Stay tuned...

We have moved into our house and are still getting settled. We are currently WITHOUT the internet...I know, don't everyone gasp at once! Our subdivision is in the process of getting it and we should have it by the end of the month. In the meantime I think I am going through detox...yes, I have since learned that I was addicted to the internet although I do still hold strong to the fact that I do ALL my billing online not to mention that my phone book, blog, dictionary, movie time/locater, e-mail, etc is all connected to the internet in some form or fashion. I am sure most of you can relate! So, in the meantime, I will not be posting much for the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for the Grand Tour of our new home, our family vacation, and some random picks and posts of the kids.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

Eleven years ago, if you asked me what I thought my life would be like...this is NOT what I would have pictured. Eleven years ago I was on a very different road...a road that I didn't necessarily want to be on but one I didn't know how to get off of. But my Heavenly Father was very aware of me and of my situation. He literally threw a boy in front of me that would not take "no!" for an answer. A boy that was so different then I could have ever imagined being with or even being interested in me. Several miracles later (and I don't mean coincidences...I mean miracles!) I married that boy and we are living happily ever after!

Reflections - Life Lessons on Building a Home

We should be FINISHED with the house tomorrow and will be ready to move in! So, I have been thinking a lot about this whole house building/buying process and here is what I think...

Things you should know before you build your own home...

1. It is really, really hard! Fortunately, it is a little like being pregnant...while you are doing it, you tell yourself you are never doing this again, but after you see the results you forget about the pain and start talking about when you are going to do it again. AND no one can possibly understand until they have done it themselves...but with that said continue to read to learn how to make it easier.

2. You should have a work truck...if not, be prepared to make your current vehicle into one. This includes getting it oily, muddy, dirty, eating in it A LOT, driving around constructions sites, hauling tools around, trying to pick up supplies that don't quite fit but if your kids squish to one side and duck maybe it will be possible...

3. Have a stock of tires available for the said "work truck"...preferably three. That seems to be the lucky number of flats you will experience. I actually visited The Tire Company so many times during this process they knew me by name and started giving me a discount on all of the things I needed...broken tale light, broken head light, three flat tires, three inspections.

4. Have jumper cables available for the said "work truck" especially if you are using it as a living room for the kids to watch TV, nap, eat and keep them entertained while you work on the house. The battery WILL run out.

5. Keep a spare car key at the new house under a rock so that when your kids are done watching TV and lock the keys in the car you don't have to try and find one.


6. Buy and USE lots and lots of sunscreen! Working in the sun again after you have blistered yourself is fairly painful!


7. If you don't own a shop vac - one of those vacuums that vacuums up everything from nails to water to glass to saw dust, etc. then GET ONE...A BIG ONE! In fact, if you are a homeowner at all you should own one. They are awesome! Chris has been wanting one for years (we had a little teeny one). It was finally time to give in and buy one.


8. If you don't already have an awesome family...adopt one...you will need it!

9. Dirt is a precious resource! Use it wisely!

10. We have heard from several people that building/buying a house can have a lot of strain on a marriage. Luckily, this was not the case for us but maybe that is because we were forewarned...so consider yourself forewarned!

11. Be prepared to be disappointed...a lot! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE our house and how it ended up but it seemed that every step of the road was paved with disappointments. These disappointments can come from lack of funds, time constraints, miscommunication, lack of funds OR sometimes the exact thing that you wanted and got still doesn't turn out exactly how you wanted it to; Oh, and did I mention that everything is EXPENSIVE! lol

12. AND lastly, enjoy it! Most of the time, I have to admit that Chris and I were too tired to really enjoy much of anything but there were times when we just sat back and realized what an awesome blessing it is to be able to not only own a home but be able to build one. Our children, even though they too, are tired of us building the house, understand how much time and work went into this house. We built it together and we will reap the benefits together...isn't that what family is all about.

Things I have learned while building a house

1. I CAN do hard things...not necessarily happily...but I survived them with few breakdowns.

2. I learned that I can cut and lay base and casing; cut, grout and lay tile; run a watering hose, use a table saw and a lay wood floor, CLEAN like a MANIAC, and according to Chris give a whole lot of moral support!

3. I learned how to check and put air in a tire.

4. I learned that I am a lot more materialistic then I would like to admit.

5. I learned that my husband is even more amazing than I thought...he never complained having to work 16 hr. days-6 days a week. He also dealt with my breakdowns so well. :)

6. I learned just how much a family can accomplish when they work together.

7. I learned that I am pretty indecisive especially when it comes to decorating.

8. Dirt is expensive!

9. I am capable of much more then I thought but still have much more to learn and even more importantly I am excited for it!

