Today is the day I will post about the Remodel

My family has threatened to disown me for not doing this earlier.
But today is the day.
The sky is blue.
The earth is green and glistening from the recent rainfall.
Everything smells fresh.
Today is a beautiful day in Boise.

The journey of the house...

Untouched- Sept 2010

Demolition Day- Oct 18, 2010

Goodbye roof

This was such a strange feeling- to be standing in my house that was open to the sky

The kids loved watching all the trucks and cranes.


2nd story added and the rebuilding of the roof:

Trying to weather-proof.

Alas, that did not go well, resulting in damaged carpet and hardwood floors everywhere in the house.

Stupid dark, menacing clouds. Stupid rain.

Some inside shots:

Front door and staircase

Upstairs bedroom. Actually this is our guest bedroom with a cute dormer window.

Enticing eh?

Well, get your bums up here then.

Working through the winter.

This was a cold day in January.

I felt so bad for the builders.

I didn't even mind that they built themselves a fire right there on my front lawn.

The kids didn't mind so much either.

Now to the details. This is where is gets fun.

Cedar shingles
Mmmm- I love the smell of cedar.

Barrel-roll ceiling over the entry

Rock and front steps

Front door.

Confession: I am a little obsessed with my front door.

I found the piece of leaded glass on ebay.

The moment I saw it I knew it had to be in my front door.

To me, the design looks like paper dolls holding hands.

It says:

"Come on in.

In this house you are always welcome.

You are always a friend."

Can you hear it?

The "M"- a little joke from our builders

It stayed up there for a couple days until they were able to come back.

I'm sure the neighbors thought we were total weirdos.

The herringbone brick inlays

A couple shots of the inside.

Disclaimer: it still needs paint, trim, light fixtures, decor, etc.

But at least you can get a sense of some of our living space.

Main living area

Front entry and staircase

Pictures from this morning.

Unfortunately, they aren't "after" pictures.

We aren't there quite yet.

(The cedar shingles will be stained charcoal gray. Trim will be white.)

The view as you drive up to the house.

My favorite.

We may just ask the builders to leave the port-a-potty when they're done.

What would the kids do without their outdoor bathroom?

They don't even have to interrupt their play long enough to come inside.

Such a sweet set-up.

From the BLM land next to our house:

Tree-lined

Excuse me- the kids just walked into the house carrying 2 dogs that I have never seen before.

Okay, I'm back.

One of the benefits of living out on a secluded ridge in Idaho is that there are animals everywhere.

Bunnies, squirrels, deer, hawks, dogs, cats.

The kids are in heaven.

I don't mind so much except for the mice.

And that's all I'm going to say about that.


From the carport:
Now on to the views:

A little peak from our corner of the world.

Columbia Village neighborhood

The view a mere 30 feet from our front door.

Same spot. Different angle.

Oh and incidentally, Nate and I had our weekly lunch date today and found a quaint little restaurant with the same name (Fork) as my favorite little restaurant in Philly.

It's like we were meant to find each other.

And the food was spectacular.

It's on the corner of 8th and Idaho.
Fam- when you come to Boise we will definitely have to hit 8th street.
Far and away our favorite little slice of Bo-Do (Boise Downtown).
Sidewalk cafes, boutiques, a farmer's market on the weekends.
So so charming.

Whoa- this may just be the longest post ever.
But now you can all get off my back :)

Making Me Laugh

Last night before bed, I was reading the Book of Mormon with the kids.

(Nate is out of town on a biking trip.)

We were in the book of Alma where Captain Moroni’s army has the Lamanites surrounded and Moroni stops the fighting to give them a chance to surrender peacefully. We stopped abruptly at this point and I told them it was getting late and they would have to see what happens tomorrow.

(We try to end each reading session with a cliffhanger in hopes that the kids will be excited to get back to it the next day. That’s good parenting right there.)

David: But Mom, we have to keep going. I want to see if the Lamanites all get dead.
Me: Well, I’ll read you the end of the story tomorrow. Won’t that be exciting?
David: But what if a robber gets into our house tonight and kills you?
I was laughing too hard to respond.

