I love Weekends!!

Sandra (our foreign exchange student who lives with us) had her closing ceremony at UNO on Friday afternoon, so luckily I was able to have my friend Arliss come and watch my day care kids so that I could attend! I was excited that I was able to go because her last ceremony for school was while we were in Brazil over Christmas break and we missed it...Anyway, it was so fun to meet all of her friends from school and she was actually one of the MCs and she did AWESOME! Congratulations Sandra on completing this school session!

We also were waiting for LOWES to come and install our new carpeting for the basement in the morning and then have Nebraska Furniture Mart come to deliver our new furniture in the afternoon! We had planned the timing out so that the carpet would be down and ready to go for when the furniture arrived.....but of course the carpet guys were waaaay late (I thought that kind of stuff only happened in Brazil....) so the furniture arrived and had to be put in the garage on top of all the old carpet that Bill had torn up because of course it was pouring rain all day! About thirty minutes later the carpet installers came and started tackling the basement. I had called to complain abut the carpet guys being so late and what an inconvenience it was for us that they agreed to have them move the furniture from the garage to the basement for us when they were finished.

This was the first step-the padding. If I had ever entertained the thought of getting blue carpet, this put that to rest....

Then they started laying down the carpet, hot gluing the seams
and stretching it tight.

The finished product!!
It's really soft and being as how it's on the darker side,
it'll hide dirt from the kids and Phoebi.

Saturday we spent most of the day doing home improvement projects, which isn't all that fun but you feel so accomplished when it's all done! Then in the evening Sawyer went to his grandparent's house for a sleepover and we had some friends over for dinner. The Swansons, Whites and Leeders came over for lasagna (I made one regular one and one with spinach, sun dried tomatoes and four cheese) Lasagna takes up so much time to make, but the end result is SO worth it!

James, Brandon, Bill and Chad

Stefanie, Arliss, baby Nolan and Laney

Nora (James & Arliss's baby) was enjoying her lasagna naked in the high chair....life is good!

No better way to break in the new carpet, then to have a bunch of people over, with two babies, and eat on it! And yes, it is the summer, but we had the fire place on....

We had Mocha Java Cinnaom Rolls with ice cream for dessert...

Good Friends: Stefanie, Arliss, Me and Laney*

We played Loaded Questions and I don't think I've laughed so hard in months! Thanks for a GREAT game guys!!

Brandon & Bill faced off on a few games chess. (the gorgeous walnut and cheery chess board with the cast iron figurines was a
birthday gift for Bill from Brazil!)
Bill & I were talking about what a true blessing it is to have a group of really good friends to spend time and share our lives with!