First choir concert =0)

Waiting for the concert to begin =0)
Adree and the choir moving to the music
Adree hitching a ride from Lee after the show=0)

On Tuesday was Adree's first concert with the fourth and fifth grade choir at their school! The kids seem to be really enjoying it and we found out that their school is one of only 52 in the state with such a comprehensive music program. Also, we were informed that after this year, the state may not have the money in the budget to keep the program going...which is a shame. The kids have the opportunity to learn and instrument (bongos, violin, recorder, xylophone) and/or participate in the school choir. Adree said that this year almost the entire fourth grade class joined this year, (roughly 60 students) which is amazing! What a shame that more emphasis isn't put on music education these days. I learned two instruments growing up and have always felt that put me at an advantage in a lot of areas.
The kids entertained the parents with several songs in both English and Spanish (they attend a dual immersion school), as well as, dancing, a bongo drum routine, and three violin numbers. Adree is learning to play the violin with the rest of her class at school this year as well. Drake didn't participate very well last year, although he sat in the audience singing all the musical numbers with the choir. I asked him why he didn't join the choir this year and he just shrugged...hmm...=0) Adree just loves it! =0)

Enjoying the season =0)

Now you can tell my kids are used to living in a much warmer climate!
Lee as a tree hugger=0)
Me as a tree hugger=0)
Adree didn't know why it was funny to hug the tree...=0)
Lee refused to get out of the car up at Navajo Lake...brrr!=0)
The rest are pictures I took of the colors and the aspens...=0)


You know just sometimes you have to take a break and go and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us...I love Fall and just couldn't bear the thought of missing out on all the colors that appear in places that actually have seasons! Now in our neck of the woods, the leaves finally just give up and turn brown sometime in November and fall of the trees. I guess I enjoy the colors and the aspens from all those years growing up and spending time on Cedar Mountain, or the ranch, or up on the Kaibab.=0) We decided to take the afternoon yesterday and take a ride to Cedar Mountain up to Navajo Lake, not for any rhyme or purpose, just to enjoy the season and get out of the rat race for a few hours!=0) The kids got up and dressed themselves in shorts while I was at work and I'm not sure how I convinced them to grab hoodies at least! When we got out of the car the temperature was a brisk 37 degrees! Needless to say Lee forgot his coat entirely and refused to get out of the car! Poor Puppy, he needed a potty break and walked around shivering while he sniffed...What beauty we have the privilege to enjoy here on this realm...=0) How crazy is it that 2009 is almost over and we are closing up fast on the holidays?! Hope you and yours are doing well and best wishes from the crazies here Among the Lambsfold!=0)

We're making progress

Here's a view of the kid's bathroom
The kid's bathroom as well
This is standing in the kitchen looking towards the family room (notice the absence of the hole in the floor)
Here's a view of the marble tile going on the counter tops in the kitchen and master bath
Here's a shot of the primed walls in the office
Pretty paint in the master bath (rowboat)
Another shot of the master bath
Here's the primed walls in the formal living room
This is a much better shot of what the color really looks like...
New cement poured in the back yard and catch basins (under the gravel)
More new cement and a wall with privacy fence (the starts of it, anyway!)
New cement pad to the right of the front door

Alright then..it looks like we've progressed enough to post some new pictures of the progress on our new house!=0) The backyard is essentially done enough (except landscaping and what not) that we won't have to worry about water getting to the foundation any longer. That means no sinking in the corners! There's been some painting progress as well.=0) We had the walls skim coated to look like plaster (and not be plaster!) to warm up the public spaces in the house and to be easy to correct any blemishes in the walls. I know a few of the pictures look really orange, but it's more a golden color (the sun was going down and we some have of the electricity turned off) the effect is a really warm and inviting space...and all the pictures with the yellow/orange walls are the same color, it's all in the lighting! =0) I love the color in the master bath! Serenity at it's best...and the master bedroom will be a similar color as well. The kid's bathroom looks like a toothpaste blue in the pics, but is really robin's egg blue (I promise!) and it looks great! Let me tell you how much I love the tile for the counter tops in the kitchen...it's great! The best thing is we got enough of it to tile kitchen counters and the master bath counter for $200 dollars out of the clearance bin at Lowe's! Can't beat that I say! Should be just a couple of weeks left to go and we can start the process of moving (eek!). The rest of the walls need to be painted, the flooring needs to be put down, the counters tiled, appliances brought in and, and, and...=0)

They grow up so fast...

Drake as a "Safety Patrol" crossing guard!
Adree modeling her choir attire!


Now that we've been in school for a little more than a month, the kids and Mom (taxi services anyway!) are well into the swing of things!=0) Drake as a fifth grader this year has joined the "Safety Patrol". The safety patrollers act as crossing guards in front of both the drop lot parking lot and the bus drop off lots, fly and retrieve the flags, act as playground monitors, monitor the halls, and provide a much needed service to the school. The members were even "sworn in" by the local police department! Drake absolutely loves it!=0) He is on duty every third week, but tends to volunteer on his weeks off because he enjoys it so much! This has been a great confidence building experience and he has been able to make a few friends also. He is always happy to go to school, happy to do his homework, happy to be helpful...etc.=0) It does my heart good to see that he is having a great year this year! Drake's teacher says he enjoys his creativity and is glad he is in his class this year. I am grateful that this man is patient! Good job sonny boy!=0)
Miss Adree joined the choir at the beginning of the year and absolutely loves it as well!=0) Never mind she has to get up early and be to school by 8am on Tuesdays, she is happy to do so! The choir has several performances scheduled this year and I will for sure take pictures to share with everyone! She missed the opportunity to ride in the rodeo parade this weekend because we went to visit Cara and family...oh well, though!=0) She is doing well in class and loves school because of the socialization, but hey...as long as she is doing the work too...right?=0)
Sethee monkey hasn't said much other than, "Fiwst gwade is a lotta wowk Mom!" I think he is enjoying himself though! His teachers say he is at the top of his class and is ready to read. As I'm listening to this I'm thinking of him reading Drake's book to me because Drake didn't want to read it to him. So, whatever! I know he is reading already...Seth's teacher also remarked to me that he is a great listener as well! I took that as he doesn't say much in class...=0) Out of the three of mine, Seth is probably the only one who is a little bit shy...not that you would know that at home! He is the crazy one! Ask his siblings! "Mom...Sethee is bouncing off of stuff again..." I'll hear or "Mom Sethee is really hyper, can you tell him to cut it out?" =0)
Now really where did the time go? I can remember them all as little ones...Drakee reading me things off of cartons at the grocery store at age 4, Adree telling the cashier, "that's my baby, his name is Seffee" at age 2 1/2, and Sethee being the happiest, most easy going baby ever. =0) I'll try not to blink...they just grow up so fast!=0)

