Delays...Hopefully No More Setbacks

The granite people cancelled on us Thursday and Friday. They did arrive this morning with slabs of granite in the truck. I'm assuming they are working on the kitchen first since that is the granite they brought with them. Good thing since the tile guys are still working in the bathrooms. The girls bathroom is complete...just missing grout. The master bath is still in progress. Yesterday they ripped out the sheet rock in the shower area, and today I assume they will install the hardi board. The flooring is half complete in the master bathroom area. The guest bathroom has one run of tile down and set. So I think they may work on that today or tomorrow.
I did take some pictures out there this morning when I went out there. I will try to upload them later this evening.

Tiling and Granite for Thanksgiving

Tuesday they began tiling the master bathroom. They are supposed to return Friday to continue work. The Granite crew is scheduled to arrive this morning. They predict to be complete on Friday afternoon. I am soooo excited to see the final results!

As for our own Thanksgiving. Johnathan worked at the property Turkey Day morning, while the girls and I cleaned the house and got ready to head to Grandma and Grandpa W.'s for lunch. It was delicious! I actually made myself miserable with how much I ate. I never thought I would say this...but I am tired of fast food...so having a nice home cooked meal...was quite a treat! We also got to visit with Grandma and Grandpa H, MaMaw and PawPaw, and Jenn and Chad. Johnathan and I are so blessed to have such wonderful family members. Next year...Thankgsiving is at our place!!!

Sunday...a Day of Accomplishment

Saturday night my parents spent the night so that first thing Sunday morning, we could start painting. My mom stayed home with the girls until Jennifer got there. (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for watching the girls. They had a great time with you and Chad, and we got soooooo much accomplished.)
We worked until dark. We started at 50% complete (painting that is) and finished at 85%. It was nice to come home and feel a sense of accomplishment for a change.
Mom and Dad, Jenn and Chad, they all left around dark. Thank you Mom and Dad for helping us knock out so many rooms.

Annual Freebird Party

Saturday Johnathan and the girls took me to Cracker Barrell for breakfast! Yum! Then the girls and I headed home while Johnathan headed to the property. He arrived home with just enough time to shower and get back in the car. We were scheduled to be at Stefany's house at 4:30 for dinner. Once a year she orders Freebird burritos for everyone. Lucky me it just happened to be on my birthday this year. (a perfect present...a day of no work, playing with my girls, catching up with old friends and yummy Freebirds. I only wish we could have stayed longer. We left shortly after dinner to head back to Beaumont to get some more work done. Busy Busy Busy!

Lowered Again

We lowered our asking price again for our house. With the new house getting closer to completion...we are starting to get a little concerned. Hopefully we will see some more traffic now that we are in a new price range. Keep your fingers crossed that it sells soon!

Fever Again

Jadie woke up from her nap today with a fever of 102. For the last two days she hasn't had much of an appetite, and this morning she woke up not acting herself. I was able to get her in to the doctor at 4:00. Her Dr. thinks it is a virus. He checked her ears and said they look good. (We just finished her antibiotic 2 days ago for a previous ear infection.) He did say her throat is very red which is probably the reason for her lack of appetite.

What Day Is It?

