Our House...

So our house is actually "on the market" because we were thinking that if it will sell then we would be willing to sell it... We hate debt in our family... and because of the last couple of really bad-for-our-business years we have had we have some... so we felt it would be harder for God to sell it if it isn't listed... It will have to be a God thing because the odds of us selling this place with the shop and the acres and the improvements that we have in it are pretty slim right now in our area! We obviously live in a very rural area... we have neighbors but we can not see any of them from our house, LOVE that!! We are slowly transforming our property into a "Homestead," you know, where you try to make your property as self sustaining as you can... We have the house, shop, gardens, wooded lot, there is a stream but it only flows maybe 10 months a year, there is several acres of "field" (it is rented to a local farmer right now) and we are currently working on the orchard. Today... March 21... we have been putting the posts in for the orchard... Our trees will come in a few short weeks, so we want to be ready, so the deer can't eat them all up!

I thought i would share a few photos... most of these were taken in December... Thus... the Christmas deco...


This is the view from the road, of our long driveway and the shop... we love that you can't see the house from the road!

The shop! This is where we store all the equipment for the businesses.



At the top of the hill coming down the drive toward the house.
The house...


The view from the house toward the Shop and drive.
The Foyer and Dining room.

Dining room toward the kitchen and hallway.


The Living room... wood fireplace. We love this room! We spend a lot of time in here together!



We have these cool boxes built into the wall in the living room, and dining room...


This is currently our guest room... but as soon as Kimi is coming the boys will be moving in here and Kimi will get the "nursery". I think it is a good boy color!
The Kids' bathroom shared with any guests.

Going into the hallway that leads to the master room, the garage and basement.

The Master Bedroom. There is a deck outside the doors... It is a lovely room!

Master bath... there is a walk in closet, and a little room for the toilet.

The sign...
Some of the gardens at the house... the deer have been nuzzling around in the snow looking for things to eat... they did find some kale and swiss chard left for them!


The basement... Books, tv and toys!



Workout space...
My lovely laundry room... that desperately needs some paintings... or something!

The Bathroom in the basement... These rooms were not intended to look so purple... btw... more blue... but that is not what we ended up with! its ok... its pretty anyways.
My Scrapbook room!! i LOVE this room!!! The boys even have a desk where they keep stuff and they can color or "scrap" with me too... Although this usually doesn't work out too well... They need to bug me too much...


We have this air-hockey table... that takes up entirely too much room!!! I think i might list it on Craigslist. As well as the couch below...
:)

Christmas Card!

This was our Christmas card this year!!! I loved it!!! The boys' smiles were sooo cute!

More December!

I don't often get pictures on Anthony sleeping, because he is not as heavy a sleep as Alex is... so i take advantage every chance i get... he is so sweet when he is sleeping...


Going outside to play! When Alex wore these snow pants... they were too big all winter... But Anthony will be lucky if he gets through the winter still wearing them!!! Its so funny how he is so much bigger than Alex was at the same age... And actually Anthony is younger than Alex was!


The HAT that Jerry bought in Uralsk... He will pass it on to Alex when he is big enough to care...

Ready to go... mis-matched and all!


Our Christmas presents this year... I always do coordinating papers and ribbons... this was this year's. My favorite so far!!! I have determined the first year we have Kimi... we will be doing PINK Christmas paper! See there is a little pink in this ribbon... if i have any left i will be using this ribbon... it is my favorite!!

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So this year for the actual Christmas holiday, we went out to Nebraska to spend time with my Grandparents (maternal) and see my dad and any other relatives we could!! It just so happened that when we got half way through Iowa... we hit the major snow storm... a 9 hour trip took us 12... and that was in the last 4 hours of the trip! so it took us 7 hours to go 4 hours-worth!! There was soooo much snow on the roads and then in Nebraska it was blowing like crazy!!! we hit some huge drifts, because we couldn't see more than a few feet in front of the truck! We were soooo glad to get there!! However, we weren't able to see everybody we wanted to... my mom and brother were unable to make it, some aunts and uncles and cousins couldn't make it over either... There was sooooo much snow and it was COLD!!! It took Jerry and Grandpa 3 different snow shoveling sessions to get the driveway and sidewalk clear!! It was crazy!!!

So for Christmas dinner it was just us and grandma & grandpa! it was nice though, very low key and restful... Especially for Anthony, who fell asleep about 5 minutes into dinner... i got him settled and turned and was talking grandpa for maybe 3 minutes and when i turned back to check on Anthony he was OUT!!!! this kid has a thing for falling asleep during meals!!! It was so funny!!

After Anthony had a nice long nap, we opened some more presents that we brought from home from Aunt T and Uncle G.
and very "fun" clothes form mommy and daddy! hahaha! They were not impressed... well... a little, i guess.


After everyone went to bed at night Jerry and i would sit in the livingroom for a while and just be... it was quiet and nice just looking at the tree. Grandma's tree never seems to change... it was the same when i was a kid... kind of cool like that.

Oh! can't forget the crazy singing thing that Anthony pushed all day long! Jerry was about ready to throw it out into the snow... we had to start limiting it after a while!! hahaha! If grandma had her way, Anthony would have kept pushing it all day long! Grandma misses having little quirts running around her house! All of us grand-kids grew up while they lived in this house! So we all ran down the long hallway and played with the "old" toys and LOVED them!

Grandma told me an interesting story about this picture... She hired someone to paint this picture a long time ago... because they just loved it... and when it came to them... it was only about one foot by two feet long... so that painting is still under one of the guest beds and Grandma herself painted this one for grandpa! And it looks way better than the one they had painted for them!!

Some of the old toys that have been around for decades!

Grandpa's "paper-reading" spot.

