Bathroom reveal

 IT'S FINISHED!!!!

1 month to rip out walls, redo a ton of plumbing, and have someone come in and do all of the tilework.  2 months waiting for the glass to be installed.  Three months of baths.  WORTH IT!!!!!

I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!!  Better than I imagined!

Remember

 Kids live here.

You're going to miss this.

Steward

 Last night, as we were going to bed, Randy commented on the softness of our freshly washed sheets.  I was telling him how much I love the feel when he commented, "Well, you haven't been a good steward of the sheets recently.  Did you notice how tangled the top sheet was, notice whose side it was on?"  I was struck instantly by his choice of words, Steward of the Sheets.  My heart once again swelled in love for him.  Isn't he so endearing?!  Steward of the Sheets, how adorable is that?  The exchange, that had me giggling last night and again as I'm writing this, reminded me of a conversation I had last week with our painter, Mario.

Mario commented that he'd been with his "wife?" for 21 years (he never said wife, instead saying that "they'd realized that they'd been together for 21 years because their oldest was turning 20 in a few days").  When I said that we'd celebrated our 20-year anniversary in June and that I couldn't wait for the next 20 years, he said, "Yeah, you just get familiar, don't you?"  That stopped me in my tracks and has stuck with me since.  I do not stay with Randy because he's been by my side for 20 years, because I'm used to him.  I look forward to the next 20, 30, 50 years because I find new ways to fall in love with him every single day.  He does or says something every day that reminds me and confirms to me that the choice I made on April 14, 2000, is still the best decision I have ever made in my entire life.  It's not because he's familiar, it's because he's the best of the best.  I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Sacrifice

 I honestly didn't know the sacrifice expected of each of the employees that work at Dairy Queen when we order Blizzards!  Keilie comes home with the front of her shirt looking like this every single day she works, not to mention the sticky ice cream marks all up and down her arms.  

An insider tip: Mini Blizzards are the worst to make (the cup is hard to hold and they always explode when mixed), Medium Blizzards are the easiest (the cup isn't as deep as the large, it's just the right size).

When Ashlee commented that she was saving it for later...

She is so cute.

I love my beautiful working girl!

Courage

 The Deacon's quorum asked if Brennon wanted to do a boating activity.  Because of his continued hesitancy with water and fast-moving activities, Brennon's first reaction was no.  When Randy urged him to go because he was recently called to be the 1st counselor in the presidency, Brennon reluctantly agreed to go, stating that he wouldn't get out on the tube, but would stay on the boat.  We got these pictures...

Kneeling boy on the right.

Kneeling boy in the center.

As with everything else in Brennon's life, he astounds me with his courage.  I love it when he proves to himself that he can do hard things.  I'm proud of my B-boy.  Don't tell him I still call him that-- it's still not his favorite.  Sadly.

Surprise!

 Remember when I said that Randy offered work to our painter if they needed it?  They showed up on Monday, ready to work.  So we had them start on a room that hasn't been my favorite since we moved in.  I didn't hate it as much as the orange room that we had painted last year, but I didn't like it.  And now it is gone!

I was on a walk around the neighborhood when they showed up, so they'd already begun before I got a good Before picture.  However, when you consider that the Before and After pictures are taken at the same time of day, you'll see exactly what I wanted you to see-- the perfection that is a freshly painted room!

Doesn't it look so much better?  It's not a hole any longer.  You'll notice that we don't currently have a light.  I'd rather have nothing in there than that old, hideous chandelier.  I am so happy.  

Because they had an entire house project fall through on Sunday night, they had plenty of time to do other rooms.  So we decided to do the walls only of our main area and upstairs hallway.  We couldn't afford to have them do trim, doors (we have 18 doors, inside and out), and bedrooms too.  We'll do that at a later date, especially since we still need to do trim in the Master suite.

I love pictures that show the lightening and brightening in progress.

Our house looked like this for two full days.  The house was picked up spotless before going to bed on Sunday, with thoughts of a nice relaxing Monday.  I woke, went for a walk, and came home to work already started, and Randy telling me we needed to get stuff off walls. 

