What's Old is New Again

Look familiar? It should. This was our rental house for 2 years when we first moved to Northern Florida. Then, a bunch of CRAZINESS went down, and we decided to move. Before the crazy struck, we loved living in that house. It was brand new and gave us plenty of room to entertain with all of the outdoor space. It was a nice home.

When we packed up and moved out, we never expected to return. Well, never say never! This house is once again home, and this time, it's really ours. We bought the home from the bank as a foreclosure and then promptly ripped it apart! Technically, I believe the term is remodeling, but I call things like I see it. We tore our new house to shreds, and then, slowly rebuilt it to be even better. For two years, we casually commented on what we would do with the house if it was ours. Never in a million years did we actually believe it one day would be. It's funny how life works.

I really couldn't even begin to showcase all of the work that went into our remodel, but I will show off some of the more dramatic changes. The stairs were one of the first things to go. Maybe not the best plan since their removal cut off access to the second floor for about 2 weeks. The contractors had to scale ladders outside to access the second floor. I'm fairly certain our painters hated us for that.

Good-bye, carpet! Hello, hard wood!

We (Okay, the painting crew) painted every single surface in the house and changed every light fixture.   We had a crew of 7-8 painters at our house Monday - Friday for about a month. Affordable it was not, but WOW what a difference a little (errr...a lot of) paint makes. The paint alone made the house new again.

All of the carpet on the first floor had to go. It's just not a good choice when you have 3 boys!

Continuing the improvements, we designed some custom built-ins that better reflected our personal style. Our general contractor tried multiple times to talk me out of removing our overly ornate stone fireplace. I understand that it was expensive stone, but it just didn't suit our house. It was carefully taken apart and will no doubt make some new owner quite happy.

What do you think? I LOVE it! Even our contractor admitted I was right when the project was completed. Of course, the customer is always right.

The stairs and fireplace wall changes made a HUGE statement, but my favorite carpentry project was the addition of our lockers.

These lockers are going to be my saving grace! I am a neat-freak. I don't like clutter. However, Anh doesn't hesitate to point out that I do like stuff. A minimalist I am NOT! Anh calls me an organized pack rat, and while I don't necessarily agree with that label, I will admit that we have a lot of stuff. That's okay as long as everything is organized. These lockers keep all of our day-to-day necessities (purses, backpacks, diaper bags, briefcases, hoodies, sports gear, etc) neat & tidy! If I was only allowed to have one thing, it would have been these lockers!

Another fun addition, is our patio screen. We don't have much of a backyard, but we wanted to have access to our patch of grass. This electric screen seemed like the ideal solution. We can lower it if we want to enjoy a meal on the screened porch rather than be a meal for the mosquitoes or we can raise it if we want to play on the grass. The best of both worlds!

The kitchen wasn't originally on the remodeling list, but things/ideas started to spiral out of control, and we definitely adopted that "Oh what the hell!" mentality. You know, it really is easy to get all wrapped up in the pursuit of perfection. When you've already blown your budget completely, what's a little more, right?! LOL

We decided to test the new look on the bar...

SOLD! I loved it. Full steam ahead!

While my favorite spot in the house is the kitchen, the theatre room is by far the hands-down winner for the boys, and do mean all the boys!

Of course, that was before we completed the pool!

 

Originally, we had planned to build our dream home, but then decided against it in favor of remodeling this house and making it our own. I remember thinking on a daily basis during our 9 month long remodeling adventure, "Thank God we didn't decide to build!" Now as I reflect back on the nightmare of remodeling a home while living in it with 3 small children, I think, "Why didn't we just build?!" Remodeling definitely wasn't an easy or cheap or even sane decision, but in the end, we are sooooo happy with the result. This really is our HOME. It always was. It just took a bit of drama/crazy to realize it. Here's to many more years of memories under this roof!!!

A Ghostly Birthday

The evening started off casually enough with a friendly gathering to celebrate a friend's birthday. There were appetizers...

And tasty treats in the form of Birthday Cake shots!!! That's what you call festive!

Around sunset, things got a little strange. A hearse arrived to chauffeur us around the city. This wasn't your average sight-seeing tour though.

No, this was a ghost tour of the nation's oldest city! Oh yeah, we were in trouble!

First stop, a National Cemetery and mass grave. The cemetery itself isn't creepy. It's quite beautiful, actually, and small in size. The cemetery covers approximately 1.5 acres, and you can't miss the three pyramids that line one side. Those pyramids mark the mass grave of 1468 unknown soldiers that died fighting the Seminoles.

