Playing catch with Dad

Learning the basics

Like this, Dad?

Gimmie five!

The boys start tee ball in July. It's a parent/tot type program, so not really competitive or organized. Just an opportunity to learn some skills and get a basic understanding of the game. Big cousin Grant has saved many of his toys for the boys and we were pleasantly surprised when he passed on his first baseball gloves to the boys. Their interest lasted about 7 minutes before they were ready to move on to the next activity....back to racing their big wheels.

Frankenmuth

Anderson the cheeseball

Me and my sweets


Jake posing in front of the waterfalls

Their so compliant

My handsome guys

The trip to the outlets was pretty short. As hard as I tried, there were no good deals to be had at the PB outlet. So after some shopping, we took the boys to Frankenmuth. They enjoyed walking around, a scoop superman ice cream, and some candy buttons. Afterwards we took a drive through the surrounding neighborhoods to check out some of the town's homes. They had so much charm and were so well cared for. Frankenmuth seems like a very idyllic place to live.

More of the same

So, I'm just sort of excited about the progress with the house. Sadly I've been taking more pictures of the house than I have of my bubbies. It's becoming a bit more real now. Like it might actually be completed by the end of summer. Our original move in date was May 31st. I'm gushing here, because, well living in the worst economy in the country + building a new house = some awkward political incorrectness. It's safe here, only a few people read the blog and if I can't brag on my own blog, where can a girl be obnoxious? Below is the great room, there will be a stone surround on the fireplace that will go from the floor to the ceiling.

This is obviously the staircase and bridge that runs the length of the great room. It will be done in dark wood and iron spindles. The floors will also be a dark wood in the foyer/kitchen and den.

Another view of the house which now has the the frame for the stone work. The frame was installed today, so hopefully the stone will be completed relatively soon. The stone on the outside will be the same as the stone around the fireplace inside.

Tomorrow we're taking at trip to the outlets. I want to scour the Pottery Barn outlet for some new bedding, frames, lamps, and whatever other treasures that might be found.

Lighting

Our bathroom and powder room light

Our foyer chandelier

Light for the upstairs bedrooms





Light above kitchen table



I love this little fun number for the laundry room

Here are just some of the lights we ordered for the new house. We are still dragging our feet on a fan for the living room and outdoor lights for the posts on the back patio. It's funny how my tastes have changed since the last house we built. I guess after living with things for awhile you get sick of them and tastes change. I used to like a lot of big, overstated bling, shiny, scrolly type stuff....kinda jersey girlish. With this house I asked myself "what would pottery barn do?". :) I want to create a very warm, lived in, rustic cottage type feel to the house. I've got plans for chalkboard paint, bead board walls, built ins, benches, and glass bell terrariums. My how the pendulum swings.

Ain't she pretty?

View of the entry way from the living room

Eat in area of kitchen

The house is almost completely bricked. It's taken longer than expected (go figure) because about halfway through the project, they ran out of brick. So of course the crew left and went somewhere else while we waited for the brick to be ordered and delivered. It will still be another week or so before they finish the outside entry way. That will be done in stonework and they have yet to build the steel frame that will support the stone.

They also began drywalling this week and it looks like the garage floors will be poured by the weekend. Our front door was delivered and it is absolutely positively beautiful. We picked it out from a catalog, so we were pleasantly surprised to see just how nice it was in person. I think I have a crush on the door. They won't install it until they absolutely have to due to the concern of one of the trades people damaging it.

The boys and I are having a great time since school let out last week. We've met Kevin for lunch, had a playdate, and tomorrow we spend the day with Grant and Claire. I'm babysitting Grant and Claire every Thursday this summer. Before the boys, I babysat them a few days a week every summer and I'm looking forward to having that time with them again. The neighborhood next door to us is having yard sale, so I'm taking the four kids treasure hunting.

Summer 2010 pics

Sad but true

Would it even be believable if I said I had to have my braces put back on? Because I feel like I'm lying when I say it, but unfortunately it's true. I.cannot.believe.this. is.happening.
Insert bat sh!t crazy screaming Tammy here @#%#%#%#$^$^$^*%^#%$@%W@%$# !!!!!!!

I've been telling my ortho just weeks after the surgery that my bite was off. Only four of my teeth come together. The rest of my mouth is an open bite, as in the bottom and top teeth do not touch. At all. Obviously this isn't comfortable nor compatible with chewing food. At first they told me the rubber bands would correct it. It didn't. Then they told me when they took the braces off my upper teeth would settle into my bottom teeth. They didn't. Finally they told me worst case scenario they could file some of my teeth down to make the bite better.

Yesterday I went to have my teeth cleaned for the first time since the surgery. My dentist immediately identified all the problem areas in my mouth and confirmed everything I've been saying. Aesthetically my teeth look great, it's a huge improvement. Functionally I am worse off than I was before surgery. My dentist explained to me that the only way I could get a reasonable bite back was to 1) go back in braces or 2) get my entire mouth crowned for 15,000 dollars. Yes, that is 15,000 dollars.

My dentist told me exactly how I should approach my orthodontist about the problem and it just so happened I had an appointment scheduled for this morning. I told my ortho I wanted to speak to him privately in his office. Orthodontic offices generally don't offer any privacy, it is one big open area with lots of chairs for patients. I certainly didn't want to embarrass him in front of other patients when I told him about the heap of sh!t he has gotten me into.

I calmly explained to him that I wasn't happy with the final product and my dentist was concerned about xy and z. I did my best not to cry, and I didn't. He did. He actually welled up a bit and said that my dentist was absolutely right. He doesn't understand how this has happened and he was profusely sorry. He said he will retreat me at no charge and give me ceramic(clear) braces at no charge. As livid as I am that I have to go back into braces for the FOURTH time in my life, I actually felt bad for the guy. He took full responsibility and didn't pass the buck onto anyone. I was impressed.

I'm going to take a three month break from all of this because really I just can't handle more pain in my mouth at this point. It's been non stop for the past 19 months and I really need some time to psyche myself up for this.

3 years ago today...

I was immersed (and still am) in love with my blue angels. Please slow down life....I'm having a hard time keeping up.

Sneak Peek

After a hiccup last week with the brick, we were delayed a few days on the installation. They started it today and although they haven't gotten much done, I'm feeling okay about it. I've been stressing bigtime on this only because the roof and paint were close, but not what we asked for. We picked the brick and stone work based on the roof and paint colors we were supposed to get so I've been a little concerned about how it was going to all come together. If the weather cooperates the brick should be close to done by the weekend.

Warning: Major cuteness ahead

And the potty stories just keep coming. Today we took the boy's to the movies. We stopped on the way to pick up some m&m's. The store did not have a bathroom and Jakey was insistent that he was "hot down there" and needed to pee "willy bad". We were parked on the side of the building and no one was around so we told him just to pee outside. Kevin and the open car door acted as a shield and we told Jake to have at it. His face turned a bit red from pushing but no pee came out. He then informed us in a shaky voice, "Dad, it doesn't work outside. Only inside.".

We went to see Shrek. The boys have never seen any of the Shrek movies, but they do have a McDonald's toy of Shrek and the donkey. Anderson has been asking us for a couple of weeks what the donkey's name is. We've been telling him that his name is just Donkey. For some reason his little mind can't make sense of that because he just keeps asking us over and over as if we are lying to him. So this morning when I told him we were taking them to see Shrek, he said to me, "Now I can finally find out what the Donkey's name is." After the movie started he exclaimed in a happy voice, "Mom, donkey's name is Donkey!"

They are so yummy I could just eat them up.