Yes, we are alive . . .

I think the theme of my blog should be - WORST BLOGGER EVER!

I want to post, I think about posting (almost everyday), but the girls, the husband, work, friends, life gets in the way.

Since I last posted - DECEMBER 7th - we have gone to FL, moved MLK weekend, RAVENS won the SUPER BOWL (big event for the Mel-Bergers), and life has continued!!!  I am not as settled as I would have hoped at this point - but we are busy and the weekends fly by.  Lots of little touch ups need to take place, but IT WILL HAPPEN - hopefully sooner than later :)

Another reason posting has not happened lately is because I have been waiting and waiting (and waiting) to share some big big SURPRISING news - most of you all know by now, but for those that do not . . .

BBB (Baby Bubba Berger - we now call HIM) is due 8/5! 

We cannot believe it.  I had always wanted a third, hubby did not -and convinced me our family of 4 was perfect as it was.  I would NEVER trick him or go behind his back and try to get preggo, but a wacky month on the beloved pill and a two week long dose of antiobiotics obviously did the "trick" and BBB was meant to be!

I promise to post more soon, but here is a link to my shutterfly site of pictures over the last few months to hopefully tie some of you over who have been requesting pictures:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0WcNGrNyzeS

Pure Chaos

So what is going on in berger-house-land?!?!?!

The house is so close to being finished.  The past month has been a whirlwind of changes - paint, tile, cabinets, counters . . . electrical install is happening today (all light fixtures will be installed). It took two trucks people to get all the lighting from the townhouse to the new house and we are still missing a few fixtures - thank you JH Custom Homes for helping manage our project.

The house is a HOT MESS as Berger would say, but I think / HOPE that after this week, it will start to look more like a home than a construction site.  By end of next week they should be staining the floors and applying the final coat of paint!  

So by Christmas, the house should be ready to move in . . . SADLY, we will not be moving in until AFTER NEW YEARS!  We are heading to Florida for a week a few days after Christmas with my family (Mimi, Pop Pop, Uncle M and Aunt K)!  Since I have no time to pack before then nor do I want to move in, then leave for a week to come home to a chaotic house and then have to go back to work after our trip . . .

Here are some progress pictures!

Boxes and Boxes of Lighting

More Lighting

H's side of master bath

my side of master bath

Laundry - TWO WASHERS and TWO DRYERS

Hall Bath

Hall Bath - CALCUTTA GOLD MARBLE

Counters are in

Family Room Fireplace

Kitchen Back Splash

CHAOS

CHAOS

We have made our mark with the NURK-BERGERS

UGH - I was trying to avoid the gutter guy and his truck and scraped the tree in front of me - not good!

Gobble Gobble

A little late, but HAPPY GOBBLE GOBBLE Day!

After everyone getting over their bronchitis and 6 different perscriptions for us all, we finally started to feel a bit better just in time for Turkey Day - knock on wood that it stays that way.

Hubby and I are so fortunate that our parents get along so well and truly enjoy spending time with each other - I know that is not the case in many families.  It has been our thanksgiving tradition since we started dating, for my family to come here and eat at either our house or my in laws house.  This year, since the townhouse has no room to spare or cook for more than 4, my in laws were kind enough to host us all (4 Bergers, Mimi, Pop Pop, Uncle P and girlfriend K, Lulu, Grandcrops and Uncle D) at their club.  It was nice to have no preparation, no dishes, no mess for anyone.  We ate a late lunch at the club and then headed back to my in laws house to relax.

Since the townhouse is pretty TINY, my parents stayed in a hotel - the RITZ.  Berger decided she wanted to stay with them at the hotel, so my dad changed their room to a suite (which is BIGGER than the Sleepover Ridge T/H - OMG)!

Berger was treated like a princess by all the staff at the Ritz.  you would think she was some celebrity.  She LOVED all the amenities (room service, calling the conceirge, the pool, the doorman - she yelled at me when I went to open the door in the lobby, telling me that the guys open the doors for you here and stood their waiting for them to do so . . . ) In the mornings they would place something special on her pillow and even leave something for Button - the best were little teddy bears and princess crowns. 

Needless to say, Berger is in depression now that she is back at the townhouse. She does not quite seem to understand that the suite is not mimi and pop pop's "personal" suite and that she cannot go stay there even if they are not there or swim whenever she would like.  Mimi has already promised Berger a night at the Ritz just the two of them some time in the near future - they have created a MONSTER!

Here are some pics from our Gobble Gobble Weekend!

