Peyton, our new home....and such

Just thought I would update on the house we are building and some pictures of Petyon.

This picture was taken about 3 weeks ago.

Note the golfcourse across the street....not that I am a big golfer or anything.

And here's what it looked like last week....

This is the front entrance. There will be 3 bedrooms directly to the right...

Here's a view of the family room from the back of the house. Peyton and I are walking into the formal dining.

Here are some pics of Peyton. He loves to sing into things that look like a microphone when I play guitar. We think it all started from when we were watching American Idol. Here's a pic of him singing into my guitar stand.

Jammin together.

More singing into his "microphone".

Craigslist Addiction...

My wife is addicted to Craigslist.

Right now our house has 3 extra chairs, one giant lamp, and a whole stack of accessory items like pillows, curtain rods, etc. Most of it was bought from the largest cyber-garadge sale on the planet, www.Craigslist. com. For now, there is a good explanation for it all. She has been hired to decorate someone's house in downtown Houston, which Catherine got by posted an ad on ....what? You guessed it......Craigslist. Then yesterday she met a wealthy lady who may want her to decorate her home also. How did she meet this lady you ask? She met her by going to her home to pick up some furniture that had been posted on.......what? CRAIGSLIST! Dont't get me wrong, I am very proud of her ability to save her clients lots of money by finding great deals on Craigslist, but I am growing concern for both her mental and physical health. Sometimes while on her way to pick up these Craislist items from strangers' houses, she calls me at work to tell me the exact address of where she is going "just in case you don't hear back from me in awhile." And if more than two hours pass without getting on Craiglist to check all the posts she becomes very anxious, since with every hour that passes 10 or so new "steal deals" could have been posted! Is there a cure??

Craigslist Addiction...

Its Been a WHILE

So, if anyone still cares to check this thing...you're in for a treat!!! I'm actually blogging!! I boycotted the notion for quite some time just to spite Daniel (who I believe to be the better blogger), but I have finally caved. So, whats new with us you ask? LOTS actually! So here goes:
-Daniel HATED his job at Goodman at first, but now only somewhat hates it after overcoming the shock of what a "financial analyst" actually does. He is starting to get in the groove and is finally feeling like he might not be so expendable...which is good news. He works a ton (but not compared to most of the other "corporate slaves" around him) leaving for work around 7 am and returning home around 6:30 pm. He spends the majority of his work time deciphering confusing and wrongly inputed data and creating reports on such things as warranties and assembly costs. Not really his cup-of-tea but he is grateful to have a good job none the less and hopes to move on to something more suited to his strengths sometime in the "near-ish" future.
-Peyton just turned 2 years old which is so crazy! He got a battery operated 4-wheeler from the gradparents and lots of cars and trucks which are his latest obsession. He is doing FABULOUS, growing stong although he is still a little small for his age (about 18 month clothing size), but he is smart and stable and is picking up on everything! He is talking quite a bit and likes to steal my phone when I'm not looking to leave unintelligable messages on peoples voicemails. His favorite person in the world is DADDA with Bamba (grandpa) coming in at a close 2nd. He loves swimming and riding on the boat with our friends. He is such a miracle and I can't believe that he is already 2 years old! I wish everyday that he'd stop getting older and stay my little munchkin forever.
-The biggest news with us though is that after a couple months of searching for a home, we have decided to actually BUILD a house! I of course am elated beyond belief and can't wait for it to be finished in September. After doing the math and considering all the options, it just made more sense to build instead of buy. The house is DIVINE and is in a beautiful golfcourse neighborhood in Cypress (North West Houston area). It is one story, 2250 sqft, 4 bedroom, formal dining, island kitchen, etc. Undoubtedly the best one story floorplan I've seen. We're so excited and nervous and I can't wait to get in and decorate!
-Nothing else is really new with me. I have a new nephew named Carter that was born yesterday to my sister Christen and her hubby Matt. He came a month early taking everyone by suprise when the doctor felt his little toes down in the birth canal at just a regular check up. She delivered him c-section because he was breech (whats with us Carter girls and our breech babies?) and everything went smooth and dandy. He is a good size for being early, coming in at 6lbs 8oz and 19 inches long. Hes sooooo sweet and makes me baby hungry for another one of our own. Anyway, other than that, I am hard at work trying to get more business to my new etsy site www.Skidamarink.etsy.com which I'm selling handmade accessories and clothing for women and kiddos. I also am trying to get back into home decorating and possibly some home staging while the housing market is still in need. Other than that, I hang out with Peyton and dream about having my own house soon.
Well, thats about it! Sorry for taking so long to update this thing! Maybe I'll get Daniel to update it next. :)

