Playing Beauty Shop

Erin has been wanting her hair cut for a LONG time, and yesterday I finally cracked. I'd had enough of the tangles, hair in food, food in hair, messy hair...you name it! It was getting to the point that I was spending more time just brushing it and not enough time "doing" it (you know...braids, bows...things like that). We set up the beauty shop in the kitchen before bed and went to work.

The wash (she's posing)

The rinse (she's giggling)

24 inches!!!!

9 inches came off

She loves it!

Good Times

Our family traveled to Enid today for a little get together with some old friends from Spokane, the Brady's and Romano's. We took the kids to a kids discovery place and had a wonderful time. The kids all played together while the grown-ups chit chatted. We really had a great time.

Tina, Carolyn, and Heather

Can you believe we've popped out 10 1/2 kids in the past 8 years between the 3 of us?! Carolyn is expecting another baby this summer. :) Carolyn and I were pregnant with our oldest boys in Spokane together and they are only 3 weeks apart in age. They were great little buddies until the Brady's moved away when the boys were a little older than 2. The boys acted like best friends today, they were inseparable. Oh how I wish they all lived closer to us, now that would be fun!

On the way home we stopped by the temple for the children so see. It had just started snowing and they were all a bit chilly, so we only stayed long enough to take a couple pictures.

This is the temple Howard and I were sealed in way back in 2001.

Our White Christmas!

Our family has been praying and dreaming of a white Christmas for many years...we finally got it! They're calling it the Christmas Blizzard of 2009 and it smashed all previous snow fall records for OKC! The blizzard came on Christmas Eve and by Christmas morning it was GLORIOUS!

Some of the snow had melted at this point, but we were fortunate, the wind blew most of the snow across the street. We just had to shovel our front porch and the very end of our driveway.

The kids had a blast.

Howie wanted to eat the snow. They know not to eat yellow snow.

They mostly played in the middle of the street, there was a good amount there.

I love how blue the sky is.

Oh yeah...I used my Christmas present for all these pictures. A new camera!

I got the Nikon D3000. It's an entry level DSLR, but it's a million times better than our previous point and shoot.

One more thing...I bought all the kids snow boots awhile back, just in case. Most locals told me not to waste my money and that we just don't get much more that a couple inches of snow at a time. I'm so glad I didn't listen to them!

Note to Self: Tie down Trampoline!

The wind and rain kept waking us up last night, but it was the very loud BANG! that got us out of bed this morning. I looked out the window to where the sound came from and our new trampoline was GONE!

This is our backyard and where it is supposed to be.

Howard and I frantically got dressed and our neighbor called. "Um...your trampoline just hit my house and flew into the next yard over."

"Thanks, we just noticed!"

Howard and I ran 2 houses down to check out the damage. That house has not sold yet, so luckily it didn't damage any personal property (but we're going to have to pay for a few new rain gutters that got damaged).

Here's how it landed.

Sorry it's so blurry, but to top it off we're having freezing rain and very high winds (obviously high winds since that's what sent it 2 houses down). What a great start to our Christmas Eve day.

Howard and our kind neighbor just finished taking it apart and brought it back to our yard in pieces. It's salvageable, but Howard said he will have to order a few replacement parts.

Merry Mansions

There are some really nice neighborhoods near Erin and Howie's schools, so we decided to go there to look at Christmas lights. We didn't see any amazing display of lights unfortunately, BUT we did see some pretty amazing mansions. I'm not sure if they're technically mansions, but they sure look like it to me!

These pictures don't show the whole house or even do them justice, but I just had to share. Howard and I had our jaws drop on many occasions that night.

One of the funny things that night was how it's customary to drive slowly while looking at lights and we did, but sometimes Howard would drive down an unlit street very slowly just gazing at the beautiful homes. I had to keep reminding him that the kids didn't want to look at pretty house, they wanted to look at lights. I'm sure we'll go back during the day and gawk when we can see better. It was a fun night!

The Nutcracker

On Saturday Erin and I had a wonderful little date downtown to see "The Nutcracker".

It was our first time going to the ballet, and I sure hope it won't be the last. We had a magical time. There were lots of little girls, mothers, and grandmothers all dressed up in their holiday best. It was a great time!

One of our funny little conversations that happened at the ballet was regarding the men's attire. Here's how it went...

Erin: Giggling

Me: What's so funny?

Erin: It looks like the boys aren't wearing any pants...giggle...giggle....cause I can see their B-U-T-T.

