Kitchen remodel!

So this morning the remodel company showed up nice and early (and on time!) at about 8:15a. They got right to work and it took until just before 5pm for them to finish up. I am in love with the changes!

Fridge area before

Stove area before (please excuse the mess on the counters!)

Old cabinets removed! 

Pantry cabinet installed! 

All done! 

Happy Belated Birthday to me!

HI!

Last week I celebrated my 27th birthday! We had to go to Sioux Falls for a eye appointment for Jacob and after that we headed to the Zoo. We had a great time looking at all the animals. We really enjoyed seeing the baby monkey!

We are getting the house to feel more and more like ours! Since we have the upstairs painting done, we pulled out our art and got some of it hung in the formal living room and dining room. I am planning on getting our family picture wall done this weekend! We plan on painting the downstairs hopefully sometime in the next few weeks and then we will be able to hang up the art we have for down here.

We have decided to have some minor alterations done to our kitchen, and have found a company to do the work! They are going to remove the 18in cabinet next to our fridge, cut the counter, remove the double cabinet on the wall above the counter they are removing. Then we will slide the fridge over into that space, put up a single cabinet on the wall, and then put a pantry cabinet in between the wall and fridge. The main reason we are having this all done is because with our new fridge the french door on the left hits the wall and doesn't open all the way.

I am really excited as I was chosen to be on a design team for another craft blogger to help showcase my crafts (if you want to see them, check out my craft blog!) For this, I will be making specific crafts that will be posted on both my blog and the persons blog who's design team I am on! I have already posted 2 times just this week (my first) for her and have seen a increase in the people visiting my craft blog! 

I promise we are alive!

We have been busy! After closing we jumped into some home projects and are still trying to finish some up. Hans' parents came to visit on Friday the 15th and stayed until the following Thursday! They helped us complete so many projects, and we are forever grateful for that!

The projects started with a work bench for Hans' in the 3rd garage space. They were able to complete that in an afternoon and Hans enjoys having an area to keep all his tools.

The next project was to put together Jacob's new playset for the back yard that my mom bought for him when she was here. The directions said that it should take 2 people 4 to 6 hours.....but they lied. With no real issues it took Hans and his dad 16ish hours over 2 days to get it all done! And to make matters worse, they were working outside when we were having record high temps of 100+! But thankfully they got it all together and Jacob LOVES it!

The next project that we tackled was painting the upstairs of the house. When we had made out large trek to Menards to get the wood for Hans' work bench, I checked out the paint they had and we found colors that we liked better than the other stores we had already been checking out. So we decided to go ahead and pick up the paint and supplies so that I could get started with the help of Diane. So over the course of 2 days while Jacob was at daycare, we painted the formal living room, dining room and kitchen! It looks so good, and I am loving the color! I will get some pictures sometime next week once we have all the new curtain rods hung up and maybe even some art! Diane also tackled hemming some of the curtains for the bedrooms that I had bought at Kohls when I was in Colorado.

This week has been a little hectic because Hans' best friend Richard mom passed away last week Friday. He drove down to Omaha, NE on Monday night and then flew down to Dallas, TX and then drove over to West Monroe, LA for the funeral that was today. He was also one of the pallbearers as a request of Richard. He will be flying back on Friday, but this weekend is when we were going to head to Iowa so that I can go to a scrapbooking mini convention. So when he lands in Omaha, he will be driving over to Des Moines, IA and Jacob and I will drive down to meet up with him. We are going to be able to meet up with a friend that Hans' used to work with as she lives in Des Moines now! Then on Saturday, Jacob and Hans will hang out for a bit and then head back towards home while I finish up at the scrapbooking event.

We did it!

We closed on the house yesterday!!!! ::insert happy dance::: :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) 

There were a few hiccups before closing with an issue with some of the credits that were to be applied, but we got that all straightened out and were able to close on time. I have heard people say that closing on a house is a long drawn out process, but I am not sure why. We were in and out within 30 minutes!