I won't spill all the secrets & stories from the evening because honestly it was such a great experience, you really should consider taking the tour yourself. In fact, I must remember this adventure as a potential outing for any future guests that are brave enough to accept the invitation! Oh, and did I mention that the guide includes several pub stops along the way? Definitely a good time & a very happy birthday!!!

A Three Hour Tour

Labor Day should NOT involve labor!

While a little uncertain at first, Grant seemed to enjoy our day on the water.

He wasn't afraid of the water at all, but at times, he was seemed unsettled by the speed of the boat.

Proof it wasn't that traumatic! The rocking motion of the boat proved to be quite soothing once the adrenaline rush wore off.

A Whole New World

Here it is! Our brand spanking new neighborhood elementary school! Jaxon is SOOOOOOO lucky!!! During construction, the neighborhood was buzzing with talk of what features and technology the new school would showcase. The school district decided to embrace Green Building Standards, and the school has state-of-the-art technology. As we took our tour at the grand opening ceremony, I was stunned & I do mean stunned by how nice the school is. It could easily pass for a college campus!

Jaxon and I listened as our guide pointed out eco-friendly features like the reflective roof that would help keep cooling costs at a minimum and the cooling system that works by forcing air over a massive block of ice. The cool air is then circulated throughout the school. AMAZING!

The school has several collection ponds incorporated into the landscaping that will be used to water the organic and hydroponic gardens. The gardens will be planted and maintained by the students, and any produce they yield will be served in the cafeteria. Ok, I'm impressed!

The media specialists are still labeling and categorizing the library materials. Their workload was dramatically reduced thanks to the absence of textbooks. That's right, the students don't have textbooks. Instead, the students will use iPads. Yes, you read that correctly! Each student will be issued an iPad for the school year. This will dramatically reduce paper & textbook expenses. Jaxon whole-heartedly approves of this decision!

Speaking of technology, the media center features a TV studio where the students will produce programs and broadcast morning news reports in place of boring old PA announcements.

The Art Studio is stocked with creative materials and even has a kiln for firing pottery! I'm hoping Jaxon (and eventually his 2 brothers) will create some true masterpieces!

The school is divided into pods for each grade level. Every pod has a multi-purpose common  space complete with community kitchen and computer stations. Smart screen technology was also incorporated. I'm telling you, I felt like I was touring a new community college not an elementary school!

In addition to the usual art, music, and PE classes, the students will have weekly classes in the LEGO Lab where they'll learn engineering principles. I think that last tidbit was the only thing to rival the iPad news. Those are the two key bits of information that Jaxon remembered from the tour. I, on the other hand, left the campus feeling overwhelmed by the knowledge that was swirling around in my head. Anh & I both attended private & public school growing up, but none of our collective experiences can hold a candle to the educational opportunities being presented to our children. I can honestly say that the scope is completely lost of these extremely fortunate children that will be attending the new school. As parents, we get it and will be forever grateful!

Bottom & Top of the Totem Pole

It's that time of the year...BACK TO SCHOOL! Of course for some, it's a return to routine. For others, it's the start of a whole new adventure. Baylor was so excited to start VPK with his two teachers, Ms. Teresa & Ms. Laurie. He's the equivalent of a big, bad Senior this year!

Grant seemed a little nervous during his teacher meet & greet. I have no idea why. He'll be in excellent hands with Ms. Lisa, Ms. Dawn, & Ms. Peyton!

Check out the new backpack Grant will be sporting! He's got to carry his own gear: diapers, wipes, nap buddy!

It's hard not to laugh. He looks a bit like a turtle!

This year, the school adopted a uniform policy. Seems appropriate considering that it is a Catholic school. Baylor didn't seem to mind except for the shoes. He doesn't like the idea of all black tennis shoes because he insists they aren't "super fast." Apparently, flashy bright colors are required to be super fast. Oh well! All of the other kids will be hampered by the same slow black shoes. Surely, Baylor can manage.

Ok, this school picture is going to be pretty darn impossible to beat!

Looks like all the nerves are gone. It's going to be a GREAT year!!! Good luck, boys!!!

7 Months...Lucky #7

It's hard to be the baby...YEAH RIGHT!!! This kid runs the show! At 7 months, Grant has moved on to big boy activities like riding in shopping carts, holding his own bottles, and eating solid foods all while looking cute as can be!