Silly faces on Christmas!

Curtis was able to watch the kids unwrap all their presents yesterday via the webcam. It was great! We then had to get some photos with the kids and Curtis. Here is one of the silly face photos. I will post more pictures from Christmas later. Curtis specially requested to see this one now though :)

December fun!

It's definitely winter here!

This is what I've been dressing my kids like all week. It has been so cold here! And we've even gotten a little snow & icicles. We don't see very many icicles around here anymore so Nikki had to go pick one off the bush.

On the 5th day of Christmas it was 5 gold rings! We managed to get 4 of those cookies on her fingers for a picture. Those cookies are really yummy by the way :) And today we opened day #6 which said to lay like a goose and color for awhile. So they gave us 2 coloring books and a box of crayons. Heck, I should've waited to do my Christmas shopping. I had also bought a small box of crayons for Nikki. She's not going to need new crayons for quite awhile, which is great!

PS We had to remove our elf videos because the computer that Curtis was using was very slow, like dial up slow. So I took those off and some other things to help speed it up for him. Sorry if you didn't get to see them.

Couldn't wait till Christmas

This year I decided that we needed a new camera for Christmas. So I got one ordered online last Monday and I found it by my door Friday night! I haven't had a lot of time to play with it but here are some photos I did get to take.

For all of you who wonder how I get to see my hubby while he's away, here he is. Isn't he so handsome? Also if you double click on the photo to enlarge it you'll see in the bottom left corner is the camera view of me taking a picture of the computer screen. I thought that was funny.

Here are the kids, ready for church and Garrett wearing his new suit for the first time.

And to our surprise we came home Saturday night to this big red bag sitting in front of our door. I go look inside and find a note that says "Happy 12 Days of Christmas! open 1 each day". I could've cried right then to think that someone is thinking of us this Christmas season. The 1st day was "some pears or fruit for you" so we got a bag of little oranges, yum! The 2nd day was some dove chocolate bars. The 3rd day was something about roosting and reading a book, so they gave us 2 kids books. And we just opened day 4 and it was a pack of bubbles that said "blow some bubbles that fly in the sky like calling birds". It was funny because I was just at the store yesterday trying to find stocking stuffers for the kids and I was looking for bubbles but didn't find any and then someone gave us some! Thank you so much to whomever it was! What a wonderful time of year!

The busiest time of year!

What a busy week it has been so far! From helping Grandma decorate her tree to getting Christmas cards ready to shopping and to even decorating cupcakes. Yesterday my friend came over and spent the whole day with us. Well I guess it was more with the kids as she babysat for me so I could finally do some Christmas shopping for my kiddos. I did find some good deals at Saver's. Then later she helped make cupcakes with the kids and then watched them again so I could go shopping to Walmart and stock up on a bunch of things that we were in need of, and to buy a few more gifts as well. Thanks so much Whitney, you are a life saver! Today I'm going to relax a little and finish getting my cards ready so they can be mailed. Be forwarned, if I am able to deliver them by hand then I will be doing it that way to save on postage this year. That means friends and family who live close by. I hope everyone's holiday season is going well so far!

We've chosen a first name!

Well, I guess the name poll didn't do us much good because we decided to go with the name that had the least amount of votes. The poll ended with Jacob with 10 votes, Benjamin with 7 votes, and Jack with 5 votes. And yes that means we decided to name the baby Jack. When I was looking through our baby name book I just kept thinking of that name and how much I liked it. Then a couple of weeks ago Curtis said he felt like we should name him Jack. So he was the deciding factor. Now we're working on the middle name, which we'd like to be family related. We have Port's in our family so we are thinking of the name Porter. Let me know if you have any other suggestions.

I also scheduled to be induced on February 5th since Curtis is planning on being home for his vacation by the 2nd, which is the earliest they will let him. I'm due the 3rd and with my reputation, the baby may not wait for Daddy to come home first. But this is the first time they have changed my due date up, so we'll see what happens. At least we have it scheduled just in case. As far as pregnancy goes, everything is going well. Just the usual aches and pains of having a growing belly. And baby is moving around plenty and always kicking or poking me.

