Steigerwald-Roche Family Blog

5 Years

2008-07-28T07:56:00.001-07:00

Ivonne and I celebrated our 5th year together this past Saturday. We went to one of the best restaurants in town and enjoyed an evening together. Our first milestone, and we are very happy.

Issabella is getting baptized this Saturday (Aug 2nd). Our friends Pedro and Andrea and us are doing it together. They are baptizing their son Dante at the same time. They will be Issabella's godparents and we will be Dante's.

On Sunday, I am off to San Diego (once again) for a conference. I've been to San Diego many times, and this particular conference many times too. It's a lot of fun and I will probably see a lot of familiar faces and old friends.

Later in August, we will FINALLY have a party at our house. The first of many, since we are entertainers. This will be a big one, all our friends and the neighbors, should be a blast. Then, I start teaching at CU Denver again starting August 16th. It sounds busy, but it's really all very good and we are having a ton of fun.

Summer Starts

2008-06-15T20:21:00.001-07:00

As always, it's been busy around the Steigerwald/Roche house. Over the last few weeks, we've had our yard worked on including installation of a new concrete patio, front yard landscaping and backyard landscaping. We also bought a large patio set for the backyard patio.

This weekend, we celebrated Bryan's 4th birthday. It was low key, just family, but he got a very big gift this year...he received one of those cars that kids can ride in. Normally, we wouldn't have gotten such a big gift, we don't want to spoil our kids. But, he deserved this. Bryan is FINALLY fully potty trained. We had some difficulty with him, he started peeing in the pottie regularly a few months ago, but poop was a big problem. But, about a week and a half ago he pooped in the pottie for the first time. It seems that after that first time, it clicked and he's been doing it every day since. Part of the deal if he started pooping in the pottie was he would get a big gift, thus the car. We are very happy, and so is he!

Asa is off from school and is starting to enjoy his summer off. In our new neighborhood, he gets to go to the pool, go to the park, explore trails and lake, etc. Baby Issabella is doing well, she's sleeping a little longer and is growing bigger every day. She's smiling more and more every day. Ivonne is still on maternity leave and has about three weeks left. And Scott? Not much new with that guy. Just working, working out, and enjoying the kids.

Issabella Aixa Steigerwald

2008-05-05T09:50:00.001-07:00

If you've been to the steigerwald-roche.com website recently, you already know that our beautiful baby girl, Issabella Aixa Steigerwald, was born on Wednesday, April 30th at 2:43 PM. She weighed 7 lbs, 5 ounces and 20 inches long. Ivonne and I have been pretty relaxed, believe it or not. Other than not much sleep at night, we've been able to relax and take it easy.

Issabella is doing well, she's already eating a ton. The rest of the family is doing well too and love the baby very much. I'm working half the week this week and go back to full time next week. Ivonne is off through early mid June.

Nesting

2008-04-13T22:02:00.000-07:00

Lot's of house cleaning and setup occurring in anticipation of the baby coming. Things are coming along smoothly otherwise; house is getting done, furniture is almost complete, yard work is starting, etc. We'll keep you posted on the baby. Meanwhile, check out the latest batch of pictures from March and early April.

Progress

2008-03-03T07:20:00.000-08:00

we are moving along quite well with the house. So far, Asa, Bryan and our room is 100% complete minus maybe art work. The basement is done (not much to do there really), we just need to buy a few small items for the gym. The home office is complete and the kitchen is complete. The dining nook is done and the main dining room is done minus maybe some artwork. Finally, the living room and family rooms are the last rooms. We are waiting on furniture for the family room and are using the living room furniture in the family room right now. Once we get the furniture, we'll move the furniture from the family room back to the living room. Then, it's the details left like artwork, a little paint, maybe some end tables, etc.

The only room not complete at all is the baby's room. It's still filled with boxes, unassembled furniture, etc. We will start working on it shortly and have it ready for the baby's arrival. Of course, we still need to do landscaping. That will probably consume most of our spring and summer.

The house, house, house...

2008-02-19T17:06:00.000-08:00

The last few weeks, we've been completely consumed by the house. We are out buying things, installing things, setting things up, etc., etc. It's a lot of work, but it's been great to have the new house, it's absolutely perfect.

I'm hoping to put up pictures of the completed rooms soon. We are starting to wind down and are at the point of decorating (paint, pictures, drapes, etc.). We are only waiting for our living room set, which has been taking way too long (they are custom made from overseas). Last week, I completed my new gym which consists of a smith machine, a couple benches, numerous weights and a treadmill. I no longer go to the gym and work out at home now. Also last week, we had glass backsplash installed in the kitchen, it looks awesome. This week, we are hoping to paint the dining room to finish that, paint the bedroom and put up the plantation shutters to finish that, and paint other areas around the house.

