Ethan and Jesse's room

After a week and a half of measuring, taping, painting, and all else that goes with redoing a room, I am sure excited to have just finished my first paint job. We're moving the boys down the hall away from the hot garage underneath their current bedroom. Poor kids sleep so hot no matter how much the AC runs at night. Yesterday was the first night it was really toasty warm in there, so I'm happy to be done. Here are the before and after pics: no longer will I hear from Ethan "Mom, when will we paint my room?" sometimes finishing projects like these are overwhelming, because now I look at my house I've neglected cleaning and think...where do I begin?! But one thing I am for sure grateful for: a very patient husband. He gave me the reigns on color, design, and even stayed up with me countless hours measuring stripes to go on walls that aren't even, the same height, or even smooth = nightmare! We do still have the closet to do, but the furniture can be moved in and my stuff from the closet moved into their old room. 

Before...

After! ...View from door

View from the outside window.

 

 

 

 

 And now...a shed! (and painting AJ's room... And the toy room... And our master bedroom. Everything is so...beige! (yuck!)

AJ quotes

My favorite quotes in the last couple of weeks from my daughter:
"Mom! He didn't even choke!" (she was feeding Jesse raisins)
"Mom, I didn't cut your bed" (um...yes she did)
"look at this stuff...isn't it neat? Wouldn't you think my complexion's complete?" (Little Mermaid)

Ethan: Dad?
Brian: Hmm?
Ethan: When are you going to go bald?
Brian: ...silence
Natalie: LOL

That was a funny conversation tonight!

Words to live by

Maybe my kids picked to come to this family not because of who we are, but knowing who we can become as we begin to truly magnify and embrace our callings as parents.
That's the thought that came to me tonight during prayer.
I hope I can be a better mom tomorrow than I was today.

Never too late to make a goal

January is long gone. Good! That means maybe this goal will have some weight with it. For Christmas I got an iPad. And for the past 3 months I've been doing my best to learn its ways. Tonight I downloaded the blogger app now allowing me to 'write in my journal' before bed. I couldn't be happier. And my stories will be written down as i sit upon my bed, listen to storms rage outside and not have to worry about losing power :) hooray for technology!

a welcome change of plans

Today, thanks to some friends calling, we decided to go swimming instead of running errands. The kids screamed so loud out of excitement my ears were buzzing. :)

AJ vs. Rootbeer

Tonight we were delivering a meal to a friend of ours who just became a new mom. Of course we're late in getting the meal to them, so as I'm gathering the food, I'm calling out to the kids to get in the car. AJ enters the garage and then Ethan. When I hear the door to the garage open I hear a spraying sound. For a moment I'm confused thinking AJ must be washing her hands in the bathroom. Then Ethan reenters the house calling for me and I can still hear this spraying sound. I call out to him, "Where's AJ?" He responds, "we need you, quick!" My hands are full of the food as I run to see what's happened. All I hear is AJ crying and a loud spraying noise. Has the water heater popped a leak?! That was the only 'liquid' sound I could imagine coming from the garage.
When I reach the door and fling it open AJ is dripping wet...soaked, really...with a busted can of hot rootbeer. So is the side of the van and the floor, but it looks like AJ got the brunt of the angry can. Was she trying to open it? Probably! She's crying about how scared she is as I lift her up into the van and fasten her in her seat. No time to change...! She cries round trip, "Mom! I'm scared of the drink! (sob sob) It was really funny, but she really was traumatized, so I couldn't laugh out loud until she had calmed down a bit. Annie Jane...you are always on the look out for adventure!