The Urban Farmhouse - Rhonda's 40th/Valentines/Family Day Weekend Update

We had a busy weekend at The Urban Farmhouse. On Friday my (Crystal's) parents came to help with the house. We spent Saturday painting and installing the sub-floors on the main floor, plus moved the kitchen cabinets from the city to TUF so they can be assembled. What a difference! 

We made Brielle a makeshift fort in the closet with some cardboard boxes. She was happy as a clam....especially since Grandma hung out with her in it.

After a hard days work, we met up with about 30 of our awesome friends to celebrate Rhonda's 40th Birthday. It was awesome to see so many loved ones in one place. Can't wait to have our house done so we can entertain and see them all more often.

On Sunday we headed back to TUF to work on more painting (the story of my life these days but I actually enjoy it) and to start installing the pantry (above) and kitchen cabinets. We've read some horror stories about assembling them but in all honesty, it's going way better than expected.

Since we had some strong muscle help, we moved an entire lift of tongue and groove from outside, to inside and then upstairs. What a job and what a great way to spend Valentines Day!!

Monday was Family Day so the three of us headed back to TUF for a long day of work. I painted the final coat in the kitchen and then helped Rhonda install some of the cabinets and dishwasher.

Brielle loves lending a hand whenever we have a job for her. She's been pretty awesome during this whole process, even though at times she gets kinda bored. But, between Rhonda & myself, we've made her a bunch of houses and forts with some of the large cardboard boxes that have come through the door. Anything to keep a 3 year old busy during a long building process.

The kitchen is painted white and the cabinets are a gorgeous grey. It's turning out just as awesome as we had hoped.

This is where we sit with the cabinets at this point. Rhonda is going back tonight to finish up as much as possible. I can't wait to see the entire thing completed and I just love all of those windows. 

When we decided to build a house from the bottom up, we were a bit worried that it would be hard on our relationship. But in all honesty, we both love this work. Yes, it makes for some pretty tough days, but the end result is worth it. We haven't lost momentum and we both find it very therapeutic. Instead of becoming hostile, angry and frustrated during the working hours, we actually find more times to enjoy smiles, laughs and joy. Yes, we are those odd people that seem to find love and happiness during a time that would normally be stressful to other couples. 

We also love that Brielle gets to be a part of the building process. She's only 3 so hands-on can be difficult, but we do involve her in projects when we can. Even if she's just watching, she's learning. Maybe one day she'll tackle a big project with confidence because she's had mommies to teach her things that others may not learn.....especially so early in life. We're hands-on people, so it's likely that she will be too. 

It's absolutely amazing how both of our parents have helped us. We feel so loved and it's been a great bonding experience. Plus, we'll have stories to share for years to come. So I'd like to take this opportunity to thank our dads and moms for all of their help. We appreciate it and are so grateful for every second spent together. THANK YOU!!!! We love you to the moon and back!