Me: (trying not to laugh) Oh...well...don't look there then. (I was trying to think of something mature and intelligent to say. I was also thinking to myself that I was glad she didn't notice the front side, because in my opinion it was a lot more noticeable than their B-U-T-T. )

Master Bedroom

Here's a glimpse into our bedroom. As you can see we still need curtains up and eventually some paint. The walls are a tan/peachy color. Neutral, but it has a touch of color and it goes well with what we have. I think I may keep the color for a while, at least until I change my mind.

The door to the left is our bathroom, and our closet is to the right.

Now here's the other side of the room. All three of these pictures were taken at the same time. It's crazy how spacious my room is (compared to base housing at least) that I can have 3/4 of my room look spotless and the rest can look like a storage unit. Unfortunately the boxes are still in my room, but they're arranged a little neater. Luckily that's the last of the boxes in the whole house.

When we get curtains up and the boxes cleared I'll update the picture.

The Masterpiece

The hard worker...

the madness...

the mess...

the Masterpiece!

Last night was family home evening and yet again we had a lesson on reverence, but the fun came during the activity. It was our first year making a gingerbread house (I was inspired by my Okinawa friends). I was planning on doing things from scratch, but it was just cheaper buying a kit from the store. I'm sure glad I did! Maybe next year well try it from scratch. Maybe...

The Boy's 2nd New Bed

The boy's finally have a complete bedroom set. For months we were waiting for the dressers to the previous bunk bed set, to finally find out that the manufacturer had discontinued the series without fulfilling our order! We were furious, got rid of the bunk bed, received a full refund and had to go shopping again. We really wanted to get a set like the previous one, but we had a really hard time finding one that was similar that we liked. So we changed our criteria and this is what we came up with. It fits all the boys and provides plenty of storage.

Here is one side of the room with the boy's dresser and Luke's mini-crib.

The bottom drawer is a trundle bed and the center shelf is really a desk with pull out drawers.

To the far left you can see their walk-in closet, perfect for keeping their toys. Behind the ladder is a door that opens to provide more storage behind the drawers and desk. Up top is where they sleep (it's a full size mattress).

Here's an inside shot of the storage behind their bed. There's a shelf that they can sit on and we also put a little light in there so they can play house if they want to. It's also wide enough to put a twin size mattress in (Howard would have to build slats for it). When they boys get older we may convert it. I currently store Lego's and other small chocking hazards to keep away from Luke.

Kids/Guest Bathroom

Lets begin the tour of our home with the kids bathroom. We've done away with duckies and have invited a more grown up feel to the bathroom. I LOVE IT!!!! The towels and shower curtain were Black Friday deals, which is awesome because I was planning on getting these items anyway. It just makes it that much better getting them on sale! The artwork and accessories I had in my previous half-bath on base.

We don't let the kids brush their teeth in this bathroom since they make such a mess. We use ours for that since this is the bathroom guests will use. My soap dispenser is a green glass, but it's hard to see because I have orange soap in it. When we finish up the orange, I'll need to start buying clear soap so that it will look nicer. Eventually we would like to upgrade our faucet, but that will have to wait.

We live!

We moved into our new house on Wednesday (yep...the day before Thanksgiving). Understandably, blogging has not been high on my list of things to do (until today). So here's a recap of the long weekend.

Tuesday night (24th) - finish packing, load up U-haul.

Wednesday (25th) - Sign paperwork on house, move in, unpack

Thanksgiving - Bake bread in my new kitchen, spent with the Gardner's. (The food was delicious and the company of friends was even better.) Howie, Erin, Jack spend the night there.

Black Friday - 2:30am got up and went shopping with Howard and Luke. (Luke slept almost the entire time in his baby carrier.) Went to 4 stores and scored some deals!!! We were home by 9am.

Saturday - Unpacked, unpacked, and unpacked some more. The boy's bedroom furniture was also delivered that day.

Sunday - Church in our new ward, hung some pictures

Monday - Back to school and work for everyone.

Here is our trampoline that Howard stood in line for 2 hours to get. It was worth it! We've been promising the kids one ever since we moved back to the States and we finally followed through on our promise.

We got him for free!

I love my Jack!

He just couldn't last through lunch today! So cute!

But wait, there's more!

Here are some things from the last week.

On Thursday night we went to a farewell dinner for one of Howard's co-workers. I ordered an apple spritzer. I asked twice when I ordered it to make sure it was non-alcoholic. I triple checked when they served it to me in a rather alcoholic looking mug. I looked just like the beer at the next table over. I made sure Howard's coworkers knew it was apple juice, I didn't want to give anyone the wrong idea.

