Veterans Day

In honor of a special day, I thought I'd link this gem from days past.

We sure have a lot of respect and love for our grandpas! All four served in WWII. And I'm overwhelmed with admiration for their mommies at home, and Grandma Gunderson who had to send her husband off to war. I feel like I should have some of that courage in my genetic makeup, but I can't think of anything more terrifying!

Wait for the Rexburg Shout Out!

Love how the hair gets bigger as the video goes on!

Kitchen Reno: Process

I've put off posting this because we weren't "finished," but I think that's just kind of how life goes. So here is our big change that happened this summer. If you notice any little pieces of trim that are missing or scratches that need painted, you'll just have to understand that we're human. Tom usually takes a week in the winter and works on all the little gingerbread things that don't get completely finished on his projects.

First, Tom put in the ceiling and lighting. Then, with a little help from the Elder Quorum, we gutted it. Scary day!

Tom donned the paint suit and went to town.

Spooky!

Thomas did a lot of reading, planning, and thinking.

And it started to come together.

A little bit at a time.

Countertops go in.

Prepping for trim.

We had to wait for the brick to come in. So the cement board floor was getting old after a month or so. 

The floor ended up being a ridiculous amount of work, but it really turned out lovely!

And here it is!

Kitchen Reno: Favorite Things

Countertop workspace! Windows that open!

A built-in dishwasher that doesn't leak water all over the kitchen floor! A big sink with a faucet that makes warm water (our old one was either hot or cold).

More cupboard space!

A bar where my little monkeys can sit! Brick floor!

Kitchen Reno: Before and After

Here is a shot of the wall that came down. Our kitchen was so tiny it was hard to get much more in the viewfinder than this.

This is the wall from the dining room side. The layout of everything was dysfunctional and cramped. 

This was the best before picture I could find.

And this is after.

I'm so fortunate to have an amazing hubby who is willing and able to do all this beautiful work. He really did a perfect job and put his heart and soul into it. I still can't believe it's mine sometimes! How lucky am I to have scored this guy?

Crazy Hair Day

Annie and her cupcake hair. I wasn't sure how it would hold, but they still looked pretty good in spite of the cartwheels, monkey bars, and first-graders.

Off to Neverland!

My kids have been enthralled with Peter Pan ever since we went to Disneyland in September. Max still talks about Fantasmic and how "Mickey and Peter Pan killed the bad guys." So it was only natural that this year for Halloween they star as their favorite characters. And the casting was perfect!

Peter, Wendy Darling, and Tinker Bell

I love this tough shot of Max. He thought that dagger was wicked cool.

Mae didn't care what I put her once she realized it resulted in large quantities of candy.

Annie with her witch pumpkin. She's such a fantastic kid to have around!

Maelie loved the candy so much it was a little disconcerting. Hope she doesn't have to get lifted out of her house with a crane someday...

She was super independent all night. She wanted to walk everywhere by herself and then would say "trick-or-treat" SO adorably. But when it came time to pick a candy, she would linger in the bowl; stretching her chubby fingers to get as many candies as humanly possible. She never came away with less than two. Way to work the system Tink.

I could not get enough of this little lost boy in his leggings!

Overall we had one of the best Halloweens ever. The weather couldn't be beat. Pocatello's temps set records! You'll notice in the pictures it was getting dark and we didn't even need jackets. That is not normal for Idaho in October! Especially considering we woke up to mountains of snow just days before this. Such a fun year!