2021 :: week 28

July 4

Sunday was an exhausting day. We got up early and drove from Hurricane to Salt Lake. Having to return the rental car and make our flight felt starting from four hours away felt slightly more stressful than if the car rental and airport were closer. After we returned our rental car, which went rather smoothly all things considered, we waited and took a very crowded shuttle to the airport. The walk to our terminal wasn't as far as it could have been, but we were all feeling pretty spent by the time we got to the gate. Somehow I messed up when making our reservations and instead of sitting in three sets of two we were randomly spread throughout the plane. Once we were on the plane Anthony was able to persuade fellow passengers to trade seats so he was with Miles and the other three kids were together. I sat by myself a few rows back. 

July 5

We were so excited when we saw our new kitchen! The cabinets are slightly larger than before, all with soft-shut doors and pull-out shelves. I really like the look of the unfinished wood, however as soon as you add polyurethane to protect the red pine wood it turns yellow. If I had realized this back in 2017 I would have chosen a different type of wood. Later in the week the floor guys stained the floor a dark walnut color that looks amazing too. 

July 6

Bedtime is always more fun--and a lot more efficient--when dad is around.

July 7

Wednesday was a tough day. We were all still a little tired from vacation, our house was loud and chaotic due work on the floors in the dining room, kitchen and family room, and I just struggled to get going. The day got off to a bad start when I overslept and totally forgot we had an in-home appointment with Miles' SLP at 8am. Our upstairs toilet was making a loud foghorn-like sound that was stressing me out and scaring Miles and Elliott. (I was eventually able to figure it out and fix it thanks to some helpful tutorials on youtube). I was trying to finish putting laundry away from our trip and also pack for our stay at my parents while the floors were getting refinished, but struggled to make any real progress. The extra clutter in my room bothered me, but I couldn't do anything about it because we had moved things into our room from the hallway and coat closet because if we didn't they would be in the way and get covered in dust from the sanding. The floor sanding equipment made Miles nervous and he was never more than an arms length away from me. It feels weird to complain about a day where I was tired from a fun vacation and had to deal with the noise and minor discomforts that accompany elective upgrades to our home, but I was extra grateful when Tony got home from work that evening.

July 8

Life with a toddler is a study in contradictions. Later, when I was looking at my camera roll I realized I took these pictures less than 5 minutes apart. Miles feels things deeply and is not afraid to express his displeasure, but he is also very sweet and enjoys being comforted. 

July 9

Thursday morning we "moved in" to my parents house for a few days while our floors were stained and polished. We chose the dark walnut stain and I am really excited about it. It was such a relief to go to my parent's. As soon as we arrived I felt a big weight lifted off my shoulders. We had planned on staying for four nights, but because it was an exceptionally humid weekend it stretched into seven. Anthony or I stopped our house every day to check on the progress and pick up a needed item or two.

July 10

Lauren started braiding her own hair and had a lot of fun braiding it into several small braids Saturday evening. I had a lot less fun taking out the many braids Sunday morning. She practiced on my hair, and lamented that her brothers have short hair so she couldn't practice on them. She braided the main of Memaw's rocking horse in to several small braids too.