Hallelujah!

We did it! It only took me two years, but I finally convinced Thad that painting our kitchen cabinets white was the right things to do. So while he was out of town for work two weeks ago, I dismantled the kitchen and got to sanding. By the time he got home everything inside was primed and painted and all the doors and drawers awaiting spraying. I'm not gonna lie, it was a long week. The rest of the house was in shambles, the kids turned heathen while I ignored them for my project, and we all lived on cereal and chicken nuggets. But it was worth it! Let's review the stages of the kitchen for a moment.

Here it is right when we bought it.

Then after some flooring and paint.

And the grand finale!

It just makes me so happy. So does the other project we finished recently. I've had a vision for the office since we moved in, thanks to some lovely blogs I read, and we finally got far enough down the project list to work on it. We got rid of our computer armiore and little writing desk and made a built in 12 foot desk. Even before we painted and stained, I loved it.

And now it's beautiful! We just have to work on wall art and chairs.

Besides the projects we've made a few small changes around here too. Like hair cuts. I finally braved the clippers with Peter and gave him a proper little boy hair cut. I can't believe the difference it makes.

Before with the mad scientist look.

And now, all clean cut and gelled.

He's getting so big he can even climb up the play house now.

 

But his favorite thing to do still is sit in the dirt and tinker with things. Such a boy.

Also, he loves popcorn. More than anything.

Fun Conversation of the week.  Thad and I watched Red Dawn last week; that's what happens when he gets to browse netflix. Anyway, after the movie is over we were discussing what would actually happen if a foreign country tried to invade and what a good plan of action would be,  Thad started listing the people he'd want with him in this event. After reviewing his options he says, "I"m like Rambo compared to everyone else we know." Dead serious, straight face. I almost choked laughing, and then he proceeded to compare said Rambo like skills and explain why he would be the one in charge in the next Red Dawn remake. Best conversation in a long time.

It's Great to be 8

Andi turns 8 tomorrow and some pretty big things have been happening around here. Friday evening we were able to go to the temple with my family as Bradon went through for the first time in preparation for his mission, which he leaves for in a matter of weeks. Crazy. Then Saturday morning the birthday fun began. Andi has been asking for a horse party for months, but didn't know what you do at a horse party; all she knows is she likes horses. So we planned a cowgirl carnival and played a bunch of games, like horse shoes, and corn hole, and even set up a shooting gallery with rubberband guns. Love Sammy's aim.

 But the main even and surprise of the party, was that we had some friends bring a couple horses over for the kids to ride around the backyard. Andi loved it, and all the kids were excited to ride.

Sammy & Kimberly

Not the whole gang, but the first the first party go-ers.

We even had a horse cake. Do you know how hard it was to find a horse cake?!

I think the party was a hit, and I'm not sure if we'll be able to top it for quite a while. Although, after the party, there was the matter of clean up. And since Andi thinks she wants a real horse, and tries all the time to convince me that she's willing and able to do everything to take care of one, we let her clean up.  She was not happy, and is now thinking seriously about what taking care of a horse entails.

The other thing she has been asking about for at least a year now is getting her ears pierced. We told her she had to wait till she was 8 and thought she'd be over it after waiting a while, but she did not forget that 8 was the magic age, and after her party was over we headed to the mall to get it done. She did really well, which surprised me because she is insane about shots and needles. No tears, no stress, and she is following the care instructions to a t.

That evening we had birthday extravaganza for the Bulkeley January Birthdays. And Sunday evening we had birthday dinner for Andi & Bradon. That's 3 parties and cakes in 2 days people. Sunday evening as well I got to take Andi to the "it's great to be 8" fireside that the stake puts on about baptism for the kids turning 8 this year, and Andi felt very grown up and special getting to go. She gets baptized February 1 and is so excited.
Another big step happened last Sunday as Andi fasted for the first time. Since she is so young, she just skips one meal, but considering how often the girl snacks, this was a huge deal. But she did it, and did really well about not complaining. She told me she felt like she needed to be helpful and make good choices that day, which really is a big part of it. Putting off the natural man and coming closer to the Lord. I was very proud of her efforts, and her behavior throughout the day. It's amazing how quickly the spirit can make changes in us when we let it happen.
In project news, we built a desk this week. I've known I wanted this desk since we bought the house, but there were other priorities to be tackled first. Now that it's done though, we love it. And I do mean we, Thad is starting to appreciate my vision. I love all the added workspace, and the dark wood top against the white cabinets. I'm a sucker for contrast. I do need to find some chairs still and some pulls for the drawers and doors, but I'm super happy with how it turned out.

Also, this keeps happening and it's making me crazy.