Paint, Paint, and More Paint

Can you guess what I've been doing this week?  I spent much of the day yesterday while the kids were at school painting the outside of the house white.  Then today I pulled down all of the old paint from the garage that we had used to paint our house various colors over the last 3 years.  I gave the kids a few sections of the inside of the house to decorate and they got busy.  I was so pleased with how their painting turned out.  It was a fun morning and in the middle of it I thought, "This is one of those days I'll remember forever."  When the kids went down for nap I finished out the white painting and started working on the trim.  I love the way the green trim looks.  When I was painting it I kept thinking about the house in Anne of Green Gables.  That gave me warm fuzzy feelings.

My own little white house

John Curtis starting his masterpiece

Sophie working carefully

What a work of art! (Sophie and the picture)

So proud of his work!

The handprints over the back door

The beginnings of Green Gables

Weekend Pictures

We spent another full weekend working on the play house.  A lot of it was detail work so you may not notice a huge difference, but we really did get a lot done.  When Taylor got home from work Thursday night we worked for a few hours on the siding.  On Friday afternoon I took the kids to Miss Cindy's and we worked on the roof in the cold, cold wind.  Burr!!!

Taylor working on Friday

Saturday morning was COLD.  Robert and James came over to help Taylor around 8:30 when it was still in the 30's.  Someone had to stay inside with the kids and I was glad to be the one to do it.  I caught them in a sweet moment watching cartoons.

The guys got the roof on and this is what it looked like Saturday afternoon.

It was warm enough after nap that the kids got to come out and play.  Sophie decided her house needed to be swept out.

Today after church and nap Taylor worked on the trim while the kids and I primed the inside.  They had so much fun painting and made a huge mess.  I couldn't get it all off of them so they will go to school tomorrow with paint on them and in their hair.

Sophie really was a big help.

John Curtis thought he was.

Working hard.

This is what it looked like tonight when Taylor finally finished working.  I'm going to start painting the outside tomorrow while the kids are at school.  We're into the fun part now!

Meanwhile....

While the kids were in Weatherford, this is what was going on at the Sandlin house...

The last picture is how far we got as of last night.  It is secure enough for the kids to play in this week until we can finish the walls and get the roof on next weekend.  Then comes the fun part - painting and decorating.  I have plans.  This all started when we started pricing playscapes.  Not a pretty picture.  To make it harder, we really wanted to get rid of the little playhouse in the yard since our yard isn't that big.  The kids love their playhouse, so we told them we'd get a play scape with an enclosed playhouse on top.  Easier said than done.  So last weekend Taylor convinced himself that he could build it for a lot cheaper and the kids could have a good size playhouse.  I wasn't totally confident in this idea, but he wanted to go for it.  I bought into it when some of the men at church who have been redoing some of the rooms told us there were storage rooms full of lumber and other supplies that needed to be used or they were going to throw them away.  This was going to make it a lot cheaper.  I was sold.  The same men obviously realized Taylor may not have understood what he was taking on.  They came over to help set the poles and just continued working through the weekend.  We are so thankful for their help.  The kids already love it.  I'll update with more pictures after we finish building next weekend.

Spring Break Part 2: Fun with Grammy and Bumpaw (and a lot of other relatives)

The kids spent the second half of the week with my parents in Weatherford. They got to ride a train, go to the Dallas Aquarium, see Mimi and cousin Dallas, play at the park, and visit a beautiful garden. They had a wonderful Spring Break spending time with both sets of grandparents. My kids are very blessed!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Spring Break Part 1 - Fun with G-Momma and Poppa

Taylor's parents came to visit during the first part of this week.  We had a really good time playing outside, having a picnic at the park, shopping, playing hide and go seek, and going out to eat.  The kids loved being with their grandparents.

G-Momma brought Sophie a perfect Dancing with the Stars outfit.  Notice the beautiful new quilt she made for John Curtis.

Playing with Poppa

Tickle Monster

Playing ball with Poppa

Ready to go to the park

John Curtis Makes Me Laugh

Chilling out in his "boat"

Check out the ball in the air.  That was a great shot.

Goatee

His mischievous face

I love bubbles!!!!

San Antonio Weekend

I have been itching to get out of town this winter, so we planned a quick get away to San Antonio.  We left Friday around noon when Sophie got out of school and drove to the hotel.  The kids enjoyed swimming in the indoor pool.  On Saturday morning we headed to Sea World.  It was a little colder than we thought it would be and very windy, but I think the kids had fun anyway.