The traditional in-front-of-the-Christmas-tree-before-we-leave-photo!! I must say they look awful cute!!!
Can you believe there is almost 80 years between them!!!! I can't!!! I hope we have MANY MANY more!!!

December...

Yes... I am aware that it is now the END of February... but... we have been busy!!! The pictures will be worth it though... I promise!


I just can't resist taking pictures of Anthony in his cute little Eskimo coat!!

They were helping daddy shovel off the deck... so we could actually get to the bird feeders... we love watching the little birds come and eat out there!


Jerry's favorite hat... can you see it? He bought it in Uralsk when we went to get Alex... it is the warmest hat ever and looks funny too! I have a picture later of Alex in it...


The Christmas program at church... The boys looked soooo cute in their little ties and everything... Alex got in trouble up front... it was rather embarrassing, i am not sure what the problem was... All i saw was him and another boy shoving back and forth! Oh my!!!

Anthony sure likes to "sing" he will basically make noise... but actually follow the tune! Still the only word he likes to use is... "da!" But he was going at it... he always likes to copy the choir director with his hands... and he was rocking back and forth this time!

So cute!!! Anthony was singing so hard!!! Alex was doing a good job too!! They have such cute little voices!!!


just cute.


We had "Christmas" with Jerry's parents on Anthony's birthday... so we had Anthony open his birthday presents first and then we had dinner and cake and THEN we opened Christmas presents! Ooooooooh batteries!!! with the toy!


We found the floating marina from the Little People toys that we used to play with as kids... so these toys are OLD... heeheehee, but the boys love them... the love to play with the marina in the bath!

We did a cheater cake this year... poor kid... but it was cute!!! He was the CHAMPION candle blower! He blew it out so fast that i didn't even get a picture!!!

Hardly one crumb went to waste... this is Anthony we are talking about here!!!

Then they got to open their presents from Grandma & Grandpa! They each got their own dvd player for the car and a couple new dvds. We currently use only one... as Anthony can not be trusted to not push all the buttons every few seconds...

Grandpa brought over a little train! They were VERY excited about that!

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ok... these boys are strange... they will eat raw onions like it is a treat! In the summer they do it out of the garden... they pull off the green stalks and eat them... but I was cutting up one of those really big onions one day and Anthony was begging for a piece... a big piece had fallen off and he wanted it! SO i gave it to him... he ate the entire thing!!!! I couldn't believe it!!!! Crazy kid! If Alex had been around i am sure he would have too!!!



We made sugar cookies... They both helped... sort of.

So for some strange reason, we do not have a rolling pin... at least i can not find it... so we used a jar to roll out the dough.
Then i let the boys decorate some... They don't get their hands on knives very often so they were rather excited...


Of course they had to eat the first one they frosted... it was a mess!!!

Chicken Pox!!!!

We have been tagged!!!! We think that they came from someone at church... they have not been a big deal! and they completely surprised us!! haha! I mean, in one day... Anthony was covered!!! I am actually happy that Anthony got them so that he will have a lifetime immunity now! Alex had them when he was 2 months old in the Babyhouse in Kaz. So he should be good too... So far no signs of any on him.

Anthony has been really good about them... He hasn't even itched that much!!! except for a couple on his head... and his head (in his hair) was COVERED!!!! He didn't even seem to be bothered by them... one day he was acting a little under the weather, but he got some extra sleep and he has been going full blast ever since!

They are almost gone now... any that are left are all scabbed over and so we are still waiting for his little baby soft skin to "return." But he is looking good and i don't see any scars yet...

Thought i would share a couple pictures... He's so funny!!! He likes his picture taken, as you can tell. Even in his cute little underwear!!

Well...

So the Auditor came and Jerry showed her the shop... I think he bored her. They really just wanted to make sure we had such a facility. We surely do. It really wasn't a big deal... apparently they have rescheduled the actual audit until January. I guess the construction industry is really being audited lately... and we are no exception.


We have SNOW!!! We actually had a true blizzard last week! Its hard to say how much snow we got, but it snowed all day and most of the night... but also blew like crazy! We had huge drifts all over and we did not leave the house for almost 2 days!! The boys liked watching it that's for sure. They wanted to go out. The cats didn't know what to do with themselves... they were too scared to go out! Jerry was gone to an auction all day on Thursday when it was the worst. We sold our bulldozer and ground heater... we just don't need these much any more and could use the cash more!

Yesterday, Saturday it was sunny all day, so some snow melted and today it rained some and some more melted but the ground is still completely covered at our house. Our driveway has melted off some and hopefully tomorrow will melt some more. I am wanting to check on the carrots that i planted way back in August. They have been covered and growing all this time. So i am excited to see how big they are. I hope they are a good size. It will be interesting anyways. I also have some beets in a couple beds so we will see... if they are big enough we will harvest them and if they aren't i think it will be the end of the growing for them... I have to put the plastic away for the winter so that i can use it again in the Spring. I hope the sun shines tomorrow!

I leave you with a teaser photo of the boys Christmas photo-shoot. Actually i did two shoots... one i took about 200 pictures and they were awesome and the boys were so good and they got their treat after wards and everything... When i loaded them into the computer, i noticed that the files were really small!!! Oh no! i realized that i left my camera on the small setting from when i was photographing stuff to sell on ebay!!!!! I was so upset, i actually sat down and cried!!! I can't print anything bigger than a 4x6 photo and i always scrapbook larger ones at Christmas... so i begged and promised more treats for another shoot later that night... so this is one from the first shoot...


actually i couldn't pick so i added a couple other funny ones. This is Anthony's faker-smile... most of the time you can't even see his eyes though... so funny!
This is Anthony's surprise face... it makes him look so funny... it stretches his skin out funny around his eyes!! Alex is just steady-on with the smile.