really getting excited about the prospects in the future of having our own home though! Finally, a place to call our own. :) I think anyone would be pleased with that. We have so many things to truly be grateful for. We do get frustrated with things sometimes, you know, the daily grind crap, but on the whole there is so much we need to be happy about. I really shouldn't complain. Waking up each morning next to the wonderful husband that I have and having the sweet little girl that we do, and even the new little leech....even though it keeps me awake at night and never lets me have a moment of comfort becuase its moving around so much! :)

Okay, I am going to end this long post, especially since the stupid internet is acting up and keeps kicking me off and then screwing with the outlay of my post. Everything looks a mess but I am sure that the info will be expressed anyway. Enjoy.

The Build

This is actually one of our Neighbors, the Landans to be correct, but they do have the same design as us. Directly opposite the camera will be the deck (if you look close you can see a Childrens swing and Slide) the Corner of the concrete where it juts-in will be squared off with Decking.

There are window wells in the basement that you can see to the right of the picture and also directly infront.

To the right and all along that wall will be a total of three (windows) and opposite there will be two. as you can see within the walls there is no concrete; at the time of this picture they had not poured, that infact has been done and there is no gravel to be seen now, just clean,green concrete.