Thanksgiving pictures

We spent most of Thanksgiving day at my in laws and had dinner & pumpkin pie. Then later we went to my parents house and played games & ate more food. It was an overall very good Thanksgiving, very tiring, but good.

What a week!

So Monday night I wasn't feeling very good and so I decided to make the kids some good ol Ramen noodle soup. The kids are always wanting to watch me cook and so they were both standing on the stool next to me. When the soup was done cooking and I had taken it off to serve into bowls Garrett reached across in front of Nikki and touched the burner I had just turned off. I immediately ran him to the sink & rinsed his hand in cold water for a minute. Then I had to think of what I should do. I didn't want to take him to the ER unless I had to. I mean, why take to the ER and have them do something that I could've done at home right? So I called my sister Tamara who had taken her daughter to the ER before for a burn on the hand. I remembered also that I had some burn gel in my 72 hr. kit and a first aid kit. So I put the gel on first and then when Tamara had said that the ER put burn cream on and wrapped it up I found a little pack of burn cream in my first aid kit. So I put that on and wrapped up his hand and gave him pain reliever. Then cuddled him in a blanket on the rocking chair and he finally calmed down and fell asleep. It was only 7pm and he didn't even get a chance to eat. Poor guy. But he slept the whole night. I then called his doctor's office the next morning and they had me bring him in. The doc said it was a minor 2nd degree burn and didn't think it was necessary to put anything on it or wrap it up. He just said when the blisters start to peel off in a few days to put ointment on it at night time with a bandaid but not during the day. And he said to just keep it clean. He also gave me a prescription for him of an antibiotic that would help prevent any infection. Unfortunately, Garrett doesn't like the taste of it and I have to give it to him 3 times a day for a week. Ugh.

It was really hard for me to have Garrett burn his hand because my stomach had started hurting and turning Monday afternoon. Sometimes it would feel a little better, sometimes worse. All I know, is I didn't feel like eating very much Monday night and all day yesterday. So I had to call in for help from family. The first night I thought maybe it was just gas pains. Since Garrett had just burned his hand and I wasn't feeling good I called my sister to come over. She brought a movie for Nikki to watch "The King and I" cartoon. And then she went to the store and bought me some Gas-X, Tums, Pepto, and apples. I never tried the Pepto though because I wasn't sure I was able to take it while pregnant but I knew the others I could. I decided to try the Tums first and took a hot bath right before bed. My tummy still rumbled all night long. And it was still doing it in the morning. Then I needed to take Garrett to the doctor. I called Stillman and Michelle on the way to the doctor's to ask for help watching the kids during the day. I dropped off Nikki on the way to the doctor and then dropped Garrett off on the way back. With my stomach still turning and hurting all the while. After dropping off Garrett I went to Walmart to get his prescription and some Gatorade, soda, crackers, & chicken noodle soup for me. I had to wait a long time to get his prescription so I had to sit on a bench and wait. My back and legs were starting to hurt quite a bit. Finally I made it home and watched a bit of TV while sitting on the couch and then took a nap. By the evening I was getting really frustrated with my stomach because I didn't know what it was doing. Why had it been turning and rumbling for so long? I kept thinking all day that for sure I was going to throw up but my stomach just kept going from feeling a little better to hurting again, especially when I stood up and walked around. So I had white rice for dinner and then went to Stillman's to get my kids. I ended up trying a half slice of pizza and a breadstick while I was there and didn't head for home till after 10pm. A little before leaving the diarrhea started to kick in again and more constantly and then the stomach started rumbling more. So I figured I'd better book it home just in case. Boy was I right! I barely made it. I could feel it coming and stopped the car and got out as fast as I could, leaving the kids behind in the car (who were both asleep anyway) and running to the kitchen sink in the dark. Finally it had come out, which I was actually thankful for because then I could get it over with and get feeling better. After cleaning myself up I put the kids to bed. I threw up a little more and a little more diarrhea and tried taking another bath, but it didn't feel good to be in there. So I finally laid in bed, only getting up a couple more times to go to the bathroom. Then I slept good the rest of the night. And now I'm feeling much better but still eating a little cautiously with toast, an oat muffin, & Gatorade for breakfast. I didn't get out of bed until 8:30 and realized I needed to get to the computer soon to talk to my hubby. So glad I'm feeling better before Thanksgiving! I hope nobody else gets sick on my account but I really really appreciated the help!! :)

