And We're Finished

With the inside anyway.

A Little Bit of Everything

I was hoping that I was going to get to post pictures of our finished project tonight.  This was the weekend we were going to finish, and we would have if John Curtis had not started throwing up Thursday morning.  Still I had hope.  These things usually only last 24 hours, right?? Right - unless it is the rotavirus.  That can last up to a week I'm told.  That means we have several more fun days ahead of us.  For those of you who have not had the pleasure of experiencing the rotavirus, it is a whole lot of nastiness coming from everywhere.  He really is a pitiful little boy and we've had a few worrisome nights when he couldn't keep any liquids in.  He is finally taking more in than he is putting out so I think our dehydration scare is over for now.  Here is our weekend in pictures (don't worry, John Curtis is only in one). 

Despite all of the sickness, Taylor and Sophie did get to spend some time together working on the house.  On Friday they built the windows and got them painted and put in.  It really looks great.  We hope to finish the inside tomorrow so maybe I'll post some pictures of our almost finished house.

Sophie has been a big help on the house.  She loves to watch Taylor build and she paints whenever she can.

She has been such a trooper this weekend.  The goal has been to keep her out of the house as much as possible and I've been so proud of what a big girl she has been, just going with the flow.  

This is where John Curtis has spent most of the weekend.  I'm sure his brain is mush since we really haven't had the TV off at all.  I try to make myself feel better since Sprout advertises itself as "preschool on TV".  I'm sure he's learning a lot.  I am now a fan of the Goodnight Show.  I am listening to it in the background right now and it puts him right to sleep.  So soothing!  So much we've been missing!  Of course his favorite is WallE, which we've watched at least 3 times.

Does this picture really need any explanation????  Friday night my Sunday school class had an 80's party.  Taylor was nice enough to stay with John Curtis so I could go.  This is exactly how my 3rd grade self hoped I would look at 31.

All the girls

While I took John Curtis to the doctor this morning, Taylor let Sophie ride her bike to the park down the street for a visit with the Easter Bunny and an egg hunt.

She let them paint her arm and I had to wash around it in the bath tonight.

I didn't get a chance to do her hair before I left for the doctor.  Taylor didn't do too bad, though.

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