On Ambrose Pond

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-17T21:47:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Rohwers!

We wish all our friends and family a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Here are some of the things that happened in our family this past year:

We took a family vacation to Universal Studios and visited Harry Potter Wizarding World
Emily turned 18 and graduated from high school Summa Cum Laude
Avritt turned 13 which means we now have 2 teenagers
We completed a long overdue landscaping project around our main entry
Isaac started middle school (5th grade) which ended my career as a classroom parent (yay!)
We went camping as a family for the 11th year in a row
Emily spent 15 days in Europe as part of a band trip
Isaac turned 11 on the same weekend that we brought Emily to college
Mike and I celebrated our 19th wedding anniversary
Avritt was selected for the middle school all-state band (only 6 were selected in the state)
Emily successfully made it through her first semester in college (with 2 roommates!)
Ginger accepted a full-time teaching job for Fall 2012 and will also start grad school then
Mike completed his 5th year in his current job as Director of Technology at a local Intermediate School District
We have been blessed as a family and want to express thanks to God this Christmas!

Emily's Europe Trip

2011-12-12T15:57:00.000-05:00

Emily spent 15 days in Europe this past summer as part of a band trip. They toured through several countries in addition to performing in 5 concerts.

Avritt at a Pre-Jib Snowboarding Contest

2011-12-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

Avritt participated in an amateur jibulation at our local snowboarding/ski hill. He made the cut into the second. For anyone wondering, here is the definition of "jib" from the urban dictionary:

jib
Verb. To jib. Jibbing. The act of manuvering a bicycle, skateboard, snowboard or skis in tricky manner on top of and around a structure such as a stump, rocks, stairs, railigs, rooftops, etc. When you are playing around, showing off, jumping, flipping, hopping, etc you are jibbing.

Emily and her College Roommates

2011-12-12T15:36:00.000-05:00

Emily has a triple room at college this year, and has 2 great roommates! They put together this Christmas card for their college friends. They were having fun being retro!

State Band Competition

2011-12-12T15:34:00.000-05:00

Avritt played in the high school marching band this year along with a few other eighth graders. He was part of the pit. The band got 5th place in the state competition.

Halloween

2011-10-31T09:33:00.002-04:00

Mike had the clever idea of dressing up like the Swiffer commercials. He is a Swiffer and I am the dust that he picks up! We had fun making this, and even won best overall costume at our friends' annual Halloween party.

College Move-In

2011-08-30T22:42:00.003-04:00

Family Picture after Convocation

Emily's Dorm Room (it's a triple - you can't see the bed behind me as I was taking the picture)

Camping Pictures

2011-08-30T22:37:00.004-04:00

Camping was a bit different this year. Avritt had band camp, so he was only able to come one day and one night. Emily came a few days when she wasn't working. Most of the time it was Mike, me, and Isaac...so we had Isaac invite a friend. They had a great time!

Bounty from the Garden

2011-08-30T13:11:00.003-04:00

Isaac's Birthday

2011-08-30T13:02:00.004-04:00

Isaac turned eleven this past weekend! He had a couple of friends over and they went to Craig's Cruisers. We celebrated as a family with Emily in Holland (we went to Mike's office for cake and pizza) because she moved into Hope College the day before.

Isaac's Last Piano Recital

2011-06-17T15:18:00.000-04:00

Isaac playing at his last piano recital - ever!

Emily, Isaac, and Avritt with their piano teacher. Each one of the kids took at least two years of lessons from Ardith. The era of making the kids practice and going through piano music for their lessons is OVER. The kids will thank me later in life...maybe...

Summertime on the Deck

2011-06-17T15:06:00.000-04:00

Isaac and His Buddy at 4th Grade Graduation

2011-06-13T14:30:00.000-04:00

Emily's Graduation

2011-06-05T21:41:00.000-04:00

Emily graduated Summa Cum Laude last week as 10th in her class (of about 260) with a GPA of 4.188! We are extremely proud of her and all that she has accomplished. She is headed to Hope College in the fall.

Emily and her close friends Alyssa and Amber. They all graduated with honors!

Emily and her grandparents.

Proud parents!

Emily and her brothers.

Landscaping Project

2011-06-05T21:32:00.000-04:00

There's nothing like a graduation open house to jump-start some long overdue projects...

Avritt is a Teenager

2011-05-17T15:57:00.000-04:00

So he's officially 13. We now have two teenagers in the house.

