Hallway Stucco is Finished :)

The hallway stucco is DONE!!! 

Clean up is almost done too :) 

Bunk Beds

Before. The oldest 5 and I painted beds for J3 and G.  

After. 

In 

Thanks for the picture L :) 

Straw Bale Hallway

The view from the outside, beware construction zone ahead! 

Inside the zone, looking towards the back door. Straw bale walls are up and ready for stucco! Lights are also up :) 

Looking back towards the living area. The sheet keeps the mess down. Putting up and working with bales inside is very messy and dusty. 

Two days of stuccoing later! 

Both sides of the hallway walls are done the first coat of stucco. Now on to the bedrooms! We are hoping to get the first and second or brown coat done in the next week or so :) I'll keep you posted. 

BLAST FROM THE PAST....Boys Room

So this was ages ago. Papa was stuccoing in the boys room and the oldest four kids were sleeping in the living room. The last picture shows a soft spot in the wall and his attempt to fix it. It didn't work and it's a spot he'll fix this year when he starts stuccoing again. These pictures were taken in the curing process which is why the walls are so dark in color. They are a much lighter gray now. 

L's Birthday

L wanted chocolate covered cookie balls for his birthday cake! Super rich and yummy. 

Funny card Papa made him. 

Opening the iPod. 

L is our happy, drawing, dragon loving, deep thinking boy. He enjoys games, biking, making stuff, reading, playing with S or G. He spends hours with his nose in a book, or making paper dragons. He got an iPod for his birthday and he enjoys searching up animals, texting people, and taking gobs and gobs of pictures :) 

R's Birthday

R had a great birthday, quite a while ago but I'm catching up! She loves to 'do beads', ride her bike, help with the littles, sing and act things out, play babies, bake and decorate, and give hugs. 

Mixing up her chocolate cake!

Papa decorated it and he did an amazing job! 

7 years old! I love J3's face in this one :) 

Millers happened to be stoping in that night and stayed for the party! 

Looking at her gifts :) 

Buff Orpington Chicks are here.

Papa is home with the chicks! 

Oh they are so cute! S is not going to look! 

All the kids and Papa talking about chick care. S is in love! 

E checking on them while they stay warm by the wood stove and we get their new home ready.m

Ah home is ready. Time to eat! 26 buff Orpington chicks. Mixed run, so Roos and hens. They are all doing great and we haven't lost any. 

Yup. They are in the house :) 

Interior Walls

The wall behind the woodstove and the door into the 'farmer bathroom'. 

Putting up the laundry room/bathroom wall. 

S loved wall building. Obstacle course anyone? 

The laundry room wall up. 

The farmer bathroom full of church tables and chairs. R photo bomb :) 

The three stick frame walls out to the straw bale hallway wall. The 4x4 support for the bale wall is there too.

The doors are up in the hallway too, but I don't have a picture on my Ipad. The wiring in the bathroom and laundry room is almost done too :) 

Girls Room Door

Here is a picture of the girls room door in the straw bale wall. The 6x6 frame keeps the walls from squeezing the door frame and making it hard to open or close. 

T Moments, 8 weeks old.

First bath

An often seen expression. 

Sleeping while hugging Papa.

First time in the new stroller.

His chest is so wide it just amazes me.

Sleeps in such odd positions.

First real smile caught on camera. 

First visit with his doctor. Well except when she delivered him. 

Visiting the chiropractor, Megan. He loved it and just lay there so contentedly. 

All wrapped up and chilling in the car seat while I put wood on the fire. Baby sausage we call it when they are all wrapped up like this.

So T is now almost 8 weeks old, he's 12.8 ish pounds, sleeps fairly decently; only waking once in the middle of the night and then once between 6 and 8am. He loves to sit and watch the kids play or be packed around by E or J or L or Papa or I and sleep on us, or sleep on the big chair in the living room. He loves baths and if I put one hand behind his head he floats and kicks like he thinks he can swim. He grabbed a toy yesterday and then started to cry when he moved his hand and the toy came with. I had to rescue him from it as he couldn't let go of it and he got pretty upset. He's already grabbed my hair and my headphone cord. He's still covered in hair, even his ears and he's getting more active during awake times and his awake times are getting longer. He's such a fun little guy to be around, wide eyed and content, that when he's cranky he sets the tone for the whole house. S will come running up to me, tears in eyes, to ask if T is 'Fine? Fine?' If T cries for more the his normal fussy feed me cry. The other kids fight over who gets to hold him and if he's in his chair he is often petted and entertained.