your firsts

i was taking the kids to preschool this morning when 'these dreams' by heart came on the radio. that song was on the first tape i ever owned. i got my first stereo (it even had a turntable!) for christmas back in 1985 and heart was the very first cassette tape i ever owned. i also got my first (and only) album that christmas. my aunt and uncle sent me sting's 'dream of the blue turtles'.

three years later i got my first cd player and the very first cd i owned was (gawd, i'm embarrassed to admit this) vixen's self-titled album.

what about you? what were your first albums/tapes/cds? (and do you dare admit it in public?)

jordie

jordie is jeff's cousin (in a round-a-bout way. we've tried to figure it out a dozen times and each time end up with something like: 'well, your grandmother's son's cousin was my uncle's second wife's aunt'. needless to say, we just call her our cousin)

jordie is almost 25, lives in bethesda and is dating a guy who might be the one (i get to meet him on thursday night). she loves kate and jack and is our go-to babysitter when we want to get out of town overnight. she is kind and funny and vibrant and smart and in so many ways reminds me of me at her age (except for the kind, funny, vibrant and smart part). she is searching for what her life is going to be and excited about the paths and possibilities that are opening up. she's just a neat person. i love her dearly and love hearing about her life because it reminds me of being her age.

jordie didn't have to work today so she came over and we all went to lunch and looked at the new house. i took a few photos while she was playing with the kids (these look so staged, but i swear i didn't set it up. they were all really sitting in jack's room like this, reading a book):

the house, yet again

they started installing some of the cabinetry this week (not the custom stuff, just the standard cabinets in the secondary bathrooms) and also got most of the trim work and molding up. it's looking like a real house and i'm more and more antsy to move in:

the siding is almost finished (we wish we could keep it this color instead of having it painted bright yellow, but we don't have a say in the matter)
















the family dining area (where the kitchen table goes), looking into the kitchen and the dining room and living room beyond that:




















the bonus room/kid's playroom over the garage:















standing in the living room looking towards the dining room and the kitchen beyond that:















standing at the front door (in the foyer) looking into the dining room:

older kids

every mother should have a good friend with older children. wendy has three boys, ages 8, 9, and 11 and they frequently give us toys and games they've outgrown. yesterday they dropped off the best gift yet - a new book that the kids absolutely love.

thanks, davis, reed and max!

limbo

i'm in limbo and it's driving me nuts. the house isn't sold but our new house is nearing completion. i have so many ideas for furniture and paint and artwork for the new house and all i can do is...sit. and wait.

neither of which i am very good at.

so it sit here, in limbo. in a house that no longer feels like my own. waiting to move to the next chapter of my life. just sitting and waiting.

there are worse things in life, i know. but did i mention that i'm not good at waiting?

new kid photos

kate won't let me take photos of her so i've only got photos of jack to share:
my photography blog

yep, more house photos

we're completely drywalled and the siding is going up. found out this morning that the cabinetry is scheduled to be installed the first week of march which i am beyond excited about.


































kate and jack standing in the family dining area off the kitchen (where the kitchen table will go):

the doorbell

this morning i was in the bathroom when jack walked in. i asked him if he was supposed to walk into the bathroom when someone is in it and he said, "no. i knock!". i told him that was right and he went back into the hall and closed the door, presumably to knock.

i waited a minute and then heard him say, 'ding dong!'

lol.

disney video

if you want to see a really long (17 minute) video that jeff put together:

disney video that will take 14 years to download

really, i promise

i've been swamped since i got back from vacation. one more project to get off my desk this afternoon and then i promise a post about disney.

really.