Avritt's Birthday Gift

2011-05-17T15:51:00.000-04:00

Prom 2011: Link to Online Album

2011-05-04T15:02:00.001-04:00

Prom 2011

Avritt at His Band Festival

2011-05-04T12:05:00.000-04:00

Avritt and his friend, Ryan, got a I rating at this festival, despite their goofy looks...

Emily and Her Buddies

2011-05-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Emily and her close friends at their last band concert of the year.

Emily Turns 18

2011-05-04T11:58:00.000-04:00

What, who me?

2011-05-04T11:57:00.000-04:00

I was most certainly not the one who knocked over and chewed up the Gerber daisies that Emily got for her 18th birthday...

Prom

2011-04-29T19:14:00.000-04:00

Spring Break Trip to Orlando

2011-04-11T17:52:00.005-04:00

Orlando Trip

We finally took the kids to Florida for spring break. We had a great time at Universal Studios, which contains the new Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We stayed at a hotel right there at the park, and enjoyed temperatures in the 80's and 90's.

Piles of Snow

2011-02-10T13:27:00.000-05:00

Avritt's Project

2011-02-10T13:24:00.000-05:00

Avritt and a friend created a model of the Roman Colosseum out of about 7,400 sugar cubes.

Isaac Swimming

2011-02-10T12:32:00.002-05:00

Isaac at a Swim Meet

2011-02-10T12:31:00.000-05:00

Avritt and His Snowboarding Buddies

2011-02-10T12:30:00.000-05:00

Avritt's New Look

2011-02-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

Avritt got braces in January. He doesn't mind them so far, although he is having trouble giving up gum. :)

Merry Christmas from the Rohwers!

2010-12-18T17:41:00.002-05:00

Avritt, Emily, and Isaac

It's snowing here today as I write this post, and as as I think back over the last year, I am thankful for many things. The kids are all doing very well - both in school and otherwise. Mike and I both have jobs. We have a home that is both aethestically pleasing and functional. We are thankful that God has blessed our family in many ways!

Probably the the biggest change over this last year has been in Emily's life. She is a senior this year and will graduate in May (for those who may be interested in knowing ahead of time - the date is May 24). She has applied to a few colleges, and received an acceptance letter from one already - Hope College in Holland, Michigan (about 45 minutes away). She also received a letter from Financial Aid at Hope with great news - she is a Presidential Scholar and has been awarded an annual scholarship (about 1/3 of the cost of attending each year) for 4 years! We are really proud of her accomplishments and how much she has matured over the years. She has been handling a tough course load this year - four AP classes - and will likely still achieve around a 4.0 GPA. It's going to be an exciting year in 2011 to see her graduate and head off to college!

Avritt is in 7th grade and is heavily involved with percussion this year. He is in the regular band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, and takes private lessons. He really enjoys playing, and also has a great teacher and a group of friends who share his enthusiasm and skill level. Avritt's current favorite thing, however, is snowboarding. He has been to the local hill 3 times already this season, and is biting the bit to get there more this week now that school is out. Avritt will also swim with the middle school team starting in January, and play baseball in the spring.

Isaac is in 4th grade, and is currently swimming for the community team in our area. Backstroke is his strongest race. He played football this past season, and enjoyed being on defense. Isaac also loves to ski and is waiting for his first chance to get out to the slopes this year. He likes to hang out with his friends playing Wii games and Nerf gun wars. He is an avid reader, and can be found with his nose in a book a lot of the time.

Mike is still working for Ottawa Area Intermediate School District based in Holland. He commutes about 45 minutes to work, but he doesn't mind the down-time in the car. He received a great review from his boss recently, and really feels positive about the work he is accomplishing there as head of technology for 11 public schools, 6 public school academies, and 23 private schools in Ottawa and Allegan county.

I am still an adjunct math professor at a local private college. A policy just came through the HR department that will limit the hours that I teach to 18 a year (9 per semester, which is 3 classes each semester). In 2010 I was paid for a total of 29 hours, which included 6 traditional classes, 3 online classes and 2 credits of adminstrative load - so it's going to be a different year for me in 2011. I am considering exploring other options, including following up on a lead with a local K-12 school for specialty math support.

The other thing that keeps Mike and I busy is heading up the community swim team (all admininstrative functions - not coaching). We have enjoyed getting more involved and seeing the team grow to around 100 kids this year.

We wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We hope that the year ahead holds many blessing for each one of you!

-Ginger

Camping

2010-12-18T14:02:00.000-05:00

These next several posts are out of order, but give you a snapshot of our lives from this past summer forward.

