House -part II

There are so many special places in our home now...

With the house construction totally complete, and the boys & I completely moved in... 

I have taken the time to notice all of the very personal effects that I have either saved (!) or received since the house fire - all of which make me very happy and very proud to be home.

For instance: 

~ our "sun" from local retailer and friend that always graced the front of our house is back!

~ a beautiful tulip vase given to us by friends (thanks Goettels!) warms up our front room.

~ speaking of the front room, we inherited the piano from our dear friends (who so kindly transported it via 4-wheeler and a trailer! It was awesome! Don't worry musical friends... it's already been tuned.) The boys have been tinkering on it - and they will start back up with lessons in April. I just don't know how I could NOT have a piano in the house...

~ the big, cushy couch downstairs fits like a dream (although that wasn't the case when we tried to get it in the house!) and with "Bandit" watching over us it makes a perfectly comfortable game room.

~ the guest room is a mix of old, new and personal... a beautiful bed frame given to us by dear friends, a funky new end table, an antique glass lamp also given to us by sweet friends, and my grandmother's cedar chest that we rescued from the house!

~ the master bathroom sink is particularly special because it was something Jason wanted installed when we moved downstairs last year.

The bowl was made for us by 3G Pottery and installed by our awesome friends. 

And lastly, Lalah might recognize the framed print given to Jason years ago... 

~ the boys' room might just be my favorite room in the house!

Our dear friend kindly offered to paint the room for us - which is beautiful.

The boys' quilts were specially made by a sweet friend and they are perfect.

The boys' initials were again rescued from the house - they hung over their crib when they were babies!

This room is full of special pieces and memories... the paint, the quilts, the initials... 

but also their cool hand-built Playmobil shelves; a caricature of the boys from the San Diego Zoo in 2008; Sammy's self-developed Asian zen garden (!); a really cool thrift store painting Yaya & Papa purchased for the room; a sweet "Family Rules" sign from Aunt Jei & Uncle Alec; and a beautiful painting of our family from a dear friend... to name just a few!

~ even the dog and cat are not only happy to be home, but happy to have their own space. 

They are even a little more apt to share that space!

~ final touches make it feel like home. Lights in the window are the perfect nightlight.

There are still so many more things  - too many to show here! - that surround us in this house with love and kind words and uplifting thoughts. It counteracts the emptiness that comes at night when the boys are asleep and I sit and think about the life we shared with Jason and how happy he would be with our home. He is here with us, in everything we do and everything we see. That is what makes it feel like home.