Merry Christmas!

For those of you that think you deserve to get a Christmas card in the mail from the Matthias family....this will have to do! I'm absolutely terrible at sending them out! :)

Have a very merry Christmas!

December ~ Inspection Passed!

Today is an exciting day in the world of our new house - we passed our inspection. No, not the official "move-in" inspection, but we get to finish the drywall! Next week we'll have finishers in doing mud/tape and texture. After that....paint! It's very exciting to be at this point. Kyle and my dad were SO happy that the inspection went so well. Mr. Inspector found NOTHING wrong!

Here are a couple pics of the dry-walled house. It's really starting to feel like a home!

Family room on the main floor.....this has changed since this pic as well...we now have a fireplace!

Our kitchen....love the arch to the dining room! :)

In other Matthias news....Myles is finally officially a walker! It's been several weeks now and he is quite steady! He is almost running already. Once they start, they just don't stop, do they!

Macy has definitely learned how to pose for pictures. When I try to take her picture these days, I get this way-to-grown-up little smirk. It's just hilarous to me!

Kyler and Curren had their Christmas concert on December 1st. Kyler looked so cute in his little Christmas tie! Funny thing is, if anyone reading this goes to Orchard, you'll often see Kyler in a tie and vest. He just loves to look nice! :)

Curren was involved in a "Lego League" competition last Saturday. It was a high-enery competition for 9-14 year olds in Cedar Falls. Curren's team has been preparing at least twice a week since September. They built a little robot and programmed it to complete "missions." They also did a presentation (complete with a rap about global warming and a PowerPoint), and were judged on their technical skills and teamwork. There were about 20 teams competing from the Cedar Valley and the exciting news was that Curren's team WON! Below is what was read off before the annouced the "Champion's Award." Yes, mom's eyes did tear up when they annouced that the winners were the Universal Robots from Denver! Way to go, Curren! Good luck at the state competition!

Champion's Award: This most prestigious award goes to the team who, in the big picture, is the
strongest in all of the categories combined. The Champion's Award winner is the
total package-the embodiment of the FIRST LEGO League vision. The Champion's Award encompasses five key elements of the Technical and Team Presentation Awards - Robot Design, Robot Performance, Project Presentation, and teamwork, as well as honoring the team's understanding and practice of Gracious Professionalism, exemplifying FLL Values and their understanding of the true meaning of FIRST and FIRST LEGO League. The FLL experience is more than building robots or attending competitions. lt begins with the robot, but most importantly, it is defined by how the children unite to form a team. The program impacts each of them as individuals and as team members. This award celebrates the ultimate success of the
FIRST mission and FLL Values. It measures how the children inspire others about the accessibility and excitement of science, technology, and engineering while demonstrating respect, encouragement, and continued gracious professionalism. The winning team is
given the honor of serving as a valued role model for FIRST and the FIRST LEGO League Program.

Mother's Milk

Okay...so this was too cute. I thought about emailing this cute little story out to all you nursing moms, but since it's been so long since I updated, thought I'd share it here.

House is progressing, kids are growing. Same story, just a different day! I promise, I'll post a real update soon, but for now, this will have to do. I am actually copying this from Tara Thomas' blog (the KWWL news anchor from the KWWL.com site...did I mention I was a blog stalker!?!?)

Mother's Milk
For all the nursing moms out there...
Students in an advanced biology class were taking their mid-term exam. The last question was, 'Name seven advantages of mother's milk,' worth 70 points or none at all.

One student wrote:
1.) It is perfect formula for the child.
2.) It provides immunity against several diseases.
3.) It is always the right temperature.
4.) It is inexpensive.
5.) It bonds the child to mother and vice versa.
6.) It is always available as needed.

And then, the student was stuck. Finally, in desperation just before the bell indicating the end of the test rang, he wrote...

7.) It comes in cute containers.

He got an A.

House Update ~ October

Wow - I think I start every post the same. Where has the time gone??? Life continues to be busy for us. Progress on the house continues. Unfortunately it's at the point that you can work all day (or all week) and not actually SEE progress that has been made. My sister stopped by this afternoon....she was also here last weekend. I asked her if it looked different and she looked around and said "not really." Case in point. Electrical and plumbing....you can work on it ALL day and not see results. Oh well, it all has to get done and they have been working SO hard!

