After!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, after you spend this much time, money and energy on remodeling you can put a bazillion exclamation points on your blog title, and fill it with way too many pictures ;).
      Once we started remodeling our living room we did away with our old TV and did without one for the half-year or so of remodeling.  Don't be too impressed, we watched on our computer, but still, it's not the same.  We finished up right before Christmas which was perfect timing to get a TV for our family gift.  

 

 

A very Merry Christmas!!

 

 

And here's the rest of it...

 

Down the stairs to the reading nook, down the hall to the living room and bathroom.

 

     I know this is kinda weird, but I'm so thankful to have these things behind doors!  Since we moved here our furnace, water heater, & water softener have been out in the open.  Loved those closed doors! 

Our beautiful new bathroom with toilet securely installed on the FLOOR!!  Yay! 

 

 

Our beautiful living room finished and ready for our family to play, watch, read & relax. 

 

 



Construction Expands & Continues

 

     Once we got into remodeling it was easy to justify expanding to the living room, hall & extra room (pretty much the rest of the basement that hadn't been recently remodeled).  So we put insulation and actual sheet rock in the living room. We also installed a support beam that had been removed before we bought the home. 

     This one stair is the only picture of our lovely church carpet.  It was painful to rip up because it had been glued to the cement floor.  We were so happy to have it all gone...sayonara church carpet!!
The corner at the bottom of the stairs had a funky "shower," if you could call it that.  It was set on two feet of solid cement...another jack hammer job.  Again so thankful for a hardworking hubby!
One of our main plumbing lines runs right here so it took a little creativity to make it a normal, useful space. 

      Here it is sheet rocked along with the sheet rocked bathroom & walls up the stairs.

      Decisions, decisions....

 

     I really wanted wood floors for our heavy traffic areas.  The top of the stairs is right at our back door where a lot of dirt is brought in.  Come to find out you can't put wood on concrete because of the moisture so we started looking at wood laminates.  We found this one and loved it.  Corey wasn't happy about installing it, but after the biggest argument of the remodel, Stan's help & encouragement and a few days of silent treatment....it was done.  Beautiful!  We had just enough tile left from our kitchen to tile the bathroom, Corey did a great job. 

 

     And then there was paint....

 

     These two were so excited to "help" paint.  After this day of not-so-productive painting the Mom's came to the rescue.  Blyth took the twins and my Mom & I spent the day together painting...I'm so mad I didn't get a picture of us.  It was such a good day to spend with my Mom. 

Before...

     Living in an old house is interesting.  When we bought our old farm house we were able to remodel the kitchen and update the paint and carpet upstairs.  Our upstairs only has two bedrooms so our boys have always been downstairs in our somewhat-finished basement.  It would be familiar to people who have lived in old homes, a lot of painted cinderblock, church carpet (church cabinets, church kitchen, etc.), and an odd layout.  What almost no one would be familiar with is our pedestal toilet.  I'm devastated that we didn't get a picture of it in all it's glory.  This house didn't have plumbing to the basement and was on a septic tank for quite some time.  So in order to have toilet #2, this is what they did. 



 

     Now just imagine a toilet sitting on top of these steps.  The unpainted cinderblock on  the back wall is where the back of the toilet was.  Pretty awesome & in totally working order for the first 4-5 years in this house.  So step #1: take out the cement throne. 

 

    
     I took our "big boys" to a museum one day and came home to this....demo is so so DIRTY!!  We've got all our boys downstairs in nicely finished rooms along with our family room so we had to keep it all closed off.  Corey had this demolished and cleaned up in a day..he's amazing.  The following week the Young Men in our ward hauled it all from our backyard (Corey stuffed everything through a coal shoot in our backyard) to the dumpster in the front. 
    

 

     Step # 2: get a sewer line into the basement. We had to have a cement cutter come cut a line through the basement floor to where a drain is and the future bathroom would be.  Then Corey rented a cement mixer and brought in the troops to help pour it.  Again, a lot of hard work and creativity here. 

 

 

     It was really nice to be at this point in the re-model.  A nice, clean slate felt good. 