This dog showed up in our neighborhood a week ago Wednesday and has been mostly hanging around our house. Yes, I have been feeding him because I felt sorry for it so I think that's why. My friend brought over some dog food and a kennel. He's cute but it's really annoying that he won't let anyone come near it, even after feeding it and giving him shelter. I didn't do anything the first day he came but after he slept on our patio on our rug I decided to take a picture and make a "Found Dog" poster and put it up on a power pole. I also posted it on craigslist but haven't heard anything yet. I had animal control come out on Monday and all they could do was set a trap, which was a cage that has a trap door that shuts when they go in to eat the food on the other end. Somehow he triggered it the first night but he was still outside the cage. I tried setting the trap again yesterday and putting some dog biscuits to trail inside. He got the ones on the outside of the cage and I could tell he wanted the ones on the inside but he didn't dare go in that cage again. So now I'm not sure what to do. The only reason I've been trying to keep him here is so if someone comes looking for him then he'll be here, whether it's animal control or the owner.

Well, that's only part of my week. I did go see the movie "Twilight" on Sat with my sister, my mother in law, & 2 sister in laws & brother in law. It was a good movie. I definitely want to see it again. Of course it's not as good as the book but I figure it will be like Harry Potter, the more I see the movie the more I will like it. The acting was better than I thought it would be too.

Anyway, I'm sure you're all tired of reading about my little dilemmas, etc. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone tomorrow!

Happy Turkey Day!

Nikki has been having fun making all kinds of turkeys for Thanksgiving. The one on the left sitting on the table she made at a story time she went to with her friend Spencer. The turkey in the middle I printed off the internet and she colored here at home. The last one she made at preschool this week, which happened to be here also. It was fun trying to come up with a turkey the kids could make that wouldn't be too messy or difficult. They really enjoyed making these ones. Well, if I don't post anything before I wish everyone a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving!!! And I couldn't help it, we started listening the Christmas music today. I just love Christmas music and this time of year!

Sippin' cider & dressin' up

This morning we had eggs, toast, & hot apple cider for breakfast. The kids wanted to share a cup and had their straws to sip with. Earlier this month they were sharing an apple and now they are sharing apple cider. Nothing like apples to bring siblings closer together I guess.



The other day Nikki decided to dress up. She kept telling me I needed to get some boy dress up clothes so Garrett could be a prince. I said we didn't have any and then she wanted me to put him in his church clothes. I said no because we need to keep those clean for Sunday. Next thing I knew Nikki had Garrett dressed up anyway, even if there weren't any boy clothes.

Curtains!

Yay! We can finally have some privacy in our family room. My dad came over on Thursday and put up our curtains for us! And thank you to my sis in law Shauna for the actual curtains. I bought the rod at Wally world (Walmart). I just couldn't have a picture of just the curtains so Nikki is posing for us. She is wearing my black hat so that's why her hair looks so dark.

Baby name poll

Please take a moment to help us pick a name for our baby by voting for your favorite. You'll see the poll to the right and under the world clock. Go cast your vote!
I'll probably put another poll on later with middle names but for now we're doing just the first name. Thanks!

1 month gone

As of yesterday Curtis has been gone for a month now. I don't know how I've survived this long and I really don't know how I'm going to survive the rest of it. Some days I feel trapped (like today). I know it really helps when I stay busy but then I have days like today where I'm just tired and don't feel like doing much and the kids just really test my patience with the things they do and the messes they make (that I usually end up cleaning by myself after countless times of asking them). I finally just broke down and cried. Nikki then felt bad and promised she would never make another mess. Ah, how nice that sounds but how unrealistic. I had to tell her that everyone makes messes but we just need to clean them up when we're finished. Finally, to somewhat preserve my sanity I found an excuse to get out of the house. I went to my dad's house to return some borrowed items.

