Sunday, March 27, 2016

Happy Easter!


Happy Easter everyone!  It's been a rough week around here unfortunately.  Both Nyles and I have been sick.  He started showing signs of sickness last Saturday with a cough, fever, and lethargy.  Sunday he still had his fever, so we took it easy.  It was the Provo City Center dedication so we let him stay here to nap w/ Dave and Joann while we went, but he ended up getting up and didn't sleep til after we got back.  That night I started to not feel too well.  I got the chills, a cough, and sore throat.  I didn't sleep too well that night, so I ended up staying home the next 2 days.  I made my way into work Wednesday and Thursday, just so I didn't use more vacation/sick days, but didn't stay the whole time either day.  I had already requested Friday and the following Monday off (around Easter).  Instead of going up to Idaho for Easter, we've been here trying to get better.  Not the ideal situation, but what can we do?

We took Nyles to his Dr on Tuesday because he was complaining his ears hurt.  Sure enough he had an ear infection.  We started him on the antibiotics, but unfortunately they didn't work too well.  We ended up taking him back to his Dr on Friday, and he said his ear wasn't getting better like it should, so he switched to a different antibiotic.  Thankfully he's been perking up the last couple days and has had more energy like he should.  Before switching meds, many times we'd find him like this on the couch just wanting to sleep.  Poor little guy.




I went to the Dr on Thursday and was diagnosed w/ the flu.  Fun eh?  At this point there is nothing we can do but let it pass.  There has been a lot of coughing, and lack of energy of course.  Joann ironically was diagnosed w/ pneumonia the day before as well.  We've been quite the bunch here, coughing, sleeping, and lounging around.

Since I was home most of the week, Steve has been able to go over to the house and work on it.  The paint is done upstairs and we now have carpet in all the bedrooms, the stairs, fireplace room, and downstairs!  It definitely has made a big difference!  A guy came and laid it all out on Wednesday, then stretched it on Thursday.

The carpet installers, working on the stairs.

Yeah all done!

Extra bedroom all done w/ new carpet!

Carpet done in the master closet.


 Steve cleaned behind the old oven (really gross), then our new one got delivered, oh yeah!

The fireplace room w/ carpet too! 

Steve went and got our couches and entertainment stand.  We are getting closer to moving in, but also he wanted an area Nyles could play.  The box in the corner is full of his toys.  He was SOOO happy to see them and play w/ them again!

Steve is trying to finish painting the kitchen (just a couple touch up spots), then he's on to the formal living and dining room to paint, then the floors.  We're getting really close to being able to move in though.

Nyles wanting to help hammer some nails in the floor and cleaning up w/ his loader. :)

Well, here's to a better week!  Hope all is well for everyone.  Happy Easter!  Such a beautiful message of hope.  Because of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, we will all live again after death!

Easter is a time to remember all that Jesus Christ has done for us. It's also a time to consider His simple invitation that has the power to transform us forever: "Come, follow me."

Sunday, March 20, 2016

We Bought a House!!

Today is officially the first day of Spring!  Yeah!  The past few weeks have been warming up, and so have I!  I have gotten out my short sleeve shirts and shorts and still am rather warm most times.  Last time w/ Nyles I don't remember being this warm, probably because it was Summer time and it really was HOT outside!  This little guy is getting bigger and sure moves around a lot lately too!  The other day at work he did a full rollover on my whole stomach moved w/ him.  We had another Dr appointment this past Wednesday.  Today we are 28 weeks, which now the 3rd trimester.  Things went well w/ the appointment, just a little nausea and almost fainting while they drew my blood to test my glucose, then to give me the Rhogam shot.  I'll have to get another Rhogam shot after deliver again, just like we did w/ Nyles.  They do this just in case the baby is a positive blood type, since I am a negative type.  Nyles and Steve are both positive.  In some ways this pregnancy has gone by rather quickly.  I guess we've had a lot going on lately......listing and selling our condo, packing up, moving, and now we are officially home owners!

Monday, March 7th we signed the official papers and closed on our house!  It then officially became ours the next day and we started the demolition.  We first we worked on getting the carpet and pad out.  Dave and I also started taking some of the wallpaper down.   The couple we bought the house from had lived in the house almost 20 years.  They were the 2nd owners and mentioned they loved things the way they were, so they hadn't make any updates.  You could definitely tell unfortunately.  As we started taking the carpet out there was LOTS and LOTS of dirt underneath, gross!  The wallpaper in the kitchen had several layers of wallpaper on it as well.  This house is definitely in need of some TLC and updates, inside and out.  

The house



House demolition time.....Day 1.  Taking out carpet and starting to take the wallpaper down in kitchen.

Steve working on taking the carpet off the stairs and vacuuming up all the dirt underneath.
 

Old carpet still in fireplace room.  Rob taking carpet out of our guest room.  Notice the lovely pink and flowered wallpaper in this room?  Luckily this wallpaper came out a little easier than the kitchen or master bathroom.

Dave getting things ready to start taking the wallpaper down in the kitchen.

Oh the wallpaper and shelves in the kitchen.
Nyles taking some "selfies" while being watched by Grandma McGrath.


 Day 2- Carrie came over to help w/ Nyles while Steve and Zach continued to take out carpet the next day.

Zach taking the pad out of the master bedroom.

And now the fireplace room.

Zach getting the shelves out of the master closet in order to paint and get ready for carpet.

Finally, all the carpet is out of the house!  There was a lot of it needless to say, not to mention it was at least 20 years old!  We took down lots of random shelves too.