Rebellious Child?

So, this parenting thing is really starting to test me. Before your kids go to school, there are few people who really influence them...maybe you, your spouse and a couple of other relatives. Once your kids start school they are bombarded with all different kinds of belief systems, peer pressures, thoughts, ideas, etc. I actually believe, for the most part, that this is a good thing. I think we have to allow our children to "practice" making the choices that we see as productive and beneficial to their lives. This morning, I gave my son a chance to "practice" making a choice hoping he wouldn't feel good about it OR that it would pass quickly. I let Austin choose to wear a mohawk to school! So what is the big deal about a mohawk? I dunno...maybe I am just old but in my day that represented a form of rebellion. Does it any more? I am not sure but I figured either way it is just a hair-do. What is the worst the can happen right?

Well, I will tell you the worst that can happen....I picked him up from school and the following conversation pursued:

Mom: So how was school?

Austin: Good (his usual response)

Mom: So did anything fun happen? (my usual pursuance)

Austin: my friend Rian (a GIRL friend) came up and kissed me on the cheek! (a big smile across his face)

Mom: She did?

Austin: yep

Mom: Did you tell her there was no kissing in elementary school?

Austin: no...I liked it!

PAUSE.....

Austin: she liked my Mohawk!

UUgh...I knew it! Why couldn't I just be a dictator and tell him there was no way he was wearing a mohawk to school! Luckily this morning, we "didn't have time" to do his hair because I kept putting it off because I was trying to figure out how to deal with this issue. He didn't seem to have a problem with that so he went to school with messy hair and I think I might "not have time" to do his hair every morning!

Oreo Peanut Butter Delight!

So one night Chris and I were in a Munchy Mood and all we had were Oreos. To most people that would be enough but it wasn't for us. So we decided to spice them up a little. We spread a healthy layer of PB on top (less if you are not a huge PB fan...although Chris isn't and he still loved them) and then we melted some chocolate and spooned it over the top. If you want to make them look pretty you can dip them but we were in a hurry. Then pop them in the freezer for 20 min. (we almost couldn't wait but your patience will be rewarded...they are better frozen)! ENJOY! If you try it out...let us know what you think.

ATTN: Twilight Fans

For any of you out there that are Twilight fans and were waiting for Edwards version of Twilight - Midnight Sun, it is no longer going to be released, as of now. I actually wasn't that excited about it anyway because I already read Twilight and knew the outcome...how could it be that much better from Edwards point of view? OH, it is! :) I started to read the first few pages of her manuscript and it sucked me in pretty quick. Hopefully she changes her mind and decides to release it. Read here to find out what happened...

http://www.stepheniemeyer.com/midnightsun.html

House Update!

My sister has been wanting updated pics of the house...so here ya go sis!
It is almost done! The outside is completely finished except for the final grading. The painting will be finished this week. Chris is tiling the bathroom now and will be installing our floors the end of this week. Countertops, plumbing and lighting will also be installed by the end of the week. Carpet is being installed the beginning of next week. AND then it should be ready to move in! WOOHOO!




Our linoleum in the laundry room and guest bathroom.

Back door with bench for shoes underneath and coats/backpacks above.


We started packing our first boxes from our rental and when the kids saw what we were doing they started jumping up and down and running through the house...I thought Austin might start crying he was so happy. They are so happy to finally get to have their dad back!

Ashton's Coming Home!

Ashton is doing amazing! Here he is running around like a 4-year old should be. He will still continue his therapy once he gets home but he WILL be coming home sometime this week. They are so excited...especially to be reunited with their daughter. She has been staying with family to attend school in Southern Utah. We are so grateful again for all the prayers said on his behalf. We truly believe in the power of prayer and that his miraculous quick recovery was because of them.

Couldn't Wait For Fall

I had a little time on my hands today (minus the floors that needed mopped and vacuumed) and I was thinking of all the exciting things that are coming in the Fall. Fall is my favorite time of the year for the obvious reasons like the beautiful changing scenery, cooler weather, HALLOWEEN, THANKSGIVING, Austin and Allison's birthdays, our anniversary, etc!!! And I think even more so this year...because we will be done with the house, moved in, hopefully, and finally be going on our family vacation. Better late then never, right! So in celebration of Fall and all the many wonderful things to come...I changed my blog. HeHe

A First For Everything...

