We have walls!

Amazing but true...I never thought I'd see the day when our collection of kindling would begin to look like a house. Sheetrock is done! Stone is going on the outside of our house this week! Hooray!

Here's the latest look....

They are prepping the wall with tar paper and mortar.
There'd be stone to look at if it did not snow this weekend.
Dang snow! Nobody wants you here!

The entry way looking into the living room.

The office to your right....

The master bedroom, or as I like to call it my "oasis" from the kids.

This is the master bath so far...not much to look at right now,

but imagine "tranquil spa" and your almost there....

Is it possible? Could we actually move into this house in the summer!? Amazing, but true.

Look out! Here come's Spiderman...

It is a funny phenomenon when you put a simple pair of Spiderman pajamas on a toddler. Suddenly, they have amazing spider powers that they have to show everyone in the immediate area. It was hilarious watching him jump around with his cute little body and diaper butt. It's amazing how well children at this age imitate others, (some things you wish they wouldn't imitate), but nonetheless...we love our little super-hero!

Are your spidey-senses tingling? Someone needs help!

Brennan is getting ready to jump and shoot his spidey-web,

at least I HOPE that's what he's doing in this shot.

(We may have to change a diaper instead.)

Looking Good, Boys!

This Easter I let the boys pick out their own outfits. They went for the gusto and wanted suits, ties, new shoes, dress socks, and a crisp white shirt. Aren't they handsome?

We had a wonderful Easter. In the morning we went to church, then had an afternoon easter egg hunt with our good friends, and then a nice family dinner at Mom's. I think my favorite thing about Easter is the quality time spent with my family and extended family. (Eating really tasty food all day long isn't too bad either). I feel so incredibly lucky and blessed.

What a weird looking egg...oh, there's the egg, under the chew toy.

I miss the care-free life of a child.....

Hello my darling booger-factory.

Never A Dull Moment....

Gavin keeps my life full of spontaneity. His naturally funny, sweet nature keeps our family from taking ourselves way too seriously. It's nice to know he'll be there to make me laugh after a long, hard day. Don't ever change, Gavin. By the way....what are you doing?

If you have a caption for this photo, please share with the group.

100% Spelling Test!

I have to brag a little about Connor today. I've told a few people about Connor's struggle with all things wordy...(reading and spelling, a mild case of dyslexia), but I am so proud of him for bringing home a perfect score on his spelling test! It has surprised a few people to find out that Connor has a reading problem. I guess because he is so mechanically inclined and comprehends so much. For him reading has been a major struggle, and we are finally seeing him turn the corner! He's "getting it" and I love seeing that spark in his eyes when he can sit down and read a whole book by himself without help. We still are working on the b-d, d-b problem, and words like "was" looking like "saw"and vise versa. But for now, he's doing so much better and the smile has returned to his darling face.

I love you Connor, you smart cookie!
PS-Thank you Tash for the great picture.

Middle Name Tag

I legally changed my middle name to my maiden last name (Scothern) when I became married, but most of my family still think of me as Jenny-B...at least my mother's side of the family, anyway. For entertainment purposes, I will use my legal middle name (I cannot possibly think of enough B-A-R-B-A-R-A words to describe me.) So here I go...

S- Sympathetic. I try my best to wear another person's shoes, so to speak. Not literally, that's kind of gross. I don't like feet. But that's a story for another day.

C- Content. I finally feel like I have everything I have always wanted. A loving family, a nice area to live in, and I am finally happy with myself, flaws and all. (Which is a pretty big deal for me.)

O- Oddball. I am a little strange and quirky. Some people don't get my sense of humor. But once you get to know me....I am still a little strange and quirky.

T- Terrified of spiders, roaches, (and big nasty bugs in general).

H- Hairy. It is a common Scothern trait. I pluck and wax...a lot.

E- Enthusiastic. When I get excited about something, there's no stopping me even if it kills me! Like building a house, or illustrating a children's book, or losing 9 pounds this week... to name a few.

R- Realistic. I try to do what I can and not beat myself up over the things I can't do. My motto is "Let It Go", unless I am really enthusiastic about it.

N- Neurotic about being on time. My house is usually a pig-sty, my kids are always dirty, but I am never late!!! If I am late, something is seriously wrong. Call the police.


I bet you are so excited about finding out all about me, huh? Your turn!

I love CAD programs...seriously.

As a so-so artist, anything that has to do with floor plans, house design, architecture, and so on, I am completely hooked. I don't know if I could do it for a living, but it sure is a fun hobby. This week, we've gone back and forth our cabinet design for our kitchen. I am proud to say we are finally done after many, many re-designs. (The microwave was problematic!) Anyway...here is a glimpse of what our cabinets will hopefully look like once complete.
(Expand images to get the full effect).



Also, this is a rough-draft of what the front elevation might look like when complete.
We are going for a contemporary "Craftsman-Prairie" look, which does have a major Japanese influence... Frank Lloyd Wright was inspired by the Orient in the 1930's. Classic, but also edgy.
(Again, I apologize if this kind of thing just bores you all to tears).

Communication Frustration

I am at a loss when it comes to communicating with Brennan. I am kicking myself for not teaching him sign language, because I thought it might delay speech. Well, here I sit with a baby who's speech is delayed anyway and our days have become an exercise in frustration.
For all of us.
Brennan understands everything. If I ask him to "grab his blanket and go lay down on the couch", he does it just as I have asked. But when I ask him what he wants, all I get is screaming and crying and throwing of objects. I guess because I cannot read his mind, he throws a tantrum of embarrassing proportions...especially when we are somewhere very quiet and in public. I try to narrow down what he might want with clear words and pointing at objects, but he seems to get more angry. Forget it if it's something he wants and cannot have! Wow, the fireworks this (demon) child can start!
The only consistent words I can get out of the kid are, "get out", "uh-oh", "a-choo!" (A game we play), and sometimes "juice". (These words all kind of sound the same). He grunts or yells at us, never calling us "mommy" or "daddy". I thought that it wasn't that big of a deal...he'll talk when he's ready. But now I am growing concerned at how it affects the whole family. To have a tantrum after every meal, play time, slight breeze gets really old really quick. I need help. Any advice out there? The tricks that worked on Connor and Gavin do not work on Brennan.

Another strange thing....Brennan's almost 2 and he has no back teeth. Just the 4 front top and 4 front bottom teeth that he's had for almost a year. Is that strange to anyone else with kids?