First day of school

So excited they wouldn't hold still. Both kids were (according to their teachers) the best kids in class. Eli couldn't have been more excited and Dora was pretty pumped too...


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Whit's Vacation

Whit just left yesterday for a week of CME to prepare him for this test he has to take. He's going to be in class 40 hours in 3.5 days... Eli calls it his vacation. Haha!

Daddy, we will miss you so much! Here's MT. Whitney right before he left.

Whit just left

Yet another epiphany...

So tonight I had another epiphany. I'm sure you guys are getting tired of my boring insights that are related to toddlers. Yet, here I am, recording it anyway...

I got online and ordered the kids some ride on water toys--a turtle, a dolphin and an orca. I thought when I bought three--one for each of my kids big enough to swim and an extra for guests. I knew when they showed up each of my kids would claim one for their own...

They got here today and sure enough, Dora immediately claimed the dolphin and Eli the turtle. Then they began negotiating. Emerald, Eli said, could have the orca when she was older. We could save it for her until then.

That made me think--there is no way that by the time Emerald is two (two summers from now) and old enough to ride on the orca, that it won't be torn up and replaced. After all, these cost less than $20. I know they will never last. To the kids though, how such things will be divided up and who they will belong to seems of the utmost importance. They are very concerned about what will happen tomorrow and next week and next month and next year. They want me to make a ruling on that now. They want their future and that of their posterity secured.

In a world that changes as much and as quickly as this one, how lucky we are to have a Heavenly Father who can see the big picture. We are busy squabbling and stressing over things that DO NOT MATTER. I have been thinking a lot lately--nay, stressing a lot lately--over things that I am sure will NOT MATTER. In a year or two, or ten at the most, they will be rendered totally useless, and yet here I sit, fretting and stressing and generally pestering the crap out of my Heavenly Father with my little worries and complaints. I wish I had some perspective--His perspective. I suppose that's what reading our scriptures and listening to the Spirit are for...

I suppose for now I will have to settle for trusting in a Heavenly Father who DOES have an eternal perspective to forgive me for my very short-sighted view, just as I think fondly of my poor kids, worrying over something that will never even become an issue.

Alice in wonderland

We Bought new sofas today. We get them in a week.




We picked these out. (me and Eli)




Then the furniture guy offered Eli a tiny little cup of juice. He drank it and look what happened...




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Remodel: Kitchen

Okay so before we did anything to it, this kitchen was terrible. Really bad. They left the chairs to the built in table, which I like, but badly need to be recovered. I was going to wait to put up photos until I had recovered them and put up curtains, but I decided to go ahead and put some up now. We've made a lot of progress. I think this is tied for most improved room (with the kids' bath). What do you think?

Here it was before...

Dark paint, heinous wallpaper and acid wash cabinets... Ick.

BUSY BUSY

Here it is now--new cabinets and hardware, tile backsplash and all new appliances.

Man that's a lot of cabinets!!

Remodel: Pool Bath/Utility Room

Off the kitchen (and pool area) there's a laundry room and a full bath. They had cool red paint (not!) and swirly wall paper. That got repainted... and we redid the cabinets... and counters and hardware...

Here it was when we looked at it first...

Pretty cool acid wash cabinets, eh?

What a sad looking sink!!

Here it is with new paint, lights, counters, and cabinets. I love the square sink. You can see our water softener control panel too. SUCH hard water before we got that...

Game Room

So we don't have furniture (other than a table and chairs) in the entertainment room yet... but the kids like riding the train out there. Haha. And playing on the bouncy house.

Here's Whit's man cave. No pool table yet, but his loft is a "dark room" and he has a new sectional sofa for his huge TV that's on the wall. Haha.