And it did help a little that before we went to my dad's house we were outside watching our neighbor's cats play around our yard. There were at least 6 at one time. One of them was a little kitten that was just so adorable. I had opened our garage door to prepare to leave and some of them invited themselves in. So I kept seeing them run in and out. The only exception was the kitten. It didn't want to leave as soon as it found somewhere warm to hide. The kids had fun with the cats and so did I. It was probably the highlight of the day.

I also took out some frustration by going through Nikki's toy bucket and getting rid of some more toys. I will be going through Garrett's toys hopefully tomorrow as well. There are just so many that they really don't appreciate having them. So I have some cleaning and reorganizing to do. I say reorganizing because I need to find a way that the kids can't get to all of the toys all at once. It drives me nuts when kids just run into a room and start throwing out all of the toys onto the floor and then they don't even play with most of the things they got out. And now that our house is bigger, there are more places that they have to take and dump them.

I pray that the next 3 months go by quickly. I'll have a little baby to keep me happily busy and I'll get to see my husband again for his first R&R. *sigh*

Tis the season for apples!

Yesterday Nikki asked me for an apple and I was trying to lay down and rest so I just told her to get her own and that she could have the whole thing. She was excited about that. After she started eating it I then told her to let Garrett have some bites if he wanted some. They started sharing the apple and when they started taking bites at the same time I couldn't lay down any longer without having a picture of it. I think that was the first healthy thing she ate of the day. I think all she had for breakfast was candy. My niece was over here helping me and I thought she was going to get Nikki some breakfast but she did not. And I was a little preoccupied with talking to my hubby on the webcam.

Yes that's right, we have finally found a way to both talk to each other and see each other over the computer. To be able to see each other we have to use MSN messenger but to be able to hear each other we both had to sign up for Yahoo! messenger. So we finally got something figured out. Yay! And it's been so nice to see him and hear his voice and to have him make me laugh again.

We saw each other! Yay!

Curtis is doing well and I thought I would share the exciting news about how we can now chat with each other online. The first time we chatted was Sunday morning and then again Monday. It was so exciting the first time that I started to tear up a little bit. And now even better yet, this morning we were able to see each other with the web cameras. He found a computer that already had a camera on it. I was able to get my brother's (Colby's) old web cam to use. Then someone from church came over last night and brought me some speakers (since mine were starting to bite the dust) and a microphone and set all of them up for me. After he left I decided to test them out with Colby and Krista since I knew they had a web cam too. And we did get it to work!
So this morning it seemed like I waited forever for Curtis to get online so we could try the web cam. I didn't know he was actually going to have a web cam available so I thought it would just be him being able to see us. So it was fun that we got to see each other but for some reason we couldn't get the sound to work. I don't know if it's the program we're using (MSN messenger) or just the distance that's the problem. I even tried it again with Krista after I was done with Curtis and the sound worked for us then. We will try it again tomorrow though. The cutest part was when we first got on the camera and Garrett saw his daddy. He kept saying "Daddy" and waving.

Nikki is also loving this web cam. She was talking to her cousin Sarah down in Utah for about 2 hours today. They both had a lot of fun doing that.

These are the times when I really love technology!!

Pumpkins & Bunk beds

I had a request to get pictures of the pumpkin I carved the same night Tamara did hers. We went to a girl's night out on Friday and carved them while there and also watched "The Watcher in the Woods". It was fun! The only sad thing is, we just did it on Friday night and now my pumpkin is already shriveling up. We are all sad about it :( Oh well, at least we got pictures before it got any worse. (By the way, thank you to my mother in law for donating the pumpkin)

Also, on Saturday my brother in law Nathan brought over our new bunk bed (well, new to us) and put it together. Now Nikki is officially moved into her own bedroom and Garrett is alone for the first time. As you can see, they both enjoy going on the top bunk and playing up there. We like to play catch with Nikki's ball too. Eventually, we will split the bunk bed up and put the top half in Garrett's room after the new baby kicks him out of the crib. At least that's the plan as of now.

Twilight quiz

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

You are thoughtful and care very deeply for your family. A loving home is of great
importance to you and you always try to make people feel welcome. Although you have a great capacity to love, you also have a great capacity to hurt, so at times you can be
sensitive. You're firm when you need to be, but people trust your judgment and
appreciate the kind way you always handle things.