Nyles and Lynsie played w/ trucks and gathered rocks.  Then took a bath :)


When I got home from work Nyles had crashed on Grandma/Grandpa's bed (since he was having too much fun w/ Lynsie and didn't take a nap earlier).

After changing, we went down to check on the progress and help do the wallpaper some more.  
No more old carpet yeah!

Working on taking the shelves down and the wallpaper in the kitchen.


Day 3

The shelves are down in the kitchen.

Still working on the wallpaper.

The top layer of the wallpaper in guest bedroom is down.

Nyles room getting closer to being ready to paint.

The nursery room.

The master bedroom....lovely blue paint huh?

Day 4-starting to paint the ceilings and closets white.  Again the house hasn't been painted in 20 years easily, so everything ended up needing 2 coats of paint since the old stuff wasn't "white" anymore.

Dave helping Nyles do our paint samples, then starting the white in the closet in the nursery.  The paint colors we chose so far are Revere Pewter (Pauline has it in her house) and Edgecomb Grey, both by Benjamin Moore.  They are nice neutral colors.  We put the Revere in the bedrooms and Edgecomb in hallway and fireplace room so far.

Dave and Rob working on painting the closet white in Nyles room.

Dave and Steve assessing the fireplace room and where to start painting the ceiling.

Day 5-Saturday, March 12th, we had people over to help.  We thought we'd be painting the walls by now, but since the ceilings took 2 coats of paint and we needed to repair some of the walls, we ended up working on those things instead.  Pauline and Chris came to help that afternoon as well.  Charlotte watched Nyles and Ezra and played outside in the yard mostly while we worked on the rest of the wallpaper in the kitchen.  Their extra height really helped so I didn't have to use a ladder on the tall spots :)

We REALLY appreciated everyone who has come to help w/ the house so far.  The house definitely is a lot more square footage than our condo.  So as they say, "many hands might light work."  Thanks everyone, you've been a great blessing!

Nyles checking out his room w/ white ceilings.

Dave working on painting the ceilings w/ a spray machine.  It got a little messy ;)

Steve doing his favorite job of masking off tape in preparation of painting.

Dave Thomas getting ready to roll paint.

Rob working in the master bathroom.

Jeff working in the master bathroom, getting the worst wallpaper off!

Phill working on the wallpaper also.  He ended up being there all afternoon, bless his heart :)  
It was the most horrible, stubborn wallpaper out there, and wouldn't come off the wall at all! 

Getting the wallpaper down in the kitchen.

And over here too.

And over here....luckily Chris could reach much easier than I to get the last little bits.

The guest bedroom getting closer to painting the walls.  Ceilings are done, finally white!

Jeff working on the nasty wallpaper in the master bathroom.

Nursery ceiling done.

Charlotte pretending to be horse w/ Nyles riding her.  Ezra playing w/ his bucket in the dirt.

Steve, Chris and Pauline in the kitchen.

Rob and Jeff chatting about the progress.


This past week, our 2nd week of renovations, we've had a lot of wall prepping, and finally got to paint the walls.  We have all the bedroom but the guest bedroom done w/ the 2nd coat of paint.  This week we just need to make sure all the rooms are ready for carpet, which will be installed on Wednesday.  

Ironically Sandy City has an annual city clean up where they come pick up wastes from around the city, and ours will be this coming Tuesday.  We've piled up all the carpet, shelves, a toilet, and now some bushes from around the yard.  We took out the old oven as well, and someone already came and got it for scrap metal.  We also cleaned out the garage on Saturday.  Good timing and a few less trips to the dump for us!  

We are also going to work on getting our formal living room and dining room ready to paint, then we'll put the new hardwood floors in there.  We also need to paint the kitchen and entry way.  Then, not this week, we'll put new tile in the master bath and guest bathrooms upstairs.  Here are some pics from this week.

Wednesday we had some people over to help again.  You guys are great!  Thanks again!

Dave working on the ceiling in the master bedroom.

Nice paint on the ceiling.

Nyles checking out the paint job around the windows in the Master bedroom.

Phill after finishing the master bathroom and working on masking off areas.

Chris getting painters tape ready to put on the paper for the ceilings. 

Good work Chris!  He was able to reach the tall spots pretty easily as well ;)

And a couple days later.......new paint and no more blue!


Steve working on the fireplace room paint.

Joann, Nyles and I stopped by to check on the progress.  Nyles thinks the tools are fun to play w/ though.  There wasn't as much I nor Nyles could do this week since they were painting.


 All done now!  Looking good :)

Nyles eating a granola bar sitting on a our lawn chairs.  
Steve brought them over so we'd have something to sit on.
The hallway done being painted.

Our fridge arrived!  Nyles helping get cobwebs out of the window w/ a broom.
 

This last Tuesday, the 15th, was also Joann's birthday.  So Nyles and I made a cake and we all had ice cream.  Carrie and Lynsie stopped by as well, and Ryan too, just as we were about to sing to Joann.

Happy Birthday Joann! 

Nyles and Lynsie helping to blow the candles out!

Carrie took Nyles and Lynsie to the Curiosity Museum at Thanksgiving Point on Thursday.  
They had a LOT of fun!
 

 And they had a picnic w/ Ryan and a little game of chase.

Unfortunately Nyles isn't feeling too well today.  He's had a fever since last night and a snotty nose.  Hopefully whatever he has will pass quickly.  We put Nyles down for a nap and went over to the Provo City Center Temple Dedication today around noon.  It was a really great session.  We are so blessed to have temples today and are blessed to have the covenants in our lives so we can return to live w/ our Heavenly Father. 

Well, we'll keep you posted on how things are going.  There is still a lot to do before moving in, but I guess we're getting closer.  One step at a time :)