UPDATE

Well, we have been hard at work at what was formerly known as the yucky house. We have been lovingly referring to it as "the barn" thanks to our sweet neighbor, Paul. The exposed studs have been visible for so long now that Paul says he will always call our house "the barn". By the end of this week we should have the sheet rock up and finished!! NO MORE BARN. It will actually have completed walls and look like a home. We will have to come up with a new name for this place once it looks like a home. Mark has been WORKING SO HARD to get things done and ready so the sheet rock guys can start this week. I seriously do not know how he is doing it! He goes to work every day at 7:30 and goes strait to "the barn" to work until 2 or 3 am! This has been going on for several weeks now. Please pray for him as he moves through the home stretch of this home renovation. I'll leave you with some photos of our cutest construction workers ;-)

These little guys have been such troopers as this labor of love has stretched on for so long. Mason has worked with his dad most evenings this summer and Andrew has been there some too when mom goes to work on the weekends. I hope they look back on this as a good experience when they are older. It has been hard, but not many kids can say they helped their dad build their house with their own two little hands.

I have to say this is my favorite decorative feature in the home. We tucked these little hand prints away in a storage area under the stairs.

My Personal Shopper

Andrew was my shopping partner at Wal*mart this week and he is such good company. He has learned to read price tags on the shelves. I have little rain man with me saying "That's $8.97, That one is $4.86, that is G-U-M. I was a bit distracted on this trip because EVERYTHING at Wal*Mart was involved in a rousing game of Fruit Basket Turnover. I could not find anything. We never found the toy department. How they manage to move ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in just one week I couldn't tell you! It is a bit of irony that the management can pull off that kind of feat but struggles with basic customer service like helping you find sunflower seeds... I get DISGUSTED when an employee makes it obvious that your request is putting them OUT. I don't know what gave it away but it may have been the tounge click and eye roll, but I digress. I am wondering aimlessly through the cleaning supplies when Andrew suddenly exclaims, "TI*TTY!". I stopped and looked around thinking, my goodness...what else have they stocked with the cleaning products! Then he says it again with such a cheerful ring to his voice and I am embarrassed. Where on earth has he heard that word and why is he saying it here...so loudly in the presence of all these people in the cleaning supplies isle? I calmly ask him what he is talking about, not to draw too much attention to this inappropriate word. He smiles and says, "Over there, Mom, it's TI*TTY." I slowly turn around expecting a nursing mother when I see this...
What a relief! I did not have to have the conversation about body parts and the respectful, appropriate names for them...yet! I only had to explain the long vowel rule. Now he is starting to understand when the "E" is on the end of the word, he is quiet while the "I" says his name. I laughed for remainder of my shopping adventure with my little reading machine and my frustration melted away.

Pop on over to Mary's and hear what else our little tots are saying and welcome the new addition to her family!

What do you do when it is 100 degrees in Texas?

The boys and I, along with our little buddy Cameron, went for a swim this afternoon. It was a nice break as the week comes to a close.
These little happy faces always make me smile :)