That's Life

The "Not really a letter" Christmas 2011 letter

2011-12-23T17:03:00.000-08:00

For the last 9 years, I have written a Christmas
letter. There will not be one this
year. In fact, I didn’t even mail out
cards.

The last nine months have been somewhat difficult for
me. The last two months is not even a
conversation for online media. Now, I guess
I could write a letter that appears to be a happy reflection of 2011, but that
is one thing that has also been difficult for me. It’s hard to always seem chipper when I feel
otherwise.

I guess the thing that is the most difficult for me is that
my struggles seem small compared to what some others are facing. I have a loving and healthy family and
marriage, we are blessed with an income, and I have some of the best friends in
the whole wide world. Yes, there are
days when I beat myself up and call myself a big cry baby for some of the feelings
that I have. However, what I am trying
to come to terms with is that no matter what the issue is… if it’s causing
hurt, it’s ok to work through the hurt and not feel guilty about it. It’s one day at a time, and that is ok.

Here is my quick update.
Mark is still at Landis and Gyr.
Zach is in the 7th grade and still enjoys soccer. Hannah is in the 2nd grade and is
in her third year of tumbling, and Nathan is in kindergarten and taking
tumbling with Hannah and is now an official member of the Little League Wrestling
club in Odessa. Yes, Nathan is still a
hoot! And me, well, I’m trying to figure
out what the next chapter of my life will be.

I hope 2012 brings many wonderful memories with family and
friends.

Merry CHRISTmas!
Amy

Christmas 2010

2010-12-03T08:44:00.000-08:00

For the past 8 or 9 years, I have written a Christmas letter. (This year, Mark decided that he wanted to compose his own paragraph about himself.) It has become a tradition, and a great keepsake. So here we go………….

Mark celebrated 10 years at the company now known as Landis+Gyr. His current title is systems administrator and he works with Oracle/Sun hardware, the Solaris operating system, and Hitachi storage products mainly. But he’d rather be reading biblical studies and theology books and riding his bike. Zach has started getting him back into skateboarding, too. He also has a bit of gadget lust for all the new tablets and e-readers that have come out. We’re getting him an iPad for Christmas but don’t tell him and ruin the surprise. (from Amy: HaHa.. very funny Mark!)

Zach started middle school this year. I was surprised when he chose not to enroll in band. He was placed in the honors class for math and communication arts, but math has been quite a struggle at times. I’m not even very much help. He celebrated his 12th birthday this year. Here is a link to a video that I made:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUfSqbCB_-o (if clicking on the links do not work, simply copy and paste the link into your web browser box)
He tried football for the very first time this year, but it really didn’t go that well. Guess we’ll see what happens next year. Zach ran the Royals 5K this year and took 2nd place for his age group. (fyi: 5k = 3.12 miles) He participated in a summer soccer clinic with a coach from Scotland and we were able to host the coach in our home while he was here. It was a fun experience! Zach is also looking forward to spring soccer. We thought that we had escaped a “red zone” asthma year, but he ended up on Predisone in late October. At least we didn’t end up in the hospital like last year, though. He participates in Bible Drill at our church and received a “State Superior Perfect” at the competition in April. He has had quite a year!

Hannah is in the first grade this year. She has become a very good little reader. Along with reading, she also likes to write stories and letters. Her funniest one has been the one addressed to her daddy. It said, “Dear Dad, I love you. Dad, can you give me money please? Yes or No Check the one that you want to do. I really want to have it. Sincerely, Hannah” Classic! Yep, this letter’s a keeper! She is currently taking tumbling lessons at Starz and had her first tumbling performance in June. She is so close at doing a backbend all on her own. She can also do cartwheels, round-offs, handstands, and is also getting much lower to the ground on her splits. She has lost 4 teeth so far, 2 being her front top. We made the cutest video of her singing, “All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth”. Here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHektNHqBbs
A couple nights ago, she decided that she wants to be a beautician when she grows up. She spent all night creating hair styles on paper. It was really cute! She attends AWANA and Bible Buddies at our church, and loves “girl vacations” with mom. (And I love spending them with her!)

