Renovation almost complete!

We can finally see the light at the end of our Renovation tunnel! We're not finished, but we're very close and are able to actually live in our house once again. We became aquainted with a local hotel and Belle had to hang out at "Doggie Camp," AKA-She was boarded at the Vet! After the dust settled, here are a few photos of the costruction process and some after shots. We still need light fixtures, light switch panels and hardward accessories. I will post official after pics once everything is pretty and decorated...Which means my Mom will need to come work her magic :-)

This is the new sheetrock on the ceiling of the family room. The old beams will be painted white!

Family room: Bye Bye Wood paneling...I started to panic when I saw this one.

After....well almost! No more wood paneling and new drywall and fresh paint! I think we are painting the fireplace too. If you have ever been to our house, this is a HUGE improvment! They had seagrass wallpaper on the ceiling...again...still more work ahead.

Guest bath before: They call it mellow yellow...I called it...yuck! Those big black dots are mirror glue. This entire guest restroom was mirrored...HELLO 70's! The "lovely" banana boat yellow is now bye bye as well.

Guest bath today and still under construction. The green walls are the sheetrock. It still needs dry wall, texture and paint. BUT, the new white subway tiles are for the shower/tub! We're going for a clean, Pottery Barn look. Very soon, this bathtub will be full of toys :-)


*I will add more later. In total,  we had 4 rooms and 1 restroom done. There is LOTS more to see! :-)

Make room for Baby!

Now that school is out, Carson and I are about to begin another fun project! Phase 2 of the Runge Renovation...AKA "Making room for baby!" We bought this 60 year old house just two years ago and have slowly been updating room by room. As with any home improvement, there will be surprises...both exciting and depressing. Although this process feels more like the 1980's movie, "The Money Pit," starring Tom Hanks, we have laughed, cried and learned a great deal about the joys and woes of home ownership. For anyone who has seen the before pictures, we have made significant progress in a short period of time, either doing the work ourselves or privately contracting out help. Either way, in just a few months, we hope to be completed with phase two and welcome our sweet angel into a safe and comfortable home. Thank God for our amazing parents for their constant help and support throughout these two years of renovations! Both sets have scrubbed, scraped, painted, drilled, bled and sweated their hearts outs right next to us. Not to mention hauling several loads of furniture back and forth to DFW and have generouly donated their own living digs to us. :-) No matter how stresseful or crazy these next few weeks will be, I am keeping the faith and know this is the very best for our growing family! We bought this old house, to create our home and slowly but surely we will get there. Below are some interesting before pics...After pics are on their way!
Enjoy!


These photos are from our closing date nearly two years ago! August 2010

 This is the middle section of our house between the front living and kitchen-2010

Old Front living room-2010

 Master... 2010

 Future Nursey-2010...Carson working hard!

 :-) One of my favorites...his shadow looks soo scary! He was removing the lovely mirror from our front living fireplace.

The Reveal Video!! It's a GIRL!

Little Mijo or Little Mija? Reveal Party!

Last night was our Gender REVEAL party! Let me just say it was tough keeping our little secret completely secret! Carson and I found out on Wednesday, and for two WHOLE DAYS, we didn't say a word! We even had some family convinced it was a boy ;-) Finally, last night we spilled the beans, or should I  say, "Spilled the pink eggs!" We have a few pictures from the reveal below and a video on the way. It was a wonderful way to share the news with our family and friends, and we truly feel blessed by our Lord to know so many people already love this little girl so much! We are still working on names, but have many ideas to choose from! Poor Carson...a wife, a girl dog and now a little Princess! Surrounded by women his entire life, but I'm sure he wouldn't have it any other way!

The Invitation created by my awesome Sister, Kacey!

Festive decor as guests arrived!

The fruit, cheese and cracker spread...don't worry. We had real food too! Mom and Corinthia made King Ranch Casserole and Homemade Enchiladas! Nom nom!!

We finished it off with Chocolate Sheet Cake!