It's sad when I can't recall what day of the week it is!
Thats only one thing i cant remember! I switched the girls lunch kits for school. The teachers were shocked I sent a juicebox with jadie. It caused quite a commotion with the other little ones wanting a juice box! Today I forgot to pack Jadie diapers at school! BAD mom!!!!
I really don't think I have my head on straight these days.
My mom has been with us since Thursday. She has been helping with the girls so I can paint and stain. She has been painting a lot herself too! I feel like I haven't seen my girls and my husband in months!
The good news is we are making significant progress! The master bedroom is 90% done. I just have to touch up the ceiling paint by the crown molding. The masterbath is about 60% finished. I just have to polyurethane the cabinets and touch up the trim paint. The gameroom, ashlyn's room, and the foyer just needs to be rolled.
They have installed just about all our lighting fixtures. As a result, I had to go pick out a chandellier. I found one and I love it!!!!
Saturday we have a couple of guys coming to seal the kitchen cabinets! (Thank you Mom and Dad for doing that!!!)
Once the cabinets are polyurethaned and sealed the countertops go on!!!! Then the tile and carpet is laid!!! SOooioooo CLOSE it seems!
We had a couple revisit our current home which is STILL for sale. From what the realtors were saying....these people want to buy our home. They came Monday night...still no offer. I received an email today from our realtor saying that the wife totalled the car and they needed to focus on that right now.?!
I'm feeling better finally. I lost my voice for a couple of days. I'm just now losing that manly voice from being hoarse. Now Johnathan has it. The girls are congested and coughing too. I guess we are just pawing it around. I'm hoping Momdoesnt catch it too since she has been through Chemo.
Speaking of Mom....she got a clean bill of health. She does have to have an ultrasound for a possible cyst on her thyroid. I'm just so thankful that her cancer is gone. I think she is finally starting to lose her eyebrows and her eyelashes. Good thing is...no more treatments....so whendoes that stuff get out of her system so can grow some BLUE hair. That's what Ashlyn says it is going to be when it grows out!

Faces of Jadyn

I'm Sorry for the Lack of Pictures

I have been so busy with the girls and with the new house, there has been little time for fun. I know the girls are feeling quite bored too! Grandma and Grandpa K. bought playsand for the girls to play in at the property. That will hopefully make things easier on them when we have to go out there and work.

I have also run myself down...I have had the crud and as a result have completely lost my voice.

Johnathan in addition to Jet Lag is starting a new job within BASF. Therefore he has a load on his shoulders too. A new job, and trying to get all the house painted and stained so we can get the electrical people and tile people in. We are the ones holding up the progress on the house at this point.

We are also getting concerned about our house not selling. Our realtor says the market is slow, however, it is better than normal due to people left homeless as a result of Ike and also all the plant expansions in the area. It only takes on buyer though...so we will keep praying.

Spray Painting the House

Johnathan arrived home from Germany on Tuesday. He has had some trouble adjusting back to Central Time. However, he managed to spray the entire house with primer, all the ceilings, and sprayed the trim. He did a great job. It is tough working above your head for such a long period of time. My Mom and Dad came over to work on the house on Saturday. Dad moved debri and brick to burn piles. Mom wanted to work, but she wound up watching the kids and running to the store for more paint, and to the house for more shovels. Thank you!
On Sunday, Johnathan's Mom came over at 8am and played with the girls until 4pm. They made gatorade popsicles. The girls had a good time playing. Thank you Grandma for watching them.
While Patti was with the girls, I started to paint the masterbathroom. Johnathan worked on taking down all the tape and drop cloths and cleaning the house. It was a full days worth of work. I unfortunately, didn't finish the bathroom. It is about 3/4 done. It is hard to work in there due to all the corners, different ceiling heights, and the 13 feet ceilings. I don't like heights at all...so I am dreading the second coat of cut in on those tall ladders!

No UTI

I never did update the last posting. Jadie stopped having symptoms of a UTI. She continues to have a horrible cough. I would definitely take her to the doctor because it sounds so deep in her chest. However, she is still on an antibiotic. If it continues after she finished we will schedule another appointment. She is past due for her 18 month wellness check. When we get her 100% healthy I will have to take her back for that, in addition to getting both girls a flu shot.

Jadie has an Ear Infection and a possible UTI

I took Jadie to the doctor this morning and found out Jadie does in fact have an ear infection. He prescribed her an antibiotic. About 4pm Jadie started squatting down and holding herself while saying ow. So I called the doctor back. He said to give her a bath...no bubbles, have her drink as much fluids as she can and if she is still complaining in the morning...bring her in so they can attach a bag to her to get a urine specimen!

On a good note....John comes home tomorrow evening! We are all ready for him to be back home!!! 11 days is WAY tooooooo long!

Cancelled Chick Fil A

Ashlyn is extremely upset with me. I told her last night we would go this morning to Chick Fil A for breakfast. She was so excited to go and play with Maddie there. However, this morning when I went to get Jadie out of bed...she had a fever! So today...we are going to the doctor!