Nathan is in his last year of early childhoood. He will be in kindergarten next year. This year has been yet another exciting one for Nathan. Nathan is learning to read! He loves to pick out one of his Hooked on Phonics books during reading time. This summer was his first year of going to Branson with Nana and Grandad. He was so excited to pack his bag and head out with the other kids. Nathan attends AWANA at our church and is looking forward to tee ball in the spring. He had his first play date last week with a friend from school. Nathan had a funny experience with a camel trying to “eat him” on our vacation this summer. It was pretty funny; here is a link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlkMsek4sfc
We discontinued his services through the Kansas City Regional Center last month. He really seems like a different kid from the one that I took into the office in 2007. I thank God for the miracle that He performed everyday!

And as for me... Well, this year has been busy as usual. My biggest accomplishment was the completion of the Kansas City half-marathon. I’m not proud of my lack of training or my time, but I will never forget crossing that finish line. I have also been helping to raise funds to repair our city lake. One of the fundraisers was a Prince and Princess pageant that I helped coordinate. Man, that was A LOT of work! It turned out great though, so it was all worth it. I got to meet Miss Missouri, Erika Hebron, and am looking forward to watching her compete in the Miss America pageant on January 15, 2011. I have also taken an interest in Odessa politics…. IMAGINE THAT!!! LOL! Considering I will be here forever, I have decided that I will do what I can to help build the city’s future, (gotta create some jobs for my kids, you know). I have been a bit depressed about my Dallas Cowboys this year. With Tony Romo’s injury, I don’t think it could get much worse. I’m hoping that he is going to be able to play in the game on Christmas. (It was a good election in November though.)

As far as family stuff…. We took a family vacation to Oklahoma this year. “Why Oklahoma?’ you ask. Well, we google mapped the furthest I was willing to drive in a car and found the warmest temperature. We ended up in Sulphur, OK. If you ever travel to this area, I would highly recommend Arbuckle Wilderness. It’s one of those drive thru zoos. We opened the side door on our van and a camel came right on in!! It chased Zach to the back of the van! It was the funniest thing ever. I laughed myself silly!! Nathan’s video above is also from Arbuckle Wilderness. The farm life has really slowed down. Something got all of our hens. We actually had 1 left for quite a while, and she started hanging out with our dogs. But finally, she was gone too. My garden was a complete failure! Can the “third’s times a charm” really come true next summer? We are still having spaghetti dinners on the last Friday of the month starting in January, so come on out and break bread with us :>)

Take some special time this year to tell your friends and family that you love them. Don’t assume that they already know. Be thankful for all the blessings that you have been given, and remember those not so fortunate. And most importantly, remember the REAL reason for the season. HINT: CHRISTmas is His birthday!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2011!!

Mark, Amy, Zach, Hannah, Nathan

Christmas 2009

2010-01-03T09:55:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, yeah… another Christmas letter… blah.. blah..blah..

The end..

Just kidding, but that is my first thought whenever I start my annual letter. However, it is a great addition to the kids’ scrapbooks, so here it goes………..

Let’s start with Nathan this year. He celebrated his 4th birthday on August 26. This year has been full of exciting milestones that have brought tears to my eyes. Nathan is wearing big boy underpants!!!! I had prepared his teachers at school for some unpleasant experiences.. (like the time when Nathan flushed his underwear with poop in them in and overflowed the toilet.. or the time when he covered up poop on the floor in the bathroom with the throw rug), however, Nathan finally decided that pooping in the toilet wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, I don’t think he’s had an accident at school at all. (knock on wood:>) Nathan’s speech has also increased tremendously. He is still hard to understand at times, but if something is wrong, it has become easier for him to communicate with others. He continues to attend the early education program in the public school system here in Odessa. He has a great teachers and a great class. He can’t get out of the van fast enough when I take him to school. Another big change this year has been his understanding of needing to be included. In years past, it was generally pretty easy to let Hannah and Zach do something while Nathan either watched or just did his own thing, but this year has been different. I think he finally understands being left out and what’s even more exciting is that I think he is beginning to understand emotions. On several occasions he has said that he is sad, and he appears to get his feelings hurt. (and proceeds to show the correct emotional response). It can be hard to watch your child cry, but it has actually warmed my heart. Nathan had an absolute ball on Halloween this year! He dressed up like Batman and I think that kid would have trick-or-treated long into the night if Hannah and I could’ve kept up with him. Christmas has also been more exciting this year. He has been telling everyone how he helped decorate the tree. He has taken an interest in drawing, coloring, and legos. I think we may even put him on a little league baseball team next spring. God continues to amaze me with this little guy. There is power in prayer!!

