All Ready!

The house is ready.

Countertops.  Range. Sink.

Carpet.

Malbox. Shutters (will stay blue until spring b/c of temperatures...).  Yard.

Fridge was delivered today.

Counters were caulked and wooden accents placed.  Floors were cleaned today.  They still have incorrect light fixtures in the kitchen but they will be changed when they arrive.

And now, because of the delay in the carpet and countertops the appraiser couldn't make it in time.  The loan can't be approved until the appraiser says the house is fit to be occupied.

Maybe in 2012?

So close.. and then the catch.

Today we had our walk through of the house.  It looks amazing.  I absolutely can't wait to move in!!!!

BUT...

we won't move on the 28th as planned.

The carpet we special ordered was discontinued and they can't get our second choice here on time. 

and...

The counter tops are behind schedule.

The general contractor was very apologetic and shared that his hands are tied.  Most sub contractors have reduced their work force and aren't keeping supplies in house as they have in the past.  Demand is down and things they used to count on simply don't come as quickly.  Everyone was working very hard to make this happen but the subcontractors haven't been able to supply what we need. 

So, as disappointed as I am, I understand.  We are grateful for what we will be getting and we would rather it be done well than done hastily.  We are blessed that we don't "need" to move out and we won't be hindered in any way (other than psychologically!) by waiting another 2 days.

December 30th it is.

Teacher Love

Noah is in love with his teacher.  And personally, I think she is pretty amazing too!  She has amazing classroom control, tons of love for the kids, and she is just plain fun!!!!  Noah made her this beautiful card yesterday.  I love it!!! What a great entry to school for my boy!

Busy Busy House Work

The workers are moving nonstop on the house.  Our walk through is only 2 days away!  First this week we saw the stone installed on the front.  On the inside they stained the steps and railings and finished the stone fireplace. 

Today I drove up and I was stunned to see bushes and trees.  I was under the understanding that we wouldn't get any landscaping until spring but since the winter has been so mild they decided to go ahead and do it today!

And then after school I came back today and they were rolling out the sod lawn! It was wild to get a lawn in two hours!!!! It looks so nice!

There is still a lot more to be completed.  We saw them carrying carpet inside today.  Paul peeked after work and there still weren't counter tops.  I know that on Thursday not everything will be 100% done but I haven't seen all of the inside work in a few days and I can't wait!

Christmas Crafts

Noah and I made a list of people we wanted to give things to and we started out making projects.  It has been wonderful thinking of ways to give to others that he can really participate in.  If you are a potential recipient I apologize for the spoiler!

We cut toilet paper rolls, spray painted them and turned them into poinsettia ornaments:

We went to the good will outlet and bought tons of wool sweaters, shrunk them in the washer which caused the wool to "felt."  We cut them into squares and Noah was able to string them into wreaths.  These turned out really nicely and he has a long list of people he wants to give them to!

We took more cardboard rolls and pipe cleaners to make these snowflake ornaments:

And of course we baked tons of cookies!!!!!

The crafts were all found on familyfun.com....

13 days

Yesterday the hardwood floor was installed.  The cabinets are all in place.  All of the light fixtures are up.  They put the hardwood landing on the stairwell.  The tile as done in the shower and the master bath...  eeeeek!!!!!!  There is still a lot to do, but Paul said there were a ton of trucks there again today.

5 work days until walk through and 13 days until we settle!!!!

I'm still having a hard time picking hardware for the kitchen... thoughts on antique bronze to match the rest of the hardware in the house or brushed nickel to contrast the dark cabinets... hmmmmm...

15 days to go

We are so close!!!  It gets harder to wait each day.  There have been five to ten work vehicles on the property every day.  Electricians and masons, flooring specialists and excavators.  They have been working well past 6pm each night so we haven't been able to get inside.

As far as we can tell, the kitchen and morning room floors are done, the cabinets are in, some of the exterior lights are on, the driveway has it's first coat, the sidewalks are in, it is painted, the molding is done....

We have our walk through on December 22nd and that is 8 days away!!!!  Then we have to wait 6 days until settlement on the 28th.  boo!!!

In any case, we are very excited!

Oh and there was a teeny rainbow in the sky today above the house!

Live Nativity 2011

On Saturday we headed to the Birdsboro Chuch of the Nazarene where I had seen a live nativity advertised.  We had an amazing time! 

Outside they had lots of animals including goats, sheep, a donkey, a llama, chickens and a dove.  There was a live band playing Christmas music, a Santa, and a children's barrel ride.  Maeve cried on the whole barrel ride after begging to get on!

