Before and After

We've done so much work over these past 6 years, I've always wanted to document all the before and after photos. However, I have no idea where all the before pictures are!

Before: April 2006

After: February 2012

Progress!

I'm so mad at myself! We got busy and I never took any photos of just the frame up! It has happened so fast! One Saturday they were prepping for pouring the foundation, the next Saturday the house was framed! Right now we are in the dry, so I know it will so down some...but it won't be too long!The electrician finished up today and they are insulating tomorrow! Our cabinets might be in by the end of the week! I'm so thankful that our house sold so quickly...just one less thing to think about! Now, our prayer is that everything goes quickly with the sale...it's possible that we will be out of this house by the end of March!

We're Packing Up!

Goodbye Home!

We are super excited today! We accepted a great offer today after only being on the market for 2 weeks! We have been praying for a quick sale...I am not a patient person, and we definitely feel that this is an answered prayer! Now we just have to make it through the inspection and appraisal! We are so thrilled to start this new adventure, but it is bittersweet to leave our first home. I bought this house in 2006, I had graduated from UALR and was excited to start my "grown-up" life...plus it was across the street from the future home of 2 sweet little boys that I couldn't get enough of! Steve and I were had only been dating about 2 months and he helped me rip up all of the old flooring and repaint everything...I really don't know if there is a spot in this house that we haven't updated in some form! Veronika was 3! Now, Violet is 3 and Veronika is 9! How did that happen!

I bought this house in April 2006 and we got married in November 2006. Our plan was to live here for 2 years, move to a newer house and have a baby! As we all now, God's plan is not our own and I am so thankful for that! Baby(ies) came sooner than we "planned", I was able to stay home and our 2 years turned into 6 years!

The kids are excited about moving, they ask to go look at the new house anytime we are in the area, even if we just drove by it earlier that day and nothing has changed...and we always oblige because we like to go look at it to:) They are excited to pick out paint colors and they love running through the walls since there is no drywall up! I want to record these sayings so I won't forget them years down the road. Everytime we drive up, Phoenix gets excited and says, "House!" Violet told me the other day that she is "so proud to live in that house." and Veronika said, "God has blessed us so much it makes me cry!" I love those sweet babies!

Movin' On Up

Alot has happened since my last update. The BIG news in our life is that we are moving! We've been needing to upgrade for awhile now...1100 sq. ft. makes for some tight quarters for 5 people! We only looked at 1 other house before we decided to build. We really needed 4 bedrooms, but there just weren't any 4 bedroom houses in our price range. And I have to admit, after completely remodeling this house, the idea of not having to do ANYTHING was very enticing! We found a plot that's a little over an acre, in a great neighborhood right in the middle of East End! I have to admit, I'm sad to leave our little home. We've made many wonderful memories here and I LOVE that we have family right across the street. I'm hoping Brad and Paula will eventually move to our new neighborhood:) Right now we have our house up for sale by owner, our new house should be ready around June. Here are some pictures of the progress so far: (since I've taken these pics, they've poured the foundation and should start framing anyday!)

Before Construction: Street View

I love our view!

Three Day Weekend

This weekend was my cousin Dustin's wedding in NW Arkansas. It just so happened that Veronika was out of school Friday so we decided to make a 3-day mini-vacation of it! We left Thursday afternoon and stopped at MarketPlace in Conway for Dinner. We haven't eaten there in a couple of years, I was so excited to introduce the kids to one of my favorite desserts: The Chocolate Mess! I LOVE this Sundae. The entire glass is covered in chocolate and is literally "glued" to the plate with chocolae. Amanda and I use to scrape the glass clean and eat all the chocolate of the plate too!After dinner we headed to Mt. Magazine in Paris, AR. We stayed at "The Lodge at Mt. Magazine." It was beautiful! It is a rustic/craftsman design, my favorite style! The kids were really excited about the huge bath in our room! All 3 kids took a bath together, it was so fun...like a little pool!

Every room at the lodge is built facing the Arkansas River Valley. Because we arrived so late we didn't get to see our view when we arrived. The next morning we were greeted with this beautiful view!

