Halloween 2017

I got to spend the majority of the day, this Halloween, with Krissy, Wyatt, Sophia and Mataya.  Most of it was very chill.  Well, as chill as a day can be with an 11 mo old, 2 year old, 3 year old, and 10 week old puppy!  We played, ate lunch and snacks and more snacks, napped, baked a cake (after two tries),did a kiddo craft project.  It was my kind of a day.

After the daddies got home, we got the little people into their costumes, staged a mini photo shoot, and headed out the door to trick or treat.  Amid all the excitement, I snapped some super cute photos!

 Mataya is all about horses.  And pink.  She is always pretending to be a horse.  She gallops everywhere she goes.  Her horse name is Sally.  When in trouble, more often than not, Sally did it!  Pink is most definitely Mataya's signature color.  Pink on pink on pink is her picture perfect outfit.  So, it was NOT a bit surprising that her when asked what she wanted to be for Halloween, her first request was, "A PINK HORSE!"  A quick search on amazon found us this darling (and warm!) costume.  She was thrilled!

 "Hey mom!  Take a picture of my tail!"

 Our sweet, sweet Sophie-girl is just starting to walk.  She is so proud, so snuggly, and so her momma's girl.  She can say a few words, "LaLa" inculded!  This girl adores food like few others.  Sophia was wearing Krissy's all time favorite Halloween costume, complete with tattoos. And she owned it!  She performed like a model in front of my camera, all smiles, oozing personality and maintaining eye contact.  It was SO fun!

 She melts me, heart and soul, with a simple glance.

This picture makes me want freeze time.

 Dontcha just want to scoop her up?!? 

 Krissy and Devin just added little Bella to their family.  She is a 10 week old dolly, who stole her Auntie Sierra's heart.  I'm not a dog girl, but she is SWEET.  She snuggles in like none other and has such a chill, loving demeanor for one so young.

 Wyatt was not thrilled about wearing a car or having his picture taken.  He tolerated me - sort of - for a moment.  A race car costume is perfect for a little guy who is always on the move and usually making car sounds!

I jokes that Sophia was attempting a jail break!  Why stand still when you have finally figured out how to use your legs?

 As usual, Joshua avoided the camera as much as possible.  I did talk him into one photo.  His costume was hilarious, which fits his personality perfectly.  He is funny and innovative and loves gadgets.  This costume covers all the bases.

Sierra wanted a quick picture with both her nieces. LOL!

After we finished taking pictures, we climbed into cars and headed to Sharlene"s house.  (Tom's too - but Sharlene steals the show for the under 10 year old crowd!)  After a quick visit and a few handfulls of candy, we split up.  Krissy's family headed north toward their home.  Joshua, Mataya. Chad and I made the rounds in our neighborhood.  It was cold - so it was a quick loop, but the kiddos returned home hyper and happy.

They take my breath away, these moments.  Watching my kids run up to a doorway to trick or treat brings me back one year and then in my mind's eye 2, 3, 7, 10, 15, 21 years.  Time is a thief.  In a blink my oldest baby, who was an x-ray her very first Halloween, has a baby girl and a little man.  What a privilege it is to witness it all.

Cabin Catch-UP

So. . . I have not posted pictures of the cabin since July!

Gulp!  That is a long time.

We (well mostly Chad) spent the end of July, all of August, and a big chunk of September working on boring stuff.  He installed the duct work and heating/cooling system.  He ran all the plumbing lines.  He, with the help Dave, wired the place.  I am in TOTAL AWE of all he learned to do.  Though he works with electrical, HVAC, and plumbing subcontractors on many, many jobs - he has NEVER done in depth work in any of those areas on his own - but he did it!  It has all been looked over by a "real" professional, and he totally did it.

Which means we have moved into work we actually specialize in - sheetrock, taping, texturing, painting, cabinet and tile installation, etc, etc, etc. . .

Here is a quick pictorial review of the last few months!

 While I kept the little one's busy splashing in the lake on a 90* day, Chad installed a heater and worked for hours and days and weeks on the duct work.

 Brenna works with her dad best.  And she is brave.  He ran water lines, and she screwed securely in place.

Books, google, and a brave man plumbed this cabin.

We learned SO much.  Even though I am around construction daily, I had NO idea there was SO MUCH stuff running in my walls and ceiling.

While I insulated ceilings, Mataya climbed the opposite side of the ladder to inspect my work.

 Several of our employees volunteered to help sheetrock one weekend.  The amount of work they got done was utterly amazing.  As was seeing walls covered with sheetrock.  Sheetrock has never looked so beautiful.

I do not know how or why - but Chad actually likes taping sheetrock. 

