more kid pics

Here are some random pics of my boys... They grow up so fast, I can't believe it! The sepia pics were taken on Easter... the first pic was a week or two ago...

Easter pics

These are pictures of my boys ready for church on Easter morning... I know, I know... they shouldn't be wearing jeans to church, but the wranglers were too cute!

House pics

I said I would post more pictures of the house... so, here they are!

This is the upstairs hallway.... the first door on the left is obviously a closet... the second door on the left is the master bedroom... the door straight ahead is another closet... the second door on the right is a bedroom... and the first door on the right is a bathroom.

That is a private deck that is just off the master bedroom.

This is going to be the boys' bedroom.... the other bedroom is the same but reversed.



This is the window by the front door... I think it's really pretty.

going up the stairs.... I think the knotty pine is pretty...

house progress

So, yesterday we accepted the counteroffer and today we locked in our loan! We now need to hire a home inspector to come check out the place. If all goes well with that, we will be in our new home by the end of May! Here are more pictures...

This is the bath tub in the master bathroom.

This is a view from the top of the stairs looking down into the dining area. The french doors lead to the back yard... the other door is going to be our den/guest room. There is a murphy bed (in the wall) in there.

This is the "great" room. It is the room you walk into when you walk into the house.

Another view of the den/guest room and dining area.

It is kinda obvious what this is.... through that doorway is the laundry room and a door that leads to the garage.

Well, that's all the pictures that blogspot would let me post.... I will post more later....

Counteroffer

Well, I got a phone call this afternoon and we already have a counteroffer on our house... it is $1000 less than we were expecting and we are going to accept! I'm going to take pictures later so I will post more later!

House offer

Kevin and I made an offer on a house today! We are really excited! We should be hearing back within a day or two about whether the offer was accepted or if they are going to make a counter-offer.

This is our soon-to-be home... hopefully!

Answered prayers

So, let me tell a story...

About 3 years ago my sister and her husband decided to become foster parents. In September of 2006 they got their first foster kids. One was 1 1/2 years and the other was 1 1/2 months. They were the cutest little boys! Needless to say, the entire family became very attached. My sister and her husband had these boys for almost a year. My sister and her husband love these boys as their own. They really wanted to adopt them and it looked like they were going to be able to. They even went to the temple and had the feeling come to them that these boys were going to be theirs. So, when in July of 2007 they got the dreaded phone call that the boys were going back to their parents the entire family was devastated. It made no sense that they should have the feeling that these boys were meant to be a part of the family.

The same week we found out that the boys were leaving, we also found out that my sister had a brain tumor. She underwent surgery for this in August 2007. Thankfully the tumor was benign (spelling?)... not cancerous... She has since made a full recovery and is what the doctor considers "cured."

Since all this happened my sister and her husband have fostered several children. In April 2008 my sister got a phone call that they had a newborn baby boy that they wanted her to take. She was able to take this baby home from the hospital and while she was there to get him the mother thanked her for taking her baby and giving him a good home. The mother then relinquished her rights. This allowed my sister and her husband to adopt this baby boy. The adoption was final in July of 2008 and they had him sealed to them that same month.

Since this happened they have continued to do foster care. The feeling that those first two little boys belong to them has never left. They have had two foster kids for the last couple of months. A little boy, 3, and a little girl, 19 months. They thought about the option of adoption but they just didn't feel right about it. They told the caseworker and the placement lady this just last week. Well, they received a phone call yesterday (April Fools Day of all days!)... the state wants them to take fhe first two boys back... and this time, it is most likely permanent!!!

We believe that the boys were meant to be part of the family all along. We believe that they had to leave for a short time so that my sister could have her surgery and so that their baby could come to them too. If they hadn't have left then my sister and her husband would not have had the opportunity to adopt their baby.

The Lord works in mysterious ways!! In the end, it turns out how it is supposed to!

Congrats Jessi!

I just wanted to congratulate my best friend Jessi and her husband Aaron... they had a baby girl today and I'm so excited for them!! Congrats Jessi!