Putting down some new roots!

So I realize this is the first post in 6 months - want to know why???  Of course you do!  Here's a quick (believe me there's more, I took pictures of every thing) peak at the building of our new house.

 Josh & Hale standing in the to be "kitchen."  They put up the stakes to mark out the house & we thought, "Wow, this looks pretty small.  Maybe we should have gone bigger?"

 Then they dug the basement and we said, "Holy Cow! This is way too big.  Should we have gone smaller?"

 We were just so excited when they poured the basement walls.  We loved envisioning where everything would go.

 We couldn't believe the size of the windows - they're as tall as Dad!

 Framing the walls in the basement was cool but . . .

 When they framed the first wall on the main floor - awesome!

 Joaquin had to wipe tears out of his eyes at the size of his garage, what a big teddy bear.

 My favorite memory - when they laid the board down for the 2nd story & we could see "the view" from where our master bedroom would be.  See those big grins???

 These are just a few pix in a row from the front of the house so you could get an idea.

 Here's the bottom half of the stairs (behind it is the front room).

 This is the upper half of the stairs (leading to the bedrooms).  The sheet rock went up really fast & we were so happy!

 This would have to be the kids favorite day - walking in when their rooms were painted.  Jessi & Halle will share the green room.

 Josh loved the color I picked for our Master Bedroom so he begged for it too.  Totally works for me.

 Quinn surprised us all when she wanted Peach.  She has been a "blue" lover forever.  Secretly I think she didn't want to be just like me :)

 The first of many kisses . . .

 Shelby wanted her pink room to match her jacket.  Thankfully I talked her in to a more mellow color (it's still very pink).

 I found a mantle on Pinterest that I just loved.  Sent the link to my builder & he made it - isn't it amazing?  I wish everything I tried from Pinterest looked exactly like the pictures:)  I swear half of my house (and most of my kitchen) was inspired from ideas on Pinterest.

 Getting the cupboards & granite was just so cool.  I couldn't wait to do dishes looking out through the windows instead of a wall.

 We loved the stone & all the lighting.  We hired a friend, Shelly Harrington, to help us pick out all the lighting.  She's an interior designer who was so fun to work with.  She was happy to come with Halle & I to Lowe's & Home Depot.  It was her suggestion to use "Tiffani" style lights - I just love them!

 When they brought my appliances I almost cried - they are just so shiny.  Do we have to use them?

 When the carpet was installed the kids ran from room to room laying on each.  So soft!

The siding was what took the longest.  They kept being held up at other sites & we didn't get it all done until 2 weeks ago.  They are laying the concrete steps, back patio, & driveway over the next few days.  We get to move in just 2 more sleeps!