After breakfast at the Skycrest Restaurant we had a little bit of time to swim. Violet and Phoenix loved the kiddie "wading" pool.

After swimming we drove around and stopped at a couple of overlooks. I am not a big fan of heights, but I LOVE Arkansas in the fall! Next, we headed to the "Signal Hill Trail." Signal Hill is the highest point in Arkansas. It was a 1.4 mile walk round trip, Violet and Veronika walked the whole time, but Phoenix needed to be carried the last .4 mile or so. I was really impressed with how well they did! It's not a really strenuous hike, so it was just perfect for our little ones:) At the top of Signal Hill we stopped and let the kids eat a little snack before our descent!

After our walk we had a little picnic lunch then headed to Bentonville for my cousin Dustin and his fiance Jessica's wedding. Friday night we all went out to dinner and the kids got to swim. Saturday we had breakfast then went out for a little shopping. After showers and naps it was time to get ready for the wedding. It was SO beautiful! It was at the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel and made such a gorgeous setting for a fall wedding. After the wedding we headed to the reception for dinner and DANCING! Veronika stayed on the dance floor all night! It took Violet a little while to warm up to the loud music and lights but she and Phoenix both had fun. There was a basket of goodies for the kids and they all had fun playing with the disguises!

Sunday morning we ate breakfast, then Steve took the kids swimming again while I got us all packed up. We stopped at Catfish Hole for lunch then headed home. I think me and the babies slept most of the way home. We had such a good weekend, I love being able to get away with my sweet family!

Sick Days

I have to brag on Steve! Last week Phoenix and Violet both had the stomach bug, Phoenix at the beginning of the week and Violet at the end. It had been a LONG week with lots of sick babies who wanted to be held and rocked and loads of yucky laundry that needed to be washed! By Friday I was feeling pretty down and was having a super rough day! We all took a little nap and when we woke up, I went outside to check the mail and found this on my front porch. It really brightened my day :) Thanks Steve! I love you!

Halloween 2011

We've had a couple of fun and busy weeks leading up to Halloween! I love that it is just such a fun, relaxed celebration! This year we had a Ladybug (Veronika), Cinderella (Violet), and Spiderman (Phoenix)! Halloween night our church hosts a huge Fall Fest! They have blow-up houses and activities and horseback riding outside, along with free drinks and food; and carnival type games inside. Normally we do a Trick-or-Treat Hayride with Poppa after the Fall Fest, but since Poppa and Dodi both blew out their knees this year, that was cancelled! So, we took dinner to Poppa and Dodi, then hit a few houses on the way home.

On the Train at Fall Fest

Last week we went to a local Pumpkin Patch with our MOPS Group. There was a Corn Maze, Hayride, Hay Pyramid, "Cow" Train, and lots of other activities. We had a crazy morning getting out of the house and I ran off without our lunch, so we had to leave a little earlier than we wanted.

Phoenix loved his little pumpkin. After his therapy that afternoon he asked to hold it again and fell asleep with it. Notice is arm propped up behind his hand, I LOVE this. He always falls asleep like this and so does Steve :) Normally he puts up both arms, but he had to have one hand on his pumpkin.

The week before Halloween we had Veronika, so we went to "Boo at the Zoo." We haven't been since Veronika was 4, but it has improved alot and we all had a fun time!

Veronika at the "Creatures of the Night" exhibit...she was the only one brave enough to hold the snake!

We wore Spiderman out! Notice his hands here again:)

Fall 2011

I was reading some blogs the other day and I realized a hadn't updated since Phoenix's 2nd birthday in JULY! We've been busy and any free time I have is spent on this:

That would be my Coupon Stockpile of Health and Beauty items. I also have a stockpile of certain Food items and a Household Stockpile (toilet paper, cleaning supplies, etc.). I'm not "Extreme" but I do spend 3-5 hours a week (in the evenings) working on my coupons. Because of Phoenix's therapy schedule I am able to go to a few different stores a week to get some great deals. We're really seeing a difference in our grocery budget and it's really nice to have that extra money. I still have to go to the grocery store every week to get our produce, milk, meat, etc.

