Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
A Field Trip to the Dairy!
We live in a rural community with plenty of farmland and dairies. Today we went to a "Baby Signs" field trip to a local dairy. Christian's favorite sound to make these days is "Moooooooooooooooooooooo!" so the dairy was a perfect place to be!
And a dairy is mighty interesting! The owner took us on a tour and explained how things work and answerd our questions. A grand time was had by all!
And a dairy is mighty interesting! The owner took us on a tour and explained how things work and answerd our questions. A grand time was had by all!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Wordless Wednesday - October 7, 2009
Not so "wordless" today because I've really got to talk about this truck, "Jesus Christ is Lord Not a Swear Word."
WOW!
Jonathan and I have both seen this truck on the highway, and finally we had our camera at the right time.
It is really an amazing sight to see this truck go rolling past you!
From the company's website www.shipwithsam.com:
Our main focus at Sam Kholi transport is to present to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord not a swear word. If you notice on our trailers you will see the name of Jesus Christ. Our hearts yearn for the world to know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. The Creator of world, Jesus Christ is to be honored, glorified and praised by our lives and our tongue. Instead Hollywood has a driven agenda to denounce and make a mockery of our Lord Jesus Christ by stripping the power and holiness of His Name.
We have no motive or agenda other than to spread the message of hope in our Lord, Jesus Christ. Together with your help, we can fulfill our mission to send this message throughout America and Canada…that Jesus Christ Is Lord, not a swear word. Whether you have a transportation need or would like to donate to our ministry, please visit our services pages and web store.
WOW!
Jonathan and I have both seen this truck on the highway, and finally we had our camera at the right time.
It is really an amazing sight to see this truck go rolling past you!
From the company's website www.shipwithsam.com:
Our main focus at Sam Kholi transport is to present to the world that Jesus Christ is Lord not a swear word. If you notice on our trailers you will see the name of Jesus Christ. Our hearts yearn for the world to know that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. The Creator of world, Jesus Christ is to be honored, glorified and praised by our lives and our tongue. Instead Hollywood has a driven agenda to denounce and make a mockery of our Lord Jesus Christ by stripping the power and holiness of His Name.
We have no motive or agenda other than to spread the message of hope in our Lord, Jesus Christ. Together with your help, we can fulfill our mission to send this message throughout America and Canada…that Jesus Christ Is Lord, not a swear word. Whether you have a transportation need or would like to donate to our ministry, please visit our services pages and web store.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Like Father, Like Son
Jonathan showed me this photo of himself as a child, and I simply could not believe how much it looks like Christian!
I wonder if Christian will look a lot like his Daddy when he grows up. That would be just fine with me, for I think I have a very handsome husband! :)
I wonder if Christian will look a lot like his Daddy when he grows up. That would be just fine with me, for I think I have a very handsome husband! :)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
A Trip to the Zoo
Jonathan had to work today, so Christian and I picked up Liz and headed to the zoo for a few hours. It seems we arrived during zoo naptime, as there just weren't a whole lot of animals to be seen.
There was a petting zoo, but there were only goats there. Christian did get a kick out of being able to brush the goat's fur without it running off the way Bella does when he tries to touch her.
Outside of the petting zoo, there was a cow of sorts (it's a cow that had a big ol' hump on it's back - don't recall what it was called). I wasn't sure Christian would know what it was ... but right away he said, "Moooooooooooooooooooooo!" Clever boy! :)
There was a petting zoo, but there were only goats there. Christian did get a kick out of being able to brush the goat's fur without it running off the way Bella does when he tries to touch her.
Outside of the petting zoo, there was a cow of sorts (it's a cow that had a big ol' hump on it's back - don't recall what it was called). I wasn't sure Christian would know what it was ... but right away he said, "Moooooooooooooooooooooo!" Clever boy! :)
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
A Few Nice Surprises ...
With the days getting shorter, during the week we are only able to get to the house as darkness is falling. Tonight I needed to go to Walmart anyway, so we decided to check out the house while we were out and about.
The first nice surprise was seeing the nice stonework on the house. We forgot it was going to be added ... and certainly didn't thing there would be so much of it. Very nice!
The second nice surprise was to see how big our backyard is really going to be, now that they've started putting up the perimiter wall. Sure, we could always see how much yard was there ... but we assumed it would feel small once the wall went up. However ... it feels HUGE. The thought of making our backyard beautiful over time is exciting, yet a bit overwhelming. But it's nice to know there is so much space and so much potential.
