Update 7 of 7 - The Reno

The final installment of Updates... I DID IT!

The long process of getting to the reno started probably two years ago. It was just before COVID shut everything down that we really decided we need to go all in with our current house or move. Well we didn't move. We decided to make the reno process more livable by not doing it all at one time. Phase one was the right back side of the house. 

It started in January when the power company came to move the meter. (The cable company came too and it took three months to get them to rebury the cable line!) 

Then it rained for the entire month of February so the footers were not poured until the first of March. Lee and I were out there often with one of his pool pumps draining the footers out. 

This is the view you had walking in from the garage into the mud room / laundry room 

This is was the view for a good portion of the process. Getting the water and power run so they did not have to keep moving the washer and dryer back and forth was a game changer. 

This is the finished product. The barn door and the auto light that comes on when you walk in is really cool. 

The wine cooler fit nicely next to the duct work. And no we are not all much into wine but we never really had a spot so its the cooler now instead of a wine box in the front hallway. 

Yes there are nine cubbies and yes everyone counts them... because we have that many more cubbies to fill. 

Everyone already has all their cubbies full... 

Including Lee and I

Round the cubbies to the left is the back hallway. The only thing I've found so far I would consider changing is the opening between the pantry and this hallway. 

To the left is the chapel - which is a perfect media room 

But that's not what we will use it for

Then Lee's office which is currently full and when he finishes making the bookcases I'll write about that. 

Then there is the kids study/library. It is my favorite room of the project because they needed an escape from the noise where there aren't toys everywhere.

The window seat is great and I still need to get fabric for the cushion. 

We are still working on desk chairs 

And Lee is going to do a builtin bookcase for ALL. THE. BOOKS.

The view from the back door

The bathroom is right there so dirty feet won't traipse through the house for bathroom breaks and showers. 

We went with pebble tile in the shower and it is really cool and no rubber mat required. 

The lights are really neat. We weren't sure about them at first. 

Then next to the bathroom is the laundry room. We put a divided kitchen sink for soaking stuff 

The folding station with sock drawers underneath. Our contractor asked - you want me to make drawers for socks? I'm not a sock folder so all the socks get put in the middle drawer until they are paired up. Girls on the left and boys on the right. It sure beats the laundry basket of pairless-socks that was a figure on the fireplace. 

And the hanging racks. Between uniforms and bathing suits there are alot of clothes that get hung. 

Overall we are thrilled with how things turned out. There were times we wanted to pull our hair out and kept asking ourselves if we could even attempt phase 2 which would be kitchen and master bedroom so time will tell. For now we are enjoying our new spaces and freed up rooms so people can carve out spaces/rooms for themselves. 

Update 6 of 7 - Summer Swim

So I've almost knocked out the 7 Updates Posts so here goes another...

We changed pools this year and were excited to jump into summer swim at this pool with lots of friends...

E who cannot stand having her pic taken made it to two meets. She had some good swims and had fun with friends. 

R swam in one meet because of her broken arm. I probably could have let her swim in the final meet but we were just doing what the dr said. 

M rocked it out in 7-8 girls. She is seriously fun to watch!

She has nicknamed this bathing suit her slime bathing suit

A squeaked out of pup squad into 6 and under boys. 

He will likely be a force to be reckoned with next year but I really just needed him swimming just enough to be able to swim at the Y in the fall - so success!

Lady C - refused to try jumping off the blocks and thought she was the boss of swim practice. 

It was so fun watching her smile her way down the lane

Sweet J... future swimmer and forever cheerleader. 

Here's to Summer Swim 2021. We are grateful for it. Hopefully next year there will be a conference meet which we really missed this year but overall good, chlorinated fun!

7QTs - All the September Things

Linking up with Kelly ... Still working on my 7 different updates posts but here's to September

---1---

E swam in another open water meet

It was a 3K this time instead of 2 like in the summer. She was worried about not finishing in the alloted time - but she did (and didn't come in last either!)

---2---

That same day (our schedule was messed up because we were dealing with the stomach bug - which reared its ugly head every 2-3 days so we thought we were out of it and then someone else would get sick - fortunately this time Lee and I were spared) I took A and H for hand and foot painting traditions.

Baby footprints and Kindergarten handprints. We'll see how they turn out

---3---

Trail Life and AHG started... 

A was super concerned his Papa wasn't there and ALL the other little boys had their dads there so 

The following week I stayed home and did fun normal little kid things - like taking a bath. J and C are cheated out of lots of bath time because normally we have zero time for that so they splurged and had a half and hour plus bath!

 

---4---

H is going to be 2 months this week!

She's pretty stinking cute and will sleep for some long stretches at night!

---5---

Can we talk about this guy!

He's going to be 2 tomorrow!

He's very into all things trucks so when the tractor was plowing the field at the end of the street we HAD to check it out

---6---

Soccer started last weekend. R, M and C all scored goals in their games. Cs team of 3-4 girls is so funny. Some are in the zone and other are checked out and other refuse to play (looking at you Lady C) 

 

R's team got put in our place with a 6-1 loss. That was tough to coach

M's team had a competitive game but emotions got the best of us in the loss. Life lessons people. That is why we play sports - or at least one of them. 

