say CHEESE!!

Once you have a fireplace its just natural I guess to take some pictures in front of it...right??

Drew , Emily, Abby, Jack, Max, and Samuel

The Fireplace

When we moved into the house, there was only a gas fireplace.  Anyone who knows Bob knows that the gas fireplace has to go.  It was a shame because it was very pretty, but if we kept it I would have only been able to use it in secret.  And secrets are never good for a marriage, so out it went.

This is the only picture I have of the old fireplace and this is from when we first looked at the house with the previous owner's stuff still there.

We decided to add a fireplace in the next room over where their dining room used to be just because that was the easiest room in which to add a chimney.  I failed to take a before picture of this room, but basically it was an empty room with white walls.

 The built ins have been installed and the chimney that Bob made from some old flooring has been hung.

 The stone has been laid and is ready for the stove.  That thing is heavy!  Thanks to 4 guys and their muscles we managed to get it on the hearth without any scratches:)

 Bob was like a kid on Christmas morning when he was able to light the first fire!

And here is the finished product!  Once the room gets a fresh coat of paint (preferably something other than white!!) it will be our first settled room and that is a good feeling!

Happy 2014!!!

For the last few years our good friends, the Shareks, have come to welcome in the new year with us!  This year we brought their 3 kids home from our Christmas trip with us so they had a few days here with us before their parents came for New Years.

They kept themselves busy playing tons of Frisbee Golf in the freezing cold and Seidler when they needed to thaw out.

 We made and ate 27 tacos for taco night (but a few weeks later we had the Einolf kids out and they ate 28)

The lego contest

  We love Jer and Heather!!

Happy 2014!

Emily's 10th Birthday

Emily's birthday is December 29th so it falls in among the craziness of Christmas and New Year's Day.  She is starting to think she might like it better if she didn't have a Christmas birthday, so maybe next year we'll celebrate her half birthday.

 Her favorite things this year are clothes, duct tape, and cute waterbottles.

Emily continues to grow into a beautiful young lady.  She continues to excel at basketball and soccer, but this year she begged me to put her into a tumbling class, so now she says gymnastics is her favorite sport.  She is constantly flipping about the house. Sound familiar??

She continues to be a blessing to our family by being a great big sister especially with the little ones.  She occasionally bathes, dresses, and changes diapers without me asking her to, plays with them, and tells Abby good night stories.  She'll be a great babysitter someday soon!!

We Love Our Emily!