New house - Downstairs

Here is a "virtual tour" of the downstairs of our new home. Hopefully you can get an idea of what it looks like! Some of the pictures were taken before we moved in, which is why it looks empty! I'll get some pictures of the upstairs taken soon, hopefully, and get those posted too.

Enjoy!

Our entryway/mudroom - it is sooo nice and big! The picture is taken from inside the house, so if you were to come in from outside you would come in the white door.

This is the "hallway" that leads from the garage and mudroom to the kitchen. The picture was taken from the mudroom. The three drawers are for Dad and the boys' "junk", and the shelves are all used as a pantry.

As you walk in from the mudroom you are in the kitchen! There is a small hallway to the rest of the house on the left. This picture makes the kitchen look small, but it's really very big. The door to the left of the big window goes outside, and the door to the right goes to the 1/2 bathroom/laundry room.

This is the view if you walk into the kitchen and look to the right.

The "hallway" from the kitchen to the rest of the house.

The piano room, which is where the hallway from the kitchen leads to.

From the other end of the piano room . . . There is a door at the bottom of the stairs, which is SO nice! At this end of the piano room, behind where Aleks took the picture from, is a small computer/sewing room.

From the piano room you go into the living room. This picture was taken from in the piano room. (FYI; we don't normally have a bench and folding chair in the middle of our living room. The little girls were probably playing house with them!)

Here is the rest of the living room, taken after walking into the living room.

I hope that wasn't too confusing! If it was, you'll just have to come and see it in person sometime! :)

Well . . . .

I wish I had a really good, really dramatic reason for not posting: "Well, first our computer died, and we lost everything on our hard-drive. Then, we lost all internet connection for a whole month! After that, we couldn't access blogger.com for two weeks! Then, once we could get on blogger, we moved!"

Sadly, my one, lame excuse is that (for those of you who don't know) we've moved, and I haven't taken the time to do a post before or after! Now that we're getting in, I will hopefully be able to do another post in a day or two (I'm not making any promises though!).

Until then, here is a picture to leave you with!

Back: Aliisa (19), Isaac (17 1/2) and Zachary (16 1/2)
Middle: Elsie (4), Jacob (1) and Anja (2 1/2)
Front: Aleksandra (10 1/2), Emmelia (8) and Grace (6 1/2)

Happy Birthday Aliisa!

Happy 19th Birthday Aliisa! We love you so much! You are such a great big sister! We hope you had a great day on your birthday! Even though it was a bizzy day!

Ali cleaning!

Grandpa & Grandma Klahn!!

This summer we also went to visit Grandpa & Grandma Klahn, Dad's parents. Here are some pictures from our trip!

Jacob had fun playing with "dirt", which had ashes mixed in with it!

Grandpa!

Jake and Aliisa in the loft.

Grace, Anja and Elsie playing up in the loft. Grandma has toys that Dad played with when he was a boy!

Grandma making her delicious waffles!

Grandma & Aliisa

Anja loved the waffles!

The view of the lake, taken up at the house

While we were up there, Dad and the boys helped Grandpa make wood. Grandpa & Grandma have a wood furnace in there house, so they go through a lot of wood each winter!

Dad manned the chainsaw

Ike and Zack hauled the wood to the trailers . . . .

. . . . and used the 4-wheelers to haul the wood to the house!

For the really big logs, they used the tractor.

Emmy, Grandma pushing Anja and Grace checkin' on the guys.

What a load!

Grandpa & Grandma have a lot of really cool 4-wheeler trails in the woods around their house. The girls found out that they also work really well as bike trails!

Aleks and Emmy.

Grace!

Elsie stuck to the driveway.

Jacob loves corn on the cob!

Cutie!!

Mom and Dad - awwww!!

On the way home, Elsie got a nasty bee sting on her lip. It swelled up so badly, she hardly looked like herself!

Elsie Rose!

Mom!!!

Happy 39th birthday, Mom!!!!

We all love you SO MUCH and couldn't ask for a better Mom!!

Thank you so much for ALL you do for your family, and to keep our home running smoothly!

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her." ~Proverbs 31:28

A few of Mom's favorite things:

• Book: An Old Fashioned Girl
• Author: Louisa May Alcott
• Food: Shrimp
• Movie: Pride & Prejudice (A&E version)
  

A few "interesting tidbits" about Mom:

• She is far-sighted in one eye, and near-sighted in the other!
• She has moved approximately 22 times in the 20 years she has been married to my Dad!
• She has an amazing singing voice!
  

Summer Days

Here is a re-cap of July and August with LOTS of pictures, and a few words, too!

For the 4th of July Aliisa, Isaac and Zack were in the Hartford parade. Aliisa and Zack square-danced on a float, and Isaac walked with some of the people he was in the play with.

Isaac - all decked out in his "band uniform"!

Waiting for the parade to start . . . .

It was quite a hot day, so the shade felt really good!

"Harold Hill" and "Marian the Librarian" from The Music Man

The square-dancing float!

Aliisa, Heather, Sammy, Dana, Jed & Stephanie

Emmalie!

Libby and Lexi

Zack, Kevin, Mattie & Maria

Still waiting . . . .

Aaron - the driver

Noah - the caller

The float.

It was sooo much fun, and hopefully we can do it again next year!

On day Aliisa took the younger kids to a park, which was LOTS of fun!

Anja and Elsie

Grace, cousin Austin & Emmy

The tire swing!

Wheeeee!!!!!!

The 2nd and 3rd weekends in July Ike had performances for the play he was in. He was a townsperson, and had 1 speaking line and 1 little solo. He did such a good job!! The play was amazing and soo fun to watch!

Opening scene - Rock Island

Ike is the 2nd person from the right

"But we'll give you our shirt . . . . "

"You really ought to give Iowa a try"

Harold Hill and Marcellus

Winthrop (played by a friend of ours), Marian, Amaryllis & Mrs. Paroo

"Thy banners make tyranny tremble"

THE librarian scene
(Ike is the 1st guy on the left)

"If I stumbled and I busted my whatchamacallit"

Backstage - Isaac, Lincoln & two other guys from the play

The game is something like "everyone get Dad!", so Dad shut himself in the calf pen!

Trying to fight them off!

"Here comes TROUBLE" is what his shirt says, and it couldn't be more accurate!

Cousin Austin!

The result of a huge storm

Thankfully, it didn't damage anything except some flowers

If you're a heavy sleeper in the Klahn house . . . . .

. . . . . you will wake-up to fine yourself duct-taped to the bed!
(aunt Jana)

One day there was a hot air balloon floating over the trees in the back

It was quite fun to watch!

The newest ride - a stroller down a hill!

Grace and Elsie were brave enough to try it!

I think they were about to run into something!

Aunt Jana and her son, Austin, came home with us from our trip to Michigan and stayed with us for about 5 weeks. The beginning of August great-Grandma Johnson and Grandma Jackie came to pick them up.

Grandma Johnson - all tied up.

Grandma Jackie!

Somehow she got untied!

Aunt Jana and Elsie

Aliisa & Grandma Johnson

Cousins and buddies; Emmy & Austin

Grandma Johnson, Austin, aunt Jana and Emmy

Grandma Jackie and Zack.

We miss all of you SO much!! Come again SOON!

This is Jacob's newest face - when he's really really really excited about something!

One day Emmy made Mom a special place for her to eat breakfast!