Happy Birthday Ryley and Brenlee

Yesterday Mom and I followed each other back to Hockley. Our niece and nephew were celebrating their second and fourth birthdays. The party started at 3. Unfortunately, we had to leave at 4, so I could get back home before dark. I am glad I got home when I did. I spent the evening (until 1am) preparing some brochures for a client I am taking pictures of this morning.

It was a really neat party. They had bouncers, sand boxes, the kids got to feed Pete the donkey, and all sorts of yummies. They also were planning on feeding the koi fish...a hay ride...and many more fun-filled activities! I wish we could have stayed the night and got to enjoy Ryley and Brenlee a little more! Ashlyn just loves to follow Brenlee around and make sure she doesn't need anything. It is cute to watch them interact. Jadie had a blast playing with Grandpa G.'s pebbles that lined his walkway.

Halloween and House Progress

Mom and I worked on the house all week from 9-4:30. We put a small dent in the work that needs to be done out there. We finished puttying all the nail holes in the trim. We cleaned up as much as we could considering it is SOOOOO dusty in there. We started to stain the master bathroom cabinets...however, I still have some work to do on them. We taped off almost all of the windows so that when Johnathan gets back in town from Germany...he can spend his time finishing the trim on the stairs and start working on spraying the entire house with primer! I am trying to convince my mom to come back the week of the 13th-20th...to help out with the detailed painting. I just need to line up a babysitter again!

Halloween night we worked until 4:00 and then headed to pick up the girls. We picked up pizza on the way home. Candace came over and ate with us. I got the girls dressed in their pirate costumes. Ashlyn was into it...Jadie was NOT! It was time to Trick or Treat...so Mom, Jennifer (our neighbor), the girls, and I loaded into the golf cart and we went to four houses. Then we came home and Ashlyn passed out candy to the trick or treaters. We had about 10 knocks at the door.

Mom Arrived

Mom arrived into town today around two o'clock. I took her and Candace out to see the house to see what my mom thought about where to start tomorrow. Tomorrow, Mom and I are heading out there to work. There is soooooo much to do it is quite overwhelming. I hope we make a large dent by the end of the week! I also hope to get some new pictures up of the girls! It seems like I have been slacking in the photo taking department. I will do better!

Germany

Johnathan left this afternoon for Germany. He has been wanting to go for years, however, something always has come up that has prevented him from being able to go. So that leaves me here...to work on the house. My mom is coming over Sunday and we plan to work on the house as much as possible to get it ready to paint when Johnathan gets home. We will be busy busy busy. Courtni, (my best friend) will watch the girls during the day!

We had our driveway poured on Tuesday! It makes it so nice not to have to walk through the weeds and mud anymore! I know Ashlyn is anxious to get out and ride her bike on it! It is super long!!!

Carey's Birthday Party

Jadie woke up saying "eat" so I slowly started her on solid food. She handled it well and she no longer was running a fever. So we decided to go to Carey's party. It was a Fancy Nancy party. Super cute! Fancy Nancy is a little girl who lives a normal " plain" life. She loves fancy stuff. Tea parties etc. She uses big "fancy" words in her storybooks. Stefany, Carey's mom had the party at Glitz and Glam. (Stefany and I took the girls there for Ashlyns 4th birthday. All the party girls received manicures, an updo and their makeup done. Then they went into the party room and were transformed into beautiful ladies when they put on beautiful sparkle dresses. Ashlyn of course picked blue since it was her favorite color. They made ice cream sundaes and danced! Ashlyn danced! And danced! And danced! I triedro getsome cutepics of her dancing...nothing compared to being there though! I have no idea where she learned her moves! Jadie was SOooooo Good! She stayed in her stroller the entire time. I felt bad for not taking her out but at the same time didn't want to spread any germs if she still wasn't 100% recovered.

