Another House Update!

We took this picture of our house yesterday. They finally(I seem to be using this word a lot lately) got the stone up. We were excited that it turned out good since we chose a stone color that we hadn't actually seen on a house before. We also took a little risk by putting a double row of brick around the window where the stone is(see picture), which we also hadn't seen on any houses around here. We like the way it turned out though. Now the question is, "Do we put shutters on the top windows?" We had originally planned to put black shutters on the top windows. Let us know what you think in your comments... We'd love some feedback. :)

Soccer Game Day!

In an effort to get the kids involved in something right away, we signed Alex, Jesikah, and Tessa up for the Montgomery County Soccer Association. It is a recreational (non-competitive) soccer league, much like Tumwater Soccer Club (for my Washington friends). The kids do each have one practice a week, each child at a different location, but the great thing about this club is that all the games are at the same place (at a huge sports park), and they are all on Saturday mornings/early afternoon. Today was our first game day. It was crazy and HOT, but fun to watch the kids. Alex had games at 9 and 11, Tessa also had a game at 11, and Jesikah had one at 12:30, so we didn't make it out until about 2:00pm.

Alex found out that one of his new friends from school is on his team, so that was a nice surprise. He had a good time getting back into soccer. He loves it. The girls enjoyed playing too, except for the heat, of course. So much for Fall coming...it was up in the high 90's with the humidity in the high 90's too. We about died of heat exhaustion! We were all sweaty and sunburned by 2:00, but we all survived without too much damage. Eric and the kids went to the pool to get cooled off afterwards while Jarem napped.

We took some more pictures the next week of the kids playing soccer. Eric used the bigger lens this time and got some good action shots. It was much cooler this week. We've had highs in the low to mid-80's. It feels good after all the heat of the summer. I think they enjoyed playing even more in the more moderate temperatures...I know I enjoyed watching MUCH more. I hope we don't bore you with all these soccer pictures. We'll try to lay off now a little.

Fall Is Coming!

I found proof today that Fall is coming! I was so excited to find a few trees with leaves starting to turn. The summer heat and humidity have subsided some these past couple of weeks(thank heavens), and I'm really looking forward to Fall here. Everyone says it is the best season of the year in this region. My teaching days gave me a love for Fall. One of my favorite fieldtrips as a teacher was going up Utah canyon collecting fall leaves and acorns. Another favorite fall teaching day was the day I had the kids each bring an apple and we made applesauce. The smell of the warm apples cooking with a touch of cinnamon really got me in the mood for Fall too.

Tessa's Tooth Tale

Tessa finally lost her first front tooth! Yeah!--Now she can really feel like she fits right in second grade! She is hoping to lose the other one by Christmas so she can sing "All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth". After a lot of begging from Tessa, Eric finally released the tooth from it final grips with a little dental floss and a quick jerk of the wrist. Tessa reminded Mom and Dad multiple times before she went to sleep that she was leaving the tooth "right here under her pillow". She must think that the tooth fairy is kind of forgetful...don't know where she got that idea! :)

Riverfest in Clarksville-September 2008

Last night we decided to go to the Riverfest here in Clarksville. It is a fair-like thing they have here to kind of end the summer and celebrate the importance of the river in this city's heritage. It was very crowded and there was too much smoking and alcohol for my taste. But, they had lots of fun blow-up toys and things for the kids.

The girls waited in line for 1 1/2 hours to do the bungee jumping thing, so I made sure to get lots of pictures. :) They jumped on a trampoline and the bungee cords attach to them and bounce them up in the air so they go really high. They did have fun when they finally went, but I'm not sure if it was worth the wait. I think they thought it was worth it though.

There was a lighted boat parade down the river, which was kind of cool, except that we had to watch it from the girl's bungee line since they hadn't gone on the bungee thing yet and they were almost to the front. By the time they finished, it was over, but I still managed to get a few pictures and we got to see them from a distance and coming back.

All in all, it was ok, but we will know better about when to go next year. There was a toddler zone that was free that we didn't find until the end. Jesikah's friend, Lexy, said Friday night there were no lines even on the bungee one. And I guess there were fun kids things earlier in the morning Saturday like a magician and also there were some animals from the Nashville zoo that they brought in and did a demostration with. It also took us a long time to find the food booths which (in my opinion) are one of the best things about fairs. Oh well, there's always next year.

Riverfest!!

Not Quickly Enough...

One of our favorite family activities since we've moved to Tennessee is visiting our new house. Yes, we probably need to get a life, but oh well. We usually go every other day or so. We can't go too often or we are disappointed in the slow progress. I think it keeps us plugging along knowing that there is light at the end of the tunnel though. The apartment life isn't always ideal.:)

We expect to move in around the 2nd week in October(yes, it got pushed back). This week they have been painting the trim, walls, and doors. They also stained the railings on the stairs. It is starting to look a little like a home now. We expect them to get the outside brick and rock finished this week now that the front door is in, finish the painting, put in the kitchen cabinets, and start on the flooring.

Our House Update

Minivan Mom to Stay!

Last week, with all the 2008 close-outs and dealer cash back on cars, we decided it was time to make the move for us. We had kept our red Dodge the 4+ years we had intended and we were ready for something else. Plus, the miles were about right for a good trade-in (at least we thought)--haha! Little did we know that Dodges are "disposable vehicles" and the likes. Strange thing was, when we mentioned we could sell it one our own if it was going to be "such a burden", the tune changed. They strongly discouraged that--that "wasn't a good idea at all". Car shopping is frustrating!

Anyway, after A LOT of shopping around and about a week, we finally found the right van for the right price with almost what we wanted for our trade-in. I really love my new white Toyota Sienna. I really like the dual automatic sliding doors and the backseat slide-down windows. One of my favorite things though is the outlet for my ipod. We really liked the Honda Odysseys too, and even looked at some non-minivans, but I love the comfort, roominess, and conveniences of a minivan. They are built to accomodate families, so I remain a "minivan mom"! :)

My New Van!