PART 2: Our Home Build, and Baby Ivan! (November 2021 - January 2022)

Once we got to November, it rained a bunch. Mud here, mud there, mud everywhere. Thankfully, the house was now enclosed and the jobs that were needed to be done at this point were inside jobs. (If you haven't read Part 1 yet, click here!)

We met Joe at the house a lot in the evenings while he worked on various things, A few times, we even brought an entire meal out and ate together in our soon-to-be living room.

Yes, that is a very pregnant Kelsey right there. :) This particular meal was goulash, one of our kids favorites.

In the middle of November, it was time for insulation to be put in! We went around the day before installation and wrote Scripture above our doors, in the rooms, around windows, in the garage, and even on the concrete floor downstairs. It was a way for us to remember how faithful God is, and to dedicate our home to Him, that we might steward what He has given to us well and for His glory.

From that point to about mid-December, the sheetrock was hung and mudded. Talk about exciting stuff! All of the ceilings, walls, and bump-ups looked GREAT!

There was a bit of a break between mid-December and Christmas, and before we knew it, we were in the last week of the year. We were expecting our 4th baby any day at that point (due the 28th), but he was definitely not ready to make an appearance. Joe used the time he had off that week to stain a bunch (and I do mean a BUNCH) of doors and trim with his brother Josh and his boys, our nephews Marshall and Reese.

They spent the 29th staining, and on December 30th we went back out as a family to see the progress. My aunt and uncle were in town and we wanted to show them our progress while they were back. I was having contractions but sort of brushed them off as they weren't super consistent or hard to talk through. The day went on and I noticed I was a bit more uncomfortable, but we had a planned induction the very next day so I just decided to wait as long as I could.

And then later that evening around 8pm, the contractions picked up. I went to bed and tried to sleep, but could not get comfortable. About midnight, I decided to call the hospital and then my water broke. So we high-tailed it to the hospital and got there around 1:15, got checked in, and barely got into a room before our scrumptious Ivan William was born at 2:22am on December 31st! What a day!

After all of that excitement, we went out and introduced the house to 4-day-old Ivan. While there, we discovered our LVP flooring had arrived!

Joe was checking out the trim piece that went on top of the doors, and the kids were checking out the hole in the ground where the toilet for the main bathroom would go.

We got a sneak peek at our cabinets, and the painter started the main floor walls! We went pretty neutral with a gray for the main living area upstairs and bedrooms downstairs, and a light green/taupe color for our room, laundry room, and bathroom upstairs, and main living area downstairs.

Looking into the dining room from the kitchen.

Master bedroom.

Henry standing in our master bath.

The kitchen from the dining room.

The kitchen from the living room.

The living room.

Downstairs family room, looking to one of the bedrooms and utility closet.

As the painting was ongoing, our shower was put in, and the fireplace was next to be installed! A wood burning fireplace was one thing Joe and I both really wanted, as my parents have one, and growing up with it made for such a cozy feel in their home.

And then....OUR CABINETS WERE INSTALLED!!!

Our sink is a 60/40 Karran brand

quartz, with a half divider.

The kids' double vanity cabinets. So much more space!

Starting the stone on the hearth.

The stonework seemed to take no time at all. It was gorgeous and we were SO happy with how it turned out. Originally we didn't have the bench area extended in front of the window, but we were really glad it worked that way!

Toward the end of January, the framers were back to start on our closet shelves!

Master closet.

Master closet.

Bathroom counter and sinks were installed around the same time shelving began.

And on the last weekend of January, our chimney got its stone put on!

On the 31st of January, our kitchen countertops and bathroom remnant countertop were installed. I remember wanting to cry out of pure joy and excitement over how much I loved it all coming together before my very eyes.

The island countertop, able to seat 7 comfortably. The middle was cut out for our cooktop to be installed later on.

We opted for a remnant piece for our 1/2 bath countertop to match the kitchen countertops. It looked great!

Stay tuned for part 3!!