It's snowing

2008-02-04T07:23:00.000-08:00

I couldn't think of a good title, so I looked out the window and it's snowing. Seems to fit fine.

Moving takes a long time when you have 1) a lot of stuff 2) kids 3) not much time on your hands. We basically only have weekends to get stuff done. It's alright though, we are getting there. We completed a lot yesterday, including basically finishing Bryan's room, cleaning out most of the garage, getting rid of a ton of toys we don't need anymore, and a few other things. We still have plenty to do. And, we are still waiting on some furniture and the blinds. It's not fun trying to function properly without blinds. We'll get there.

Sorry there haven't been any pictures lately, but quite honestly we've been too busy to take or post any pictures. Plus, the house is still a mess and not complete. Hopefully, we will have pictures in the next few weeks.

Home

2008-01-28T20:34:00.000-08:00

We are now officially moved in, although still unpacking. It will be a while before we are fully unpacked, but we are getting there. There are a few more deliveries still, then we will be done spending money. looking forward to relaxing soon...

Closing

2008-01-24T21:10:00.000-08:00

We closed on the house today. It was a breeze and went off without a hitch. The builder still has a few last minute items to do, they will be doing that while we move in tomorrow. Nothing too major really.

Tomorrow is move in day. It will be a busy, busy day. The whole weekend will be. We have delivery after delivery scheduled, installation of services, we need to apply sealer to all tile and granite, setup furniture, and buy supplies (food, etc.). And, it probably won't stop there...we have weeks before we can truly settle down. It's all good though, this is great and a lot of fun.

Inspection house pics

2008-01-20T17:16:00.001-08:00

I just put up pictures of the house we took during the inspection. There aren't too many, but you should get an idea of the completeness. We should have more pictures up after closing day. We are both taking off from work on Thursday and Friday. Thursday is closing and Friday is move in. Did I already mention this like 10 times?

We are starting to slow down in buying things for the house. The house will be almost fully furnished (minus the furniture we ordered and is coming later). We've been looking at a 52" LCD TV...the 37" we have now is just to small for this bigger house. We also bought some recycled glass plates, they look great and we are being green once again (our appliances are all energy efficient).

Just 4 more days!

Inspection and walk through

2008-01-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

The house inspection was Thursday and the walk through with the builder was on Friday. The inspector really didn't find anything major, a few minor things only. The builder seemed to have no problem getting these things done by this coming Thursday...closing. The only major thing, that the builder pointed out himself, was that the wood floors are the wrong color. They will sand it down, re-stain it and re-do the poly in the next week.

We were hoping all the furniture we ordered would come in on time...no such luck. We ordered some custom pieces that are made in Europe, and it's going to take a while it appears. Bummer, but we will get by for now.

I'm hoping to post pictures very soon, but as you can imagine, it's a very busy time.

One week to closing

2008-01-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

Just one week left until we close on the new house. These last few weeks a dragging...but it's coming soon. This Thursday, we inspect the house and then on Friday we have the walk through with the builder. Next Thursday is closing, Friday is move in and Saturday is a bunch of deliveries. Look for pictures of the new house soon.

Happy New Year

2008-01-02T15:01:00.000-08:00

We are looking forward to a very exciting year.

First, the house will be done. We close in just three weeks, and we couldn't be more excited. We are preparing by purchasing the necessities (washer/dryer, blinds, etc.). Everything is lined up, now it's just the waiting (the hardest part).

Then, the baby is due April 7th. Finally, Ivonne and I will celebrate 5 years married this year, not an incredible feat, but pretty good considering how long marriages last nowadays.

I'm sure there will be other exciting things this year, but these will do for now.

It's a girl!

2007-12-21T07:45:00.000-08:00

We had the ultrasound this past Tuesday, and are happy to announce that we are having a girl. We would have been happy either way, but were really hoping for a girl. So, needless to say, we are very happy!

In other news, we are getting ever so closer to being the owners of a new home. The builder has been working rapidly and things are really starting to gel. All of the dry wall is complete, the wood floors are down, doors are up, all the railings are up, kick boards and cabinetry. This was as of Wednesday. We will go again this Saturday and anticipate that even more will be completed, including counter tops. The stone on the outside was almost complete Wednesday, and we are hoping that is done and that at least they started the outside paint. We'll post pictures soon...

Finally, we are ready for Christmas. We are spoiling the kids this year, they are getting a lot. It should be fun.

Oil

2007-11-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

Our reliance on oil is pretty sad. Oil helps to fund terrorists, destroys the environment and causes extreme greed. The prices are sky high right now, almost reaching $100 per barrel. With China and India growing, oils consumption is higher than ever and will continue going up. I can see $5 per gallon in our future very shortly.

