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!

Be kind.

Is it sad that a highlight for our family is a trip to Costco every other month? I think not. But it's debatable. We get dinner for the 4 of us for a whooping total of $6.48 and the kids even mooch several samples off those cute ladies with the hair nets. Seriously I think last time they got 2 samples each of the chocolate pretzels. How can you resist this? 

But seriously. Costco is a dangerous place. My kids get all cracked out on sugar and we do our best to not spend over $300. It's good to set limits (lol) but this trip was especially sweet. I've been thinking for weeks that I want to chop off my hair. My kids hang on it, it takes forever to clean and dry it (which is why it's a once--mayyybe twice a week thing) and my neck has been killing me. That sounds silly but really, this stuff is heavy!! Anyway we were walking around and I hear this girl behind me almost chasing after me. I thought certainly she wasn't talking to me. I turned around and she just unloaded the compliments. I was genuinely red in the face and almost in tears with how kind she was. She raved about how gorgeous my hair was and how adorable my twins are and then Stephen walked up and she thought we walked out of a movie or something. She called us "Barbie and Ken" and "the most picture perfect family" and was so sincere. She told Stephen to never let me cut my hair because it is too beautiful to waste. I thanked her for going out of her way to come and be way too nice to me. And then she told us to have a blessed week and we went on our way. A little bounce to my step. 

I'm grateful tonight for random acts of kindness. And for the example of a stranger to go out of our way and pay attention to our surroundings. I think we, myself particularly, get caught up. On anything-- shoot everything-- and forget that there are so many people around giving us countless opportunities to share goodness and bring light into another's life. It was a reminder for me to act on those opportunities more often. You never know what kindness can do. 

First gig

You are looking at the newest brand reps for Lucky Lamb and Co! It's my friends etsy shop and she makes some seriously darling kids accessories and has asked these fashionistas to help sell her product! So last weekend we took the babes on a little adventure to find the sun and take a few pictures for advertising. It's always so fun when they cooperate isn't it? Love these little baby models. We even had the opportunity to help someone who got their car stuck in the snow. Always grateful for those acts of service when they come our way. 

T h e B e g i n n i n g .

This moment has been on the tip of my tounge for 9 looooong months... And no it's not a baby I've been growing although at times it has felt that way. We set a goal when we were married to someday build our own home. To be the contractor and to design and create every inch ourselves. We have been working with many professionals to aquire land, draw custom plans, obtain building permits and apply for construction and mortgage loans. We have undoubtably had our bumps and bruises along the way. We had our fair share of headaches when the plans we spent 3 months perfecting were DENIED by the city of Boise due to improper zoning and set back requirements which were overlooked by our draftsman. The next set of plans were cranked out rather quickly (because they were free due to his error) in 3 weeks but we still had to start over with the permit application process which was another 2 months. By this time our pre-approval with the bank was thrown in the trash and our lender re located and was no longer able to help us get the specific loan needed in order for us to be our own contractor. There is 1 bank In The state that still does these types of loans. And they were slowwww. Another 2 months and we were almost ready but then... The lender is spontaneously FIRED without explanation and we are left again in the garbage having to start AGAIN with now a third lender. Should not be this difficult right?? Well we bought our lot the first of June and here we are almost the first of February but it's finally here and none of that matters now. We obtained permits earlier this week and today we closed on our construction loan which means tomorrow our electrical pole goes up and port-a-potty gets delivered then MONDAY mOnDaY monday we dig a hole in the ground and begin this crazy process of assembling a home for my family. I am really looking forward to documenting this journey and learning (we are learning SO much☺️😭) and growing with my Husband. I feel terrified and completely under qualified most days but then the next day I'm the Boss and I get this rush of adrenaline and sense of responsibility and some chemical reaction happens in my brain and I just get things accomplished. Or we get some information and Stephen and I will look at each other and go straight to ask someone or get on google and figure it out together. The hardest part has been waiting and having no control over what was happening with permits and the bank. But now control has been reinstated and I feel like I could take on the world!! Or at least get a house built. I have not even looked at our plans for months because it was so depressing. Today I'm allowing myself to get excited again. This is gonna be good!

Thanks for all the help Bear and Charlee!