Hannah started kindergarten this year. She also loves going to school. Hannah is officially a lefty. The rest of us are right handed, so I guess it’s her special trait. She has already made comments regarding being friends with little boys in her class. I think Hannah is going to make Daddy’s hair turn grey (or fall out completely :>) She has been quite a little helper on the farm. She helped bottle feed the calf and baby goat that we got from Aunt Donna and Uncle Harvey. She also helped pull the pin feathers off the chickens that we butchered this summer. Hannah loves to dress up and play the princess, but she can also enjoy roughing it farm girl style. I love that about her!!!! Hannah started taking tumbling lessons in August. She is working on cartwheels, hand stands, back bends, and round offs, (just to name a few). Hannah started learning how to swim this summer, but not until Nathan did it first. She didn’t want anything to do with going under the water until she was told Nathan could do it. Then all of the sudden, she didn’t think it was so scary after all. Hannah dressed up as a cheerleader for Halloween. She enjoyed all the candy, (probably too much.. she definitely has a sweet tooth).

Zach is in 5th grade this year, biggest change yet, (in my opinion). I help out in the classroom and when I went in for the Halloween party I was in disbelief at how much more grown up these kids look. This is the year for “the talk”, (which was Mark’s job :>) and then next year brings…. middle school……sigh………. Zach is still Zach though. He is doing great in school. Zach was elected to be in student council this year and just last week, I came home to him saying, “I had a great day!! Do you want the good news, good news, or good news first?” Turns out that grade cards had come out that day and he had all A’s. Then he found out that the essay he had turned in for a creative writing assignment had been picked by the company to be published in their book. And finally, he had been picked for student of the month. He was on cloud nine! He has had a lot of problems with his asthma this year though. He ended up spending a couple days at Children’s Mercy in September because his breathing was labored and the inhaler and breathing machine wasn’t helping. He thought it was pretty cool at first, but then after a night of being woke up and having oxygen attached to his nostril, he was ready to go home. He had 2 great soccer seasons (spring and fall), with the fall team going undefeated! We keep hoping that Odessa will have a soccer team by the time Zach is in high school, (but he has starting practicing field goal kicking just in case). He had his first birthday slumber party. A night of wrestling, football, guitar hero, bonfire, and a movie made it an exciting evening. He is starting to be more opinionated and is quickly becoming a frequent visitor of curiosity, but I guess that’s all a part of growing up. Zach has started memorizing Bible verses in Bible Drill, (which Mark goes with him on Sundays and helps out). Oh, and for the first time, Zach will not be visited by Santa Claus. He found an extra M&M candy cane that “Santa gave him” hidden in the food pantry. I have always told him that when he quit believing in Santa, then Santa would stop coming, and well, that wasn’t a lie. I’ll save an extra $20.00 this year. Yay!!!

Mark is still making the trek to Lenexa everyday. He is now learning to use a Windows system setup instead of Unix. (I think that is how it should be worded). He spends a lot of his time either at work or working from home, but we are very thankful that even through the financial woes, he still has employment. Mark has started working on the trail that he wants by our house, and has made plans with his Dad to dig a pond out back. He tries to find time to ride his bike and runs out here, but he had to choose a different path. The first time he rode his bike down one of the country roads, a dog literally had a hold of his leg. It was pretty scary!!! Mark has been able to get a membership to Bally’s in the city and go during his lunch break on occasion. And yes, much to my dismay, Mark continues to buy great big books and line the walls of our bedroom with them… (well he reads them too, which makes it difficult to complain to much. I just wish he could check these specialty “just released” books out at a library and then return them. They take up SO MUCH space!! Mark has also started a new tradition this year with the kids. He is not a big Santa fan, so he has discovered the story of Krampus. Basically, Krampus joins Santa during the Christmas season, warning and punishing bad children, in contrast to Santa, who gives gifts to good children. It’s pretty funny; Mark will start chasing the kids around the house claiming to be Krampus, while they run like a maniac screaming at the top of their lungs. The joys of Christmas? (grin)

And as for me, well, this year has been full of farm life. I bottle fed and took care of my first calf and goat. I experienced the joys of butchering chickens, and now I am taking care of the hens and collecting eggs. My cow still roams the fields with Dad’s cows. The goat went back to Aunt Donna’s house to hang out with her goat, Pete. I tried my best to make it to the gym and watch what I eat, but now that it’s the end of the year……. Well, let’s just say I’m glad there’s next year to try again. However, I am thinking about changing my resolution this year. I think I am going to start training for a marathon. I have been told that you can actually sign up for shorter distances if you want, so I can always choose the 10K, or ½ marathon if I am not ready. I’m trying to think of it this way; surely if I start running on a regular basis the scale will be nice. However, even if it’s not; I will be totally amazed if I am able to run 26 miles in a row, and my body surely will be healthier than it is now.

