Gratitude!

Today we kicked butt on house stuff.  My mom and dad were here and we got so much accomplished. We painted the front door and shutters a very coastal/beach-y color.  We stained the inside of the front door, put up some blinds, took down the exact same blinds, said bad words about said blinds, and went back to Lowe's for different blinds. Dad and Noodle painted the island and we organized and transported most of the toys to the permanent house.  But the highlights of the day had nothing to do with any of that.  We connected as a family over tedious tasks.  We laughed and teased each other.  We had our "first" meal together at the house...pizza hut eaten on napkins.  It felt wonderful!  We worked hard.  The kids were amazing.  They kept asking for jobs to do.  Now that I know what they're capable of, it looks like I'll never wash dishes again.
In a few minutes, I'll be off to bed.  Tonight will hopefully be a better sleep than last night.  Thanks to the many storms throughout the night, I shared my bed with three kids.  Hubby slept in a twin bed next to D-Dog last night.  I had approximately three inches to myself last night.  Tonight, I am looking forward to hogging the bed and blankets.  I feel great about what we got accomplished.  I feel grateful for my parents that gave up two days to help us.  They are rockstars!  I am grateful for my dear friends that have checked in on us lately and encouraged us. I am grateful for my neighbor that let the kids swim there today while we painted.   I am grateful for my wild and crazy boys.  And I am grateful for my sweet and sexy husband!
As I fall asleep tonight, I will be very aware that the countdown has begun.  There are only a few more nights to fall asleep inside these walls.  Very soon, we will be falling asleep............at home.  I'll try to get some pictures posted on here tomorrow so you can see the amazing transformation.