Waxing poetic...or something!=0)

I've been thinking...Yes, as scary as though it might seem, I have been doing it just the same! I tend to do this sort of thing when I find myself in a empty house, as I have for the last 3 days. I should probably blame the Johnson in me for this, but I can go an entire week without leaving my house or speaking to anyone. I find myself perfectly happy to be alone with a book or housework or crafting or the computer, all with no one to talk to except the occasional Facebook friend. Of course if you are "chatting" with someone you aren't speaking them, well...verbalizing anyway! I lived by myself when I was 20 for about a year, I truly loved it..I could come and go as I pleased, speak to someone if I felt like it, stay home for days if I needed as well. When my ex-husband and I split up almost six years ago, I lived by myself for over a year then as well. Now don't get me wrong I love my family and friends and I am always happy to see them when I do, I just like the quiet that envelopes me when I am by myself as well.=0)
So, what does one think about...in the quiet of an empty house? Many, many things!
Dreams I have and wish I could follow
Things that need to be accomplished
Both today and tomorrow
Life as it is, both joy and sorrow
What's mine and what's yours
Things that I know, places to travel
Poetry of thine eyes, deep enough to swallow
Laughter we keep and save 'til we borrow
Safe for us now, beneath starlit skies
We live as we need, dreams to be followed...=0)

Before pics...

This is the kid's bathroom, decent sized and storage...yay!
This is Adree's bedroom, once the paint color is lightened up it won't feel so dark
This is the boy's room and the only room in the house that won't get painted, well, the laundry room won't either...=0)
Lee's office (no need for a formal dining room in this house, there is plenty of space!)
Standing in the kitchen looking toward the kid's bedrooms
Decent sized backyard for the kids (adults too!)
Patio off the Master Bedroom
Large patio off of the kitchen
Jetted tub with a view in the Master bath
Another angle of the Master Bath
Master Bedroom
Looking toward the garage door, 1/2 bath on the right, Master Suite on the left (See what I mean about the terrible paint?...ick!)
Formal Living Room
Down the hall to the Kitchen (on the left), Lee's Office (on the right), the kid's bedrooms, bathroom, and laundry room straight ahead...
The Entry...nice double doors, and the Guest Bedroom on the right
Great sized Kitchen, enough space to keep Mr. Gluten-free's stuff all separated!=0)
Standing in the kitchen looking toward the hole in the floor...I mean the Family Room!=0)
Rehanging the floor and securing it well so, no more sinking feeling in the corner!=0)

So, here's an idea of what it looks like now and I can't wait till we get it all fixed and gussied up! It's going to be a great family home! So cool!=0)

The end is just another beginning in disguise

Over the weekend we had some exciting developments! We closed on our house!=0) Of course, closing on the house meant the beginning of several weeks of frantic work beginning. First thing Monday morning, Lee had his hired help in the house and tearing up floor boards to fix the sinking floor in the corner of the family room. The house is built on blue clay (very common for the area) which has a tendency to expand over time if not kept dry. Not a problem, as long as, you are willing to build your house in a pier system. A pier system would kinda be like a house you would find on the coast that is built on stilts, the only difference being it would be set deep under ground so that your house is at ground level. The house is on one of these pier systems, the only problem is that one of the previous owners did not realize that you have to take precautions with the soil and did not make sure to keep water off of the foundation. The result being the corner of the family room sank a bit and the floor boards need to rehung and leveled and the yard needs to be landscaped with catch basins and skirting around the foundation to keep the water off the foundation and prevent any further movement.
Along with some structural work that is being accomplished, the entire house has to be painted and a good portion of it will be re floored as well. The house has some of the most ugly faux-painting I have ever seen in my life, dark brown and tan and not done well either! The walls seem to close in on you, but once we get done it will a much more appealing colors of light green for the master suite (Ocean Bath and Rowboat), a golden orange/yellow (Rift) for the family room and most of Lee's office and the window wall in the formal living room. The halls, the entry and the rest of the formal living room will be lighter version of the orange/yellow (a lot lighter) the color being Monologue.=0) Adree's room is a grayish purple and it will be painted a light yellow/green (Lemon Thyme) and the kids bathroom will be painted a light robin's egg blue (Robin). I know it's hard to tell on colors without pictures, but as soon as we get it all done we, I will post pictures! I will also post pictures of the before stuff too as soon as I get Lee to upload them from his camera. My computer doesn't have enough R.A.M. to support his silly camera. Why he didn't just take my camera with him so, I could do this all at once is beyond me!
Stay tuned for pictures and we'll keep on plugging along so that we can enjoy our new house together! Yippee! =0)