Outside there was also an inkeeper running around talking about not having space in the inn.e

When we went inside there was a room with tons of cookies and hot chocolate and a craft.  After a snack  we headed into the sanctuary to see the live nativity.  I was sooo impressed!  They had a Mary and Joseph and a real baby.  There were shepherds with real sheep, wise men, and more chickens and doves ---- in the sanctuary!!!!  It was dark and reflective and all the while a video of the Nativity movie was playing with quotes about Jesus birth.  Because for as long as I can remember I have been working during Christmas, I felt like I was hearing the birth story all over again..I loved it.  After we sat for a while we decided to leave and Noah begged to stay... so sweet.

We took another look at the animals and then headed out.  Each child got several books, silly bands with nativity figures, and crayons.  I was very impressed!

We then drove around looking at the lights and enjoying all of the decorations.  It was a great Christmas evening!!!!!

Jolly Old St. Nick

While I absolutely love Christmas I have been hung up on Santa for many years (dating well back into my teenage years).  I have always felt that the two stories were in conflict... not historically but because of the consumerism of season and because most people don't focus on Jesus during Christmas.  I cringe when I hear parents bribe their children with the naughty list and threaten that their presents will be taken away.  Noah asks me a lot of questions now and I was dreading my conversations with him.  I really don't want to lie to him and yet I want him to have his own sense of imagination.  Last year we told him Santa was imaginary and he was so crushed that I felt terrible.

I had a friend once who believed in Santa longer than all of his friends.  One day on the bus everyone surrounded him and told him Santa wasn't real.  He still believed.  He ran home in tears and begged his mom to tell him the truth.  She told him and he was so utterly disappointed in her.  Over the next few days he came to believe that Jesus wasn't real either because all he had to go on were stories and didn't have proof.  This was a pivotal moment in his faith.

I have also have friends that have gone to great lengths and continued gigantic lies to their kids to keep Santa real...  One mom made up a series of lies that she had to keep tripping over.

And another friend's daughter is convinced that children on the Angel tree are naughty because they don't get their presents from Santa.  Ugh.

So, this year of course Noah is asking again.  And as the season approached I cringed.  I just didn't know what to say to him.

So, finally when he asked me one day I told him what I believed.

I told him that a long time ago there was someone named St. Nicholas and he gave presents to boys and girls that didn't have presents because he was kind and good.  He had a real sleigh that he drove around in the snow to get to people's houses.  Everything that he gave he gave in secret because he loved to help people.  He gave gifts because he loved Jesus and believed that God wanted him to share his wealth with others.

Noah got very serious and asked why St. Nick would never come to our house.  I looked at him confused and asked him why he would say that.  He replied that we already have a lot of toys so St. Nick wouldn't come to us.   He asked if St. Nick was still alive today.

I told him that St. Nick died a long time ago but his spirit lives on and the Santa that we see everywhere is the magical spirit of St. Nick that is only alive if you believe in it.  That sometimes people stop wanting to do good for others like St. Nick did and sometimes people get greedy and don't want to share or help. But if you always remember that the real "santa" wanted to help because of Jesus then the magic spirit of Santa will always be alive.  And that sometimes as you grow up people stop believing in the magic spirit. But always to remember that St. Nick gave because he believed in Jesus.  

He looked at me very seriously and said:  I will always believe in the magic spirit of Santa, mommy!

So, now it has been really fun.  When he saw a few Santas this weekend he said, I know they aren't real mommy but I want to go and sit on their laps!  We went to a craft fair on Saturday and there was a giant old fireplace.  He ran right into it and looked up the chimney for Santa.  He seems to know that Santa is real for him and loves being caught up in the fun of it all.  It really truly makes me happy to see his joy, to not squelch his enthusiasm, and also to be able to promote something positive, faithful, and sweet.

Family Fun Night, November 2011

The Sunday after Thanksgiving we were hanging around and the kids were going stir crazy.  We decided on a rare whim to use a coupon for Chuck Cheese for 200 tokens for $10.  It was wonderful.  It's not really my kind of place and Maeve is really too small for all of the games, but they ran around for hours and played and played.  I thought Noah and Paul looked like they were in a band here... so cute!

After we left we were driving around.  I showed Noah and Maeve my childhood home in Reading, my elementary school, and other places where I grew up.  We took them up to the pagoda which they loved.  Except... they kept calling it Kai-lan's house (a popular TV show for children about a girl who is from China!).

