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Saturday, January 25, 2014

Working on my house...

With buying and renovating this house, it seemed like a good time to begin blogging. 

I closed on this house on February 13th, and it was in pretty sad shape. It had been burglarized, and needed plumbing and electrical work. Thankfully, Mike has been here continuously working to get things fixed for us.

He has already put new pipes in and replaced all of the electrical wires that were damage or stolen.

He is working on installing ceiling fans in all of the bedrooms (did I mention that there is no AC?), and then he will finish putting bathrooms together.

While he is doing that, I have been pulling staples from the floor and removing the tack strips from the previous owners' carpeting. Ive also been trying to get the kitchen cleaned and moving dishes in.

We have a long way to go, but shooting to move in May. And, don't judge me, but I still havent taken "before" pictures. I think i will try to download the pictures from the real estate listing.  If I do, I will post those here the next time I am at my computer.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Valentine Project

Today was craft day, in the Rhoads' household! The girls each made a card for Mike, a bouquet of paper hearts for me, and then we made door-hangers, too! Here are some pictures of our day!



We used the foam 5x7 sheets and made tissue-paper hearts. Then, used stickers to write the "I LOVE YOU" message. I sealed it with a kiss (a stamp), and finally attached the pipe-cleaner with hot glue. The best part of this project was that it took a long time for Abby to glue all the tissue paper to fill in the heart!

Monday, February 6, 2012

A nice day in February...

It was nice outside, and all of us had cabin fever! I took the girls outside and let them run. It was a little wet, and a little muddy, but since it was our first time playing in the yard in almost a month, no one cared! They got to run off some much needed energy and breathe in fresh air. It was really nice. I noticed that the sun was low in the sky, and ran inside to grab my camera. Surprisingly, the girls had a little patience with me, and let me snap a few pictures of them. I don't know what is going on with Livi's expression...maybe she's learning to "smile"...sigh, I already can't wait for that to pass! Abby's smiles are finally getting good again, and she's even learning different favorite poses when she sees me with my camera.

 
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Craft time!

Aunt Pat and Uncle Vic bought these for the girls for Christmas, and we took advantage of this cold December day to color and decorate them! The girls had a great time, and got permanent marker all over my kitchen table! Tis okay, I hate that table anyway!

 
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Saturday, December 17, 2011

December update

We had a great Halloween, though I didn't take any pictures. Abigail was a beautiful Snow White, and Olivia was Buzz Lightyear! They both really enjoyed trick-or-treating this year, and really seemed to understand the concept.

We've already had a few rounds of runny noses and coughs this season. Being stuck inside is hard on all of us. The girls have been bickering a bit, and hate to clean their rooms. I am trying to come up with some fun indoor activities for us, and hoping that crafts and games will help entertain them.

We're staring down the barrel of Christmas now. We're in good shape - have most of our stuff done. Our Christmas cards went out in the mail today, and it feels good to cross that off my list. I haven't figured out what to do for Mike yet...

Tomorrow, we're going to get our Christmas tree. I am really looking forward to that, but I feel bad for Olivia and her snotty nose. I am wondering if her and I should stay home and let Mike and Abby get our tree this year. I remember going with my Dad to get our tree, and always enjoyed that (of course, Mom made him take me because he was grounded from going with Rick - but that's another story).

The girls have started gymnastics since the last post and they both love it! Abigail really seems to enjoy it, and I am really happy about that. I was a little worried that she would be too scared to try the skills, but I have been pleasantly surprised. Olivia runs wild through the gym and climbs on everything that she can reach. This week, I glanced her direction and she was hanging on a bar with her feet dangling two feet off the ground. That baby knows no fear!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Wow - it's been a while since I posted!

The rest of the summer came and went, and we're staring down the barrel of the holidays! I can't believe how long it's been since I blogged, but I have been focused on a lot of other things - Tomorrow's Treasures, our anniversary, preschool, and more.



This includes most of the stuff we did this summer - a lot of playing in our backyard or the girls riding their bikes and their jeep...but a camping trip with the Williams family is included, too!

I will do another post for our autumn images soon!

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

July 4th and Glasses

On July 2nd, Mike and I took Abby to get her glasses. We took her to LensCrafters, because they could do them in an hour. She picked out a cute purple pair of glasses, and we picked them up after dinner. She's been really good about wearing them already - she wore them all day yesterday. She isn't used to it, so it's still normal for her to not wear them. When she first put them on, she looked over at me and exclaimed, "Mom, you have teeth!!!". I had no idea that her vision is as bad as it is. The doctor told me that her level of functionality for her lack of sight is astounding. He told me that she was going to have to learn how to see. Her brain is going to have to learn to interpret a new way of seeing.

Yesterday was July 4th, and we spent the afternoon at Holly's. After dinner, we went outside and started lighting fireworks. Holly held onto Olive so that Abby could participate in the festivities. This was the first year we have let her light smoke bombs or bottle rockets. I don't think she's ever seen a sparkler. She was very focused yesterday, and the pictures show her concentration and excitement at the fireworks. I went out last night and bought more, so that we could spend a few more days letting her light stuff. It was really neat to see her intense concentration.