Out with the old Part I

I know, the mind reels to think that I would actually write two weeks in a row. Let this be proof that miracles haven't ceased! Let's get on with it shall we? The time has come to finish what we started with our kitchen! It took a few weeks so you get the update in stages. Not only will that give me something to write about another time, but then you'll have to wait in the same anticipation that we did as we waited for things to get done and installed. First up are the counter tops.

 For your viewing enjoyment, let's start at the very beginning. Here is what it looked like with a horrible, totally unnecessary wall. That was the first thing to go.

 Yay! The wall is gone and so is the awful green paint. The tan only brought out the ugly cabinets so

 We changed it to grey. Well, in the can it was grey but on the walls it looks purple so, that's not great but we're tired of painting so the purple walls stay.

 Taking out the floors was next. This floor project took almost a year to happen. We didn't realize how much flooring is. Live and learn folks. If you don't want a hole in your floor for a long time, make sure you have the money for a new floor prior to taking out a wall. Just sayin'.

 The wood floor goes in. Aw wood. Nuff'said!

The floors all done and looking spiffy. Now we come to the counter tops! Another year goes by and then...

Demo Day Night!

Lifting a cast iron sink out of it's hole is heavy! Thankfully, I have muscles like Superman and I was a huge asset to this little endeavor and B didn't feel like he lifted the entire thing by himself. 😉

 After the sink was out of it's hole and taken outside, it was time to remove the old counter tops. The counter top place said they would be happy to do the demo for a $600 fee. B threw his head back and laughed his evil laugh before he told them he could do it in his sleep! Ok, not really. The lady told him that it would cost $600 to have them do it, we had flash backs to taking out a wet bar and had total confidence that we, (now when I say we, we all know that I mean B right?) could take off these here counter tops without a problem at all. B remembered he has a 30 pound sledge hammer and knew counter top removal would be a breeze with that baby!

I keep telling him that if his hospital gig doesn't go as well as he planned that he could totally be a demo guy.

Besides being picture taker, my job was to go around the cabinets and pull the nails out that got left behind. Yeah, that didn't go so well for me. After spending at least 3 1/2 minutes trying to take out one nail, I decided enough was enough and I watched in awe as B went along the cabinets and pulled the nails out like it was no big thing.

Then the next morning...

The counter top guys came! I am way over granite. I feel like it's in every house and it's usually dark. Our little kitchen is not a great place to have something dark. We picked a quartz that looks like marble. Not that we were trying to get the look of marble, we weren't we just liked the grey through the white. Annnyway, they carried this up the stairs like it didn't weigh anything. I asked if it was heavy. They said that quartz weighs between 15-17 pounds per square foot. They said that this piece isn't too bad thanks to the sink hole that takes out about 100 pounds of the overall weight. 

They put it down and then had to slide it into place. Once it was in place they both said they weren't looking forward to carrying in the other piece. I asked why and they said it was a lot heavier.

They kept the wheels on it so once it was up the stairs, they could roll it over to the cabinets. 

They said that this piece weighed about 500 pounds. I was amazed that they didn't drop it. But then again, I can only bench press about 26 pounds. No lie folks. They got it on and secured it in place. I have no idea how they did it because I may or may not have been reading while they did that part. All I know is that they were here until almost 3:00. They shook my hand and went on their merry little way. 

We didn't want to pay them to plumb the sink. If I remember right the lady said that to have their plumber come it would cost us over $1000. B said he could figure it out. He did. And it didn't even take him forever. What a guy! I forgot to take a picture of just the counter top because that's not the last thing we did. Hold on to your knickers folks, a picture is coming. I leave you in suspense so you'll come back! I imagine it's like a cardiovascular surgeon recommending that his patients eat fast food, it's job security, get 'em to come back! 

Snowbird!

Aw, the blog. Where has the time gone? My high hopes of staying on top of it have been dashed. I think about it a lot and then see my book sitting on the hot chocolate table and the book wins out almost every time. But, today is the day! April brings with it, Snowbird. I used to love going to Snowbird. It was so fun to go up there and stay in the room whilst the skiers were skiing. I would talk with fellow non-skiers. Then kid number one came and it was still fun. Kid number two came and it was less fun, but still a good time. Then we moved away and couldn't go and I really missed being there. We moved closer and were able to go with kids one, two and three and I started to feel like it wasn't as fun as I remembered. The skiers still had a great time but the non skier club numbers fell drastically and trying to keep three littles entertained for four and a half days in a room the size of a hotel suite wasn't so fun. The half day that the littles went skiing was fun because I got to watch them ski. But when you aren't a skier and almost every game in the game room costs money so we blow through our game room budget like a tornado in a trailer park, you run out of things to do pretty quick. This year we got to take four kids to Snowbird. I did offer to just stay home with the youngest offspring whilst B took the three oldest. That way they could go skiing, I could stay home and take care of A and read. B said no way Jose',so to Snowbird we went. Now, lest you get the wrong idea, I love spending time with family. I love when everyone's done skiing for the day and the tinies  are in bed and the rest of us stay up way too late playing games and laughing too loud. I love watching our three oldest get better at skiing and realizing that they truly love the sport. B LOVES Snowbird and was so happy to go. We were so happy that B and S were going to be there with their two young ones. We were so happy that J and M were going to be there with their in utero one . Having mom there is a constant and we were so happy that she was going to be there. Even G was going to be there with K, the boy and K the girl. It was bound to be a party!