The third nice surprise was meeting some of our new neighbors at the park across the street. We don't have any immeidate neighbors just yet, but we met two families who live down the street and they also have younger children (looked like there were four kids between the two different families). There were too many names mentioned during the introductions, so I only remember the name fo the dog - ha ha!
The boxes of cabinets were sitting in the garage, so I imagine tonight is last time we'll be able to get into the house after-hours. I'm certain once they start installing the cabinets, they will completely lock up the house at night.
The first nice surprise was seeing the nice stonework on the house. We forgot it was going to be added ... and certainly didn't thing there would be so much of it. Very nice!
The second nice surprise was to see how big our backyard is really going to be, now that they've started putting up the perimiter wall. Sure, we could always see how much yard was there ... but we assumed it would feel small once the wall went up. However ... it feels HUGE. The thought of making our backyard beautiful over time is exciting, yet a bit overwhelming. But it's nice to know there is so much space and so much potential.
The third nice surprise was meeting some of our new neighbors at the park across the street. We don't have any immeidate neighbors just yet, but we met two families who live down the street and they also have younger children (looked like there were four kids between the two different families). There were too many names mentioned during the introductions, so I only remember the name fo the dog - ha ha!
The boxes of cabinets were sitting in the garage, so I imagine tonight is last time we'll be able to get into the house after-hours. I'm certain once they start installing the cabinets, they will completely lock up the house at night.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Moving Right Along ...
Not a whole lot to report on the house. The interior insulation and drywall has been put up ... but those pics aren't too thrilling, so I won't post them. So here's some pics of the "pre-stucco" stage of the house.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Six Weeks ...
We had our "frame walk" at the house today. That is where the guy in charge takes us though the house and we get a close-up look at everything before they put in the insulation and drywall.
He told us we'll be closing on the house in exactly SIX WEEKS.
SIX WEEKS!
Keep in mind that on August 24th, all that was there was a cement slab.
He told us we'll be closing on the house in exactly SIX WEEKS.
SIX WEEKS!
Keep in mind that on August 24th, all that was there was a cement slab.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Granny Comes For a Visit!
Granny (aka Jonathan's mom, Nora) blessed our household with a visit for a few days. I had to be in Albuquerque on Thursday and Friday for a meeting, so Granny came to take care of Christian while Jonathan worked.
Christian had a wonderful time with his beloved Granny ... and I know Granny had a wonderful time wtih her beloved Christian! And after I returned home Friday night, we all had a wonderful time together until she left us this morning (*sniffle sniffle*).
Granny taught Christian to drink from a straw, and to wipe his mouth when he eats! She also brought him a new Colorado Buffs shirt to wear on game day (it was a surprise for Jonathan!).
She also discovered the fruits of our labor with the "Your Baby Can Read" program. She laid out several of his word cards and would say (for example), "Christian, give me 'tiger'." And he'd give her the right card. "Give me hippopotamus." And he'd give her the right word. We have dozens of word cards, and he got it right every time. We've continued playing this game with him every night, and now he attempts to say the word ... it is so amazing to see!
He does the same thing with his alphabet blocks. "Christian, give me 'K'." And he'll scan the letters and hand us "K." And he'll do this for all his letters ... and try to say the letter, too (some letters he says very accurately!).
Remember: Christian is only 22 months old! :)
We just didn't know he was at a point where he could do these things ... and so we thank Granny for figuring it out! I'll have to get a video of these achievements and post them online.
We've also since discovered that he knows his numbers (1-10), colors and shapes! WOW!
Nora also taught me how to make tortillas (my past attempts have been pathetic), sopaipillas and chile. Liz came over and we both learned from Nora.
It was a wonderful few days for all of us, and we can't thank Granny enough for coming to visit!
Christian had a wonderful time with his beloved Granny ... and I know Granny had a wonderful time wtih her beloved Christian! And after I returned home Friday night, we all had a wonderful time together until she left us this morning (*sniffle sniffle*).
Granny taught Christian to drink from a straw, and to wipe his mouth when he eats! She also brought him a new Colorado Buffs shirt to wear on game day (it was a surprise for Jonathan!).
She also discovered the fruits of our labor with the "Your Baby Can Read" program. She laid out several of his word cards and would say (for example), "Christian, give me 'tiger'." And he'd give her the right card. "Give me hippopotamus." And he'd give her the right word. We have dozens of word cards, and he got it right every time. We've continued playing this game with him every night, and now he attempts to say the word ... it is so amazing to see!
He does the same thing with his alphabet blocks. "Christian, give me 'K'." And he'll scan the letters and hand us "K." And he'll do this for all his letters ... and try to say the letter, too (some letters he says very accurately!).