Isaac

The boys' sand forts get more complex and larger every year.

Avritt

Campfire

Isaac's 10th Birthday

2010-12-18T13:55:00.000-05:00

Emily's Homecoming

2010-12-18T13:53:00.001-05:00

One group of friends...

Downtown Rockford at the dam. ArtPrize was going on and an artist had created a herd of rams (Rockford's mascot) of all different styles that stretched across the dam.

Another group of friends...

Emily's Senior Year of Marching Band

2010-12-18T13:46:00.000-05:00

Emily plays the clarinet, and is one of the players with a red sash. The theme of their show this year was "Makings of Masterpiece" and was about color, art, and composition.

Emily with her close friends - trying to keep warm on a cold night outside.

Fireside Chairs

2010-12-18T13:41:00.000-05:00

We FINALLY got some new furniture for the living room! These chairs are really comfortable and make a great spot to sit and relax by the fire on a cold winter day.

Isaac as a Football Player

2010-12-18T13:39:00.000-05:00

Isaac played on defense this year. He played a variety of positions: middle line-backer, right tackle, right guard, and safety.

Halloween at Our House

2010-10-31T20:41:00.000-04:00

Mike and Isaac hung the web and spider.

Isaac's "sick" pumpkin. :)

Avritt and his friends made the pumpkin snowman.

Emily the Cowgirl

2010-10-31T20:37:00.000-04:00

Isaac is a Ghoul

2010-10-31T20:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T20:29:00.000-04:00

The Sunset

2010-07-02T14:26:00.000-04:00

The Beach

2010-07-02T14:22:00.000-04:00

Avritt unaware...

Avritt laughing after bonking Isaac on the head...

We saw the S.S. Badger leaving on its journey across the lake.

Fun at Ludington

2010-07-02T14:05:00.000-04:00

Father's Day

2010-06-23T09:41:00.000-04:00

We went to our local miniature golf place to celebrate Father's Day. Mike beat us all in our game! Emily and Avritt did the batting cages while Isaac played some games in the arcade. We went out to dinner together, and had a great time, even though we didn't get home until 10:30 pm!

Festival 2010

2010-06-05T22:29:00.000-04:00

Avritt is in the blue shirt (on the left).

Isaac is in the red shirt with the curved balloon sword at his waist. Unfortunately, climbing on this metal sculpture with sharp edges wasn't good for the sword...

The Boys at Festival

2010-06-05T22:26:00.000-04:00

The boys went to the "Glue-In" at Festival today. They built a ship and a fort from scrap wood pieces. We also had waffle cones, an elephant ear, and then watched a jazz band perform and a local dance troupe. We found the guy who makes balloon creations, and Isaac got a sword and sheath (although not as good as when grandma made them), and Avritt got a little green turtle.

Link to Video of Avritt Playing a Drum Duet

2010-06-05T22:15:00.002-04:00

Avritt played in a drum duet at the school talent show this week. He and a friend wrote a duet that they played on their trap sets. They did a great job!

Link to online album with video:

http://picasaweb.google.com/grohwer/Avritt?authkey=Gv1sRgCNnukoT63Ky0uQE&feat=directlink

Rainy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T14:49:00.001-04:00

We are spending a low-key day inside for Memorial Day. We awoke at 7 am this morning to an intense thunderstorm, and then went back to bed. :)

The boys are playing Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 on the Wii, Mike is grocery shopping, Emily is showering (at 2:45 pm), and I'm blogging. Tonight we are going to grill pizzas.

Earlier this weekend Mike powerwashed the decks, the boys had a watergun fight, Emily and Avritt rode their bikes around, we hung around with people from our house church, Mike and I went to see "Robinhood," I got 5 loads of laundry done, and Mike made the best ribs on his Weber grill that I have ever had.

Cat Pictures

2010-05-31T14:33:00.001-04:00

Click on the picture to see an album of B&W cat pictures that I put together for a friend.

Isaac's Solo Piece

2010-05-23T15:37:00.002-04:00

Isaac's First Piano Recital

2010-05-23T15:36:00.000-04:00

Isaac played in his first piano recital this afternoon. He did a great job! He HATES to dress up, so we compromised and didn't make him tuck in his shirt and wear a belt. He looked dashing regardless!

Avritt's Party

2010-05-16T22:57:00.004-04:00

The birthday boy (on the left) and his gang.

Avritt turned 12 this year!

