House Additions part 2 FRAMING

It took them a long time to get the ground ready, the water, and plumbing and a/c and all the stuff nobody sees, and then poured the foundation.  After that it literally took one day to frame it and one day to roof, then a lot more days to do everything else.

They dug the footings and it looked like it was going to be really small, and then they poured the slab, and I really started to panic at how tiny it was going to be.

They put up the outside walls fairly quickly too and had yet to break into the house, which was so nice. I was so worried about it being small, I took the plans one day and Matty's sidewalk chalk and drew it out on the driveway. I measured all our furniture and drew it in the room too to see if we would fit, and it turns out our furniture is smaller than I think it is, and we were going to fit just fine.  It was still hard to have the right perspective on it all though.

We are getting really excited, and with that getting very easily agitated by our close quarters, knowing that soon we will have space of our own.

Shayne is home!!!

Shayne is our first missionary of the second generation and she was also my first roommate in college so I have always felt particularly close to her and was so excited to see her home again safe and sound. 

We ordered this flag for her welcome home - nice how Kyle is saluting it- thaaat's inappropriate!
We all went to the airport- lots and lots of us, and stood in line to get a hug.

This one was my favorite because Josh is a totally different person than he was 18 months ago, and she had to look really closely at him.  She was in shock.

Kyle hung back and waited for everyone -everyone- else to greet her and when he finally got his turn there were tears in his eyes.  He was very moved by the joy of it all, and all the love.  It's good to have her home.

Nice face Evan- with the splint and the stance and the face he looks a little challenged!

A few days later all the Northern Utahns came down for her homecoming and we made caramel apples and basked in the love of reuniting!  or something less cheesy than that...

Grand tradition

Every year we try to go to the Grand Canyon, well, sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't.  And sometimes people come with us and sometimes it is just us.  This year it was just us, and we were used to "us" so even though the kids wished their cousins could come, they are happy with us- which is a great blessing that I hope lasts a lifetime.
My favorite part of this trip is not the canyon itself but the changing leaves we get to see in the mountains of Northern Arizona.  The yellows are so vibrant they look spray painted.  The camera- at least my camera phone, can never capture it, but it always takes my breath away.

  I think the kids favorite part is the easy-cheese. Road trips are the only time I buy that disgusting "cheese" in a spray can, and not all road trips- one or two a year if they are lucky.

It's upside down, but it says G DUB which is what the YM quorum calls George.
I think the cookies at Jacob Lake Inn actually tie for my favorite thing about this trip :)

 The kids other favorite part is climbing where they shouldn't climb and freaking out their mom.  Great fun.

She got this shirt at Jacob Lake and insisted on changing into before she went hiking!

 Even though it never changes, it never gets old to take a day off and pay homage to such a grand place.