And the DEMOLITION continues!

Progress is being made. This is no easy task and it is not the most enjoyable of tasks... but when you accomplish something it is definitely note worthy.
Nate was able to put crown molding on our cupboards and surprisingly it looks pretty good.

My talented brother-in-law Matt, came down to help us with our renovation project. He tore out the fireplace and capped our gas line for us! It is amazing how much the removal of the fireplace opened
 up the space! Matt is really knowledgeable about renovating house. He renovated his last house from top to bottom and it was AMAZING! We are lucky to have him help us.

Next, Nate was able to start priming our cabinets for painting.
I am actually liking how they are coming together.

What I am not liking is the preparation and cleaning... SERIOUSLY! SO. GROSS. This picture is a before and after picture of the top of the cupboards. All greased out and NASTY! I should mention that they have been cleaned 3 times before these pictures were taken. My mom and I took drastic measures and did a DEEP cleaning. Looks a lot better now.

AND the demolition commences...

I know I just posted about our renovation but Nate and Rob made huge progress today! I am so impressed and I must confess I felt a tinge of excitement today.

First, they knocked out most of the drywall to the fireplace! I really hate that part of this house and I am glad to see it go. I just think it was so awkwardly placed. I love that the kitchen/dining room will have an open floor concept.

Next, they ripped out all the laminate flooring!

Finally, we purchased our crown molding to go on top of the cabinets. We decided not to replace our cabinets and there are several reasons for this. Cabinets can get pretty expensive. Since this is not our "dream home" and we will not be staying here long we felt that the cabinets were in good enough shape that we could refinish them and exert of efforts and money in other areas. The bones of the cabinets are good enough for now so we are sanding and repainting them.

Here are some pictures of the progress from today. See if you can tell the difference from yesterdays pictures...

Surprise! You are renovating a HOUSE!

I never imagined in a thousand years... that I would ever embark upon a renovation project... and well here we are... renovating a house.

I have always had the motto "Buy it new, so you do not have to fix it- and if you DO have to fix it, chances are you have a warranty." Good motto, right? Ha ha. Well, obviously we are going against the grain on this one because we bought a foreclosed home and boy does it EVER need work.

When we first got married I learned that Nate loved HGTV. I had never heard about nor watched HGTV but I got quickly integrated once we were married. Television was not something that I did before I was married. Now...I love the show Love It or List It! But just because I love the show does not mean I want to attempt  it. Never in my wildest dreams did I think we would do something like this. But here we are-married a little over 3 years, 15 month old twins, Nate is working full time and running a new start-up business, and I am back in school AND we are now renovating a house. We like to take things in stride ...

We closed on our new project in August. We have been so grateful to have the amazing and wonderful family and friends. So many people have been helping us. It is still overwhelming. I am learning a lot. Here are some pictures of the house before we did anything.

We had granite counter tops installed and are building an island in the kitchen. We are also replacing all the floors, repainting all the walls, fixing the roof, drywall, and a lot of other things...
Wish us luck because it is very much NEEDED!

Happy Birthday My Loves!

To say that this has been a year full of change would be an understatement...

A year ago today our little family of 2 grew to 4. We have been ridiculously blessed. There could not have been 2 more perfect little girls for Nate and me. They are the apples of our eyes. I overload my social media sources with pictures, posts, and updates of our little miracles . I CANNOT get enough of them.!

 There is not enough time in the day to shower them with the hugs and kisses I have for them. I am as every bit of excited to be their mommy as I was the day we were told our birth mother chose us.

 I am fortunate to be the mother of these 2 angels and I work hard everyday to show my gratitude for them.

Lily and Aryiah are as different as they come.

Lily Rose is as gentle and delicate as her name suggests. She is inquisitive and alert to her surroundings. With this comes caution and reservations :)  She is selective to those she shares her smiles with. Lily loves clothes and music. Whenever I fold laundry she is right behind me unfolding the clothes, running her hands over the different fabrics, putting them in her mouth and over her head. She also loves to watch me do my hair and makeup!Lily's first word was "Dada" and she absolutely adores her "Dada." She is the twin who will often entertain herself and is the lower maintenance of the two.

Aryiah Michelle is a ray of sunshine. Her smile is infectious. Some call her a Vulcan but to me she is my Ry Ry-my ray of sunshine. Aryiah will often stare at people until they look back just so she can smile at them. She is curious and determined. With this comes a one track mind and a bulldozing for Lily. She is fascinated with people and wants to be with them. Aryiah's true passion is food. She will try anything and delights in the food tasting process. She is very opinionated for her age. She does extremely well with communicating her "Yes" and "No's" with us. Aryiah says "mama" and loves to be by my side-Always. She loves to be "doing" not watching. When I do my makeup she demands that she holds and/or eat whatever I am using...

I love them with every fiber of my being. They are my world and I am so excited for their future!

Happy Birthday my loves! Mommy loves your more that "words can say," "to the moon and back," "I love you for always," and "I love you because you're you!"

Another Essential "Must Have" for Twin Mama's

Motorola Video Monitor- We have Two cameras for one monitor

!!!

http://www.motorola.com/us/consumers/MBP33-Wireless-Video-Baby-Monitor/95184,en_US,pd.html
We opted to purchase this monitor. We absolutely love it! It comes with the option of programming up to 4 cameras to one monitor. We bought two cameras. This allows us to see both babies on the one monitor. It has a scan option where every few seconds it switches from one camera to the next. This allows you to see each baby every few seconds.Or you can keep it on one baby and then manually scan through each camera.

I hear a lot of people say they got along great without a video screen monitor-which I totally get but being parents of twins... we really try to cherish our sleep. This has helped us cut down on the number of times we go in their room. We can see them and observe before making the decision to go in or not. Sometimes they cry out in their sleep and as a first time Mom, it freaks me out so thanks to my monitor I am more at ease.

 Our twins are now almost 11 months old! This means they are mobile.  We got to see, for the first time, our oldest twin-by one minute... Aryiah, stand up in her crib. This was cute and also helpful because we immediately were able to adjust the crib so that she wouldn't fall out-before she actually fell out.(if that make sense)

Nate and I think it is fun to watch our girls when they wake up too. They sometimes will chat with one another or do silly things. We can observe them without interfering or distracting them-WE LOVE IT!

It also has an option to speak through the monitor to your baby. We do not really use it but it is an option.

The other thing I love about the monitor is that IF  we decide to have another little one we can buy another camera and then see all three on one monitor. As I mentioned above, you can program up to 4 cameras for the one monitor. Love it!

The only complaint I have is that the temperature gage is always off like 10 or more degrees... but other than that-We love it.

Family Pictures for AN AWESOME CAUSE!

Well, I am sure if you follow me on facebook you saw my posts about my high school pals little guy-Owen. He is in need of some dental work and his mom Rachelle is doing a fundraiser with her talent of photography!

 https://www.facebook.com/amberdawn0808?ref=tn_tnmn#!/photo.php?fbid=543238899032861&set=a.178557032167718.36252.175785035778251&type=1&theater

                                                 Just look at him! He is adorable

Rachelle is probably one of the most relaxed  and personable individuals I have ever met. She is perfect for taking photos with little ones because she is patient. Here are a few of my favorite pictures!