I thought since it has been so long since I blogged I would give a rundown of our weeks. I also like to do that so we can look back someday and see how it was when Mommy "stayed at home."

On Monday morning we typically get up and take a walk/jog. I got this Double Jogging Stroller for $40 at Duck Duck Goose (a huge consignment event that takes place twice a year)! We love it! I've lost about 50 pounds since January and I wanted to start jogging, but it was just too cumbersome with our regular double stroller. I was SO EXCITED when I found this at such a great price! I still have 10 pounds I want to lose before 2012, so we better put lots of miles on this thing before then!

After our walk we play outside until lunchtime. Then we come in, eat lunch and get ready to take this little guy to therapy!

I can't believe he is getting so BIG! He is SO sweet and lovable, but also a little WILD GUY! On Mondays he does 1 hour of Physical Therapy with Mrs. Katie and 45 minutes of Speech with Ms. Nicole. He is doing so great! He barely qualified for PT, but we opted to keep him in with the hope that he would completely test out when he's 3. His Speech is really coming along, he is where he should be as far as Receptive Language (understanding us, being able to complete tasks, etc.) but is still significantly delayed in his Expressive Language. While he is in therapy, Violet and I enjoy some one-on-one time. We go couponing, go walking, go to the park and play, or work on her HIPPY "homework." Once a month, we have MOPS Steering Team Meeting and Bible Study on Monday mornings.

On Tuesdays we get to STAY AT HOME! It is SO nice and makes me long for the days when I would get cabin fever from staying at home!

Our Wednesdays are normally like Mondays. On the 2nd Wednesday of every month we have our MOPS Meetings. Phoenix goes for 1 hour of Developmental Therapy with Mrs. Amy and another 45 minutes of Speech with Ms. Nicole. Wednesdays are great because after therapy we get to go pick Veronika up from school! We get home around 4 so the kids get to play for an hour, then it's time for showers, dinner and getting ready for AWANA! Phoenix is a "Puggle" this year and Dodi, Steve and I teach his class. Violet is a "Cubbie" and Veronika is in "TNT". After AWANA it is time to come home and get everyone ready for bed!

On Thursdays we get to hang around home all morning! We love going for a long walk and playing outside. At 1 o'clock, Mrs. Mary from HIPPY comes. HIPPY stands for "Home Instructions for Parents of Pre-School Youth." It is a State-Funded program that supplies us for Pre-School Educational Activities. Violet loves doing her "homework" through the week and loves to sit at the table with Mrs. Mary and I as we go over the week's activities. After Mrs. Mary leaves we get ready to go pick up Veronika and head to dance!

I am so happy we found "Little Rock School of Dance" this year! It is run by 2 red-headed sisters ( I like to think Amanda and I are just like them...beautiful, slim, red-headed sister dancers!) The girls both take a class at 4pm which makes it really convenient! Violet's class lasts for 1 hour and consists of Tap, Ballet and Gymnastics. Veronika's class lasts for 1 1/2 hours and consists of Tap, Jazz and Ballet. Phoenix and I get to spend an hour together, then we go pick up Violet. The studio has a great area for kids with coloring sheets, crayons and a great DVD selection! We hang out there for the next 1/2 hour until Veronika is finished. After that we head home for dinner, homework, bath and bed.

Fridays don't have any regularly scheduled activities, I try to make that a day to stay at home and relax! It also usually involves some housework and laundry to get the house ready for the weekend!

Happy 2nd Birthday Little Man!!!

I can't believe my baby boy is 2! His birthday was July 17th and we celebrated on the 16th with our family and a few friends! It is hard to get a picture of Phoenix recently, he runs and hides whenever he sees the camera, LOL! This pic is from Veronika's party in June!

Lucky Phoenix had lots of pretty little girls at his party! Jackson and Tucker couldn't be there so Gabe was the only other boy there! Here is Evie, Rylie, Violet and Veronika. Rylie is my friend Randi's little girl. Rylie and Violet are 4 1/2 months apart and their youngest, Sophie is about 3 months older than Phoenix! My friend Becky and her baby Gabe were also there!

