Our House - Version 100

Dan and I rearrange furniture... a lot. When we were in Seminary... another couple told us moving furniture was the sign of a bad marriage. We still laugh about that every time we are moving something! Anyway, we have several big things happening in December that will bring a lot of people into the house. Our largest event is a holiday house tour in the middle of the month that will benefit the MRH Elementary PTO... but also give Joe's Place some good publicity. There are lots of things that go through your mind when you think about what people will see when they tour your house. We have always tried to make this place feel as homey as possible for these boys... but sometimes it's hard when you're not working with your own furniture. A few weeks ago I asked my good friend Sarah (check out the amazing playroom she designed) to come walk through the house and give me some new ideas using the furniture we already have here. After lots of furniture moving (thanks, Dan!)... the house finally feels like it flows (for teenagers and a three year old)... and the guys love it! The best thing we did was move Carter's toy box to the basement and put a chair and bookshelf in it's place. We are all enjoying walking through the main floor of the house without stepping on matchbox cars and legos with bare feet!!

I'll post pictures of the rest of the house once all the holiday decorations are up for the tour!

All we want for Christmas is...

gymnastics classes for Carter. Please!!! Starting at 3:30pm (every day!) he bounces off the walls until bedtime. No kidding!! We took a few pictures last night to document it. Sometimes he'll just run through the house in circles chasing the guys or Dan. Seriously though... can anyone recommend a local place?!!

Maplewood House for Rent

Ok friends... we're looking for a renter for our DARLING house in Maplewood... so I thought I would post some pictures on the blog. It's a two bedroom/one bathroom with a one and a half car garage. It has a dining room and sun room that we used as a breakfast nook. It is within walking distance to several grocery stores, great shopping, fun playgrounds and amazing restaurants in downtown Maplewood. Please pass this on if you know of anyone looking!! Thanks!

Great covered front porch with a view of Clayton.

Living Room

Dining Room

Master Bedroom

Master looking into bathroom.

Kitchen looking into dining room.

Kitchen with door leading to sun room.

The 2nd bedroom is perfect for an office or...

bedroom.

Another bonus is that we take care of the yard and a couple of the bills. We're looking for someone to sign a lease through May 2010 or longer. Thanks for your help!!!

Coming soon...

Has it really been 2 weeks?! I don't know why I even write coming soon anymore... because I obviously don't have it together enough to post here or on our photography site in a timely manner. I do have a good excuse though... it's because something else is coming soon (the middle of May to be exact)!! I am 14 and a half weeks along and have been so sick... which is a big reason why the posting has slowed down so much over the past 3 months. I can make it through the morning and early afternoon ok... but after that I go down hill pretty quick. This pregnancy has been so different than with Carter... and that's why we are kind of thinking girl... although we're not going to find out. I'm just hoping that real food will sound appetizing again by Thanksgiving... since it's the one holiday we have to spend with family (my parents, little sister and brother in law will be with us) this year. We don't have any plans to leave Joe's Place once this one arrives. That's probably the biggest question we've gotten besides people wanting to know if we're going to find out what we're having. This place has become our home and these boys our family... and we think adding another little one to the mix will be awesome. We moved in when Carter was 7 months old and are continually amazed at how being here has shaped him in such an incredible way.

Anyway... here are the pictures I promised 2 weeks ago. I do hope the posting will pick up really soon!! :)

The view on our drive in....

The Brouwer van...

In the post below you can see Micah pointing to Julie... this is what he was pointing at on her head!!!

They look so much alike here...

The older Brouwer kiddos heading off on a fishing trip...

The view from our cabins...

Micah was so excited about the fish he "caught"...

My favorite spot!!

What Glen and Audrey made us for dinner Saturday night! Amazing!!

A weekend away with some of our St. Louis family was just what we needed!! We are so thankful for our community here!

More from our wonderful weekend away...

coming soon.