Here’s some snippets about our year:

January: We had one of our first spaghetti dinners. The last Friday of every month we make a big batch of spaghetti, green beans, and bread. Anyone that would like to come over is welcome. The next dates will be January 29, February 26, March 26, April 30, on so on through October.

April: We had our very first Easter egg hunt at our house. We invited our friends and hunted eggs, and ate hot dogs and chips. We plan on having another one this year!

June: Mark and I celebrated 15 years of wedded bliss!!!!!!!
Mark completed a duathalon in the corporate challenge in 1:28:51!!!

July: The kids and I went to Illinois to visit a friend. We went to the St. Louis Zoo and got to touch stingrays. It was really cool!!!!!
We sold Mom’s house and officially moved all of her stuff!!!

August: Zach, Hannah, and Nathan ALL started school!! Yay!

September: I ran my first 5K at Royals stadium to benefit the Autism Alliance. I finished in 38.19
Mark went to Atlanta for a week for work.

October: We had our 1st Annual hayride and weenie roast at our house. I think we had about 120 people attend. It was a lot of fun, but very cold!!

December: I sit here trying to reflect on all of the blessings that we receive. This will be the first year that I will not send out actual letters. Many of you will be receiving postcard pictures which will also have a link to my blog and facebook,
My niece, Holly is here from Columbia and we all made a gingerbread house.

Wishing you and your family a very Merry CHRISTmas!! (yes, He’s still the reason :>)

The Begemann’s

Famous Hannah Quotes

2008-11-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

Zach was in the living room and wanted Hannah to come in there. Hannah was playing with her hair brakets and jewerly. When Zach asked her to come in the living room, Hannah replied, "Hold on, I'm trying to get fabulous"

I had told Hannah NOT to do something. Later in the day, a situation arose where it looked like she was going to do it anyways. I looked at her and said, "Don't you even think about it" She replied, "I wasn't going to think about it, I was just going to do it"

A few weeks later, while discussing the quote above, Hannah said, "I was just joking.. I was thinking about it too"

Founders Ministries Blog: Post-Election Analysis: True or False?

2008-11-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

Founders Ministries Blog: Post-Election Analysis: True or False?

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, Jesus will still be King.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our responsibilities as Christians will not have changed one iota.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the greatest agent for social change in America will still be winning the hearts and minds of men and women through the gospel, not legislation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my primary citizenship will still be in this order - (1) the Kingdom of God, (2) America, not vice-versa.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the tomb will still be empty.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the cross, not the government, will still be our salvation.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, our children will still be more concerned with whether or not we spend time with them than with who is President.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my neighbor will still be my neighbor, and loving him/her will still be the second greatest commandment. (Do you know the first?)

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see abortion ultimately overturned will still be winning men and women to a high view of life through the gospel of Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, the only way to see gay marriage ultimately defeated will still be winning men and women to a biblical view of marriage through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, my retirement will still not match my treasure in Heaven.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, "Jesus Is Lord" will still be the greatest truth in the Universe.

True/False: The day after the election, regardless of who wins, we will still know that God is in control.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T05:15:00.000-07:00

Nathan and Zach had parties at school, (and Hannah got to go to both of them). Here is some evidence of our fun!!

Just life stuff

2008-10-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

We are home in the 'burg tonight. Tomorrow is Mark's birthday. My mom will be watching the kids so Mark and I, (and hopefully some friends of ours) can do something special.

Nathan had his school pictures today. He was able to sit and (kind of) smile. I think it's funny that he can say, "Cheese" and still not end up with a big smile on his face :>) She tried about 10 times and by that point I told her that if he was looking at the camera it would be fine. Honestly, I was just happy that he sat still long enough to get a decent shot.

