Playing catch up!

Looks like I need to pay a bit more attention to my blog!

Update on us since February:

We finished the kitchen remodel. It looks awesome! Even though we have a small kitchen it feels bigger with all the new changes we made to it. It's easier to keep clean too! I'm always wiping things down, trying to keep it all looking new! We still need to finish the baseboards in the living room, which I plan to do this summer. They are all painted I just need to take off the old ones and glue the new ones in. We are going to be changing things in the living room in the next week or so and I'll probably finish them then.

The boys finished school and we are now a couple weeks into summer break. They are loving having a later bed-time and being able to play more. We're hoping our pool opens soon so we can spend some time there. Nik had his scout week long summer camp and had a blast fishing, shooting and swimming. Jaydyn has his day-camp next month and he's looking forward to it.

 Adam got a new job in AF so it's just me, the boys and Bella during the week. I have lots of time to go through all our crap and decide if I really want it! We've decided to start school full-time when the fall semester starts. Lots more work but it will help keep me occupied while Adam is at work and the boys are in school.

Nothing else new to report. We're just enjoying spending time together and enjoying the summer!

Remodel Pt. 3

Here are some more updated pictures of our remodel. All we have left is the couter-top above the dishwasher, some flooring and some baseboards. Almost done!!

New Flooring:


Kitchen:

Remodel Pt. 2

Like I mentioned in my previous post we are remodeling the downstairs. We started with the kitchen, as it needed the most work plus we were going to be starting from a bare room. Once the kitchen is done we'll do the hardwood floors into the hallway and the living room.

In our condo the main walls on either side of us are cinder-block. In some rooms they've spackled over it, in other there is a flimsy wood paneling up. That was the case in the kitchen. The wall behind the stove had paneling. Adam loves the look of exposed brick/cinder-block so we decided that while we were tearing out everything else we were going to take off the paneling and see what condition the wall was in.

Can I just say that I am amazed we haven't been killed yet in this house!!! The paneling was nailed in with cement nails in a couple spots throughout the wall. Our cabinets were then nailed to the paneling with finishing nails! I'm kinda surprised they haven't fallen off! Once all the upper cabinets were torn off and destroyed (I hated those things!), and the paneling was off we started to unhook the appliances. Here's the fun part! There was no plug from the stove to an outlet. What the previous owners - and I have no idea if it was the ones we bought it from or farther back - did was hard-wire the dishwasher to an outlet. From there the hard-wired an extension cord from the dishwasher to the stove plug! None of the wires were covered or wrapped in electrical tape. It was quite the shock to see that crap and how awful it was done!

We finally got everything cleared out of the kitchen and the fun began. Here are some pictures to show what we did, and the progress we've made.

Bare room:




Old floor:


New paint:



New stuff:




You can kind of see the hardwood floors in some of the new stuff pictures. We've been putting plastic down to protect it from the oil we put on the counter-tops as well as scratches and paint.

I will post more when we finish some more!

Kitchen remodel and flooring!

We decided to remodel our kitchen and put hardwood floors throughout the downstairs. We researched, budgeted and finally found stuff we like. Everything has been ordered and tomorrow we start the demolition of the kitchen tomorrow morning! I am excited yet not at the same time for this project! I can't wait until it's done and I have a new downstairs but we are doing the entire project ourselves so it will be a lot of work! We figure it should only take us a week or two so I will post pictures as we progress with everything.

Pinewood Derby 2012!

The boys had their yearly Pinewood Derby last night. They both entered cars this year. Jaydyn's car was a bit too light so he didn't do as well as last year - he informed us that we need to fix that for next time! He still got a trophy for most colorful car though!

Nik won 3rd place in his class! His weighed a bit more than Jaydyn's so it went a bit faster.

The boys love doing the pinewood derby every year - they get so excited during the races!

I didn't take pictures sadly but I'll get some up of their cars and trophies!

Christmas 2011!!

We had a great Christmas this year! On the 23rd we went to Salt Lake and had dinner & visited with my Dad, My Grandma & Grandpa, my Aunt & Uncle and their daughters. They have a gorgeous house and it was fun to see it and visit with them!

