Thursday, October 10, 2013

Yes..... I'm still here

I know, I know....  It's been a really long time since I lasted posted.  So, I am going to give you a super fast update of the last 6 months of our life here in the Ard Clan.  The kids are huge ( as you will see below)!  The are great, silly, busy little people.  Gracyn entered 2nd grade this year and Michael is in a program called TK, Transitional Kindergarten, offered through public schools for kids with late fall birthdays.  Although Lucy really wishes she was in school too, she is still hanging with mommy everyday.  The poor little thing carries her backpack and lunch box every day to drop Michael off at school.  Next year miss Lucy!!!!

Dave and I have been looking at Real Estate in the Tahoe area for about 5 years.  We have always wanted a cabin in the mountains to call our own.  Over time we narrowed our search to a very particular area in the Sierras.  Homes don't come up very often.  We had put numerous offers on some cabins over the years but finally this summer it happened!!!!  We closed on our cabin at Donner Lake in Truckee, CA at the end of July.  It is what we have always wanted!  Close to skiing, walking distance to the beach, and only about a 20 minute drive to the big Lake Tahoe.  We do have some updating we need to do but we are so in love with our little escape.  The kids love spending time up there as well and we plan to spend most of next summer at Donner Lake.

Therefore between wrapping up school, dealing with the paperwork and jumping through hoops to get a mortgage on a second home (which was awful), packing up Tahoe stuff, moving, visiting my Illinois family, planning and purchasing everything for a bathroom remodel, taking care of our rental property books, handling Dave's expense reports, setting up LLCs for our rental property, training for a half marathon, potty training, piano lessons, karate, hip hop, ballet, girl scouts, and being a mom to 3 little people while your husbands work travel schedule is out of control.......  I've been a little busy.

Enjoy the pictures!
 Michael's artwork at his preschool Art Show


 Last of day of Preschool

 Uncle David taught me how to make a fabulous homemade pie crust!  So yummy

 A few garden finds

 Ice cream with the neighbors with our loot from the Lemonade stand

 After Gracyn's first piano recital

 This is it!!!  Our Willow Street house in Truckee

 Last day of first grade!

 Michael being Michael!

 More garden treasures!~

 Gracyn as a boy, Michael a very pretty girl

 So sweet!

 Our welcome to the neighborhood sign when we arrived to our cabin!  

 She was so excited for our first night there that she swam to the dock in her clothes.

 Someone turned 7 in July

 Rafting the Truckee river for her birthday

 Oh no.....  The ice cream truck located our house!

 4th of July parade in Danville, Ca - Michael looks thrilled!

 Lucy the little stinker

 Gracyn's first slumber party for her birthday

 Movie time

 Making ice cream on our camping trip to Mt Diablo State Park

 Little Pig Pen

 Our campers!  We arrange a group camping trip for all of our friends.  This is year 2.  I think our group doubled in size.

Family picture.  Imagine that, Michael is making a silly face

 Queen of the mountain

 Exploring Rock City

 Mommy and her little Lucy

 Beach time!

Dave and I in South Lake Tahoe

 Taking a boat ride with Grandma and Grandpa Jefford during our visit back to Illinois

 Fun at the county fair

 Cousin time!

 Lucy and Daddy on the paddle board

 The ice cream truck shows up at the beach every day at 3pm

 Root beer floats!

Fishing off the dock

 First Boarding lesson at Truckee Thursdays.  

 They all got a medal!


 Michael's first day of school

Labor Day beach time

Friends from Donner Lake


 Visiting with Great Grandma

 Being silly with Aunt Reena

 Sweet Marshall


 Our trip to the Zoo with the cousins


 Michael's first day of TK

 Gracyn's first day of 2nd grade

 Lucy just wants to carry a backpack!!!

 Lucy started dance class.

 And she started wearing a patch and glasses to strengthen her weaker eye.

 Snow in September????  Thats right!  We had a little surprise during our last trip to the mountains!