Progress

We made our weekly trip to see the "house", and we were excited to see that they had finished the plumbing and laid the foundation! It's funny how it seems bigger with the foundation than it did with only the dirt. The girls were having a blast running around while we were there.

The front porch..
They even had all the wood stacked so they could start the framing.
Maddy and Sarah posed for a picture...


View from the back of the house. Maddy and Sarah's room, and their bathroom to the left.

I took this picture from the back of our property line. The girls are going to love playing in this backyard!

We can't wait to see what they've done by next Saturday! Hopefully they start framing on Monday...

Now for some cute pictures of the kiddies... Here is Ben playing in his exersaucer. Maddy and Sarah were watching a movie on the portable dvd player, and decided to include Ben. I think he liked it!

Walked in to find Maddy and Sarah like this... They can be so sweet! I hope they are always good friends..

Ben having a good time playing.. what a cutie!

I had to take this picture on Sunday... Cricket helps me out with Ben when Joseph isn't there. I was the primary chorister, but now I'm the nursery leader.. Cricket is nice enough to take Ben for the 3rd hour. Scott had him yesterday, and tried his hardest to get him to sleep but couldn't. Then Cricket takes him... and just minutes later, voila. It was so cute, that I took a picture!

My cute girls after church. Neither one wanted to change out of their dress. They were just eating a snack, and I snapped a picture!

Joseph got a phone call from a friend who lives in the neighborhood, to tell us that there was a crew at our house framing! Whaaaaat? So we drove out there , and they have framed the whole house! There was a missing wall in Ben's room, but other than that...

Maddy in the laundry room

Maddy in her bedroom

Joseph standing in the doorway...

I can't believe they framed it all! It was so exciting to walk around and know where everything was. When we decided to build this house we chose it from a floor plan on a sheet of paper. There was no model home for us to walk through. I'm SO excited that it is turning out exactly how I pictured it in my head! We are going to measure our furniture and head back out there on Saturday, then draw it on the floor with sidewalk chalk to see how we want to arrange it all.
That way when moving day comes, I'm not trying to figure it out.

More pictures to come!!

Pinch me... is this really happening?

After almost 7 years of marriage... It's official... We are building a house! I'm still in shock, I never thought that this day would come. I wasn't going to be picky, we didn't have to build one. Buying one would have been great too, but it just worked out this way. So round about April 15, (the dreaded Tax day for most) we will be closing on our very first home! It is a modest 3 bedroom, 2 full bath, with a one car garage. BUT what I'm most excited for is.... a dishwasher!! We have lived the past 5 years without one, and 3 kids later, I am SO over it. I am now looking forward to the first load of dishes I get to load into a dishwasher!

Sadly, we will be moving out of the Myrtle Beach Ward. This neighborhood is located in Conway, so we will be attending the Ward there. Joseph's parents attend this ward, so our kids will still get to enjoy a set of grandparents during Sacrament meeting. Not to mention... we will be a whole 6 minutes away from the church... without having to deal with tourist traffic during the summer! I think my parents are sad that we are moving away from them, but they will see more of me during the summer than if we stayed where we are. Let's face it, those that live here know how bad 17 bypass gets, driving south bound during rush hour. My 10 minute drive to their house became 30 minutes or more. Plus they are starting construction on the overpass... and I want to avoid it at all costs. I was planning on not visiting them for a year or two, until that bridge was done... But now I don't have to deal with it! See mom? A win/win!

Now for some pictures... I plan to keep a photo journal of the construction process. This was taken last weekend, 2/12/11.

It is so wierd to see a SOLD sign, and know that it's because WE bought it!!

Joseph inspecting... It looks super small. This can't be the whole house, can it??
They got started the morning we signed the contract. Clearing the lot etc. and then we had so much rain that nothing else has been done. (You can see the puddles in this picture) Joseph was out there this morning, and he said the plumbing was done, and they said they would pour the slab tomorrow! So, until then...

Off to a good start

I can't believe that we are half way into February already! It seems like time goes by faster everyday. The kids are getting big! Here is just a look, at what our kids have been up to lately...

Benamen (as Sarah calls him) is sitting up all by himself! He also loves to eat... graham crackers, Mum Mum's, cheerios... I guess that isn't too surprising, seeing that he is a BIG boy! It has been pretty cold this winter. Not something we enjoy here at the Beach. It was pretty nice yesterday, so the girls got to play outside over at MamaCheri's.
Erynn's friend brought over this new and improved "big wheel" It's pretty much the coolest toy ever made. You pedal really fast, and then jerk the handle to the side, and it spins you in circles. (the back wheels are similar to those on a shopping cart) I would have gotten on it if I wasn't so tall. It looked like a lot of fun. Maddy wanted to ride with Erynn, but had second thoughts as soon as I was snapping the picture...

Maddy was a nice big sister, and let Sarah ride her tricycle...

Well, she stood on the back so it was too heavy for Sarah to go anywhere... But Sarah was happy to be in the drivers seat, so she didn't care!

