Introducing......

ANOTHER NEW PUPPY
(note he/she is sitting right between A's legs in the picture below)

This puppy is named WHUZZIE
(not sure where the name came from but we are going with it).

A's imagination has gone wild - it's so fun to watch! In the car the other day is where this puppy came to life and you seriously would have thought the puppy was actually in the car with us - A was giggling so hard at one point because the puppy was licking her legs and it "tickled" she told me...I couldn't help but laugh myself.

Below - A is "petting" her puppy - quite a small dog if you ask us....but really could it get any better than this - a NO MAINTENANCE DOG!!

Chocolate Mayhem!!

E took both the kids in this morning for a special treat - in an attempt to let me sleep a little longer.....They returned with chocolate donuts and a "kids coffee" - Needless to say both kids have met their chocolate quota for the MONTH!!!

LABOR DAY!!

LABORING ON LABOR DAY
WOULD SURE BE NICE!!
LET'S ALL KEEP OUR FINGERS
CROSSED THAT THIS IS THE DAY
SHE DECIDES TO COME!!!

Making Progress.....

It's hard to really depict the progress that has been made on the house with a non-zooming lens....but here is the latest to the outside....
All the windows are in, the framing on the inside is in, it looks like the plumbing is pretty much complete and the mechanical is done. They are getting ready to build the back deck and soon we can hopefully post some better pictures of the inside.

STILL HERE......

Yup, were still here...and I am still very pregnant...I guess it's to be expected since really I am only at 36 weeks. With a broken camera lens there hasn't been many pictures taken lately and really the only thing to post pictures of at this point would probably be boxes!!! We have most of the toys packed up in the basement....much to the kids dismay I suppose...but it will be like Christmas to them when we open all the boxes again...tomorrow's goal - to pack up the rest of the basement - or have a baby....... wish us luck!!

Big Shoes to Fill......

So E is infatuated right now with shoes.....no matter whose shoes they are...he is always wanting to wear them......I can say though his favorite shoe of choice right now is A's pink crocs....no idea why...he has his own blue crocs but you can frequently find him wandering around the house with one pink croc on.


I apologize for the blurry picture....I dropped our good camera lens last week (pregnancy clumsiness) and the focus is now broke on it...so it's being repaired...so I am resorting to using our old lens that is also broke from me dropping it a couple years ago.

Couldn't Resist....

We received this picture in the mail the other day and I just couldn't resist posting it!!
(For those unfamiliar with the participants of this picture....It is E and two of his good friends from High School and College taken their senior year of high school!)

You Know you Need to Run the Dishwasher When.....

You've resorted to drinking your morning glass of milk out of a pilsner glass because no other glasses are clean.

I must be NEXT!!!

Well I think it's official...all women that I knew personally that were due to have babies before me have had them (That would be 10 babies born since May in my church and circle of friends)....that must only mean one thing - I AM NEXT!!! Now to answer a few of the most frequently asked questions I seem to get every week - especially on Sundays.....

You haven't had that baby yet? NO - I have not had the baby yet - it's kind of obvious isn't it!!

When are you due?? Officially Sept 21st - but come on - we all know I won't make it that far. A & E came almost 3 weeks early - Third times a charm - right?

Are you sure there is just one baby in there? - YES, ABSOLUTELY SURE....I know it's hard for some to believe but please do keep in mind I have virtually been pregnant for 3 years straight......

So officially 35 weeks tomorrow - am I ready?? Couldn't be more ready!!! I think my family is ready too especially E - so I can quit complaining about how uncomfortable I am, how tired I am and how grouchy I am!!

New House...

Here are a few pictures of the new house....they are only outside views. It was raining when we drove out there tonight and we didn't want to venture out in the mud and rain.



A view of the back of the house through another persons yard....

.

SOLD

I can hardly believe I am posting this.....it's been a total whirlwind week!! But you guessed or read it correctly our house is SOLD!!
The first people that looked at it last Friday bought it and gave us an offer on it this week....Days on the actual market = 5!!
So after a whole lot of twists and turns and other misc. happenings.....we will be moving on Oct. 3rd into our new home (currently under construction - pictures to come soon) and closing on this home. We orginally thought we could be homeless for about 2 months...which would have made things a little interesting but some things definitely worked in our favor this week and we got the exact house we wanted and it will be done a whole lot sooner than the end of November!!
Now, if I had known my house would sell in five days - would I have put it on the market being 35 weeks pregnant???
So the next 7 weeks hold for us - packing, having a baby and moving!!!

