Out of the house . . .

Our family - from Gardner to Carol - got hit with a round of colds (Grant and I escaped the attack). Carol was home from church for more than two full weeks with sick children. However, it was the kind of cold that didn't really make the kids feel that badly, we just didn't quite think we should have them out and about - especially at church. So, they were basically confined to the house but not feeling like they should have to stay home. Finally this last week, everyone was well enough to go to church on Wednesday evening.

Last night, we went to Champaign to get some things; we decided to eat at McDonalds and let the kids burn off some of the cabin fever in the playplace. We ended up staying almost two hours! Carol and I met a nice couple who had brought their grandchildren to play and eat. They both work for the U of I and were very enjoyable to talk to - we thought similarly in several areas and we both follow politics . . . :-).

The kids were absolutely soaked with sweat after nearly two hours on the playground. John's hair was nearly dripping, Josiah had holes in both of his pant knees, Joel's knees are both black and blue today (he's not quite too big to play in there - age limit is 12), we had to keep getting Gardner down - even though he is technically too small to be on the playplace . . . but, they certainly enjoyed their time - we all did!

I don't know how clear the picture is, but here are all the kids just before we left McDonalds.


This next picture shows how wet John's hair still was when we got to Walmart a little while later. Fortunately, it wasn't that cold or he might have ended up getting his cold right back! He is the same energetic Jolly John that he has always been!


I mentioned in the last blog post that Joel had received a Rubik's cube for his birthday. It didn't take him long to master it - as the video shows. It took him 1 minute and 48 seconds in the video, but he tells me his best time is 1:26 - I believe him.



An update on the building project. The sheetrock installation is finished; we are in the mud and sand process right now and hopefully the walls and ceiling will all be textured and painted within the next 10 days.

The next set of pictures will show the progression of the project. The focal point is transition of the window to the hallway into the new addition.

Taking off the siding last summer - the window from the outside.


The window (from the inside) is still there while we were building the new nursery.


We left the window and wall while framing in the addition late last summer.


After we were "in the dry" and able to install the doors for security we took out the window and cut out the block wall.



This is today (where the window used to be) with all of the sheetrock installed. The big box above the hallway is where our electricity and hvac enters the addition from the existing building (there is heat and air duct-work in it).

This is looking in through the hallway that used to be a window.

More updates will come soon. Bro. Jim Appel will be coming to lay our tile at the end of March. If the Lord allows, I'm hoping to have this all finished by Easter Sunday! Please pray to that end; I'm ready to be finished for a while (as much as I enjoy my tools :-).

That's all for now.