Catching up just a little...

We've graduated from flooring to cabinets... need to get them in this weekend as the counter guy comes Tuesday!

Our contractor painted Reese and Carsten's room--the lower 1/3 a nice orange (thanks Callie for helping with which orange to pick)

...and with a little help from Reese... (I wrote the message on it for the contractor--we thought Carsten did it and then found out Reese was quite guilty)

Where we've been...

We've been MIA--see the picture above...

Laying the last board! We did our whole house in IKEA laminate flooring and we just finished up today... whew.

We did not end up doing this all alone... we had Alicia, Callie, Papa, Mark (a friend), and a man from Jim's work helped one night... I just have to put in that Alicia and I (the mom) put in the whole living room/kitchen/dining room! We were pretty proud of ourselves as you can tell. I must also mention OMA who cared for three children all week while the parents were missing/putting in floors--Saint Oma.

This one is for you Uncle Tom...

Carsten's souvenir T-shirt from our trip--Thanks Oma!
Uncle Tom for those of you who don't know...

Tidbits from the rest of our trip...

This is backwards, so start at the bottom for the correct time line.

On the third day with our good friends we went swimming and had dinner with some Swiss friends--I didn't get any pictures, so go here to see some. A great time.
Fourth day we went home... We intended to leave at 9 and didn't get out until 11.
Funny story about our time with Extrems... Carsten adopted one of Siena's stuffed cats and wouldn't let him go. When we left for our trip from their house he cried and cried that we had to leave the cat behind. When we came back to their house he had not forgotten and quickly became attached again. Siena was quite grown up and bribable (a word?), so we bought her another cat and Carsten became the proud new owner of a stuffed cat--he hasn't let it out of his sight yet.

On the second day with C & H Jim and I took the four kids to visit our friend Bryan at his fire station... Fun was had by all. It was very informal and so the kids had a chance to become comfortable.

Upon returning to Con & Heidi's we decided to stay a couple of days with them. Actually as each day came to a close we would decide to stay just one more day... It turned into four extra days. We had a great time--just like old times! We went to a park on our first day there and Carsten enjoyed the slide. The boys then took all four kids on the paddle/pedal boats. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it (the big boys not so much--it was a lot of work). Of course the only one to get hurt was Carsten. Right as they were pulling into the dock Carsten fell off the seat and banged his lip on the pedals. Nice bloody/fat lip. I decided not to take a picture this time as the poor guy is only going to have pictures of his injuries... We then went to a discovery/science center which we all enjoyed.

Getting directions and advice on the best route at a McDonald's in Montana. Jim and Andrew asked six old-timers... We followed their suggestions and it worked good...

Our sleeping arrangements... Please notice Reese's bed up front. Opa and Unc built a bed to go over the two front seats. I should mention that Opa and Oma were in the luxury suite in the back on a queen size bed. We were all comfortable and really only spent three days all sleeping in the motorhome. In South Dakota we had a hotel for some of us.

A great one of Unc... I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

Reese enjoyed combing hair on our trip... he did Oma's and he spent hours (literally) on his own. Just a cup of water and a comb.

More Birthday...

I cannot take credit for these four photos... www.ryanstahle.com

The Birthday!

Today was my great-aunt Katherine's 100th birthday celebration...

Reese and Carsten found some new friends...

On the road...

We met Opa, Oma, and Unc at these people's house and stayed the night before getting going on our big trip...
The picture is all the kids on the dashboard of the motorhome.

The passengers on the first day...

It is taking us awhile to get to our destination as our driver can't reach the pedals!

Okay, one of our *real* drivers in action...

Carsten kicking back and listening to stories on the second day. (In case you are wondering where Reese was when the picture was taken--empty carseat--he was in the bathroom--the only allowed out of your seat excuse.)

As on all trips, we had to have a little trouble... steering trouble. Today, the third day, we took a two hour break at the beginning of the day to *fix* the problem. Oma and I took the boys on a walk.

In case you can't tell what this picture is, it is Jim laying on the wheel of the motorhome and Unc giving advice.

More of the house...

The house this morning... tried to get a picture of the whole house front today, but didn't try too hard. I'll have to get one sooner or later. I don't know if we'll get out to the house before we leave on our trip, so this might be the last house picture before we get back--there will be lots of changes.

The weekend is here...

Carsten is feeling better, still complains of some pain at the site of the MRSA, but otherwise back to the same Carsten we love. He is going to be on antibiotics for awhile... All of us are on the regiment we were on the last time as well--intranasal antibiotics for the four of us and we will be using Hibiclens soap on and off for a year.
The house is coming right along--faster than we expected, not that we are complaining! We are leaving on a jet p..., oh, wait we are leaving in a motorhome to go across the country for my great aunt's 100th birthday party. There will be seven of us stuffed into one motorhome (that sleeps 3 comfortably and gets great gas mileage)--at least we all love each other. Opa, Oma, and Unc will be picking us up and we'll be off to adventures unknown. When we return we are going to be kept busy putting the cabinets into the house and laying most of the flooring. We made the decision to put the laminate wood flooring in the whole house except bathrooms and laundry.
Have a great weekend!

Colors???

So, I have my inside colors picked out... now for the outside. Does anyone have thoughts on good outside colors for the house? I have decided to do a darkish red front door. The neighbors house nearest to us is an artichoke green. We are thinking that we shouldn't go green as the likelihood of clashing is great. Jim is thinking earth tones--tan, taupe, etc. I am thinking a blue--more inviting and homey?... We will have some slate type stone work on the front that can have some blues or tans in it... Any thoughts?

Enough Said...

Carsten. MRSA. We can't get away.

Filling you in...

Oh, boy... The 4th of July we went camping and I took a break from pictures... did not take one. You can go here to see some. We had a good time, Reese got around a million mosquito bites, but other than that it was fun. There was a water fountain right in the middle of our campsites and you can just imagine what my two boys did the whole time we were there. It was just the right height.
In other news we've been super busy doing things for the new house. Picking out light fixtures, paint colors, texture for the walls, putting together cabinets, choosing flooring, does it end??? Does anyone have an opinion on a red front door? I think I want one. The house is either going to be an artichoke green or a blue... Jim is leaning towards the green. There will some slate stone work on the front and it looks good with the green.
We are so excited and looking forward to the house being done. It is looking like a mid-September move-in date. It is changing quickly--funny what drywall, doors, and windows do.

Concentration

The trailer... filling up with cabinets. We spent Saturday putting together all the cabinets for our house--kitchen, two bathrooms, and the laundry room. They are ready to install!

Jim wrote on the backs of the cabinets so we know where they go and which one they are... hopefully--someone else had to write on the back of the cabinets too.

Carsten playing in his car... he was the non-helper, although he tried.

Reese and the mommy who rarely appears in the photos.

Taking a break from the heat.

Our intermittent helper...

The assembly line.

Inside... already looks different... the sheet rocker (a word?) worked all weekend, so he is almost finished.

The most recent outside house picture... hasn't changed too much on the outside as they are working on the inside now.

Carsten at the property--after a cookie. Mr. Chocolate Eyes.

The boys goofing around while I videoed the inside of the walls before the sheet rock was put on.