The Stairs

We were talking with the builder about what to do with the walls around our stairs. I think both of us had assumed that we'd just have solid walls to the ceiling since that was the cheapest option and we're trying to keep the house relatively inexpensive. The builder said he thought the stairs were an important area to do something cool since they were central to the open plan of the first floor. The framer suggested putting powder coated rebar across the opening. When he mentioned that, I envisioned kids climbing on it like monkeys in a zoo, which seemed suboptimal. Then the builder mentioned that he'd run the rebar vertically instead, which I associate with a prison cell and which sounded like an even worse idea. The builder suggested but immediately dismissed braided wire with tensioners because it's too expensive. Then he mentioned glass, which got us thinking about the stairwell on a friend's house that same builder did and that we really like. We latched onto that idea and extended it by suggesting even bigger pieces of glass and putting the glass on both sides of the stairwell. Now that the framers have roughed it in, I think it's going to be really cool. I think that decision also pushed us toward deciding on a contemporary decor for that part of the house.

Cutie Patootie!

I must have a small head, because when Ellie put my glasses on her face, they didn't look too disproportionate. It was kind of alarming.

What might be more alarming is that she then pulled them down on her nose, gave me this look, and told me she was a teacher. Is that what I used to look like? Ack!

Stairs and Stares!

We have STAIRS!! And a second story without walls! We had a picnic up there yesterday. =D It was fun.

We also have thoughtful stares as Leif tries to decide what to do with the wall around the stairs. I see this look a lot.

We also have this little cutie and the look she gets on her face as she describes what colors the house should be...

Today's Cutie Post

I'd like to introduce you to my new pantry....

... and some other parts of the house that are taking shape!! The first floor of our house is framed in! Hooray!

4 Year Old

We have a 4 year old. We also have Eliana's 4 year pictures to share. Why we haven't shared them yet, I don't know, but here are some of our favorites!!

As you can tell, we had a lot of fun taking these, and so did she!

Inside The Walls

The walls are up, and now here's a look at the inside of the first floor of our new house under construction!

Eliana helped us measure...

The view from the living room...

Out the other side of the living room...

From the kitchen...

Out the kitchen from standing at the stove...

The kitchen / dining room / living room side of the house.

I'm excited for these to be our views each day!

The first story exterior walls are up

Framing has begun

Quotes from the 4 year old...

We are here in 105 degree Texas, spending some time with Mommom and Poppy. As usual, Eliana talks from the time she wakes up until she falls asleep. A few of the things she has said while we've been here have given us laughs, so I thought I'd share...

We swim every morning and every evening in order to survive the heat. Eliana is a fan of asking people to do "tricks" in the water. At one such request, my mom did some fancy formation and dropped below the surface of the water. I commented that she "always did want to be a synchronized swimmer." Eliana responded by asking, "Can I be a sinker swimmer, too?"

While Poppy was in the pool, Eliana wanted to float on one of the pool toys like Poppy did, with it completely under the water. He said, "Oh, you're too light to make it go under water." Her response: "Oh, but you're dark enough, right?" Because we all know that the opposite of light is dark....

When she sings "This Little Light of Mine," instead of singing "hide it under a bushel... no!" she sings, "I tell Rachel 'No!' I'm gonna let it shine!"

After church on Sunday, Mommom asked Ellie if she had fun in the nursery. "You mean the monotreme?" she asked. When asked what a monotreme was, she said, "Oh, it's a bird. You know, birds poop and pee at the same time. That's why they're monotremes."

She ate her carrots at dinner one night and Mommom asked her if she wanted more. "No, they're yucky. Didn't you try any?"

She calls the road away from Mommom and Poppy's house the "rollercoaster road" because it goes up and down like a rollercoaster.

I asked what she wanted for lunch one day and she said, "Um, how about rotten eggs?" I told her she didn't want rotten eggs, that they were gross. "What about... soy eggs?" I told her there was no such thing. "Mommom, what were those eggs called again?" *pause while Mommom answers* "Oh yeah, scrambled eggs!"

Something that she has said for a long time but had many opportunities to use here thanks to the neighbors' roosters is "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" Only she pronounces it "Ack-a-caudle-doo"

Ellie also pretended to be Tinkerbell in the pool. She had a bubble wand and went around sprinkling water on people's heads. When we asked what she was doing, she said she was "tinkling on everyone's heads".... just like Tinkerbell does.

I just asked her what her favorite thing about Mommom and Poppy's house is and she said, "I love to play in my room, play in the pool, spend time with them, and play games with you." So there you haven it. I guess we'll get back to doing the things she loves while we are here for the last couple days.