In March, we started on a project to re-finish the deck which was peeling and in need of some attention before the elements completely ruined it, and made for an even bigger and more expensive project.
Chris had the vision so I cannot take credit for anything except some of the labor.
The pictures below are BEFORE when it was brown and peeling.
The first step in Chris' vision was painting the railings white.
The next step was to begin stripping all the paint and to sand a small section to test stains. Unfortunately as we began the process and just after we chose this lovely stain in which you can see the wood so lovely still....we discovered that they had made the deck of two different types of wood. This meant it would be obvious with a stain like that one that there were two different woods, so we had to go with a different stain that was not our top pick. Oh well. Still better than the brown paint...scroll on to see what we went with in the end.
Paint stripping...
Sanding and more paint stripping (which became my full time job so Chris could sand it after me)
Progress! The picture below on the left shows different stages. The brown paint at the bottom, the paint stripped in the middle, and the wood sanded at the top.
Chris was incredible. He did so much work on this project. A bit of paint stripping, all the sanding, some of the rail painting, and then we realized that a few of the boards simply HAD to be replaced, so he did that too.
All sanded and ready! I kept kiddos out of the way so Chris could apply the stain....
And we finished with just enough time for it to dry before it snowed again.
AFTER!
The re-finished deck with white railing and a reddish wood stain.
I'm proud of us.
It was a TON of work, but it looks lovely.
We are so excited for sunshine and drinks and relaxing and hanging out on our re-finished deck.
Have I mentioned I married the best guy in the world?
A few updates on the kiddos (except Sophie who just had a birthday post)
Kolbe
For much of December this boy was on and off sick, but in the times he wasn't, he was decidedly smiley and goofy. Basically his normal self.
Kolbe loves to tackle people, mostly his sisters, which they only appreciate every once in awhile. He also loves hugs, giving sloppy open mouth kisses, and smacking people in the face (which he seems to think is on par with the kissing and hugging.
Sophie got into the cupboard one day and opened up the brown sugar for them. I guess the Christmas goodies all month long weren't enough sugar for them.
He loves snacks and knows where they can be found. He likes to stand at that particular cupboard door whining until he's given something to eat. We taught him the sign for "please" which lessens the whining a little and is really adorable. Especially since he always give his super cheesy grin and jumps up and down with glee when he sees us getting out the crackers or cheerios.
His favorite past time is reading. We find him perched on pillows (and other random objects) and laying on his tummy reading, reading, reading. He reads in a sing-song voice and it's just the cutest thing ever. All of our kids have loved reading but I do not remember so much sing-reading from any of them. He's at it constantly.
My friend from college came for dinner one evening and Kolbe spent the evening flirting with her. She's pretty much the best, so he couldn't have picked a nicer 'girlfriend'.
We got together with Chris' best man and his wife and their dog just before Christmas. Kolbe adored the dog which was really sweet to watch.
Kayla
Our sweet ballerina. She still loves to dance and organizes plays and recitals for her sisters (and herself) to star in.
She maintains an avid love for reading. We generally go to the library once a week and she checks out about 7 chapter books a week. In addition to reading those, she pores over the many picture books that I pick up for our crew. Books, books, books.
Kayla is also writing little stories, memorizing and reciting poems and Bible verses, mastering multiplication facts, and polishing her cursive skills. Additionally she likes to boss her little sisters around and has little patience for them when they have their own ideas. We are working on that aspect a lot these days. All in all, she a sweet, loving 8 1/2 year old full of life and energy and creativity.
Ava
Ava is not always interested in helping out, but boy was she during Christmas season! Every time I went to make up a batch of some kind of goody there she was (usually Sophie too) waiting to help. Chex mix, chocolate peppermint cookies, gingerbread men....
She and Elise also tried out a ballet/tap class during December to see if it might be a good fit for them for 2018, and she was in heaven. She is still her shy self and didn't want to go in at all without Elise, but once she got in and got in her comfortable place, she was dancing with her whole heart and worrying far less about hiding in the shadows and not being talked to.
Ava loves reading and is really absorbing a lot of math as well these days. She and Elise do a lot of school activities together which seems to help both of them enjoy it all the more.
I can hardly believe how much Ava has grown up in the last year, but at the same time, she still has moments where her delicate nature and sensitive spirit show through and make her seem so young still at times. Her development hasn't changed the way she loves to make everyone around her feel loved and special.
Elise
This girl. She's so excited by life and all it has to offer. She has enjoyed singing in choir and learning and making new friends at co-op. Her eyes have a special shine when she is really proud of herself for something. We saw that sparkle often in December.
She built tall towers and begged me to take pictures of her accomplishments. She finally lost her first tooth, which had been loose for quite awhile, but she was so scared that it would hurt that she wouldn't chew anything for weeks with her front teeth. Eventually the tooth came out despite her best attempts to keep it in there hanging by a thread until her 18th birthday.
And when it did, she was one proud little 6 year old.
Her second tooth is loose now, so we are going through the whole loose tooth forever sage once again.
But the smile on her face when she found the tooth fairy's gift under her pillow was just the sweetest. She wanted to shout it out to the whole world she was so thrilled.
She also began memorizing her addition facts (more proud smiles) and is reading better and better each day (more proud smiles). When she chooses to be a sweet little helper, radiant smile. When she picks out an outfit she loves, radiant smile. She is quiet good at finding incredible joy in the very simple, lovely things in life. Except when she's not.
She's still battling some fears and working to move past the trance they temporarily put her in at times. But for the most part, she is a happy-go-lucky, silly, snugly 6 year old.
Chris completed yet another home project.
On the left is the old kitchen sink faucet. On the right is the new one which he installed at the end of December because the old one was leaking.
He's also working on a slow kitchen cabinet re-do. He started by taking off the old dingy knobs and replacing them with lovely silver ones that match the kitchen appliances. Eventually he plans to re-stain the wood to a different shade.
I'm so lucky to have such a handy and motivated guy around the house.
We got a decent amount of snow just before Christmas, so the kids, of course, had to go tramping about in it. It was too fluffy for snowman building, but they had snow fluff fights and made snow angels and just tromped about playing imaginary games and have fun while it lasted.
Kolbe even got suited up and went outside briefly. He sat in it for a couple minutes before getting cold and crying to come back in to the warmth of the house. I don't blame you kid. It's lovely to look at....from my nice warm kitchen.
Some lovely friends sent us this amazing box filled with an assortment of delicious Christmas treats from the Dancing Deer Baking Company. Yum! And yay for sweet surprises.
Chris and I went on a little date to Chicago Pizza just after Christmas. I'm loving going out with him more often than we've ever made time for before. The other sacrifices and finding creative ways to fit it into our budget are totally and completely worth it.
We tried another state food study just before the new year as well.
