The beginning of the end...

... of the exterior work on the house.

The windows and (most of) the doors are in and the roof is nearly ready to be shingled. This photo is from January 12th.

Shad's Big Day!

Having turned eight years old in December, Shad had the opportunity to be baptized this month and we've all shared in his excitement. With me having been out of town for work up until the night before and everything else going on, the day was pretty hectic, but we got through it with everyone's help.

This is Shad with his proud parents:

Important note: I was much more enthusiastic about the event than this picture seems to indicate. I don't know what the deal was/is with this picture.

Shad was a little nervous leading up to it and being the center of attention. He was pretty surprised at how warm the water was in the font and he let everyone know.

After numerous food-related delays, we got to have lunch with those who came to support Shad:

All of us were very grateful that so many were able to come and share the day with Shad.

The shell is finished!

The rest of the roof trusses got put in and the roof finally got covered. No more snow on the interior floors! This pics are from January 5th.

Look closely. You can see Shaan standing in the garage entry:

I'm going to discontinue adding photos from this angle since the most prominent feature is the blue outhouse. I hope no one minds:

Christmastime is Here

Well, it was. Work and holiday preparations and celebrations have kept us pretty busy so this is obviously late. We did celebrate Christmas, though and below is the photographic evidence.

Shad and Harrison displaying their warm Christmas Eve pajama pants:



All of Shaan's family stayed at her parent's home on Christmas Eve. The result of Santa's visit is below. We were concerned about possible zoning violations:



Everyone enjoyed their gifts. Guitar Hero and Rockband were especially popular:


It was good times and had us looking forward to next Christmas in the new house.