The House on Capitol

 I just realized my last post was over two months ago. These weeks are flying by.  A lot is happening at the new house.  We are now painting and Jeff is doing the floors.  Pictures of that to come later.  Here Clayton was nailing lath back on the walls so that the new drywall will fit well with the old trim.

 Our friend, Jeremy, brought over his bobcat to dig a huge trench so we could have our power lines buried.  This was probably Hudson's favorite day to be "on the job."

 After lots of lath was nailed, and insulation blown in (by Jeff and Clay), drywall was next.  Below is the entry way, and kitchen to the back left corner.

 This is the living room.

 Here's the attic, which will be Clay's room. It's now been painted khaki.

T

 We saved all the original trim and sanded it, with lots of help from others.  One thing we love about old homes is all the character they have.  Trim, sconces, and floors are all things we wanted to keep and restore.

 This is Chap's usual position when we are at the new house.  We go over during his naptime.  Glad he's a good sleeper!

 Hudson always finds ways to keep busy...

 Clay and Emma have been huge helpers in this project.  I hope they can appreciate it someday...Clay said the other day, "I'll never buy a fixer-upper!"  Ha! 

 Jeff has been the general contractor on the job, and has put in HOURS and sweat.  Here he is sanding trim. I like to just "get it done" but he wants to "do it right." I'm thankful for his hard work ethic! 

 Emma has been working to remove paint off old door hinges.  (Yet another thing we're saving that's original.) Hudson asked why we couldn't just buy new ones. Hmmmm.

 Happy Chap! He's figured out little places he can still fit into, like the Lazy Susan.  I love this buddy! Does he look like he's ready to be a big brother soon?

 While the big kids clean hinges, the little boys get into mischief of their own with the boxes of hinges.

 Here are the original sconces from the house.  We've picked our 10 favorites to paint and fix.

 And the highlight of recent weeks was a much-needed getaway to Bermuda for Jeff's 40th.  We loved every minute! Thanks to our parents for keeping the kiddos for us!

Fixer-Upper

 On May 19, we bought a house! When we found out we were expecting Baby #5, we thought a little more elbow room would be helpful.  Jeff and I really enjoy house projects and restoring old homes, so here we go! We fell in love with the character of this home, and are excited to make it a little more "our style." Here is the lovely dining room with green carpet.

 Great stairway, especially fun to slide down. 

 This blue bathroom will get replaced with a little more of a neutral look.

 So far, the home has been gutted, the dumpster filled, and a few new rooms framed in.  This is a huge pile of lath in the backyard. Electric and plumbing have begun, and HVAC starts next week.

 This is the upstairs, and notice the blue bathroom is mostly gone. 

We decided to keep the wallpaper in the entryway, but just paint it to keep the texture but lose the green. I love it!  We're hoping to move in October. Stay tuned for more house projects...

Tea and Dress-Up

 In celebration of Emma's 9th birthday, we had a fancy dress-up tea party last Saturday.  It was a magical day and the girls were so sweet.  Grandma Rack, Aunt Melissa, and cousins Cassia and Ashlyn joined in on the fun.

 I loved hearing the girls conversations. Baylie: "Once my mom got me a tea pot. It was made in China!"
Kyla: "I feel like we're at a fancy restaurant!" Cadence: "This is LOVELY!" Isabella: "Where do you buy sugar cubes? And, how do you make these cream wafers?"

 Cadence takes great care in dropping the sugar cubes in her tea.

 Here are the hostesses for the day.  I was so glad to have Grandma Rack and Aunt Melissa's help.  I know by the end of the party each of the girls was wishing she had a Grandma and Aunt just like them too! :) 

 Aunt Melissa was the hair "extraordinaire," and each girl felt like a princess as they got their hair curled by her.  She also called them "Sweetie pie" and "Sugar" in her cute Southern voice.  :)

Florida Girls Weekend

 I just got home from a wonderful trip to Florida with some friends.  We ran the Disney Princess Half Marathon and then drove to Clearwater and soaked up the sunshine.

 Here we are with our medals. We laughed so much and really enjoyed the time to be kid-free!

2014

"Aslan, Aslan. Dear Aslan," sobbed Lucy. "At last."

The great beast rolled over on his side so that Lucy fell,

half sitting and half lying between his front paws.

He bent forward and just touched her nose with his tongue. 

His warm breath came all round her. She gazed up into the large wise face.

"Welcome child," he said.

"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."

"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.

"Not because you are?"

"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."

C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian

Yes, God. Let that be true of us this year.  May we continue to find You bigger and deeper still.

Four-Oh

 We celebrated Jeff's 40th last week, and thus starts the year of "40 Things" that Jeff is going after.  These include running goals, reading 40 books, etc. I thank God for this amazing man that we get to share life with.  I am grateful for how he lives his life-intentional, on purpose, and pursuing God. I'm thankful for the adventures Jeff takes us on and for how he leads our family spiritually.  He is often one to take risks, hike off the beaten path, and go into uncharted waters (literally as well)!  This challenges and inspires me to live life to the full.

 Whether it's hiking in the Rockies, or at an orphanage in India,

 or jumping waves in the Pacific (all of which Jeff had the ideas to do), I'm so happy to be along his side for this journey!

One

 On January 7, we celebrated Chapman David's first birthday!  Above is one of my favorite pictures taken of him recently.  He's won our hearts and we all love him like crazy. If I counted how many kisses he gets each day, it would probably number in the fifties.  Sometimes I fear we smother him...

 I can't believe a year has passed since he snuggled in close as a little newborn.

Some of my favorite things about him: When the kids get home from school, he's often the first one they ask for and want to see. We call him all kinds of nicknames like "Chap-O," "Happy Chappy, " "Chappers," or "Chappy Dave." Chap does a silly wiggle head bob dance when he's happy eating his food.  Hudson wrestles with him, and I carry him around like he's my koala baby, along for the ride. When it's time to lay him down, I sing "Great is Thy Faithfulness" and that's his cue for his thumb to go in his mouth and his tiny hands to grasp onto his blanket.  He rarely fusses at those times, but just looks up at me contentedly.

Happy Birthday, Chaps!  We hope that you continue to grow and learn to love your Maker.  May you follow in His footsteps all the days of your life.  We are so thankful that God chose you for our family.