Let's Get Rocked!!

I haven't posted on the progress of our new house lately, and we have some exciting things going on. The exterior is almost done being sided, and one of the few remaining features is the stone accents. Our mason is one cooky guy, but very talented in laying stone. Here he is striking his best mason pose.

This the front face of the house with the main entry door and the arched window is to the little girls' room.

Our siding is cement plank siding and has not been painted yet, but will most likely end up some slightly darker shade of beige...one more decision I have yet to make.

The interior rock, otherwise known as sheetrock, is going up quickly. Since these pics were taken, they have now started mudding and taping. There are a staggering 800 sheets of sheetrock in this house!!
 

Here are some views of the basement, one out of the playroom to the lake, and one out of the gym to the playroom...to the lake. Hi Jaron and Chloee!!

 

Jaron is heading downstairs to the basement. On of my favorite features is this curved wall that also carries to the wall in the main floor above.

Here is a shot of the arched balcony looking up from the main floor to the top floor. I am still trying to design a rail system for this area, so hard! 

This is it for now, but since we are homeless in less than a month, we really hope to have speedy progress from here on out. Stay tuned.

Deep Creek Fun with Family

Last weekend, Aaron's grandparents, Grandma Mary and Pop Pop, came for their every other year summer trip to Alaska. It has become somewhat of a tradition for everyone to head 45 minutes down the road from our house to Deep Creek campground, mostly because Pop Pop loves to fish for halibut and Deep Creek is a beautiful place to hang out at the beach. The kids had lots to do with their cousins like playing in the sand, searching for shells and other beach treasures, chasing bubbles, and packaging up the freshly caught halibut. One of my favorite things to do at Deep Creek is to sit by the fire late at night and watch the eagle families soar through the sky. We had a great time with everyone and can't wait for the next time. 

 

 

Jolee and Bruno loved chillin' by the fire.

Sydney is always up to some adventure, that's when she wasn't holding my mom's dog, Beau.

The fish packaging crew hard at work. Uncle Brian was so patient with Jaron and Addie running the vacuum sealer.

 Lynnie getting some snuggle time with Mac by the fire, and yes, this was at night. Gotta love the Alaskan midnight sun.

 Being 5 1/2 months pregnant, there wasn't a lot for me to do, so I entertained the kids with bubbles while the men put the fish up. Good times had by all!

IT'S A ....??!!

The kids have been waiting for weeks to find out what their new sibling is going to be, and after much anticipation, we wanted to come up with a fun way to tell the kids. I got this idea from another blog, so here you go. Before the unveiling, I have a cake hiding under that cloth with the baby's gender on it. 

 

AND IT'S A .....

 

You can see the news slowly soak into their little minds, so far still smiles.

 

Then the news really sets in, notice Chloee shouting for joy.

 

The boys were a little bumbed that they are not getting a little brother, but we are excited to welcome a little girl into our home in October. 

I should note, however, that our doctor is not 100% positive that the baby is a girl. He isn't putting money on it, but most of what we could get from 2 sonograms says that we are having a girl. Who knows, we could be surprised on delivery day.

Thank Heaven!

Just a quick update, and no this is not the baby gender post, that will be coming as soon as Aaron gets the pics downloaded into my computer. Anyway, I just wanted to say that our prayers have been answered, again. It never ceases to amaze me how much the Lord is aware of our needs in this life, and if it be His will, He wants nothing more than to bless us with those things we need. Most of you know that we put our home on the market about a month ago because we are in the process of building our dream home. While the market in Alaska and on the Kenai Peninsula is healthy, there are not a tremendous amount of buyers in our price range. Long story short, after months of work decluttering, cleaning, staging, and praying by many, we listed our home and three weeks later, we had one showing, then a repeat showing, and an offer! We have now reached an agreement, and after a few repairs are completed, our house is sold. The trick here is that our new home won't be done for at least another 2 months, and we need to be out of this house in mid-July. While these is a very daunting prospect (moving all our stuff into storage and being homeless for a while) we know that the Lord will provide for us just as He always has. 

Whoa!!!! "We're half way there, whoa....."

Yes, if you know Bon Jovi, that was my electronic attempt at singing. I am now officially half way through my 6th pregnancy and I just want to say how grateful and blessed I am to be able to have these amazing children. While there are definitely prices to pay with pregnancy, I wouldn't trade them for the world because I know that being able to have a baby is an amazing gift. I hope to get some half way pics done, but for now, I am enjoying the second trimester which is always the best. I am not huge yet, although I know that is coming. I am able to feel the baby move now and even though I have done this a time or two, it never ceases to amaze me when I think about another little life in my belly. Okay, enough pregnancy hormone talk, just wanted to document this exciting time of my gestating.

15 Years of Bliss

WARNING

THIS POST CONTAINS MUSHY, LOVEY DOVEY STUFF

I can hardly believe it's been 15 years since I married the love of my life, but 15 years, 5 & 1/2 kids, and 4 houses later, here we are...still happy and in love.  Mostly, this post is for Aaron and our children, so they can know how much I love each and every one of them. I think that the best gift parents can give their children is to show them how much they love their spouse, so here are some reasons why Aaron is not only the best husband ever, but why he truly is the love of my life. 

 He took me to the temple to seal our family together forever.

He wants me to enjoy the finer things in life. (like virgin strawberry daiquiris)

 He is his happiest when we are together, whether it be on a beach,

 enjoying a beautiful sunset,

 on a beach...(we really like the beach)

 smooching in a canyon,

 sweating through Zion National Park, reeling in spawned out pinks,

 smooching by the campfire, hanging out in Mexico, or helping me face my fears (I don't like open water).

Granted, life is not always smooth sailing. Aaron and I have had some disagreements at times, but ultimately, I have NEVER doubted his love for me. It is why he gets out of bed at the crack of dawn to face a very stressful job every day, why he wants me to be home to raise our children, and why his greatest desire to make me happy: because he loves me. I am so grateful to have him as my husband and best friend, it sounds cliche, but it so true. 

Oh yeah, I love that he has created 5, soon 6, gorgeous kids with me. Not only has he given them to me, but he helps me raise them. He is an AMAZING dad, and I don't know what I would do without him. 

LOVE YOU FOREVER BABE!! HAPPY 15 WITH MANY MORE TO COME!

Movin on Up

Last weekend, we celebrated Haylee's right of passage by going to her Junior High graduation. Now, you might be thinking, "Junior High graduation? Isn't that a little dumb? Almost as dumb as kindergarten graduation?" Yes, under normal circumstances a graduation ceremony for young teenagers would be rather silly, but you need to understand that at Haylee's school, each class is together from the time they start kindergarten, all the way through eighth grade. Our kids' school is truly amazing academically, but after wearing uniforms and being with same kids for 9 years, they are definitely ready to move on to high school.

 

Haylee shaking hands with her principal, Mr. Nauta. Is he relieved to see one of his chattiest kids move on?

  

Haylee's teacher, Mrs. Phillips, doing her annual roast of each student, the candy awards. Haylee got a glamour gloss pack, a "Take Five" candy bar for missing an unusual amount of Monday's, and Sugar Babies for her crush on a younger (7th grade) man. Don't ask!!

Watch out Sohi...you don't know what's coming! Bristol, Elena, and Haylee are the three girls going to Sohi next year from their class, that is if we don't home school her first. Way to go Haylee! We are really proud of you!