We had dinner, presents, cake and went swimming! A funny story about his cake...I ordered it the previous Saturday at Kroger MarketPlace. When we arrived to pick it up they couldn't find a cake or order sheet. The woman helping me told me she could have something ready in 15 min. so we went to get the rest of our groceries. When we came back I saw a very pretty pink and purple cake!!! HaHa! The woman said she thought Phoenix was a girl because of his pretty curls (and in her defense he was wearing a red Disney shirt that had lots of Disney characters...including a princess;) She fixed this cake up for us in about 5 min and gave us a 50% discount! And it was a yummy cake!Phoenix Logan Tripp, you are 2 years old and YOU. ARE. A. STINKER!!! Right now I spend my days following you from mess to mess...literally:) You love to turn on Mommy and Daddy's sink and fill a cup up with water, as soon as you know you are caught you pour the water on the floor and run. While I am cleaning up that mess I can hear you in the trash. By the time I get there you have found some discarded snack in the trash. While I am picking up the trash you make your way to Veronika's bed (which you know you are not supposed to be on) and laugh when I catch you! When I get you down you run away to make some other mess! And that is just a sample of the things you do!!! Your favorite things to get into are art supplies, Connect Four (you love to dump the entire box on the floor), cat food, trash can, sink, refrigerator, sink, toilet,sandwich bags, plastic spoons, clean and folded laundry, etc. You wear me out but I am so thankful that you are healthy and FULL of ENERGY!!!

Height: 3ft, 1.25in. (98%)

Weight: 30.625 lbs. (79%)

Head: 21 inches (99.96%) Sorry son, you get that big ole' noggin from Mommy:)

Being your Mommy is one of the greatest privileges of my life! Being a Mommy to a little boy is an adventure everyday and I am so thankful that I get to spend each day with you! I love you baby boy!

Locks Of Love

Veronika decided several months ago that she wanted to do "Locks of Love" We are so proud of her for deciding to do it! She got her hair cut at the beginning of July and she got a PRECIOUS stacked bob! As you can see from the pics, she is pretty fond of her new 'do too:)

Welcome Baby Wyatt!

Our new nephew/cousin made his debut on July 3! He was born at 3:20am and I had the privilege of being in the room for his birth. I also got to be there when his biggest brother Jackson was born, what an amazing gift! I didn't get a picture of Phoenix with Wyatt because the first thing he did was SLAP HIM ON THE HEAD!!! He was not allowed near him after that! I think he was showing his dominance! I am just thankful that is wasn't Brad and Paula's first baby because something like that would send a 1st time Mommy and Daddy OVER. THE. EDGE!!!
Wyatt is a sweet baby boy, he is the 8th Grandchild on both his Mommy and Daddy's side of the family. We love you Baby Wyatt!

VBS 2011

VBS 2011-Sunday Night...I don't have a picture of the last night but it would have been a much different picture! We were worn out for sure! We had VBS from 6-8:30pm on Sunday-Thursday night. On Friday night we had our closing program where ALL the kids performed some of their songs! I love VBS, most of the kids are kids that go to our church but there are LOTS from other churches or that don't attend church at all. I loved seeing SO many kids learn about Jesus' love for them! I am embarrassed to say though that by Thursday night of this week I was quite the grumpy leader!!! :(

Violet got to hold the American Flag during our pledges one night! I was so proud of her:)

The whole "Big Apple Adventure" Bible School

This was the 1st Year Violet was able to go to "big girl" Bible School! Phoenix was in the 1 year old class with Dodi and Veronika was at her mom's all week.

Happy Birthday Veronika!

This picture was taken in the summer of 2006, either right before or after Veronika's 4th Birthday!For Veronika's 9th Birthday she wanted to go to Dorey's Catfish Buffet in Leola. They have an AMAZING Catfish Buffet but the kids really love the Petting Zoo! This is all 7 of the "Dowler" Grandkids! Now there are 8, Aunt Paula made the drive to Leola even though she was very pregnant with Baby Wyatt!

After dinner we all went back to Dodi and Poppa's for Swimming, Presents and Ice Cream Sundaes!

Happy 9th Birthday Baby Girl!!!