So many changes daily! I will try and post some videos shortly but I wanted to talk about changes with the girls first. Raleigh is riding a bigger bike and playing soccer. She started pre-K a few weeks ago and loves it! Yesterday she said, "Mom... I wish I could be a hero." I said, "Me too Raleigh. There are a lot of people I would save." She said, "Ya, but we can't save them because we are all just people." I said, "True dat, sister. So true."
Mark was cleaning the garage and Raleigh begged him to make her a red sword. My mom was upstairs watching the girls and Raleigh kept yelling down the stairs, "Dad is my sword done yet?" When I got home from the weekend we were outside playing with it and she said, "My daddy made me this red sword. Mom, when you were little did your daddy make you a sword?" I said, "No. No swords for me." Then she said, "Mom, when you were little was Grandma taller like you?" Raleigh has been understanding for some time the relationships with family and she is fascinated by it. She talks about Gracy being her sister like Uncle Shay is my brother, Grandma being my mom, and K-ma being Mark's mom etc. etc. So, I could tell she was trying to conceptualize short little grandma as a mother. I said, "No, grandma was little even when she was my mom."
Raleigh and Gracyn are always fighting for 'air time' in the car. They both talk at me at once and occasionally dialogue with each other. Which is VERY entertaining to hear Raleigh lecture Gracy on the 'goings-on' of life. Gracy will respond with a, "ohhhh Raaawwwllie, Ohhhh."
A few days ago Gracy peed in the toilet uninitiated by us. She has been pretending like she poops in the toilet so when she came to tell my mom and I she had peed in the toilet we didn't pay attention. Later, my mom walked in the bathroom and said, "Uh, I think Gracy really did pee in the toilet" as it was full of pee. We celebrated with M&Ms for everyone.
K'ma sent Pez dispensers and Silly Putty with us for the girls to play with. I don't know who had more fun- the girls playing with them or me watching them thinking of my own childhood with Pez and Silly Putty?? Between that, a campfire with s'mores, sandcastles, and Raleigh and Mark sleeping in a tent I was overjoyed with living vicariously through my children and their week of 'firsts'.
365 degree views!! A friend of ours commented, "They even have views of the mountains from the garage!" He's right. :)
This is the front of the house... Raleigh, Gracyn and Mark are standing at the front door where the sidewalk wraps around the right side of the house and up the stairs. To the left is what we call The Terrace (that's what the plans called it so the name stuck) and it has the best late afternoon sun.
This is Raleigh and Mark mooning me in the window from the living room.
This is the back of the house or what you see right when you turn up the driveway. Then the drive goes past the back of the house and wraps back around to the garage-- pic. below.
Oh, and Raleigh is REALLY into wearing those headbands that come with the TJMaxx dresses. But she puts them on like this (below) and I love letting her go to preschool and tool all around town like this because she looks so dorky!! It's a riot-- she gets really enduring looks everywhere we go (her hair is tame above the headband in this photo- usually it's sticking straight out the top).
Our families have been asking for pictures of the house. Sorry it's taken me so long but I rarely get up there and Mark has been working on it 24/7. I am SO excited to move into it as it's going to be so custom and fit our every need/desire!! The following couple of posts are highlights of the house, inside and out. 
Turning into the driveway at the bottom of the hill. This is the back view. The bottom portion is metal siding the top is lap siding (unpainted).
Again, the house is not painted yet but this is the full front view. To the right is the front entry/ porch. To the left is the terrace (that's what the architect refers to it as in the plans) and there will be a little cement porch. It will be nice because in the cooler months we hang out on the terrace to get the evening sun. And this will be where we have a little bit of yard for the girls to play in.
See how Mark combined metal and shakes for the roof? Brilliant!
Turning the corner up the driveway and garage view.
Raleigh and Gracyn are standing where the dining room area is going to be and that is the door out to the back deck. I'm standing by the fireplace toward the front of the house.
Still standing in the same spot, now I just shifted to the right a bit and there is the kitchen and hallway.
Now I'm standing on the other side of the room facing the fireplace and front porch.
These are the gorgeous floors. Circle-sawn so you can see the round saw marks in them. Really pretty.
This is the upstairs guest bath right across from the kitchen. Painted it dark olive green and it's beautiful!
Basement Rec room with in-slab radiant heat stained concrete floor. Done by Mark Marvelous. Behind him is storage/sewing room and the open space in the wall will be built in book shelves. To the left is the bathroom and then the staircase is to the left of that.
Coming up the stairs.
The wood trim is my favorite. So beautiful. Mission style.
Top of the stairs-Gracy.