Thank goodness for Goodman!

Its' official, I finally got a job offer for Goodman Manufacturing.  The company had a company-wide hiring freeze, but luckily I was able to jump through enough hoops to get hired as a financial/business analyst. We will be heading down to Houston this Friday right after graduation.  We also found a place to live not too far from work in the Katy area.  

For those of you who have never heard of Goodman, they are the number 2 manufacturer of residential and light commercial heating and air conditioning products worldwide. They are now the number 1 brand in the residential sector. 

Graduating is definitely a sweet feeling.  I am happy that this morning would be one of the last times I would scrape ice of my windshield in April. Although I will  most likely continue my education in a few years, its nice to be done with my undergrad.   

Quick update on Peyton.... he has officialy got in touch with his southern roots.  The other day I was on campus in the library watching him while Catherine was doing some work on my laptop.  Peyton went to reach for his toy that was sitting on the table and became frustrated that he couldn't reach it. So out of frustration, he banged his head against the table and chipped his front tooth.  He now has quite a humurous smile.  Catherine was of course sick over it, and was hoping there could be away to repair it.  My uncle makes teeth for a living, and he said its not likely.  I really don't think its that bad.  He'll just be the funny, toothless kid with red hair and glasses....what wrong with that?

What we've been up too lately....

hey there everybody! sorry we haven't posted in a while! there really isn't a whole lot of excitement going on around here lately. Daniel is busy busy with school and work and is typically gone from 7 am to 7 pm on a daily basis.  He is exhausted and frustrated and cannot wait to graduate next month on the 10th of April.  The only problem is he can't seem to get a job secured (like many graduates in this economy).  The top choice job that he thought was a sure thing from his internship just won't return his calls to let him know if its a go.  There was a job fair on campus and all the companies he was interested in told him they had "hiring freezes" going on and weren't looking to hire this time around. Daniel asked them why the heck they were at the job fair then and they all said that they pretty much just want to maintain a good relationship with the college.  So here we are, graduating in less than a month with no job and no plan.  UUUrrrggghhh.  It is definitely frustrating and discouraging.  We're trying to stay positive though and pray that a good opportunity presents itself soon.  If not, I think the plan is to head to Houston anyway and just job hunt when we get there since that seems like the best place to find a job thats near one of our families.  We would be more flexible about living near family if it weren't for the fact that we would like to have more children sometime in the somewhat near future and are going to need a lot of help while I'm inevitably on beadrest for who knows how long. So, that fact limits our location to either Houston area or Boise area.

Other than Daniel's school and work and job hunting and pending graduation, Peyton and I have been keeping busy locked in our tiny apartment while the weather freezes everything outside doing "Baby Phonics" exercises and pulling every dish and utensil out of the cupboards at least three times daily.  While Peyton is sleeping I've been working on stuff for the flea markets I'm doing and for my etsy site.  Daniel comes home to dishes on the floor, feathers on the counter, and little clay roses baking in the oven.  Good thing hes a patient guy.  I will also start finishing up some decorating jobs I started last year in Idaho Falls in exchange for reupholstery lessons and sewing lessons which I'm very excited about.  

If anyone wants to check it out, I have a blog for my WINGS shop: www.giveyouwings.blogspot.com

Thats all for now! We love you all!