Avritt didn't want Isaac to crash his party, but Isaac found a way to watch Space Balls anyway :) This is the view of Isaac laying outside the away room with the door cracked open, Avritt unaware...

Opening Presents Early in the Morning

2010-05-16T22:51:00.000-04:00

Avritt was eager to open presents...he finally dragged us out of bed at 7:40 am. Thanks to all the friends and family who sent him gifts! He is excited about going shopping. He may buy some accessories for his new cell phone (he requested one with a keyboard for easy texting), which is what he got from us. He is growing up...

Trip to the Zoo

2010-05-14T17:06:00.002-04:00

Isaac at the stingray petting pool.

The Styles of Furniture I'm Considering

2010-04-27T23:15:00.000-04:00

These are the styles of chairs and couches that I'm considering for our living room. I trying to decide right now on fabric or leather for the chairs (leaning toward leather). Then if we choose leather - brown or black? Mike wants the couches to be in leather for sure. Whichever color of leather we choose will be on 2 chairs around the fireplace, and a couch and loveseat.

Emily's 17th

2010-04-27T23:10:00.000-04:00

Emily's Junior Prom

2010-04-27T23:09:00.000-04:00

My Skiing Mishap

2010-02-16T11:15:00.000-05:00

We went skiing up north over the weekend, and Avritt convinced me to go down a trail through the woods. Well....I shouldn't have done that. It was a narrow track through the snow, and I couldn't slow down once I started down the trail. I was too close behind Avritt, who was managing quite nicely. I kept getting closer and closer, until I had to make a decision to either plow him over (what mother could do that?) or take a dive. I think the black eye was caused by my goggles jamming into my face upon impact. I wasn't otherwise injured. My glasses help to cover this, but it's here for awhile...

Isaac's First Swim Meet

2010-01-11T07:56:00.000-05:00

Isaac was shivering when I took this, and he normally doesn't smile, but he had just posted his personal best time in the 50 Yard Backstroke and received a ribbon!

Isaac was in line 1, and he came in 5th place in this event.

First Swim Meet

2010-01-11T07:51:00.000-05:00

He didn't really want me to take this, but he obliged...

Avritt was in lane 5, and he came in 4th place in this race, the 50 yard backstroke.

Avritt is ready to start his backstroke. He's the one with the "N" on his swimcap. He's at the point where all his peers are wearing caps, so he has started to do that for meets this year.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree!

2009-12-25T21:58:00.000-05:00

Advent is Fulfilled

2009-12-25T21:56:00.000-05:00

O Come, O Come Emmanuel!

Trying to Get a Picture with Three Silly Kids

2009-12-24T21:01:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-19T14:15:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends! We are thankful for a good year, and look forward to the next. We have been in our house almost a year since we completed the remodel last year. We have enjoyed the beautiful space and are very thankful that we aren't moving 3 days before Christmas this year! Mike's job is going very well. He is in the process of hiring for a position in his department, and is currently talking to his boss about some new possibilities for his position, which he is pretty excited about. Ginger is still enjoying teaching college math, and had a busier-than-normal semester as all her classes have transitioned to a new system of online homework. Emily is doing very well in school as a junior (above a 4.0 GPA) and is now driving. She is going a great job, even on the ice and snow. She participated in the marching band this year, and her band won 2nd at the state competition. Avritt likes to stay active. He played football in the fall, is currently on the swim team. He is actually snowboarding at a local hill as I write this (along with Mike and Isaac). He is a top student at school in 6th grade. Isaac is a 3rd grader, and doing extrememly well in school. He played tackle football for the first time this fall. Mike and I spent many hours at practices and Saturday games. Isaac was a tight end. He is also on the swim team - his best stroke is the backstroke. Isaac enjoys reading comics and has created and drawn a few of his own.

We hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Avritt on Cloud Nine

2009-11-28T15:36:00.003-05:00

Avritt got his Christmas present early this year. We found a good deal over the weekend. He is completely geeked about this board and all the gear to go with it! Now we just need the snow...

Halloween

2009-11-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

Mexican Bandit

Army Officer

Skeleton Army Officer and Mexican Bandit

Homecoming 2009

2009-10-20T09:06:00.000-04:00

Emily wore the light gown amongst the group.

It's hard to tell, but her hair was pulled to the side and curled in ringlets. I can't believe that I didn't get a shot of just Emily that day! I was hosting my sister's baby shower, and left the shower to deliver Emily to a friend's house where these pictures were taken. I had a lot going on that day, so I guess it's excusable...