Well, now that the fundraiser is over I have a little more time on my hands (not a lot but a little:)) I can actually update you on my little munchkins. They are growing too fast...I feel like I have not been able to fully enjoy these last few months with them because we have been so busy...I am hoping to be able to simplify my life again soon so I can appreciate everyday a little more.

Austin started school on the 14th. He was so excited. He loves school and he loves his new teacher! I have only seen her twice since school started but both times she just raved about how helpful and on-task Austin is. That is always so helpful to know...one less worry I have - at least for now! Here are the pics of our families' "back-to-school" party and Austin's first day of school.

The Toothfairy finally stopped at the DeMille's. Austin lost his first tooth the other day!

Allie had her first "Pajama Party" with her cousin Emma. They watched princess movies, ate candy and popcorn and did each other's hair...so girly!

Next time my goal is to have more pics of my sweet Abigail. For some reason I never get enough pics of her.

Success in more ways then one!

The fundraiser on Saturday went well...not quite as well as I had hoped but everyone else in the family seemed pleased. We had a steady stream of customers for the first few hours and not many gaps until we closed at 4. I just have to THANK everyone who came and either donated money, food and/or garage-sale items! The money earned will definitely be helpful to Ashton's recovery. THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN!

Ashton is doing awesome! He spoke for the first time this weekend and is speaking more and more everyday. Everything is still difficult for him...you can see him really working hard on every movement he makes but he has really improved dramatically. Everyday he has a slew of therapy sessions...speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, etc. He is usually pretty exhausted by the end of the day. He will be in the hospital for a couple of more weeks as of now but the doctors change their mind every day because he is making such GREAT progress! Miracles really happen everyday!

Baby Steps!

Ashton continues to make baby steps to healing. He still has a feeding tube but he was able to eat pudding and keep it down. YEAH! He doesn't like to be in the hospital room so they have been wheeling him around the different hospital gardens and that seems to make him a lot more relaxed. He still isn't speaking or walking but he is smiling and LAUGHING! Wow, what a wonderful sound that must be! He was also able to match up some cars to their right colors. That is amazing!

Don't forget about Ashton's Fundraiser this Saturday, August 23rd at Main St. Park in Cedar City from 9:30-4pm. You can also donate to Mountain America Credit Union on behalf of Ashton Stephens.

Ashton's Fundraiser

OK guys, I am super unbelievably busy this week but I wanted to give a quick update on Ashton and talk about our little fundraiser.

Ashton is currently out of ICU...YAHOO! He is still going to be in the hospital for a week...maybe more. Due to the brain trauma he received he still is not able to speak. He does respond with his eyes and seems to understand most things. They are still doing tests on how his vision, walking, and other bodily functions may have been affected. Either way it looks like he will probably need weeks or maybe months of rehabilitation but WE WILL get the old Ashton back. That is great news!!!

EVEN SO, everyone knows how fast and how much medical expenses add up. So we are holding a fundraiser this Saturday - August 23rd at Main St. Park in Cedar City from 9:30-4pm. It will be a garage sale/bake sale. Please bring what you can for either and buy as much as you can!!!
Monetary donations will also be accepted at Mountain America Credit Union under Ashton Stephens.

ONE LAST THING...THANK YOU! THANK YOU! to all who have already donated your time, thoughts, prayers, money to him and his family. His family can definitely feel the prayers that have been said on their behalf and are definitely strengthened by them. The response has already been amazing and we are looking for a big response this weekend at the fundraiser! See you there!

Update on Ashton

Ashton just had his third brain scan and there is still a lot of swelling but for the most part things are looking really good. He has a couple of little areas of the brain that look a little damaged but the doctors said that because he is so young his brain will most likely be able to adapt for them. They finally took his intubator out but he still has a feeding tube. His 9 year old sister Alaina got him to open his eyes for her for the first time. He has a bruised lung but miraculously no broken bones. He actually skid on his face and has pretty bad road rash so may have to skin grafts but they will wait to see how he continues to heal. That is the progress for today...but it IS progress!

Update on Ashton...

It is so weird how sometimes something can seem so important and then something else happens and changes everything. Before Tuesday night, the house was consuming our lives and unfortunately our children's as well. Although the house still has to be finished and is definitely still important, after Ashton got hit by the car it seems everyone in the family seems to be treating their children a little bit differently...keeping them a little closer, being a little nicer, hugging them a little tighter.

