November Happenings

I didn't take a ton of pictures in November, but did want to document a few things before we get full-swing into December and all that entails.

The main theme of November was home improvement.  Sam really wanted our house to look somewhat improved for his parents visit since their last visit, which was almost 18 months ago.  We really haven't done much in the house at all, besides paint Bennett and Elle's rooms.  We were so motivated to make improvements to our Colorado home, but we just haven't had that same motivation here.  I think a lot of it has to do with our stage of life here -- we have 5 kids now (we had two and then three when we were fixing up our Colorado home), and Sam spends two hours commuting to and from work everyday (he spent a hour tops communting in CO).  We are just so tired in the evenings, so we haven't had energy to do much at all.  But that all changed in November.  First project we tackled was removing the wallpaper in the basement bathroom and painting it.  It was a fairly painless project -- the wallpaper came off easily and the room isn't too big so the painting went quick.  I am happy with how it turned out -- I really didn't like the wallpaper down there and the neutral color is much better.

Then it was on to the kitchen.  I spent the first two weeks of November removing the wall paper in the kitchen.  The kitchen was completely painted-over wallpaper, which we didn't realize until after we had moved in.  They had painted over the wallpaper with a flat paint, which I couldn't clean at all, and it was started to crack.  It just had to be removed before we could paint again.  I had a quote from a painter for the removal and painting of the kitchen, and they wanted over a $1000.  So we decided we would just do it ourselves.  But it took FOREVER. No exaggeration -- the wallpaper came off in the smallest little pieces, and in two layers.  I spent every free moment, all naptimes, many late nights, and even a couple of all-nighters removing the wallpaper.  It was horrible.

 I took this picture to try to show how the paint was cracking -- one of the reasons why the wallpaper had to go.

Life marched on as I worked on the kitchen.   Campbell got to bring home her class pet, Ike, for the weekend.  She was in heaven, and spent every moment with him.  It was pretty cute.

I took Elle and Bennett to the high school to watch the Riverwatch Middle School performance of The Wizard of Oz.  It was amazing -- I was blown away by the costuming and sets and the overall caliber of the performance.  It was so super good, especially for a middle school play.  I think back to the musical productions we put on in junior high at Millcreek and have to laugh -- not even close to this performance.

 Since Bennett's team made it all the way to the Lanier Bowl, we had an extra month of football to watch this year.  That meant that Reagan and Campbell and Cal had to attend 2 football games each Saturday for an extra month.  They were such good sports about it, for the most part.
One game they brought a ton of toys and had them spread out all over the bleachers.  They were a bit loud, but it kept them entertained!

 Cal tried to play with them, and Cam wasn't too pleased about that at all!

Here's Reagan to go watch Bennett another Saturday -- she packed a backpack, her iPod and headphones, and another bag of toys -- plenty to keep her occuppied!

Cal was pretty much a nightmare at the games -- I just had to chase him around and keep him from hurting himself on the bleachers.  Funny, busy little boy.

Cam got her preschool pictures taken.  I had just taken the kids to Penny's to get headshot/school photos taken for the year, so I didn't buy any, but they were darling, so here are pictures of the proofs for your enjoyment.

Can't believe this cutie is almost 5!  She is such a little diva, but I do love her to pieces.

Eventually I got the wallpaper removed, and it was time to start painting.  We actually painted it pretty much the exact same color, so the kitchen looks pretty much the same now that we are done.  But I know that the sheen is different, and that the walls can be wiped up and cleaned when I need them to be, which feels great!  

There was a lot of parental neglect while the kitchen was torn apart.  One day I turned around from my painting to find this scene:

 This boy is into everything, and that was definitely magnified while I was working on this project and pretty much ignoring him!

We found out in November that my sweet Elle placed 2nd in the county for her Visual Arts entry for the Reflections contest.  I think she was a little bummed, hoping her photography entry would have done better.  But it was so fun to go to the reception and see her art on display.  Love my darling, talented Elle.

 Eventually I was done painting the kitchen, and football ended, and we were able to have a family dinner on a Monday evening and have FHE.  We did some fun Thanksgiving-type activities.  We really do feel so blessed.

 We each filled out a tree of blessings.  Reagan did hers completely on her own, and I LOVE the blessings she chose: sisters, food, Jesus, friends, God, Plans, mom, brothers, body, Dad, water, family, hands, and something else I can't read.  She is the cutest.

We also came up with people who bless our lives that we could deliver cookies and pumpkin bread to.  The kids chose their school teachers and their bus driver.

 Cal and I got to attend a fun fieldtrip with Reagan and the rest of the SBE 1st graders.  It was at a fun children's museum called INK and we had a lot of fun playing together.

 Cal made a buddy and had a lot of fun as well.  I'm always glad when I get out of the house with him and do something fun -- it is so much easier to just hang at home, but I never regret getting him out of the house.

 Reagan is really thriving in 1st Grade -- she continues to surprise me and I am so proud of the little lady she is becoming!

 Once I recovered from the emotional toll the kitchen project took on me, I tackled painting the little girls room, including the pitched ceiling.  While their room was torn up, all the girls slept in Elle's bed.  Love when these three are all getting along.

The Thursday before Thanksgiving Campbell had her Thanksgiving Feast at school.  Her class were Pilgrims and Indians, and sang a cute song, and then we ate a meal together.  But Campbell didn't eat anything but jello, as she told me over and over that she doesn't like Thanksgiving food.

 Cutest Indian I have ever seen, even if she doesn't like Thanksgiving food.

Then we headed to Reagan's school for a Thanksgiving food taste-testing activity.  Reagan was so excited to have us there, and was so good about including Campbell in everything.  Love that these two are such good buddies MOST of the time!

 This doesn't show the entire kitchen, but here is a taste of the finished product, with the new chalkboard/bulletin board we got.  I love how it turned out.

And here is the finished product of the girls room.  We want to get a new light fixture (chandalier maybe), and need a few more things for the walls, but I LOVE how it is coming together.  It took us way too long to get motivated, but it feels good to finally be making some progress in the house.

So maybe we took more pictures in November than I thought!