And now I am seeing this:
And on the other side, this:
That beautiful dark grey color on the top of the newly built dormer - those are called shingles. :) The very crux of this project. Originally it was going to be the extent of this project. Why not knock out a wall here and tear down a roof there, rebuild it and make things better though?! Feeling good about it! So that is what he has been accomplishing. I'm nearly bursting to show you what I got done. Unfortunately you just aren't going to be able to appreciate it the way I do. Pictures can not capture the amazing atmosphere of a clean house. Right now it is sweetly quiet, I still smell the subtle aromas of pine with a hint of lemon and orange - very fruity here. I'm seeing cupboards that have been scrubbed, appliances shined up, floors that are practically blinding me in there cleanliness. Okay, so perhaps I am a bit overzealous. It's just that I have settled for less than this for quite a while. Things have been crazy busy and trying to get such things done while tending to my children has been a challenge I have not met very frequently.
So how did I accomplish all of the above tasks this time? Well, yesterday K had his annual neurosurgeon appointment. It was very routine and went well. Dave was so kind to offer to take him (Really big deal under the circumstances!) and he also offered to take Jay. *Pausing for this to make an impact* He took a 5 year old who isn't walking securely yet, and a very active, newly potty trained 3 year old who would miss his nap. All in the time he could've been on his roof . Yes, Dave really is that amazing! :)
Noe decided to nap for 2 1/2 of the 3 hours that they were gone. At first I heard the quiet and I stood in the middle of my house stunned - had no clue what to do with myself. :) I talked on the phone for a while (and I could hear!), then turned into a crazy woman. I swept and scrubbed, threw stuff, mopped, shined - it would've been a wild sight to behold. :) The satisfaction is unbelievable. :)
I even climbed up on a chair and dusted all of those super hard to dust mementos -
-And shined up glass that was positively covered with chubby little hand prints. :) Yes, I was almost tempted to just leave them - what's cuter than little hand prints? I give 'em a few hours though and the adorable evidence of little people in my house will be back!! :)
Perhaps it has been futile to try to share my exuberance because you all didn't know how it looked before. Use your imaginations friends! They are 5, 3, and 18 months... Think about scraping dried yogurt off the floor under the table, picking up so many books you'd think you had been transported to a library, tripping over toys every where you stepped, and dust from the roof project covering pretty much every thing. :) Yep, I'm feeling good. :)
Oh, and one more little thing that is feelin' good - my creative side is being fed. :) I even had some time for a little bit of scrap booking! Loving it!
The best part of all of this for me is this: with all that I accomplished yesterday I will be able to relax and enjoy these guys to a much fuller extend today. That really makes me feel good!
The learning fair was our first stop. After that Dave dropped me off for an appointment and bought the boys ice cream. When we met up again we all went to Lowe's together. That's what I call quality family time! Honestly, one of the things I love about us is how we can make just about any thing into fun family time. Going to Lowe's for windows, lumber, and nails was a memorable part of our evening. :)
Dave and I put the boys to bed early and enjoyed a movie and pop corn together last night. It's been a long time since we've had a special evening to ourselves like that! It was so healing for me to just relax with him and hold his hand. We watched 