The other night Maddy thought that Ben was cold... so she put Sarah's sweater on him! I walked into the family room and found Ben happily playing with his toys, in a pink sweater. Maddy was giggling and Ben thought it was pretty funny too...



One of Ben's new tricks is putting his pacifier in his mouth... or taking it out and chewing on it. Pretty much he is a drooly mess for most of the day.

Father/Son bonding. Notice the Cubs blanket... yep, starting early. Ben has NO choice, but to be a Cubs fan.

Maddy LOVES to take care of her baby brother. It seems like there was a time that she loved to take care of her baby sister... but then her baby sister got big, and takes her toys instead of letting Maddy do whatever she wants to her. So she has moved on. And for the time being, Ben is all about his biggest sister. She is the funniest girl in the world to him. His other sister? Well, all she seems to do is take his toys and poke him in the eye. For now, he'd like to keep his distance. Sometimes, when nobody is looking, she'll softly stroke his head and say to him, "BenaMEN, BenaMEN, BenaMEN" and kiss him and walk away.

Big Thanks to my brother and his wife, for letting us borrow this... He loves it.

I have made several attempts to potty train Sarah... SO here she is on her throne. Weeks ago. Is she potty trained? That would be a big, fat, NOPE. Oh well, as long as she's potty trained before she starts kindergarten, I'll be fine.

Big sister, supervising Ben's nap...

Ben's favorite toy... Barbie. Lets face it. Cars, and planes don't have long, soft hair.

Poor boy, he doesn't have much choice with two older sisters!

Playing at the park with Uncle Ryan

Erynn and Sarah, playing on the seesaw... Well, I guess Erynn was holding her on the seesaw. Fun for Sarah, NOT for Erynn...

Closing her eyes... seesaws can be pretty scary...

Just in case you were wondering where Ben was while all of this park playing was going on... He was bundled nice and warm in his carseat. Keeping his eye on the soccer ball.

It is really nice to live so close to my younger siblings. I love to hang out with them and so do my kids. As much as Maddy would love to go play with them EVERYDAY, it looks like we will be hanging out a little less. WE ARE MOVING!! Not too far away, just to Conway. Instead of living 10-15 minutes down the road, we will now live about 30 minutes away, and we will be in a different ward. It is going to be weird for Maddy not to have Erynn and Josh in primary with her, but she'll make new friends. We have been blessed with the opportunity to build our first home. We are set to close on or before April 15th, and we are SO EXCITED!!

I will try and post pictures of the building process... I've already missed the boat on some of it! They cleared the lot and started preparing to pour the foundation before we had the chance to take any pictures. They're not wasting any time!

Ben's First Christmas

Merry Christmas! (one month late!)

I'll skip over the part where I explain how bad I am at this whole blog thing.. and go right into the festivities.

Ben met Santa for the first time at our ward Christmas party. He didn't really care either! He was too busy watching all of the kids fighting for a place in line.

Much like last year, Sarah didn't care for Santa either. Wouldn't even look at him. Then again, she rarely seems excited to see anyone. She is my "angry" child. She's pretty much content to sit around and glare at you. Hopefully this is just a phase, if not, we may not survive her teenage years!
That brings us to Maddy. She didn't hesitate to tell Santa EVERYTHING on her mind that day. From what she did when she woke up to that very minute. Plus what she wanted for Christmas. At least one of my children gave him the time of day!

This was our Christmas card picture. Ben looks so much older than he is... I can't even believe it! Thank you to Grandmama and Granddaddy for the awesome pj's. My kids are cute, but they are even more adorable in matching jammies! I grew up with the tradition of recieving Christmas jammies on Thanksgiving night, and of course I want to keep that tradition with my kids. I was having a hard time finding some this year, so I am very grateful for my mother- in- law, and her ability to bargain shop.

I take the kids to the library for story time every week. I started back when Maddy was 10 months old! So pretty much everyone there has seen Maddy grow up, followed by Sarah, and now Ben! They have holiday parties for pretty much every holiday, it's pretty fabulous. The girls enjoyed themselves during the Christmas party this year, and even got to make reindeer hats.

Christmas Eve was much like Thanksgiving. We spent time with both families. We started out with Joseph's family, then finished the evening with my family.

The girls got to make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. I helped Maddy put hers together, but horror of horrors!! It fell down, almost immediately! She was angry to say the least... Sarah on the other hand, she didn't even want to make a house. She just wanted to eat the candy!

When we got back to our house... it was LATE! We needed to get the kids to bed so we could set out the gifts. I put Ben down on the floor so I could go get his PJ's and when I came back, this is what I found. Sarah, actually being nice to her brother, and keeping him company! He seems pretty happy about it too!

