Weekend Review: extended version, Thursday-Monday

Welp, it's been awhile since I last posted.  I was waiting until this insane weekend was over, plus I wanted to wait to post until this blog went private.  By the way... thank you to everyone still reading.  I know by going private, it is not as easy to view this blog, and it really means so much to me that you are all still here.

A dear friend of mine, who lost her baby girl not long after I lost Conner and Ben, released sky lanterns right before the 4th of July.  Coincidentally, Tim and I were talking about releasing sky lanterns for the boys up where we took our pregnancy announcement photos.  Ultimately, we decided not to since it was a very wooded area and I didn't want the fire marshall to come chasing after me.  My friend was releasing a lantern for Claire, and she asked if she could release two for my boys.  As I'm typing this, I'm holding back tears from being so moved.

Ben and Conner's lanterns drifting away

This past weekend marked what I like to call "Idiots with Explosives" weekend.  I mean, I love our country (my favorite subject to teach is probably US History), but I'm pretty shocked that no one blew up my house this weekend.  Fireworks are illegal to sell and purchase in Illinois, but we live so close to Indiana that any idiot with $20 can equip themselves with deadly weapons.  I understand that some people can be careful and cautious with fireworks, but most people... I wouldn't give them a license to light a box of matches, much less explosives.  Thank God for the U.S. of A and thank God we are still alive. 

Also big news this weekend (to me, anyway): Jessica Simpson finally married the guy she had two babies with.  After something like 17 years of engagement, they finally tied the knot.  Okay, it was really like four years, but it felt like 17.  But now that this has happened, I guess there really is no chance at a Jessica Simpson/Nick Lachey reunion. I mean, I guess that was out the window when they got divorced... and when Nick got remarried... and when Nick had a baby... and Jessica had two babies in practically the same gestation period... 

Yesterday we went house hunting with our realtor.  Of course, I was in love with the new builds and naturally, Tim is hell bent on building our next house himself.  He told me he would get too much crap from his friends if someone else built our house and he is insisting that we will save money if we build ourselves.  That is great and all, but we built our first house and we completely renovated the inside of our second (current) home.  Do I really want to go through all that again?  Eh, not really, but it is the only way to get our dream home for the price we are budgeted for.  I guess we're looking for lots now!  Just imagine one of these houses with a full walk-out basement:

Walk out basement 

pictures and floorplans via dreamhomesource.com

Oh and by the way, our little Baby C is somewhere in that little black dot down there.  We'll hear a heartbeat on Monday :)