Party for a 2-Year Old

My son turned two about a week and a half ago.  He's a delight, except for when he's not.  We celebrated his birth with gifts, tacos, queso, and cake.  Oh, and football, because it we celebrated on a Sunday and our family backs the Pack :-)

Last year we had a get together with friends and family, and had a themed menu, decorations, and a photographer.  What can I say, it was his first birthday.  This year was much more low key, but we still wanted to make it special.  Since our house is still a construction zone (more on that later), we had the celebration at my mom's.  Here's a few pictures from the day.

Minimalist decorations

Gamma had to get a Turtles cake

Dadda had to re-introduce the idea of opening up presents

Cars and trucks are always a hit

And of course construction equipment

Uncle and Gamma both got the same card - one ended up in pieces by the end of the day

Donatello makes noises when he gets hits - thanks Uncle for encouraging violence :-P

An awesome tool bench from Gamma - maybe he can start working on the house

We pulled out a puzzle set that had been in the closet for almost 3 years that he's finally old enough for

 

Enjoying some cake with Momma

Too busy playing to wipe off the frosting

A good day was had by all, and Jack slept soundly that night, despite being stuffed full of cake, frosting, and ice cream.

Thanks for reading!
~Beth

So Long Floors!

Dear Reader(s),

It took a day and a half, but all the floors have been removed from the house.  The original time table was to have all the new floors back down before the little one's birthday, but we have run into some additional foundation and leveling issues that weren't expected.  All work came to a stop, and we have had to get an independent engineer to come out and do an inspection.  He suggested adjusting 7 existing piers, and adding 3 more.

Most Pinterest projects are currently on hold, but once the floors are in, a friend and I may do a freezer meal project together, so stay tuned!  And the little one's 2 year portraits are this weekend, so I'll be putting together our outfit plan and props.

For now, you can laugh along with me (because my only other option is to cry) at our current living conditions.

"Dining" room

View from the front door (Ellie's in the background)

Family room - we brought the tv back in once foundation work was delayed

Office

Master bedroom

Kitchen nook - with original vinyl tiles

One of the original accent tiles in the kitchen

Kitchen and laundry, Ellie again in spotlight

Nursery, with a few random toys and books still out

Hall bath - toilet isn't functional due to the height of the old tile

Master bath - with the one functioning toilet

Master bedroom - we set the mattress back on the floor once the foundation work was delayed

Well, that's where we're at for now.  Work on the foundation will resume in about a week, but life goes on so keep checking in!

Thanks for reading,
~Beth

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

My big boy turns 2 today.  It seems unreal that two years ago I became a mother.  He amazes me every day and makes everything in life better.  Even if the house is an absolute disaster, or work has become unbelievably stressful, a hug or a kiss from him turns it all around, and makes me remember the important things in life.  Here's to you son, may your day be truly fantastic, and I can't wait to celebrate you all weekend!

2 Years Today!

1 Year Portraits

 Check this photographer's awesome work at: www.courtsgrinerphotography.com/

Just Born

Looks Like We're Moving...

...but we aren't.  We just had to pack up virtually everything we own, other than clothes and basic essentials.  The floors are being ripped up so that we can have the foundation fixed.  For those of you who have not lived in Texas, the soil down here likes to shift fairly regularly, which is why we don't have basements (sorry PeeWee.)  Foundation adjustments aren't so bad if you have a pier and beam house, they'll go under the house and jack it up as needed.  Unfortunately, we have a slab foundation - which means they have to jack hammer through the slab to install piers either at the perimeter of the foundation, or on the interior of the house.  So, for right now, we have a very empty house.

Master bedroom view from hall

Master bedroom from corner

We took our bed apart so there was room to move around, and placed a sheet in front of our doorless closet to protect some against dust.

Nursery from hallway

We did leave some of the larger toys out

Closet floor

Hall bath - excited to be rid of that tile!

Master bath - excited to be rid of all that grout (it should be white)

Ignore the shower door - we're doing a thorough cleaning of the house after the floor is installed

Office completely cleaned out

Office clost

Family room (Milo's in the chair)

Dining Room

Hallway

Entryway/ Dining Room

Piano and breakfast bar

Bare china cabinet

Bare kitchen cabinets

So where did all all of our stuff go?  Well, into our lovely new, formerly well organized, shed.

Note the door frame to the left in the picture above.  There is just enough room to step inside, and close the door.

Hopefully the next few days go smoothly and the floors are taken out without issue, then the foundation piers are adjusted, and the floor can go back in next week.

Thanks for reading!

~Beth

Walking Room

Dear Reader(s),

Remember that post on perspective?  The one where I shared the dismal state of our home office?  If not, here's a quick reminder:

Yeah, I know, not really a functioning office.  Not really a functioning anything other than perhaps a dumping ground.  But then, you haven't seen the garage yet.

I know, they are both just an absolute mess.  Which is a huge reason we got the shed.  There's another huge home improvement project coming up, but it basically requires that we pack up the house like we're moving.  The first step towards that was moving all the shelving units from the garage to the shed, so that the base of how the shed would be set up was done.  Boxes and miscellany will just be filled in around them for the time being.

Part of this process meant that while my husband was out sweating in the shed, I was inside boxing up books and sorting through comics.  Our hallway was a bit cramped that day.

Once the garage shelves were taken down, moved, reassembled, and restocked we were able to move items from the office into the garage.  Here's what the office and garage looked like after two days of packing and rearranging.

They are both still cluttered and un-organized, but getting much better.  It's important to remember that some things take time, and patience is a virtue.  At least, that's what I keep telling myself so I can keep some sanity.

Thanks for reading!

~Beth