Nora: Mom, how do know what it is saying?
Me: Well, I’ve read the Book of Mormon enough to understand the language of the scriptures.
Nora: But Mom, those words don’t make sense…Anyways, are they real words?

Then on to prayers…

Will: Please bless Wyatt and Chelsea’s babies that they won’t have any weakness…only strongness.

Tess: Please bless Dad on his bike trip. Help him to not get any more scrapes, because those pictures with all the blood are gross. And help him to not break any bones. But if he does, please help him to choose a tie-dye cast.

Some totally random pictures that also make me laugh:

Snaggle-tooth Tess


Will refusing to wear his baseball hat any way but normal.

Winter hot-tubbing with cousin Tate

Notice how pleased Tess is with her creation and how unenthused Nora is about it.

:

A normal interaction between Nate and David.

(We are at Crater Lake National Park in Oregon.)

one five

I love this shot of Nathan. I'm pretty sure that if I had just taken it from a different angle, we could have seen some pretty sweet crack action.

His name is Nathan.
Most people call him Nate.
At work, he's known as "Dr. McDreamy." (That is a true story.)
What do I call him?
"Nathe."
With an h.
Because I believe that every person should have a name for their love that only they get to use.

Nathe calls me "Er."
As in "air."
As in "you are the very air [Er] I breathe."
He's so romantic, that Nathe.

At a luau in 99.

When I was little I had this grand idea of what it would be like when I first met my future husband.
We would see each other from across the room and then...
Everything would freeze.
The orchestra would start playing.
And we'd gaze knowingly, longingly into each other's eyes.

I'm happy to report that that's exactly the way it happened.
At least for me.
Nate didn't really even notice me. (Even though we were paired as dance partners 2 min later.)
He certainly wasn't interested.
He was a 26 year old Phd student.
I was an 18 year old wide-eyed Freshman.
He thought I looked 13. (He was right.)
I thought he looked perfect: tan skin, dark hair, blue eyes
He preferred brunettes, and I was blond.
Thank goodness fate forced us together for a 6-week tour to China so that he could come to realize how smart, spiritual and ultra-deep I am.

Horseback riding in 2000


The way Nate tells it, I tricked him into marrying me.
Apparently, I booked the temple/reception center and gave him a deadline for proposing.
That may or may not have happened.
(Hey, I know how to get what I want.)

Feb 16, 1996
"The waist lines have grown a few inches (unfortunately) and Nate's hair has shrunk a few inches (thankfully).

Dear Nathe,
I think you are really handsome.
And the most amazing father to our children.
And you're great at fixing things (which is really handy).
And you're pretty much the most intelligent person I've ever met.
Basically, you're my favorite.
Happy 15th.
Let's make it eternity.
I love you,
your Er (air)

Loud and Proud

Behold the cuteness of my children.
Normally I'm not a huge fan of the school pictures.
This year, they were stinkin cute.

My children have forgotten how to speak.

At least at normal decibels.

They prefer to shout everything.

Just to be sure they are heard.

A recent conversation on the way to school:

Will: Mom, is Santa real?

Me: What do you think?

Will: Yep, definitely real. I saw him once! Mom, why did God make reindeer fly?

Me: Why do you think?

Will: So that they could pull Santa's sleigh. Mom, why did God make Rudolph's nose red?

Me: Why do you think? (Sensing a pattern?...my little tactic for answering questions that I don't want to answer directly. This way the kiddos can never claim that I outwardly lied to them. That's good parenting right there.)

Will: Mom, it's so that he can light the way for Santa's sleigh! You didn't even know that!

(Silly me.)

David: Ahhhh, there's a kidnapper!!

Me: David, I'm pretty sure that's just a normal man walking down the street in a hoodie.

David: Nope Mom, he's definitely a robber or a boogalar.

Me: Or... he's just a nice man that's cold and put on his hood. But you bring up a good point. You never know who the bad guys are, so you always have to be careful.

David: Nope Mom, I can tell, that's for sure a boogalar!

Nora: (singing at the top of her lungs in full vibrato)...Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away. This year... (stopping suddenly) Mom, don't you just love that song??

Me: Well, it's quite possibly the stupidest Christmas song ever written...but when you sing it Nora, it's pure magic.

Nora: I know! It's so beautiful!!

