Our Home Makeover

So I finally gave in and took some pictures of our house. We are getting closer to finishing the projects we have begun, and then have millions of projects waiting, but we have made some progress. This entire process is fun, stressful and very tiring. I don't know if I could do it all over again because now I know just how much work it is! That being said, I have to say there is something very fulfilling in creating your own little nest! Todd and I (and really mostly Todd) have done all the work by ourselves, except for the granite countertops. Those were magically there one day when we got home from work, which felt so nice to just have something done by someone else when we got home, even though we paid the price! So here is a sneak peak of the Crowther house hold.....

BATHROOM BEFORE... (lovely!)


BATHROOM AFTER... (still not totally finished)


KITCHEN BEFORE... (thanks brother Rob, who came and steam cleaned our tile)


KITCHEN AFTER... (also not totally finished yet)

This picture doesn't do the kitchen justice, first because you can't tell from this picture that those cabinets took 3 months to refinish but second, because you can hardly see the cute backsplash Todd put in for me. It is a tan stone in a brick pattern and it turned out so cute! He did such a good job tiling the backsplash and bathroom shower, considering it was his first time ever tiling.

And there you have it! The kitchen still needs painted walls, crown and base board and a few other touch up things and then it will truly be finished. The bathroom also just has a few finishing jobs to do, but for the most part they are done and it feels so good! Our next projects will be our yard and a nursery for baby. Oh boy, there is so much to do still! And by the way, this doesn't excuse you from coming to visit us in Oakley!!!

AND IT'S A......

I knew it. I knew it. I knew it. YAY for a baby BOY! Bring on the snakes and snails and puppy dog tails! And can I just say that ultrasounds are the most amazing thing on the earth?

Happy Holiday!

Happy 4th of July everyone! This is one of my favorite holidays. I love my country. I love what America stands for and still stands for, FREEDOM! We are all so blessed to live in America, so enjoy whatever you are doing and whoever you are celebrating with!



OH AND P.S..... We find out what baby is on Tuesday, so check back soon. My bet is a boy, what do you think?!

Happy Birthday Todd!

So I am a few days early but I won't have time to do this on his real birthday, which is Saturday June 20. He is turning 26, seriously? So old! I just wanted to list 10 reasons why I love Todd.

1. He is so in love with me. I realize that sounds conceited, but I love that Todd loves me. I love that he wanted to date me bad enough to hang in there through multiple break ups. I love that he wanted to marry me so much that he proved he would do anything for me. And now I love that he loves me enough to look past my flaws and still want to make me as happy as possible. It is the best feeling to feel so loved!
2. Another reason I love Todd, he makes me laugh and usually he isn't even trying to. He has a great sense of humor but he also has a cute personality. One of my favorite recent smiles he put on my face was when we were shopping and he revealed to me in all seriousness that one day when he retires, he wants to work at a sample stand in Costco!
3. Todd has a humility about him. He has nothing to prove. He isn't above anyone or anything.
4. Todd is always the first to apologize.
5. He is a hard worker. He comes home from work and starts to work on our house. He enjoys accomplishing things.
6. He is a handy man. In the last few months he has shown me some skills I didn't know he had like cooking, plumbing, tiling and much more. (If you ask him he will tell you everything he knows he learned from working at Lee's Deli ;)
7. He is patient, specially with a pregnant wife. The other day I started making cinnamon rolls and I got so angry with my sticky dough I nearly lost it! He came into the kitchen, calmed me down and saved the day! Who knew he knew how to make cinnamon rolls?
8. He is an optimist. He keeps a smile even when he has a right to be put out or sad. He finds a way to laugh in situations I am usually more tempted to cry about.
9. He will be a wonderful dad. I love that he asks me to read to him about what is going on with our baby each week.
10. He is my best friend. Everything he does he does with me in mind. He has provided with me more than I could have dreamed of at this point in life. I love being with him. Everything is more fun with Todd.

Happy Birthday Todd!

Guess what...

We heard the heart beat today.

I don't think I've ever heard a better sound, I couldn't stop smiling.

As Promised...

So here are some pictures from our trip to Europe. It has taken a while to go through and cut down from 700 to 350 (still too many but how do you delete them!) This makes me want to go back. Hopefully it will make you want to go, everyone should visit Switzerland in their life!

Starting off with my favorite part of the trip, skiing the Aqui Di Midi in Chamonix, France. UNREAL! You extreme skiers would be in heaven. You take two trams to get to the top, the second being the steepest tram in the world!

Most people use a guide to do ski this resort because there is no ski patrol. There is only 1 run and it is 14 miles long. Along the way, you are skiing on a glacier, so there are deep cracks all over that people can fall into if they aren't careful. 

You get off the tram and then hike with your skis down this trail you can see behind us. There is a small rope to hold on to and below is well over a 1,000 foot drop! Yikes.

Then the day begins, skiing down this one run with views you can't even believe. This picture is a glacier waterfall that you ski down. Check out those peaks up behind our heads. The Alps are insane mountains. And you should have seen where some of the skiers there were coming down. 

Since it was spring the glacier was melting (not that it ever really totally melts). We could hear it crackling. Kind of an eerie sound. This is my mom and I by a glacier pool. If you haven't ever seen my mom ski you are missing out. She is amazing on skis!

There are castles everywhere, in every valley on every mountain side. 

Beautiful buildings in Lousanne, Switzerland

Skiing Verbier, Switzerland

Lauderbrunen, Switzerland, one of my favorite towns. You have to take a tram to get to it, there are no cars here. 

This is a typical swiss chalet. They are so neat and detailed. 

I ran into the Hunchback on top of one of the Cathedrals. He is uglier than they say!

Smart cars, everywhere!

The Castle Chillon

And ahhhhh.... the Matterhorn in Zermatt, Switzerland. 

Anecy, France. This town was like Italy with water canals. 

And there is a small taste of our Europe adventure. There may be more to come so stay tuned!

Coming soon...

Pictures! So we have been home for about 2 weeks now and I still haven't posted pictures of Europe. Sorry, those who have asked! I promise I took pictures. Infact, that is the problem. We took over 700, so I am in the process of going through them all and narrowing that down some. I will get some posted soon, but for now I will let you know that our trip was absolutely amazing! Some of my highlights were:

* Seeing the real Swiss Alps (the Matterhorn, Mt. Blanc, etc...) They are stunning.
* Exploring castles (aging back to 1100, unreal!)
* Skiing in Chamonix, France (True extreme skiing! Pics coming!)
* Beautiful swiss chalets
* Swiss chocolate and yogurt
* Roman Ruins in Italy
* Cobblestone streets and incredible cathedrals
* Gourmet food
* Markets
* Staying in Torgon (an adventure, that is for sure!)
* Swiss culture...they are very neat and orderly. Every wood pile is a work of art! They build cities on mountains you wouldn't even believe and tunnels through anything. They are amazing.
* And last but not least... Spending time with mom and dad. They were a blast to travel with!

So after that adventure, we are back at it working on the house and going to work each day. I can't believe we have been there for 2 months now. Things are starting to feel more like home and we have made some progress. I really want summer, but at the same time I still want snow on the ground because we have a lot of work to do in our yard, which we just don't have a lot of time for at the moment. But the kitchen is getting very close to being done and it looks great. Todd is amazing. After a full day of work he comes home and starts working again. He has really done a lot of it all on his own and I love how it has turned out. I am tempted not to post pictures of the house, because we would love some visitors! It was great to have Seth, Lindsey and their sweet baby Rae on Saturday. Thanks for coming by, it was so good to see you! If you are ever around Oakley, make sure to call!