The big group.

Football Players

2009-09-24T07:53:00.000-04:00

Isaac's Football Debut

2009-09-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

Isaac is a left tight end (the end of the offensive line).

On the sidelines during defense.

First Day of School

2009-09-13T13:10:00.000-04:00

I had some handsome boys on the front step waiting for the bus!

Isaac Turns 9

2009-09-13T13:02:00.000-04:00

Isaac's Birthday Party

2009-09-13T13:01:00.000-04:00

Family Shots

2009-09-03T13:11:00.001-04:00

We dont' get too many of these shots...I'm glad a friend of mine was up visiting and took these pictures.

The family around the fire.

Camping

2009-09-03T13:08:00.001-04:00

Our screenhouse in the foreground, tents behind.

Avritt ready for the beach.

This was the scene of 10 days of relaxation this summer.

This was the scene of 10 days of great campfire food.

Memorial Day Weekend at a Horse Ranch

2009-05-29T09:44:00.002-04:00

Bird Pics

2009-05-29T09:25:00.005-04:00

The three birds right before they flew the nest.

This one stayed in the nest for a couple of days after the others. The parents stopped feeding it (for the most part - they came only occasionally) and we suspect that was a motivation for the baby to leave the nest.

I ended up startling this one out of the nest when taking a picture. The mother bird (Roberta) had been pestering this one all day - we swear it looked like she was trying to push it out of the nest. After it left, the mother was busy cleaning the nest, including getting rid of the one egg that didn't hatch (someone found it on the ground later) and the poop from the two days this bird stayed in the nest beyond its siblings. Since then the mother has done some nest remodeling, including lining it with mud and then placing a fresh layer of grass/twigs over the mud. It's now a little deeper and more reinforced. I haven't seen any new eggs over the last two or three days, but the mother is sitting on the nest this morning again.

The baby has returned to the deck a few times to sit in the sun. We have also seen it in the trees in the yard. I haven't seen the other two birds in several days - their fate is unknown...

The Mother Bird

2009-05-13T08:31:00.000-04:00

We have named her Roberta - pronounced "Robird-a"

Avritt Catching

2009-05-13T08:26:00.000-04:00

Three Baby Birds

2009-05-13T08:25:00.000-04:00

Three eggs out of four have hatched.

A Hatching on Mother's Day

2009-05-13T08:24:00.000-04:00

New Resident at Our House

2009-04-30T21:13:00.004-04:00

This robin decided to build a nest on our deck light. We have enjoyed watching the progression from nest building to egg laying to egg sitting. The bird has figured out that the activities behind the window aren't menacing, although the cats have been trying to prove otherwise. They growl, assume the pouncing position, and try to look deadly, but the bird has figured out they are harmless. I took the picture sitting at our kitchen table. We haven't looked in the nest yet for fear of causing the bird to abandon the eggs. The mother bird has proven herself to be stalwart, having sat through several downpours over the last few days. What mothers will do for their babies...

2009-04-30T21:11:00.000-04:00

Emily's Sweet 16

2009-04-30T21:03:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday, Emily!

Emily turned 16 earlier this month, and she celebrated by taking 3 friends to a spa/salon for pedicures. They basked in the luxury of soaking their feet in individual whirlpool tubs, getting foot massages, and having their toes painted to perfection.

After the pedicures, the girls came back to our house and decorated for a larger gathering of girls/guys. They had pizza, snacks, ice cream cake, played Guitar Hero, watched movies, and generally had a good time hanging out.

Avritt and Isaac were bribed into staying down in their room the whole time by putting a TV in their room (Mike's idea). They didn't come out until the TV was extracted (Ginger's idea).

Emily will be taking the driving test to get her license soon, but needs to master parallel parking with her car first. We are excited to see her grow up, but wonder how we got here so fast!

Thanks to Emily

2009-03-23T20:33:00.006-04:00

Emily helped me take some pictures over the weekend for some profile pics for facebook. She did a great job! I figured that I should post some because I rarely put pictures of myself on here.

Emily

2009-03-02T21:02:00.001-05:00

Emily attended the spring dance at her high school last Saturday. This is the first year we have been able to take pictures in our own house and have a decent background!

Emily is just plain beautiful.

The fancy updo. These things take longer than you'd think. Emily has a lot of hair. We always warn the hairdresser when making an appointment. Emily usually wins the contest with her friends to see who has the most bobby pins in their updos.