The thing that is amazing, though, is no one seems to take any of it seriously. Everyone bitches and moans about prices and we are all so concerned about terrorism, but we continue to buy gas at record numbers. No one even considers future generations. What will happen to my children? Will they run out of gas, and therefore their source of energy? Will terrorists become so rich they will rule the world? Will pollution via emissions kill plants and animals and therefore all food sources? We are selfish and only think of the now and us. Time to stop being selfish, people!

I don't claim to be innocent by any means, but I am trying my best and making an effort at least. The home we are building is green (so claims the builder). We are buying energy star rated appliances. Once the home is complete, I will start working from home as often as I can. I'm thankful that my company supports telecommuting, I wish more companies were that way. I currently drive a Honda Civic which has some of the best mileage and lowest emissions of the non-hybrid cars. I'm planning to buy a new car in about 2 years, after we pay off our latest car. I had considered buying an SUV, a luxury car and a sports car. But, in recent months, I realized that the car as status symbol is a bunch of crap. Instead, I will go the route of a low emissions vehicle. Lately, I have been considering the Toyota Prius. If Honda come out with an affordable FCX (Fuel Cell), I will buy that. (if you don't know what the FCX is, basically, it does not use gas at all. It runs fully on hydrogen, meaning no emissions, no funding for terrorism, etc.) No, I'm not perfect, but at least I am making an effort.

The image I included on this blog should speak volumes in itself. Our planet is made of about 70% water. The image shows our planet plunging into oil. Remember, water and oil don't mix...

Halloween and Other Things

2007-11-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

I posted pictures from Halloween on the website. Bryan was Thomas the Tank Engine and Asa was a Dementor (from Harry Potter). The kids had fun trick-or-treating...so did I!

We went by the house this past weekend. Not too much to report, they put the house wrapping on and installed the windows. We ventured in and saw that they are about ready to do the duct work. We have an appointment on November 19th to do our first walk through. I assume this is for electrical.

I'm headed to New Orleans next week (November 12). It will be my first time there, and although I am going for work, I'm pretty excited. I'm looking forward to see the progress after Katrina and to see how Bourbon Street looks, enjoy the food, and maybe have a couple drinks while I'm there.

Latest News and Announcements

2007-10-28T13:16:00.000-07:00

The big news is that Ivonne is pregnant. We've known for a while, but she just got through the 1st trimester, so this is the official announcement. We are excited and this is good timing. We will be in the new house for a few months by the time the baby is born, so we will have time to prepare.

Regarding the house, they are one month into construction. Supposedly, we have three months left. We hope it's speedy, take a look at the family website pictures for the latest photos of the house.

Countdown

2007-10-01T20:22:00.000-07:00

Countdown to what? Well, to many things. They've finally broken ground on our new home. The builder claims it takes them only 4 months to build a home. So, we should be in our new house in late January. There are a couple of new pictures on the website of the hole in the ground, hopefully that will be a foundation very soon.

We have another countdown, but I won't announce that one just yet...

Otherwise, there are a lot of things going on. Ivonne is traveling, so I'm taking care of the kids on my own. My job is going well, I hired a new developer recently to help me out. I have a lot of side projects too, plus I am teaching this semester at CU Denver. Asa is doing well and is very active at school in a number of activities. Bryan is a little cutey as always and talks A LOT nowadays.

Come back soon for more pictures as the house progresses and we have more announcements.

New Photo Viewer

2007-08-01T22:10:00.003-07:00

I've posted a new version of the photo viewer today.

A few things to note:

It now opens in a separate window. This is so I can maximize the real estate for the window.
The main picture now "animates" by scrolling through all the pictures for that selected picture group. There are controls to stop the animation, move to the next picture and move to the previous picture.
The left side now has an "accordion" affect. Click on the darker blue areas to collapse the folders, for example, and open the photo strip.
The photo strip works similar to before, but clicking on a picture while it is animating will start from that point forward.

Please test it out and send me comments!

In other news...we are now under contract on a new home. We will keep you updated here as things develop.

Home Sold

2007-07-20T09:39:00.000-07:00

After almost 1 year and a half of being on the market, we sold our home. Closing was yesterday, everything went well. We are now officially homeless and moochers (mooching off of Ivonne's parents). There were a few minor hiccups at first, we thought we were going to have to bring $1500 more then we actually had (imagine the scramble for trying to get more money), but we actually ended up needing to bring $1000 less!

We have our eye on one neighborhood in particular in the Denver area, it's called Southshore (http://www.livesouthshore.com/). They are setting this community up to be like a seaside community and reminds me of Long Island a lot. The model we are looking at has 4 bedrooms, but there is an office we can make into a 5th. We are excited and should be making a decision on our new home soon.

New Blog

2007-06-19T11:09:00.001-07:00

This is the new Blog for the Steigerwald-Roche family. Please visit our website at http://www.steigerwald-roche.com.