The basement from start to finish

OK, I have been meaning to post this ever since our basement was finished. It was quite the process. I may never buy a house again with an unfinished basement after this experience...we'll see. :)

We opened up the stairwell to make it feel less cramped and also to allow furniture to go down.

What will become the rec room and bathroom as well as hallways.

The big open space that will become the bedroom and the rec room.

Looking at the framing for the bedroom.

We had to have the drain jackhammered to move it back to get more bedroom space.

Looking at the bedroom wall from the rec room.

Bedroom after drywall.

The finished bedroom.

Looking at the bathroom with framing and insulation, from the hallway at the bottom of the stairs.

The future rec room.

We insulated the ceiling very well because of the hardwood floors above.

Rec room in the process of being drywalled.

Jayden posing in our newly finished basement.

We bought some furniture on craigslist because we have never had 2 living rooms before. So, we got a screamin' deal on this furniture and here is the way our living room looks now.

So, these pictures don't even begin to portray how hectic and crazy it was to finish this basement. It was made much more complicated by the fact that Jason was in California for training for 95% of the project. So we were trying to make decisions via phone and pictures. After Jason got home, we had drywall, so we painted ourselves and did the woodwork (which was a whole fiasco in and of itself...ug). Anyway, we are very happy with the finished product (minus a few annoyances here and there) and we are enjoying the space. We had a birthday/housewarming party on Friday, which was so super fun. It was funny because we challenged our friends to find the sump pump, which they found to be unexpectedly difficult. The reason it is funny is because it was such an eyesore before and in the worst place ever. Now it is practically invisible. So, come visit us and you too can play "find the sump pump."

Jayden turned 5 and is a Kindergartener now!!

Jason has been home a couple weeks now, and it is so nice. I've been grocery shopping by myself a few times, and it is actually fun. :) I even got to go get my hair done yesterday. Yay for husbands being in town.

Jayden turned 5 last week. How in the heck did that ever happen? Seems like yesterday he was just a toddler hanging onto my pants to steady himself while he learned to walk. But he is a big boy now! He had his first day of kindergarten on Friday. Of course, I bawled after he walked into the school with his teacher, leaving me behind. At least it is only half day kindergarten. We can both ease into it this year before we jump head first next year for first grade.

Jayden could not be more excited to be in school. He was so cute on the first day. The kids had to line up outside the school to wait for their teacher to come and get them and bring them inside. Jayden walked right up to the other boys and said, "Hi, I'm Jayden. What's your name?" Then he came over to me and said, "Mom, that kid with the transformers backpack is Aiden." He did that several times. I was so happy to see that he wasn't too shy or overwhelmed. He was happily telling the other kids about his Buzz Lightyear backpack that is "3D without glasses!!!" I am so proud of him.

We are starting to get more settled in Colorado. Our basement will hopefully be finished within the next few weeks, which will be a relief. My whole house is in terrible disorder (for my liking, anyway) because of the basement construction. Every time someone goes downstairs, they come up and track drywall dust and other crap through the whole house. I will be very glad when that stops.

It has been thunderstorming (ya, I just made that word up) every afternoon for the last week and a half or so. I really like it. Not only does it smell nice, but it means I haven't watered my lawn for a while now. And since we actually have to worry about our own utilities for the first time in years, that is a good thing. Colorado is beautiful, and there is so much more we have to discover and explore. Jason loves it here, and it has been a while since he has liked where we have lived. Hopefully we can stay here for a little while.

Well, as usual, we love and miss you all. Come visit us!!

We took the kids to Mr. Biggs for Jayden's B-day. It was a blast.

Only a few days left

Jason will be home this week! Hooray! We are more than ready to see him again. Single mothering is way too hard...my hat is off to any mother who has to do this full time. The kids and I have been trying hard the last few days to not get on each other's nerves. Luckily, I had a couple lifesaving friends come to my rescue lately. I went to the new Twilight movie with my friend Kamee Hale (yes, all you Montana friends, That Kamee). Her husband was a saint and offered to watch the kids while we had a GNO. Much needed on my part. Anyway, that was super fun. And then my visiting teacher called and offered to take the kids for a couple hours. I didn't do anything super exciting, just grocery shopping, but even grocery shopping without kids seemed like a treat to me. And now the end is in sight. And you know, 7 weeks is a long time for a 2 year old. She has changed a lot since Jason left. She speaks in almost comprehensible sentences now. Won't Jason be surprised.

Motherhood

I cried when I watched this...hard. With Jason gone, things have been hectic, to say the least. I've been less patient and understanding than I should have been with my kids. I know I need to rely on Him a lot more. My children are the most amazing people in my life and they deserve my very best everyday. Sometimes messages of hope like this one are exactly what mothers like me need to hear.

Happy Independence Day!

I am so grateful to live in this country. I am grateful to my husband and all the military members who give their time and energy so that we can continue to enjoy our freedom. Our lifestyle depends on these people to keep being selfless in helping preserve our freedom. Thank You!

Jason is still in Cali, but I wanted to make sure and celebrate the 4th with the kids somehow. I found out that Fort Carson was hosting a big celebration, and since Colorado Springs didn't do a thing, it seemed like a good option. I am so glad I went! I've been telling everybody that the army really knows how to throw a party! There were about 20 jumpy castles for the kids, booths, lots of food, glow necklaces that my kids loved, and a band that was very entertaining indeed. The rock band and a traditional band accompanied the fireworks, which made it even more amazing. I was worried that the kids would be awful considering I had them up 3 hours past their bedtime, but they did remarkably well. Charlee was scared of the fireworks at first. I had her up on my shoulders until she started pulling my hair out to get down. Then she hid behind my legs, only peeking out briefly and then hiding again. But after a while, she warmed up to it and was just as enthusiastic as the boys.

My parents came up a couple weeks ago and we had a ton of fun exploring Colorado Springs. It is very beautiful here with lots of things to see and do. I think we only scratched the surface, and we were busy for 5 days. Here are some of the highlights.