Christmas Eve we went up to Adam's parents and visited, had dinner and did our annual stories/songs. This year we had some new additions! Chase & Ashley had their little boy, Miles. He is such a doll! He's starting to get more interactive and is so much fun to play with! Steve is also engaged so his fiancee was up there with us! Lindsey is so much fun and always so happy - her and Steve make such a cute couple! I can't wait for them to be married!

We did the traditional 1 present opened and Adam and his brothers exchanged gifts. The boys got their Christmas pj's! We enjoy going to the Raymond's so much. They are such a happy, loving family that you feel welcome and loved the second you get there!

We left cookies and milk for Santa and he left the boys a cute little note! The boys have had so much fun on Christmas break that I had to wake them up this year! I usually TRY to get them to sleep at least till 7 but they are usually up at 6. This year I woke up at 8 and they were still sound asleep. I enjoyed waking them up and seeing their eyes light up as they remembered it was Christmas Day!

The boys have done so good this year in getting along and with school. they have both worked so hard to keep A's in their classes. Santa has been watching and they got a bit spoiled this year! They got some "adult" presents - A new TV for their room, their own XBox 360, clothes, movies, games, candy and some Lego sets! They were so excited to get all their stuff set up and to play with everything.

As I look back over the year and all the memories we made it really makes so grateful and thankful that I was given my family! They bring me so much joy (and some frustrations :) ). I don't know how I would live without them!

Here are some pictures of the fun!











We hope you all had a great holiday! We love you all and hope for nothing but the best for your families in 2012!!

Family Pictures!

In October one of my friends, Kamie, took some family pictures for us. She did an amazing job! I loved how they all turned out. We'll definitely be using her from now on for all our professional shots!! Here's just a few of what we had done!









If anyone is interested in using her for pictures here is her information:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Touch-of-Fun-Photography/126190487447978

Catch up Time...Again.

Things are pretty slow so I never post anymore.

The boys love their new school. I'm so glad we were able to get them in there. They announced last week that they are adding 9-12 grades so both boys will be able to go through high school there as well. Yay!

Jaydyn turned 9 on November 11th! I can't believe he's 9! Time has flown by. I am so grateful that this little boy was placed in our family. He brings so much joy and happiness to all of us. We love him so much!

Adam & I are still slogging through school. We're both past the halfway mark! The classes are getting tougher each semester but we're enjoying it.

That's about it for us. Just going to school and hanging out as a family - nothing too exciting!

Summertime!

I figured while I had some quiet time I would update our blog. Once school got out we got busy with summer.

Nik had his big scout camp-out for a week and loved it! He also goes camping overnight every month - yes even in the winter months! He loves going and working on all the badges. He has really grown up over the last couple months. He acts more mature and wants to do what the adults do now. He is great with the younger kids still though and enjoys playing cars/video games with them.

Jaydyn has spent most of his summer outside. It's a chore fighting to get him in every night and at meal times. He has a hard time when Nik is gone but Adam and I try to make it fun for him. We've gone out to dinner, watched movies that he picks out, we stay up late. He has a rough time sleeping so we leave the tv on all night for him and it seems to help!

Both kids started school this last week. They were originally supposed to go to the regular Elementary and Middle schools but at the last minute the charter school called and said they were in. We had put them on a waiting list and we figured they wouldn't get a spot. It was quite the scramble to take back clothes - they have a uniform dress policy - and get what they needed. Nik is loving it. His favorite classes so far are Latin - yes Latin! - and information technology. He took apart a computer hard drive in class the other day! Jaydyn on the other hand is having a harder time since he doesn't know as many kids but he's starting to adjust and enjoy himself. The charter school is very focused on Math, Science and Technology. They cover the basics in reading/language arts but don't focus on them like regular public schools. I personally like this as Math is a subject both kids have struggled with.

Adam and I are doing fine. We celebrate our 10 year anniversary next week! I've struggled with some health issues this summer but am doing much better now. We start our classes on the 1st. This will be our last easy semester. From here on out I, and possibly Adam, will be taking 5 classes - 15 credits - every semester. It will allow me to finish my Bachelor's degree within 2 years.

That's about it for us this summer. I'll try to do better at updating but we haven't had a whole lot of excitement - which is kind of nice!

Nik's 6th Grade Graduation!!

Nik is officially headed to junior high! I can't believe I have a 12 year old headed to 7th grade! Time has gone by so fast. He really enjoyed his last year in elementary. Now on to bigger things and more friends.

