Taken this morning…Weston 9 1/2 months old…took his first step two days ago…Outfit courtesy of Auntie Maren…yes, that is Pooh Bear on the front of the cute sweater.  Brian says the bowtie doesn’t go…I say the outfit screams for a bowtie.  Shoes courtesy of cousin Mich.  What a handsome lad.  Dapper indeeeeeed!

I don’t think life ever slows down.  It just keeps getting busier and busier.  We have been “home” for a little over a week now and a million little things have gotten done around the house.  Things like the thresholds.  I’m not sure that’s what they are called but they got cleaned up and finished.  The fountain was delivered and whoops we forgot to wire power to the spot it was supposed to go.  That got done and we had the installer come back and put the fountain in.  We got our kitchen table and for the first time we are actually all sitting at a table and eating as a family.  Serra is in heaven.  That was one of her greatest wishes.  Serra memorized her part in the primary program and that was last week.  She loves to get up in front of the ward and say anything really.  She says she gets a little nervous but she always does really well.  She actually asks to give talks in primary.  I FINALLY got the washer yesterday afternoon and it has been going non-stop.  It works fabulously and does really large loads.  It’s a good thing too because it will most likely  be going most of next week as I play catch up. 

I also broke down and decided to make Serra’s Belle costume this year.  I just can’t justify buying a cheap costume for $30 or more.  It costs me about that to make a really nice one that will last through another child.  Rosie is using the Marie Antoinette costume and Weston is the Organ Grinding Monkey.  Pictures to come by the end of the week. 

The kids favorite place in the house is the “super shower” as Rosie calls it.  Our master shower is something to behold with two shower heads that Brian took the water saver devices out of, and four body sprays.  When you have all the heads going a whirlpool forms in the bottom of the shower.  The kids are laughing and screaming until we make them get out.  This happens at least once a day sometimes two.  I now have the cleanest kids around.  They have yet to use their own tub or shower.  One less to clean anyway.  Uncle David says it’s all fun and games until we get the first water bill.  Perhaps we should use our shower as a reward for things.  Speaking of Uncle David.  He and his family were in town this weekend and stopped by for a little while to take a gander at the house and visit for a few minutes while Kaitlyn was off marching.  It was really nice to see them and they even put two of my three to sleep.  Serra sure loves the cousins.  As soon as they pulled away she asked when she gets to see them again.  Perhaps at Thanksgiving time. 

This week is shaping up to be nice and busy.  We have a trunk or treat for the kids, pictures to take, pumpkins to carve, laundry to continue, and curtains to make.  Serra has Friday off of school for Nevada Day which happens to be Halloween.  She goes to school Monday and then is off for the remainder of November-track break…and just when I was getting used to the new schedule. 

These were taken last friday when I realized I hadn’t taken Weston’s 9 month shots.  These will have to suffice.  I haven’t figured out a studio location in the house yet so I had to think a little outside of the box or inside the pot in this case. 

Sweet baby blues. 

Weston posing by the new gate and Rosie shows off the new fountain. 

The final hurdle has been crossed and we’re in.  What a hassle. -B

Landscaping in the front looks faboo.  I had nothing to do with it except to choose some of the plants and trees.  The courtyard there to the left will be getting a bit of wrought iron detail and a fountain. 

The Wes-Meister always has something in his mouth.  I am going to start trying to snap pictures of it more often.  This time it’s a hair ribbon of the girls.  Wes felt bad for me and my washing machine saga so he decided to take a look at it and see what he could do.  He declared it a lemon and we are officially getting a new one.  Unfortunately the model we have is no longer being manufactured so we are getting a different one which of course won’t match the dryer that we have.  Oh well…at least I will be able to keep my family from stinking.  But not for at least ANOTHER week. 

And there is the Rose…who can sleep anywhere.  What is not pictured is her lower half which was devoid of clothing of any kind.  Pretty funny. 

Brian is up in Panguitch Utah with his Dad and Tucker…bridge building.  I don’t get to talk to him very often because they are so busy and last night he fell asleep before calling.  But I get the message that things are going well.   It’s very physically demanding and extremely dirty work.  Last time we had to cut his socks off his feet when he got home because he had been walking in cement.  The lime from the cement wore holes in his feet that still haven’t healed.  Hopefully he is taking better precautions this go around. 

I continue to stay the night at the Andersons with the kids and spend the days at the house letting workers in, answering questions, and keeping tabs on the progression of the house.  I think we will call for a final on Monday or Tuesday.  I am 99% sure the inspector will not pass us.  I know he has been taking notes of things throughout the building and is hoping to catch us on enough to stall the project enough to make us have to move everything out.  We have a guy working for us named Mac who has been through countless inspections like this with inspectors like this and knows a lot of what they try to nitpick on.  He is going the extra mile to try and catch those little things (including things we have already passed on) that the inspector just might give us grief about. 

Serra asked me this morning…Where will we be living tomorrow Mom?  My poor kids. 

Rosie said from the backseat this morning.  I am a woobot.  (I am a robot)  I know….totaly random, but funny. 