The Bergers with Uncle P and K 

The Mel-Berger girls

Last day at the Ritz - with their Princess crowns

I'm BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK

 

So, what have we been up to?

In mid September, the girls and I went to Baltimore for Uncle M's 30th Birthday - we surprised him at his party - yes, babes are at the bar - and ‎Rosh Hashanah (the jewish New Year).  I try to ensure the girls are exposed to both Judiasm and Christianity since we are an interfaith family.  As always, we had a great trip. Here are a few pictures from our trip - Hubby stayed in NC to get some house stuff accomplished!

Uncle M's little candle helpers

Princess button

Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars

Baltimore boyfriends

Baltimore Boyfriends

Later in September, I took the Bergerbabes (and my in-laws) to the Fresh Beat Band Concert - we went with our neighbors the "NurkBergers".  OMG - my girls are such groupies.  They have been talking about the concert non stop since we left and even decided to be Kiki and Marina for Halloween (pics will be below) - Hubby was on a golf trip but VERY sad to have missed this and is already pumping the girls up for next year - they better come back to NC!!

Fresh Beat Groupies

October is where things got hectic.  Besides working full time, building a house, being a good mommy, a good wife, and a good friend - I volunteered to chair our neighoborhoods Home Tour along with my friend / neighbor (mom of the NurkBergers - who we do just about everything with these days).  It was a lot of work, but the weekend was a success - we raised ~ $8,000 net of expenses and charitable donations.  I sent the babes and hubby to the beach with his parents because I knew I would be MIA all weekend. 

Once the home tour was over, I could start concentrating again on the house ( and the rest of my life).  Low and behold, I got sick - probably from running around crazy the past few weeks.  I was down for the count - it started with a cough, then a stomach flu, bronchitis and almost pneumonia (the girls had bronchitis too).  10 days later, 3 trips to the doctor, 1 shot and 2 perscriptions for me, 1 each for the bergers plus many breathing treatments , I was finally starting to feel better right around Halloween.  We had to miss my grandmother GiGi's unveiling -  a jewish tradition within the year after someone passes away. I was devastated to miss, but the between the girls and I being sick, my parents felt it was not smart to get on a plane . . . poor hubby is now feeling the effects from us all being sick - he has the awful cough now.

Ice cream for all to help soothe our throats

Halloween is one of our favorite Holidays. The girls decided they wanted to be Kiki and Marina and hubby was going to be Twist at request of his bergers.  I was totally on board with this UNTIL I discovered that these costumes are not mass produced / for sale.  Luckily, someone on Etsy could make them, so after a small fortune, here they are, my fresh beats less Twist.  H could not find a hoodie he thought would work and abandoned his mission because of his cough.

On Guitar . . . KiKi

On Drums . . . Marina

Button and her besties

my mini me twin

Here are some other cute pictures of the girls from the last TWO months - JEEZ, I really am a slacker :)

Someone forgot that we only use markers on paper

My shopping partner in crime

Berger's class pet frog Ribbit came home with us for a week

Ursula from the little mermaid

Ariel and the Nurk-Berger Crew

The house is actually looking like a house

I know, I know.  I am the WORST BLOGGER EVER!  I cannot believe I have not posted in TWO MONTHS.  Obviously, this post will be one to update you from where I have left off with the house and a future (very close future) post will be about the babes!

The last few homes we did, I could make decisons in a snap, this house has proven a little more difficult.  I know it is because I feel like there are such high expectations for this house and it has to be so different and just as great (if not better) than our last one (across the street) - I did good last house, so need to do the same here people!

Our last house was a version of my dream house - I could have stayed forever.  This house will be the same - I would be happy to stay till we are old and gray, but have a feeling we might only stay a few years and move on to the next project - it is how we roll.  I have to "design" it as my dream house, but keep it classic and neutral for the selling aspect If it were my forever house, I would splurge on a few extra items.  Everything we are putting in this house is amazing, but I am not including every little detail I dream of, or that $1000+ light fixture I really want for MY CLOSET, because I can't take it all with me :)

Picking out tile has been the WORST.  I knew what I wanted since the day we broke ground, but a few of my selections were on back order, which gave me time to think  - too much time.  Because of all this extra time, I started to doubt myself (and Hubby did not like one of my selections).  Once my master bath floor tile was delayed even longer, I started making some changes - which delayed tile install, which makes hubby not so happy.  Delayed tile, delays, cabinets, which delays counters, which delays plumbing final, and so on - OOPS!  Let's be honest - I have 4.5 bathrooms, which means a lot of tile choices for walls, floors and shower floors - in my dream house, I would do subway tile in every bath, but this might be someone else's dream house and tile is not something that can easily be changed . . . I had designers block I guess.  Anyway - all my tile is selected and install is almost complete - Pics to come SOON - I PROMISE!

