7 and 1/2 years ago we moved from Las Vegas to Lehi.

Our kids were babies.  Morgan was 2, Jake 2 months old.

Jake was blessed in our new ward the first Sunday we were here.  I remember being so motivated to unpack because in just a week's time all of our family and close friends would be seeing our house.



We were just a young family.  Starting a new chapter, in a new place.  You've got to love the sheets up as curtains behind us.

When we decided to build our home in Utah we were still living in Las Vegas, and didn't have a job up here.  The home values were going up and we decided to go ahead and build while trying to get a transfer.  If we got the transfer then we would have a place to live; if not, we could sell it and hopefully make some money.

After a lot of research and prayer, we went forward.  Just two weeks prior to the house closing we got our transfer!  We had already told Trev's dad (who was our realtor) to put it up on the market because it wasn't looking like we would be able to move.  When we got the news the first phone call we made was to him! :)

During the building process - and being completely unsure if we would ever live here - we didn't do very many upgrades.  The important stuff we did, but nothing cosmetic.  I'm talking one-tone paint, no molding, etc.  It was pretty basic, but still so nice for us.  Since moving in, we have done project after project to make it our own.

It has become not just a house, but OUR home.  Our home that has been created and re-created many times over.  

Thanks to pinterest and multiple Parade of Homes date nights, I have become the creative director and Trev the brawn behind it all.  We have hired out VERY little.  We have spent hours and hours creating and learning along the way.  

The other day, after our usual Saturday cleaning was done I decided it was time to snap a few pictures of our beautiful home.  As I looked at the photos I realized how much work, thought, and time had been put into making this home ours.  

That is something to be recorded and celebrated.

So without further adue, welcome to our home. :) (some photos taken at other times, but included to show our home)






















I am going to try to post more in the future with before and after's of our house projects.

But this is what it looks like today.

Just like our lives, our home is constantly changing, growing, and revamping.  The most recent changes have been painting the whole house "greige" and finishing our little bathroom.






This picture of the Savior was given to us from Trev's old college roommates and their wives to show love after Trev's father passed.  It means so much to us.  How deeply we love it and all that it means to us.

Next projects on the horizon:
-Redo baseboards and door casings in the main area.
-Get new light for to go over the table.
-Get new chairs for the table.
-Get piano bench.
-Extend hardwood to in the walkway from the kitchen to our bedroom.
-Upgrading the front yard landscaping.
-Finally getting around to finishing the other half of our basement.

How grateful we are for this lovely house that we get to call "Home."

Back in September we suffered a tragedy in our family.  Our brother-in-law Greg, passed away.  He was survived by Trev's sister Amy and their 10 children.

Since that time, we have had the blessing to have 2 of their dear daughters staying in our home.  They are both just lovely and we have loved having them here.  They will only be with us a few more months before they will rejoin their mother and siblings in their new home that is currently under construction.  

We will miss them when they go.  The older girl is Cheyenne, who we call Shiney.  She is 15 and a great teen.  Her sister London is 8. Her and Morgan have become BFF's.  What great girls they both are.

Fun Fact about Shiney:  She is a GREAT cook!
She loves cooking, and we LOVE eating her creations. :)

For one of her Personal Progress Projects she decided to make us all dinner for 2 weeks and start a recipe blog to document her meals!  Yay for us! :)

Her blog is : www.shineysilverspoon.blogspot.com

Feel free to check it out and try her recipes...so far they have all been wonderful!

So my previous posts have shown some of the fun things we have done with our little "summer camp", but there is a major work element involved as well.


Each day, the kids have a checklist of six categories they have to do.


Categories are as follows:
 Reading (20 mins)
 Writing (10 mins)
 Physical Activity (20-30 mins)
 Home Jobs (Room and 2 others of my choosing)
 Practice (Determined by the summer goals they 
           set for themselves)
 Extra (One extra item in a category of their 
        choice)


They get a check mark for each thing they do each day in each category.  Their allowance at the end of the week is determined by how many checks they get.  A portion of their allowance is used for fun things they want to do (i.e. visit the Zoo, go to Lagoon, day at Cowabunga Bay, etc.)


So this is what is going on in home most mornings these days.















This represents what I do most mornings:





Yeah right!  I wish. :)


These last couple are just some I had to include for the fun of it, and because I just like them. :)





We sure love our Daisy-girl. :)