Today the people started preparing to spray the trim. Next Wednesday, we have a small painting crew that will start to paint Mom's side. If anyone has a passion for painting, please let me know :>) After painting, we have ending electrical work, ending plumbing work, door/cabinet hardware, and flooring. We have decided to go with vinyl and carpet. (Mom's side will have laminate in her living room/kitchen.)

I think I've almost had my fill of politics (and hundreds of Obama ads that fill up most of commercial time) for this election. I fear the outcome. I have been involved in politics long enough to not get really excited about promises made during election time. As of today, I feel I'm voting for the lesser of two evils... and that makes me sad :>( (oh, and just for the record... I'm voting for McCain/Palin). I hope (for the sake of our country) that I am wrong about Obama. However, I will support him if he is elected president. I hope Obama supporters will be able to do the same. Oh, and just in case McCain doesn't get elected.......... HUCKABEE IN 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!

On Saturday, Mark and I are planning to go to Factory Direct to shop for appliances. We're also going to a weiner roast this weekend. I am really glad the price of gas has went down. It makes trips back and forth much easier!

We are searching for local church when we move, but I am a little concerned about whether or not I will be fulfilled during the musical worship on Sunday morning. What if the pastor is great, the congregation seems really nice, they offer alot of great programs for everyone, they seem to care about others, and I genuinely feel unconditionally accepted...... but the minute the organ starts.... I feel depressed :>( I am really trying to keep an open mind. Is complaining about an organ really any different than an older person complaining about a guitar? I think the answer to that is... no. So, I am asking you your thoughts on the question. How important do you think the musical worship experience should be when choosing a church?

My latest yard sale find

2008-10-11T13:22:00.001-07:00

Well, it was actually Zach's yard sale find. It's supposed to be a cooler, (the head is the lid), but it's simply going to be a great addition to Zach's Star Wars room in the new house. Sweet!

Nathan's New Doo

2008-10-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

Many of you already know the headaches that I have had when it comes to getting Nathan's haircut. I have done everything from having someone come over to my house, to cutting it myself, (yeah.. that was really interesting). But Nathan has really been impressing me here lately, so I thought I would give him a chance at having his hair cut at the "big boy place" AKA the Barber Shop. Zach loves to go the Barber Shop. It was where Zach got his very first hair cut. So, today was Nathan's day to shine.. (or crash and burn :>) I am very happy to report that he did great!!! Here are some pictures.

life update

2008-10-02T17:23:00.000-07:00

The house is close to completion and guess what... both our home and my mom's home are still on the market... surprise, surprise. This scenario has always been in the back of my mind, but it is now appearing to be more like reality. Zach and Nathan went ahead and started school in Odessa, so we have been staying with Mark's folks during the week and coming back to the 'burg on the weekends.

Last week was tough. We have been planning on doing the painting to try to save some money, but was a bit surprised to find out on Thursday morning that the trim would be coming on Monday and the entire house needed to be primed by then.. (oh, and the mudder/taper was still finishing up). I woke up early Friday morning to a completely numb right arm, (I had to actually pick it up with my left arm to move it). Once the blood started circulating, I started to feel extremely nauseus and felt and as though I was going to faint. (I was in the basement of my in-laws house by myself because Mark had went to Warrensburg the night before with Hannah and Nathan). I started to walk up the stairs and it got even worse. I started yelling for help. There's alot of details that I am choosing to leave out so that I don't totally embarrass myself, but long story short..... I ended up at the ER in Independence. All the tests came back fine. It appears as though I am in good health, but I left the ER with a prescription for Ativan and was told that I needed to find ways to "relieve stress". Ativan did the trick. I pretty much slept all weekend long. So much for painting :>(
Mark, his Mom and Dad, and friend from church were able to get the painting and clean up done.. (a big thanks to you!!!). The trim and cabinets came this week. We also got the garage doors and the stone. I am very pleased with everything and feel blessed to be able to build a house that will be a home for my family and my mother. But now the time has come to cut expenses. Our plan has always been for Mom to sale her house and put that down towards the loan. The sale of our home would pay off our vehicle and our final school loan. I still have hope that that will be the case, but I have started to prepare for a very tight budget. So don't be surprised if you come to our house warming party and we don't have very much furniture.. (or food.. or electricity... hehehe, just kidding.. well about the electricity anyways :>)

I still know that God is in control, but I have learned in the last year that sometimes we may not understand exactly why things happen the way they do. I wish that I was better at the "not worrying" part of it, but the truth is... I have a ways to go.