It doesn't seem possible that there would be a light blue tint in certain lights, but it really does.  I love the color best in natural light.  With bright white LED lights upstairs in our no-window hallway, it does take on a bit more of a baby blue hue.  It's still better than the dark beige it was before.

They're going to take care of the speaker covers for us.  But I wanted to show the different colors that this house has had.  First, it was that dark orangy/peachy/beige color.  Then it became the beige we're covering, and now it will become the light gray.  I like to believe that we're making this home better with our choices, cause those two colors are hideous in my opinion.

The last part of our two-part project was the downstairs handrail.  Because it's seen from the front door and many angles on the main level, we only did this portion.  We'll do the longer upstairs handrail when they come back next time.

Tyson had been at a friend's house when everything was being finished.  He walked in and said two things: 1) It stinks in here, which it did because of the oil-based enamel paint they used for the banister, and 2) I don't like that everything is basically white in here.  The gray really is a subtle, light color.  What he doesn't really like, I love.  I want things to brighten up in here.  It makes it feel so much bigger, cleaner, and happier.

We're glad to give them work and wish we could have it all done at once, but we're thrilled at the transformation.  I'm also really looking forward to the day when we can have it all done.  I love this house so much.  It was my dream home when we moved in, and continues to become even more dear with each passing day and year.  We currently have lived in this house longer than any other home in our marriage.  I'm the luckiest girl in the world to live in my dream home!

Mira Scare

 Wednesday morning, the second I walked in the door from my walk, the girls told me that Mira kept yelping for no reason.  As soon as she saw me, Mira would not leave my side.  I could see her anxiety.  It reminded me of the 4th of July, her anxiety.  She was pacing, panting, and wouldn't do anything for us, even if we had treats to coax.  In a panic, I called the vet to see if they had any available openings for her to be seen.  The only option they had was the admit her to the hospital side of the business, where a doctor would see her between patients.  At 10:18am, we loaded up our Mira for a day at the hospital.

I was a mess.  I wish she could have just told us what was wrong.  She looks happy above, but she was panting like I've never heard her pant.  She was frantic in her pain, and it caused me serious hurt to watch.

I called the vet for an update at 6:15pm.  They let me know that they needed a urine sample from her, but that she hadn't gone all day.  I questioned whether she would do anything for them and told them so.  They agreed.  "I'm going to take her out now.  Is there any way you could meet me here.  If she's gone, we'll send her home.  If not, you could try to get her to go, or I could send you home with a kit to gather it and bring it back."  I was there 10 minutes later.

Randy took her leash the second we got there, confident that he could get her to go.  He was right, the second her feet hit the rocks, she squatted.  However, the tech rushed to place the pan under her and Mira saw her move.  She jerked upright immediately and refused to even try again.  Randy wanted to make things as easy for Mira as possible, so we loaded her up, brought her home, took her to her spot where she peed immediately, gathered the sample, and then we drove back immediately while she rested at home.

Just a girl driving her dog's pee to the vet.

We came back to find Mira lying down for the first time all day.  She'd been given some anti-inflammatory medicine and was feeling exhausted from a day spent at the worst possible location-- the vet.  We were told to have her rest as much as possible, no stairs, no furniture, and absolutely no trampoline.  The girl wouldn't do anything other than stand, sit, or fight till she couldn't sit anymore.

Thursday:

She came to our room panting, pacing, and frantic as ever.  We could tell she hadn't slept much because she was already tired.  She immediately came and placed her face next to mine.

I stretched out my arm to pet her.  She fought the pain medicine as long as she could, falling asleep on my arm before finally laying down.

(Above) My arm is at the bottom right, her head is pulling it down with her exhaustion.

I noticed that she wasn't standing quite right.  Our Mira spends a good deal of her day laying down, mostly at the feet or side of wherever I am.  So to see her standing every second, many times staring into the middle-distance, it concerned me.  She had zero personality.  She didn't greet us with something in her mouth, didn't even hold things in her mouth.  Her babies and balls stayed in their basket the entire day.

