The Difference Between Being Proud and Having Pride

John and I have always been proud to be parents, own two cars, and to be homeowners. When we bought this house 4 years ago last month, we had high hopes for this house and could see its hidden potential. Unfortunately, the market began its downward spiral when we decided to take on this endeavor. So the potential we saw turned into one project after another for four years when the housing industry left us with less than we deserved on our previous home. I have often felt embarrassed by our homes appearance and I'm sure our neighbors questioned our two tone siding and rotting wood. So to say we are proud to own this house is true, but do we carry great pride in it now, absolutely. My parents made a generous gift to us in honor of my grandfather, who passed away in June. So I guess it is not our pride alone, for we share it with him, who I know would be proud, and my parents who take pride in our family.

A head on shot of the front of the house.




Angle view of the front of the house.








Close-up of dining room window, notice the rotting wood in the lower left corner.






Close-up of siding above garage. The main wall of our bedroom and the one that our bed sits against is probably 10 degrees cooler now and the absence of the distant Gene Snyder traffic noise kept us from sleeping the first night it was complete!




This is one window in our kitchen bay, it literally fell apart when they took the old one out.




Exterior view of bay, again notice in the last picture the rotting wood.






Fireplace

Caitlyn's first day of the last year of preschool!

Ahhh, I can't believe this is her last year before heading off to kindergarten. We agreed on an outfit, and of course she is as cute from behind as she is head on!!

Happy Birthday...Again!

Since we threw my mom's surprise party a month in advance, we thought she was still due an official celebration closer to the real day since it was her big six-o! It of course included a strawberry cake with strawberry and french vanilla swirled icing! Yummmm!

First Day of First Grade

Another year older, a little taller, and a lot fewer teeth....another milestone met.

Cute

All three were very interested in the Lowes delivery of the basement materials!

A face only a mother could love..

This is what happens when a mother is multi-tasking and a set of markers is left on her kitchen table. Fortunate for the mother that the marker was washable!

Have leftovers ever looked so good?

So after my mom's surprise 60th Birthday party, not only were there leftovers of all the sweet treats, but also dozens of beautiful hydrangeas and roses. So I took my share and made one large arrangement that I took into Tassels for more people to enjoy! Would you ever believe that I used floral spray paint to color the hydrangeas pink and green?

Fishing Trip

John and his dad decided to go fishing one Sunday morning, and Aiden was like father and grandfather by catching four fish!

Happy 4th of July!

My sister and brother-in-law were gracious enough to invite our family and our parents over for the Fouth of July Celebration in their neighborhood. The night included a cookout, a little time in the pool, mini fireworks on the driveway, and of course some bigger explosions after dark. Here are a few of our favorite pics!