Since the last post, we have siding on about half the house, all the windows in, all but one of the outside doors in (there are FIVE of them...can you believe it???), lots of plumbing and electrical done, and the garage doors are in. The biggest change of all is that we now have CONCRETE in the basement, garage, and gym! It was SO exciting when they poured that last week! The kids have a great time playing in the gym...and I love not having to worry about where they are at or what they can get in to. Although, the floor is pretty hard obviously. My dad suggested helments...we'll see about that. :)

Here are a few pictures of the house since last post. I'm hoping to do an update on the kids soon. I have some stories to share and have to show off pictures of Baby Handsome's first haircut. He looks like such a little man!

Here is a picture of Curren in front of his window. You'll notice that the window frame is stained! That was my project last week. We LOVE the stain and it's so nice to have that done and not have to worry about it!


Another accomplishment from the past few weeks...basement steps! This is a picture from the upstairs. I'm really hoping that the kids don't decide that it's the perfect opportunity to sled down two flights on a sleeping bag or something.... The gym! Four kids, four different directions! I love it! You can also see how the family room will be open to the gym (someday). Can't wait to live here! :)

The front of the house. All the siding, soffit, and fascia is done on the second story. The brick layer is supposed to come this week to do that as well. I'm so excited to see how that wil look! Stay tuned!

September Update

September 8th. Doesn't it feel like October out there? I don't know where summer went, but it sure disappeared in a hurry! I just wanted to post some pictures of the kids. Cute stories to share that really give a glimpse into each one's personality. No wonder I am exhausted every night when I go to bed! (warning - if you have a weak stomach, you'll want to pass quickly over Kyler's)

CURREN
When we started our house earlier this summer, Curren found a baby painted turtle by the side of the gravel road. So all summer long, the turtle has lived in a small aquarium on our kitchen counter. All summer long, Curren has searched for a "playmate" for his turtle, wandering around the pond. For a few weeks now, I have told them that if he didn't find one by the end of the summer, I would let him order one off the internet. He had done the research and found that they cost $25. I agreed to this but made a MAJOR mistake....I didn't realize the shipping would be SO expensive! Just a warning out there to check the shipping if you ever plan to order a live animal over the internet! I definitely learned my lesson. Anyway, we ordered the turtle last week and Curren was so sweet and excited to order it and wait for it's arrival. I have to admit, it is really cute to see the two turtles together (the new one is the smaller one below). They already seem to like each other. I'm just hoping we don't have a tank full of turtle eggs someday.....does any one know how to tell if turtles are male or female? I guess we'll find out sooner or later...
KYLER
Poor Kyler. I apologize if this picture makes your stomach quesy. It definitely made mine quesy earlier today! I was in the kitchen sorting through the food pantry when Kyler walked into the kitchen, blood all over the side of his face and head. He was at the house after school and him and the neighbor boy (also in kindergarten) were playing and the neighbor boy was swinging a golf club and accidently hit Kyler in the head. Trying to decide if I should take him to the ER or urgent care, or do anything at all was a major deal, but in the end, I drove to Heidi's house and to my mom's house and talked to my doctor's nurse on the phone and all is well. Anyway, the amazing part in all of this is how tough Kyler is. He was quite proud of himself that he did not cry. Heidi was washing the wound out in the sink and asked him if he cried and he said, "No. I didn't cry. I'm six!" Wow - he is so tough. He's had stiches on his face 4 times since he was two and he's never acted like he's in a lot of pain. I'm very thankful that everything turned out okay tonight- I didn't really want to take him to the ER again (can anyone say...DHS??) and we are thankful that he was not hurt more severly. It was just a few inches from his temple or from the front of his face. It makes me shiver at the thought of what could have been....

MYLES

Myles is becoming much more adventurous! Even though he STILL is not walking (14.5 months!!), he can get into everything! He can climb onto the couch, onto the dining room chairs, and into the BATHTUB! This was him tonight when he decided to join Kyler in the tub while I was checking my email. There's a reason why we have to keep the bathroom door closed at all times. At least this time it was the bathtub - usually when he escapes to the bathroom, he goes straight for the toilet. Ugh.....

MACY

This is Macy and her favorite cereal. She has PERFECT English most of the time, but some things are too cute to correct. Her favorite cereal is "Dirty Bubbles." To most people, they are know as Fruity Pebbles, but every time she says it, it brings a smile to our face. :) Last Friday we were at a picnic for work and she was explaining to one of my co-workers that she was drinking "Princess Juice." It was actually a can of Diet Pepsi but we won't tell her that....

My kids are the best! We are so blessed! Have a great week!

