Our Home Gets a Face-Lift

Dear Corban,

Sometimes the best medicine for grief is to keep busy. One of the things your daddy and I have been doing to keep busy is to work on our house. We started in the kitchen. It was too small, there weren’t any doors on the cabinets and the floor in front of the sink was sinking because of water damage. 

So in mid December, Daddy and I got busy tearing out the cupboards,

 

gutting the walls,

and then removing the flooring and sub-floor.

We were able to do this with the help for a few friends and your aunts, uncles and grandparents. The week between Christmas and New Years was our busy week, installing the new tile, hanging the cupboards, and putting in the new counter top. Your aunt Andrea, Uncle JD, Daddy and Mommy all helped put in the tile. It took a full evening to do, but once it was in, it looked great! 

This was taken after we finished laying the tile.

Uncle JD helped Daddy fix all the wiring while Uncle Tony and Uncle Shelby did the math and measuring to hang the cupboards. Grandpa and Grandma Kent helped with the mudding, staining, painting and sealing of the cupboards while keeping us well fed and entertained with your cousins and their 9-month pregnant mommy, your Aunt Stephanie. Aunt Stephanie helped Mommy and Grandma put things into cupboards and decide which drawers were best for the silverware. About the time all of the finishing touches were being done, your cute little cousin, Sophie was born exactly 4 months to the day after your birthday.

Sophie Tea was born Jan 7, 2012

After Sophie was born we went back to Home Improvement phase, finishing up the final details. In mid-January we bought a fridge for half price and with the help of your uncle Shelby, Daddy was able to get it to fit through our doorway and into the space we’d left for a fridge.

A month later, Daddy started to tear out the ugly old maroon carpet in the living room as well as the stairs going up and the hallway. 

The old colors of paint in our living room were pretty crazy.

We tore down the wall paper the evening of our second day in the house. We knew it wasn't perfect yet, but it was still a lot better without the wall paper.

With some calming blue paint on the walls things look better.

I've put in some of those old pictures to show the progress of this front room. The old green paint and ugly wall paper was the first thing to go, so to finally start on things two and a half years later was long overdue. It was finally nice to start getting rid of the old carpet.

Tearing up the carpet took about 10 minutes.

Daddy swept up the staples, dust, dirt and other gunk.

Mommy helped daddy peel up the yucky carpet pad and pull staples. In the course of two evenings, Mommy helped Daddy put down some lovely new carpet. 

Daddy staples down the new carpet pad.

Our house has never looked so good.

Now you don't notice the carpet because it is the right color.

The stairs look nicer.

The hall looks nicer

The colors match.

It finally looks like a nice room

For Christmas your Grandpa and Grandma Kent gave us a beautiful curio cabinet. They gave it to us so that we could put some of your things on display to always remember you, Corban and the powerful calming spirit you have.  You are so very much a part of everything we do.

The curio makes the perfect finishing touch to the room.

We’ve also put something things into the cabinet from both Mommy and Daddy’s missions, and from your Aunt Elin’s travels in the Navy. Over the years we will add to this cabinet as we collect more memories.

Little one, we want you to know how much we miss you. We are so glad you’re a part of our family and we can’t wait for the day when we are reunited. We hope that the changes and upgrades to our home will help us keep you close to our hearts and forever in our thoughts. We live each day for you, little one.