After closing, I went and picked Jacob up from daycare and took him to day one of swim lessons. He did great at first, but then freaked out when it was time to try and show him how to float. We had to get out of the pool for a while to get him to calm down. Once they moved onto something else, I was able to get him back in the pool and to play the game they were playing. Here is to hoping that today goes better! Tonight, Hans is going to come with us, so maybe it will help with both of us there.

Family Fun Weekend!

We had a great weekend! On Saturday, we got up and packed up the van to head to Brookings (about 1hr 40 min drive) to go and check out the Brooking's Art Festival! It was AWESOME! I had been told about it by one of the moms in my Mops group, and then read about it online. Over the 2 days that it is set up for, they expect 75 to 80 THOUSAND people! Let me tell you, with the amount of people that were there on Saturday, I am sure they hit that estimated number and maybe even went over it! We had a good time walking around checking out all the booths and only bought a few things. We also ate some really yummy food! At one point Jacob was pretty tired as it was past his nap time, so I put him in the Ergo and he fell right to sleep on my back. That made for a very hot walk as it was in the mid 90's, but when a toddler needs to sleep, I will do what it takes!

One thing that we have started to wonder is come Christmas, where would we hang our stocking from since our new house doesn't have a mantle or fireplace. Well while we were at the arts festival I found a booth that sold Christmas related decor and stumbled upon this...

This sign usually is mounted to a really cute snowman, but it wasn't very tall and Hans was worried that Jacob would just take everything out of the stockings before it was time to do so. So I asked the booth owners if they possibly had any of the signs by themselves and they did!! They even added some hooks to the back so it can be hung on the wall! I am so excited for Christmas now!

Another one of our finds was this sign.....

I just loved it since it is just so true! Even with only one kid for now, he can sure make quite a mess of the house pretty quickly! 

After the Arts festival, we made a trip to Home Depot as it is in Brookings and I bought a couple of sample cans of paint to see if I really like the colors for some of the house!

On Sunday, we went to Church and then came home to do house stuff. :) Hans installed a curtain rod in the laundry room so that clothes that need hung up can be right out of the dryer. He also took down the cabinet above our fridge to trim the edge of it so that our new fridge that comes this week will fit! I painted some sample squares on poster board to take around the house to different area to see if we liked the samples that we picked up at Lowe's on Saturday. We decided that the tan color we picked out will be good for the upstairs, but is to dark for the downstairs walls. I picked out a dark red to use as as a focus wall and we are still trying to decide if we like it or not.

Today is going to be a very busy day! We close on the house starting at 3:30! Then at 5:05pm, Jacob starts his swim lessons that are every night this week. :) Each lesson lasts until 5:55pm. It is a tot and parent class, so I get to go with him and be in the water as well. Then after swim lessons we have a newcomer orientation class at our church! So needless to say, today is going to be very busy! On Friday, Hans parents arrive and we are really excited about that!

I will leave you with a picture of Jacob.....I gave him some fruit snacks to try and get him to not walk on the kitchen floor as I was trying to mop it.

Holiday Fun!

We had a great time this past weekend with all our visitors! Megan and Mike arrived very late Thursday night last week and stayed until early Monday morning. They had to head back for Mike to work the night shift (he is a cop.) We enjoyed seeing them again as it had been a while. They are getting very excited as they are also closing on their house next week!

On Friday night, my mom and sister Kim arrived. On Saturday, Megan, Kim and I went to the city pool (where I got nice and sun burn!), while Mike and Hans made a trip to Mitchell to go to Menard's and Cabellas (boy stuff!). Mom stayed here at the house with Jacob so that he could take his much needed nap! After the pool, we stopped and looked at a local store that was advertising their patio furniture at 50% off. I was able to find a really good deal on a table with 6 chairs. This was a house warming gift to us from my mom. She also bought Jacob a play set (swing, slide) for his late birthday / early Christmas gift! That was one of the items that Hans and Mike picked up at Menard's. It will be built once Hans' parents come the weekend of the 15th and Hans has his dad's help.

We really enjoyed having the patio table, and ate a few meals outside since having it. We also enjoy it in the evenings when the sun is going down and it isn't so hot outside. :) On Saturday night, Mom, Megan, Mike, Hans and I all went to watch the fireworks! Kim wasn't feeling well, so she stayed home with Jacob as he was already in bed. We enjoyed the show and did our best to not be eaten alive by all the mosquitoes!

