Today it was a good day.

Here is how we spent it.

Cousin Amy and Cohen in the ladybug...just moments before she was kicked out of the ladybug!

We met up with this handsome little dude and his parents!

There's Amy again...does she need kids or what???

Amy and Claire bust out the big guns.

Load 'em up!

Chad and Cohen fight back!

Sweet Coco.

Not sure if it was more difficult to tear Cohen away...or Chad!

The two pictures above are the kids waiting in line for "Fire in the Hole." Let's just say they didn't look near as happy on the way out. Terrible idea mommy....terrible idea.

Photography by Claire.

My new mixer!!!!

Kids with homemade chocolate chip cookie dough all over their faces!!!

Delicious.

Sneak Peek!

I was going to wait for a big "MOVE THAT BUS" moment and reveal our house...but I just can't wait! So before I show you, I must explain that the before pictures don't seem as bad as the ACTUAL before that we saw in real life. You can't see the massive amounts of dirt, grime, grease and STICKY TACK all over the walls! I am not even kidding when I tell you, that yellow sticky stuff was everywhere. The previous owners allowed their kids to hang stuff wherever they wanted...thankfully they didn't let them use the nail gun! With that said, here it is!

This is the foyer and the stairs going up to the bedrooms. To the right is the hearth room and then the stairs that go to the basement.

Before....


After! (Sorry if the lighting is not the best, it was dark!)


This is the original fireplace in the hearth room. A lovely coppery, bubbly tile. BLECH!

Here it is tonight after Brian and my dad hung a new mantle and had rock put up!

Here is the range in the kitchen...can you see the solid film of grease??

And after!

And just so you can see what HAS NOT been getting done while we were working on other projects, this is our master closet.

Before...that door is NEVER OPEN because there are bats in there that will be removed in a few days now that mating season is over! (yeah...that's right. Bats.)

And after!! What a mess!

But this will be a winter project! For now, I just wear whatever I grab first!

This has been such a crazy process but it really has been fun. Some days were pretty rough, but we made it through and I am really looking forward to making this our home now that we have the big projects out of the way! More pics to come! I can't wait to actually finish an entire room!

3 Years Ago...

I was picking up the phone to call my mother-in-law. She hurried over to crawl in bed with Claire so Big Daddy could take me to the hospital. Mr. Cohen was ready to make his appearance. We stopped off at the convenience store to get some lifesavers and some cash. The guy working asked us if we were headed to the bowling alley (what I assume was some sort of joke regarding my belly which resembled a bowling ball) and I told him, "NOPE! We are going to have a baby! I'm in labor!" You should have seen his face. I know he thought, "Then get the heck out of here!"

So off we went, money and lifesavers in tow, to welcome our little boy into the world. As I lay in the triage part of labor and delivery, I quietly watched TV until the nurse came and said it was time for an epidural already! I think I was cursed at by every other woman in there who was still stuck at a 2! I "labored" all night, which consisted of chatting with my family and watching an episode of Family Feud until my doctor came in to break my water just a little after 11 am. I went from 7 cm to 10 cm, pushed a few times and Cohen was born at 11:37 am.

I remember looking at his poor little bruised body and wondered what in the world was wrong with him! The doctor assured me it was just because he "came flying out" and said he would be fine. (Which was true other than the broken collar bone!) As I tucked him into bed tonight with his brand new "cakey" (a.k.a. blanket), I couldn't help but remember that night three years ago. I couldn't wait to see what he looked like. I couldn't wait to hold him in my arms. And here I am now with the most beautiful little boy. He has the sweetest heart and a smile that can melt your heart in two seconds flat. Tonight, just like every night, I marvel at what the good Lord has given me. I can't wait to tell him the story of the morning he was born EVERY single year. I know that he will go through a stage where he rolls his eyes and groans because he will think it is SO lame! But I also know that, God willing, he will someday have kids of his own. He will understand. Someday. But for now, he's MY baby and I thank God everyday for that!