We Are Still Here

No pictures because we are figuring out the wireless internet, etc. etc. etc. Anyway, we are moved in and LOVING our space. Turns out that Blake just wanted a little space to move around in order to sleep. He is doing much better, which means I am doing much better. Kate is loving space too. She is doing pretty well in her toddler bed. She actually stays in it until you go get her out, besides the one night that she fell out. We heard a thud the other night, followed by whiny crying and when I went into her room, she was on her floor looking very sad and confused. After a little hug and a song, she was right back to sleep.
Blake is a little more active these days and is grabbing everything in sight. He is sitting up better (not totally on his own yet) and playing with toys in front of him- but that makes Kate a little jealous and she has started trying to steal his toys. She has also gotten jealous of him using "her" highchair. I have tried to explain that we are going to share all the toys and the highchair, but she doesn't get it since they have always been just hers. She has learned how to say "This mine" and "this Kate's" which I HATE- so we are learning that there is no mine and yours at our house. Have you ever thought about all of the times you say "mine" and "yours" when you aren't even being selfish. For example, "That drink is mine" or "Don't take that toy, that is not yours." It is hard to teach such a little mind the difference in your meanings of the same word. Oh well, we are trying!
One last thing... we are still saving money with grocery coupons, even if I don't have the pictures to prove it. Last week I did more than break even. I saved more than I spent just by taking advantage of sales and coupons. The lady wouldn't take my Rite Aid $5 off coupons, which could have saved me another $15- but I felt like I had already done well, so I didn't get too upset. What is up with some people taking the Rite Aid coupons and some not? Sadly, my sister and I walked around looking for the most clueless looking sales clerk so she wouldn't question every SINGLE coupon I had. Isn't it funny to see what entertains us now?!

A Big Weekend

We had a big weekend! Brandon's brother, Christopher, came in town on Friday to help us get started moving- and the fun began! They moved the washer and dryer in, re-wired the outlets and light switches throughout the WHOLE house, hung our new window shades and started moving anything they could get their hands on. I stayed at the old place packing whatever I could while my mom kept the kids, but then I got to go out to eat with my family since Brandon was too busy to stop. My parents kept Kate overnight, so we got to get started first thing Saturday morning with no little hands pulling out what you just packed! Brandon's parents and other 2 brothers came in town Saturday with more furniture from storage and got us moved in quickly. We started off organized, but the day ended with a lot of random stuff being thrown into whatever box was closest. You just get tired of packing and just want to get it done. We spent Saturday night at the new house and I loved getting in the bed, turning on the tv for just a minute and passing out with no kids in the room! Blake didn't do too badly, he woke up at 4:30 to eat, and not again until 7:30. I tried to let him cry it out, but I heard Kate wake up from his crying and I decided it was just not worth it to get her stirred up too.
By the way- Kate is in a BIG GIRL BED! In the last week, she has tried to climb out of her crib a few times, so I decided that it may be a good time to make the switch. She slept all night in it last night and climbed right in tonight. Let's hope it continues to go well. She is loving the space here, she basically runs circles around the house giggling and squealing. It is cute, but it might get old pretty soon. I am just ready to get some boxes out of the way so I don't worry about her falling all day long.
The main reason this weekend was big is that we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord! It was so neat to look up and see the 3 crosses at church with a beautiful white cloth hanging on the center cross. He is risen! And that alone is proof that the Word of God is true! We celebrated Easter with both families and had a great time. Kate was spoiled by everyone and we all ate very well. I hope everyone remembered the reason we celebrate Easter and enjoyed it with friends or family!

Work Is Done!

We finished working on the house and have started moving some stuff in. We are hoping to be fully moved in and sleeping there on Saturday night. We ripped out the old countertops and backsplash and put new ones on, we painted the kitchen, our room, our bathroom, Kate's room, and Blake's room. It has been a busy week, but it is done and looks great (to us)! It actually feels like ours now. I will take some more pictures of all of the house once we get moved in and settled. We picked a great weekend to move with Easter, huh?

A Preview

This is a picture of our new kitchen... before we got our hands on it! When I said the counters were yellow- I meant YELLOW! Brandon's parents and a family friend/handyman came up to help us work on the new house today. My friend Lee Ann kept both of the kids all day so we could get some work done. The men ripped out the old counters and put in the new ones while Jody and I painted the kids' bedrooms. Things took a little longer than we expected, but it is going to be time well spent! We have one more coat of paint to do in Blake's room and we need to paint 2 or 3 more rooms sometime tomorrow- it should be interesting trying to find a time to do it all. The house is being professionally cleaned on Wednesday and then we start moving in Friday!!!

I could not be more excited about moving in, just for the very reason of Blake having his own room. Last night, Blake did not sleep more than 45 minutes to an hour at a time- I thought I was going to scream. He has a cold and he just cannot breathe, so he had to sleep laying on me while I sat up straight. It is time for his own room. Scratch that- it is past time. I wouldn't let him cry too much since he is sick, but I also wouldn't hear every little grunt and whimper and I may just sleep myself.

Anyway, I will post some new pictures when we are done with the work on the house.