1st Swim

We took our first dip in the pool yesterday and the babies loved it. We are about to head out there again with some friends. The heat wore me out yesterday (and Jones too...a 3 hour nap ensued after we came in) I need to be more careful with the heat today!

Posing in her new swim ensemble.

SO tired after "swimming".

YEAH for kitchen renos!

See how happy Jones is that we are renovating the kitchen!?!?

He just can't contain himself!

Surprisingly, everything has gone pretty smoothly. There have been a few minor hiccups, but that's to be expected. It's amazing how quickly the workers have completed everything. We are now in "waiting mode" for our custom cabinetry to be built. It's quite a bit of pressure to design cabinetry to be functional and perfect to use for the rest of your life! ha! I am very excited to see it.

Here is the current state of our kitchen. If you compare it to the original kitchen picture, you can see the doorway has moved over. This was moved to add as much countertop space to the walls as possible. The scary light fixture is gone, and the ceiling has 9 can lights now. (we might have gone overboard on that) This will most certainly not be a dark kitchen! The octagon island will now be replaced with a rectangular one. The sink/bar area will become 1 level (countertop height) and not be "popped up" as the contractors call it. We went to the granite yard and we found the one we want. But OF COURSE there was only 1 slab left, so the contractors need to get aggressive and find some more!! :)

Just FYI for those considering doing a kitchen reno. (where you completely gut the kitchen) If you are looking for ways to save money, one area is to haul off your own trash. This is a HUGE undertaking and a lot of manual labor. HOWEVER, if you have a husband who happens to be the hardest worker you know and is cheap cost conscious (haha), then you are in luck and can save over $1,000! The above picture is HALF of our haul off. I LOVE YOU, DAVID!

1st Birthday Movie

This video is long overdue, but I wanted to post the video I made for Jones and London's 1st Birthday last month. Most of you know that I love making these movies, so of course I needed to make one for my babies!

If you have some free time I'd love for you to check it out. There is a segment near the end of Jones dancing and the ending is what chokes me up every time I watch it. ;)

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and more kitchen reno to start back up tomorrow!

Day 2 DONE!!

Day 2 is done and everything has been reframed for the kitchen. The closet we stole from the hallway is ready to be drywalled, the doorway into the kitchen has been moved over 3 feet and has been widened and made taller. The main framing project was working on the ceiling support where the kitchen transitions into the breakfast nook. This transition hung down super low, so we had it reworked so it could be higher.

The workers took a break today, and the cabinet maker is coming to meet with me in the morning. THIS IS SO FUN!!!

BEFORE

This is the closet we stole from the hallway. You can still see the door and the support beam.

AFTER

Now the doorway is framed in and that whole wall can be cabinetry and countertops!

Day 1 DONE

Here is the current state of our kitchen after about 8 hours of demo!! The workers worked very hard today, and made wonderful progress. The framers are going to begin reframing the kitchen tomorrow. The wall you cannot see (on the left) is completely down to the studs and we've opened up a hall closet to steal space from. This is so exciting!!

Meanwhile, the 3 cousy's were having fun being silly together at Gaga & Dadas' house.

Bye-Bye Kitchen!

Say goodbye to our green countertop, pink tile floor, octagon island kitchen!!

Demolition for our kitchen remodel begins tomorrow morning and we are so excited!!! I will post pics tomorrow of our gutted kitchen!!!

Let the stress, sleepless nights, and excitement begin!

Rainy Day Friday

It's pouring outside, and I love it! It's been so humid lately and I am glad the sky finally opened up and let the rain come down! Nothing too big to report today...just some random pics...

Miss Happy Pants

(even though she's had a cold for over a week now)

A very serious crawler!

Mr. Reese keeping a very NERVOUS eye on J&L. If you know Reese, you know how nervous he is ALL the time...especially now with 2 babies coming after him! This is a typical Reese face!

Mother's Day #2

My second Mother's Day was great! Even better than the first as my babies were still in the hospital last Mother's Day. (see pic below)

We did our usual hamburger celebration with all the mom's in our family. We had a great time and just enjoyed being together!

Paper Hats on the Head = Funny to Jones :)

Mama's Babies THIS year

Mama's Babies LAST Year

Nana and the babies...I like how London needed to do a leg kick in this pic

I want to take a second to thank all of the Mother's in my life. First, my mother who dedicated her life to being an amazing mom. I love her VERY much and am sad Jones and London will never get to meet her, but know she is watching down on them. Second, my stepmother who has helped raise me since I was a teenager. She is nurturing & caring and I am very thankful for her role in my life. Third, my mother-in-law whom I have a very close genuine relationship with. I am not only grateful for the wonderful mother she is to David, but also to me and my children.

I am very blessed to have had all 3 of these women play a role in the woman I am today. I love you all!

I'd Like to Answer That Question