Raw Life.

My heart just wrenched as I watched back this video from 10 months ago. Holy. Check it out. I videoed our renovation upon moving in.

It took me a long time to watch it back, a longer time to realize that we actually bought this crazy house, and then to see my small children and dog running around :/

What is funny is that we ask the kids all the time, "So what do you think about the new room?!" (After it is finished) to which David will respond, "I like it both ways and I like to rip things out with daddy."
Well, there is a guy in the making for ya! I actually asked Davids best friend, Jarrett, and he said, "I liked it better the other way." Ha!! I love kids. Hilarious.
I realized that I may be the only one in my entire house hold that actually cares that this place is a disaster!
But, either way- we are 2 weeks out from being almost done. Oh my gosh.

I can't tell you or even verbalize what it is like to live inside a renovation you are doing. I may need post renovation therapy to know what how to live in a normal house where we don't work on projects after the kids bedtime until wee hours of the morning. I guess I can start by sleeping again!

All I know is that it has been very hard for a very long time. And you know what? We have been through lots of situations that have been very difficult for an extended period of time. And by God's grace, we have overcome.  I really don't know what else to say other than that you really do build up mental, emotional, and literally physical strength when you are pressed for so hard for so long. And thank goodness that is scripture my friends...2 Cor 4:8-9
⁸ We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 

We like the renovation challenge.... only because we know there is an end and a goal.

Today, was a bad day though. Not all days are hard work, good attitudes, and good deals.
 We had to put down the second coat of polyurethane. It stinks. So, we had a fan in the window and the room tarped off to suction out the smell (which actually works so we didnt have to move out for a few nights to my mom and dads).
Anyway, I finished cooking dinner- which that is an entirely different post on HOW i cook dinner every night since we have no kitchen- and we sit down.

I hear sirens. Tornado sirens. I go to open the window and the latches (that pop it out so you can clean it) come out, and when I pull up the window, hits me in the eye. I immediately start icing it because I am sure I have a black eye.
We eat and clean up and Tim starts the 2nd coat of poly. I entertain kiddos and dog and I hear hail. I run outside in the hail realizing that our cars are parked in the driveway, not in the carport. I park them inside b/c Tim can't stop the Polyurethane and I come in drenched, with a swollen eye.
All of the sudden our window fan to suction air gets sucked out by the storm and we watch it short circuit outside :(
As Tim is finishing the poly, I am frantically getting the kids ready for bed, looking for another fan, and trying to do dishes (another fun time with no kitchen). We had some sweet tea last night and I see a plastic cup which appeared to be full of sweet tea and dump it in the sink all over the dirty dishes..... when the smell hits me. That wasn't sweet tea. That was Tim's cup of Polyurethane for the cutting in areas....
I sit in the floor and sob.
I'm pretty sure all my dishes are ruined. Not to mention my make-shift sink is now coated in it. I start my "I Hate Everything..." rampage and swear to Tim that I will never do another house again (I have sworn that before and it doesnt seem to work...)
I realize I need to put myself to bed after I put my kids to bed and call it a day. But, instead, I update our blogs because you just can't make this stuff up people. Then, I decide to post the video so people will know my real life.

Better, right?!

So that was our evening. We are a little over it. Ready to be done. And I am ready for ALL tools and supplies to be out of the living areas so I DONT pour polyurethane all over our stuff.

Well, here is a picture of the kitchen almost done. We are getting cabinets and appliances put in this weekend and granite next week. It's going to be a crazy next 7 days, but there is a MAJOR light at the end of this tunnel!!

Thank you Lord for getting us through this, He is just with us. And seeing pretty hardwood floors under linoleum always makes me tear up a little. They are just pretty. And that makes me happy.

We are a Normal Family.

Ha! Not really. Not at all actually. But, I did want to take a "time out" from the house renovation #2 and update about our family! Please excuse my phone pics, I have been trying to bust out my fancy camera... but not a chance those are getting uploaded soon :0
 Here is funny things I want to remember about my kids and some pictures!!

