The Boy Can Dance and Sing!

As most of you know, Carsen loves to dance. Grandma Carol showed him the idea of a microphone w/ a block. Eric and I found a microphone used as a party favor at Target, the kind that echoes when you talk into it. It took him a few times before he understood what he was supposed to do. Enjoy.

Entryway is complete!

A month has passed since we've moved into the house and A LOT of work has been completed. We're finally at the stage, in some rooms, to post pictures of the finished product. A few rooms still need some work and will be shown later so keep checking!
We knew right away that the entryway needed a table so the banister wouldn't get cluttered. We were at last able to agree on a style and price range and ordered from JC Penney. As you can see the end result is a big improvement and looks wonderful.

Before wallpaper stripping and painting.

The opposite angle.

The end result.

We looked at every rug known to man before finding this one at K-mart of all places.

Little by Little

When we were at the house in June for our inspection, the oven had a rack of ribs in it. It was hard to tell how long they'd been in there. Needless to say, I was not looking forward to removing the racks, scrubbing them in the sink, and wiping out the inside. I couldn't put it off any longer. It's a self cleaning oven so I ran it and then scraped the remainder out.

Carsen's room is the only one that's completely finished. It looks nice and he loves it as you can see.

Not fun. Plus it smelled a little funny too.

Our $5 thrift store find.

A lot of the books end up on the floor at the end of the day, but it's worth it b/c now they're not all over the living room.

He loved the step ladder we bought. He cried and cried when I folded it up and put it away.

Block Fest Fun

Carsen and I attended Blockfest this morning which is a program linked w/ Parents as Teachers that focuses on block play and how children can develop math and science skills. I was in conjunction w/ the All About Kids Fair that is put on every year here in Independence. There were several stations set up w/ different kinds of blocks: wooden, foam, cardboard, small cubes, long planks, etc. We had a lot of fun stacking, learning colors and knocking them over. I'm not sure which station he liked best. He seemed to enjoy them all.

Playing w/ Brady and Brynlie.

Looking thru a colored block.

Making Progress

After we got back from vacation, Eric went right to work on refinishing the tub/shower in the guest bath and replacing the toilet. He tore out the carpet and pulled up tile. It smelled so bad of mildew and cat pee. Then after applying the refinishing mix we all got high! Right now the yellow toilet is on the front lawn waiting to be disposed of. It's so nice to have that yellow finally out! Now all that's left is to position the toilet in the guest bath, pick out paint, pick out new accessories and replace the baseboards in both bathrooms. We're almost there!!

The lovely yellow both showers and toilets that were probably original to the house.

Carsen had to take a bath in the sink b/c the tub was unavailable. He thought it was great!

A new tub is born.

"I can't turn on the water, Dad!"

The new floor.

10 Days Without Carsen

After 18 months, I'm spending not only one night but 10 nights away from Carsen. Eric has spent time away from him but not me. We're leaving for Hawaii early in the morning and decided not to take Carsen w/ us. I took him to Bogue on Sat. and stayed for the first night of the rodeo. Carsen had a great time seeing all the animals. It was strange driving home w/o him yesterday but I know he's having a great time w/ grandma and grandpa. It's good for both of us to be w/o each other for a few days.

Watching the Grand Entry w/ Papa Scott.

Eating a popsicle that was passed out in the parade.

Riding the train w/ Dad the night before leaving.