The day has finally arrived... Christmas Day!! The kids had WAY too many gifts. I guess that's what happens when you go to second hand stores, and you start shopping in September. 1) you forget what you've purchased 2) The money goes farther, so it doesn't seem like you're spending that much, therefore... buying too much. Well, I need to keep a better list of what I bought. (A goal for next year) The goal was to have a Santa gift, and three gifts under the tree for each child. When it came down to wrapping presents, it ended up being 3 for each child, plus 3 or 4 gifts for "all of us". Just to make sure it was even! I think the girls enjoyed themselves though! They got a really neat play kitchen, with new foods (they already have play food) and dishes too. (I got a GREAT deal on Craigslist!) I didn't think Sarah would be that into it. Boy was I wrong! She loves it so much, more than Maddy even.


Sarah, My crazy hair girl (the red eye really adds to the craziness!)

Ben, enjoying the new truck he found in his stocking

Sarah was in love with the microwave... it makes real sounds when you push the buttons.

Ben got a plush tool box. Great for chewing on.

Maddy and Sarah LOVE the window on this kitchen. We play restaurant, and the waitress picks up the orders at the window... it's great!

Ben didn't care about opening the presents, as much as playing with the bows on them. It could have entertained him ALL day!

I love this Melissa and Doug role play outfit...
I love it even more knowing how much money I saved on it!

Like the day before, we spent some of Christmas Day with Joseph's family, and some with mine. It's crazy to say the least... but fun. Maybe next year we should try staying home! I bet I wouldn't feel so stressed out!

I'm grateful for family living so close, so that I don't have to be without them during the holidays. Something I know not everyone gets to do. I'm grateful that we have this time each year to reflect on the reason we celebrate Christmas.

I was eating cookies one day when Maddy asked me if she could have another one herself. I told her "Sure!, eat as many as you want!" and she looked at me in a puzzled sort of way, and said "Why?" (I don't normally let her have more than 2, and she KNOWS that.) Well, I said "Because Christmas is for eating cookies!" She looked at me and said "I thought Christmas was about Jesus' birthday?" I instantly felt horrible, and had to explain myself. I'm glad that Maddy corrected me, and reminded me of how easy it is to forget what it is we're celebrating.

Happy Thanksgiving! (It's only 2 months late!)

We had a very busy Thanksgiving! Since Joseph and I have our families here at the Beach, we spent the day with both of them! Two Thanksgiving dinners, at two different places made for some great food, but also a VERY long day! We started out with Joseph's family at the club house. Here is a picture of the four Jennings grandkids. Together for the first time! Too bad Ben was trying to each Grace... It would have been such a nice picture!

My trio. What a cute bunch of kids! (Ben looks like he's 8 months old when he's only 4 months... what a beast.)
It was a super stressful day for me. That is for sure. I have been married for over 6 years now, and until this Thanksgiving, I have only ever been asked to bring side dishes, as my contribution to dinner... and only by my own mother! Never have I been asked to bring a thing on the Jennings side. (Not to say I haven't offered!) Well, this year the cousins decided to split up the responsibilities of the dinner so the people who usually prepare the feast, actually got to sit, and enjoy. Great idea, right?? Well, for some reason unkown to me, I got assigned the Turkey. Whaaaaat? No pressure there... To top off the stress, I invited my brother, his wife and their five children to stay with us for Thanksgiving weekend. (Did I mention we have a three bedroom home with one bathroom and no dishwasher?)
Well, thanks to my wonderful grandmother and her brine, the Turkey was delicious. Well, at least I thought so. She walked me through the process through emails and phone calls. I'm SO grateful too! And of course, I loved every minute of my brother and his family being at my house. (To prove it, I invited them back a couple of weeks later!)

Thanksgiving morning, the kids wanted to go outside and play. They ended up playing in the leaves. Maybe that's why I enjoyed them being over at our house... they cleaned up the yard!

Maddy, showing off her raking skills

I think Andrew was trying to have a converstion with Joseph, but Abby wanted to throw leaves at him instead...

My neice Sophie

LOVE this picture... this is my nephew Jake

My neice Abby rolling in the leaves

My kids loved playing with their cousins. It has been so nice to see them, more than once every two years! They live much closer now that my brother has gone back to school. We hope to visit them too! We want to see them as often as we can before they go back out west!

Well, after we ate with the Jennings family, we had Thanksgiving all over again with the Passey family. It really wasn't that great... it was so late and the kids were exhausted. I know that sounds mean, but everyone agreed. SO we got together the next day for Thanksgiving left overs! It was so nice too! We all went around the table saying what we were thankful for, and it was really nice.

I know that I have so much to be thankful for. More than I could ever write on this blog... So I'll sum it up. I'm grateful for my husband, and our three children. (I still can't believe we have three!) I'm grateful for his job, and our home. I'm also grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. Who died for me, and for everyone else, so that we might return to our Father in Heaven. I feel so blessed to have the restored gospel in my life. And I am very grateful for the Thanksgiving holiday, so that I can reflect on all the many blessings that I have.

I know I'm writing this "Thanksgiving" post, and it's way late of course... (we all know I blog months after an event has happened!) It's almost February! I guess I better get going on the Christmas pictures!