OUR FAMILY Archives - Arrow Hill Cottage

AROUND HERE | SEPTEMBER 2019

Around here, we have been…

STARTING a new school year! All the kids are once again at the same school. It’s fun that they span in grades from Kindergarten to Seventh, and yet all still be together and see each other off and on throughout the day.

{M} was extra excited for her first year of full time school! She has been pretty tired though, so we are careful to make sure she gets naps in on the weekend.

CELEBRATING birthdays. Both of the girls have September birthdays. We decided on a new tradition this year by taking each child out on a date, with just with mom and dad. This one on one time has been awesome and means so much more to the kids than any presents could!

The girls also were able to choose a small gift. They went for art supplies and snacks. Nice choices!

PLAYING a lot of football. Both {D} and {L} are in leagues. This is {D}’s first year of true tackle football. His real passion though is, of course, kicking! He has already had quite a few chances to kick extra points during the games, and hopes to get in a field goal or two before the season is over.

{L} is doing flag football and is learning the basic skills of the game.

In the evening, and on the weekends, Craig is busy with all three boys – outside playing two on two games. They have so much fun!

TAKING family pictures out at the new house. With the house starting to look a lot more like home, we thought it would be special to take our Fall family photos at the site.

We absolutely can not wait to live here! I’m sure we will cherish these pictures for many years to come.

This is just a glimpse at what our family has been up to. If you’d like a closer look, be sure to check out our weekly ‘mini vlogs’ on our family YouTube channel ARROW HILL FAMILY. Be well everyone!

AROUND HERE | AUGUST 2019

Around here, we have been…

ENJOYING the last part of summer. It is really hard for me to believe that summer is really almost over. Only one more long weekend and school will be starting up again! This gives me all the emotions.

It has been a good summer. One that has gone much too fast. The kids are just at that perfect age where they are mostly independent, and at the same time enjoy each other’s company. They have all played together very well over the past few months.

EXPLORING a new park in the area. Our city has developed a large piece of land just outside of the city limits. It borders a lake and many rolling hills – which are used for mountain biking in the summer and sledding in the winter.

The park itself is full of structures suitable for all ages. Small slides and a mini playhouse for the toddlers, and a zipline for the pre-teens. All of our kids, ranging in age from five to twelve, had so much fun exploring! Even Craig got into the action!

GETTING anxious for the house to get weather tight. With Fall fast approaching, we have seen quite a bit of rain and increasingly colder weather. Each time it rains, we need to go to the site and sweep all the water off of the sub-floor. It makes us so sad to see our largest asset take on damage.

However, the shingles are starting to go on the roof now. And hopefully in the next week or so the windows will be put in and the entire house wrapped for protection. We continue to pray for the snow to hold off until we move in!

PREPARING for a large garage sale. Angela has been busy going through the entire house – decluttering anything we don’t plan to move with us. We have been shocked by the amount of items that we realize we can live without.

With the proceeds from the sale, we hope to buy a sectional sofa for our new family room. Something large enough that we can all snuggle together and watch a movie.

AROUND HERE | JULY 2019

Around here, we have been…

VACATIONING to ND. We took a trip over the 4th of July weekend to visit Angela’s extended family. It was such a great relaxing trip and we were able to see relatives that we haven’t seen for quite a long time. Together we celebrated the early 95th birthday of great grandma Amy.

The cousins had a great time together playing, and taking in all the sights – including the annual Independence Day Parade. There is something really special about small towns!

SEEING our house take shape. Once the foundation was finished, things really started to go more quickly and now they are finishing up the framing! This has been the most exciting part of the process to date, as it is finally starting to look like a house!

CHOOSING items for the house. With the building in full swing, we are busy choosing the finishes and fixtures we want to be installed in the home. There are so many choices to make, including flooring, lighting, and even toilets!

At the same time, we are fixing up/refinishing items that will be going in the new house – such as this cast iron sink!

RUNNING with a goal. Craig had the idea to improve his mile time this summer. His overall goal was to run a mile under 7 minutes. And he reached it! He has since gone on to run it in 6:50. And his new goal is to get Angela under 7. We shall see about that…

AROUND HERE | JUNE 2019

Around here we have been…

ENJOYING the first part of summer break! As soon as school was out, the kids had a bunch of fun activity ideas – including playing with shaving cream on the picnic table!

Some got a bit more into it than others!

{L} also started his summer with surgery. He had his tonsils and adenoids removed. And although the healing process was a bit tough, he is doing so well now and is sleeping great with NO snoring!

WATCHING our dreams come to life. The building of Arrow Hill Cottage is in full swing!

The crew has already poured the footings and foundations, and done some site grading.

Meanwhile, we are working hard at making material selections. It is tough when faced with thousands of options!

We spend some time almost every single day out at the site, just enjoying the process – and feeling so blessed that we are embarking on this very special journey as a family.

You can read the latest house building update HERE.

TRYING new things. Summer is a time of exploration and discovery, especially for kids. It has been fun to see them try new things and learn from the experiences.

{I} took a three week beginner orchestra camp, learning how to play the violin. He enjoyed it and is excited to continue lessons during the school year.

The older boys had their first experience using the grill. They were pretty proud of their ability to cook hot dogs without burning them.

And little {M} surprised us big time, by learning how to ride a bike! Her brothers were so attentive and encouraging, even borrowing her the same bike that they learned to ride on.

SHOWERING this guy with love and appreciation. This Father’s Day we continued the tradition of seeing if Craig could ‘bear the weight’ of all of his kids at once. He succeeded… but next year might be tricky!