Washing Machine – still never done a load and if I have my way-never will.  Repair guy showed up today simply to tell me that Bosch forgot to send ALL the parts he needs to fix it.  At this point I am ready to beat somebody senseless.  Another week.  Do I have a choice?  Anybody know a lawyer?  There has to be a fix-it-in-a-timely-manner clause somewhere. 

Early on in the building of the house Brian challanged the inspector on the footings inspection.  Because Brian went over his head and got clearance for something, the inspector has made everything very difficult.  We finally passed the shower pan inspection.  However, when he came in he decided to write a violation because we had moved everything in.  Funny how the last time he was here and it was all here as well he didn’t say anything.  Now that everything is put away he decided to write the violation and declare that he will not final the house until we move EVERYTHING out of the house.  Yeah right!  Like that is going to happen.  Luckily Brian kept a cool head and went to his supervisor and made a new deal.  The deal is that we complete all inspection items within 15 days and we don’t have to move everything out.  In the meantime we are camping back at the Andersons.  When the inspector came back this morning to rewrite the violation to include the revision he stated that we had to have it all completed by next Tuesday.  Brian once again had to go to his supervisor to get things cleared up.  Serious power trip going on.  And Brian has challanged his power….I have a feeling this isn’t even close to being over. 

I’m in a bit of a funk.  I’ve been gearing up for conference weekend for so long (in reality for a year) and now that the family has left I’m not quite sure what to do with myself.  Don’t get me wrong…I have a million things that need to get done…just don’t feel like doing any of it right now. 

We did indeed move on the 20th like we planned although we have as yet to get an occupancy permit.  It has become the saga of the shower.  Our master shower has to be completed before the inspector will final this house.  However, we can’t get the pan to not leak.  What was supposed to be a few days job has turned into weeks with no end in sight.  In the mean time we moved in, unpacked, were trying to be good citizens by not officially moving in so we were spending the nights with Brian’s family.  After a week of invading their house I decided to brave the consequences (which we have no idea what they might be)  and start actually living in the house without approval.  It was just too hard to run this family and maintain a schedule with Serra’s school etc… while hopping from one place to the next.  Especially when the house it mostly complete.  Rosie was so confused about where home was and backslid with the potty training.  Weston wasn’t sleeping well and cried all day.  I couldn’t take it anymore.  So we are moved in and still completing projects day by day.  The bedrooms got closet shelves in last week, we got a front patio, the powder room is getting some wainscotting today.  We still have a lot of touchup painting to do since we fired the finish painters.  They were making a mess of everything and doing more harm than good.  We also have a washing machine, brand new, never done a load, that doesn’t work.  We are having to deal with the warranty folk in the company and it has not been a real positive experience since they want to keep trying to fix it.  Although, when they try to fix one thing, another thing goes wrong.  We wish they would just replace it and scrap the lemon we ended up with.  But we have to play the game.  In the meantime I have to take all the laundry elsewhere…just think to yourselves how much in your own households that adds up to every week and multiply that by 2 or 3 as my husbands clothing is larger and dirtier than the average bears…and not to mention all the rags and towels used for construction cleaning that have been used.  It’s been a good time. 

On a happier note…we were able to get the house to a state of cleanliness and livability in order to have family come for conference.   Mom and Dad Arnell and Julie and her kids.  We also had the locals, Jeff and Maren, and Amy Jo, Tucker and Jill (or Baby Dill as Rosie calls her).  It was a fantastic weekend.  Mom took care of the cinnamon rolls (cause she is the best at it), Maren took care of a meal, Brian even mopped the floors, and everyone else pitched in somewhere and made it a lot of fun.  There were a few trips to the park and of course Conference itself.  I think it was only better for Great Grandma Arnell who actually got to be there as a VIP.  I was able to pick out several things that I need to work on personally and as a family. 

Now back to reality and on toward Christmas. 

Serra gets ahold of my camera now and then.  She took about 50 pictures this time around…mostly of herself and Rosie.

She managed to get a few of Weston getting yet another haircut. 

AAAARGH!  Makes the face itchy.

Some house pix…The girls bathroom.

The girls room…and messy already.

Weston’s bathroom.

Weston’s room looking toward the closet. 

Weston’s room from another angle.

Half of the master bathroom.  A work in progress but functional.  You can see the smaller of the master closets. 

The next few are of the master bedroom.  The fireplace is not trimmed out yet. 

Part of the kitchen…a nice closeup of the granite. 

The family room looking into the kitchen.  Weston screaming at the bottom of the picture because I put him down for a second. 

The family room. 

The new patio…landscaping begins today….and a fountain is coming in Friday. 

The entry way. 

Formal livingroom/dining room…none of the fireplaces are trimmed out yet.

Conference weekend.   The bigger of the master closets is a TV room for the kids.  The watched Disney movies while we watched the prophets.  We just hung Weston in the doorway and he was content to watch all that was going on around him.

Strange kids…hovered around the veggie platter for about an hour eating mostly cauliflower and carrots.  OK so there was ranch dip involved.

The kids spent a lot of time out on the back patio.  Weston watched from the window. 

Rosie discovered that the faucet for her tub also makes a great elephant nose. 

Weston looking sharp for church.