Bathroom Remodel Update

To get the scoop on why we remodeled our kids'/guest bathroom click here.  In all honesty it's been a very quick project, but with all the news about Ollie it took us longer than we expected.

Here is our new steel bathtub that I'm certain the kids won't punch holes through.  Jade then put up our cement board to prepare for our subway tile.

Here we are starting the tile.  I honestly did most of the tiling while he did the cutting, but I took the pictures so you won't see me in here.  Oh and hey Shannan - I have a cute maintenance man too!

Oh and without planning it we threw out some free advertisement with Jade's shirt - if you need a good mason or concrete work - call Fox & Austin - they do A-Mazing work. 

Spacers are VERY important with subway tile.  They would slip and slide quite a bit so we had to take our time to make sure they lined up and matched in the corners. 

We spent a lot of time in here tiling all the walls and hearing big stories from Aubrie about aminal friends and garbage birds.  Just so you know - garbage birds eat so much they can't fly, but if a coyote comes to eat them - they puke on the coyotes.  I didn't know this fun fact either, but some how she did.

That is the face of a hard working, concentrated man.

Here is the tile with no grout.  Pretty sweet eh!

This is the tile grouted with white.  It looks SO darn good.  I'm in love with it.  Please note we made a serious boo boo on this job.  We cut out extra dry wall when we ripped out the old shower surround to make this shower taller.  In the planning we planned on 3x6 tiles.  Then surprise, the bull nose tiles were 2x6.  So we had an extra inch gap between the drywall and cement board.  This required 3 coats of drywall to patch our mistake.

Looks great though doesn't it?

When we built, I opted for textured knock down walls.   I like to put a lot of holes in my walls with my endless projects & this helps my walls not look terrible.  So we had to buy a can of texture spray to make the walls blend.  Here is what that looks like before you knock it down.  It's called orange peel.

Here is the master carpenter, knocking down the texture.

Last night I put on 2 coats of Arugula paint, and tonight Jade caulks around the exterior.  Tomorrow night - oh yeah baby - the kids get in this tub & I get them out of my claw foot tub & trust me - I'm looking forward to that!

If you are just catching up.  Pray for baby Ollie - we go to the specialist the 26th & believe we'll have good news!

Pumpkin Experts



It's true - we know a good pumpkin when we see one.  And honestly we love all pumpkins and gourds!

Aubrie loved this one so much she would have cried over it.

Our local pumpkin patch is fabulous.  It has Noah's Ark with two kinds of every gourd.  It's gourd-geous!

We posed by big pumpkins.

And even bigger pumpkins!

We mastered the straw maze the very first time.  No, we sure aren't amateur's at this!

We bossed chickens with our famous "I'm telling you so" pose.  He moves so fast - I need a faster lens to capture him!

And we took pictures with our heads in every single sign like this.  However, we still aren't sure how Everett is the beautiful princess and Aubrie is the big black rat.

We had so much fun, they crowned us the Prince & Princess.  So we sat back, took a scowl faced picture & had a great day at the pumpkin patch!

A MUST read for parents!

I read something very powerful recently & had to share it.

It's a MUST read!

Please take the time to read it if you read nothing else today.  For anyone that is a parent or wants to be a parent - this Dad is very right.  It's hard with the busy lives that we have to make time or make the time we have special with our kids, but we all need to work on it - me included. 

Everything he said about being a Dad is true.  Great Dads raise great children who are motivated and sure of themselves.  Great dads raise children who know how to treat others & how important their role in their marriages is.  Even more importantly, great dads raise children that know how to be great parents themselves.

I was blessed with amazing parents, and trust me they are just the best.  If Jade & I do half the job they did with me - we'll be great parents ourselves.  They knew how to discipline well, and that's also important, but they really knew how to love.  I'm a better wife & mother because the lessons they taught me, but more importantly how they themselves demonstrated love & parenting through their actions.

Happy Feelings

This post is for my sisters & my Mom.  It will ramp you up, and you'll be more anxious than ever...

Disney makes you...

 

want to dance like a 4 year old in the streets

paint your face like a fairy

throw pixie dust in the air

laugh so hard you cry & your cheeks hurt

eat foot long hot dogs & Doritos all day long

get pictures with every character making ridiculous faces even though you are an adult & passersby stare at you

fight seagulls with your bags that try to steal your huge turkey legs from you

wear Disney t-shirts every day that you'd never truly wear in public at home

throw a fit not to leave until you see Swiss Family Robinson's tree house

sing every Disney song you know

skip silly into the park

tear up when you see Cinderella's castle

ride the teacups & Dumbo's ride

buy your kids thick sneakers to make them just a tad bit taller

act like a kid for 10 days straight

wear the same sweatshirt every day & not care (we don't go in peak season for all those questioning this)

visit all the countries in Epcot & try to fake accent them all

always see Indiana Jones & always be amazed at how cool that man is

wear ponchos in the rain and love it

make funny faces to strangers on the monorails as they fly by

eat even more junk food the rest of the day

want all the souvenirs for yourself

be exhausted, but don't want to leave

get up early to get back as soon as you can

oooo and aww over Minnie & Mickeys houses because they are too fabulous

scream on every big ride and love it (as I stand on the side watching you this time!)

point to all the animals on jeep safari ride

oooo and awww over every single detail & decoration that Disney throws up b/c they are all fabulous

go into every 3D show you can

hug a Muppet

cry when you have to leave

laugh for years about all the fun you had

I CAN'T WAIT for vacation with my family.  It will be the best time & you can't find any more happy than when you are at Disney.  Prepare Mom because when Aubrie's face lights up in excitement - you'll cry - and so will I!