Brandon's New Toy

Thanks to Mom and Dad Scheer Brandon's dreams have come true and he now has a Chariot. Used, but it looks brand new, and he is pretty excited! Now we just have to wait 2 months for the baby to be born and then 6-9 for him to be ready for riding, could be a long wait!

A Few Projects

OK, it has been a while since we were up to date here on our blog, so we thought we'd just show a couple before and after shots of our recent projects. We worked on cleaning out the garage one weekend, putting up shelves and cabinets, and just trying to organize and GET RID of stuff!
Before:

After:


Then we got brave and started the window project. Our old aluminum-frame windows are moldy, drafty, and nasty, but replacing them is going to be quite the project. Getting them out is one thing, then you discover carpenter ant damage, have to replace a bunch of framing, tear out sheetrock, and destroy the recent paint job in the bathroom. Then, because we have aluminum siding you have to peel that back (hopefully without slicing yourself and going to the ER), maneuver the window in, then try to get the aluminum siding and all the pieces to go back where they were. Not fun... but one down, 5 more (and a door) to go!
Before:

After:

Baby Kicks!

Cannon Beach

What an amazing day!!! 64 degrees and sunny, and very little wind to speak of...it doesn't get much more perfect than that on the Oregon coast. It was a perfect way to spend the last day before Brandon heads to Alaska for 2 weeks. Hopefully he stocked up on sun enough to last him!
Kadyn LOVES the beach, we made the mistake of telling her on the road that we were going to the beach and she spent the next hour and a half saying "Beach?" I am pretty sure she was convinced we had lied to her by the time we got there, but when she got out of the car she took off for the water.
Nothing like a little seafoam on your nose!
Kadyn has absolutely no fear of the water, so we ended up taking shifts being responsible for chasing her down when she made a break for it. Everyone ended up soaked at one point or another from "sneaker waves!" Good thing it was sunny, that water is NOT warming up yet!
Hey look, my belly is bigger than Haystack Rock :) Hopefully our little guy likes the beach as much as Kadyn, can't wait for us all to go together. Poor Smokey and Kobi are going to be out of luck though, as we realized that adding another body to our car will mean there is no more dog space :( I jokingly said something about a trailer, but then Jon pointed out I may not want to give my husband any ideas!
Kadyn loves the sand almost as much as the water. Her favorite part was when she discovered she could dig down to get a puddle to seep up in the sand close to the water, she was just flinging wet sand in every direction, it was all over everyone! Then she practiced putting every body part she could think of in her hole...her belly, butt, feet, hands. It was hilarious. When we moved to the drier sand she decided Smokey needed to be "buried."

Snowshoeing

Today we did something Brandon has been wanting to do again basically since we left Portland the last time we lived here: snowshoeing. We headed up Mt. Hood with the Brines family and happened upon an absolutely gorgeous day. We got Kadyn a sled, but she wasn't a big fan of it. She did, however greatly enjoy watching other people sled, especially if they were screaming or crashing! After a short time at the sledding hill we donned the snowshoes and headed on up the trail. As you can tell it was beautiful and sunny (too bad the Scheers forgot sunglasses!) All in all a great day!
Us girls taking a break


The guys, not taking a break!


Poppy's first snow outing, although in snow pants it just looks like I am fat!


The iPhone: a must-have for every child. You can watch Elmo videos online during long boring road trips.

