State Fair of Texas 2013

Beau, the boys, my parents and I headed to the State Fair several weeks ago, the Friday before TX/OU, and it was just as great as every other year! We sure missed Andrea and Rogan though. They spoiled us last year by being here for it! We did play a few games with Grayson but not as many as with "Andra" and "Rodan". :) We also took our annual tour around the car show, sat in the Wine Garden (the weather was great!) and ate corney dogs, fried oreos, fried frito pies, fried asparagus dip balls (amaze-balls), and that may be it. We definitely didn't splurge like years past. We even skipped the funnel cake! :( Never again, I promise you that.

This was the first year with a new Big Tex since he burned down on the last day of the Fair last year! But we didn't get a picture with him. When we thought about it, the sun was perfectly behind him making it impossible to get a photo of him. Oh well.

It was fun to have a new little family member in attendance. :) Our first year to have TWO boys getting their characature done!

Grayson 3y.o.; Walker 8mos

"DADDY, LOOK! IT'S BUMBLEBEE!" He is so precious with his Transformer references ;)

Pretty happy to have a smoothie with a little umbrella! 

Getting Walker's sketch made :) - our State Fair tradition!

Watched the Killdares! A pleasant surprise - we've seen them before and they are AWESOME!

Yes, of course Grayson wanted to the machine gun game. He tore it up too! 

Many thanks to my parents who, like always, pick up a substantial portion of the cost. The State Fair aint cheap, y'all! Looking forward to 2014!

Walker is 8 months!

Walker Baby, you're now pulling up and balancing on your knees, getting faster at crawling, following your brother around everywhere and want ALL of his toys. :)

Weight: 22+ lbs from what I gather. :) HEAVY little chunk.

Size 4 diapers

Size 3 shoe

Size 12-18 month clothes; some 18 month, epsecially one pieces and footed PJs

Other things that I can think of:

You hate hats. Refuse to wear them. We're seeing this with shoes too.

You like to sing along with anyone who sings to you!

You're voice is getting loud and Dadada & Mamama come out every once in a while

You are so interested in pulling up, the stairs, your brother and his toys. It's to the point 

where Grayson plays ON the stairs so that you can't reach him :) He gathers all of his toys 

so that they're safe. I wish he'd share more. :)

Look at that single curl. You still have your original hair unlike your brother and most other babies.

You smile so BIG when Pop and Mimi look at you. Your favorite person in the world is Pop, if he's in the room, you're at his feet and of course, he can't help but pick you up! He has spoiled you and you really do prefer to be held.
You love, love, love the outdoors. I can always calm you down by taking you outside. 
You still eat about every 3 1/2 - 4 hours. 6 oz bottle, jar or packet of baby food. 
You still only have your bottom 2 teeth - it's so stinking adorable! (Your top left broke through since I started this blog post!)
You cry when people leave the room - that object permanence thing came around pretty fast I feel.

You love cuddles. You and your brother were "kicking" each other here. ;)

We had a scare with some difficulty breathing and seal-barking-coughs late one night so to be safe my mom and I took Walker to the ER. I'm glad we did. It was Croup, which is common but so scary in an itty bitty. He did so much better after the steroid and breathing treatments. 

EVERYTHING goes in your mouth these days.

Hangin' at Grayson's soccer practice. So supportive! ;)

We love you so much, our brown-eyed boy!

House Progress: A Busy Week!

This has been a busy week over on Heather Brook Lane! They are finishing up brick as I type so I'll have a better picture of the front later. But so far...

Brick - I know I left off with a 1/2 bricked house but here's some more. We had them halt brick when I realized how little stone would be on the front. They tried their best to get more hauled in but it just didn't work with our timing. Bummer. I'm mad at myself for not asking about this sooner. It will look nice regardless but just not what I envisioned. Oh well!

Scaffolding is up.

Back and one side complete. I used to drive past homes like this and think I would NEVER have a house with no windows! My house would be ALL windows! Welll, among the kitchen, jack and jill bath, media room and the rooms on the ends that look out to front and back, this makes sense now. And of course, not wanting to look at our future neighbors who will one day live feet away from us (sigh). Live and learn.

Stone arrived for (minimal!) exterior ;) and fireplace.

Kitchen sink - arrived and has been installed! It's still covered up to dry and protect it but I was there when they were doing it and it's exactly what I hoped it would! :) It's a charcoal color single-basin granite sink. I think it will fit well in that kitchen.

Hardwood floors have been hand scraped and stained! Scraped the wrong way but they still look great! We ordered against the grain and they did with. Things could be worse, right? This picture was taken through a filthy window since they locked the doors over the 24 hours of dry time.