Bumps, blood, but no ER...must be a boy

Here's what Garrett got today. This is after I took him home, cleaned him up, and changed his clothes. Yesterday he got a big bump and bruise on his forehead. It's kind of hard to see in the picture. You can tell better in person. I should've taken a picture of it yesterday but I didn't. This picture was also taken today after I cleaned him up and changed him. As you can see with the big smile on his face that he is doing just fine now.

So my day started off pretty ordinary. We ate breakfast and got dressed and headed to the Rec Center so I could walk the track. On the way into the Rec Center Garrett decided he wanted to go walk around on the bricks that were surrounding a park bench. I tried telling Garrett to come and go inside but he was having too much fun walking on the bricks. So I sent Nikki over to help him down. I had meant for her to grab his hand and help him step down but she ended up grabbing him around the waste and lifting him down. As she tried to set him down he fell backward and hit the bricks with the back of his head.

I quickly went over to go help him and then realized he was bleeding and it started coming fast. So I scooped him up as fast as I could and ran him inside and to the bathroom. Some of the ladies who work there had noticed and came to help. I had layed Garrett down over the sink and was trying to wash the blood away. Then someone brought in paper towels and I was able to put some on the wound and it soon stopped bleeding. Meanwhile, Nikki was behind me freaking out about her little brother and worried to death. One of the gals who works there came and took Nikki to the playcenter so I could take care of Garrett. I had almost started to lose control myself because I was getting scared that the bleeding wouldn't stop. But it did after a little bit and I was fine after that. In fact, so was he. He had cried at first when I was washing him off but when I sat him up and was trying to clean up the blood all around his neck he was just calm.

They also had a life guard come look at him to make sure he was alright. In the end it looked more like a bump than a cut. They also gave me an ice pack to put on it. So after getting him as clean as I could I went to the playcenter and Nikki had calmed down by then and was coloring. I showed her that he was fine and then she didn't want to leave. I sat on the couch in there with Garrett for a minute trying to put the ice pack on him. Of course he kept moving to get away from it. Then he wanted down to go play with toys. But I decided I'd better take him home and get his clothes changed. Nikki was okay to leave after I told her that he needed his clothes changed because there was blood on them.

Then on the way out Nikki starts telling me "it's so sad, Daddy and Garrett....first Daddy is gone and now Garrett is hurt". I had to tell her everything was alright and that Garrett would be fine. So after getting him home and changed I decided to take a picture of his battle wound. And then I had to make sure that Nikki knew that it was an accident and that she was just trying to help me with Garrett. It was nobody's fault. And they both started playing again like nothing had happened.

So the other bruise that is on Garrett's forehead he had gotten yesterday from falling and bumping his head into the bathroom doorway. Everyone kept asking if that bump was from what happened today but I was like "nope, that's from yesterday". He's definitely a boy and a 2 yr old.

Landed safely

So I finally got an email from Curtis this morning and he has safely made it to Baghdad. He says the base he's on is huge and has to take a shuttle everywhere because it's so big. They still have a few classes to take and then they will be off and rolling for good.

Curtis was officially released from his church calling yesterday as ward clerk. At first I was waiting to hear his name but then the bishop sat down and I didn't see anyone from the stake. Of course it didn't help that the primary program was yesterday so the kids were filling all the seats. I figured they would probably do it next Sunday then. So it took me off guard when someone from the stake did get up and release him and called someone else to his position. I almost started crying right then but I didn't. Just another part of reality setting in.

Anyway, he's in Baghdad and now he can get settled and get to work. And me, I have this little baby inside me to think about to keep my mind off my worries. And this little guy continually reminds me that he's here, always moving around and poking at me. Even Nikki has gotten to feel him move around a few times. It makes us both really happy when she gets to feel him move. Curtis thinks he has a name picked out for him already but I'm not totally sure. I think I'll have to take a vote when I get a few other choices in mind.