Nik's Family Party

We had a family party a week after Nik's birthday. He had a lot of fun and enjoyed having everyone over. Next up is the big sleep-over him and Jaydyn have planned. I hope my house and my sanity survive! They've invited 10 kids between them. Should be noisy! I'll update with pictures when it happens.







Our good friends Ian and Emily. We've known them for years and are part of our family!



My mom thought it would be a good idea to give the kids confetti things. It took me an hour to find and vacuum it all up.

Happy Birthday Nik!!

Yesterday was Nik's 12th birthday! We had celebrated a bit over the weekend - Nik wanted to go to McDonald's and Classic Skating - so Adam and I took the boys and spent the day as a family. It was very relaxing! For his birthday Nik wanted donuts so we got the Texas donuts from Macey's and opened presents. (I forgot to take pictures)

This weekend we are doing cake and ice cream with family and then the boys are doing a huge sleepover at our house at the end of the school year. (I'll get pictures then :) )

I still can't believe I have a 12 year old! He will be going into 7th grade next year and is starting young men. He is such a smart young man and we are so proud of him. He has brought so much joy and happiness to me and to our family. We love you Nik!!

March update!

Nothing too exciting in March. I recovered from my surgery but my doctor appointment hasn't happened yet so no deep cleaning for me - it's driving me crazy!

I got my wisdom teeth out. I hate the dentist so this was a huge thing for me. They prescribed me Valium and that helped a lot. Everything went fine other than 1 tooth had grown into my jaw bone so they ended up drilling into my jaw to get it out. I feel pretty good today other than that tooth.

Nik had his Scout Court of Honor on March 29th. He had earned his Tenderfoot, nd class and 1st class. He also earned his fingerprinting merit badge and a special honor award. I am so proud of him - he has worked so hard on his scouting. His leaders are amazing and he has so much fun with them!

Jaydyn's Pinewood Derby Pictures!

Okay I finally got the pictures off Adam's camera - I seriously need to look at getting me a small camera - waiting for him sucks!

Time for an update!

I have been awful this year at blogging and even at taking pictures. We got Adam a great camera and I can't work the stupid thing. My goal - at least for today - is to do better at recording things. So now to update you on our pretty boring lives:

Jaydyn participated in the Pinewood derby in the Woodland Hills ward and had a blast. He did quite a bit of the work himself - sanding, painting etc.. with some help from Grandpa. He seriously worked on the sanding for hours. He took 2nd place in his division and 5th overall. He was so cute watching the races and playing with his friends. I'll post pictures when Adam gets around to uploading them.

On February 21st i went in for a small surgery. Nothing major, just a small bladder thing. I honestly didn't think it would be a big deal. I was and still am tired and tire very easily. I am not allowed to clean (which sucks for those of you who know of my OCD habits), lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk, do laundry, nothing for 6 weeks (only 5 left). I can walk but haven't much since I'm still recovering. Adam was great while he was home - he took 3 days off work to baby me, two of those days I was stuck with a catheter, which sucks btw, so I didn't do anything but lay in bed and eat popsicles. Bella has been her usual mothering self. She wants me to feel better and her way of doing that is to lay on me. Unfortunately 70lbs is too much for my stomach to handle given where the incision is. It's been an adjustment with her.

Both boys are ready for spring break but it's not till next month :) We are all tired of the winter weather and can't wait for it to stay warm!!

Adam and I started our new semester. I had to take a College Writing class and I have to admit I've done pretty well. My first essay was a narrative and I got 100/100! Luckily I have Adam to help me with that class. We are also taking two Psychology classes together and they've been a blast.

I'll update with some pictures soon.

Christmas 2010!!

We had a great Christmas this year. The kids have been so excited! We went up to the Raymond's for Christmas Eve and my parents joined us. We ate some really yummy food, sang, played some games and Nik performed for us. Christmas morning the kids woke me up at around 3:30am and they were forced to go back to bed till at least 7am. They were so excited! They got a Wii, Guitar Hero and guitars, Lego's and tons of other toys! After all the mess had been cleaned up we went to my parents to have lunch with my parent and sister Jamie and her girls. It was so nice to be able to spend time with all of our family!

Here is some pictures of our fun: