Sibling Labor

07 Apr Sibling Labor

Taping, hiding, playing.

Wondering, hogging, painting.

The hole that goes to nowhere.

Pretty sure he drank the gallon of apple juice by himself.

I can’t express to you the awful floral pattern these all were…and are no longer!

Painting, painting, ninja-ing.

I paint in “Ms;” Ben paints in “Ws.” Whatever floats your roller.

Girlfriend Anna didn’t even know us and yet spent the majority of her spring break helping too!

Fixing, awe-ing, teaching.

“Can I fix this…and this…and this?” “Yes and yes and yes!”

Matt taught Corban how to go from the home screen to camera mode and more, and Corban was a focused learner for 30+ minutes!

Reusing, gagging, refreshing.

BEFORE (we even moved in)

AFTER (a lot of work and a couch delivery)
((It’s actually the wrong couch, but they’re fixing that now.))
(((Wow, this pic is horrible and the blankets for curtains need to go,
but believe me when I say it’s 1,000x better! Guess you’ll have to come see for yourself!)))

Did you see that lamp in the left corner? This one:

It belonged to James’ Grandpa and Grandma Steele.
I was going to paint over the lamp shade…and then I read this note attached to the base.

Guess it stays as is; good thing it matches the couch!
Art to be hung, maybe a cozy area rug someday, but at least now we can watch a movie without sitting on the floor!

Also. I absolutely have to take this opportunity to thank the workers.

Ben, thank you for your commitment to excellence in your work. You didn’t cut corners and didn’t allow others to either. You weren’t bothered by our request(s) for help but rather asked what you could do next. And as always, you loved on your niece and nephew. Thank you!

Anna, you become part of the family so quickly, so naturally. You worked hard for people you barely knew, always asked how you could help next, loved my babies, and even cared for your boyfriend’s sick sister in the middle of the night. Thank you!

Matt, your handiwork speaks for you. Your attention to detail, care for the little things of the house that could easily be passed over, expertise that this house had not yet seen, and patient teaching heart toward Corban did not go unnoticed. Thank you!

Hoopie, you watched and played and tolerated and ran and fed and changed and generally cared for Corban and Jaeda so that we could paint and paint and paint. Your desire to help in other ways as well contributed to you painting (and getting paint on your nice sweats, sorry!) and helping make this week a successful one. Thank you!

I’m so thankful for family,
for a house big enough to lodge them all,
for delicious food, clean towels, and hot water.

I’m thankful for parents who lent them to us
(although who am I kidding, they got a week alone!),
helped with groceries,
and raised such hard-working, generous children
(I should know, I’m one of ’em!) ;)

THANKS!