Hardware - Sink and shower hardware went in! I went back and forth between oil rubbed bronze and chrome. I even ordered one, switched and then switched back. They love me at the Design Center. ;) Anyway, had I known they would goof and put our silver-specked quartz in the bathrooms, I would have chosen the alternative but this works too. Overall, we're happy!

Our sales guy is hoping for a Nov 15th close date but is certain we'll be in before Thanksgiving. I guess that's all I can ask for at this point. We are looking forward to going back by this evening to see brick all finished!

House Progress: She's a Brick Hoooouuuuse!

For those of you who have been following along at home (b/c you actually HAVE a home), the arrival of brick has been a long time comin' and has been the big delay for this poor house. It also means that we may just be in before the holidays!

Well LOOK! Lori (my friend that lives 2 houses down) texted me this picture and I couldn't believe it. We had just been there the afternoon before and she texted this morning. They are fast!

And here it is from the front. Our stone still hasn't arrived so who knows when that will be up. But I'm just so excited. We also noticed that this brick looks VERY similar to our old house. Not a favorite but we think it will look really good with the stone. Woo hoo!

Apparently our water heaters were installed today as well. Not exciting stuff but kind of essential. :) Hopefully more brick to come once this dries and they can continue with the next phase!

House Progress: Tile and Backsplash!

We are on a roll! Or they are on a roll, I guess I should say. ;) 

This week....the island was painted the correct color:

It was darker at the last house but I like it just the same.

Tile was placed....

And grouted.

Dusty but you get it.

And best of all, backsplash! I have so been looking forward to this. Mostly with loads of anxiety that they would get the herringbone pattern right. But with one quick "drop what you're doing and meet us NOW" call from the builder yesterday and a brief walk through with the lead tile guy (oh and a whole "take a picture of the layout and sign your life away"), we were off to the races!

I'm loving how it turned out!

This is with setting sun natural light so I'm excited to see it when the lights are installed.

Last update: ceiling fans! Random yes, but it's progress. I'll take it! No other fixtures have been installed yet but good to see these babies, nonetheless. I'm not a huge ceiling fan-user. I'm happy with one in the master bedroom only but these are nice too I guess. :)

Wasn't expecting a fan in the game room but I like it!

Next up: I'm assuming more fixtures, toilets and probably the A/C stuff. The neighbor's house had their stone fireplace put in today and bricking is resuming after a 4 day delay due to rain! So, hopefully stone and brick work will happen for us soon as well!

House Progress: Counters & Corbels

Countertops: This isn't quite the "big reveal" some fancy shmancy blogger may have but but I'm not fancy nor are you here for shmancy. :) The counters were a split second decision when Andrea and I were in Design Center and none of their dozens of granite samples were quite white enough. The Designer casually asked, "What about quartz?" Neither of us had an opinion until she said she had a sample just arrive and BINGO. Done. Selected. On to the next decision. Just like that. It happened so fast, in fact, that I questioned the decision up until I saw them installed. I would go back regularly and look at the picture I took of the sample wondering if I had made a mistake. But I do love them!  They were the same Level that I was looking at for granite so no pricing surprises and quartz is equally/more durable and never have to be sealed. Sold. 

They still have their protective plastic on them and these are phone pics with no overheard lighting but here they are:

They still need to cut for the sink on the island once it arrives. 

Stovetop someday!

So a bonus: the builder got our order wrong and actually put the nice quartz counters in all the bathrooms too. I had just ordered the standard white bathroom counters so this is a perk. I think they look fine and will add a little extra to the bathrooms...

Again, plastic covering but you can kind of see the silver flecks that I fell in love with.

The boys' bathroom

Speaking of builder errors (no, they haven't fixed my pink island :) ), I came in and saw my pretty gray cabinets pulled out from the butler's pantry and new cabinets installed that have a cut-out for a wine fridge. Yes, a wine fridge would be awesome if a) we wanted to buy one and b) if this area was wired to plug one in. This change order was meant for the house down the street so not sure what they're going to do. Either way is going to cost the builder money so it's up to them. If they leave it with the wine fridge hole, they need to come back and wire for it and hopefully, we can move the old cabinets to the utility room so they aren't a complete waste. Oh, and then I guess we need to throw a wine fridge on the list of things needed! Sheesh!

Whaaaa?!

Abandoned and alone.

Corbels: These little cuties showed up sometime this week or last. I was hoping they would appear (wasn't sure if they came with this floor plan) and I think they add a nice touch to the houses in the 'hood that have them. So yay!