I’m in …looooove with a giirrrrrrrll (I’m … in … love…with…)

Here’s a few reason why I’m in love with my gorgeous Catherine on this Valentine’s Day: (Disclaimer:  The following content may be perceived as mooshy, non-masculine, and may cause high levels of nausea or vomiting)

·         Her Dimples:  When she smiles at me, the left dimple is deeper than her right. I could probably measure how much she loves me on a given day by the depth of that dimple.

·         I love her singing voice:  During my first semester of college before we started dating, Catherine sang a song she wrote on the guitar during Christmas break.  It was a love song and I deep down wished it was about me. (It was probably about one of the other 4 guys she was juggling during that time). It was the first time I had heard her sing. I fell in love with her soft, angelic voice immediately and it played in my head over and over again.  I had to be with her.  

·         When I was about 8 years old, Catherine ran up and kissed me on the cheek. Although it was a childish joke, I had a crush ever since.  She doesn’t remember this actually….but I definitely still do.

·         Her hands:  I don’t know if it’s because of all the years playing impressive music on the piano, or painting amazing pieces of art, her hands are perfect.  Sometimes I just watch her hands as she writes or plays piano.  It’s kind of a weird fetish …I know…but her hands are truly a God given gift and it shows.

·          No one has as good of a heart as Catherine.  She genuinely loves others.  She also has the ability to perfectly empathize with others.  When people she knows experience sadness in their lives, she also physically experiences their pain. I’m way too lucky to be at the center of it.

·         Her fun personality:  When I went to her prom my junior year, she took me to a Rec center and we spent most of the day before the dance playing one-on-one basketball.  How cool is that! (I won’t be including anything about who won or lost...it’s not important) Quick fact:  I might have…kind of broke her nose while playing basketball later when we were engaged……

I am proud of my wife—She has been through so much these past few years and she done an incredible job handling it. I admire her heart and strength.  I hope that today you’ll know that I love you, I’m proud of you, you’re smoking hot… and I can’t help but love you always….

Happy V-Day Sweetheart!

What I've been up to...

So being a stay at home mom can be...difficult...to say the least, but it definately has its perks too!  For example, I had no idea that I loved making things out of feathers and fabric so much!  If I was working all the time outside the home I would've never discovered this talent and obsession!  Anyway, so I've been creating feathery "doodads" (as my dad calls them) and cute toddler/baby clothes! So check it out and tell all your friends!  You can go to www.CatsCranny.etsy.com to see everything and place an order!

Finally....a blog update.

Happy New Years to ALL!

I think we win the 2008 Worst Blog Updaters Award. I say, "Hey Cath, you should update our blog."  She says, "what we have a blog???"  I sadly reply, " I dont even know you anymore!"

I think the real reason was that Catherine was too immersed in chasing Peyton around the house.  During his naps, she was either redecorating my parents house in order to pay for our food and shelter or fully immersed in her crafty projects consisting of feathery hair pins, bracelts, and necklaces that are coming to stores near you.

 

We'll be sure to put "update blog regularly" on our list of resolutions for this year...

So here's the update.  I finished my internship with Goodman Manufacturing and we're back up to Rexburg for my LAST SEMESTER!  It so nice to know that the end is near. The plan is to surivive the bone chilling winter in Rexburg, graduate in April with a degree in Business Finance, and then head back down to warm Texas. I have two unofficial job.....offers....opportunities...not sure what to call them at this point ....with Goodman. I interviewed and I have some promising prospects after I gradute. I am excited about it; although, I will be more excited when somethingis  in writing. Law school is still in the picture but I am waiting to apply until I see how much Goodman would pay for something like a JD/MBA. We have spending the holidays here in Middleton, ID before we head out to Rexburg.  It has been great to eat lots of good food, sleep, and relax. 

Peyton is walking...a lot.  He has made a lot of progress these past few months. Yes, his hair is still red. He's a cute little guy and looks nothing like me. We still have occupational therapists and speech pathologists who work with him regularly.  He makes little "woof woof" sounds when we ask him what a doggie says but he still doesn't understand other easy words and phrases like "No"or "Shhh".  I guess he's just ....mischieviously cute.  I must say though, he goes to bed early, sleeps through the night, and wakes up around 8ish.  Could we ask for more?  

Here's some pics.