Bad Blogger

Sorry I have not posted since Monday, I have just been bad.  No other excuse for it.  I just did not do it.  I am in a mood right now.  I think it is winter blues.  I am ready for spring.  Everyone is doing good.  We have all shared this cold and I am tired of snot, but this is my life!!!  We are closing on our house tomorrow at 11:00!!!!!  We are very excited about this.  We have not sold our current home and the family we thought were going to buy it can not get a mortgage, so we are still waiting.  We have a showing tomorrow during our closing!!!!  I finally went ahead and packed up my accessories, so the house looks bare to me.  I think that is adding to my blah mood.  I enjoy having the house look nice and it makes me happy to see all of my stuff and the memories behind them.  I am excited about setting up the new house, but I am dreading painting.  Since my carpal tunnel surgery painting bothers my hand.  I have always enjoyed painting and love the freshness of a new coat of paint.  Such a cheap way to change a room and make it new again.  I am going to paint Sarah's room yellow like we have here and basically make it look like her current room.  She does not like change, so I am hoping this minimizes her trauma.  She has been over to the new house several times, so she is use to seeing it.  Elijah has decided he likes the red and just wants his ceiling painted and to add the stars and planets.  I need to look at the white on the top half of his room.  I hope I can just wash it down and not repaint, but I may have to repaint it too.   Their bathroom will be painted the pale blue like I did here.  It currently is neon yellow.  Way too loud for me!!!  The rest of the house just needs touch up for now.  I don't always like to touch up paint.  I can always tell where I touched it up.  Even if the paint is out of the same can I used originally, there is just a difference to me.  Doug thinks I am seeing things, he can not see a difference so it may just be me!!!!!!  I will probably repaint this fall after the kids start school.  I will just wait and see how it looks.  I like the current colors really a lot.  Well, the kids are fussing so I better go.  Elijah has a birthday party tonight so I need to get him ready too. 

Lazy Day

Today has been more of a lazy day.  I think we are all just tired.  Sarah has the snot nose again, so we just stayed in and played.  She is a bit clingy, so no use in me trying to get anything done.  After breakfast I gave the kids a bath and put them in clean pj's for our day.  We have been playing and snuggling.  Sarah and I stayed in yesterday also, just trying to get her well before this cold has a chance to worsen.  I tried a new hair do for her yesterday.  She was so not excited.  This is the kid that screams when I open the drawer with the hairbrush in it.  She just had stiff hair ends from the snot and I could not take it any more.  Renee at Life with my special K's showed pictures of how she did Kennedy's hair in a princess do, so I dared to venture.  It looked really cute, but I do not think it was worth the tantrum that I had to endure!!!  Here are a few pictures of my princess:

Yes, the cheese puff is a bribe!!!

Here are a few pictures of the kids today after their baths:

We are planning on closing on our new house on Friday!!!!  I am so excited.  The home inspection went great and the pipe leak is not major.  I have about 60% of the house packed.  I am out of boxes, so got to go hunt up some!!!  Some of the stuff I will not pack until a day or two before we move.  Mostly the kids stuff.  I don't want whiny kids!!!  We have a couple interested in our current house.  They are going to get pre-approved today, so praying that goes well.  We would love to have an offer on this house before we close on the new house.  I will keep you updated!!!  Have a great afternoon!!

Jump, Jump, Jumping

Hope you enjoy Sarah's new accomplishment!!!  She is so stinking cute jumping!!!!  I am sure she will actually pick her feet off the ground one day.  She thinks she is so big jumping with Elijah and Daddy!!

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MIA

Sorry over the next several weeks we may be MIA for several days at a time.  We hope to close on our new house on 2/27 and then will begin the moving process.  We have not sold our current house, so we are going to take the move in stages.  We are going to take a load every time we go over.  I plan to clean first and then paint Sarah's, Elijah's and the hall bathroom and touch up the paint in the rest of the house.  I want to have all of the boxes and small stuff at the house and then when we "move" it will just be the big stuff.  We will see how that plan plays out!!  We learned yesterday that when they de-winterized for the home inspection there was a pipe that had burst, so now we have to see how big that is and negotiate with the bank for repairs.  They also have had issues with getting the propane turned on for the inspection due to a previous large outstanding bill, but that has been paid by the bank.  We are doing the home inspection on Thursday, so pray for no surprises.  Our current house is on the market, we have lowered the price and had a couple of showings.  It is slow, but we know God has a plan.  There is a possible situation that we are praying about and just waiting to see how God unfolds His great plan.  I am getting anxious about it, but God keeps putting people in my path to ease my worries and just to wait on God.  I know God has it all worked out and I will look back on this and see His working and be glad that we waited on Him.  I will try to get a few snap shots of the kids this week and post as I can.  I am trying to pack up as much as I can and this as well as keeping the house spotless with 2 kids, a husband, and a dog that has to come in at night due to the cold temps is keeping me very busy!!!!!!!!!!  Well, Sarah just spit up soured milk on my feet so I need to go be grossed out and then clean the carpet.  YUCK!!!

Happy Heart Day!!!!

