During this renovation journey, our patience, our parenting skills and our marriage was tested. It was a never-ending juggling act between Jimmy and me. We were constantly trading and adjusting our roles and responsibilities as husband&wife, mom&dad, shared homeowners, working spouse & stay-at-home mom.
But, as is life’s constant reminder, the universe does not operate on OUR time. It is always the Lord’s purpose that prevails. And though we may not understand why we face the trials we face, there is good that comes from tribulation.
For one, I feel that Jimmy and I grew to be better communicators. You see, we became parents very early in our marriage. We were still in the “honeymoon” phase when we found out I was pregnant. I think we still tip-toed around communicating our needs, but through this process and through the process of becoming parents, we’ve grown stronger in communicating our needs, wants, schedules, future plans, finances, etc.
Additionally, we grew to become more flexible as a family. While I wanted my children on a set schedule, life happens. It still happens, even being back at home. Twins are already, comparatively speaking, very flexible and go-with-the-flow children. They learn patience very early on as they will not always be fed, changed, or put to sleep when they want: there is only one parent and two babies. However, constantly changing environments and tweaking schedules during this six-month period demanded resilience from them. And, because life happens, flexibility is an important lesson to learn.
Thirdly, we got to spend loads of precious time with family that we would’ve otherwise missed out on. We sacrificed some privacy in our marriage in exchange for a lot of hands on help with the twins…and help is always welcome. We spent time with the twins’ cousins, aunts and uncles. The twins had loads of one-on-one time with their Nana and their Gigi. Family members got to participate in a lot of the boys “firsts.” And, lucky for me and Jimmy, we were allowed a lot of breaks we wouldn’t have had the privilege of taking if we were alone at home with the boys.
If you asked me and Jimmy now if all of it was worth it, we might hesitate to say it was. It was certainly a trying time. But, in the end we are better for it. We grow more in love with our home everyday. We are constantly beaming at the upgrades we dreamed up in our heads and revel in our “new home,” knowing the sacrifices we made to get here.
When it was all said and done, the entire renovation included:
- New flooring throughout the whole house due to the pipe exploding behind the dishwasher
- New kitchen cabinets (due to sitting water from the pipe bursting), kitchen sink, countertops, backsplash, hardware, and new paint
- The kitchen island had a face-lift with new cabinet doors, new coat of paint, countertops and the microwave built-in
- New dishwasher
- The coffee/spirits bar was imagined, constructed, painted and received the same countertops and paint as the island
- The furr downs were removed from the kitchen, guest and master bathrooms
- The master bathroom shower was demolished due to pipe damage and new tile, faucets, and flooring were put in place
- A pipe burst in the nursery and the shiplap wall Jimmy built was torn down and then rebuilt
- New coat of paint in the living room, guest bathroom, nursery, master bedroom and bathroom, and hallway
- Crown moulding was installed in the living room/kitchen area
- New baseboards throughout the entire house
Outnumbered 