What We Have Been Up To

It seems like the past few posts I have talked about how busy we have been, but these last couple months have definitely taken the cake.  I don't think I have worked this hard or been this tired since my mission.  

Most of you know that we put an offer on another short sale back in February and finally signed the deal in August, which is when the mayhem set in.  I am happy to say though that we are finally coming up for air and coming out of hiding, and I thought I'd share a little of the good times we have had.

The people who rented this house had two large dogs.  Those of you who love dogs infinitely more than I do can at least surely admit that they can cause a lot of damage, especially when the people are gone all day.  The floors downstairs were pretty trashed, so we replaced most of the floor.

My mom somehow convinced us that it was ludicrous to pay someone else to put in laminate and she, my Dad, Kathryn, and Ben all pitched in to help get it done.  

The worst part was tearing out the linoleum in the kitchen.  It had been glued to particle board which was then nailed to the floor.  When Aaron tried to get it up with a pry bar, it would just disintegrate into tiny tiny pieces.  So they rented a little toe kick saw which made it possible but turned the house into a dusty war zone.  Our eyes itched for weeks.  Aaron and Ben may still have nightmares.

We could not have done it without my dad's knowledge...and tools.  He seriously has a lot...of both.  Obviously Barett was an essential part of the floor crew as well, how could I leave him off the list?

Another side effect of large dogs taking reign over a house is that the bottom two feet of all the walls were scraped and scuffed everywhere...combine that with the previous owner not upgrading beyond builder-grade flat paint which is impossible to clean, we decided to paint the entire house.

With 20-ft ceilings in the entry and family room, that was no simple undertaking.  My dad had the genius again...we rented scaffolding.  No, I did not venture up there but I do love my brother for doing it.

  

Adelyn, on the other hand, was surprisingly not afraid of heights, considering she freaks out if I give her anything other than the tiniest of pushes on the swing.  Anytime she saw me painting with the ladder she was anxious to climb up the other side and help me out.

For Aaron's birthday and my birthday, my parents were going to get us a flat screen TV (I know, we are so behind the times that we don't have one), but at the last minute countered their offer with another...a backyard renovation.  

Since the backyard's slope made it impossible for Barett to play out there and the kid loves being outside more than anything else, we chose that instead...that flat screen can wait a little longer!

After two solid weeks of shoveling, raking, tilling and sifting dirt and rocks, I think my parents probably wish that we had opted for the TV!!

We built two big retaining walls to counter the slope...and make me a perfect spot for my vegetable garden next year!!!  It is no wonder that the grass back there was completely dead because we had about 1/4 inch of topsoil on layers upon layers of gravel.  The soil was so rocky that it took two people to operate the tiller.

 I am happy to report that where my Dad and Ben are standing in this picture is now level with the wall behind them and has grass growing in!!  I have never seeded a lawn before, but it has been pretty exciting.  We have taken the last two weeks off to let the grass start to come in, but we still have to tackle the patio side of the yard.

I will have to take some after pictures of the house and yard when we are all finished so you can see our progress.  And one of these days we will have a little housewarming party so you can come see for yourselves.  Let me know if you need our new address for Christmas cards...it will be that time before we know it!

I don't usually feel that the internet is the best place to express love or gratitude, but as I wrote this post I couldn't help but feel an overwhelming amount of both for my family.  I am always amazed at how they are always there for me no matter how busy or hectic their own lives are.  

My Dad does not have many vacation days at all, and he took one to help Aaron and Ben on the floor when he could see they needed it.  My mom has a very busy job as the vice president of a college, but she would come to my house on her way home from work (I lost track of how many times), change into her work clothes and go until the sun set.

My mom made the comment at Sunday dinner that her overall feeling from general conference was that she needed to do more service...but has she forgotten all this??  Like we learned from Elder Packer at the last conference, service to our families is the most important kind.

I just hope I can be the kind of parent that my parents have been to me.