Sick Tummy

I took the girls to school while John went to the property to work. While the girls were at school I went and helped Johnathan. I had to leave and pick up the girls and brought them home for their nap. Once they woke up...we headed out to meet John and bring him a drink. When we pulled in the neighborhod I turned around and saw Jadie throwing up! I drove to the property and had johnathan help me clean her up. So the girls and I turned around and headed home. I asked our neighbor Jennifer to watch Ash while I cleaned up Jadie Ann. (Thank you Jenn!). Just as I was about to get Jadyn out of the car...She lost it again. Poor thing she doesn't understand what's happening. I got her cleaned up and she perked up considerably...so I decided when I put them to bed to see if our other neighbor Candace could come over and stay with the girls so I could go help Johnathan. Candace agreed...both girls were in bed...so I took Johnathan a sandwich and headed out to Fannett. I made it about half way there when Candace called and said Jadie had thrown up again. So I turned around. She had a fever of 100.3 and has thrown up 3 more times since. For a total of 5. I'm worried that she will dehydrate herself. (Just like her sister does.). I have made a pallet on the floor in the living room and I am sleeping on the couch. I hope she gets to feeling better! Tomorrow we are supposed to go to Ashlyn's best friend Carey's birthday party! Ashlyn will be heartbroken if she misses it. She has been talking about it daily since receiving her invitation!

All the Paint has been Chosen...I mean ALL

Choosing Paint has been my priority the last two days. Choosing it for every room in the house! Closets included. We have selected only 13 different colors of paint...2 different colors of stain...

It is hard to make these decisions without being in the house...without my furniture present...without the stained wood already there and the tile already in place. Hopefully we have chosen well! Only time will tell!

Johnathan has tomorrow off. He will spend the majority of it installing the exterior locks and working on setting the interior doors. I have to take the girls to school and then I will join him. My goal is to get as much taped off while he is working so he can use his fancy paint sprayer to spray everything with Kilz.

Busy Busy Busy....

Brick Work...Done....NOPE!

We went out there yesterday afternoon to pay the brick contractor since he stated the job was complete. As we were pulling up we noticed an arch...that wasn't symmetrical...Extremely obvious. One side nice and curved...the other side...FLAT! It is directly above our front door...so it is very obvious! Anyway...he said he would come back and make it right. John withheld some money to assure his return.

Our cabinets are being installed as I write this!!!

They are framing up our Driveway...so they can pour the concrete. All they need is a couple of days without rain...which hopefully will come soon! A driveway would be great for the girls to ride their bikes on and draw with chalk on while John and I work.

The texture is 100% complete on the walls...ready for trim and paint. We will be occupied with this for the next few weeks. I've even arranged for two of my friends to practically watch the girls just about every day so I can get out there and work! My mom has even volunteered to come over and stay witht he girls while I go out there and work.

Speaking of Mom...she is FINISHED with CHEMO! She had her last treatment Tuesday! Ashlyn can't wait for her hair to grow back...she swears it is going to be Blue because that is her (Ashlyn's) favorite color!

911

Jadie always likes to play with the house phone. Typically she just pushes numbers...no big deal...because she hasn't pushed the "talk" button. However, today she pushed the speaker phone button...so I heard the numbers being pushed. I heard it ringing but hung up before anyone answered. I hit redial...like I always do...to see if she called China...today she called....911111111*9911. We shouldn't have to pay any fines or fees, since noone answered!

At 6:00pm last night we went to visit Candace. (Candace always has m&m's for the girls if they finish their dinner.) Johnathan came over shortly after we arrived....Candace keeps peanut butter m&m's for him! He took the girls home about 30 minutes later so I could visit with Candace. Not 2 minutes after he left...he called and said Jadie had a fever of 101.5. I was shocked because she had no symptoms and didn't act as if she wasn't feeling well. I came home...and it wasn't 30 minutes later she was at 103. We had already given her tylenol and just had to wait out two more hours before we could give her anymore medicine. So we soaked her in the tub for 30 minutes to try to bring it down. Poor girl was freezing...chin quivering...but she was having a great time... We sang Old Mac Donald....she is really good at the E-I-E-I-OOOOOOOOO part. We also sang the wheels on the bus...which I think might just be her favorite song!

After the bath...Johnathan and I took turns snuggling with her. It is bitter sweet when your little ones are sick. You hate that they don't feel well and you can't make them better...but at the same time...you love the snuggles that they give!!!!