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Valentine's Parties

Sarah had her Valentine's party yesterday.  She had a great time and was so keyed up that she did not get a good nap.  She was good and had fun!  Here are pictures from her party:

Elijah had a royal tea party for his Valentine's party today.  It was a lot of fun.  They got to dress up as princess' and princes'(prince charming/knight in shining armor).  Elijah was so excited that he was going to get to wear his knight outfit to school and came home one day and told me we had to shine his armor so he could be a knight in shining armor!!!!  Here are a few pictures I took yesterday after I had finished his out fit and then there are pictures of his party:

God's Perfection

Just looking around you can tell God created a perfect world.  All of the creatures and plants are just splendid.  The details are so unbelievable.  He left nothing untouched with His grandeur.  I also think that God has a sense of humor.  I don't mean this in a disrespectful way.  I think He is so in tune to what life is all about that some of the small details that we take for granted seem a little funny that He did not take them for granted.  Take your family for instance.  No, I am not talking about them looking funny, although I have seen some of your family members and I can see how you took it that way.  I am talking about the little details that you all have that are unique about your family.  For instance, my cousin has a birthmark in the shape of TN (yes, she lives in TN), her son has the same birthmark and our son has a very similar birthmark.  Something you take for granted.  My grandmother always stuck out the tip of her tongue if she was concentrating on something, I do the same thing and so does Elijah.  Elijah gets this from both sides of the family because Doug's mother does it also.  Too coincidental to be a coincidence!  My children, although my children through birth and adoption are very similar.  Both, like me are incredibly ticklish.  They are so much alike in other ways too.  One way in particular is the way they sleep.  Again this is too coincidental to be a coincidence.  For this one I have pictures to show so you can understand better how so uniquely God created our children that we can never doubt that these are the children He intended to be our children.

Here is Elijah sleeping with his favorite "puppy" that he has had since he was 6 months old:

Notice how it is on his face, sometimes it actually covers his face and I move it to his arms at night when I go to bed.  Doug and I joke that puppy must have won the fight!

Now here is Sarah sleeping with her "baby" that she has had since she was 9 months old and this is her favorite.

See it is on her face, too.  God created these two to be siblings, it is undeniable.  They are too much alike and I love both of them sooooooooooo much!!!

Climb, Climb, Climb

This is Sarah's main purpose in life these days!! She can climb on everything all at once. Some of the more daring climbs have been: on the couch and then up to the back of the couch--no the couch is not against the wall--caught her before her took a flying leap; then she climbed on a end table and stood, again caught her; climbs onto a dining room table chair and then on the table and then stands up, yep caught her. What do I do about this climbing?!?!?!?!? I can not leave the room or take my eyes off her for one minute. Wonder how long my bladder can go before it explodes. I actually made her go to the bathroom with me today, I am serious this child is climbing on everything and I can not leave her for one minute!! Great she is on the end table again. Okay, got her she is screaming in my arms now. How long will this phase last? Please tell me it is a phase!?!?!?!?!?! CALGON TAKE ME AWAY!!!!!

The kitchen sink is fixed!!!! I only had to load dirty dishes in the van once for them to show the house. All dishes are clean now!!! Well, got to go Sarah is on the loose again!!!

The Money Pit lives on....

You know it is really hard to sell a home in today's market.  Although, I do think the media is making matters look worse than perhaps they are(my opinion).  I have painted and painted.  Packed and stored tons of stuff.  Done outdoor work.  Everything to make our house look wonderful, and on the surface it really is.  This is a great house to raise a family.  There is tons of room and having the basement finished is such a wonderful blessing for a great play and therapy room.  Tons of benefits, but to me this remains a money pit.  We have practically replaced everything you can imagine, but this house is out to get me.  I know it is.  Now the kitchen sink is backing up!!!  We have poured two bottles of drain-o down it and some chemical that the people at Home Depot said was the absolute best stuff and it has a guarantee.  Guess we are getting our money back.  Did not work.  The sink is still stopped up.  The plumber is coming tomorrow.  Great just what we need a backed up sink and our house on the market.  Please pray this is an easy fix and that this house sells FAST!!!

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

We're moving...

Boxes here and there...

Mommy has been painting here(she even gave away Elijah's furniture while he was at school.  He is getting bunk beds for the new house!!!)...

And here(the remodel is done, I think this really turned out great.  I love the accessories my mom got me for Christmas)...

She is even making her bed(I never do this!!!)....

Excitement is in the air(she is really more excited that the table in the study is cleaned off and she can climb on it!!!)....

Our New House

Every time we have gone to look at a house this time it has gotten colder.  So, of course, we picked yesterday to go and show the kids the new house.  The temps had dropped to 18 degrees by the time we got there.  Brrrrrrrrr.  Glad the electricity was on, we cranked up the heat until we left.  I took a few pictures of the outside, but was too busy keeping up with Sarah to get any of the inside.  Elijah just kept saying cool.  Sarah found the steps to the bonus room right away and up she went!  That's my climber!!!  Today it is even colder out, so we are staying in.  I did not take Sarah to school since it was 14 this morning, and just too cold to get out.  I finished the hall bathroom and now I am doing Elijah's room.  We have the wallpaper down and sanded, just need to prime and paint.  Hope to finish his room this week.  I am going to paint it beige and he is sad about that, but understands his new room will be painted blue and have a space theme, so he is excited.  Here are the pictures:

Front

Back  

land (the creek is behind the tree line)

Kids being silly this morning

Here is one problem area with the new house that I need help on: This is the entrance from the master bedroom into the bath, notice the problem?  No door.  I really like a door on my bathroom, even if it is in the master suite.  This is an arched entry and the walls are thick.  I don't think you can hang a regular door here, don't know for sure.  Anyway looking for a solution to this.  I was thinking about swinging doors, but would want them to cover the entire door and have privacy.  I guess at the top we could do an arch stained glass piece and then have a door, if you know of a solution, let me know!!!!!!!!!!!