Home Sweet Home!

After being at my mom and dad's house for about 10 months, we have moved into our new home.  I feel like a weight is lifted off my shoulders...just being settled and having a place again for all of our belongings!

We are so blessed and thankful to have family that is able to help us out - my parents taking us in for so long, and Aaron's mom/step-dad spent a lot of their weekends in January, February and March down here helping Aaron get the tile put into the house, paint the walls, do some low-voltage electrical work and HVAC work on our bonus room.

I have a ton of pics throughout the process - but here are some of the final product...settled in and living in our new house. 

So wonderful!

Our kitchen...from standing in the dining room.  To the right of the kitchen is a door that goes to a mud room/walk-in closet and small laundry room.



The dining room...the first pic was taking from the left corner of this picture.  The floor is actually a porcelain tile that looks like hardwood - Aaron did all of the tilework in the house --- that's all bathrooms and showers, backsplash in the kitchen, and the floors in the mudroom, etc, kitchen, dining and entryway.  He was BUSY!

The living room...taken from standing at the island in the kitchen.  The entry to the left is a little hallway to the master bedroom.

Master Bedroom

 

Master bath from the entry...to the right is our shower, behind the wall is the toilet, and our closet is beyond that.

Master shower...one of Aaron's masterpieces that he worked on!

Standing from the door you would all enter if you came to visit!  To the right is the stairs, front is the living room, a small 1/2 bath is to the left

Small loft area on top of the stairs...perfect little corner for my kids TOYS!  Out of sight downstairs so the mess doesn't overwhelm me!

Full bath upstairs ("kids bath")

Standing in Blake's door...his room is not finished because Aaron is going to build him a bed, but we decided to transition him to the new house in his toddler bed!

 

I did the artwork in the kids rooms, I'm standing at his window for this pic.  Love that they have toy storage in their rooms too :)

Addy's artwork and storage!

Addy's loft-bed that Aaron made for her.  The luckiest girl I know...I'm jealous of her bed!  It turned out super cute :)  This is what Aaron will make for Blake, but a little lower.  They will both have the tables underneath their beds for them to do stuff at.  They have large closets that fit all their clothes and then some...so I didn't have to fit a dresser in their rooms - it has really helped with the organization of all that crazy stuff kids have!

 We also have a bonus room that you enter from right by Blake's room - but it is not completely finished.  It is done up to drywall, so all we need to do is woodwork, paint, and add some carpet in the next few months :)

Oh Blake....my B-O-Y!

I tell you...there is quite a difference between boys and girls at the age of 2!  I can't take my eyes of Blake for very long...or he'll get into something he is not supposed to.

Rewind to this fall.  Addy runs out of her room at my mom and dad's and says "Blake is writing on the wall!" -- I run in there to find Blake has not just written on A wall, but scribbled with a golf pencil he found on WALLS of my mom and dad's house. 

The worst part - I felt like I was in trouble too and confessing to somethign I did wrong, since it was my mom and dad's house, LOL! 

After getting a timeout, him and I had to take a trip downstairs to tell my parents what he had done.  I must have had the same look I used to have for my parents, because as soon as we walked in the kitchen, my dad said "What's wrong...what happened?".  So, I told them the story and we went up to check out the damage ---- the entire time Blake just stared sadly at my mom and dad.  I kept telling him to say sorry but he WOULD. NOT!!!!  Finally, he would let my mom hold him, and after just hanging out for about 10 minutes, a quiet little voice said "Sorry Grandma" ... it was sort've cute...considering!

....we paid my parents for some paint to fix up the room! :)

___

Just a few weeks ago, I was getting packed up at my parents house because we were getting ready to move, and I walked of the room and Addy had a weird look on her face...I asked her what was up and she pointed over at Blake...

...he was spraying a potpourri bottle all over himself!  GROSS!!!



"I'm discovered...if I step away from the evidence, maybe she'll think it wasn't me" ...

Soaked in Potpourri....head to toe!

First Haircut for Addalyn

After 3 and a half years...Addy was FINALLY  ready for a haircut.  It took forever for her hair to start growing, so I wasn't ready to cut it earlier.  In the last year, her hair finally took off, and was ready for a nice trim.

Aaron's step-sis Renee is an AWESOME stylist, so I wanted her to be the first for Addy...she recently moved to New York City to do hair there, but was home for the Bertucci Family Christmas. 

Starting off...she was a little nervous :)

This isn't so bad!

Sweet girl!

 I didn't get a good picture of the finished product - but there wasn't a bit change, just more even in the back and healthy! 

Mr. Blake got a trim too (side note, he was good here...but he HATES getting his haircut these days!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We spent New Year's Eve 2013 at my good friend Becky's house (who has now become our good friend).  The kiddos came with.  It was low key, just us, Becky & her fiance Greg, and another couple, Angie & Steve. 

