Birthdays

Why do birthdays get longer and longer? This year Annabelle got her first present the day before her actual birthday. We had a fun church party with cupcakes on her birthday but didn't have her party until Saturday, 3 days after the actual day. I spent all week preparing presents, making arrangements and making cupcakes. And it's NOT over. This weekend we are going to see Nana and Papa and she will have another birthday party. She's still getting gifts from friends at church and family. These things are getting way out of hand! Well, she is officially 2 now. Thanks to all who participated in her birthday you made it great! Now lets get back to normal.

Big Slide, Little Girl

I went down with her a few times so she could get used to the twirly fun. She loves this slide now. And though she can do it on her own, she still wants me to follow her down.

Zoo Time

With all the great weather we've been having, we decided to go to the zoo. We had so much fun walking around and posing the kids on the different statues. Usually the statues are really hot because of the summer sun shining down on the bronzes. Look how cute the girls are on the different lions. Sophy is on the biggest, Annabelle is on the middle sized one and Lola is on the baby cub. We also saw a baby rhino that was perfect for them all to sit on. It was a fun day and I can't wait to go back.

Looking Good

So, we have the kitchen mostly put back together. Tuesday night Aaron painted the island and Thursday night he put the doors on the cabinets. The island and the cabinets above look great. Wednesday I finished painting the window and put up the glass on the light fixtures. It's truly amazing how great it looks and how little time it took to get to this stage. (But whole lot of effort). Today Emilie and Maddy came over to see the work. There is still some touching up to do and some organizing but that's easy and rewarding. I'm so glad we finally did this. The window between the kitchen and the living room opens up the space and breaks up the long, boring wall. I appreciate all the hard work that Matt, his family and Aaron have done to make this kitchen exactly what I wanted.

A crazy weekend with my brother

When ever my brother comes to visit me, it's to do major renovations on one of our houses. Well, this weekend was no different. For nearly 4 years I have wanted a window between the kitchen and living room. It only took Matt a few hours Friday night to make my dream a reality. It was amazing!

Friday night: Matt and Aaron removed the trim and upper cabinets over the sink.










Saturday: Aaron and Kris took care of some old poorly done wiring and Matt framed the window and put the upper cabinets on the opposite wall.










Sunday: Matt finished framing the window and built the island, Aaron removed the old wall heater from the bathroom and mudded it.










For more details check out Aaron's blog. I'll post completed pics soon. Stay tuned.

Annabelle loved having her cousins to play with, especially Hanna. I am so blessed to have a family who will sacrifice a weekend to work on my kitchen. This is what the kids did all weekend:










Thank you Matt, Amy, Owen, Sloan, and Hanna!