This morning when I went in to check on her...I noticed a little bit of throw-up in her bed. So I will spend the majority of the day cleaning and sanitizing in case it is a stomach bug...to try to prevent Ashlyn from being exposed.

I am trying to figure out how I am going to get Ashlyn to school this morning and yet not take Jadie into the school. I don't want to spread her germs around the school...but at the same time...I don't want Ashlyn to miss school. I'm sure I'll come up with something.

Einstein Leaves...

The day after Einstein (the turtle) arrived, we released him back into the ditch. Talk about stinky! He also dirtied the water within thirty minutes of being in the tank. I didn't think potential home buyers would enjoy opening Ashlyn's closet door to be overwhelmed by the smell of a stinky turtle!

Here are a few pictures I took from my phone of the girls playin outside and in the playhouse. (The pictures are quite blurry...it's hard to convince a 4 and a 1 year old to be still!)

My Results and Jadyn's New Thing

A couple of you were aware that I went in for some bloodwork...to check my blood sugar (since I had gestational diabetes with Ashlyn and I've been having some of the symptoms of high blood sugar). Well, they didn't check my blood sugar but they did check my cholesterol level. The paperwork I received said my cholesterol levels are normal. It states that my LDL is normal, however it says my HDL (good) is borderline...below normal. From what I have read on the Internet this isn't good. So I am researching what I need to do to improve my HDL levels. I willwait to go back for my blood sugar...so that they may retest my cholesterol to see if I have made any improvements!

As for little Ms. Jadie... She has started to walk on her toes. I don't know what that is about or if it's any cause for concern. She is developing some little calves as a result.

Realtors...Realtors....and More Realtors!

The last two weeks the showings have really increased...even having two in one day! I think it is averaging about one a day at this point...so hopefully....an offer will follow shortly. Sounds as if people still don't have their insurance checks yet...so that may give us a few more weeks to work on the new house. From what I understand, these people that are looking are from the Bridge City (which only 14 of 3000 homes didn't take on significant flood waters during IKE). Therefore, I'm sure when we do get an offer...they will want to move in immediately.

As far as the new house goes...I haven't posted any pictures in quite some time. We went out there this evening. Here is a picture of the progress so far.
The house is almost 100% bricked. We actually ran out of brick and had to track some more down from the same lot. The inside is completely sheetrocked, floated and taped. We are currently waiting on the texture. Our cabinets are done and sitting at the shop, waiting on the texture to be completed before installing them. So things are progressing quite well.

Jadie Didn't Cry at School Today!

Today was the first day that I dropped Jadie off at her class and she did NOT cry! Her teacher said she had a great day!!!

On the way to pick up the girls from school I almost drove over a baby turtle. I of course...had to pick it up! So, when the girls and I got home we redid Hope and Crystal's (the girl's hermit crabs) tank to make room for "Einstein" the turtle! I don't know how long he will be in our family. He is stinkier than the crabs! Here are a few pictures of the kids playing outside.

Dermatologist...Here We Come!

Jadie has inherited my skin problems. I took Jadie to the doctor again for a rash that she has developed under her arm. I suspected it to be exzema. (A skin condition I still battle as an adult.) Her pediatrician confirmed my fear. Fortunately, it isn't contagious. Here is some information if you would like to read more about it.

Kids Health--Eczema

Our Little Pirates!

Today I took the girls to pick out their Halloween costume. Of course, Jadie was going to be whatever Ashlyn was to make it easy! Ashlyn really wanted to be a princess. However, being that she is a size 6-8 (that's 6-8 years!) in costumes this year...there aren't any princesses. Instead there are rockstars and divas. I don't want my little one looking so grown-up (aka the middrif showing and the short mini skirts) at this age. So...we opted for the long sleeve Pirate costume! It was either that or the hippie costume...and she just wasn't into that because her hair is curly and not straight like the girl in the picture. Here is the store picture of Ashlyn's Costume.

Anyway, Jadie will be a little pirate too...Talk about being adorable! I can't wait to get them dressed up and shoot some snapshots of them. Maybe this weekend I can get them in their costumes so Johnathan can see them. He will be away on business the night of Halloween. Here is the store picture of Jadie's Costume.