Ashton made some babysteps to healing. He squeezed Angie's hand (his mother) so that is always an awesome feeling. Ashton will be there for quite a while but we think he will pull through.

There will be an account set up in his name for any monetary contributions. There is also a garage sale being planned (with all proceeds going to Ashton). More info. on that to come.

Prayers Needed

This is our nephew, Ashton. This sweet little boy was hit by a car last night. He was life-flighted to Primary Children's Hospital. He is now breathing on his own but he hasn't woken up yet. They are still waiting for additional tests on any permanent brain damage which they won't know for certain until he wakes up. Any additional prayers that you can give on his behalf and his parents would be greatly appreciated. Thank you guys!

House Update - Week 16

Well we have made a lot of progress in the last couple of weeks on the house and it seems to be moving double time now...probably because subs have taken over and Chris hasn't had to do as much. :) It is amazing what a crew can do vs. a one man show. Robert got an amazing deal on drywall and so we were able to drywall the entire house - including the basement - for the same price as just the top floor and they even did a good job. We were so excited about that!! The stucco is mostly finished. I was a little dissappointed with the stucco colors (ok, a lot dissappointed!) but I think it is growing on me and once the stone is on, I am sure it will look even better. It is also now painted and we are just waiting for the base/casing, soffit/facia, flooring and cabinets. Hopefully it will only be another 4-5 weeks now. Wow, that seems so soon! Woohoo! Here are the pics...

Ready for stucco...

Drywalled...and our beautiful front door...it wasn't the original one we wanted but it is still a great door.

Kids Pics!

Here are some pics of the kids and what they have been up to this summer besides playing in the mud...at the house! :)

Austin went to Camp Invention,
a science camp, for a week and
one of the days was crazy clothes
day...here is what we came up with!










Austin dressed Allie in his own clothes! Even dressed like a boy she is still a pretty little girl!





For the 24th of July (that's Utah Pioneer Day for those of you not familiar with Utah) we went to the Enterprise Parade where Austin and Allie rode on my parents 4-wheelers in the parade and threw candy at the spectators (or at least tried). (Just FYI: If you want candy at a parade you should come to Enterprise...the kids got a whole bag of candy plus two otter-pops each.)














After the parade on the 24th we went back to Newcastle and ate lunch and played in their big water toys!















After that we went to Chris' parents house and had dinner and watched fireworks. Most of the kids loved them...they just didn't like how loud they were.















Playing at the park


































Allie trying to hold Abigail...Abigail trying to get away and Austin being a ham!

Flashback Friday and some other random stuff...

I have been thinking a lot about mine and Chris' wonderful families lately because they have been so much help to us on building our house. So, in honor of all of them I thought for flashback Friday I would put some old family pics up. They will just love these!

This is my favorite one of Chris when he was little....1980
This is the only one with ALL 10 of them...1998
This is the only one of my entire family...1986
I also added some more pics to the slideshows at the left. And yes...I do have three children...Abigail finally got her own slideshow...even if it does only have a couple of pages. I am actually surprised I have found time to scrapbook at all but it has provided some sanity after the kids go to bed and I wait up for Chris to come home from working on the house.

Also, I have been meaning to mention to those who love digital scrapbooking freebies that there is another link that has a lot of great stuff....here is the link...go check it out!

One last thing...if anyone is in the need of a Structural Engineer (serving Nevada, Arizona and Utah) or a General Contractor (serving Southern Utah) then I added links to the left for contact info. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

House Update - Week 14

For those of you who are sick of hearing about our house you may have to come back to reading our blog in about 3 months. Right now our house consumes our life and so there is little to report other then about the house. BUT things are moving pretty quickly. The framing is done. Windows are in. We now have the roof on and papered. The plumbing electrical, and insulation are done. We have picked out our stucco colors which proved to be the hardest thing on the house to pick out for me and brought me to tears several times. I am unsure why it was so hard but it was and I am still not completely sold on the colors we did choose. We continue to have amazing family who come to help us. Between our two families Chris usually has at least one other person helping him every night. We have been so blessed! Here are the pics!

We were tagged AND NOT IN A GOOD WAY! Chris got home from working on the house one night after 10pm and was back on the job site the next morning by 8am and this is what he found...

Yes! In the wee hours of the morning and in our little city this is what we found. We were very saddened but grateful that nothing was stolen and the house was left alone. The kids and I spent a couple of hours scrubbing but we got most of it off.

This weekend my brothers came and wired the house for surround sound, central vac, and extra cable/satelite/internet stuff. We have a 5.1 system upstairs and a 7.1 system in the downstairs family room. When I asked what that actually all meant, they responded that it meant "we will be bumpin'." Boys!

