The Remodel, Day 1

Wow. Wait, we've already said that. Well, ok. I'll try for something more descriptive, then.

We got there this morning, completely overwhelmed and ready to go. The boys immediately got into everything they weren't supposed to get into, so we had several false starts. We learned a lot about our children today, and it was good.

John makes a good hand. He wants to help and makes no bones about it. He looks for things to help with, and if we don't have anything for him to do, he'll make suggestions. He will do anything, anything at all, if only we will let him. If we leave him alone to do it, he will probably improve upon it. He has the ability to take the abstract and find a practical application for it. He is undaunted by size, scope, or outcome of the job, and he'll ask for help when he needs it - but don't do it for him (he can spot that!) He is only five and still needs our affirmation that he's made a good call. His smile is the best indicator of how well he thinks he's doing. Our smiles are the best indicator of just how well we "get it". There were a lot of smiles today, all around.

James wants desperately to be involved and to be helpful. He has a temperament, however, that causes him to stand back and wait to be invited into that Great Mysterious Realm. He waits patiently, with his heart on his sleeve. If we are not careful, we can glide right past him and break his heart by not offering that invitation to help out. Grown ups forget what that feels like. Grown ups sometimes misinterpret this hesitance as disinterest, or a lack of desire to work. That's not it. He wants to do the right thing, and in his mind, pestering the adults is not the right thing. He is eager to do any task we ask of him, and the radiance of his face could direct ships as far away as the Bering Strait when we've given him a job to do. That radiance pales only in comparison to the one that comes when his efforts and creative energies are praised. He also looks to find the better, safer, more efficient route to accomplishing his tasks. He's seven, and while not as vocal in seeking approval, he still flourishes under it.

Smidge will sing. to. anything. Juice boxes. Walls. Pine trees. Himself. You name it, there's a song (and possibly a dance) to go with it. He can go for nine hours straight without a single whimper. He loves to swing, loves to climb, and loves to dance in circles. He'll also keep us in stitches with his deeply inflected snippets on the condition of the process. Ew. Blech. Ooooo. Ow. Hey!! He's going to be fine, I think.

Zorak is 'Da Man, I swear. He may not know this, but I think he can do anything. Anything. At all. He's my hero. Would you believe he filled five (5!) 55 gallon trash bags today?!? All out of the scary spot, and it's not even close to being done. He got the water turned off, the pipes drained, some of them crimped and soldered. He helped me with the kitchen sink pullout, set up the Fire Ring for the boys to work with. He examined and made "a plan" for the balcony, installed lighting in the scary spot, got the place well on its way to drying out. And he still had time for hugs and kissing boo-boos and run-by smoochings.

I ripped out all the kitchen cabinets, dishwasher and stove. That was my goal, and I did it. I have to confess, it's really quite fun to throw out cabinetry! I mean, how often can you get away with lobbing furnishings out a window?! If you ever have the chance to do it, without getting arrested or referred for counseling, go for it! I, um, also took out the internal doors and, um, well, that was about it. But it kept me busy for nine hours! (Tip: if you hire me for contract work, pay by the job, not the hour.)

We've pretty well decided not to post before pictures until we have after pictures to go along with them. One: it would scare off any potential visitors. Trust me. Two: it's so much more fun to say, "it was like this, but NOW LOOK!" So until we have the "now look" bit, yeah, we're not telling you just how truly disgusting this is. I will say, however, that if I ever buy another home, the cabinets are coming out - no matter how nice they look. O-U-T. I don't trust them, and incidentally, I don't think you should, either. Ew.

Day One was pretty productive! We had a good time, accomplished most of our goals for the day, and are feeling so very thankful that we have a home to work on. The setting is exquisite, and it feels good there - even with the house in its current condition. This is, definitely, a Good Home. And this is a great experience, for all of us. The boys, in particular, were out beyond recall by seven thirty tonight. Except for James, who stayed up until almost eight to read, but as soon as he flipped off his light, he was done for. They played hard, worked hard, and fell into bed with the exhausted satisfaction of a day well spent. May we all be so fortunate.

However, I do need to take an anti-inflammatory and go to bed before I swell up and fall over. So, on that note, as always, kiss those babies!
~Dy