Without any further adew I reveal to you our new house…..
It is a charming little house sitting on a little hill in the middle on a cul-de-sac. It has two bedrooms and one bath up stairs and the main level has a kitchen, dining room, living room, bathroom and bedroom. (All very small of course.) We love it! We have done so much remodeling on it that any one who saw it before would be stunned. (I will post before and after pictures when I take the ‘after’ pictures.)
The Crane ResidenceThe moving truck we rented. We have so much stuff!
The backyard is really what sold us on the house. We want our kids to grow up being adventurous and imaginative. Two things that we believe are best produced by playing outside uninhibited and worry free (rather than inside playing video games). So far the kids love it. I have a feeling that next summer I will be able to read a lot of books out there while the kids play together. So looking forward to that! The only down side is mowing the lawn. I know this because I did it last week. Yikes!
I couldn’t get one picture with the whole backyard in it so you will have to imagine it.
Hooray for our new house! Now if we could just get get all unpacked! 🙂
Kyle’s first birthday was July 9th. I have neglected blogging about it until now because of the move. We kept things very simple (due to the move). Poor Kyle got short changed. Good news-he won’t remember. Bad news-it was his first birthday for crying out loud! We moved everything from our townhouse into our new house the day before and the day of his birthday so it was a little crazy to say the least. During the day I would try to take a moment and snuggle him to soak in the fact that he is one already. He is my sweetheart! He is just so stinkin cute I kiss his little cheeks off most days! haha I’m so glad he doesn’t mind. (If anyone else kisses him the way I do he gets mad. I love it! lol)
I never thought I would spend money on a store bought cake. It's just too cheap to make your own. However, there was no way I was going to be able to make one this year and my mom would not settle for anything less than a custom cake for Kyle. Since Hallie's imaginary best friend is Diego we thought we'd go with a Diego cake. Getting excited!
I love this picture! Kyle has no idea what is going on and Hallie is blowing out his candle. Testing it out with one finger. It didn't take him long to go crazy with his piece of cake. He loved it as you can tell. He practically licked his plate clean! We kept it simple and invited our good friends the Wendorff's and the Harrison's. We loved having the party in our new huge backyard.Opening presents. Me and my littlest munchkin lover. He looks so rowdy in this picture!
Some things about Kyle:
*He loves to walk along the wall or furniture, but isn’t brave enough to do more than 4 or 5 steps alone.
*He always wants the toy his big sister has and visa versa.
*He hates being in a room by himself.
*He now prefers his dad to me. He gets so excited every day when Ben gets home from work. Ben loves it!!!
*His favorite toys are balls. I know people say all boys love balls but this kid can play catch already. You toss it to him he catches it and throws it back. You have to see it to believe it. He will also just chase a ball around the house for hours.
* We haven’t found a food he doesn’t like. He will eat and eat and eat!
* He randomly comes up and gives you big hugs.
* He has four teeth.
* He says “mama, dada, baba”
* He has recently thrown a couple fits that involve biting a toy or the floor.
* He does the cutest bashful look when I am holding him and he sees someone new. He gives a sly smile and rests his head against my shoulder.
My parents came out for Kyle’s first birthday a couple of weeks ago. I love my parents so much. If you know the saying “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” then that describes me and my parents. (Except for the fact that they both look like indians with their tans and I am a total white girl!) I love how it feels like we didn’t miss a beat whenever we get together.
They are both such hard workers. We were moving the week that they came (more on that later) and boy did we put them to work. They needed a vacation from their vacation after the week they spent with us. It was such a crazy time with all the remodeling etc that we could never have done it without them. Really we would have given up and sold the house we just bought had it not been for my parents! They worked from sun up to sun down and played with the kids in between.
Taking a break to eat JoJo's famous soft serve ice cream. Nanna with the kids.As always Nanna spoiled the kids! Here is the swing she bought for our new backyard.
Thanks Mom and Dad for coming to see us and helping us move. We love and miss you so much already. We can’t wait for your next visit!
My BF, Tiffany, flew out to watch the kids so Ben and I could go on a mid-week getaway. I was so torn between going on the vacation and staying home because I wanted to spend every second with her. She is my HERO! There is no other friend in the world who would do as much for me and love me as unconditionally as she does. She has seen me at my worst and still calls me her friend. We decided this trip that we are the perfect fit because I always need help and she is always there to give it. lol To continue on my cheesy rant…she is the best friend I always prayed for as a little girl when my friends sucked. 🙂 The Lord truly sent her to me. I will forever be grateful we were put as roommates in Kerr Hall that first year in windy Rexburg, Idaho. Tiff I love you! Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for me. (I know you read this-even though you never comment!)
A few of the qualities that I love about her.
*Selfless service constantly
*Does not judge anyone
*Forgives easily
*Laughs at my jokes
*Lets me borrow her awesome clothes
*Fearless attitude
*Confidence in singing
*Always supportive
*Humility
*Compassion
Arlington National Cemetery
Tiffany is like my parents 2nd daughter. They were thrilled when their flights overlapped and they were able to see each other for a few minutes at the airport.
We took a couple hours break from construction on the new house to enjoy our wonderful neighbors 4th of July BBQ. Leaving our neighbors is the saddest part of moving. We love them!! I didn’t get a picture of all of us but I did get a picture of Hallie and London. They are the cutest friends. Whenever they see each other they yell each other’s names and run to each other like they have been apart for years!
Hallie and LondonFirst time with Sparklers! They were a hit!
I just noticed Ben in the background of all these pictures. So funny! He looks thrilled doesn’t he. Oh and Kyle was sleeping that is why he is MIA during the sparkler fun.
We had tons of fun in the sun today while playing at the Montclair beach. Big thanks to Kelli and her mom Shirley for inviting us. Like I said before we LOVE LOVE LOVE the water. Oh summer never leave!
This little man is now 11 months old. I can not believe how fast he has grown up. 11 months really?!!
His appearance hasn’t changed much since he was 6 months old. In fact that was confirmed when we went to the doctor last week and they showed me his growth on a growth chart. His weight was practically the same. 19 lbs. 15 oz. He is in the 18th% for weight and 5% for height. Yes you read that right the 5th percentile! I really hope he inherits his dad’s confidence. Kyle still loves his sister despite her obsession with taking his toys. He has the routine down now though. Hallie walks close to him with that look on her face and he instantly screams and makes me aware of what she is about to do. lol He can crawl up the stairs but not down. He loves to walk along furniture and while holding hands. Ben even said he took a couple steps the other day but I missed it and he hasn’t repeated it. We still haven’t found a food he doesn’t love. He likes to share things and then wants them back automatically. His favorite thing to do is chase balls around the house. He will do it for hours, literally! He wants to be grown up and do what his sister does but that’s nothing new. Recently he has become quite attached to Ben. When Ben gets home in the evening Kyle will drop whatever he is doing and cruise to see his dad. Ben of course loves it. Most of all my Ky man is still the sweetest little guy I know.
Oh how this little guy has changed my life and completed our family!