Happenings

2009-02-20T17:00:00.003-05:00

Avritt finished his swim season last weekend, but I was a bad parent and forgot the camera, so we don't have pictures. Avritt did well at the "A" Meet. He was part of a 100 yard Medley Relay (he swam the backstroke leg) that placed 4th out of 5 teams. He also swam in two individual events. He placed 13 out of 23 in the 50 yard freestyle, and 23rd out of 23 in the 50 yard backstroke (because he missed his flip turn).

Here's a picture of him and a friend at a swim meet back in January:

Other things that have happened lately:

I finally got around to having Mike help me hang one thing on the wall - it is made from black metal (some of it is painted gold) and depicts some plants waving in the wind.

Someone knocked our mailbox off the post last night. Can you get mail if there's no mailbox to put it in? I wonder what the postman did today...

I've been making at least one meal a week in the crockpot and discovered an exceptionally tasty dish I did not expect to like involving kalamata olives and clementines and sugar.

Emily made it through the first semester with all A's and A-'s.

I joined the board of the local community swim team where the boys have been swimming. Wow...some women are hard to deal with. This board needs some serious organization and structure.

Isaac's Leg of the 100 Freestyle Relay

2009-02-11T09:58:00.003-05:00

Isaac swam one leg of a 100m Freestyle Relay at his last swim meet this past Saturday. His team is in lane 5.

Isaac Finishes Up His Swim Season

2009-02-11T09:57:00.000-05:00

Isaac participated in his last meet for the year last Saturday. He qualified to go to the "B" Meet this year, and swam in three events: 100m Freestyle Relay (the team placed 4th overall in the meet), 25m Backstroke (Isaac placed 4th overall) and 25m Freestyle (Isaac placed 7th overall). I think there were about 7 or 8 different schools in the area at the meet. Isaac is in lane six in the picture above, getting ready to start his 25m Backstroke race.

Isaac Skiing

2009-02-03T16:50:00.003-05:00

Avritt Snowboarding

2009-02-03T16:28:00.004-05:00

Skiing Trio

2009-02-03T16:28:00.000-05:00

The boys did ski club through the school this year. Isaac skiis and Avritt snowboards. They have both taken a few lessons, and are really enjoying getting out on the slopes. It was so cold here for awhile that they couldn't get out, but recently we have had some warmer (20s and 30s) weather.

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T01:57:00.000-05:00

The presents are finally under the tree.

Kitchen Complete

2008-12-23T09:55:00.000-05:00

Link to Picture Album of the House

2008-12-21T21:29:00.003-05:00

Pictures of the House

We've Moved Back In!

2008-12-21T19:23:00.002-05:00

Last night we slept in our own house for the first time in 14 weeks. The ability to live in our neighbor's house (2 doors down) was a huge blessing, but we have been anxious to get back into our house, especially the last few weeks. Mike and I slept in our bed for the first time since we moved out, which is the thing we both appreciate the most about moving in. We had been sleeping on two twin-size air mattresses on the floor of the other house. The kids were thrilled to get into their new rooms and find long-forgotten toys. The cats explored the house for several hours before finding their old favorite places to sleep. The weather hasn't been cooperating for moving, however, as we had 3 feet of drifted snow outside our front door this morning. We need to get everything out of the other house, but moving in blizzard conditions wasn't going to happen today. Mike is out snowblowing the driveway right now, and we'll try to get some loads over tonight.

We are so thankful for the blessing of our essentially new house. It's a wonderful Christmas present! The reality is finally sinking in as we move things into their final place for hopefully the last time (for many years, at least). We have shuffled furniture, boxes, toys, and our very heavy TV too many times! Many thanks to all our family and friends who have supported us and helped us through the 5 year remodeling.

Merry Christmas to all!

The Table and Bench Complete

2008-12-15T22:50:00.000-05:00

I went up to the house tonight after getting the boys to bed and discovered that Mike had already finished the outlets under the bench. I still can't believe that's our table!

Kitchen Table and Bench Installed!

2008-12-15T15:25:00.001-05:00

The wires hanging out below will be outlets - they will be done by Thursday.

The craftsman who built this is a local artist who lives in his studio downtown - he's a Christian. He did a phenomenal job. It's absolutely stunning. We will be ordering three chairs at some point to go along the outside edge.

Santa Bandit

2008-12-09T17:48:00.000-05:00

Kitchen Bench and Table Progress

2008-12-09T17:47:00.000-05:00