Zach has completely fit in at his new school. That was part of the reason for transitioning to Odessa before the house was ready. It's a whole lot easier to be the new kid on the first day of school versus the middle of the school year. Initially he was very anxious about going to a new school, but today he loves it!!

Nathan started the early education program in the public school system. It has also been really good for him. (and it's given Hannah and I the time to have some mother/daughter "bonding time")

Hannah is my little helper during the day. I was really worried that she would be jealous that Nathan got to go to school and she didn't, but she really hasn't said anything about it. She is such a sweet little girl.... well most of the time anyway :>)

I am taking it easy... ready to move.. and ready to sell my house!!

"Is it really October?", I ask myself.

"Yes, Yes, it is", I reply.

Yet another crazy year for the Christmas letter.

09-27-08 Cornerstone Park "Kidpalooza"

2008-09-21T13:45:00.000-07:00

Wanted to advertise this fun event for a friend

Join us for a Kidpalooza at CornerStone Park, Mid-Missouri's only indoor park located in Warrensburg, MO.

September 27, 2008

CornerStone Park
727 N. Charles St.
660-747-4444
www.cornerstonepark.net

$4.00/person
All Day Pass

CornerStone Park is located directly behind Hastings, (it's in the same building, only the entrance is in the back) There's a place to turn off of Russell Ave.

8:30-9:00 Free Open House
9:00 Park Opens
9:30-10:00 Center Stage Performs
11:00-1:00 Bee Bee the Clown
Face Painting and Balloon Animals
12:00-3:00 KIX 105.7 Live Broadcast
1:00 Fire Department Presentation
1:30-4:00 Community Business Booths
1:30 Bounce House
2:00 Center Stage Performs
4:00 Pictures with the Johnson County Rodeo Queen
5:00-7:00 Bee Bee the Clown
Juggling Contest
6:00-7:00 Kiddie Disco
Monetti's Pizza for sale!
7:00-9:00 1/2 price Dart Tag
1/2 price park admission

A lesson on monarch butterflies

2008-09-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Nathan "not" wearing the hat
The kids being "butterflies"
the life cycle
Nathan "wearing" the hat

The small larvae
The chrysalis
The big larvae
Hannah and Nathan wearing their hats

The kids and I went to Powell Gardens for Little Sproats Story Time: Magical Monarchs. We learned the life cycle of a monarch butterfly. We would have been able to see an egg, but it hatched the day before. We saw a small larvae and a chrysalis. We were going to get to go outside and try to catch, tag, and release some butterflies, but (of course) it was raining. The kids made butterfly "hats". Hannah wore hers proudly, but I couldn't get Nathan to keep his on. That is... until we were in the van later that day. Hannah says, "Mommy, look.. Na Na has his hat on". When we got home, we were able to find a big larvae out on the farm. Anyone want to come and help us catch, tag, and release monarch butterflies on the farm?

Link to more pics

2008-09-12T18:15:00.000-07:00

I upload more pictures to facebook on a regular basis. Here is a link to the current album.

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51606&l=7a830&id=510166335

House: September 2008

2008-09-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

top to bottom: living room/kitchen (east side), living room/kitchen (west side), mom's living room/kitchen, the removable rails on the front.

Phoenix Family Building Company

2008-09-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you are building in/around Warrensburg, MO , I recommend Phoenix Family Building Company. David Phoenix is an honest, and talented builder that has a great personality and is simply a pleasure to work with.

Phoenix Family Building Company

816-739-9902

House Update

2008-09-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

Click on any of the pictures for a bigger image.

The front
The side deck
Looking up at second floor
Living room/kitchen
Looking at mom's LR (lower level) Zach's room is above on the second floor.

The heat pump in the attic for the second floor
The heat pumps in the basement for my mom's area and the first floor.
The electric boxes
The cellulose insulation being sprayed in.
Cellulose Insulation is actually recycled newspaper. Can you see the newspaper clipping the wall?

Building our home

2008-05-07T17:14:00.000-07:00

Here is where I will post the pics of our home building process.

We started digging on April 15, 2008

The first picture was taken May 5, 2008... the day we poured the basement floor

The second picture was taken April 20, 2008.. the day the rough in plumbing was being installed.

Our Family Site

2007-01-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

Check out our family site..........

Family Variety