Amy, the only other thing in that bed that would get that tall would the the aretemesia, and that is not what that is..............could it possibly be just a weed???

You've obviously put a whole lot of thought into your floorplan and how to make it meet the needs of your family. I like it a whole lot but I do have a few questions and concerns. Not sure what you mean by "maximize light coming in from the bathroom off the mudroom." Are you wanting light from that bathroom window to spill into the mudroom and provide natural light there? If so, I don't think there is anyway to get very much light to spill over and still give the bathroom the necessary privacy, You CAN put an interior transom windows up over the bathroom door which will allow some light spillover. And, you could use a frosted glass door for the bathroom door. I'm not a fan of the latter except in masterbedrooms where there is less need for a total "sense" of privacy. You might also consider putting in a light tube to bring natural light into the mudroom. I have another concern about the bathroom by the mudroom tho. Not sure if that is a shower or a dog-shower or a utility sink in the lower right hand corner but with it there, you have no space in front of the vanity sink to stand while washing hands. What is that room between the staircase and the office? I can't read what is says and, at first, assumed it was your pantry but then I found the pantry down next to the dining room. I agree that a larger pantry would be nice. As your kids get older, you're going to have bikes and other sports equipment to store in the garage. It would be nice to have room for the second freezer inside the house so that the garage space could be dedicated to that other stuff. The hallway on the children's side may be too narrow to easily move furniture into their bedrooms. There is an indication that it is 3'4" wide (which would be plenty wide) but based on the grid background, it looks like the wall to wall width may only be about 2'8". Does the 3'4" measurement include the 4" deep walls on both sides? If the actual wall-to-wall hall width isn't at least 3'0", you might want to consider bumping the left exterior wall out another couple of inches. Given the overall size of the house, a few more inches won't make a noticeable difference in the cost to build. But a too narrow hallway will bug you forever! To maintain exterior symmetry, you would probably also want to bump out the exterior wall on the garage/masterbedroom side of the house as well. But, a few extra inches on that side could be useful as well. The only thing about the design that I really really don't like is the powderroom that opens directly into the living room. Guests will be squemish about using a PR that is so centrally located...too much concern that others will hear them as they go about their business or, even worse, if their business tends to create a bit of a stink, the smell will waft out into the living room before the bathroom vent fan can take care of it. And, do you really want to be looking at a toilet when your babies leave the bathroom door open while there are guests in the house. IMHO, that bathroom REALLY needs to be moved to a location further from the center of activity. The closet for bedroom III seems a bit small - especially for a girl who will eventually get to be a teenager! Also, be aware that your dryer needs to vent to the outside. It is easiest to vent a dryer that is on or very near an exterior wall. Given the location of your laundry room, I've linked below to some info that you should probably read regarding venting a clothes dryer. Just a thought but, have you tried putting the playroom in the middle of the left wing then having two short halls leading off of it with two bedrooms at the front, and two bedrooms and the laundry room at the back? And the guest powderroom tucked in to the left of the study so that one must go down a short hallway from the living room to reach it? this is really really rough but may give you some ideas Here is a link that might be useful: dryer vent info.

Difference between nighttime and daytime temps shouldn't be problem; even 20's is pretty warm (I am assuming that is C). My daytimes are in 30'ties C, and nights drop to 12*C sometimes - I wouldn't mind if that was every night! :) Cooler nights are actually pretty good for plants. I am north of Toronto, On, and weather is quite similar to yours in Montreal. Pls. do not use sand for potted succulents regarding what you read on some 'blogs'. Yes, it could be used for some, but only if you really know your plants. It is best if you just don't use it. Grit is great addition or pumice; but if you don't have (or not easy available), use lots of coarse perlite. If you mix perlite 50/50 with the Cactus & Succulent soil, that will be quite an improvement. If you can, keep plants outside. But make sure you acclimatize it very slowly, since it is very etiolated and most like very weak. You need to get it into better light and water properly - sparsely is not proper for succulents. If you pot it into well draining mix, you can water thoroughly when needed. Pot seems to be very large for your plant. I would repot it into smaller pot. Etiolated plant will not 'revert' even if you give it much better conditions. If my plant, I would trim/prune it extensively. If you want some ideas, pls. ask. BTW, here is Cacti and Succulents Forum if you are interested to read more about succulents...

Cosmos is an annual and will selfseed here in my garden if allowed to go to seed. Different cultivars have differing heights and may vary some in the red, pink white spectrum, including bicolors. Started indoors a few weeks before last frost and it will bloom earlier than selfseeded plants.