I noticed around this time that it looked like she was losing strength in her back legs.  If she was on the tile, her back legs would slip around.  If she was beginning a walk from standing, her back legs would kind of lag and then drag.  This was a major concern for me, one that I was worried wouldn't ever resolve itself, something that we'd find was so wrong that her life was ending.  My fear was as intense as any of Caden's scans.

It was at this point that I called the vet again.  Because she didn't make a peep through their external exams, they didn't feel the need to do x-rays.  Thinking it was something internal, they did a bunch of blood work, but no x-rays were ordered.  We were still waiting for those results, but with her new symptoms that were coming out with each passing hour, they decided to have us bring her back to the hospital.

After another day, the vet called to say that we could come pick Mira up.  The radiologist hadn't read the report yet, but she did see that Mira had a previous injury that had caused some calcification on her hip bones.  If the muscles around were inflamed, they would rub against that calcification and hurt.  She was not sending us home with muscle relaxers and good pain pills.  Again, we were told she needed to rest.

Friday:

Mira greeted me with a shoe and her signature happy whine.  I was so excited to see improvement.  We continued to give her her pain pills, even though it looked like she was on the mend.

Fifteen minutes after greeting us, we found her snuggling with her baby on her side.  I was over the moon relieved!

Saturday:

Mira woke us with yelping.  We got videos of her back legs quivering and shaking like you can't believe.  We were a few minutes late with her pain pills, and it looked like her body was going in to shock, she was shaking so bad.  Her panting was back to what it had been, her anxiety just as high.  It took an hour of gentle pets, soft words, and quiet coaxing to get her to finally lie down when the pain pills kicked in.  She was pushed up against me so tight, not letting me stop my petting.  It started my day off with even higher anxiety than I'd had the previous two hard days.  She was worse.

Mira usually joins me in the kitchen while I cook, bake, and do the dishes, but she usually makes herself comfortable.  At dinnertime, she still hadn't laid down from that first drug-induced sleep.  At one point, she even walked to a corner, put her face up to the joined walls, and stood there.  I was a mess all day watching her suffering.

It was a relief to give her her pain pills again.  So many times I wished that I could give them to her earlier.  It reminded me of all the times we were frantic to find the right drug and dose for Caden's pain.  I do not like witnessing pain in those that I love.  After a day like we had, I was really getting scared that our Mira would forever be changed.  I was worried that we'd take her on Monday for another day at the hospital, that they'd tell us that something was terribly wrong, that it would be kinder to put her to sleep.  I was certain we were going to lose our Mira.  I poured out my heart in prayer, begging Heavenly Father to heal her, crying just as hard as I've cried during cancer care and directly after Caden passed away.  I cried myself to sleep for the first time in a long time.

The vet called to let us know that the radiologist found a few vertebrae that had spaces with too little cushion, that she could have a pinched nerve.  That would definitely explain the loss of strength in her back legs if she didn't want to move her back in any way to upset the pinched nerve.  If there's one thing I know a little something about, it's back pain.

Sunday:

Our prayers were answered!  Mira woke as if nothing had ever happened.  When Tyson told me she's slept on the couch, I was shocked.  When he told me she'd stretched from sleep with her front paws on the floor, back paws on the couch, and a good, deep stretch, I was stunned.  She met us with her baby in her mouth, happy, tail wagging.

When it came time for family games, she came to her spot next to us and laid down like normal.  Of course, it became adorable again.

And then she went into our tv room and did her cute rolling thing and I burst into tears.  Our Mira is back like nothing scary or painful ever happened.  All is right in the world again, even if we watch her closer than ever before.  And, really, is that such a bad thing when she's so adorable?!

2701-- Fresh and New

February 2013

August 2020

August 2020

The main color is Chelsea Gray, the accent is Smokey Blue.  We got new lights, numbers, and doorbell for the outside.

INSIDE

August 2014-- Pay attention to the trim and doors behind my boys snuggling with Grandpa-Great Kimber

June 2015-- Pay attention to the white trim around the natural wood doors behind my boys playing with Grandpa Burrell

Between renters, we had our painters paint all doors and trim, as well as all closets white.  We switched out gold handles, hinges, and door pulls for stainless steel.  With the Revere Pewter walls, it truly transformed the home to something beautiful.

