Bathroom Remodel, Day 1

The work is finally underway. There was lots of noise, lots of dust and no nap for Sean (it was all too exciting). We have decided to keep the original tile and just re-do the shower area. I am keeping my fingers crossed this all turns out beautifully.

Before the day started.

At the end of the day.

Yes, the naked lady was carried to the dumpster today. I watched with a slight bit of sadness.

"Ping pong or how the Chinese say: ping pong."

Tom is past his prime, but he still can shoot a clean 3 pointer and is currently the reigning champ in our house in ping pong. We hold on to the dream that someone will grow up to be the next US Ping Pong Champion and with Tom's training one of kids just might.

Here are some pictures from a recent FHE in our basement. The championship was intense and we all tried our best to beat Tom but he has held on to the title for years now. Hopefully some day someone will rise up and beat him. Sean tried wearing Andrew slippers thinking it would help his grip on the carpet. Andrew and Kira both played clean games but it left me facing off with Tom in the end. Even with his shirt over his head for part of the game, I couldn't make a win happen. Maybe the next match up will have a different outcome.

Yes, I am Crazy

What person would invite a ton of kids over that have been stuck in their own homes on a raining day watching 4 hours of conference? Well, me of couse with the prodding of my friend Nancy. We had a house full on Easter with the intent of doing an Easter Egg hunt outside. With the rain coming down hard, we opted to do it in the basement. I can happily report that nothing was broken, spilled on, torn up, or ruin. All was good and everyone left very happy and full of sugar. It was a fun time. Thanks to those that came!

Spring Break!

The kids are out of school all week. For me, that gives me feelings of joy, and feelings of stress as I have to figure out what to do with them while I work. Today, just as I was about to hang Andrew from the ceiling by his toes, the Hanaikes invited him over and saved him. It resulted in a bike ride on the sea wall, and I caught of picture of them from my dining room.

Thanks Reggie for rescuing Andrew from a stressed out grumpy mom.

Sean's First Haircut

Tom got him to hold still long enough to even him out a little. He had a long curly patch on top and long curls around the ears. I needed to be evened out a bit and now he looks more like a little boy. Still bald, but looks adorable. Tom I am impressed you got it done.

When Grandpa Comes

While growing up, my paternal grandparents lived in Missouri. They would come out every so often and usually stay for months at a time. During that time, my mom would have a long to-do list for my grandpa to keep him busy around the house. While my parents don't usually stay months at a time, they do come for the weekend every now and then, and there is usually a small project while they are here. This time, my dad made me two pillars for our entry way and a new mailbox. Hopefully he will retire someday and come for months at a time. My list for him keeps growing.

Andrew was the official helper since he was the only one that would fit in the box to bolt them down. He loved helping, and my Dad was good at acting like he loved Andrew helping. It was fun to see them go up, and it will be more fun finishing up the job with plants and painting. I will post a complete picture once it's all done. With the kids out of school they will be busy helping complete it.

Stairs, Stairs and More Stairs

My parents are coming to visit this weekend and they are bringing along my mom's mother, my Grandma Erickson. When I asked my dad if I need to have anything specific for her, his only request was as few stairs as possible. Now I have been know to work many quick miracles but I can't change the fact that there are stairs all around our house. When we bought this house I didn't even give it a second thought. The only time I grumble is when I have to load in groceries, but now the kids do most of that, and it is good exercise for them.

Right now it is not a problem for anyone in our family, but I have been thinking that in about 20-30 years Tom and I may need to purchase at least 5 of these. I am certainly not going to be carrying Tom up and down the stairs.