House Progress

So, I haven't been keeping up with the house progress very well.  Shocker I know! But, the house is coming along well.  Bo and his dad spend every night after work hanging the wood walls in the inside. The living room, foyer, kitchen, and mudroom/hall are going to have pine walls with a wash on them.  Kate and I have been painting the boards before they hang them.  I don't have any pictures of them yet, but they are making progress.  The sheetrock is hung and has been sanded.  We are expecting our trim carpenters to come Monday and start.  It's really starting to look like a house! Our fireplace is finished, and I think it looks AMAZING!  I do have pictures of that.  See below!

Working on the siding

 Tubs are in 

Insulation is in (attic pict) 

View from Lake 

Fireplace 

Stud Walls (now they have wood and sheetrock)

Easter 2013

This year Easter was so much fun.  Bowlin 'kind of'' understood the Easter Bunny, and he did pretty good with hunting eggs as well.

  We started our Easter weekend with an Easter Egg Hunt at Sallie Kate and Robert William's house.  This is Bowlin's 3rd year now, and for him was the most fun!  Then Saturday afternoon we dyed Easter Eggs for the first time.  He was such a helper.

First thing Easter morning we woke up to see if the Bunny had come, and what he had left.  Bowlin must have been sweet this year because on top of his Easter Basket happies he got a John Deere Gator for him to ride on.  He was pretty excited.  The next thing we did Easter morning was we went to church.  We tried to take Bowlin to the nursery.  Well, that didn't work.  He wasn't having it.  So, he came to big church with us.  He made it all the way through almost.  Literally, there were about 3 minutes left in the sermon when we had to give in and let him down.  He and Bo just slipped out the back.  I usually host Easter lunch at my house, but since the trailer wouldn't hold our families Bo's sister, Mary Katherine, offered to host.  It was delicious and her house looked so festive.  Everyone helped with the meal and it was YUMMY!  We then tried to get Bowlin to hunt Easter Eggs again.  But, he wasn't as into it when he was the only one hunting them.

THEN it was time to go play.  We started off by letting him ride his new Gator.  He like it but it was so wet we were having trouble riding on the wet grass and through the mud. So he got off to play on foot.  And he being ALLLLLL BOY he hit a mud hole!  See below for pictures.  But, basically it went like this....he knows he is not suppose to splash in the mud holes.  So he was walking a big wide circle around it and looking at me smiling, just waiting to see if I would say anything to him.  When I didn't he then went to the very corner and put his foot in.  When I still didn't correct him he splashed.  The gradualness continued until he was literally covered from head to toe and had rolled in it like a little pig!  It was fun for him, and it was a holiday, so I guess I was feeling generous.  Needless to say our clothes were ruined!  I am thankful for a wonderful Easter day, and I am especially thankful for the reason for the holiday!

*Pictures are not in order.  I was having troubles.

Ready to go to Egg Hunt 

Taking a break at the Easter Egg Hunt 

Callie and B

Dirtiest Kid at the Party 

Having a big time 

The difference a year makes

Dying Easter Eggs

Getting Ready to dye eggs 

The Easter Bunny came 

Excited about his Gator and Urlacher doll 

The Bunny brought some Toy Store band aids for all his 'boo boos' 

Mudding in his Gator 

The start of the puddle 

Jumping 

Crawling 

Finished product

Going in the trailer to get cleaned up

Beautiful Easter Table

KK, Bowlin, and G 

The Bunny 

Daddy, Bowlin, and Momma

William Bowlin Butler #1, #2, and #3 

 Hiding Eggs at Kacky's

Progress.....

So, I have been slipping on the blogging.  But, we have been busy!  The felt was put on the house today.  Hopefully by the end of the week we will be completely in the dry.  We are also suppose to be getting a fireplace put in this week.  YAY for progress!  Hopefully by late summer we can live there.  As for trailer life, it is going good.  If the weather will just stay warm and Bowlin can play outside then it will be just fine.  The biggest drawback to me is that Bowlin doesn't have much room to play.  See pictures of below of the progress..........

Batter Boards to lay the block 

 Valentine's Day in front of Batter Boards

 Blocks

Starting the Decking 

Walls going up 

Front porch on and filling in walls 

Wrapping with insulation 

Bottom floor almost complete 

Rafters

Lake View

Second floor complete and roof decked

Roof Felted

Guess What!?!?!

Bowlin went pee pee in the potty this morning, not once but TWICE!  This momma could not be more excited!!!!

