We're really getting somewhere!

Today we got Liam's room painted, and Sariah's room is almost done. The Sister Missionaries came over and helped this morning! They were very helpful! Sister Champion helped Amanda paint Liam's room. And Sister Goddard helped me do chalk lines and tape Sariah's wall for Stripes. Then, the sisters and amanda helped paint the stripes. I think it looks really cute! The Sisters had to go, they had other appointments today. After they left, Sariah and her friend M. did the splatter wall. They had a GREAT time! Mom was going a bit crazy! I had to clean up some paint spots clear across the room! I'm not so sure about it, but Sariah and her friend had fun and with paint in their hair and on their faces... they felt proud of their accomplishments. Everyone likes it a lot and thinks it's really cool that I let her do a splattered paint wall. One of our friends said, how often do you get to throw paint at a wall?!

While we painted, Bill and his dad worked on the front entryway. Taping and mudding takes a lot of time! Then they went to pick up the carpet for Liam's room. Bill decided that I needed a picture (since I'm usually the one behind the camera...), and I've been taking all these pic's of everyone else durring this big project and putting them in my blog... so, here is a picture of me, working in Liam's room.

Amanda and I painted Liam's door, the guys rigged it up in the garage, so it was upright, and hanging so we could get to both sides. Liam played in the garage (he found the packing peanuts...), in the driveway and the front yard. How did he know the hose was back behind the bushes?!? and HOW come he knows you should try to turn the knob to turn it on?!?!?!?! Yikes! Then he kept riding his little tractor/cart down the driveway and out into the street, so we parked grandpa's van across the end of the driveway. He went around the back end in the gap that was left. So I pulled the big garbage can over to fill that gap. Instead of riding the tractor cart, he just ran around the van and into the street! So he got in trouble and was told to put his nose on the wall, (that's our current attempt to discipline him so he understands he needs to stop what he's doing...) or the tree (hey, you use what is handy!)

The kids were enjoying the wonderful spring weather, pulling each other around in the wagon, and drawing with sidewalk chalk. They traced around eachother, and traced each other's shadows...

I went across the street to my neighbors house to take a few pic's of the beautiful spring blossoms in full bloom on her trees. I have ugly trees in my front yard, and the one tree like this in my backyard isn't quite as full, so... I borrowed her tree for my pictures. It's the one I notice daily out my front door.

It may not look like much, but... we really worked HARD all day long!

Bill and his dad spent time in the hot attic, putting in an air duct to Liam's new room, and while they were at it... they put butterfly flaps into the existing duct work to make the airflow better. We have had all the air going straight to one or two vents, and it's blazing hot when the heat is on, or icy cold when the A/C is on in the summer, and the other rooms get almost no heat and air, so it's miserable in there as well. We've had space heaters in all the kids rooms for the past two years. (the first year here we bought everyone down comforters).

So along with Air Ducts, they put in outlets, and lights. They also spent time taping and putting mud on all the drywall spaces, and nail holes so that tomorrow I can paint Liam's Room, (We took a trip to Lowes and I picked out a blue paint for his walls (I've never had a blue room before!) ;-) While I get his room painted, they will tape and mud the ceiling in the front hallway, then after my paint dries they will put in Liam's carpet, and trim, While I keep working on Sariah's room and the front hall.

Can you tell that I painted Sariah's wall today? It's white (until we do designs), but yesterday I only got primer on it, and today I taped the windows on the other wall, and painted two good coats of white on the wall. I can tell a difference!

While I painted, some of the girls came to keep me company and we ended up making a little snake obstacle course for her snake... I can't believe we have snakes! Two of them! If you would have asked me years ago if I would ever have snakes in my house... I would have said I'd need a PARKA first!!! Now I'm helping make paint supply obstacle courses! CRAZY!!!!!

While we worked Liam got to take a couple of walks around the neighborhood with his sisters. On one of the walks he fell asleep and so they brought the stroller inside. He slept for a good long while. When we came home from our trip to Lowes, they were all (along with a few neighbor kids), playing PIT and yelling, "Three, Three, Three!!!" "Two, Two, Two!!!" He was sleeping right through it all.

The Sister missionaries called today to see if I would be willing and available to go on 'splits' with them tonight. I told them that scared me! However, along with that I couldn't tell them where I would be at in my projects for the day/week at that point, tonight. They asked if they could help with anything, and so they are going to come over and give service and help me/us tomorrow! I felt so bad, they called asking for help and instead are going to help me!

Such a Helper!

Liam was fascinated by the power drill/screwdriver. He kept pushing the button and watching it spin. Of course, he LOVES to hammer! I gave him a piece of wood with a nail in it to bang on... hoping he wouldn't go for the new wall with the hammer! I was surprised that he didnt' whack his own hand when he held the nail while he hammered at it.

We have a ROOM!!!!!!! Or Liam does...

I went to a meeting this morning, and went grocery shopping. By the time I got home Bill and his dad had the framing pretty much up for the walls of Liams room. Our friend showed up to help again, and they got the pocket door framing together, and the walls up.
Dad actually read the directions for the pocket door... :-)
Liam tried to help some more as well, then after getting cleaned and bathed, the girls fixed Liam up as a Sumo Wrestler... complete with topknot! Here he is with Sariah and Hannah posing in his new doorway! He then had to have another bath, since he got to the salt and pepper shakers... poured piles of it out on the kitchen table, and proceeded to finger'paint' in the mess, and I can't believe he was licking his fingers with all that salt and pepper on them! Yuck!!!!!
Between chasing Liam down and whatnot I only managed to get the one wall painted with primer. The tree is pretty much gone, and now we'll get some serious painting done tomorrow! Sariah sort of layed down on the job! :-)

and MORE pic's of todays work

How many Engineers does it take to put up a piece of sheet rock? (That's for you Rich! I'd have never thought of that lovely comment if you hadn't said it yourself...) ;-)

So, we went from an open two story enteryway this morning to a closed in room, complete with a ceiling, and most of a floor. I suppose, I would've gotten more painting done if I hadn't had Visiting Teaching appointments today as well. Tomorrow after Birth Stories and More where the topic is Doula's, birthing experiences with doula, etc. I'll come home and get back to painting. Sariah wants to get the Painting in her room finished, so she get her bed put together.

O.K. here's more of the help... and more project pic's

We got the one wall painted in Sariah's room. Liam helped with the tools. Then managed to have a nap and sleep on the couch, for about an hour or so, while the ammering and drilling went on just a few feet away from him. There was some difficulty trying to get the electrical wiring down the wall and fed through the box... but Rebekah finally hooked it and brought it through. Cheers were heard all around! Yay Rebekah!!!

Getting by with a little help from our friends...

We had a lot to do today, and Bill and his dad worked hard. Liam tried to help as well! I started painting primer over the cute tree in the bedroom, and later we had a couple of friends stop by. Thanks so much for your help. I don't think I would have been very effective at lifting the flooring up to the 2nd floor, and holding the sheet rock in place for the ceiling while Bill and his dad got it attached.