Sunday, October 14, 2012

San Antonio Adventures Part I

Or in other words... lots and lots of photos!

This weekend we took the family to Sea World San Antonio to celebrate all our fall birthdays (Syd in September. Fletcher, Pat and myself in October).  So much fun!

We fed sea lions.

 And dolphins.


Fletcher would have even fed the scorpion had anyone let him!
 Syd rode her first roller coaster!

And got a glimpse of things to come on future trips.
Fletcher and Pat got an even closer glimpse!  More like a splash.
 We took a break to check out the flamingos and ducks (that's right, Fletcher, we do NOT trust you even for a second).
Sydney did some serious climbing.  We lost her for a while in the maze of tunnels overhead.  No way were we letting Fletcher near this thing!


 We took in a show (at a safe distance from all costumed creatures).
 And took a break from the heat in the huge splash pad area.  It may be mid-October but it was H-O-T!

Fletcher was generally much more interested in the finer details.  Like how are these pipes connected (and could I take them apart)?
Well, maybe not always "finer" - this kid will find dirt ANYWHERE.

We watched Shamu swim and splash huge crowds of people - Syd became an instant super-fan!

She has recreated the whole performance with her very own Shamu for us multiple times!
Back at the hotel we roasted marshmallows and ate s'mores (that's Fletcher watching most of our supplies burn after he tossed them directly into the fire).
Oh yes, we celebrated a birthday too!  Fletcher is officially 2... maybe that explains his new menacing ways!
 Are you done yet so I can play with my new toy?


We played hard.  The first night, Fletcher didn't even make it to dinner.  What a great trip!!!





A moment in time...

For anyone who does not follow us on Facebook, here is a glimpse of what you missed a few weeks ago.  We discovered through some neighbors a super talented mom/photographer who loves to take pictures of difficult children.  Perfect!  As much as I try, it's so hard to take pictures of your own kids.  With birthdays coming up, I figured it was time for something more official.  So here you go!  Syd and Fletcher, ages 3 and 2.  If you live in the Houston area and are interested in the photog's info, email me.

A few of our faves...

















Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Before and After - The Bedroom

Nearly a year after I first began this project, it's finished.  Almost.  Although it is 90% done, it may very well take me another year to finish the final 10% so time to share some photos.

It's been a year full of home refreshment.  You may recall the other before/after projects we've done around here.  There was the cabinet refinish.  Then the dining room.   And the chair - which has now made it's way into our bedroom!

Here was our bedroom before.  Functional but blah.  Boring builder beige paint, no window coverings, nothing on the walls and random exercise equipment (collecting dust).




And the after!!!

We painted the walls a soft gray, replaced the carpet with beautiful hardwood that now runs through our bedroom, living room and dining room.  Got a new bed, bedding, bedside tables, drapery and lamps!  Whew.  Total overhaul.  The walls are still a bit bare but I'll get to that eventually.

The lamps (a TJMaxx find) were originally for the dining room but ended up being too big.  Perfect for the bedroom though!  And this bedside table (again TJMaxx) was one of my favorites.  My designer/neighbor friend found it and only partially convinced me over the phone we had to have it.  Sometimes I'm a hard-headed idiot.  She was so sure, she bought it, hauled it to our house and of course it was perfect!
Finding an appropriate "match" for the other side of the bed wasn't so easy.  And was made inordinately more complicated by my own online ordering incompetence.  

I'll bore you with the details.  

Once I finally settled on a simple covered round table, I found the perfect solution on Ballard Designs.  Easy peasy.  Ordered.  Done.  Then it arrived.  Apparently I never measured.  Or else completely ignored my measurements (this was a theme - had similar measuring issues with drapery but will spare you those details).  It was the size of a breakfast table.  WAAAAYYYY to big for this space.  Plus, the color of the tablecloth was way off!  Of course, returning something that large isn't so easy.  But I packed it back up and shipped it off.  Measured... and ordered the replacement on the same day.

Sometime that night, it occurred to me that I recalled seeing two different heights offered for that table.  Oh no!  Could I have possibly ordered the wrong one - again?  Oh yes, I did.  Called Ballard.  Too late to cancel shipping.  Another return.  Another order.  This time, it was on back order.

Finally, at least three months after the process began, I received my new bedside table.  Tablecloth color is still not quite right but it will do.  And less than a week later there appeared a mysterious Nutella smudge on the tablecloth.  I figure after it's washed a few times it should be just right.  
  We love our new space!
This floor lamp is still trying to find a permanent home - it has lived in our living room, the office and is settled in here - for now.
I'm pretending in these photos that the hideous exercise bike is no longer present.  Sadly, here it rests.  I moved it a dozen times to get just the right shot of the otherwise pristine bedroom.  Neighbors, if you're interested, it just might show up in the garage sale this weekend!!!




THREE

It's been a busy summer and fall.  With both kids birthdays so close together and little time for planning, we decided this year we would forego parties and take them to SeaWorld in San Antonio.  

That was, until a certain little girl made it quite clear that she was ALL about her birthday this year and wanted all her friends to come over for a party.  Her enthusiasm was just too much to resist.

So what started as no party, became an entire week full of celebrations!

First, we celebrated with relatives on a weekend trip to Ohio.

Then on the morning of her birthday, I got up super early (like 5 minutes before the kids) and slaved (opening that can was hard) to make delicious cinnamon rolls for their breakfast.  This face made us smile!
But it was this face that made us laugh.  Check out Fletcher's reaction to Sydney's morning birthday treat!  Don't worry - he got a cinnamon roll too.
After school (and cupcakes there), she got to pick dinner (Chick-fil-A, of course) and then we opened presents.  Sydney is ALL about princesses and playing dress up.  Good thing because she is now fully stocked with all sorts of girly costumes!





Check out the precious cake our local grocery store just happened to have on hand the day of her birthday.  Told you I was the un-planner this year... not only did I not bake a cake, I didn't even call and order one.  




And as if that wasn't enough celebrating, finally the little princess got just what she wanted.  A party.  We invited a few of her best girlfriends over to play dress-up and eat cake.



Fletcher was happy to tolerate tutu's and sparkles for more cake!