Progress!

The framers are stepping up their game. The second floor flew up practically over night. One more week and we will be done and on to plumbing and electrical! So crazy exciting. I do not want to say this out loud for fear of jinxing myself, but things are going so smoothly. I'm in awe how all the hard work we did before we broke ground is falling into place and really paying off. The work is never done, but when it's something you love and are passionate about, your heart is in it and you do whatever it takes. But please just don't make me pick a paint color, those booklets are dang intimidating. Good thing I've still got time! This is so life consuming. But in a good and exciting way. What will I do with myself when this is over? It's going so fast! Here are today's progress pics. 

F r a m i n g

 One of my most favorite things right now is turning the corner and seeing THIS! Our dream becoming a reality. It is such a wonderful rush of emotions-- the happiest and most anxiously excited kind! It's butterflies. I told Stephen the other day I feel like I'm dating our house LOL I get so excited to see it, we spend lots of time there and thinking about it and working on it... I'm sad to leave it... And one day I won't have to! I will get to live in this house forever. Haha ok probably not and I probably sound like a freak with an unnatural love for a thing but you guys. It's our home. It's where our life together as a family will happen. It's a pretty important "thing" to me. 

The first floor framing is complete! These kiddos sure had fun running from room to room and falling out of the walls. Haha. Bear even grabbed some tools and decided to help out

Charlee wasn't as thrilled. "You want me to do what?"

It is a beautiful thing, getting to live out a personal dream. I hope everyone has the chance to experience it over and over again. It challenges you and makes you grow and appreciate life and seek opportunity! And it brings happiness and fulfillment. Then once you've met your dream foot to foot face to face, well it's time to dream a little bigger:) 

Next up: second floor decking and framing. 

❤️ v a l e n t i n e s ❤️

Dare I say, best Valentine's Day ever. We woke up and had veggie omlets then Stephen took the kids to crossfit and I got to go on a run and the gym. Then we decided to meet down at camels back to take the kiddos on a little hike. Lots of excersising! The weather could not have been more perfect. The kids had a blast. I was so impressed with how well they marched up that big hill with their little legs. They liked it so well we did it a few times. They also decided to all of the sudden love dogs. Every one we passed we had to stop and pet and get licked. We probably saw 25 dogs, it was a busy Saturday! They got a little to comfortable with the petting, and started petting other kids as they walked by (lol) 

This puppy was named Charlie

It was a beautiful day date with our littles. 

That night Stephen took me out... he had a cute surprise. We got take out and went up near arrowrock and had a fire on the beach and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. He found me a beach:) we had a nice romantic night in the mountains until 3 other people had the same idea haha HAPPY VALENTINES DAY I am surrounded by so much love and couldn't be more grateful. 

"If a picture is worth a thousand words, consider these 'I love you's'"

❤️❤️❤️❤️

How firm a foundation

It's really happening. I'm standing inside my new garage!!

Well of course this process is slow moving, we are no expert contractors! But maybe by the end. We are learning like crazy and boy there is a lot to know about building. We have been lucky so far to have worked with some really wonderful sub contractors who we know very well and who have been extremely patient with us. It's kind of really neat actually, the person who laid the concrete for the foundation of our home is my old bishop, Jay Jones, from when I was about 10-15 years old. He was very influential in my life helping me to find my testimony while still always giving me a hard time, yet also being a friend. He also did the concrete for my parents home. And this summer he helped my brother Riley with a project. The first home my dad built when I was 5 years old. I remember often visiting the construction site bringing lunch from Burger King. I even remember getting my hand smashed 😁 so badly I lost a fingernail. wrong place wrong time. But behind that home where I did most of my growing up, we put each of our hand prints in the concrete. 1994. Excellent year. It was sold back in 2005, and we had recently noticed it was for sale again! So Riley and Mallory contacted the owner and they were fine with us digging around their backyard a bit so with Jays help they removed those special hand prints veeerrrryyy carefully and filled the hole with new concrete. Now we have our keepsake from our family home from 1994-2005. Now it's in my parents new backyard. Pretty cool.

I hope to make our own memories like that in our house. Of course the twins are so little, they won't remember any of the building process. But how fun will it be to look back at their tiny little hand prints and say "this is how small you were when daddy built this house for us!" (Of course we will do our hand prints on a removable piece of concrete😉) plus all the pictures. Anyway, things are coming along and next time we will remember to contact idaho power a little sooner than we did..... Small mistakes to document and learn from next time. 

Lots of Love to 

Lloyd Looney- electrician

Bret Simmons- excavator 

Jay Jones- concrete work 

And up next starting today...

Bob Dilguard- Framing

We are going to have walls!