House Progress: Pink Island (I'm not kidding)

Beau and I headed over to the house today to see the paint progress. We were pleasantly surprised to see a) it was completed, all taped tarps were removed and all of their tools were gone and b) we loved how it turned out! We were not pleasantly surprised to see that the island was painted PINK! Who does that?! Why didn't they call me just to confirm that yes, I'm crazy enough to want my island pink (which I would have then corrected them!).

Pink and gray would be perfect if this was a nursery.

Cabinets are SW Dorion Gray; Island will be a darker Gauntlet Gray

They'll be out to fix it but in the meantime, I can't tell you how relieved I am that the gray turned out so well. Not sure if I have said this here, but all they (the 2 guys who work for the builder) have told me is that knotty alder wood is not paint grade and that I wouldn't be happy with it. That it's supposed to be stained to feature the character of the wood and then they promptly made me pay for it up front so that if we don't close for any reason, they can tear out my cabinets and start over. THAT'S how confident they were that I would hate them. So I didn't listen and Andrea and I continued with picking out grays :) I am thrilled that they did such a good job puttying the knots and dark spots! I actually think it turned out better than our gray kitchen of yester-year. :)

No knots!

And of course my beige walls. I know most people think beige is boring but try having a buttery cream color all over (our last house) and beige starts to seem clean and crisp! 

 Master bath ready for countertops.

This is the stain the builder wanted us to use in the kitchen. I do love it but wanted a light kitchen.

I may have already posted this one...

Hopefully pictures of counters and an un-pink island to follow next week!

Things I Love Thursdays!

It's been a while, eh?

These are things filling my heart these days....

Bible Study - I was invited to attend a Bible Study at Hope Fellowship and started it this week. I don't know if this makes sense but I feel positive that I am 100% where I'm supposed to be right now. The ladies at my table and the bible study specifically have been put in my life at the most perfect time and for good reasons, some I'm sure I don't even know about yet. My heart is full and hopeful and I'm encouraged and excited to grow my prayer life and that of my family! Grayson knows about God and prays every day (his night time prayers are SO cute!) but I want him to KNOW Him. Anyway, I'm excited for the things to come!

I'm loving Priscilla's videos. Just about everything that comes out of her mouth speaks to me!

Walker's smiles and belly laughs - Oops. I just realized he was 8 months yesterday and I had no intention of doing a milestone blog post. Coming right up (yeah right!). 

This was taken at 5:30am. He smiles ALL the time.

My parents' generosity - Y'ALL. There are no words for their kindness and selflessness. Their beautiful dining room has turned into a make-shift storage unit, there are toys and clothes covering their usually-spotless house. Crumbs and spills on a kitchen floor that used to be so clean that you could eat from them (and sometimes Walker does). We have turned their house upside down from a 2-person dwelling to 6 and have added 2 extra vehicles. And a fridge and gun safe. And they haven't complained ONCE. They have saved us a lot of stress, tears and money and we will never be able to repay them!

My wedding dress, lamp shades and spices/teas cover their table. Safe to say they won't be entertaining for a while. :)

Fall - All that this brings: cooler temps, Fall clothing, football, the holidays, family and a busier and more joyful time. I love, love, love this season!

The progress being made on our house right now. There have been workers there just about every day for weeks. Even Saturdays. But I know after paint, there is a real possibility that it will sit idle again. Our neighbor's house hasn't been touched since the painters finished and granite went in a week ago and the builder has mentioned delays with brick and tile. Praying for no more delays and have loved seeing the activity over there! The houses around ours all have their pumpkins out and front doors decorated and I only wish we were moved in and could join them! :)

Latest progress: primer!

Kitchen drawers galore! Oh, and the tub is in.

Girl Time - Until recently, I experienced few breaks away from parenting and have had the chance to feel just how truly exhausting it is. I have a great respect for women who don't have family or help nearby. Like most of the out-of-state girls in my play group! We cherish our time together when we do get out, especially when it's kid free! Last night was sushi at Sake Toro and drinks and karaoke at Lemon Bar. 

A gentleman sent over a round of shots that no one drank. Thoughtful gesture but we've got kids to take care of!

Beau and Grayson time - Watching these two bond as Grayson gets older is so fun to see. Grayson adores his Daddy and as he becomes more and more of a chatter box, it's really cool to hear their conversations. When they're awake, that is! ;)

Snuggles in the hotel room. Gray likes to sleep shirtless just like his Dad :)

He's a terrific Daddy!