 





Let it Snow!

     Well, Thanksgiving is over so I'm officially okay with it snowing.  We had a great big storm yesterday so I ended up dressing my twins in their snow clothes four times.  They loved it!  Brecken especially loves the opportunity to put his tractor to work in the off-season!

Patience

     How cute is this kid?  Who knows how long he waited so that he could surprise me hiding in my pillows?  Love you Breck!

Happy Halloween

 

     This year Corey and I had a party to go to so we dressed up too.  It was pretty fun, I have to say.  Corey crashed on his bike and got a black eye/road rash face the night before, but with all that make-up no one could tell. 

 

     This year Mac was an astronaut (made the costume himself), Keaton a rock star, Tate a zombie, Breck a power ranger, and Avery was a black cat.  McKay and Keaton went out on their own with their best friend Brad.  Tate went to a party in the neighborhood and the twinners went out with Corey. 

     We finished the night off with sorting and trading candy (of course) and watching "Watcher in the Woods." 

 

      Almost everyone coordinated their pumpkins to their costumes...pretty fun! 

 

 



First Honey Harvest

     We've had bee's for two years now, so this year we were able to harvest.  It was a small harvest, but fun!  Way to go Babe! 

Dancer Girl

      This little girl has been begging to take a dance class.  We found a great little beginner class through the school district and she's loved it!!  I thought it'd be a great opportunity for me to sit and read, but who can read when their only daughter is in her first dance class!!  It was so fun to watch her feeling so big and loving being with her friends and learning to dance.  Miss Charlotte was great!  Way to go Miss Avery!!  Love you Dancer Girl! 

Let School Begin!

      How does time go so fast?  We moved to our home the week before McKay started kindergarten, this year he started Middle School.  The school district changed their grades making elementary k-5, middle school 6-8 and high school 9-12 so McKay started middle school well, right in the middle.  He was pretty nervous, but excited for his first day.  He loved that he could ride his bike.  He was especially excited for his elective classes of exploring technology, art, and band.  Middle school starts a lot earlier than elementary so that's something to get used to but he gets home a full hour before the other kids too. 

      Fifth and second grades for these two Chinese immersion students.  I'm so so happy with their teachers this year.  Keaton has Ms. Tracy and Kao Lao Shi and Tate has Miss Longaker and You (prounounced Yo) Lao Shi.  They're all great & I'm ever grateful for wonderful teachers! 

 

 

These two don't start kindergarten for two years so we're doing our own preschool this year.  It's been so fun to do together and every day they can't wait for "school."

Round Valley Race

       We had a great time at the Round Valley Race a few weeks ago.  Corey's good friend Drew puts this race on and it's a great, family friendly event.  Everyone got to race!  Here's our pre-race line up.
And our finishers.....great job guys!!!!

Uncle Karl's Comin' to Town

     Uncle Karl lives in Arizona so when he comes to visit it's a great excuse to get everyone together.  We met up American Fork Canyon for a yummy BBQ and catching up.  I love this picture of my Dad and his two younger siblings Karl and Tracy, and Weston interested in something else. 
                                                                                                                                            
      

     Of course the river was a huge hit!  Keaton, Tate and Mac above, Avery and Wyatt below.  Yes, that's Adam & Hayley's kid....two years old and as tall as my four year olds. 

                                                            Fun night in a beautiful place! 
    

Mud

Sometimes I'm a fun mom because I try to be.  Sometimes I'm a fun mom because I didn't catch them in time....play on. 

Mid-week Race Series

      The Mid-Week Race Series is a major part of our summer.  These are the best, family friendly races around.  They have a few different venues and races every Tuesday night.  Adults cost $15 and kids are free....a screaming deal for our family.  The best part is everyone can participate.  We have a great time in our beautiful mountains cheering each other on and being together. 

                                                                        Our littlest racers

 

      At the end of the season they have a great dinner and awards ceremony.  This year it was pouring rain so we were all soaked, but we're die-hards so we stuck it out for our certificates and the prize drawing.  Thanks so much Mid-Week Series organizers!!  You're the best!