We played games and the kids got to play with us too.  We attempted to put them down around 9:30 in front of the TV upstairs in their sleeping bags...but they knew something big was going on apparently...because they kept coming down to be with us. 

Before we knew it, it was approaching midnight and our kids were STILL UP!  CRAZINESS.

Sooooo, both Addy and Blake experienced their first real New Year's Eve - staying up 'til midnight and everything!  We figured we'd get a nice payback the next day...but they were actually really good.  Slept in late and took naps!

Here are some pics from Aaron's phone to document the evening....(not the best quality!)



Playing games with the big kids!  Addy and Blake got this game from my aunt Nancy for Christmas (THANK YOU!!!) and they decided to bring it with for us to play!

Addy discovered the "blower" early in the night :)



HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!! (we had just done the countdown)

New Year's kisses!

First family photo of 2013....Addy still blowing the dang thing! LOL

Miss Addy & Daddy Learn to Skate!

I mentioned in an earlier post that Addalyn got skates from her papa Lowell for Christmas...she was a natural right away on the ice!  My parents (dad) floods an ice rink in their backyard each winter, so we had a nice quiet --- unintimidating place --- for Addy to learn!

 

 

When I was little, my parents taught me and my sisters how to skate the same way we did Addy --- in our yard, pushing around the same bear chair!!  My dad made these chairs when my sister was born, and we've all learned how to skate by pushing them around!

 

Aaron decided to use some of his Christmas money to buy himself a pair of skates also!  So, he was learning the same time Addy was (apparently it had been since he was like 10 or 12 since he had last skated!)


Daddy pushing a chair around to learn also :)

They caught on quickly....and before we knew it, Addy was ready to let go of the chair and try skating on her own!

My brave girl, ready to skate! 

 I was soooooo excited at how well she did!  Not going to lie, I had tears.  Skating is definitely a part  of my childhood winters...so I hope that I will get to continue and have it be the same for my kiddos. 

Skating to mama!

The new skaters of the fam :)

Skating Pros -- doing a little pose for the camera!

"People don't notice whether it is winter or summer when they are happy."

Best Snow Day Ever!

Early December, we had an awesome Sunday snow that put me right into the Christmas mood...I wanted to do all of the Christmas posts, so this one is a little out of order, but still one I had to blog about it.

I am pretty sure I was (and Aaron) - but forsurely I was extremely excited to play out in the snow, more-so than our kiddos...but Addy was pretty excited too.  She had a BLAST!  Blake did too, but he was a bit more hesitant.  Since we barely had any snow last winter...this was really his first experience in the snow.  The winter before he was too little :)

It was warm out, so the snow was wet and perfect for playing in....BEST DAY EVER!  I'll let the pics speak for themselves!

Making our first snowman of the day!

Going down the slide...not only a summer thing!

Finished product!

On to sledding!  Blake was not too into this...he still isn't but Addy LOVES to sled!  Another blog coming on our sledding excursion in Michigan :)

Out later in the day...I love thi pic because of the trees behidn it!  It was SUCH a beautiful snow fall!

Making more snow man...grandma and Addy rolling some balls on one end, daddy on the other!

Addy got bored with snowmen making...on to Angel making!

Laying in the snow!

 We decided to dazzle up our original snow'lady' and make a partner :)  My mom was hoping to get a family picture around these the following weekend at our family Christmas- but they didn't last that long :(  However, we did get to enjoy them for several nights and I'm pretty proud of Mr. and Mrs. Snowman!

Could the snow get any more beautiful?!!! 

I definitely love the days of summer...and enjoy them when I'm able to be at the lake, or playing outside, swimming, etc.  However, I definitely love the winter weather too.  Addy is enjoying it this winter too so that is fun!! 

More blogs to come with some winter fun -- skating and an awesome Michigan sledding day!

Bertucci Christmas

Just a brief blog on the Bertucci Christmas...it is always done in mid January to accomodate 7 kids' and their extended family.  We truly appreciate that, so we are able to have Christmas with all of our wonderful families and not having to choose! 

 

There is always an ellaborate Bertucci home-cooked meal (think lasagna, raviolis, etc made from scratch!), gift opening, and typically we end up watching football because play-offs have begun.  This year the Packer's were on, but it was the game that did not go to their favor. :(

 

This year Aaron's step-sis Renee traveled home from NYC for it, and both of his sister's made it from Michigan, which is wonderful.  With crazy schedules, it doesn't happen that all 7 of Jean and Paul's kids are there!!   It was great to see everyone.

 

Always a good time...thanks Jean and Paul for hosting a wonderful family gathering!

 

Waiting SOOOOOO patiently to open gifts.  Side note - uncle Scott had left to the store for a quick run, and we had all forgotten so started handing out gifts...then had to make the kids wait until he returned :)  They were SOOOO well-behaved!  Here they are waiting.  (Blake, Oliver, Serafina, Addy, and Mira)

My sweet man ;)

All smiles!