Shingles!!!!!

This weekend was a HUGE weekend for us! We had lots of help and were able to get most of the shingles on the house! We were hot, sweaty, dirty, and tired but it was so worth it! A great way for Kyle to celebrate his 30th birthday! :)

Here are some pics of the way we spent our long weekend....

Kyle and my dad on Friday....excited to start shingling!

Thank you SO MUCH to the family and friends that helped us out!

Mom and Dad...Heidi and Aaron...

Cliff...

Heather....

Joe....

the boys.... Kyle and I....

Some pics of all the work we accomplished!....

The (almost) finished roof! Doesn't it look great! Couldn't have done it without our awesome family and friends! Thanks again!!!!

and I don't have a picture, but a thank you to Grandma Barb and Grandpa Bill who were on kid duty!

When the kids did hang out at the house with us, this is where they stayed.....in the "pig pen!" It has worked out great!

I have more to share, but it's going to have to wait. I'm exhausted! Have a great week!

Middle of August? No way!

How is it already the middle of August. I CANNOT believe that the boys start school next week. That is just too weird. Not a lot of time to write today. You'll have to settle for pictures! :) (sorry they are in such a random order!)

A great pic of my sweet Kyler. Next week he'll be six! He is so sad that school starts next week. He says that he will miss hanging out with Dad at the house!

My newest nephew! Jonah Raymond Carlson. What a little sweetie! :-) Lo and Cliff have such a cute little family! I was honored and privilaged to witness his arrival! What a miracle! Gets me everytime!

View of the house from the highway. I am humbled by the size of this thing. We are both counting on it being a blessing...a safe place for family and friends to gather. :)
View from the gravel road, traveling north. This is before we added the garage. We will definitely add trees to hide the "squareness" of the place! View of the family room (there is still a wall missing - the triangle shaped hole on the second story). Kyle and I are excited - we've never had a loft before!
Miss Macy curling her hair. She knew EXACTLY what to do with it! She is such a girlie girl! (and don't worry...it is NOT plugged in!)

Kyle and I in our private den. If you look close, you can see Curren swimming on a tube in the pond!
Front of the house!
Another sweet shot of Miss Macy. She concentrated SO HARD and was so proud of herself! Let me know if anyone would like a manicure! :)


This is the face I get from Curren when he doesn't get his way. The eye roll is quite popular right now. I think it's a sign of things to come! On a happy note, he has been such a good helper at the house. Dad even lets him drive the skidloader and lift! Yikes!

Sweet Baby Handsome! He is so precious! Almost 14 months old and FINALLY has his first tooth! We are still waiting on the walking.

A couple weeks ago Kyle and I went muling! It was A LOT of fun and the scenery was BEAUTIFUL! We just rode around in the wilderness in the Denver hills. Denver really is God's country, as Kyle refers to it! :)

My mule, Rose. She was the prettiest one! :)

Enjoy the final days of summer! See ya soon! :)

Another House Update 18Jul08

We continue to make progress on the house. It's been fun watching it grow! I know these pictures probably all look the same to most of you, but every new wall is exciting for us! They are currently working on sheeting the outside of the house and framing the second story walls. Hopefully by next week we are working on roof trusses. Kyler was excited that he can see Grandpa Bill's barns from his bedroom! :)

This is last Friday when Kyle and Joe were putting up some of the last walls on the gym. On Sunday, Cliff and my Mom came over and definitely helped! This is how all the trusses were set. They are walking across the trusses already in place and it's a 20 foot drop if you fall. I'm glad that part is over!!!

My mom is WAY tougher than me....I wouldn't go up there until they had some of the flooring done! The trusses were SO cool! This is a shot standing in the gym and looking up.
Myles was FINALLY allowed to play in the sandbox this week! He absolutely loves it! However, I figured out that it's much better if he has a binky in his mouth - he eats less of it that way! :)
If you look closely you can see Kyler. This is in the garage. We had to get LOTS of sand to fill this. Kyler loved playing in it! Our first trip to Gates Pool this summer. I couldn't belive how big Macy was! She could go all the way to the first rope by herself! The girl has no fear!

One of the rare moments that Curren is at home with me - I think he's spent 99% of the summer at the pool or working at the house - as you can tell by his tan and sun-streaked hair!Over the 4th, Myles and I headed to Alabama with Bill and Barb to meet the newest little Matthias. Neil and Kelsie had Isabella Grace at the end of June. She is a cutie!