It was such a fun night and I love sharing bits of my childhood with my kids!

Maeve's Christmas Pagaent

This past Sunday, we visited a friend's church.  The church was having all the children do a Christmas show for the service, and our friend's daughter was singing in part of it.  We though we would put Maeve into the nursery during the service, but found that the nursery children were part of the show as well.  They asked if we wanted Maeve to be part of it, and upon asking her, her response was Yes!  We didn't think she would actually go through with it, but she did!  No screaming, no crying ...

I think something different.

We are in a stage of parenting where our beloved children are practicing "bickering."  It is usually something incredibly ridiculous because it is hard to bicker over a toy when you are strapped into a car seat.  And it is hard to take it seriously because Noah can't remember the word and calls it "pickering."  But inevitably, Maeve will pick something ridiculous and harp on it. For instance... "Noah, I'm bigger than you are."  Which she obviously isn't.  Or, "I'm a unicorn" which she obviously isn't.  But Noah is living in a world of black and white, right and wrong, and Maeve is living in a world of Me, Me, MEEEEEEE.

It has been hard to tell Noah that he is indeed factually correct while honoring Maeve's wild imagination and not telling her she is "wrong."  I continually tell Noah that Maeve can think what she likes as long as it doesn't hurt him.  And I have told him that instead of getting mad, he can instead stay calm and say "I think something different and that is okay."

This calm and mature response hasn't exactly won in the car time bickering over silly wonderland phrases.

And then today....

The kids were arguing over who was going to go to the bathroom first when they got home.  Noah told Maeve that he was faster and would beat her.  She argued that she was faster. Back and forth they went.

Until,

Noah said directly, "Maeve, I think something different and that is okay."

I almost drove off the road.

I gave him a big old satisfied and proud smile and told him that was the right thing to do.

He grinned from ear to ear.

22 more...

Not that I'm counting!

The front of the house is ready for the stone.
The interior doors and crown molding were put on today.
The outlines for the sidewalks have been set.

It can't come fast enough!!!!!

Camp Gathering November 2011, Welcome Molly!

We had a very nice get together the Saturday after Thanksgiving with my good old friends from Camp Mensch Mill.  We got to welcome beautiful Miss Molly May into the crew.  It was wonderful to see the big kids play together and just watch how everyone's lives are growing and changing!

PS, maeve had my camera....

Excited and Anxious!

26 days.  Can you tell I can't wait!

We rented our moving truck, hired day laborers, and asked some friends to help on the 29th.  Tonight we bought a new fridge.  Our mortgage is all set and we will likely never refinance because I can't imagine a lower rate than what we got.

And... I am super excited because we will have some major quality family time... Christmas Monday Paul has off.  Noah has off the whole week.  Paul works Tuesday and then has off Wed-Fri to move.  He has off the following Monday for New Years.  So... from the 24th to Jan. 2 Paul has to work 1 day!!!!

And, then on January 8th we head to Disney for 7 days.  So, from Dec. 24th to Jan 15th Paul has to work 5 days.

I. am. so. excited.!!!!!!

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving was very nice for us this year.  We usually host the holiday and so my grandparents were nice enough to let us have it at their home.  Many of our relatives came and Paul's mom joined us.  It was a warm day outside and very sunny.

The kids were great and I will always remember the morning preparations.  We were supposed to get three pies from a fundraiser and something went wrong and we didn't get any! So we needed to make some last minute desserts.  As we baked the kids were singing silly songs with Paul at the table and we were all laughing and singing as we prepared for the day.  There were several times I had tears in my eyes with the beauty of the moment, trying to absorb all of the goodness around me.

The day was great from beginning to end.  People stayed and talked and enjoyed each other.  I love it when people mingle for a while and don't rush out.

Noah made some decorations to greet everyone at the door.

And some napkin ring holders.

The pie was one I saw on pinterest taking a cinnamon roll can and cutting it into pieces for the crust.  It smelled wonderful but actually didn't taste amazing... it was a bit dry!

Noah and Nana went down to the river for a bit.

And after the night was all over the kids snuggled up with grandma and grandpa to watch Monster v. Aliens on tv.  Well, at least for a minute or two!!!

We are blessed!!!

30 Days

Today the counter on my phone said 30 days...  yippeee!!!

Over the Thanksgiving holiday the builders finished the stucco.  The front still needs shutters and stone, as well as a sidewalk.  

They also finished the drywall installation inside.  It still needs to be taped and mudded but it is all up!!!  It makes the house seem very different and Noah is bummed that he can't walk through walls anymore!

