Merry Christmas!

An explanation of sorts

I'm sure that the few people that read this blog have been wondering where in the world I've gone. Actually nowhere, which is becoming a slight problem as of late. I'll explain.

Our original moving date was August 15th. That day has come & gone & as of today we are still residents of Nebraska. I always like to be prepared so for the last few months have been listing things on Craigslist & scheduling cancellation of phone lines & DSL service. You see where I'm going with this, right? We no longer have a home phone, which isn't a problem at all since we use our cell phones most of the time anyway. It's the interruption of internet service that has caused more than it's fair share of problems. It's not really a huge problem, just an inconvience I suppose. You never really think about how much you rely on something until it's gone. So for the next month or so I won't be updating this blog very often, until we get settled in our new home.
We hope to be moved by October sometime, I certainly hope so since we have sold our bedroom furniture & I'm getting somewhat tired of living out of a suitcase! :-)

One of my Photo-of-the-day shots: Brianna's 1st grade cirruculum came in the mail! She is loving school, for the most part, & is enjoying having her own desk & hot pink desk chair!

This little dog has made life very interesting for us lately. After having a sever seizure this past Sunday morning as we were trying to get to church, she has been taken to the vet & has been diagnosed with epilepsy. She is now on meds for the duration of her lifetime. Never a dull moment around these parts!

Photo of the day -

Garden of the Gods - Colorado

Wordless Wednesday

Day 2

Today we toured the Cave of the Winds. I went into it thinking we were going to a few large 'rooms' with stalactites & such. I had no idea that we would be climbing narrow ladders, & going through tunnels so low that even Brianna had to duck! I've never thought of myself as claustrophobic but I was certainly leaning that direction by the time we got out of there! Funny enough, Brianna said the tight tunnels were her favorite part! And yes, Mom, I thought of you while we were in there!

We then drove about 45 miles SW to Cripple Creek, CO. We really wanted to take Tyler on the train ride there, although it wasn't as long as we originally thought, he loved it of course. The town was rich in history & back in the day, just plain rich! The mines surrounding the area produced 15-20 million dollars back in the Gold Rush days.

We also made a quick stop at Focus on the Family headquarters. The basement houses Whit's End & several playgrounds. The decor there was beautiful, they really put a lot of work into it, complete with the fountain soda shop!

Colorado- Day 1

The first stop was Pike's Peak. Even though Tim & I have both been there we decided to drive it again, because, I don't know, isn't that what you're supposed to do in Colorado Springs? :-) The temperature dropped from 70 degrees at the bottom to 40 degrees at the very top of the Peak, and of course I forgot to pack any jackets, so we wrapped the kids up in their blankets & made a very quick tour! A word of advice: The World Famous Doughnuts made at the top? They might be famous but they're not any good, so save your money! The fudge, on the other hand, was totally worth the splurge!

This might just be my favorite picture of Brianna from the trip. It's crazy, & it's her! She was tired of me taking her picture & did this pose, of course I kept snapping & I'm so glad I did! The 'flattened penny machine'. Sometime ago Brianna found my collection of them when I was a kid & she fell in love. Since then she has decided that she want to collect them too & has had so much fun making them on this trip.See? Absolutely delighted!

We also made the drive that night to go see Tim Hawkins, a christian comedian. It was a quite a bit out of our way, on the other side of Denver, but we're so glad we went. He was great & so funny.

It's that time again. . .

Vacation Time!
Brianna is exactly thrilled when the word 'vacation' gets brought up around our house. To her it means going on a trip & watching movies, a hotel pool, & probably some sort of an amusement park thrown in somewhere, she is a definite thrill-seeker! To Tyler, vacation just mostly means endless Tom & Jerry DVDs & M&Ms for breakfast, He is pretty easy to please!

To Tim & I, well I think we mostly just love the time away. Away from work, laundry, cleaning & packing. And lets not forget the cooking! I love my kitchen but a break is so nice.

This year we've decided to stick a little closer to home & go to Colorado. The fact that it's so close & we've never been is ironic, especially since we'll be moving very shortly. The time that we have left in NE has found us scrambling to 'catch up' on all the places that we must see before moving!

