Four years.

Four years of marriage and two little boys later, here we are! Flashback to four year ago today and this is the fun we were having!

We survived! 

It's beginning to look a lot like a house.

After almost a week out of town we decided to head to our new house to see what has happened in a week. Since it had been raining here in Colorado we did not expect too much, but we were wrong! We got a lot of surprises yesterday when we visited. We can officially check some things off of our "Building Home" checklist. On top of that, we got a front door, windows, two bath tubs, and a shower pan! Big things!

• Grading and site preparation✓
• Foundation construction✓
• Framing✓ 
• Installation of windows and doors✓
• Roofing
• Siding (in progress)
• Rough Electrical
• Rough Plumbing✓
• Rough HVAC✓
• Insulation
• Drywall
• Underlayment
• Trim
• Painting
• Finish electrical
• Bathroom and kitchen counters and cabinets
• Finish plumbing
• Carpet and flooring
• Finish HVAC
• Hookup to water main, or well drilling
• Hookup to sewer or installation of a septic system
• Punch list

That last picture... well, that is what I get for snooping around other houses being built, our future neighbors. I stepped right into a massive mud pile and sunk about 4 good inches. And being the wonderful mother that I am, I led my three year old son into this mess. He loved it though. Me, I lost a flip flop, stepped on something sharp, and used about 40 baby wipes trying to get it off. I think I deserve a trip to the mall to get some new Sanuk's tomorrow! (Best. flip. flop. ever.)

Surviving Disney.

We are officially back from the happiest place on earth, or so they say! Although we had such an amazing time, I don't think the person who coined that term went to Disney with a 3 year old and an 8 month old. But, needless to say, we made it out very tired, but alive.

We have been planning this vacation for over a year because Aiden wanted to go to Cars Land so badly last time we were in California but he was too young, and too short for the rides! He even would find YouTube videos of kids going to Cars Land and tell us he wanted to go. Cars Land was definitely the highlight of our trip. We got to Disney right when it opened and went straight to California Adventure and on to Radiator Springs where we spent 3.5 hours! Aiden was in little boy heaven! He got to meet Red, Lightning McQueen, and Mater. My parents decided to go with us and we all bought Mater teeth and took a picture with Mater. I cannot tell you how well they did on Cars Land, it is identical to Radiator Springs in the movie. I HIGHLY recommend taking you kids there if they love Cars!

The top ten things that helped us survive Disney:

1. Get there right when it opens. Check the times prior to going, they change with the season.

2. Have a plan. Know where you want to go first, because there is no way you can do everything in one day.

3. Download a wait times app on your phone. There are many out there. It tells you where the rides are, what direction to move, and how long the wait time is, as well as the height requirements.

4. Utilize the "Baby pass/pink pass." This allows you to wait in line with your family, after getting the pass, one person waits with the baby while the other parent goes on the ride with the child. Then you can skip the line and go to the front with the other parent and your young child gets to ride again!

5. Water, water, water. Stay hydrated and keep your kids hydrated.

6. Pack healthy snacks. The healthy snacks and Disney are bank breaking. 

7. Buy a bright scarf to tie to your stroller. There are 1,567,657 strollers there, and some may look like yours. If you buy a scarf, it will help you find your stroller faster! 

8. If possible, bring a babysitter or grandparents. It helps when one kid wants to stay in the shade and the other wants to go on a ride. Luke would take naps with my parents while we waited in lines with Aiden.

9. Don't set high expectations. If you have all these grandiose plans to see everything, you are setting yourself up to fail. Kids take a lot of time to do things, especially when you wait in line for 30 minutes and then your child tells you he has to pee. Fun times. 

10. Stay for the fireworks. It is worth every cry the next day for staying out too late! 

We also spent a lot of time at the beaches because we were visiting my best friend and her family as well! There is nothing like a relaxing day on the beach where you can let kids run free and have a good ol' time! 

Happy Monday everyone!!