- Chugga, chugga... -

...choo, choo!

We're not hoppin' a train, but we ARE chugging along and big house progress is being made on:

Utilities...

...electrical work...

...doors/trim/casing...

...kitchen cabinets [the first half of them, at least!]...

...and SOME lights! 

Weeeeeeee.

All of this progress of the finishing work is giving me hope that, indeed, we might be able to take up residence in this shack before 2020!!! ;)  The pictures say it best, so here they are:

[First "hot meal" in the house!]

THANK YOUUUUU to Papa Mark, Papa Ron, Uncle Mikey, Uncle Brant, and Uncle Garett for helping with all of this! We owe you the moon!

- ALL 'DA HARDWOOD FLO' -

[August 2019]

Piece by piece...

...inch by inch...

...room by room...

...and row by row..........

...Brian installed ALL 'DA HARDWOOD FLO'!!!

^^ On a few different occasions, he had some hours of help from the kids, Aunt Laura, Papa Ron, and even the new next-door neighbors :) :); but aside from those sessions, he spent lotttttts of late nights alone and a couple long weekends solo hammering and nailing and laying this down one board at a time -- and he has the raw/bloody scabs behind his knees to prove it! :/

When Scarlett wasn't shielding her ears from the nail gun, she enjoyed sharing Daddy's late-night [junk food] dinners!

So proud of my dedicated hubby and all his hard work! The flooring looks absolutely AWESOME!  I love it so much, especially since it was the pivotal piece that really made this house start to look like a home!

And now -- on to doors and trim!!!

- Smells of September -

It doesn't quiiiiiite feel like fall yet [100-degree heat and horrible humidity, I'm so over you!]... But as we're nearly two weeks deep into September, I'm gonna take a [literal] hot minute today to enjoy the A/C and feed my autumn-loving soul!  Scarlett and I have the diffuser turned to full blast, because there's so much goodness in these September diffuser recipes!  Mmmmmmm, smells of September...

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Enjoy!  :D

- Happy G-Day! -

Happy Grandparents Day to all our grammies and papas! We love you to the moon!!! 

- Out of the mouth of babes: Back to School Edition -

After Preschool Open House:
Me:  "What did you think of your new school?"
Harper:  "Ummmmmm.....*long pause*.....really nice and friendly and it has a fun playground!  But I don't really want to go there because I want to stay home with Grammy."
Me:  "Well Grammy can only stay with you one day per week.  Plus, everyone that turns 4 has to go to school..."
Harper:  "Yes, and when I'm 5 I will go to school 5 days a week, and when I'm 7 I will go to high school!  And then I will go to college after that, or maybe I will stay home, or whatever I decide."


The night before the first day of school:
Me:  "Do you think you'll take your lunch to school tomorrow or eat what they have there?"
Harper:  "I think I'll eat the food at preschool."
Me:   "Ok.  That's called hot lunch." 
Harper:  "I don't like hot lunch.  I just like cold lunch."

 

After the first day of school:
Me:  "Did you make any new friends today?"
Harper:  "Yes! And someone asked me to be her new best friend and I said yes!"
Me:  "Oh, that's nice! What was her name?"
Harper:  "Welllll, I forgot.  But let me dream about it and maybe I can tell you da-morrow."


While talking about the first day of school:
Me:  "Did you see anyone you knew today at school?"
Harper:  "Yes! I sawed Grace [babysitter] at lunch and Cameron [neighbor] at Reese's!"
Brian:   "You mean recess?"
Harper:  "Yes, Reese's!"


After going to bed suuuuper early and then waking up at 6:17am the next day: 
"Mommy, me and you woke up early because our brains were enough big!  But Scarlett is still little, and she sleeps a lot because her brain needs 'da grow!"


Randomly: 
"Mommy, did you know that after the first day of school yesterday when Grammy picked me up, I got in the car and gived Sissy a BIG hug and a kiss because I missed her so much!  And then all she did was push me!  And I was so sad all day until Sissy gived me a big hug later at home, because I love Sissy and I know she loves me."

While driving to school on day #2:
Me:  "So what do the kids eat that don't bring their lunch to school?"
Harper:  "Welllllll, there's a baker there that gives food to the kids who forgot their lunch at home."


Walking in to day #2:
"Is this my last day?"


While driving away from school at 2:35pm: 
Harper:  "Mommy, isn't it so nice that after school I get to come home during the daytime and not just come home to sleep like I had 'da do after daycare?"
Me:  ..... :'( 

 

After finishing a long-winded story about [??]:
Me:  "Yep, that's right... You've got it all figured out, don't you?"
Harper:  "Yes.  And that's because God gived me a smart brain, and it's so smart because I eat all my healthy vegetables. And know what my favorite one is?  BROCCOLI!"


Randomly:
"You know what Ms. Leah says at naptime? She said, 'You can lay anywhere you want with your mat, except you can't put it right by this door 'case we have a 'mergency and someone has to run out because then they would step on you! Wouldn't that be terr-bull, Mommy?"


At dinner: 
Brian:  "Does Father Jeff come to your class at all?"
Harper:  "Yes! Fah-ver Jeff comes to our class every day and teaches us stuff then leaves."
Brian:  "What does he teach you?"
Harper:  "Numbers, letters, shapes, reads books..... Then he teaches us how candles light and then he leaves.  And then he comes again in the afternoon to see us for a little bit and read more stories and then he leaves again."

After learning about "red choices" and "green choices" at school: 
Harper:  "Let me ask you something.  If I walked up and kicked your leg and said, 'I don't want you to be my friend,' would that be very nice? 
Me:  "Nooo, that's not nice at all!"
Harper:  "Noooooo, and that would be a red choice!  But if I helped you get your nap mat spread out and then gave you a hug, THAT would be a green choice!"
[Red choice vs. green choice scenarios go on and on and on and on...]


Thirty minutes after we'd moved on from above conversation, as Scarlett is red-faced grunting: 
Harper: "Scarlett!!! That is a red choice to poop in your diaper!"
Scarlett:  .....*continues red-faced grunting*


After school pickup, as we were driving through the local college campus:
Me:  "Harper, do you think you'll go to school here some day?"
Harper:  "No thanks, Mommy. I already learned everything at my school."
Me:  ..... :)

 

 
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Ohhh, Harper!  You have the first week of school tucked safely under your belt, and you are looking so forward to the rest of the year!  We love seeing the smile on your face and hearing the excitement in your voice when you talk everything that Pre-K is.  We are so excited for you, our Baby Bluejay, and are looking forward to watching you spread your baby birdie wings and fly this year!