Sunday we just had a lazy day after Church playing games and visiting. Then we had to say goodby to M&M early Monday morning. After they left, we were able to get a few more hours sleep before Jacob was insistent on us being awake (Grandma wasn't keeping him entertained enough I guess). We hung out and then went down to check out the 4th of July celebration festivities going on. Most of the stuff had already ended, but we were able to walk around some booths that were set up in the park down town. We then came home and Jacob had a blast playing with Grandma and Aunt Kim in his play room!

Then after dinner on Monday, Mom got a couple good family pictures for us!

Next week we have some exciting things going on!! On Monday 7/11 we will be signing the papers to officially own our house!!!!! I am so excited! Then on Friday 7/15 Hans parents are coming for a visit!!!

I am also happy to report that Jacob is doing very good with sleeping in his own bed and for most of every night! I was worried that he would regress with the full house, but he did great!

2 years 2 months 1 week and 1 day

Is how long Jacob nursed for! I have been so ready for him to be done for a while now, but he just wasn't ready to stop. Well last week we finally hit a wall with his sleeping issues and we had to start some sleep training. Thankfully that has been going very well! And with him sleeping in his own bed every night all night he doesn't ask to nurse! He will now fall asleep on his own after being tucked in and given a good night kiss and hug and a story read to him. I am so proud of the improvements that we have all made in the past couple of days!

On another note, I started my 90 day challenge at Curves today! I am really excited about this challenge and am looking forward to the results.

We are going to have quite the busy house this coming weekend! Megan and Mike are coming for the holiday weekend and so are my mom and sister Kim! Then on the 15Th of July, Mark and Diane are coming for a while! And of course on the 11th we close on our house!!

Outdoor fun!

What a week we have had! We are getting closer and closer to closing on our house! Since we already live in the house, we don't have the anticipation of actually being handed our keys at closing, but it is still exciting (and a little scary) gearing up for the closing.

This past Monday and Tuesday, Jacob had to stay home with my as his daycare provider had to go to WY for a funeral. We had fun just lounging around the house some on Monday, and then running some errands and finishing off our afternoon with a trip to the library! Yesterday, we went to our first playdate for the Moms group that I have found here! We met a lot of very nice moms and all their kids! Jacob enjoyed playing at the park with all the kids. We even made the trek to the park on my bike and Jacob in the bike trailer.


Today, I went down to Curves and signed up for their 90 day challenge. I know it was about this time last year that I tried using a personal trainer to help in my weight loss and that didn't seam to work all that well. I am really keeping my fingers crossed that I can stay motivated and get in better shape. I am also increasing my bike riding, by riding to pick Jacob up in the afternoons! I did my first trip today, and am happy to report that I made it all the way there without stopping and all the way home and still felt pretty good afterwards! The ride is about 5.5 to 6 miles round trip! I was able to ride to Amanda's house in about 25 minutes, and back in about 20! On my way to her house, I had a few areas that were pretty windy, so that slowed me down and almost blew me over, but I was able to push through it and make it.

OK onto some pictures! I actually remembered to pull out the camera this week and got a couple cute pictures of Jacob!

Happy Birthday Hans!

Yesterday was Hans birthday! After he got off work, we had a girl from our new church come over to watch Jacob while we went to dinner and a movie! It was nice to be able to do something together on his birthday.

We are settling very nicely in our new house and town. We have found a new church to go to, and I even went to an event they had on Saturday. Everyone that we have met has been really nice and think that it is cool that we are from Alaska. We have been getting ready to close on the house, which will happen on July 11th! One of the first things that we are going to do once we actually own the house, is have a fence put up to keep Jacob contained. We have been getting quotes and looking at different options for the fence. This past weekend we went to Mitchell to Menards (like Home Depot or Lowe's) to see what they offered and we were very happy to see that they actually sell 8 foot fence panels! So instead of having to have each board attached here at the house, all that would need to be done is the posts put into the ground, and then the 8 ft panels attached! We have decided to go with panels that look like this.....  