I also stained the fence.  Myself, I am proud to say.  It made the back view look just as fresh as the rest of the house.  We'll have someone come to top our trees and make them look beautiful, too.

This home is still so very special to me.  Every time we walk in, I can't help but feel like we're coming home.  It was our safe haven from the storms of cancer care.  It may be a small home, but it was always so full of love.  I hope the next renters treat it with the love and respect it deserves.

Challenge Accepted

Randy pulled out his new bottle of Hot Jalapenos and asked Tyson if he wanted to try one.  Tyson wasn't opposed but didn't know if he really wanted to.  When he smelled them as soon as Randy popped the lid, Tyson said he wanted to.  He popped one in his mouth... and ran for the milk.

He then proceeded to tell us that he was going to see how many he could eat without drinking milk.  6.  He told us that it wasn't really as hot as he thought that first one and that he loved them.  He's Randy's son and Caden's brother.

Diamonds

Shelby hasn't had as many opportunities to be with friends as much as everyone else, so I asked Ashlee if Shelby could possibly come to stay with her for a week.  She had had a taste of being with them without her siblings a few weeks ago when she rode home with them with plans for us to follow behind.  However, I got super sick about an hour into the drive and ended up needing to turn home, leaving Shelby with Ashlee for a few days.  Her girls and Shelby mentioned many times since then that they wanted to do it again, so Ashlee agreed.  We met in Issaquah yesterday for a week of fun.

She sent this selfie to me that night.  It does my heart good to see my girl smiling so big, looking so radiant in her joy.  She's rarely smiled that wide when she was the only one home while her siblings were out having fun with their friends.  

Both of my girls have struggled with friend issues at this age.  It breaks my heart.  I wish I could sit down, then and now, and talk with the girls that shun, bully, and leave my girls out and beg them to look past the mental illnesses my girls have and see them for what they really are-- diamonds in a world of cubic zirconium.  The pressures of their lives have made them strong and beautiful and so, so valuable in the eyes of those that love them most.

Section

Randy told us of a job interview where the employer asked if Randy knew how many square feet are in a mile.  Keilie piped up, "I know that one!  'Five Tomatoes.'  5- To (2)- m(8)- ohs(0).  5280."  Randy said he was as impressed with her knowing that fun math help as the employer had been with Randy when he gave him the correct answer all those years ago. 

Randy then said the employer had asked if he knew how much land was in a section.  I hadn't even heard of "section" as a measuring tool before.  His next question was put to us: "640 acres is a section?  How many acres is a quarter section?"  As I was considering my own math to have the answer (knowing not to say it out loud since this was more for the kids to use their minds, although I was learning at the same time) Tyson almost immediately yelled out the answer.  Randy asked him how he got the answer so quickly.

"8 times 8 is 64.  Two 8's is 16.  Add a zero.  1/4 of 640 is 160."  

I'm not making it up to make Tyson's skills more impressive when I say I hadn't deduced the answer before he did.  His mind just works so quickly doing his own kind of math.  No one taught him how to do that, in that way, he just knew it, like everything else mathematic in that boy's life.  Maybe this little exercise has shown me that I need to hire a tutor for his math education this homeschool school year...

Temple

Tyson and Brennon built the Temple this morning.  I wonder if they meant to have it be built on both a street and railroad track...  Cuties.

Expand

Tyson is now done with the expander that was placed two months ago.  It has been pretty neat watching the progress that has been made the last three weeks as we've literally watched it work.

From infancy, Tyson has always had teeth that were much too close.  We even had a dentist tell us that no matter what we did, Tyson would be one that always had cavities as long as his teeth were that cramped.  Honestly, he would shred floss.  Over the last three weeks, we've watched as his teeth got further and further apart, even giving him a slight gap in his front two teeth.  It's been interesting to watch with each night of twisting the expander to notice the changes.  

He'll get braces placed on August 26th to bring the front four together in time for the canines to come down in the precise placement the orthodontists want.  Once those teeth come in, they'll put brackets on those teeth and leave them on for a few months for what they consider phase 1 of orthodontia.  I'm so glad my kids are getting closer to having perfect smiles!