Our First Home - Photo Tour: Part 1

I was feeling a bit nostalgic about our old house lately and thought I would finally post some before and after photos on here...

We got the house before we were married in 2008. The good news, it was on an auction so we got a good deal on the house, but the bad news was that the inside of the house looked like you were stepping back into the 1970's. We spent some weekends redoing the house before we moved in after our wedding. I don't think the little old lady that owned our house before us redecorated since the house was built in the 70's. But with help from family and hiring numerous professionals, we transformed the house and turned it into our home. So much work was put into the house, but I loved the end product. I was sad to leave our first home; the home we came home to as newlyweds, where we brought home our first child and he took his first steps, the place we celebrated his first birthday, and welcomed family and friends for overnights and dinners. Once in a while, I miss the first home we lived in, but as I transform our new home to fit my style, I fall more in love with it, even more than our first home. 

So enough with the reminiscing... here is the tour... 

Before: Entry way 

After: Entryway 

Got new tile, new paint, shelf in the corner, art, new light fixtures, and new stairs 

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Before: Family Room (Sorry for the family members in the photos)

After: Family Room 

New lights, new carpet, new trim and doors and new paint 

Before: Kitchen/Dining Room - my favorite transformation of all... 

After: Kitchen/ Dining Room 

New tile, new paint, painted cabinets, new countertops, new lights, some upper cabinets taken down, new appliances, and an awesome pot rack made by my dad.

Bump Photos: Weeks 6 - 12

Remember these weekly photos from the last time I was preggers? 

Yup, I am doing them again!! :) I wanted this baby to have bump pictures too since I took some for Breck... gotta try to keep things the same :) This time around, you will notice that I am wearing the same shirt.. that way you can see the growth more easily!

So here are the pictures from weeks 6 - 12... 

How did these weeks go? These weeks were the most rough so far... but nothing terrible. I was quite nauseous in there for several weeks but no throwing up. There were afternoons spent on the couch, no cooking for a month, and alot of eating out! I felt better with Brecken during these weeks... I felt nauseous with him, but the smells didn't bother me and I was craving so many foods. In this pregnancy, I couldn't open the fridge for a month without gagging due to the smells. Most of the time, nothing sounded good to eat - except fast food (I know, super healthy) which just made the nauseousness worse. I am feeling SO much better now! 

20 months

When I look at the pictures of Brecken at 13 months, I'm blown away at how much he has grown up. Every month I am reminded that TIME ABSOLUTELY FLIES. Ahh! It is crazy to think how much he has advanced in these last 8 months from saying 2 - 3 words to talking my ear off and developing a funny sense of humor. It is hard to believe that soon I will have a two-year-old and after that... another child! 

Learning to do: He is learning his letters... but then will forget them for a little bit... but at a given time knows about a third of them. I am trying to work with him on colors but he only knows yellow and therefore, every color is yellow. He is at a very curious age, always trying to figure out what is going on. While working on house projects this weekend, he would get out his tools and was right next to me, trying to help - always wanting to help! 

Words: He is super chatty.... sometimes with real words and other times he just rambles in this little toddler language. Already he is starting to ask "What's that?".... and so the questions begin - but he just wants to learn. His newest word is "Hammer" and lately I've been loving when he says "Hunny," (usually talking about a bunny),"Cars," Tractors (anything that isn't a car and resembles a truck) and "Memeal" (which is oatmeal). 

Loves: Berries (aka-grapes, strawberries, blueberries, cranberries), hot dogs (obsessed), cars, tractors, tools (absolutely LOVES to get his tools out when I am doing a project and tries to hammer the wall), walks and the park, and Key (candy).

Hates: I guess I realized he doesn't like toys that move on their own... they scare him. Hmm... hates when I say "It's nigh-night time" or when I don't give him what he wants. Yup, we are starting to get into the toddler fits.. not ready for this stage!

During this month, Brecken got his very first haircut! It was very special because I waited to have my dear Aunt Darla cut his hair. It was very fun to have "Lala" (as Breck calls her) cut his hair as she was always the one to give me my haircuts as I was growing up! He did very well and looked so much more grown up with his new haircut!