A Day in the Life

I was thinking today that I usually only post when something extraordinary happens in our lives, which usually isn't often. Many sweet moments happen everyday that are never recorded. Here are just a few I noticed today. above

Sophie found a picture of Trent and I on our honeymoon. She carried it around for quite some time kissing it and saying mommy, daddy.
The picture

I caught Maddie playing with a pair of my high heels

Again Maddie-running up ahead to Olivia's bus stop-this is typical, she wants to be the first one at the bus stop.

And last is Olivia home from school, trying to make new friends, in a new neighborhood. Just little moments that happen everyday, but I guess these are the moments that add up to be my life. Isn't this what we've worked to have, the little moments?

Thanksgiving 2009

Thanksgiving this year was very nice and peaceful. It was just our family of five and we definitely did not hold out on the food. This first picture is the girls enjoying the appetizers (we discovered Sophie loves portwine cheese with almonds-she literally ate the whole log) Here they are getting ready to eat-pictures more for posterity(boring)

The Saturday following Thanksgiving our friends the Bodamers came up with their little girls, who our girls LOVE. Maddie writes their daughter a letter at least once a day-(they just don't all get mailed, sorry Maddie) Look at Sophie in this picture below, we told her to turn and look at the camera at that is how she interpreted it.

Olivia with Anna

Maddie with Maggie

Presque Isle Sun

Here are some pictures of our family taken this past weekend on Presque Isle. This was most likely the last nice weekend of the year. I'm glad we captured them.

Sophia

So sweet

Overly kind

Piece of the sky love

Heavenly

Intelligent eyes

Advocate for father

Olivia

Outstanding secret keeper

Loves all the world

Irreplaceable soul

Vivacious moods

Iridescent
Adorable laugh

Madelyn
Made after me
Acuity abounds
Divine
Enormous strength

Love with no bounds

Yearns to be loved
Neologism in her own right

Family

The House

The first wave of projects are complete. The contractor has left and gone home. I hope he comes back soon-we've a lot still to do here.

This is our personal contractor a.k.a. Terry Mason. He flew out here about 2 weeks ago just to lay our new wood floors. He worked tirelessly everyday on the floors, but he also taught us many valuable things we needed to know about this house. We're sad he's gone, but I'm sure he's happy to be home and getting a break.

Here is our kitchen before the remodeling.

Here it is after. We refinished the cabinets, refinished the floors, bought new appliances and new counter tops are coming soon.--this was a lot of work for us. Our last 2 homes were new construction, but we wanted a home with a little more character this time, which we discovered thrives in older homes. But with older homes comes a lot of work and all the different styles of all the previous owners. This home we bought, had a hodgepodge of different themes going on, but hopefully we'll be able to change that, and make it more of our style. We love the location, less then a block from the coast of Lake Erie. Our back yard boarders Federally Reserved marsh lands and is absolutely gorgeous with the cattails and indigenous flowers.

This is the finished dining room, I somehow deleted the before picture(sometimes I hate Blogger) with the awesome carpet(pink roses and forest green leaves) Seriously it's a big change just removing that carpet and laying new floors.

Before-front entry, oh if you look real close at the top of the picture you get a glimpse of the awesome carpet that had to go.

After

This is the bathroom that I first practiced the refinishing on

Here it is finished. The pictures don't do it justice. Thank you so much to my sisters neighbor Amy for answering all my questions, and showing me how to do this to my cabinets.

This is the sun room-my favorite room, not really any furniture in there, but it will come someday. It's a three season room, so it doesn't get much use right now, but when spring comes I have big plans of reading and relaxing out there, just soaking up the sun that shines about once every 5 days (hence the term Dreary Erie).

The family room-I have shelf space I don't quite know what to do with, give me some suggestions please. I thought of books, but all the books are in the living room bookshelves and also most of our pictures are also in the living room. I could be like my mom and fill it with nick knacks, and that is probable whats going to happen-unless someone has a great idea. Also I need interesting, mismatched frames for very old pictures. The photos are all odd shapes, not standard photo sizes. If anyone knows of a place that sells frames like that I'd love to get their name.

So those are some highlights from the new house. Next project is changing the shutters and moldings on the outside, from a faded red (actually more like reds ugly sister pink) to black.