Mackenzie is my little Soul Sister.... she is just a party waiting to happen. I don't even know how to start about her. She is my little Free Bird. She is a complicated mess. But, a beautiful mess! Mackenzie says hilarious things. She talks non-stop from the time she wakes up until she falls asleep. She talks to herself in her room at night and to all her "friends" in bed with her...those would be about 25 stuffed animals. She kisses everyone on the mouth. We are working on that. She tells everyone she is a Veterinarian. She has a huge passion for all animals. She also tells me weekly she can't wait to be a mommy just like me. And she wants to "born babies". Lots of babies. I love the phrase- born babies. In fact, its one of those phrases I don't correct because it is cuter wrong. She takes care of her dolls, but also her puppy stuffed animals. She gives them bottles, puts them to bed, and brushes their fur. Often, she will get very upset and say, "Mommy!! It's time to take all the dogs outside to go potty!!!" She would love a house full of animals. She loves music. She quickly memorizes words to songs and loves every song. She is very "in tune" to her spiritual side.... she will raise her hands to praise songs, shout, and clap hands about Jesus. She will bust out into prayer... and her prayers are quite lengthy. She asks deep questions for her age and has asked Jesus into her heart about 75 times (we are still working through what that actually means). Just cant get enough of her. Love her. And love what a teachable heart she has. Mackenzie is good times.

 David is more of a mamas boy than ever... and I LOVE it! They both think daddy is a hero and can do anything (which he kinda can) and I love that too. He loves his schedule, being with mommy, loves his bed, loves food, and sleep. He is so simple. So easy. He has insane amounts of energy and eats insane amounts of food. He is big into family, having people over, and our "calendar". He wants to know what is on the agenda- when, what, and where. He is a little OCD like his mama. He is a natural for tools and has an affinity for fixing things like his daddy. He is sensitive and can easily get his feelings hurt. He is very in tune to others feelings and emotions. He is smart, loving reading and math right now. He aims to please and making mommy happy is what he wants to do. He asks serious questions recently about life, death, and heaven... and mommy tries her best to answer right :/ He can still act like a complete hooligan, but I am pretty sure that it his little wild heart coming out. I love the wildness actually. The chaos makes me feel like they are having a childhood. And making messes and being silly. He loves simple things and being outside is his favorite thing to do.... he is a textbook boy and will play with bugs, mud, and sticks. He thinks his sister is crazy and tells her to stop talking so much- oh my poor big boy! So thats my little kiddos at 4 and 6 years old :) Here is a photo recap!
Ok, one renovation picture. Here is my empty kitchen and Tim hanging drywall on stilts. I kept waiting for him to bust it...

There are 27 kids on our street. I love that my house is full of little people a lot :)

Some of our very good friends just had their second child! To keep privacy, I love Baby E so much because she was very much prayed for. My friend had a couple years of infertility- so she went to her doctor for fertility treatments and they found a baby instead!! Love when I hear stories like that! We never struggled with infertility, we had the opposite problem, so I deeply empathize with anyone that has been through that.... oh the road of family planning!

We took a family get-a-way weekend up near Brasstown Valley in Hiawassee, Ga. It was so nice to get away from our big project and just have fun! Thankful to have gone and for the family's place we stayed at!

Ok, one more house renovation picture... here is our granite and cabinet color....

Kids thought it was awesome to swim in the winter on vacation inside the heated pool :)

Waterfall hike...

I also got to go on a girls weekend to Seaside, Florida (our favorite place). I went with some fun girls that I met this year through Davids school. They were a lot of fun! I laughed so hard that weekend my sides hurt!! I did not get a good group photo so here is some scenery...

Beautiful Seaside Sunset...

This is just the cutest chapel I've ever seen that is down there...

Tim and I celebrated 9 years of marriage on March 6!! We went to the winner of Top Chefs restaurant, Richard Blais, The Spence. Oh my goodness it was good. We kept it low key this year since next year is the big one.... we talked about our plans a lot. I just love this man. Meeting him at 18 has already felt like we are growing old together... never been so synced with someone. Ever.

I did my first consignment sale. I took 200 things. Let me just tell you there needs to be a reality show on Consignment Moms. Whoa. Okay. Whoa.
This mama had no idea.... I was just all like, "Let me just drop these clothes off and nobody gets hurt." I didnt even want to shop. I really wanted to just get the hell outta there because these moms were acting like gold was hidden underneath the clothing racks.
Anyway, I'll have to post how much I made, I was so pumped! And SO happy to get rid of some stuff!!

My sweet babe learning her name. She is such a fun little student because she gets SO excited about everything. We have decided to keep her home for Pre-K and let her just start at kindergarten. I kept David home until he was 5 so it is essentially the same thing. There is another big reason as well, but it is too soon to share.

Well! Hopefully I will have some completion pictures of the house soon! I want to rip my skin off about how excited I am about it. It is such a little home. So fun. So cozy. And we pulled out all the stops for the kitchen. We see that area as our biggest use of hospitality. Can't wait to have everyone in the city over, whoo!