The kitchen looking into the morning room.

The front door looking into the office.

A ghost in the basement!

December 28th can't come too fast!!!  We are all very excited!

House Countdown begins!

We received a notice that our house will be finished on December 22nd for a walk through!  We, however, can't move in until the 28th.  But in any case, I am very happy to have a date!!!!  37 days from today.  And I know it will go quickly as we finalize items for the mortgage and the move.  

Saturday the front of the house was prepped for the stucco.

And the inside was insulated.

Drywall is next!!!!!

Proud

When we were heading out to some house or another, Noah wanted to remember to take some things.  He made a list all by himself.   Cat. Dog. Pig.  Made his momma proud.

November 15th House Update

We met with the general contractor today for a pre-drywall standard meeting.  He walked us through the house bolt by bolt.

Some of the features are amazing to me.  The insulation in the home is amazing and we have heard from neighbors that the heating bills are very low. 

It is going to be amazing to have so many outlets! I know this sounds silly but in our last home outlets and light switches were a commodity that we often had to add ourselves!

We found out today that a new fire code has been passed very recently and now they must drywall the entire basement ceiling.  This might not sound like much, but he said it was more than $5,000 worth of work.  The outside wall of the basement is already drywalled because it has windows and a door and now the ceiling and one wall will all be drywalled.  This will help us down the line when we go to finish the basement. 

We were able to see where every wire and stud is and we took pictures of every wall.  There are many places where we can do built ins and put shelves in, etc.  Knowing all of this information will be so helpful to us.

The real piece of information we were waiting for was a settlement date which we did not receive. 

The beginning of construction was delayed due to the hurricane in August.  This prevented them from putting the road in the development in.  Then, just this week and last, they have not been able to get the electric installed in the development because large portions of local crews headed to New England to help with power outages.  The development can't get someone to come and make their transformer live.  In addition, there is a shortage of wire because of the storm.  Weird!

So, what this means for us is that our move in date will be either December 23rd or the week of December 26th.  It will likely be the latter.  We will know in another week or so for sure.  So, I'm pretty disappointed.   I was REALLY hoping to be together as just our family for Christmas morning in our new home.  Plus, all of our christmas stuff (including carefully chosen pajamas, outfits, stockings, even a beautiful red long Christmas coat in a size 2T for Maeve...etc.) are shoved away somewhere in storage.  I am fine with it, just disappointed. 

In any case, the house looks beautiful and I will surely sit in shock that it is ours when it is all finished.  Just a little more than a month!

Our First Parent Teacher Conference

Last week we had our very first Parent Teacher Conference with Noah's teacher.  It was wonderful!

We have had such an amazing experience so far this year.  Noah's teacher, Miss Hanrahan is absolutely wonderful. 

She shared that Noah is a total joy to have in class.  He is affectionate, caring, fun, and very smart.  He is in the high level reading group and is breezing through math.  She gives him extra work to keep him challenged and often has him helping other children. 

She thanked us for making the trek every day from Birdsboro to Downingtown and assured us it was worth it because Noah has already made strong friendships and connections in the class. 

A few funny things:

Noah loves to wink.  Miss Hanrahan loves to wink back.

Noah has his longish side swept hair.  The teachers giggle about how he sweeps it out of his eyes.  One day in circle time he swept his hair out of his eye and hit a girl next to him.  She squealed "Noah hit me while he was fixing his hair!" He felt terrible.

Miss Hanrahan has a color system as many teachers do.  When she sees a child doing something nice without bragging or telling anyone she moves them to blue.  It is rare to be moved to blue and it involves peeking in a locked treasure chest and picking out a special surprise.  Noah has been devastated that he hasn't been on blue yet.  This actually surprised me because he is always doing things for others.  Apparently he does dozens of things that qualify for blue but he always runs and tells her and then she can't give it to him.  Poor guy!

Noah is well above average for letter sounds and Kindergarten standards.

It was a wonderful chat.

It is good to hear all of these things because we were nervous for many reasons.  Every parent must worry about how their child will do in school!

Great job Noah!

Railroad Day, 2011

I had a wonderful day with girlfriends for my birthday on Saturday.  Meanwhile, Paul and another dad Ben took the kids to the Strasburg railroad.  They had a blast!

House Progress, Nov. 2011

We still don't have a final move in date for our house. This week they put up the siding on three sides. The front will be stucco. It looks so much more like a house now! The first and last pictures are from the road which is a rear view.