What we've been doing for the last month (cause it hasn't been blogging)

Well, I'll tell you, we watched them harvest the wheat.

I've been running after beautiful butterflies trying to get the right shot.

We found the most precious, perfect blue egg. It lasted 3 days till Matthew grasp it too hard.

Taking photos of beautiful flowers.

Working on clearing out clutter and making Matthew's room, Matthew's.

Finally this month, I've started making the rounds to see friends. I've visited 3 cities and hung out with 7 of them now. This particular friend I haven't seen in over 7 years and by chance he was going in, as I was going out. I had to stop and take a photo, cause it's not everyday that some takes you out on the lake and whips you off a tube so hard that when you land you think you must have broken something. But that's another story.

One particular girl, I won't mention names, cough *ANGELA*, thought she could hide behind a shorter girl.

It's been a full month. One day I'll get the photos off my phone of Matthew and I's trip to see the Lego exhibit.

Updating the look

We are in the process of updating the bedroom. This wall still needs to be painted. But tonight we hung my great grandparents wedding photo with an old 48 star flag. I'm liking the direction it's going.

Roughing it

We are roughing it right now the non-camping way. We are eating strange food combos trying to eat up what we have.

Our living room looks like this because...

...our bedroom looks like this.

As well as the 2 spare rooms. For the last week we've kicked rump and got 95% of the house packed into storage. We have the 2 spare rooms completely cleaned and ready for inspection. Our bedroom and bathroom will be by the end of the day. Matthew's room will be completely cleaned out tomorrow and everything in the living room will be too so that the carpets can be cleaned Friday. By Monday morning, we'll be gone. Even though this hasn't been my favorite place to live, I feel a little sad. Monday Phil will start his new job and get to move into his new abode. We'll stay with him for a week or so and then Matthew and I will head back home.


But before you worry that it's been all work and no fun, don't, Matthew has been pushing us to take breaks for fun!

5th hole

Phil and I have made a pact to put as few of holes in the walls as necessary so that we don't have to patch them. We've made exactly 4 small holes, until today. While waiting for the maintenance man to come (who never did), I decided I had to put up my candle holder. I've waited 3 months to put it up. You may remember Faith's big barn sale. I bought it after that was all said and done and LOVE IT! Now it's the first thing you see when you walk in. It was worth putting a 5th small hole in the wall.

Matthew and lights

Isabelle bothering the tree gingerly. She actually stood on her hind legs to pat the talking ornament.

Matthew snacking.

It's so heavy I can't stand up on my own.






My mom says I'm a handsome boy.

They nap just like when Isabelle was a little kitten.

The light master added more lights today.

More Christmas decorations

The light master went to work today making his annual masterpiece.

I love that there was extra lights because that meant my hibiscus could be lighted as well. The front windows are our bedroom, in case you hadn't realized that.

Matthew and I have the tree decorated. Isabelle keeps trying to mess with it, but the action has slowed ever since the tree talked back one night. (I got an ornament that tells you to go away, no peaking at gifts, if the tree is bumped.) It scared Phil and me as well to hear it loudly go off at 11pm.

Another decoration in the making. Anyone know what it is???

I have alot of Matthew photos. I'll post them later or tomorrow. Stay tuned. :)

Happenings

Thanksgiving eve we had an uninvited guest. I made the hubby chase him back out to the garage. Thank goodness Angela wasn't here. Our guest would have become a guest back to her house. ;)

There hasn't been enough boy shots for some grandparents, so I've made an effort to get more.

Today, (since I realized I've gained enough weight to make my jeans tight) we went on a family walk. When I took this photo, we were in front of our friends house. (The one that very generously let us stay there while we were trying to find a house.) I could see our car from there, but I don't know if you will be able to, even blown up. It would be the silver SUV at the left top.

With 2 pushes when he hit really steep parts of the sidewalk, the boy was able to pedal all the way up. He was sooo happy!

Matthew put his new scissors to good use to help cut open the Christmas lights box.

We are slowly decorating. Matthew decided on white lights this year and the white gowned angel for on top. For the first time in a long time, he wants to be in the photos again. I just love that boy. I cannot lie. Guess who had to be the voice of various Thomas the train's friends today? I'm sure you know!

Hot water part 2

They came yesterday and installed the new water heater. This time they put it in a neat rubber tray that has a spout. The spout allows the water to exit at a safe spot in the garage. It's so nice to have hot water again. Just in time for laundry and all the dirty Thanksgiving pans.

And here is Matthew's latest project. I'd show exactly what it is, but it's a surprise. I, of course, run the glue gun.

Hot water

As in, we have none. Our hot water heater ruptured, which means that it can't be fixed. (I'm guessing from the damage, that it was this way before the last tenants left.) It has leaked for at least the last week. Since it's wall shares our bedroom wall, our bed had to be moved because it was standing in the wet carpet. Here's hoping that the new one comes tomorrow afternoon!

House reveal

There she is, our new temporarily house. Plum tree in the front, peach in the back.

Living room from front entry.

Kitchen

And the dining room. It's a 4 bedroom, 2 bath house with a 2 car garage, for $25 more then the first house that was a 3 bedroom.

The back patio. This house doesn't have the dream soccer field backyard behind it, but it's ok. It's enough to kick a ball in. Matthew loves to ride his riding toys in the garage.

Our new neighbors. They love Matthew because he gives them peanut butter Capt. Crunch treats.

Last Friday we went to storytime, at the library on post. We won a Longhorns football that some guy took, so we got a sucker instead. At a trip to Target, Matthew convinced us he needed a Lightning McQueen bike helmet. (It came with a bike bell.)

Beyond our house is Fort Hood range. This means we have wandering neighbors. The 1st 3 days we were here, we were blessed with their presence.

Look at those horns. I love having no houses behind me. If I get homesick I just go lean on the fence and it feels like home.

Here is Matthew in the empty moving truck. He loved running up and down that 26 ft of moving joy.

Yesterday we tried to get back on routine. We took a walk with Missy and painted.

Being an artist, I was sooooo excited that he painted for an unheard of 40 minutes!

Monday we went to JAG so they could help us get our deposit back from the other house's property management company. That's soooo nerve racking for me, but it's the principle of it. Our property management company got word on Monday that our house smelled like cigarettes and by this morning installed odor blocker in the vents. They are doing great so far.

Today Phil finally got to his unit around noon. In his platoon is a guy he served with for many years at Ft. Riley. Hopefully that makes him feel a little more at home. The word on the street sounds like he'll be in the last unit in Iraq. (Poetic justice since he was in the first unit into Iraq.) He might be leaving in May. We'll just have to wait and see. Matthew and I are ok with it. We figured this day would come. We're military!