Family Pictures 2018

I thought we hadn't changed that much, but I was so wrong.  Time just keeps flying by, and I'm so glad we have updated family pictures on our walls!

I don't think we'll ever take a picture in a corn field here in Iowa.  There are too many other beautiful places to gaze upon (and I can still see corn every day out my window).

These pictures were taken at one of our favorite nearby nature parks- home of our annual final family fall fling and a great place for "hiking" and exploring.

Four best friends.  I love the way they're all holding onto each other.

Sweet Emma with her caramel colored hair.

Noah still denies that he was wearing a diaper in our last family pictures.  That baby version of himself seems to be long gone.

Adam's smile has totally changed since our last pictures!

Leah really wanted family pictures without her top braces on, so here she is looking beautiful and so old and with still fantastically crooked front teeth.

I love these big evergreens.

We didn't get any new favorites of Jason and I, but this one is pretty darn cute.

Not posed, just checking out something in the water.

One major driving factor in getting pictures done now was the fact that Leah is just about as tall as me, and I wanted one more of these shots in age and height order.

Jason and I got some "head shots" for those random times when we need a professional picture.

And of course there were a few outtakes that won't be hanging on the wall....

 Fluffing Mr. Flufferkins.

Picking each other up is like hugging, only more dangerous!

And a Brady Bunch shot.

How I love this sweet family of mine!  They're my best friends and there is no one in the world I would rather spend my journey on earth with than these five beautiful people.

The Basement- Phase 3

Once we reached a certain point in finishing the basement, we put the brakes on it completely.  I'd love to deck the walls and fill the shelves and add so much more character down there, but for now we are just loving the fact that the basement is done!  The carpet is plush and the paint smells fresh and, let's be honest, it's pretty easy to keep such a sparse space clean!

The built-ins on the TV wall are my favorite.  

Jason built this wall from the foundation out, and did an amazing job with the trim work.  All of those practice projects upstairs really paid off!  I especially love that even though the basement only has 8-foot ceilings we were able to get some crown molding down there.  

 The carpet downstairs is so plush and fluffy. I'm already dreaming about swapping out the rest of the house.  Five years of carpet wear is starting to show!

The bathroom is just the right size, even though we borrowed a bit of square footage from the bathroom to increase the size of the kitchenette. 

Three of my sweetest friends in the neighborhood happen to have basically the same floor plan as ours, and two of them finished their basements before we did.  It made for great tips on things to consider- like adding a spot for built-in storage in the bathroom.

The sunroom space now holds Jason's desk, and the Mother's Day hibiscus we are trying to save over the winter.

It's working so far!

  The view from Jason's desk- 

And the treadmill lives in there too.  That wall holds my bachelors degree, my Army BRAT certificate, Jason's stake president recognition and some Bolivian money from his mission.  The circle is a signed nationals drum head from Jason's high school glory days.  

 The view from the guest bedroom, which looks exactly like an empty room with a bed in the middle of it and a walk-in closet.  Nothing fun to report in there at all. 

And the view from the kitchenette (which will have a fridge in it someday).

We originally planned to put a sliding barn door up to close off this room when needed because there is a big fat thick (and too low for a door frame) header there that we didn't want to bother with removing.  The barn door is on the someday list along with the fridge.

The kids club!  They all have so much fun in these two rooms under the stairs- it's the perfect place to pull out a game and have some fun.

 And the door to the storage room, which says "Employees Only".  Ha!  

And that's it!  We have loved this space for playing with friends, family movie night, and out-loud adult conversations after bedtime.  It's warmer and cozier and most of all we're glad the house is finally fully finished.  

To Do

I always love a good to-do list.  Last Saturday's was a substantial one, reaching to the bottom of the door with all kinds of work to do to prepare the house for winter.

 Apparently someone thought it was a bit too long. 

There is nothing quite like a little post-nap nap.

An Ordinary Day

Flash cards.  Easy readers.  Art projects.  

Paint and wood and glue.  Legos littering every room.  

Crayons, markers without lids, a completed puzzle.

Blankets that kept everyone warm.  Pillows all over the floor.

Papers to be signed.  Papers to be thrown away.  Papers that have been cut and more that have been scribbled.  

Laundry on the floor, waiting to be put away.  

Shoes that were supposed to stay in the mud room.  

Halloween decorations and a single stem of fake flowers. 

Piano books and clarinet books and violin books.  And a clarinet.  Sheet music and theory games and sticker wrappers and old assignment papers.

Medicine bag on the stairs, waiting to be taken up.  Along with more Legos and more socks.

A lanyard, a library book, and a few coats waiting to be taken down.

The basement lights are on. 

Jason isn't home.

Today I heard giggles and laughter and bouncy stories told of happy days at school.  

I heard make-believe stories spilling out faster than they could be acted out.  

I saw small gestures of kindness, like holding a door and helping with a chore.

I gave out more hugs than consequences, and I tried to help a forgetful child prepare for tomorrow.

I wiped tears (and bottoms), I combed hair, I was grateful for second (and twenty-second) chances. 

Breakfast was made, lunch was made, dinner was made.  Cookies and hot chocolate and after school snacks.  It's all cleaned up.  For today.

Papers were written, piano lessons were taught.  

Our new family pictures are up.  Everyone is growing.

Laundry was done (for today) and appointments were made.  Encouraging words were given and adult connection was made.

Everyone is tucked in and I'm tuckered out.  Grateful for today.  Excited for tomorrow, but not quite ready to do it all over again. 

Reminding myself of the extraordinary gift of an ordinary day.

A Trip to the Moon

Because some Mondays are better spent on the moon than at school.

Yet Another Good Kid

I got this story from one of the blog's number most faithful readers (hi, Dad!).  Let it be known that Grandpa Mark is a tricker and can't always be trusted to tell the whole truth...

I grew up as a Catholic. Attended Holy Rosary Parish and St Bernard’s parish and St Margaret’s school. Every morning we attended Mass from 8 to 9 and then went to school. It was like going to Sacrament meeting 6 days a week. 

I was 10 or so and pretty bored one morning sitting in church so I got out my pencil and started writing on the pew.  I drew a funny picture of the priest and showed it to my friend sitting next to me. He laughed and we started drawing more pictures. One of the nuns came up and told us to be quiet and saw the pictures. She was not happy, but didn’t do anything to disturb the Mass. 

After the service was over we trooped over to school and started class, but the nun came and got us and told us we were going to see the priest. We were scared. We went back over to the church and she sent me in to talk to the priest. As I was going in I told my friend "if it gets really bad I’ll come running out and we’ll meet under the bushes behind the church". 

Well it was bad. The priest looked at me and asked "Do you know where Jesus is?  (He knew we’d been disrespectful in the Church, which is where we are supposed to feel close to Jesus).  Do YOU KNOW WHERE JESUS IS?"  Well I didn’t, and I jumped up and ran out of the church. My buddy followed me and we met under the bushes. I said "Jesus is missing, and they’re blaming us!!"

Or something like that. 

A marginally good kid doing another bad thing. 

Lots of love!

Grandpa Mark

I'm pretty sure he was around this age when this story happened- Grandpa's the one standing on the far right with the fetching shorts and cheerful smile.