Paint colors were another hard decision.  I have some go to colors, but as I tested them on the wall, NONE worked in this house - RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET - they were all wrong.  Also, the finishes in the house are a little cooler than the last, so needed to find a paint color that was warm and cool all in one.  I will "reveal" colors with pictures of the actual room as they are completed.

Now I am on to lighting - OH MAN.  Hubby and I are not agreeing on lighting, so I have ordered a few options (literally) for each room - my S&H bills back and forth are going to cost me a pretty penny, but if I did not have them physically ready when electrical final comes around, I would be sleeping in the garage :)

Here are a few pics of all the progress

The car wash - hehehe - Master Shower pre tile install

Our master - pre hardwood and trim install

Upstairs hall - pre hardwood and trim install

The ROCK PILE - which is now gone - this was the kids fav playground for a month!

STAMPED CONCRETE Porches (Screened porch, side stoop and front porch) LOVE THEM!

Screened Porch (minus the doors)

Rear view of screened porch and back patio - house color is a little more blue than it looks here

The House

The house, the house, the house . . .

That is the topic of all conversations lately; between me and hubby, our parents, our neighbors, co-workers, and even the girls.  They want to go see the house DAILY to walk around, check out what is new and show off their rooms to their friends.  Most of the street tours the house weekly (if not more often) whether we are there or not!!!  The kids love to run around inside, thru walls and see if they can too discover what has changed since the day before.  It is all fun and games till someone gets hurt - or you think someone gets hurt.

I was down the street in front of my old house, when a fire truck (sirens on) speeds past us heading towards the new house.  I made the joke, that surely they were heading to my house . . . well the fire truck was met in the middle of the street, right in front of our new house by an ambulance and a police car.  I am freaking out, Berger is in our old house using the potty, and Hubby is in the new house, no where to be seen . . .

Luckily, as I (along with every kids on the block) ran toward the new house,  I finally spot hubby outside pacing on the front porch on the phone.  I am instantly relieved he is ok, but then my mind jumps to one of the workers and what happened.  After lots of shouting over the sirens and commotion, hubby assures me everyone is ok, no one is hurt and to RELAX.  The fireman told us someone called 911 from the vicinity and it tracked to OUR NEW HOUSE!!!!  They did say it could be within a few blocks.  So no emergencies here, but we did manage to get some pics!  What kid does not love a fire truck.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I have been shopping  A LOT this week.  Here are a few things I have purchased for the house (since TUESDAY) - REMINDER: We are renting a 1400 sq ft townhouse.  Our garage, (which is not attached to our townhouse), is full to the brim, so all purchases will be stored within the 1400 sq ft . . . Hubby is not happy about my shopping issue mainly due to the storage issues  - he does not really know about the stuff I bought that WAS NOT for the house :)

Berger Babes Jill & Jill Bathroom faucets.  They each get their own pedestal sink this time instead of a double vanity

Purchased for kitchen, but may end up in Laundry

Master vanity faucets - these were a STEAL!!!!

Sample Pic of the Tub for the Master

Powder Room Faucet

In-Law Suite Bath Faucet

We purchased this vanity for the in-law suite bathroom to go with faucets above.  This is currently sitting next to the girls play kitchen in the T/H playroom dining room covered by sheet with a WARNING SIGN

We still have a few more bathroom fixtures to purchase, all lighting and ceiling fans, etc.  The sooner our garage door gets installed at the new house, the sooner  we can move some of the garage contents over there and then have space.  I mean, what happens when I find good deals on furniture - I can't tell them I have no room for it and they need to honor the sale / special until I move in December / January - not going to happen!  When you are the "contractor" you have to store it all!

Here are few more recent pics of the house.  We have REAL stairs now. I was THRILLED the day the stairs were installed.  No more shimmying up a 2x4 in flip flops and a dress.

All windows are installed, rough plumbing, electrical, HVAC and low voltage (audio wiring) are all in.  I am waiting for the inspection site to update to see if we passed today - if so, insulation, drywall and siding are up next!

Stairs to the 3rd floor

Stairs from first to second floor

The carwash shower - the whole hood can get clean in here

The HOUSE!  Excuse the massive red dumpster blocking the view