After a 5 year hiatus from blogging, I’m committing to stepping back in.

Over the weekend, I had the sudden urge to read through all my old posts – a perfect time capsule of what married life was like when it was just the two of us, spending our weekends at Home Depot covered in paint, sawdust, and dirt. Grateful that I didn’t follow through on some early design ideas, like farmhouse sinks (a fleeting trend), mid-century modern steampunk-inspired light fixtures, or this kitchen island.

Life looks different now, but better in every way with two kiddos to lend their helping hands, dream up their playspaces, and add to the chaos in general.

This is our parenthood era. Cheerios in between the sofa couches. Fingerprints and tape on the windows. Nuggets and spaghetti on repeat. Time measured in Bluey episodes and “how many sleeps until that tomorrow?” (translation: how many days until it’s the day after tomorrow). Making milkbread on the weekends for DIY uncrustables on the weekdays. Running 2 miles in the mornings while rice cooks so that it finishes in time to pack my own lunch before commuting to the office. Friday nights at Costco with food court pizza. Saturdays at Disneyland. Eating Randy’s donuts in the Home Depot shopping cart. Folding laundry while each child follows me around the house, clinging to my legs like magnets. “Mommy, look! Mommy, you see this? Mommy, are you done yet? Mommy, are we there yet? Mommy, can you help me?” Followed by, “Alexa, play Jingle Bells by Mickey on Spotify!” “Alexa, turn on the lights!” “Alexa, STOP!”

I stopped blogging because I didn’t think it mattered, and I didn’t think our house was insta-worthy. But, after taking a step back, I realize this small corner of the internet is where I get to capture what matters most – my lived-in, loved-up house bursting with joy, play, and all the comforts of home. ❤️

In November 2023, we broke ground on transforming our beloved playground space into something much more functional for our growing needs.

Let’s rewind. This is what the space looked like when we bought the house. After about four years of dirt, weeds, and overgrown trees, we poured concrete to level it out.

Then we added turf and built a playground swingset. That was our Covid home improvement project.

From Playground to Practical: Our Home Expansion Journey

This project started with some bittersweet moments. The backyard playground had been home to so many memories—birthday parties, pizza nights, and summer barbecues. Letting go of that space wasn’t easy, but with two kids quickly outgrowing our 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom house, we knew it was time. The vision: convert the playground area into two bedrooms (one for each child), plus a shared bathroom with a shower and a closet for a stacked laundry unit.

Designing a New Flow

One of the first big decisions was to close up the kitchen windows. It was tough saying goodbye to all that natural light, but it allowed us to create a cohesive hallway that would connect the new bedrooms and bathroom seamlessly into the rest of the home.

During construction, we paused our ADU rentals to repurpose it as a storage room and office space.

Weathering the Holidays

The hardest stretch came during the holidays. With gaping holes in the house, constant rain, and too many leaks to count, it was far from cozy. Still, we kept reminding ourselves of the long-term vision and pushed forward (with lots of buckets and towels).

Watching It Come Together

By March, the transformation started to fall into place. The drywall was repaired, and the new floors went in.

Finishing Touches

In early May, we added a sliding farmhouse door to separate the new space—a beautiful design detail that also provided extra soundproofing for the kids’ nap times.

The following weekend, we assembled Maven’s new IKEA bunk bed, making her room feel complete. And by mid-May, we installed IKEA cabinets in the kitchen—a huge win. While it was sad to lose the natural light from the kitchen windows, the added storage more than made up for it.

We also carved out a closet for the laundry unit. Originally, we installed doors to conceal it, but they clashed with the front-load washer and dryer, so we eventually removed them for practicality.

A Home That Fits Us

Looking back, the journey from November to May was full of challenges—rainstorms, leaks, and dust everywhere again—but also full of excitement as we watched our vision become reality. Now, our kids each have their own room, we’ve gained an extra functional bathroom, and the kitchen is more practical than ever.

It wasn’t just a remodel; it was a step toward making our house truly fit our family. ❤️