Call us CRAZY!!!

We officially put our house in the market this past week.....hoping for a quick sale....well not so quick...but quick enough that it doesn't drag on for months - why you may ask?
We have decided we want to move into Rapid City - we are tired of the 10-15 mile drive in, not living in Pennigton county has it's disadvantages from Public Library perspective, most all of our friends live in RC, E works in RC, our church is in RC and soon will be re-locating which would even further our commute to church, our babysitters are all in RC and most don't drive, and thinking into the future we want our kids to attend Rapid City Public Schools.....so those are just a few of the whys!!

We have put an immense amount of work into this house...and really do like it...and crazy enough we are thinking of starting all over again and building a brand new house again in an area we really like in Rapid City......

So if know anyone looking for a great house just outside of RC - we have a deal for you!!!

The KIDS are GONE!

Yes, you've read that correctly! - I drove them part way to MT today - where my Mom and Sister picked them up and they are on their way to spending the next few days with Grandma & Papa!! (say a prayer for them!) They may never agree to take our kids for that long again after this weekend......not that they are bad kids....just VERY BUSY!!! So you may be wondering well what am I/We going to do with all our free time......well here is a glimpse.....

1. SLEEP
2. SLEEP
3. Eat out in peace!
4. SLEEP
5. Watch a Movie
6. SLEEP
7. Some Misc. house items that have needed our attention for awhile now.....
8. And oh - did I mention SLEEP!

A & E are such early risers....and it's just not a good mix when you are 34 weeks pregnant and want nothing more to do than rest and sleep all the time!! Alas we will survive ( I think) and thanks to my family for the much needed break! You can call if you need to return them sooner....just not before Monday!!

The RUMBLE has begun......

It's RALLY Week - for all that don't leave near South Dakota...that means the 2008 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has begun!!

This being our 4th summer here during the rally - you would think I would be used to it....but this year I am starting to find them exceptionally annoying! (It may have something to do with my 33 week state of pregnancy) - but hundreds of thousands of people come the Black Hills and truly it's like they are suddenly the only ones that matter and you better be on the look out because they own the road and can do no wrong!! Living only like 12 miles from Sturgis we definitely see our fair share of motorcycles and many of our neighbors rent out their houses to the "bikers" so you constantly hear the bikes coming and going even through the neighborhood.

If you want a live look at the action click here (a live look at the action on main street in Sturgis)

A is for......

ATTITUDE!!

I am not sure I need to say much more!!!

Goose Poop Park......

This afternoon we took the kids to a park in RC - a beautiful park - with lot's of trees , a lake and stream running through it.
Unfortunately the park has been over run with geese - to the point that after today's visit I am not sure I ever want to take the kids there again......


Other than the playground area....the grass is covered in GOOSE POOP - literally to the point that I could not even find a spot to put my knee down to take many pictures of the kids.


Here E is showing us where all the poop is!!




One of our main objectives for going to the park was to play with the camera again...and TRY (the key word) to get some pictures of the kids together....very tricky between poop and a now walking 1 year old that doesn't want to stand or sit still for anything....I am not complaining about the walking at all though because we have wanted it for so long...we'll just take what we can get I guess for pictures!








A knew enough to keep her distance....but little E just wanted to chase right after these guys....



So as we were leaving the park...I noticed quite a lot of goose poop on the bottom of my shoes which I tried to wipe off best I could before getting into the car.....once in the car though A was quick to point out that it was all over her sandals...on the bottom of her feet, now on her hands and some how managed to get on her sippy cup too - GROSS - so we used about 1/2 of the wipes we had in the car and cleaned everything up. We then proceeded to the grocery store and just as we were leaving (the kids and I waited in the car while E shopped) - A looks over to E and tells us - Little E is eating POOP! That's right - he had goose poop from the bottom of his shoes now in his mouth....SO GROSS!! E promptly jumped out of the car and used the remaining wipes to wash out E's mouth, shoes, hands and feet!!! Needless to say we will not be returning to Canyon Lake Park for quite some time!!