Family Fun

We had some family fun on Sunday evening.  First, we had a planking contest.  Alex won with 10 minutes!  (He did change between different types of planks, though.)

They decided that bottoms off the floor was a type of plank.  Ha ha!

This kid has good form!

Daddy did 'modified' planks from the couch.  ;)

Later, we played hide and seek, but with a family twist.  (This is how we always play it.)  Jim rolls the finder up in a blanket as tight as possible, then we all run and hide while they try to get untangled.  Big kids have to count to 20 before attempting to escape.  Fun times.

Finally, we played 'Are You There Moriarty?'.  The object of the game is to hit the other person on the head.

Halloween

Logan and Alex were identity thieves this year.

We invited a few families over to trick or treat with us and then to visit and snack afterward.  Brig was in junk food heaven.

I forgot to take pictures until two of the families left, but it was a really fun night.

End of October

Slowly, but surely I'm still making progress on our house.  Last week, I decorated Brig's room.

BEFORE

AFTER

We expect to be finished with the baby/ jungle theme within a couple of years, so I didn't want to spend a bunch of money, but I did want to do something cute.  My solution was to print and frame clipart that would coordinate with his bedding.

Alex loves being outside so much.  It's fun to watch him play, explore, and talk to himself.

Laurel was so proud of this mess!!  We used a snow shovel to clean it up.  Ha ha!

At Home

These little girls love their daddy. 

This little lady has become particularly attached to Jim lately which is a huge relief because she went through a phase where she didn't want anything to do with him.  Now he's in high demand!

Logan is working on the inventing merit badge right now, so he invented this baby gate for me.  Our gate was too small for this opening and I didn't want to use something that would damage the wall or railings.  So he came up with an idea.  It's deterred Brig pretty well.

We had a pajama party with friends last week.  :)

New House

Between the kids and I, we finally have some pictures of our new house.  Yay!  I'm no photographer, and my camera is super basic, but here you go.  I am LOVING this house.  I'm pretty sure Jim is tired of me telling him how much I love it.  Ha ha!

Alex obliged me by taking a picture of the front of the house.  He's also been my master gardener since we moved; he's doing a great job with the weeds and even helped Jim mow last week.

Our backyard still feels a little small, but the littles are getting plenty of outside time regardless.  The big kids are always out front riding bikes and playing in the creek.  (We have a creek!)

Kitchen: I'm really happy about once again having a countertop that can be reached from both sides.  The kids can watch what I'm doing/ help without being under my feet.

I also love my glass stovetop and wall ovens (plural!).

Dining room...partially decorated.

Living room.  I LOVE this room.  It is so peaceful and clean.  Aah!

Front entryway.

Just look at that built in bookcase!!  I unpacked half our books onto it, the other half on shelves we already have, AND I have room to buy more books!  Love, love, love!

Our laundry room is just off of the main levels and has a laundry chute going right down to it.  :)

We're calling this the 'den' because family room 1 and family room 2 would be confusing. :)  This room has been incredibly functional for us.

Layout view.  (P.S. I purchased this super sturdy/ super kid friendly dining set for $50!  Score!  My mom would be so proud.)

Family Room: I can't decide how I want to arrange and decorate this room.  This is where we have toys, where I need a couple of bookcases (we ran out of room elsewhere...ha ha), where I plan to put my elliptical, and also where we're projecting movies on the wall.  It's awkward and messy right now, BUT the kids don't care and that's what counts most.  This room right here has probably been my biggest sanity saver.  I've really missed having a separate play area for the kids.

We have five bedrooms, but the little girls' room is the only one that is mostly finished (it just needs curtains).  Also, the other rooms were messy the day I was taking pictures, so I didn't bother.  I finally hung the girls' lights today; they were SO excited!