Thank you Terry so much again for all your hard work, we really, really appreciate it.,

Halloween 2009

Halloween was a bit different this year. Normally I have their costumes bought before the end of August, but this year was different. I had been so overwhelmed with the move and selling the house that I hadn't done anything to prepare, it had barely crossed my mind so as you'll see, they basically dressed themselves.-I've been a terrible mom lately I'm afraid.
The Friday we moved up here it snowed, luckily it didn't stick and stay, but still there haven't been too many nice days to go outside and explore the woods around our new home. This picture captures the first day we were really able to get out and explore. Olivia had been home with H1N1, so we had more free time then normal. It was a good afternoon.

Here they are in their costumes. Olivia called herself a ballerina(it works) Maddie's costume was the exact same but she called herself a Flanting Princess Fairy(um we are still trying to figure out what that means). Sophia was a butterfly(Maddie's costume from 2 years ago). Most importantly they were happy and excited.

We were very fortunate to be invited to a Halloween party, being new and not really knowing anyone. Luckily with Olivia riding the bus we were able to meet some other children in the neighborhood. It was a good Halloween despite the fact of being so disorganized and running out of candy in the first half hour(I didn't have to deal with the angry kids and the throwing of our pumpkins, Trent handed out the candy, I took the girls around the neighborhood)

Ode to the Past

This is now my past. It hurts a little to see our old house. It still feels like our neighborhood. This is where we've raised our kids and made so many memories. It's only a building in the end, which can crumble and be lost, but it was a good home, but even more it belonged in a great neighborhood with some of our best friends.One night not long before we left, doing what we normally did on a good weather night-a theme appeared.

I wonder if this can happen in many other cities. (If you can not tell, every single person out that night was wearing Steelers clothing, children included)

The old neighborhood packed into our van, yeah I drive a van-it's awesome.

The Haufbrahus was our destination-a farewell party of sorts-with loads of beer-that's why we drove of course. "I hope life treats you kind, and I hope you have all you dreamed of, and I wish you joy and happiness, but above all this I wish you Love. And I will always love you, you I will always love you" this is an original quote do not copy.

Catching Up

It has been a long time since I've updated my blog. So much has happened in our lives. I'll give as brief a summary as I can without leaving out the important things. So first picture is Maddie on her first day of the old pre-school. She was so excited and loved it. She's a very bright little girl.

The picture above is of Olivia leaving on her first day of school at Center Township Elementary, where she no longer goes since we've moved. And the one below is all three girls on Olivia's first day of 1st grade.

Our old neighborhood hanging out at Lake Aurthur. We really miss all of them.

Olivia lost her 1st tooth right after starting 1st grade. She was pretty excited, she has since lost 3 more. She has pulled them all out except one which her dad pulled out. I can't watch, I'm usually fine with stuff like that, but seeing Trent pull out my little girls tooth made my skin crawl.

These next few pictures are from way back in July, when we went up to the cottage in Michigan. Man I wish it was July now.

Olivia below guarding our Tye died shirts.

Since this is a catch up, I guess I need to tell the rest of our summer story. I'm not much in a humorous mood, so this will be quite dry. On our way home from that trip to Michigan, Trent recieved a call from the CEO of Erie General Electric Credit Union. She offered him a job as their CMO, which we could not turn down. We have lived the the Pittsburgh area for going on 5 years. It was not a decision we made easily. But ultimately we decided to go for it. We put the house up for sale right around the same time school started. We were very lucky, it sold fast and we were able to buy a house up here in Erie, the 11th snowiest city in our nation. We've been here since October 16th. We are adjusting and Liv loves school. Its always hard to move and change jobs. This is our 3rd home in the 5th city we've lived in since we were married in 2001. It stills feels like an adventure. I'm excited to explore Erie when it's warm and sunny. We live just a block and a half up from the coast of Lake Erie and it's beautiful. See very dry-well onto the next post.....soon.

Real Post to come-just wait

Just wait till Trent decides which computer to buy, he's only bought 3 and returned all three this past week. I'm planning an awesome blog about the move to Erie, Halloween and the remodeling of the kitchen. Seriously awesome, so just wait cause someday it will be done!