Me: It's like a dream come true.

Nora: This year to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special, special...Last Christmas I gave you my heart...

David: Do you think that boogalar is going to our apartment??

Will: He better not take the Wii or I will be SO mad!

At this point I'm thinking that I may literally be going deaf in my right ear. For the love, can we just get to school already so that I can have my 2.75 hours of quiet time??

Me: (pulling up to the drop off zone) Okay doodles, we're here. Be good in school okay. David- listen to Mrs. Taylor and sit still on the carpet. Will- let me wipe the jam off your face. Nora- don't forget your backpack. Okay guys, I'll see you in a few hours.

Will: Okay Mom, have a good day!

Nora: I love you Mom!

David: Okay Mom, have a great time without us! (Running halfway to the line and then running back)...I love you so much Mom!!

Well okay then....forgiven.

A Birthday Party for Nate, er I mean David

It's gotta suck having your birthday near Christmas.

We hope that David doesn't realize this for a long time!

On Dec 21st, we stop all things Christmas, and take the day to celebrate our Davey.

The gift theme this year was definitely Legos.

Which is perfect since he does little else all day long.

He spent the day creating Star Wars battle scenes.

He also got a punching bag which he quickly put to good use:

And then on to his party...

Each year we have his party right on his actual birthday.

We pick some venue- this year's was BOUNCE- and we pretty much have the place to ourselves.
Apparently, everyone else in town is a bit busy with Christmas stuff.

A good time was had by all....

...but mostly Nate.

Would you like me to hold your tie?

But really, it was David's big day so let's end with some more cute pictures of him...

Is that a mistletoe cake? Why yes, yes it is. (Hey, David picked it out.)

CanNOT believe it's been six years!

Love you baby boy.

Happy Birthday Sweet Davey

"I dreamed of how you would look, smell, even what you would sound like. And every day I thought of how wonderful it would be to hold you in my arms."

"I started seeing you everywhere, in the leaves of the giant oak and in the bark of the pine, Even in the stars! Oh, how I longed for the day that you would arrive, when God would find us you."

"And then I came?"

"Oh, no. No matter how much I prayed it would happen, I still had to wait."

"You waited and waited and waited?"

"And waited. But I knew that someday you'd arrive, when God
would find us you."

Dear David,

Today you are six.

When you were 2 days old, we brought you home.

I held you in my arms and whispered in your ear that I would never let you be the forgotten middle child.

Little did I know that you'd have a personality so big, the entire world couldn't contain it.

You are hardly one to be forgotten.

I love you to the moon and back,

Mom

David's "cool yet sophisticated" look. He currently has exactly 4 shirts that he will agree to wear.

"That is my favorite story of all. When God found us you, it made me the happiest mother in the world."

"Just by comin home?" Little Fox asked with a yawn.

"Especially by coming home," Mama said.

(Excerpts taken from "God Found Us You" by Lisa Tawn Bergren)

A Room with a View

Last night for FHE we went doorbell ditching.

Yes, we left goodies and love notes.

But mostly, we just wanted an excuse to ding-dong-dash.

Because that's good fun. Yes siree.

The kiddos love it.

They pretend they are sneaky spies.

Have I mentioned that we currently live in a 3rd story, 1100 sq ft, unfurnished apartment?

It's awesome.

I could go on and on (and on and on) about the woes of such living arrangements for a family of 6 plus a 65-lb dog.

But instead let's focus on the positive:

• It takes us a total of 1 hr and 15 min to clean this place from top to bottom


• There is a swimming pool & hot tub across the street.


• The apartment below us is rented, but no one currently lives there...(a huge blessing considering the amount of noise we generate each day. Think 4 screaming kids and 1 dog running up and down the hallway all day long.)


• We have this view:

Summer

Downtown through the trees

3 stories up

Autumn



Winter




This morning

Pretty pretty right? It's hard to imagine that we have lived here long enough to see 3 seasons worth of views.

Here's to hoping that we will be in our newly-remodeled home by the time the 4th season comes along!

P.S.

Check out Tess' art. She's really getting good!

Someday I plan to have only original artwork by Tess Meeker hanging in my home.

Anyone want to place an advance order?