As guests arrived, they voted on a gender and contributed ideas for names! Later that night, we opend each little egg and tried to guess who picked what names! Some funny ones include: Ryan/Rian by Ryan Johme, Colby Lee, by Colby Mallard and "Sister" by my Dad... ahem...silly men! :-)

Mijo & Mija Eggs... we later stuffed these bad boys in the pinata...but which color?

Ready to break it open!!! :-)

Cousin Beau takes a swing...Then it's Will's turn!

One pinata down.. Poppy (My Dad) and Pop (Carson's Dad) took a few swings!

Uh oh... I spy PINK!

 Yep... It's a girl!!! :-)

Aunt Jordan is super excited!!!



Energy is finally BACK!

We're at the 17 week mark and my energy is finally back! With all this new energy, comes an increase in hunger and new cravings. I am trying to control my intake, but I have also found my new savior...Pre-natal workout DVDs! I found these two at Target. They were reasonable and have been great mini sweat sessions. My other workout Buddy is my first Baby Girl Belle! We are walking at least 30 minutes,  5 days a week...it's been especially nice with the beautiful spring weather in East Texas.
Here are the DVDs and of course a photo of my sweet Belle!

Gaiam: Prenatal Yoga. The Music is cheesy and Shiva reminds me of a SNL skit, but this DVD has baby-safe poses and has helped me with posture and back pain.

 This DVD is a great low impact mix of strength and cardio conditioning. It's a quick workout with arm and leg toning moves...also important... POSTURE! I have noticed that I am becoming a "Sway-back," as my belly grows, thus causing lower back pain and overall crankiness! Mixing both workouts up with some walking has made me feel like my old self, plus, I think Baby Runge has enjoyed the extra oxygen. He/She is a kicking/swimming baby!

And finally...the best exercise buddy...

Beller-Boo! She is acting camera shy, but don't let it fool you. She loves her walks with Mommy and Daddy!

Finally, we are counting down the days until we find out if Baby Runge is a BOY or  GIRL! I've had dreams that it's a boy, but am catching myself saying, "her" and "she." We honestly do not care...just want a healthy human baby!  My sweet sister is hosting a Cinco de Mayo themed Reveal Party next Friday! I will add pics and of course, share the news. Just 5 more days until our next appointment...we will keep you posted. Stay Tuned!

Baby's First Lubbock Trip

This past weekend, Baby Runge and I made our way to Raiderland...Lubbock, Texas! It was the 50 year celebration of Chi Omega, my sorority in college. We enjoyed seeing my sisters and friends as well as touring the campus, where both Carson and I attended school. Here is a picture of the Blarney Stone, and Baby Runge kissing it. It is said that one who kisses the stone will be given the  gift of eloquent speech. We want to give our little one a little extra good fortune. Aunt Lyndsey took the picture for us and we cannot wait to go back for a football game once Baby Runge is born!

More information on Blarney Stone:
On St. Patrick's Day in 1939 Texas Tech University unveiled that they had discovered a piece of the Blarney Stone. According to the legend the stone was discovered by a group of petroleum engineers while they were on a field trip. After doing tests it was discovered that the stone was a piece of the original Blarney Stone. The stone now lies on a stand in front of the old Electrical Engineering Building. It is said that seniors that kiss the Blarney Stone upon graduation will receive the gift of eloquent speech.
http://www.ttu.edu/traditions/blarney.php\
http://www.blarneycastle.ie/pages/kiss-the-blarney-stone\

New Chapter

On January 26, 2012, we found out we were going to be parents! Our road to parenthood began with a few roadblocks, but with good health and lots of prayer, our dreams came true. For the past 90 + days, Carson and I have been preparing for the next chapter in our lives...perharps the biggest so far. In less than 6 months, our sweet angel will be here. Words cannot describe the emotion, but all I know is everyday, I wake up and thank God for this blessing. This blog was created to chronicle the next two trimesters and the newest member of our family...Sweet Baby Runge.