Happy 29th Ryan!

Happy Birthday to you, Ryan! It was quite a day. He worked hard all day and came home to a crazy house. Avery started throwing up while I was trying to cook birthday dinner for him. I did accomplish getting dinner cooked, after I had taken care of her and cleaned her up 5 times. The poor little girl can't even keep water down. I did get her to sleep after rocking her for 45 minutes. I hope she is done and that she is kind enough not to share the bug with the rest of us.

Even though the day was a little crazy, and we didn't get to have the celebration that we wanted, I hope Ryan knows how much his girls and I love him. He is a great man! His girls adore him and I can't help, but be crazy for him. He has been working nonstop on the addition even though he comes home from work already exhausted. We are thankful for everything that he does for us. We are very blessed to have him in our lives! Happy Birthday my love, enjoy your last year in your 20's....30 is just around the corner!

The 411 on the house

Haven't written much on the addition lately. Things are coming along. I do believe that I can hear hammering in my sleep. The electrical and plumbing are just about done. They will tie all the electrical together and it will be up and running by Saturday. The insulators are coming Monday and they will be hanging sheet rock on Tuesday. That means that I have lots of decisions to be making. We need to decide on flooring, lights, vanity, counters, paint, etc...lots of decisions! It is getting exciting...but we have lots of work ahead of us!

Snuggly Sisters

Rylee and Avery were enjoying watching TV together yesterday. Avery hasn't really been interested much in TV and then she discovered DORA. She follows you around the house saying Dora, Dora, Dora until you turn it on. She is talking like crazy. I swear she picks up at least 5 new words a day. She loves to say watch this and then do something. It is really cute. She is growing like crazy. Time sure flies.

one more makes four...

for the Ley family!!!

Just wanted to brag about my new nephew...he's a cutie! He belongs to Ryan's sister Tiffany and her hubby Jeremey. He wasn't really excited to come into the cold, Alaskan, winter...and you can't blame him. He was nice and cozy warm. Poor Tiff was in labor for 20 hours, but he made it here safe and sound. He and his mom are doing well. He is sweet...looks just like his sister Isabelle who looks just like her mom. Congrats to the Ley Family...he is grandchild number 11 on Ryan's side and they all live in a 5 mile radius. Fun times together!!!

Baby Blues

Check out those eyes...they just sparkle, especially when she is teasing you or up to a little mischief

I love her sweet, sqiushy, kissable cheeks and her pretty blue eyes...


One of the greatest things about having a photographer as a friend is that she always has her camera and she takes shots of your kids. These are more of Leaca's great photos...you should check out her website. http://www.leacayoungphotography.com She takes some amazing shots. Thanks for always practicing on my girls Leaca! One day we will get our family pictures done. :)

Rub-a-dub-dub...

...4 girls in a tub!!

We watched Micali on Sat while her parents went to Anchorage. My girls had a lot of fun with her. She and Zoey have been friends, but she and Avery became buddies on Sat. I thought Avery liked to eat, but Micali kept right up with her. The two of them ate an entire basket of strawberries and many other things. They were cute together. When Micali was in the bathroom, Avery distinctively said "where's Micali?" She was good as gold. She is welcome back anytime.

House Update

Ryan has been working like crazy to get the electrical done. He spent all day on Saturday with the help of Jeremey and Chad, plus every night this week trying to get it done. We get the garage doors installed on the 20th, which happens to be his birthday. They need the electrial done to put them in. Once the electrial is done, it is on to the plumbing. There is no rest for the weary or the great husband who is trying to help save us money by working his tail off!!!

The workers are working on the outside. They are doing some trim work around the windows and doors and also putting on the lap siding. It is coming along and looking great.

Windows and doors

They installed the windows and doors yesterday too. They have a couple more to do. They will be putting up the rest of the siding and then we will have the garage doors. They are working on getting it ready to insulate and drywall. It is taking shape.

Roofing

Ryan took the day off yesterday to get the roof shingled. They were able to get it accomplished thanks to the help of some great friends...John Maw, Gordon Young, Dan Smith, and the Elders (Bedke and Eaton). We are all covered so it can snow now. We were happy the weather cooperated so we could get it done. We also are ready for plumbing and electrical.

I asked our contractor today if it was really going to take until April. He said maybe May or June. My eyes widened...then he said well you can't pour your sidewalk or paint the outside until May or June. I said ok..when do you think we can move into the new addition? He said hopefully Christmas, that is pushing it, but mid Jan for sure. I guess it is all in your perception of what done is, right? Jan was great news. I wasn't looking forward to it dragging on all winter long.

Horse lover

Our horse lover. Zoey, saying cheese!!!

These two are Trouble together!

Ever since we visited Gramma and Gramma this summer Zoey has been obsessed with horses. She makes me stop and pull over when we pass the pasture with horsed in it on the way to town. She also reminds me at least once a week that she wants a horse cake for her birthday. Not sure how I am going to do that one. I got her this shirt and she wanted to show Grampa. So I am posting this so Grampa can see her new purple( her favorite color) horsey shirt.

Student of the month!

Rylee was named October Student of the month for her classroom. She got to go to a pizza lunch with the principal. I took her. She was a little nervous to be there by herself. It was extra special because her cousin, Braden, was also selected for his class. She got to have lunch with him as well. He came and sat by her to make her feel less nervous. That was very nice of him, since he is a cool 4th grader. I know that she enjoyed herself.

Halloween

We had a good Halloween. We went trick or treating at the boys and girls club and then went to our church party. The girls had a lot of fun and are still enjoying their candy.

Yardwork!

This is what our backyard looks like now. It used to be covered in grass. We are going to have to do a lot of yard work this spring and summer.

New Septic

We were told by the bank that we had to replace our septic tank since our we are getting two more bedrooms. It was a headache from the start, but I will spare you from all the details. You don't have enough time to read all that happened. Dave, our builder, let us know that as home owners we are able to take a course and get certified to install our own septic. So I took the course and was the certified installer for our septic. We were able to save a good chunk of change by doing this. I am just glad it is done.

I do have a funny story about the septic though. We, Ryan and I, were in Anchorage for his Gramma's funeral. The girls were here with a sitter when they started the septic digging. Zoey was intrigued by the big tank that was in the ground. When we got home, she came running up and said "mommy look, see that big tank it is full of poop and pee." She proceeded to tell everyone that came to our house about it until it was covered up.

Building Update

It has been awhile since I have posted about the construction. We have all upper level walls outside and interior. We also have the trusses on the roof. They will be ready to shingle on Wed. Please pray for good weather so we can get the shingles on. It will then be time for the electrical and the plumbing. Everything is cruising along.