Our littlest laborer figured out how to run the lift.  It is pretty simple - one way is up the other down - but OH MY STARS was she happy to be in charge!

My theme throughout this project has been "do the humble job."  I always give the task list for the day to the kids and let them choose which job sounds the least terrible.  I figure they really don't want to do any of the tasks, but if they see me doing the dirtiest/ichiest/hardest/grossest/scariest it will make their work seem just a bit less daunting.   Which means, I have done A LOT of insulating because NO ONE likes insulating.   

Joshua helped me insulate for about an hour one day.  He thought running the box cutter to cut insulation was fun - until the itching began - at which point he quickly disappeared.

Look at that little boss babe!

There is NO greater gift than time.  Each and every person that has driven up to help us is forever appreciated.

Brenna helped her dad finish the taping in the kitchen.

 Mataya supervised her dad mixing the mud for the wall texture.

 Sierra held the light while he sprayed and helped to ensure even coverage of the texture.

The following day, the girls and I painted the kitchen!

The ceiling is white with the tiniest drop of grey.  The walls are one shade darker.  Cabinets will be installed on the right.  The dining area is to the left.

While the girls and I painted the kitchen, Chad began tiling the bathroom shower.  (Sierra and I had painted that room the day before.)

Although he does not love to tile, he does beautiful work.  I LOVE how it is turning out.

As soon as the tile was stuck to the wall, Chad started installing flooring.  The flooring is actually a snap together vinyl.  We have similar flooring in the camper.  It has worn nicely and is quite affordable, so we decided to use it in the cabin as well.  Chad was happy with how quick and easy it was to install. 

And here is the bathroom, nearly complete.  The toilet works!  The sink does as well.  After manually dumping the camper tank all summer, we are both very excited to have a toilet that flushes into a septic system!

We are working as quickly as possible to get one bathroom and the kitchen functioning so that we can bring the camper home.  The rest of the cabin is in various stages of disorder.  The gathering space is mostly sheetrocked as is our bedroom.  The loft, upstairs bathroom and bedrooms, are way behind.  But with a mild winter and a bit of luck we will be able to work on it all winter so that next summer we can enjoy the place in a whole new way.

A Great Day in LaLa Land.

I often tell my girlfriends that I am a guilty grandma.  The grandmother that I had always pictured myself being is just possible yet. This summer we spent four days a week at the lake.  Building.  It was not an environment that was suitable for my grandbabies.  When we were home, I was frantically getting things done in preparation to go back to the lake.   I spent very, very little time with Krissy, Devin, and our grandkids.

This is NOT how I want to live.

While it is true that Wyatt and Sophia will grow up hanging out with Auntie Mataya and tagging along with Uncle Joshua, less spoiled by me than I had once pictured my first grandkids being - I DO want them to grow up feeling like an very special and dearly loved part of our family.  So, one of my goals for this fall and winter (and the rest of my life) is to clear  space and time for playing and exploring and creating with them.

About a week ago, I was finally able to have a super fun day with my most precious little ones.  We gathered leaves, painted pictures, made hotdog mummies for lunch, and headed to the Pumpkin Patch.  I know the Pumpkin Patch with all its hay and allergens would not be Krissy's idea of a fun afternoon, but she was such a trooper.  And Wyatt and Mataya had such a great time climbing, running, jumping, sliding, and exploring.  It was the best LaLa day I have had in a very long time.

 Mataya loved the corn pit.  She would have stayed there all day.

 Sweet, sweet Sophia Jean spent the entire time there snuggled up with her momma.

 Tractors were Wyatt's favorite.  He spends most of his time making one car noise or another.  You can almost see his lips buzzing in this picture.  I love it!

 Mataya loves to run and gallop.  Everywhere we go, she is running.  I tell Jamison often that he can move away - but there will come a time he will need to move back home so he can coach his littlest sister.  She certainly appears to share his passion.

And she oozes the charm, enthusiasm, and friendliness of Sierra.  She is always smiling and greeting people.

Wyatt follows her everywhere.  He is smart, so smart.  He is talking so much these days.  When he would get stuck in the bale maze, not sure how to get to the next section and too small to leap, he would say, "LaLa I need a ladder!"

Isn't he just the cutest?!?

 She is a brave one.  She figured out how to LEAP across the bales like the older kids she saw there.

 It is an amazing thing to watch my daughter parent.

His momma was always close by, making sure he was safe.

These two playing on the log was a hoot.  To Wyatt, it was a motorcycle.  He was pretending to drive and making motorcycle noises.  To Mataya, it was a horse.  She was clicking and neighing and pulling on the reins.  I adore preschool imaginations.

I adore these tiny ones.

I adore time with them, on their level, dedicated to them.

It was a GREAT day in LaLa Land.