Home Sweet Home

Well, it has been a while since we did an update mostly because all we've done since getting home from Christmas is work on odd projects around the house and unpack. Well, that on the weekends, work and sleep during the week! But, the good news is we've actually made some progress! We actually had friends over for dinner last night and we ate at the dining room table, a huge step!!One of Brandon's projects for the weekend was installing the molding around the new floor in the bathroom. He also painted some trip and painted and rehung the bathroom door. He also spent a little time clamping down the covered patio roof, at 1:30 this morning! We both awoke to a wind storm and awful clanking and clanging, and after thinking for a little while we could sleep through it he gave up and headed out to "fix" it. Now we know why there were clamps out there when we looked at the house the first time. Probably the neighbor's solution to an annoying sound when the wind picks up! Unfortunately he took his clamps back when we started moving in.
Carole's project for the weekend was cleaning! She also spent some time hanging pictures, unpacking a few more boxes, and generally trying to straighten and find homes for things. She also employed the help of the cutest little vacuum lover ever!Look, Mom, no boxes!
The paint cans moved, the random construction supplies found a home other tan the dining room table, and a large amount of dog hair went to vacuum heaven...Wow! We have a dining room!
The kitchen didn't change much from the outside, but we did find the pots and pans finally!
Not much change in the bathroom, either, but we did a little decorating.Since we got both closet organizers in last weekend, this weekend we put away all the clothes and clutter, and even put out a few pictures. But, just in case you're thinking "I was going to go help them work on the house, but it looks like they have it under control." Here is what the nursery looks like: so, come on down! We won't even mention the garage, or the yard, or the gutters, or the covered patio, or the master bath, or the...

A Hike and A Day at the Beach

Tuesday we went out exploring and found a small state park to take a hike at. It was fun to see what "wild" Florida looks like, and we even saw some Gopher Tortoise Burrows, but no tortoises

Then, yesterday we headed to the beach for the afternoon. It was a beautiful day, about 70-75 degrees and sunny, and we just walked along the water, picked up shells, took pictures, and watched the sunset.

We also made a stop at a maternity clothing outlet store, and found the latest fashions!
Now it is off to home, we have a night in a hotel in Tampa, fly out New Year's Day at 6 a.m. Uggh! Back to the real world, I guess!

Warm (???) Florida

Well, yesterday was very cool and cloudy, but today came through. Not really that warm, but at least sunny. We headed north to the Crystal River to swim with the Florida Manatees. It was a pretty incredible experience. They come in to the river because it is spring fed and stays 72 degrees year round. They like the warm water, and we saw probably a couple hundred of them in the couple hours we spent in the water. 72 degrees sounds pretty warm, but by the end we were pretty chilly, actually we didn't feel that cold until we got out, but it was worth it! You are not allowed to approach the manatee or pursue them, but if they come up to you you can pet them and hang out with them. They are pretty curious and very trusting of humans. We also got to see a lot of fish, and some beautiful scenery.

Merry Christmas from Florida!

Greetings from warm (if not so sunny) Florida! We arrived at 6:00 this morning eastern time (yes, that is 3 a.m. our time!) to pouring rain and 70 degrees. The rain dried up and we even got a spot or two of sun throughout the day, but not really clear. It stayed right around 70 the whole day, though and was very enjoyable.After a short nap...well, it was short for some of us, others required a little "convincing" to get up and make the time change adjustment, we had Christmas breakfast and then Karen and Carole enjoyed a walk around the neighborhood.Although we didn't do any Christmas gifts because getting/being here was our "present" there still seemed to be a lot of non-Christmas gifts to unwrap, hmmmm. Several cute maternity outfits and lots of adorable baby goodies were a lot of fun to open and ooo and ahh over. We also got numerous gift cards for Lowes and Home Depot, so I guess when we get home it is back to work!

The house we've rented with Brandon's extended family is very nice, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a nice big living area with a huge TV that is currently being used for some Wii MarioKart action. Brandon also got Mario Brothers from Melissa for Christmas, so that has already been getting a bit of a workout, too. Carole has found she is at a distinct disadvantage since she was not allowed to play videogames as a child!
We did get in the pool for probably an hour this afternoon, just floated and talked and enjoyed eachother's company. It was very nice, and how often do you get a family Christmas photo in the pool? We rounded out the day with a fantastic Christmas dinner with all the delicious trimmings, and Carole ate way too much. Now about 1/2 of us are headed to bed and the other 1/2 are still Wii-ing...hmmm, that sounds like they are all in the bathroom....

The last 2 months....