I didn't see As game because it was at the same time as C's but he said he had fun and Lee said he almost scored. 

---7---

History repeated itself... 

Another Kibbe broken arm. It is strange because I was doing the EXACT same thing 12 weeks to the day to the minute. Taking a kid who fell to get an xray of their left arm. Break was in a different spot and E has got a pretty light blue cast instead of a sling. NO more soccer for E for a least a month 

Update 5 of 7 - Fall Activities

Helping spread mulch for a girl in their troops's Stars and Stripes Award 

(its the highest rank you can achieve in AHG)

J always ready to lend a hand

We are starting to navigate the fall schedule waters this week with activities for five kids. It’s not that there are a variety of activities well there are but several are consolidated and involve more than one kid which helps - in our minds - justify the activity. Plus I’m not ready to let anything go - yet. I like what we do and we think they are important different skills and activities. We don’t play 25 sports - which is fine for some people - we just like to expose our kids to a variety of different things so here goes.

Soccer - the activity that involves five kids. After last springs nixing of soccer 4 out of 5 Kibbes were ready to return to the pitch. There’s one hold out who would rather stay exclusively in the pool but I’ve convinced her some cross training would help the swimming cause. I’m coaching again and while it takes a major team effort so that H isn’t a total wreck - I love it. I really do enjoy it. When Lady C is laid out on the field saying she’s not doing it I may not love it as much but it’s great. The girls on Rs team didn’t want to stop scrimmaging even though the parents - me included - were saying it was time to call it. So fun. Ask me how we will get though five games on Saturdays - I don’t know. Like I tell the kids, I haven’t thought past dinner tonight. Which isn’t 100% accurate but basically means don’t worry about it we will get through it somehow 

Swimming - the four bigs swim. A squeaked in at the beginning but I think he’s made big strides in several weeks. Meets are optional and we will go to ones that fit around soccer and other things. Sometimes C, J, H and me will go to the park or we'll do Target pick up or ride home to pass the time. 

AHG/Trail Life - Another big four activity. A's been talking about Trail Life for months. He is convinced he and Papa are going camping ASAP (insert many laughs because Papa and a tent have never mixed soooo... its going to be a steep learning curve). The girls like AHG and they have some cool badges they are working on this year. 

Choir - My parents made me do something musical growing up so that's happening with our kids for the moment - except I don't have to force it. I was never much into piano but band was a step up in middle and high school. E and R are taking voice lessons. E is in the local children's choir and R is hoping to get the nod in a few months. 

We will see how the fall goes with activities and will make adjustments as needed. Right now we are still wading through the first week of everything. We just got the soccer game schedule this week so it's going to be action packed for a month or so. 

Update 4 of 7 - Summer Ended

Summer came to a quick close - now more than a month ago. Our sitter's last day was a few days after H was born so we had a few piecemeal weeks of sitters and then we had some sniffles which we didn't want to pass to people before the new school year so I ended up staying home more than I anticipated - which was fine. I just find that my office with 4 other adults tends to be more peaceful than a raucous house full of kids. 

E went to another week of her favorite place on the planet. She had a blast and had a cabin full of 6th graders so they stayed up later and they really had a great time with their councilor. She might have to start working next summer to help pay for all the camps she's got on her mind. 

A shot from camp. 

Another E update. 

She's been asking for a while to get her ears pierced and I finally said yes. E was thrilled. I'm basically in the dark on all things earrings because I don't have mine pierced. I see lots of accessorizing in the future. 

Having the trash truck honk on Thursdays is a staple around here. A was even hoisted into the drivers seat one week so he could honk the truck. It is such a thrill!

We had some fun pool days. M's friend tried to teach her out to flip (seen on the shorter board) but she never quite figured it out. 

J definitely warmed up to the water and I see swim lessons in the next summer's plan for him. 

The brothers - in the matching shoes - and Js shoes are remain MIA. Maybe we will find them buried in the sandbox but for the moment the $10 reward for finding them has not brought them about. 

The kids went to VBS at a friend's church. They had a blast and are caught still singing the songs. 

J has master the art of summer popsicle eating. 

While the big 5 were at VBS, Lee and I and J went to dinner before the last day program. It might have been one of the only out-of-house dinner dates we've had this summer - we've had some in house. J behaved and always ends up in Papa's lap - which I adore watching them. 

A and his cohort caught a frog one afternoon. He made a case to keep it because we have a turtle BUT we nixed poor frog and let him go. 

While I walked the street with H and kids would spend some time outside doing a number of things. E included. 

One day A woke up and shot outside. I'm pretty sure he spent all of 12 hours basking in outdoor glory. Biking, digging, all the things. 

He and his partner in crime has a secret hideout at the end of the street. At one point in the afternoon I went looking for them and found them a rows deep in the tobacco field. They came out a sticky dusty mess but that didn't stop them from staying outside for a few more hours. I think Papa was in charge of showers that night!

Speaking of Papa... we celebrated his bday a few days after H's. We were going to order from a restaurant but they changed locations and hadn't opened yet so that was a bummer but E's cake made up for it. 

With everyone back in school now, summer seems like it was a lifetime ago but I think some fun times were had and memories made.