Luke can now pull up to standing all by himself. He's been doing this for a while now, but it's definitely a lot easier for him these days. I think he'll be cruising along the furniture soon. He's lightning fast when it comes to crawling. I think out of all my babies, he's the best at it. He'll be 9 months on Tuesday.

We stopped by our new house twice this week to check the progress. Once on Friday and then again today after Stake Conference (we're really close to the Stake Center). Luke enjoyed the new carpet and the freedom to crawl around and explore. The last time we were there, I couldn't put him down, it was too dangerous.

Here's a view of our dining area. To the right are the children's bedrooms and to the left is the master suite.

Green With Envy

Oh how I wish I could be this cute!

Trick-or-Treat

I know I'm a week late, but better than never. Last weekend we drove over to Missouri to visit my sister for Halloween. On the way there we stayed in a hotel and went to an indoor waterpark. The kids had a blast (except Luke, he was fussy that day)! Don't have any pictures, since we were swimming and keeping a watchful eye on the kids. Here are some pictures of our Halloween.

We have Dracula, Jackasaurus, and a witch.

Erin and her cousin Jackie. They are about a year apart in age and got along really well. They loved matching that day. Jackie was also a witch for Halloween. It was too cute.

Here is my very last minute costume that I picked up at the store earlier that day. I'm dressed as my Grandpa Simmons....big ears run in the family.

Here's Howard...almost every year he is a scarecrow. I made it for him for Howie's first Halloween. I have a Dorothy costume, but I can't fit into it yet...hopefully next year. Oh yeah, wanna know why Luke's not dressed up? Luke's costume was the first one I purchased this year, but we forgot to pack it! Oh no!!! He was supposed to be a little giraffe. I was more sad about it than he was!

Here's all the kids playing with uncle Levi. The other little green kiddo is Nadia, she was a froggy. She's so stinkin' cute, I wish I could take both of my nieces home with me! I'd keep them forever if I could.

Refrigerator Help

We are in the market for a refrigerator and I would really like some suggestions and input. We are looking for a quiet/energy efficient model. We also would like a water dispenser (but it can be inside or out). It needs to be large enough for our growning family (remember, I will have 3 teenage boys one day).

What do you thing of the newer french door styles with the freezer on the bottom? Is it convenient? A hassle?

Pros/cons of side by side models?

We all have a refrigerator so please share with me what you love or hate about yours, please include brand with model number if you're able to.

We checked consumer reports and we are considering the Kenmore Elite model # 77592. Does anyone have a Kenmore or this particular model number? If so, please let us know what you think.

We are also considering the Whirlpool Gold, model # gx5fhtxvq. This was also highly rated on Consumer Reports.

It's Official: We are Grown-ups!!!

So we bought a house! (Almost)

We signed some paperwork today, put down some good faith money, and we will be in touch with the mortgage broker first thing in the morning. We do know that our builder will get the sale closed and us moved in before November 28 (2 days shy of the Nov 30th deadline for the $8000 tax credit). It was a toss up between 2 homes (same neighborhood) but we're glad we went with this. Stressful thinking that we will have debt (aka Mortgage) but we know it's okay to have a mortgage. I'm a grown-up now!

Our beautiful front yard (j/k). They will put in landscaping before we move in.

The front.

Our living room, facing the front door.

Our living room facing our kitchen and formal dining area. We will use our formal dining area as a play area/computer area.

Our beautiful Kitchen! I have real tile floors...NO MORE LINOLEUM! I also have corian counter tops (I previously said I had granite, but I was mistaken. I obviously have a few things to learn about houses) with a tile back splash, and solid Maple cabinets. I know I'm bragging, but it's not every day you sign on a house! I also have a nice sized pantry to the right.

Here are the details...

3 bedroom, 2 bath

approx 1450 sq ft.

the bedrooms are a decent size, plenty of room for the kids.

Covered front porch

Covered back patio

2 car garage

laundry room

2 walk-in closets

2 pantries (1 in kitchen, 1 in laundry room)

Super energy efficient home

10 year frame/foundation warranty

2 year heating/cooling price cap guarantee (if our heating or cooling bill ever exceeds $61 in the next 2 years, they pay the difference...we have that in writing!)

www.ideal-homes.com

It's the Foxtail-B plan in the Wildflower subdivision of Moore.

Some of you may know, we're not very happy with our children's current school, so this is primarily what has prompted this move. Their new school is excellent! We feel that this will be a positive change in all aspects of our family life. Hopefully it will go well!