The Seli-Scheer clan, or at least part of it, at Thanksgiving!


The weekend after Thanksgiving we took a trip up to see Mt. St. Helen's, and it was a beautiful drive despite some clouds moving in and out and only getting occasional views of the mountain.


Out with the old...and in with the new. Brandon's new skill of installing a toilet was forged as we replaced a bad toilet in the main bathroom. We thought the classy decision was to put it on the front lawn, and I am sad to say that not only is it still on the front lawn, but now the toilet from the master bath is sitting right next to this one. His and hers, I guess!

A mostly new bathroom, new paint, new floor, new toilet. The new sink has yet to be installed, though.

A Bit of an Update

It has been a while, sorry! We have had quite the few weeks as we moved into our new house, got an ultrasound of the baby, and try to get ready for our Christmas trip to Florida with the Scheers. We also have had lots of guests, Dad Scheer until the 10th, then Selis starting on the 13th, then Jess from Captive Free arrived on the 17th, tonight will be the first night in a long time with no guests!

Things are going well, but slowly with the house. Brandon installed his first toilet, and we've gotten flooring in two bedrooms and one bathroom done. Some unpacking has happened, but honestly not as much as we'd like at this point! There is still a garage full of boxes, and a lot of empty space in the house! Right now we are just focusing on finding suitcases and mild weather clothing and shoes for the vacation.

Baby life is good, we got an ultrasound a week and a half ago and all is well. Carole is showing, she thinks, but maybe it is just fat. Not much weight gain yet, but 2 inches bigger in the waist. Today marked the first day of maternity jeans and boy, were they comfortable! We've been doing a lot of reading and enjoying seeing what the baby is looking like and how she is developing each week.

We leave Thursday for sunny Orlando and can't wait to have a week to ourselves, no work, no house, no commitments, just relaxation (and sleep!) We'll be there for just over a week, and one of my goals is to get some pictures uploaded to the blog, so hopefully I do some catching up! We hope you all have a happy Christmas and New Year, 2010 will be bringing lots of blessings, for sure. You will most likely be getting, well, maybe Easter cards from us this year, our apologies!!! Love you all!

FINALLY!!!

We are out of money and the keys are on our rings! Must have bought a house. It is finally official and we are home-owners, now the real fun begins!!!

Big News!

Well, there will soon be a new addition to our family, we are pregnant! Just barely, due the end of July, but definitely feeling the morning sickness (which everyone keeps saying is good.) We had fun telling all our parents in person as they were in town for Thanksgiving. They were very surprised and very excited as this will be the first grandchild on either side.

We are very glad that we will be in our new house by the time we have 3 bodies living together...well, maybe we shouldn't count our chickens before they hatch! We have signed our papers, but some glitches are still being ironed out, we hope to close the middle of this week. We'll keep you posted on both of our big changes!

No Place Like Home...For the Holidays...

Or, living on the street? We heard yesterday that things are moving S...L...O...W on the selling bank's end of our home purchase. We are supposed to close on Wednesday but there is now very little hope of that happening. At this point we are just praying we have somewhere to move to when we have to be out of the apartment on November 30th! Forget about how cozy arrangements are going to get with Carole's parents and Brandon's parents arriving for the Thanksgiving holidays to a 2 bedroom, 2 bed, lots of boxes everywhere apartment!

Keep your fingers crossed and your prayers going for us, needless to say every time we think the stress is nearly over something else comes up! We are having Smokey practice his pathetic face in case we need to do any panhandling, though :)

One Step Closer!

Yeah! We found out today that our appraisal went great on the house. Not only did it appraise for more than we are paying (always a good sign) but they are not requiring any repairs before we get our loan. So, now we just have to get the bank to move their patooties so we can close on time!

Seli Family Updates

Carole's extended family has started a blog to keep up with one another. If you'd like to check it out the link is: www.selifamilynews.blogspot.com

It Has Begun...

Smokey is depressed and we have a room full of boxes...must be moving time!