From "Home" to "Charles"........

What a summer it has been! This post is way over due, but we have been a little busy!! On Father's Day we received news that we were going to be home owners again!! We had put an offer on "Charles Drive" back in March. It was a short sale home. I really don't know why they call it that, because there is nothing short about the process!! We closed on July 8th and got to work right away. I told Madison it was our "diamond in the rough"!! Mark and many family members worked very hard for a month and a half so we could move in, and I became a single parent for awhile. All the hard work paid off because we all love our new home!! Madison still calls it, "the new house" and not "home", but we will get there. Everyone now has there own room and we all have a lot more space to roam. We have been settling into our house for a month now. We moved in August 20th and it is still a work in progress!! But like I said, we are still loving it!!

Our first family photo in front of the new homestead!!

The living room before.
Grant's room before.

Maddie's room before.

Master Bedroom before

Basement before

I know what you are thinking......They bought that pile???

Back of house before

Full view of the front.

Maddie and Grant helping Grandma Vickie paint.......Grandma's going to love this picture!!

Madison putting on the first coat of paint for her room.......of course pink!!!!

Grant getting in on the action!

The basement during it's face lift. It was already smelling and looking better at this point!

Uncle Patrick and Mark hanging drywall in the basement.

Madison taking a break from all the hard work of helping and watching movies!! Lots and lots of movies!!

Grantie helping in the master bedroom. Thank God he wasn't mobile yet!!

Typical day for the Keller kids at the new house while Mommy and Daddy worked. They were such troopers!!

Grant helping Grandma Susan. It was a miracle there were never little finger prints anywhere, or electrocution!

More of my little helper. He is going to have many years of bad luck I guess for how may times he went under that ladder.

Drywall just about done on the basement.

It was really starting to take shape and I think Mark was seeing some end in sight!!

Many, many late nights spent on this basement!! Even Pa Pa Steve got in on some painting action. Vickie said she has never seen him pick up a paint brush before. We feel pretty privileged!! And I thought it was a pretty cute picture as well!!

Grant-O enjoying the new carpet! The carpet made a world of difference, and it was installed just in time. Grant got up on all fours for the first time the day it was installed. It was like he knew!!

Office in the basement. I can't believe the before and afters!!

Grant's room after.
Maddie's room after.

Master bedroom after.

Moving day.........

This is our old home on "Home Ave" the day Mark and I purchased it five years ago..........

.........we have grown just a bit!!

We are renting the house out to a nice young couple that reminds us of us when we first started out. I think they will take really good care of the place. We had to go there the other day to check on some things. It was weird to see someone elses stuff in "our" home. I am still a little attached since Mark and I made so many memories there.

We moved the day before Grandma Wendy's birthday. Of course we had to have cake!! Thanks for helping Grandma Wendy on your birthday weekend!! I'm sure it was just what you wanted to do!

The whole crew that helped us move besides Patrick. He had to leave early. Something like 7 trailer loads and many car loads later we were finished. It was a long day, and the day that I realized I had waaaaaaay to much crap!!!!! I really thought I might have to be on an episode of hoarders!!!

Thank you to everyone that helped us move!!!!

I love this picture......I think everyone is thinking..."Where is she going to put all this sh*t?"!!! And Mark is thinking......"I have to put all this sh*t away after everyone leaves?"!!

But we finally made it through the piles. One month later, and we have finally parked a car in the garage, cleared out the basement and organized the kids toys and had a massive garage sale that made some massive cash!! It is getting there. One day at a time......that's what I keep telling myself!! We finally got the new house numbers up also. The old display of numbers was soooo ugly. And the day we bought the house, I told Mark that was one of the first things I wanted changed. Funny, it wasn't until 3 weeks after we moved in, we got to that project!!

Looks pretty good!

Our new home starting to look like "home"!!

Mark, Madison, Grant, and I would like to thank everyone who helped make our new house a home. Grandparents drove, worked and spent many hours out of there busy schedules to come help us. Without you all we wouldn't have made it......without our sanity anyway!!!

Most of all I would like to thank my husband for all the endless nights and weekends you put into this house. You had a vision and made it happen for your family!! Madison and Grant are lucky to have you as a father and I fell very forunate to have you as a husband!! We love you Mark!!

There is still lots to be done on this house, but we welcome visitors anytime!!!

Our new address is:

17 Charles Drive

Glen Carbon, IL 62034

I love my kiddos!!

Just wanted to share some recent pictures of my beautiful kiddos. Oh, how I love them so!!!

I love this picture.....I think Grant is thinking, "Why do you always let her kiss all over me?"
Awwwwww........

Do you think they love each other?.......at least for now!

Madison's new thing is not looking at the camera.

Grant is getting back at his sissy already!

Madison's favorite things of spring.....

Since the weather has finally been nice, Madison has been enjoying playing outside along with some other activities. She received a t-ball set for Christmas from Pa Pa and Grandpa Kuhl. She has really showed interest in playing and Mark has really enjoyed teaching her how to swing and hit the ball. She is getting pretty good and loves playing "ball" with Daddy! Future Albert Pujols.....as Daddy would say!!

Swinging with all her might.
Look at that form and follow through!! Daddy is a good teacher!!

Madison also loves to swing with her brother.

Poor Grantie gets Madison's old pink swing, but I don't think he minds. I have to put him in pink now before he knows the difference!

The competition has already started!! She always has to be swinging higher than Grant.

Madison has been a big helper this year with planting the flowers and watering them. It is our nightly ritual to water the flowers.

Madison is not afraid to get her hands dirty. But I did find her some pretty sweet gardening gloves, and they're pink!!!

Check out her rain boots!!

She also loves corn on the cob!

And last but not least, she likes to "feed" her baby just like Mommy "feeds" Grant!

She came up with this one all on her own!! My neck has been killing me at night rocking Grant to sleep, so I got my travel pillow out of the car. The other day I was trying to get Grant down for his nap and Madison came in the room to ask if she could play with it. I said, "sure." I walked out into the living room after getting Grant down to find Madison on the couch using my neck pillow as a boppy!!! Shirt up and baby latched on!! Too funny!! I told her she is going to be a good mommy! Mark said she is problem solver!! I also know she is going to kill me some day for sharing this photo!