Dad's Elk

Last Saturday Brandt went up the mountain and came home with this baby....or....big daddy I should say. It was a 6 point elk and the biggest one he's got yet. Why my girls are so interested in seeing the dead Elk's brain and watch Dad extract the prized teeth are beyond me. But they are and Brandt thinks it's great. Good thing it doesn't bother me too much either cuz Brandt just chucked the Elk's head (you see it next to the horns) into the garbage with it's brain sitting right on top of it. What a wonderful surprise it was to open up the garbage to throw out a stinky diaper and find that. Thanks honey, really, highlight of my day. At least we have a freezer chuck full of steak, roast, and ground Elk that should last us until next year!

Footings

I'm afraid this blog is going to have a "house update" theme to it for the next 6 months. There's a couple reasons for this.

First - Of course I want to document the whole event to prove to myself it's really happening and then in the following years we can remenisce about how we survived the process.

Second - For my dear Grandma who may be the only other person who is more anxious than I to see each step completed. So to help her with her nerves and to resist the temptation to drive up here each day I dedicate the next months worth of house photos to you! (Oh, and I wouldn't mind if you came to visit each day. 100 miles is just kinda far.) Luv ya tons!

So here are the next progress pictures.

We've got our footings layed and are waiting for the foundation to be poured with in the next day or two. So far so good!

Here's What's Going On at My Place

Somebody pinch me! I still can't believe this is happening. I had to drive by our lot several times today just to make sure I wasn't having some sort of cruel dream. But it's true! We actually have a hole! Just a moment....I gotta do a jig....Hooray!


The last month has been a blur. We finally sold our house and moved (which goes down on my list of things to do only once, maybe twice, for the rest of my life). We have squeezed into a tiny rental house in town but it's been worth it to stay close to school, church, friends, family, and now to keep an eye on our house being built. The clincher is that we also have a two car garage which for us is a big storage unit. I'm determined to somehow fit my van into it come winter but we shall see. We gotta whole lotta crap!

Our contractor has told us that he thinks our home will be finished in April but I'm just going with sometime next Summer. I've had my hopes dashed WAY to many times through this process already (I think it's taken us 2 1/2 years to get this far) so I'm trying to under promise myself and hopefully they'll over deliver and I'll be thrilled!!!

12 Years to Go

A few weeks ago Riley began her next 12 years of all day school. It was of course a bittersweet day for Mom but it's also fun to hit these milestones. Being a first grader is cool because "You get to have three recesses, sit at your own desk, and eat lunch at school" - Riley.

Ready...

Set...

Go!!!

(Don't you love how the back-packs are as big as the kids)

With Riley taking these first milestones for our family we had cousin Sophie come over for a play date so Sammie could also have a special day. They were rockin' the 3D glasses.

Could Tyler look any more nerdy? I love it! The girls put his hair in a Mohawk after his bath and paired with the glasses it looks like a Dennis the Menace hairdo on steroids. One of those pictures that makes me smile whenever I look at it.