Remember: Christian is only 22 months old! :)
We just didn't know he was at a point where he could do these things ... and so we thank Granny for figuring it out! I'll have to get a video of these achievements and post them online.
We've also since discovered that he knows his numbers (1-10), colors and shapes! WOW!
Nora also taught me how to make tortillas (my past attempts have been pathetic), sopaipillas and chile. Liz came over and we both learned from Nora.
It was a wonderful few days for all of us, and we can't thank Granny enough for coming to visit!
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Baby Buff - 2009
And so it begins ... college football season. The tradition is that Jonathan and Christian dress up in their best Colorado Buffs outfits (this year, Christian's outfit was courtesy of Granny - thanks Granny!).
They boys watched football (sadly, Colorado lost) while Liz and I learned to make tortillas and chile from Jonathan's mom. A great day was had by all!
They boys watched football (sadly, Colorado lost) while Liz and I learned to make tortillas and chile from Jonathan's mom. A great day was had by all!
Click here to see Christian's first Buff's game from 2007.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The House ... Just One Day Later - Sept. 1
No, we aren't planning on visiting the house EVERY day.
However, yesterday we noticed that one of the 2x4s supporting the roof had split in two - but the two pieces were somehow attached to each other. So we wanted to stop in after the crew left today to make sure the issue had been noticed and resolved.
A lot of work was done on the house today, however, the split 2x4 was still there. So Jonathan will be calling the builder to ensure they know of the issue and get it fixed. All of the windows were installed today, as well as some more of the roof. It's really starting to look like a house. :)
However, yesterday we noticed that one of the 2x4s supporting the roof had split in two - but the two pieces were somehow attached to each other. So we wanted to stop in after the crew left today to make sure the issue had been noticed and resolved.
A lot of work was done on the house today, however, the split 2x4 was still there. So Jonathan will be calling the builder to ensure they know of the issue and get it fixed. All of the windows were installed today, as well as some more of the roof. It's really starting to look like a house. :)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The Framing Begins
The framing started this morning, so we rushed over tonight to see how it looked. None of the frames are pre-fabricated, so they did a lot of work today! Impressive!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Pre-Construction Meeting - The Foundation is Ready
This morning, we had a "pre-construction" meeting with the builder's head guy in charge of our sub division in Verrado, John. Now that we've had this meeting, the frame starts going up TOMORROW.
This home building experience is much different from the one we had in Santa Fe. Back home, we were discouraged from visiting the lot, and it was only by our visiting the lot on the weekends did we discover that they missed an entire forth bedroom, put in the wrong counter tops, dug some kind of a hole in the concrete that wasn't properly filled in, etc. We later found out the roof wasn't "vented" properly, which created the leak problem we had.
However, Monterey Homes encourages us to visit the home site frequently, and to be "another set of eyes." John gave us his business card and told us to call him for any reason. He assured us he will be personally overseeing every aspect of our build. And that while he's human and can't see everything, he's very good at what he does.
He confirmed for us that these days, the people who are building homes (with so few being built out here in this economy) and highly skilled ... the best of the best. He said these guys are the ones who have years of experience and are perfectionists in their trades ... and in busier construction times, they were the supervisors and foremen. Compare that to the way things were a few years ago ... so many homes being built out here, that a sub-contractor would hire just about anybody to get the work done. They just needed people.
We are very comfortable that we're getting a nice, solidly built home that isn't rushed because there are 30 other homes down the street that need to be built ASAP. As a matter of fact ... we're the newest house to be built on the street - all the other homes are way ahead of ours with the outside already stuccoed, roof tiles on, etc.
Because we have "the best of the best" building our house, John estimated the completion of our home to be late October / early November. YIKES! We were hoping for more like later in December, as our lease in this house is through January 31.
But, it's actually kind of nice to have nice that cushion of time. We can do some things like put epoxy paint on the garage floor, paint some walls inside, put up shelves in the garage for storage, decide what REALLY needs to go to the new house vs. what should be given away or trashed, etc. And then just gradually move in as time permits (as opposed to the lightening fast move we had to do last year).
Here are some pics of the foundation. I admit, these pics probably won't be too exciting for you, our readers. I have this blog out there for you guys, as well as for us. We look at our own blog a lot ... it's really an online scrapbook of our lives. :) As such, you'll get to see LOTS of house pics in the coming weeks. We'll be sure to get plenty of pics of Christian posted, too ... I know that is why many of you REALLY visit our blog. :)
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
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