We had the staircase painted so that we can finally begin to work on our gallery wall. I have been dreaming of this wall transformation since we bought this house so to now be this close is awesome. I will also be able to hang my Father’s painting once I get it framed.

Today the Girls and I planted some yellow and orange mums to replace the ones that didn’t make it through the 120 degree summer. It was drizzly out but we got them done quickly and they look great.

So many more projects to get done around here. Not sure we will ever have the time, but we will work on them little by little as we can.

Before:

After:

The kids are settling into their bedrooms. It was a long weekend getting all the beds moved and the bookcases, toys, and everything else set up but it is done and it feels so good.

It may all be in my imagination but the kids seem calmer and to have more respect for their stuff. Last night Annie, (Yes, I said Annie. Wait while I revive myself from fainting!) cleaned up the Barbie mess in her room before going to bed. Before this was NEVER heard of. They all would blame someone else for the mess and hope that someone else would clean it. Having their own space that they are responsible for should help a lot in this situation. It may be too early to really tell but I am hoping this prideful attitude will stick with them.

Here is a picture from inside the new room. The photo is taken from the closet.

Drywall is being hung today.

Frame is up and tomorrow HVAC and electrical come in.

The kids love to come home from school and go see what Freddy has done. He is such a great sport and talks to them and lets them watch.

Here is the space all cleared out. At this point we realize that Annie’s new room will be the biggest of all the kids rooms. (Shh don’t tell Kimmie.)

The kids liked tumbling around and hanging out in the open space. Soak it up now because it won’t be there long.

Here is our current loft.

I will get pictures as the days go on. The contractor estimates that it should take 7-12 days to complete the job.

The room will be Annie’s room. She is super excited to see how it will turn out. She said tonight that she doesn’t care how big it is just so long as it is big enough to put her bed in she will be happy. I think she will be surprised at how big the new room will be.

This is going to be such an exciting project. The kids will each have their own room. They will each have their own space and I think it will help them grow in their own ways.

Totally worth hanging out in the backyard all day.

They brought just a little bit for the house.

We had berber carpet that was 14 years old, this is a huge improvement. We went for the most dense carpet pile and the most plush pad. Together they make the most lovely carpet.

The kids enjoyed the morning outside with a tea party.

It was a long day but totally worth it. You can actually lay down on our floor now and not feel like you are laying on concrete. So heavenly!

The pavers in front of the pool and along the border.

More pictures on flickr for you to enjoy!

The school we chose is exactly what I would have dreamed up if I had. It is so warm and inviting. Children seemed respectful and dignified. The playground looks fun and the teachers seem very nice. The teacher that Annie and Kimberly will have has been teaching there around 30 years!

So later this month I will be enrolling our two precious first borns into preschool for the fall. I sit here typing this through tears. The time really does fly by and this is a huge advancement in their lives for me. I know I have to let them go, they are ready, but am I?

In the past my life changed in one moment. It was the scariest day of my life. I am so thankful that this happened to her while we were awake. I don’t want to even contemplate the outcome had we not been.

I have a relative whose son passed away this Sunday night. I cannot imagine their pain as they deal with this situation. I think of them often and lift them up in prayer. Always wondering why them or why in the night when they couldn’t help. (Sorry I am not provide more details but it is not my story, I am just writting about my reflections.) I pray his parents and surviving triplet sisters find peace.

In other news the sod is finally here and should be installed tomorrow.

I took the 3 ladies to buy the flowers. This was a nice experience and they all picked out some special ones. We bought them and headed home. We had to go to dance class so we left the flowers and we were planning to plant them after rest time. (Yeah I call it rest time now. No sense in thinking that these kids would nap anymore.)

The kids got up from rest ready to go. As I mentioned the other day Kimberly really wants to be a landscaper when she grows up and was very interested in shoveling rocks and digging holes. Since the laborers just piled the rock up in the area it had to be moved and that was quite the daunting task to this housewife. I am strong, but 3 ladies helping really complicates things. You can see the piles of rock in the above picture.

We got the rocks out of the way, dug the hole, and planted these plants. Anybody with a guess on how long that took? Anybody say over a half hour! It really gives new meaning to the phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen.” I decided that I was going to need backup and we waited for Daddy to come help us move rocks and plant the other 2 beds.

While picking out plants for the garden the Girls came across parsley. They wanted to buy it for Nacho, their guinea pig. How could I resist? Here is the parsley.

Unfortunately the sod will not be being delivered tomorrow as expected. They said Thursday or Friday. I hope it is Thursday. The pool area is completely done. It looks great!

Kimberly, our little supervisor, has been out there the entire time. She loves to watch the men work and told me today that she wants to be a digging guy when she grows up. She is so silly I bet she will change that idea the first time she digs a huge hole.

Here is our yard before the laborers arrived.

Here is is after the demo and with the trenches.

Their lunch is over so they are back out there working.

Bill and I finally decided that it was detracting from our time at home. We didn’t like the look of the yard so we basically avoided it. Just like when you have a terribly dirty spare room that you just close the door on so you don’t have to see it. We used to love to spend time with the kids out there but now we didn’t. Something had to be done. Long gone are the days that Bill and I can spend 20 hours on a weekend working out in the yard putting in sprinkler lines or laying sod. We knew we needed help.

We decided to get some estimates and find out what would work for us. We signed a contract on Saturday and they will be coming to do the work tomorrow. They will be done in 3 days!!! I was so shocked to know how quickly this transformation will take place. We are so excited to have a wonderful space in our yard to enjoy our family. I will post pictures of the before and after. I think it is going to be so wonderful.

Apparently you have to brush it down 3 to 4 times per day to make sure it will be nice and smooth. Let me tell you it would have been nice to have a nice cool pool to jump into after scrubbing that thing down for a half hour.

Now you may fill the pool with your tears.