Vacation pictures to come, I took my new camera & went slightly overboard on the picture front!

Wordless Wednesday

Everyday Dancing

We dance a lot in our little yellow house. That is, the kids do! Whether it be to the tunes of Veggie Tales or a book that has a music button on it, they dance. They love music. I have discovered there is no quicker way to settle them down in the car than to turn on some kids music. Ahhh, quietness! :-)

This particular day Tyler wanted to dance with 'Sissy', who had to be convinced that it was a good idea. After much pleading she conceded to dancing with her 'Prince'. (Who by the way, I'm thinking needs a more 'manly costume")! They have fun and I suppose thats all that matters!

Sunday Snaps

Catching up

Summertime activites, moving, & everyday life has somehow managed to make it very difficult to keep up with this blog! However, I will try to update every now and then as I'm able. I'm drawing a blank as how to even start this post so I'm going with just bullet points for now!

* We have not found a buyer for our house. I imagine this market is not making it easy for anyone these days, certainly not us. We do have somone who wants to rent, with the possibility of buying later. We will probably go ahead with this option instead of having the house stand empty.

* Summer is flying by! I cannot believe it is basically the end of July already, time to think about starting school again. We are going to be home-schooling this year again, as we just won't be moved in time for Brianna to start school at the Christian Academy in town.

* I have found out that a 2 1/2 yr. old child CAN live on basically bread alone! With a few extra milk products thrown in. Such as yogurt, string cheese, and the occasionally poptart!

* Last night ended our little hometown County Fair. We enjoyed it immensensly this year, especially knowing that this was our last year. The kids are the perfect age to enjoy all the rides and seeing all the animals. And of course, lets not forget the food! I do believe that we all need to go on a diet of carrotsticks and grilled chicken after all the nachos and funnel cakes that we've consumed!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy 4th of July!

(We have had a very nice 4th of July - contrary to what this photo depicts! Mr. Ty-Ty was just not feeling what a fab photo opportunity this was!)

Let us not forget. . . .

Almost Wordless Wednesday

"But Mama, I don't need a nap, I'm not even tired!"

"Mama knows best sweetie, Mama. Knows. Best."

Changes. . .

Our little yellow house, the one we have so lovingly remodeled, and put so much time into - is for sale. I'm sad, mostly because I love this house! It fits our family perfectly and we have loved putting our own personal stamp on it. But it seems as thought God has other plans for us right now. And those plans do not include Nebraska.

We have made the decision to move to North Carolina this summer. Tim will continue working with the same company, it's essentially just a job transfer. He will hold the same position as he does currently, along with several other plant managers, since the new plant is much larger.

We are happy with our decision, although at times it's hard to think about uprooting the family and starting all over again. We are looking for a house to rent, thankfully we have a great Realtor in NC, who is working really hard to find us a great place to live.

I'm happy that we'll be a lot closer to both of our families, at least within driving distance. And when Brianna heard that Disney World was only a 6 hr. drive she was really excited! I am so thankful that Brianna is so easy-going, she's taken the news in stride and hasn't seemed upset at all. That is, until she saw last year's snow boots in the "to-sell-box". When she asked why they were in there & my response was that we won't be needing them in NC, the water-works started! She then informed me, (between sobs) that snow is her favorite season! And she's right, she is one tough little girl, as long as she's bundled up & warm, she will stay out in the winter cold for hours! So, even though I utterly despise the cold & snow, I have a feeling this Mama might just be praying for a few snow flakes to fall in our neighborhood this winter!

And the 1st thing on the schedule after we get settled in?
I'm thinking that a subscription to Southern Living is totally in order!

I know I'll miss his messes when he's all grown up. . .

Wordless Wednesday

Belated Birthday Fun

It's no secret that our girl loves her some birthdays. Since we had to be away on her actual birthday we planned a party for the weekend after. She was thrilled, happy to play with all of her friends, & had a great time. The pinata was a hit,(literally!) & there was more than enough candy to go around. All in all, a successful party, everyone had fun.