House Progress

I have had several people request some pictures of the progress on the house.  I haven't been posting anything lately because the work we were doing didn't really show.  Jeremy and his dad put nailers up in the attic to support the board and batten that will be installed on the gables this weekend.  They also finished installing the chimney.  We finished the eyebrows on the front of the house.  But, the thing that took the most time was the tape and texture.  I am happy to say that is all done, but the pictures really don't show the amount of time and work that went into all these steps.

Here are a few pictures anyway. . .

This is a picture of the first fire in our fireplace.  We had to test the newly installed chimney and make sure that the smoke was being drawn up and that there were no leaks anywhere along the way.

This is a picture of the kitchen after all that tape and texture.  It had just been primed here and was ready for paint.  The texture we chose for the house was a difficult and time consuming one, but I love, love, love it.  Now that we are finally finished with it, I can say it was worth the extra time and effort.  We heard it referred to as the millionaire's texture because it is labor intensive.  We are definitely not millionaires, but we are pretty good DIY'ers. :)

Finally, I am just sharing a couple of pictures of  some of our paint - no, this is not all of it.  Yikes.  We are in the middle of finishing up the painting on the interior.  I usually hate to paint, but after all that tape and texture, painting seems like a total breeze.

More paint. (Still not all of it - it takes a lot to paint an entire house.)  You should hear the comments I get from people every time I go pick up a big old batch of paint.  I guess people just aren't used to seeing a woman with one or two little boys in tow dragging around big carts of paint.

The kitchen cabinets are being installed today. The gables outside will be finished this weekend.  Doors should go in next week along with flooring getting started.  I should have more interesting pictures to share with you soon.

Six!

Drake had a birthday last week and is now six years old!!  He was super enthused about his birthday and all the festivities, but that is pretty normal operating procedure for Drake.  He is such a happy kid and he loves life!  He is super smart and is sailing through Kindergarten.  He has tons of friends and is friendly to everyone.  He makes life way more fun around here and we will always be glad that he is part of our family.  Love you Drake!!  Happy Birthday!!!!

An Addition to the Family

The kids begged and pleaded, and I finally gave in.  This sweet little kitten is now a fixture at our house. We haven't had a family pet since our awesome dog, Andrew, died several years ago.

Back then Dallin looked like this . . .




Now he looks like this, so I guess it was about time.

The boys named her Caramel and they are loving having a pet again.

Eleven

My oldest just turned 11.  The night before his birthday I was thinking about  how I was feeling that same night eleven years ago.  I knew I would be having a baby the next day, and I had no idea what to expect.  I was excited, but also super nervous and scared.  As I thought about that night and the weeks that followed as I took care of my first little newborn and started learning how to be a mother, I was really glad that all of that was in the past, but then I looked at that big old eleven-year-old of mine and I wished that we could go back to that night eleven years ago, and do it all again.  Dallin was such a cute baby and such a fun little boy.  He has been so fun to have in our family and it is all going way, way, way too fast.  It breaks my heart to think that I am more than half-way done raising him, but at the same time, I am so pleased with how great he is turning out.  He really is an exceptional young person.

Dallin has so much going for him.  He is smart, athletic, and likable.  But what I love most about Dallin is what a good boy he is.  He tries very hard to do what is right.  He does what Jeremy and I ask of him without whining or complaining, and he is a great big brother who is always looking out for his little brothers.  We are very lucky to have him in our family!!

He had a fun birthday, complete with his traditional breakfast out with mom and dad.  His choice of dinner, birthday cake, and some fun presents.  He especially loved this new mountain bike we gave him.  He is loving riding to school and back and riding around the neighborhood and some of the dirt trails with his friends and (as you can see in this picture) perfecting his "no hands" technique.

Happy birthday Dal!  We love you!!

House Progress

These are the latest pictures of the house. . .

Yesterday most of the siding went up.

Several of the men from our ward came over and helped Jeremy with it.  They offered to help and we are soooo grateful, since this would have taken Jeremy several weeks of working after school.  It was awesome seeing it go up in one day.  Many hands really do make light work.

A few pictures of the progress inside.  Most of the sheetrock is up.  Next comes the long process of tape and texture.  After that things should speed up considerably.  This is a view from the kitchen into the family room.

This view is from the family room into the kitchen.

This is a peek down the boys' hall.

While the siding went up, the boys played with the neighborhood kids in the irrigation across the street.

They had a ball.

We are so grateful for this neighborhood full of good people.

A Conversation with Tad

Tad:  Mom, I thought of a new game we should play.

Tonia:  Oh really?  What is it?

Tad:  It is called "Find my Kindle."

First Day of School

The boys started school today.  They were excited to get back to see all their friends, so they would barely stand still for a minute for me to snap some pictures before we left.  These pictures aren't the best, it was super bright outside and my boys weren't cooperating while I figured out the best place and setting to get the exposure right, but at least I documented them leaving on their first day.

Dallin is in 5th grade this year.  His teacher is Mrs. Reidhead.  She took Jeremy's place when he left teaching for administration, so Dallin is in his dad's old classroom.  I remember when I used to go visit Jeremy's classroom when he was teaching there and all his students seemed so big.  I can't believe that now Dallin is one of those big 5th graders.

Thomas is in 4th grade.  That means he moved up to the Intermediate School.  His teacher is Mrs. Collett.  She has been a 4th grade teacher there for a long time, so I think Thomas will have a good year in her class. Plus, most of his friends are in that class with him, so he is happy.

Jack is in 2nd grade.  His teacher is Mrs. Whittle.  She is in our ward, and her son is one of Thomas's best friends, so we know she is super nice and a really great teacher.  He is so excited to be back in school.

Drake started kindergarten.  He is so beyond ready, but I am having a hard time letting him go.  I am running out of kids that stay home with me.  I wish time would slow down a little.

Have a great year guys!!!