Saturday Bo and I were in the bathroom both getting ready to go somewhere and I look up and Bowlin is just sitting on his potty hanging out watching us.  This is the first time he has ever sat on the potty without crying much less voluntarily.  So, I thought hmmmmm....maybe this is progress.  So last night I took his diaper off and told him to go to his potty and he ran back there and sat down....for about 5 seconds.  Currently his favorite thing is a donut!  He asks for them constantly.  So, I told him if he went in the potty I would get him a donut.  Well, he wouldn't go, but he stood up and went all in the floor.  Ugh, frustration!   He fell asleep still crying for the donut I wouldn't give him because he didn't 'go' in the potty.   So this AM, I asked him first thing would he go in the potty.  I reminded him what his treat was.  So we went and sat on the potty after much protesting he finally went!  It didn't all make it in the potty, but hey A for effort!  So he got his donuts.  About an hour later he started asking for a popsicle. Again, I told him he could have one if he went to the potty.  So I took off his diaper he was wet, so I didn't think he would do it.  But, with the promise of a popsicle, he strained and went just a bit.  None the less, he went and he got the concept!  I am one proud momma!  YAY Bowlin!  I have to go stock up on donuts and popsicles now................

Trailer Life So Far.......

Trailer Life is going pretty good so far.  However, we got off to a really rough start.  Let me please just tell you about the first night in the trailer.  We had many set backs getting into the trailer.  So we were almost 2 weeks later living in the trailer than originally expected.  We slept on an air mattress in the living room at Pine Road for those two weeks.  So you can imagine that I was OH SO READY to be in my own bed, no matter where it was!  So that night finally gets here and here is a recap of how it went.
8:30pm: Wall Heater goes out (Wall Heater bc Central Unit does not work like previously anticipated)
9:30 pm: My mom decides that we are endanger with the space heaters that we currently have.  She shows up unannounced with a different one.  This makes my husband upset.
2AM: Finally I get to sleep and wake up with the dining room light on.  This light has not worked since we got the trailer.  So you can imagine my anxiety over this happening.
5AM: Bo wakes up early to plug an extra space heater in the bathroom so we don't freeze to death getting ready.  Well when he plugs it in it throws the breaker on 1/2 the trailer.  So we no longer have electricity in the bedroom.  So he has to fix that at 5 am.
6:30 AM: Bo showers and the Master shower does not drain and he doesn't make it through his shower with hot water.
7:30 AM: I get up and Bowlin slices his finger on broken glass on a window that we have not yet fixed.
8AM: Going to my in laws to take a shower (see no hot water) and I lock me and Bowlin out of the trailer to which no one has  key.  At this point all I could do is laugh.

Luckily, thinks have gotten way better.  However, we do still have some significant water leak issues.  My husband and father in law are working on those as we speak.  But, I feel settled and it feels like home.  Bowlin loves his new bathtub!  He actually thinks it's a swimming pool I think.  *See below for picts  The dogs are adjusting well too.  It is just really small.  I am ready for warm weather so we can all spend lots of time outside.  I think that will make things a lot better.

In other news, my blocks on my house are laid (*see below) and they say they will be there to start framing on Tuesday. WOOOHOO!  I am pumped about that!  Maybe by fall I will have more room and no water leaks!

Bath time in the Big Tub

Hanging out on his new front porch

Our New Adventure for 2013

Well............We have a new adventure.  It is going to be a WILD adventure.  I am very nervous, but very excited at the same time.  Let me start at the beginning.

Our house was not on the market, it was not for sale.  But, we have always said we would sell it if it was the right person and situation.  So the day after Christmas that opportunity presented itself.  A week later we had a deal, and our house was under contract.  We closed on January 25, and have 30 days from that day to get out.  Whew!  That happened fast!

So, the next question was what do we do from here?  Bo grew up in TN at what we refer to as Wildwood.  He has always wanted to go back, and we have said we would just as soon as we could build.  So, we weighed our options, and decided we could do just that.  So, that is our plan we are going to build the fourth house at Wildwood.  The other three houses are occupied by his mom and dad, his sister, and his Aunt Cindy and Uncle John.  We are excited to be joining them.

So, then came the question: "Where do we live until we can get something built?"  We again looked at our options which were basically: rent, live with a family member, or buy a trailer.  So we bought a trailer!  This is just not any trailer, it is a very run down small single wide trailer.  So we have been spending the last few weeks totally redoing the trailer to make it our home for the next 8 months or so.  We have ripped out carpet and sub flooring, totally painted the whole thing, we are replacing all the light fixtures, and laying new floor.  We had to do some minor repairs to some shelving and cabinets.  And it still lacks a REALLY GOOD CLEANING.  Right now we are waiting on the new flooring and the water and electricity to be hooked up.  Our tentative move in date is next weekend Feb 16th.  The trailer is now at Wildwood sitting about 50 yards behind where our new house will be built.  2 adults, a 2 year old, and 4 dogs should be interesting in such a small space.  WISH ME LUCK!

Below are a few little sneak peek picts from our new adventure.

Our view

My front porch being delivered 

Bowlin is excited 

The living room-already repainted in the pict  

Kitchen repainted 

Master Bath-Bowlin is going to love this tub 

Bo chainsawing out our old subfloors