NICU Grad Party

Thursday night I took the kids to a NICU Grad Party at St. Al's and they were able to dress up in costumes. There were all kinds of games, goodies, face painting, and cookie decorating. They both had so much fun and I'm glad I took them. I would've put all these pictures in a slide show but the website for the slide show was taking forever to load so I decided just to put them on one at a time. Here are pics of my little kitty and lion.

This is a pic that was taken by photographers at the party. I couldn't believe how well Garrett was smiling for the pictures.

Nikki decorating her cookie.

It tastes so yummy!

He had frosting all over his hands and face after tasting his cookie. That's why he's kind of holding his hands apart like that.

Garrett decorating his cookie. Mommy helped of course.

Nikki had to get her kitty costume completed by having them paint whiskers and a nose.

He's playing a bean bag throwing game.

He got one!

Making paper jack-o-lanterns

Nikki making her scary popcorn hand.

New pictures

If you haven't already noticed, I changed a few things on our blog, mainly the photos. On the day we did family photos it was getting dark outside and we didn't have time to get a picture of Garrett by himself. So he still has an old picture up for now. Maybe one of these days when it warms up a little more then we can do his. And for a 2 yr old it is hard to get him to take very many pictures at one time anyway. Or maybe I can put one of his birthday pictures in for now.

Thank you for taking our pictures Michelle!!

No tears today

Early this morning we sent the boys flying down to Houston. To my utter surprise I was able to stay strong and fight the tears all day long. They did try to come a few times, especially on the trip home from the airport. That's one nice thing about having kids, they distracted my thoughts. I just tried hard not to think about Curtis leaving and where he was going and how long he would be gone. But he did make it safe and sound. Unfortunately, Curtis and Nic were not able to get a room together. They have different room mates. So when Curtis was by himself this evening he decided to read the scriptures. Reality was starting to hit him and he was missing us a lot and probably getting a little homesick. Thank goodness for the gospel and church in our lives.

It was nice to have plenty of family there at the airport to see them off. Those that showed up were: his parents & grandma Port, his sister Shauna & family, my sis in law Krista & her boy Nephi, my sister Tamara & her family. Thank you all for coming!

Nicole kind of has the sense down that Curtis is gone but I don't think she realizes how long. It was funny that as Curtis was walking to check in to security we were all watching and Nikki said she's going to miss daddy. I told her we would get to talk to him a lot on the phone and maybe see him on the computer. Then she quickly remembered that she wanted to ride the escalator again. She was only crying on the way out to the van because she wanted to ride the escalator again. Kids. I don't blame her, I loved riding them when I was a kid too.

Anyway, I then went to my in laws where they had invited Celeste and me to breakfast and we watched the first session of conference. Then I headed over to see my dad since he wasn't able to make it to the airport due to his extremely sore back. When I discovered he wasn't there and found out he was getting his back adjusted again I decided to go visit Gma & Gpa Norton, where I ended up staying all day. Dad stopped in on the way home and then later Chris & Tamara came over and Melissa & Nathan. I decided if I wanted to stay strong the remainder of the day I'd better stay with family as long as I could. We watched conference, talked, went on a walk, & played a game of Uno. And well, now I'm tuckered out and need some sleep. Check out my slideshow below of pics from the airport.

Curtis & Nic send off

One journey ending, another beginning

Well, I think I can finally say that our house is finished. Of course there will still be little things to do here and there but overall it is done! A BIG thank you to everyone who helped in any way with this project! We GREATLY appreciated any help that was given.

We also received Curtis's flight plan this morning. His plane leaves at 8:59am this Sunday. I was hoping his plane would leave later than that but that's what we're stuck with. Anyone is welcome to see him off at the airport, however I know it's early so I really don't expect a lot to be there. Reality is beginning to sink in and I don't know if I'm ready for this but I'm sure going to try.

Oh boy, it's a BOY!!

Well we had the big ultrasound today and as you can see it's a boy! Everything else looks good as well except his weight. According to the ultrasound he is 11 days bigger than he should be if I am 19 weeks 2 days along. Sooo...the doctor went ahead and changed my due date to February 3rd, which puts me at 20 weeks 6 days along. I could be having another January baby! Now it's time to have fun thinking of a name.

New poll....cast your vote!