Jadie has Added Peez to her Vocabulary

Jadie now will say please if she wants something. Her most commonly used words are:
Mama=Mom
Dada=Dad
AGH!=Ashlyn
Wa=water
More=More
Peez=Please
Down=Down
God=Dog
Papa=Grandpa
Bah=Ball
Buh=Burp
Tay Ew=Thank You
Bew=Book

We also have learned that she can have a serious allergic reaction to mosquito bites. The doctor prescribed an antihistamine and some steriod creams for us to use in the future.

Jadie's favorite game is Ring around the Rosie. (Her big sister taught her how to play!) Last night, Johnathan and I were watching the girls play and figured out that Jadie was playing Ring around the Rosie by herself. She was trying to seeing the words (she had the right pitch and rhythm) and then would fall down when she was supposed to. She did this for about 10 minutes straight.

Home Again

Mom drove the girls' and me home yesterday afternoon. (I had some cute pictures on my phone of the girls playing at my parent's house, only I lost my phone at dinner one night.) I am glad my mom decided to stay the night with us instead of driving all the way back to Hockley that night. Ashlyn always thinks it is a special treat when her grandparents stay the night. Mom left early this morning before I took the girls to school. Ashlyn had a good day at Pre-school. Jadie on the other hand has had some issues adjusting. It's hard to drop her off knowing that she is miserable....I'm only hoping it gets better, sooner than later.

On the road again!

The girls and I will pack up Thursday night and head back to my parents for the weekend. Johnathan is going on nights for a while and it's too hard to keep the girls quiet during the day while he sleeps.

Headed Home

Johnathan had to be back at work this morning, (Monday). So yesterday afternoon Johnathan dropped the girls and me off at my parents. My parents had power and we still did not. A few minutes after Johnathan arrived home one of our neighbors stuck her head out and shouted "We have power!" Since the girls and I were already here...we decided to stay two nights and visit with my family. Mom has chemo tomorrow morning so we will go ahead and pack up and get out of her hair so she can rest afterwards. I'm excited about finally headed home and getting our angels back in a routine!

Feeding Uncle Brody's Koi Fish

Playing Ring Around the Rosie!

Jadie Playing in the Sand

Jadie Listening to Grandpa K. Read her a Story.

Leaving Seaworld

In just a few hours we will be packing up again. This time Johnathan will be dropping the girls and me off at my parents' house, and then he will head out to Beaumont. He has to be at work Monday morning. We still don't have power at the house so John is planning on borrowing my parents, since they no longer need it. We all had a great time at Seaworld. The best part in my eyes was the 4d movie we went and saw! In the past we haven't gone because it is a movie about pirates. (I don't think I've ever seen a movie about pirates that wouldn't scare a kid.). However this time we saw a whole bunch of little ones going in with their parents...so we went! Ashlyn was excited because everyone got to wear these cool red glasses. That excitement turned to uncertainty within a minute of the movie's start. The seats had extra effects that went along with the movie. For instance...a guy was in a cave and got caught in a spider web...you see the spidercoming down (and since it is 3d it looks like it's coming at you.) then the spider SPITS! Everyone in the place got sprayed with water! At that point Ashlyn was terrified and said...."I'm going to have nightmares!". Johnathan and I must be bad parents because it was hysterical! I didn't take any pictures at Seaworld...my little camera's battery died and I didn't want to bring my big one and worry about it getting wet. I'm glad too since we not only got a little wet at the movie but we sat in the splash zone at the Shamu show. Fortunately we were at the far back of it so we stayed dry....it was neat to sit that close to such amazing creatures!

Grandma and Grandpa K. have POWER

My parents called this morning and told me that they had power. We will head there on Sunday. Yesterday, I booked us two nights in San Antonio so we can take the girls to Seaworld. Johnathan had saved a bunch of vacation so that we could use it to do work on the new house...now that he will basically be back in a "turn around" like work roll...vacation days will be almost impossible to come by...therefore we have decided to make the most of Ike's desire to keep us from our home.

Carey and Ashlyn Playing in the Hotel Lobby after Breakfast.