Finally, all the framing is done! I thought once I saw the roof sheeted that it meant the framing was done but there were still a million little things that needed either framed in or framed out...columns both downstairs and upstairs, fireplace wall, dormer on the roof, dry wall backing, venting on the outside of the house and attic access, etc. etc. etc. That took an additional TWO weeks.

The DeMille Family presents...

The last couple of weeks the kids, along with some of their cousins have been practicing to put on the Peter Pan play. Chris' awesome aunt Denise (who used to teach Drama) cut down the Peter Pan play to be about 30-40 min. long. She gave all the kids who wanted to be in it parts. The parents along with Denise made the costumes, props and scenery. The kids just LOVED it! They performed it for the DeMille Family reunion on Saturday and then again for other family and friends on Monday night. Austin was a lost boy and Allison was the crocodile and an Indian. Chris even got to be a pirate...the kids loved that! For those of you who couldn't make Monday nights performance here are a couple of clips from the play...forgive my camera...it is slowly breaking so there is this weird haze on everything.

Here are the little Indians performing with Tiger Lily...all the little Indians are between 2 and 4 yrs. old and Tiger Lily is only 8. They were so cute!


Here are the lost boys singing "Never Grow Up." One of the cousins had to go out of town for the second performance so Austin got to do two parts the second time. He did awesome with only one days notice!


Here are the Indians, the Lost Boys with Peter, Wendy and Tinker Bell performing "Ugh a Wug"...the scene when the Indians and lost boys become friends


The kids are already asking when and what the next play will be!!

Casualties of House Building!

This week was a very productive week and our house is finally looking like a house! YEAH! We had lots of help this week...and we can't be more grateful to all of them!!!! My sister and her husband and my nephew came up Thursday-Saturday. They helped all day! They even gave up their Lake Tahoe anniversary trip to come help us this weekend because we needed it so much! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Ed, Stacy and Kody! Thank you to Robert and Keith too! Here are the pics....

The Concrete frame...

Poor Kody was so exhausted....

Two more bedrooms

Now...our last pic is "the casualty of war!" Robert was using the nailing gun and when he shot the gun three nails came out at once. The first one went into the correct target and the two others shot into his hand....ouch! For those with sensitive stomachs you may not want to look....

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Luckily, he is OK and didn't do any permanent damage!

Fun Weekend and a Bigger Appreciation!

We took a break on the house this weekend and hung out as a family. We even got a date-night where we actually went out and didn't just work on the house. I have always wanted to go rock-climbing but I am such a chicken and afraid of heights that I haven't ever done it...but I figured if I can go bungee-jumping I could go rock climbing so we went over to the University and tried their rock climbing wall. About half way up I got a little nervous but once I got to the top I was totally on cloud 9. I loved it...and I can't wait to do it again. Chris, who isn't afraid of heights, however, didn't like it that much...he went up the wall so fast and came down so fast that I didn't even get a picture of him...and he wouldn't do it again!

Kanarra Narrows Hike
We went on our first hike of the year. It was beautiful. Chris' sister, Angie, recommended it. One of the reasons we moved back to Southern Utah was to go on more hikes, fishing, camping, etc. This year we won't be able to do much of that but hopefully next year we will enjoy more the benefits of all of our beautiful surroundings.

We knew it was going to be a hard hike for kids but every time we said we should turn back... they said "we can do it!" so we hiked on through several river crossings, narrow ledges and steep valleys for about 50 min until we got to a point we couldn't take the kids any further.

On our way back we decided since we were wet anyway, we would just take the river back...I think it was actually easier and the kids loved it.

We also went to our first magic show this weekend. Chris' work got free tickets. The kids thought it was pretty cool but really it was a 70s show that hadn't made many changes in the last 30 years...lol. But the kids liked it and kept saying "how'd he do that," and "that is crazy!" so it was worth it.

I never thought that I took my husband for granted. I am usually pretty good about always saying thank you for all the little things he does around the house even if most people think that husbands SHOULD do them...I still appreciate it....at least I thought I did until now. Since he has been working on our house from dawn till dusk every day I have realized even more how much I depend on him for the little things like helping me clean up after dinner, getting things out of the garage for me (I hate going in there), helping put the kids to bed, changing diapers and even just listening to me talk, talk, talk. I guess it is always good to go through hard times so that you appreciate even more the little things that make your life so awesome!