Ch-Ch-Ch Changes

Hi, friends! Long time, no see. Sometimes blogging just doesn't happen when life (wonderful, busy, full, blessed LIFE) gets in the way. Which is how it should be, right? As you're aware, we've had some major changes happen to our happy home recently, and I wanted to catch you up...as vaguely as possible.

Since The Professor has strict what-I-can-share-on-the-internet rules, I can't give you much in the way of pictures or specific details. But the gist of it is this: a few days after our window construction was finished (both bedroom and kitchen windows), a crew of seven capable men swarmed our house and completely transformed the exterior of our house in less than 12 hours. It was amazing, truly amazing. I was stuck inside the house all day with four jittery kids (School was out! We had freak temperatures of 75 degrees! None of us could leave the confines of our home because of the construction! Great timing.), so I was only able to step outside periodically and document the changes. Said changes were dramatic and profound, and I managed to get lots of pictures. Basically, all the old aluminum siding, trim, gutters, insulation, etc. was torn off and disposed of, then replaced with all new everything. Everything. We never thought we'd see this day, or at least not until our kids were out of the house, so the "all new everything" is a tremendous blessing.

Now we don't have to worry about our crooked gutters backing up or water leaking through the blow-in insulation holes! It's like a Christmas miracle. In October.

Here, I can give you a small taste of the transformation. I showed you this picture in my recent post about our bedroom windows. When the troupe of seven capable men showed up at 7:20 in the morning, this is what our back bedroom windows looked like:

So window construction is done, they are in, yadda-yadda, but it's all really rough. Like, oh, look, the-very-thinnest-layer-of-my-home-is-exposed-to-the-elements rough. (The birds REALLY liked that exposed wood. I can't tell you how often I was swinging open the window and hollering at birds pecking the side of our home. I know it looked crazy. But what else was I to do? I do the same thing with squirrels who eat my decorative pumpkins on the porch. I am the crazy anti-nature lady.) Then the men swarmed, stayed for half the day, and left our bedroom windows looking like this:

It's...fairly dramatic, no? It's like our house is legit now.

We did a few small changes to the front, like a new mailbox, new paint on the front door, and new house numbers, and honestly, it all looks awesome. Like, Best House for Many Streets Awesome. I'm sorry, I'm bragging, but it looks great. I'm so proud of it all and so thankful, so very very thankful, that we were given this gift. Remember how in September I told you that not getting a free and easy fix to my bedroom woes was overshadowed by the hugeness that is all new everything on the outside of our home? That is so very true. It's such a dramatic contrast to what we had before that I can't help turning and looking at the house every time I step outside. Then I get a big ole grin on my face. I love it.

So I am sorry you can't see it all, but if you know me in real life, please feel free to stop by and caress the vinyl siding. And then come inside, because caressing siding is creepo and I probably have some cookies I can share.

To conclude this vague post, I have a couple of funny, treasured things my children have handed me recently. I only hang onto, like, .3% of the artwork and notes they hand me, but a few gems have made it out of the culling. Here's a recent note B gave me:

It reads "I LOVe YOU CRISTINe CASe." I melted on the spot.

And C continues in her unicorn obsession:

She informed me that this is, in fact, a portrait of me as a unicorn, which I love. I'm especially in love with its hooves. She did this a few weeks ago, and I assure you that her unicorns have already improved. Now their faces aren't looking straight at you any more--they actually look like horses. Geez.

Also, reference for future me, in case I haven't already said it: The boys read well before they wrote. King Peter, by contrast, can write and identify her letters but needs help spelling and doesn't read yet. I love natural, organic learning.

Also, H started walking this week.

BIG CHANGES.