 

We are hoping to have the fence installed shortly after we close on the house so that Jacob can play outside a little more and be safe! We are also looking at putting up a playset for Jacob. We priced them out when we were at Menards and can get him a pretty cool one for a good price.  

On onto some pictures! These pictures are from when Jacob and I were in Colorado. One afternoon, Oma, Jessica, Katherine, Julianna, Jacob and I went to a farm that is open to the public. Jacob was just fascinated by the chickens and spent a lot of time by their area. He also liked walking through the little creak they had. The last picture is of Jacob trying to take Oma's new puppy Baron for a walk. 

All stocked up!

This weekend we finally got our house all stocked up with a trip to Sioux Falls to go to Sam's Club.

On Thursday night, Jacob and I headed to Sioux Falls (SF for short!) as I had to take my van to the dealership early on Friday morning for them to fix the issue with the window leaking water when it rains. Thankfully they had a rental car available for only $25 so Jacob and I could go do some shopping and not be stuck. When Hans got off work on Friday, he headed to SF to join Jacob and me to do our big shopping trip.

Saturday we got up and ready, and then headed to Sam's. We started with one cart, and by the time we made it to the meat department we were overflowing! So back to the front I went to get a second cart. By this point, Jacob was getting fussy so I also went and grabbed the Ergo to carry him in. So we made it through the remainder of the store with 2 heaping carts of stuff, and Jacob asleep on my back in the Ergo! As we were unloading all the items on the conveyer I realized that it would be easier to load everything directly into the big cooler that we were buying to keep things cold for the drive. To do this, we had to track down a flatbed cart to hold the cooler with items in it. So that meant we were up to 3 carts! After getting things packed in the cooler and insulated bags and boxes, we were able to drop back down to 2 carts to get out to the Tahoe. We actually were able to get everything into the Tahoe with no issues. Hans and Jacob then hit the road to head back home and I ran to a few other stores before heading home. Once we got home came the fun job of figuring out where we were going to put everything. Thankfully we have so much storage space here, we were able to get it all put away with no issues!

Last night I decided to start staining my scrapbooking cabinets. I have 3 to stain, so I started with the first one, and applied one coat of stain to it. After that dried, Hans suggested that it needed another coat. I was planning on doing that today, but never was able to get to it. I took some before pictures, but don't have them downloaded yet, so will upload them when I am done with the project. 

Last night we (well mostly Hans) watched our "Home town" Alaska Aces play their 5 game in the Kelly Cup series (their level of the Stanley Cup) and they won!! They are the Kelly Cup Champions again this year! So Congratulations to the Aces! 

Today we unpacked some more and took a drive to the big Cabella's store in Mitchell which is about an hour away. All in all it was a good lazy, but productive day.

Another Update!

Hi! We have been busy! We are all back together and in our new house in South Dakota!!

Last week Wednesday, Hans took possession of our new house! On Friday, all our household items were delivered by the moving company. So on Saturday, Jacob and I packed up and left Colorado. The drive was about 10 hours of driving. We split the trip into two days, and drove the first 6.5 hours or so on Saturday. We did this for a couple of reasons. The first being that I was making the drive by myself with a 2 year old! The other was because we had a graduation to be at in the morning, so we didn't leave until after lunch time. I thought that I might have been able to push it and make it in one day, but when we got the the town that I was planning to stay the night, I was just ready to be out of the car for a while. Then on Sunday, we finished the drive and arrived around lunch time at our new house!

After seeing the house for the first time in person, Hans took us on a tour of our new town. It is a pretty small town, so that only took about a half an hour! We then got some lunch, and then headed back to the house to do some unpacking.

On Monday, Hans' started his new job! He has really been enjoying it, and is looking forward to a successful career with this new company.

I have to give a shout out to our good friends Megan and Mike as they put an offer on a house and it was accepted! This will be there first house as well! If you would like to read about there house journey you can do so on there blog here.

As we are still putting stuff away, I have not taken many pictures of the house, so I will only be able to leave you with one of our new kitchen curtains that Diane made for me!I am in love with them!

I will do my best to get back on track this weekend of posting weekly for my 52 weeks in pictures.