Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Picture Day

The other day was picture day at Ellie's school. Man, they really rip you off. We decided to forgo the professional head shot (which I've never really loved anyway) and just snapped some shots of my girl before sending her off to school. So, I didn't really put my heart and soul into taking some great photos, but I did capture how nice and straight her hair was. :) Maren wanted in on the action too, so we posed her right by the gas meter and weeds. She's filthy from climbing on the rocks not long after the sprinklers shut off.
My three kiddos. Maren just cracks me up. Look at that face! She is such a ham.

I have really been a terrible photo taker lately, all in all. I think you've seen all the photos I've taken to document the last few months. Just haven't been feeling it. Perhaps my desire will burn once we have a sweet new baby to take photos of.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Home: The Place Where Your Stuff Is

We have a new place for our stuff! Hurray! We officially moved in 10 days ago, and it's been so nice to have a home of our own once again! I thought I'd take you on a little tour. Here is our kitchen. It came with a brand new glass cooktop range, which unfortunately just had to go. Nick and I are gas cookers, and can't stand cooking on electric, so a new gas range (with double ovens!) was our first purchase. We were hoping to keep the other appliances, but found that both the dishwasher and fridge were missing parts, so we ended up replacing them too. It's not the huge kitchen we were dreaming of, and someday, we may expand, but it'll do for now. Oh, we also are not fans of the granite tile, just in case you were wondering. Our family room. The entire main floor is hardwood flooring, which we are still getting used to. It looks pretty, but isn't very comfy to sit on. These photos were taken with the house as is, by the way. That explains the kid clutter. Oh, and my sweet boy. We love the space! So much bigger, and more functional, than our last home.
Our living room. That ugly grape couch made it's way here too! I'm grateful to have a place to sit, but it'll be nice when we can afford to replace it. I'm in love with the wainscoting.
The entry way/stairs. I love the ironwork and the chandelier, although I dread the day we need to replace lightbulbs!
Master shower and tub. I love having a soaker tub, although this one is a foot or two too long for me! I can't lean back without fully submerging in the water! Just one of the problems of being short.
Our backyard. Like I mentioned before, it isn't as big and spacious as our last home, but it'll do just fine. The kids love having their playset back.
The previous owners had professional landscapers come in, and our property has several rock retaining walls and such. It looks nice, or will when it's been worked on a bit. It's been uncared for for several months, so we have a lot of work to do.
We are loving our neighborhood. Several friendly neighbors have come by with goodies and offering their help. Ellie has friends from school and church who live just around the corner, which she's really loved. We are slowly unpacking (I don't move very fast these days) and are beginning to feel settled. Thank you, thank you to all who have helped us through this transition! We couldn't have done it without you!