What's your prediction on our latest poll? Go vote!

The hardest thing we've ever done

Everyone knows that the economy is bad right now. Well, it's starting to take a toll on us. Curtis has had very little or no plumbing work in the past few months and there's nothing coming up. And the graveyard bakery job just isn't going to cut it. With the winter season coming up it's going to be even worse for the construction industry. So Curtis has found an opportunity to get some plumbing work and to make a lot more money. He has applied to work for a company called KBR that contracts with the military and sends workers all over the world. Well, the particular job he is applying for is in Iraq. And if he wants the money he earns to be tax free he will have to be there for at least a year :(

He is just getting some paperwork done and will have his dental checkup tomorrow. Then he will be flying down to Texas on the 5th of October where he will find out for sure if they will accept him to go ahead to Iraq. It will be the hardest thing either of us has ever done but we are looking at the long term goal. We both feel like this is the best route to take and we plan on paying off a lot of debt (cars & home addition) and saving what we can. We will at least get to see each other every day via web camera (which we don't have yet). And he'll get 10 days paid vacation every 4 months. Hopefully, they will let him come home for one of those vacations because then it would be right after the baby is born and he could see his family in person. We'll find out more details later.

His younger brother, Nic, is also applying and they are hoping that they can go together and be at the same base. It would make the wives feel that much better about the situation. Well, at least Celeste and I will have each other to lean on since we're pretty much going to go through the same thing. She has one child already and is also pregnant.

So now we are hurrying to get the house completely finished and get some other things figured out and organized before he leaves. We may need to recruit some help if anyone is available. We need to finish the trim work, touch up painting, and yard (need to get sprinklers in first). Will also need help moving furniture. Well....here we go!

( don't forget to see the post before this one with lots of pics of our continuing but almost finished home addition project)

We're near the finish...I can feel it!

It's time for another update on our project and to see just how close we are to being finished!

A week ago Saturday Curtis and our nephews had fun tearing up the kitchen, laundry room, and some carpet. Here's one of them taking off the baseboard trim to get ready for new flooring.

We had to move out all of the appliances and look what was discovered under our stove, yuck! Apparently, Curtis confessed that a year ago he had spilled some chocolate syrup or something down the side of the stove and never told me about it. No wonder we kept getting ants in our kitchen! So glad it's cleaned up now.

Here's the boys beginning to tear up the old floor.

I thought you might want to see what it looks like underneath all that vinyl. We had to walk around on sticky floors for a few days.

Our nephew Andrew is standing in the spot where they just cut out some old carpet. Look at the mess behind him in our kitchen.

Curtis and his dad putting the new trim and baseboard up on Monday.

The floor guys came on Tuesday to put our new floors in. They did most of the prep on Tues and then finished the rest on Wed. They had to put this dark cement mud stuff on before putting the new floor on. You can see they are almost done with the kitchen.

We had to move our refrigerator into our living room for a few days. Needless to say our house was really a mess last week, as if I wasn't getting sick of messes already.

And Friday the carpet guys came. The kids and I were so excited!! The kids went in there and helped pick up scraps of carpet as the worker cut each piece off. They had lots of fun helping.

And finally here's what the front living room looks like now. What am I going to do with all that space?? :) Let me know if you have ideas on how to arrange that room. Right now we don't have the money to buy new furniture. For now I at least need to clean that carpet.

And here's the dining room. I love all the space in here and I love the new floors more every day!

Here's the area that used to be carpet that leads from the garage to the dining room.

And of course, the kitchen. Those who have seen the floors already say that it looks like tile but it is linoleum. Makes me feel really good about that since we were originally trying to get tile but couldn't find any we liked in our price range. (We had found one but they didn't have enough of it)

Yesterday after Curtis finished up the trim and touch up paint on some of the walls we started moving into the family room. He was able to watch most of the BSU game by the time he got it all hooked up. Unfortunately, I did not watch very much because I was too busy trying to get the front room cleaned up. Not to mention we won't have AC in the addition until tomorrow.

And last but not least, here's a shot into the spare bedroom. I absolutely love our new carpet! I can't wait until we can redo the rest of the house.