  Before we drove up the canyon we were able to meet my little sister's baby, K. K is on the left and is three weeks older than A. I love that they're holding hands. It was so good to see G, J and A and meet their second little one. I wish I had remembered to bring A's blessing dress then we could have gotten a picture of both of them in the dresses that my mom made for them. Nuts!

We got up to Snowbird on Saturday and unpacked everthing. Sunday was full of going to the game room and hanging out with the folks that needed to leave Sunday to be to work and school on Monday. Little B's favorite thing to do was play air hockey. He would play with anyone that told him yes. As soon as the game would end, he ran to find someone else to play with.

 First he played with B

 Next he played with B.J.

 Then he wanted to play with D

Then grandma agreed to play with him. I love their faces in this one. Even K is happy that little B just scored a point!

B was able to get a game of pool in with G. Notice in the background that little B found someone else to play air hockey with 😊

I love baby carrier things. A was content to just hang out with me while I almost wasted B in ping pong!

 K loved playing ping pong and grandma was happy to oblige. 

Look at that! M managed to play air hockey with someone other than little B!

When he wasn't playing air hockey, little B loved jumping from log to log.

After the game room we went back to the room where a grueling plank contest ensued. M here was too stubborn to lose to a girl so after two minutes I let him win.😉

After the plank contest was over these three crazy boys did push ups. 50 to be exact. I think they're nuts!

He loved walking around with ski boots on. He knew he couldn't wear them in the game room or to the pool, but other than those two places, he wore ski boots.

 Sleeping arrangements worked out pretty good. This little lady doesn't take up much space. We just slid her little bassinet thing under the counter and she slept like a champ. It slid back far enough that she was in the dark but for the picture we slid her out a little so we could see her face.

Little B loved sleeping in the chairs that were pushed together. He would fall asleep there as long as we agreed to move him to the couch bed with M and K when they went to bed so he could sleep with them.

On Monday morning, B took K and they went skiing just the two of them. K had a great time being with just B.

I asked B to take pictures of K skiing. This is the one and only picture that got taken. They said they were too busy skiing to remember to take more than one picture.

Tuesday was the day that B took the three big kids and went skiing. They loved it! Little B was very excited to learn to ski without ropes holding him back. 

He did it and loved it! B took a video of him skiing without ropes and in the video B asks little B if he's having fun. The little fella yells"Yeah!" It's so so awesome to watch this little human ski without help.

They said they needed to take a break and sat down in the snow.

Wednesday was the day that B took M and K on the big hills. This was the first time that they had been to real mountains to do the really big hills. They went skiing in Washington in March but Utah mountains are a lot bigger than the little hill they went on in Washington. They were so excited to go with just B. They started on green runs, which are the easiest ones and decided that they were too easy and they were ready to try the blues.

 They are pointing to the bananas run sign. That's the run they were going to try and they were so excited!

They loved it and they did a great job! Last year when we told them that they were going to do ski school, both of them whined and said they didn't want to go. B didn't give them a choice and now they love it and are so happy that they know how to ski.

 Thursday was the no skiing day. To the pool we went! Well, I designated myself the picture taker and opted out of the outdoor pool swimming experience. The snow on the ground may or may not have had something to do with us needing a designated picture taker.

The pool is heated and this little lady loved it! She got a lot of attention with her sunnies and her huge smiles. 

These people are my favorite people on the planet! It's so weird to me that I went most of my life without them and was a happy, relatively high functioning person. But, now that these folks are part of my life, I can't imagine a happy life without them. They are my entire world and I love them so much!

Finally! On Friday B was able to ski with his peeps! He was able to go at a good speed on runs that were a little more difficult. He loves taking our offspring skiing. He loves watching them improve and fall in love with the sport. But, skiing with his mom and his siblings is probably his favorite part of Snowbird. This year the numbers were small because neither M or J could go and they usually do. M had to work and J is pregers so her little hubby said no way. B said they had a great time skiing and wish they all could have been there. 

This young lass turned 3 months old whilst we were at Snowbird. Those are still newborn clothes that she has on. She's tiny and so loud and we're all totally enamored with her.

On Saturday we got to meet M and R's baby, R. She is almost two months younger than A. We loved meeting her and being able to visit with M and R and their kids since they weren't able to come to Snowbird. The visit to Utah was so fun and we made a lot of great memories. We are so thankful that we're close enough to family to visit so often during the year and can't wait for the summer so we can see them again!

Spring Break

Spring break came and with it, three of my sister's and most of their offspring! I was so excited that they wanted to come see us! There was a whole lot of cheering when I told M and K that we were having company for spring break.

My amazing sister, S, brought glow sticks and we made this awesome sign with them.

We had a dance party with them too. We danced long and hard. Hard enough that it got really hot in our house. 

We played a round of, left, right, center.

We looked at photo albums and braided hair. Can I just say that after everyone left, the amount of hair we found on the floor from having so many ladies here was nuts! I wish I had kept the hair because we could have made a loooong, fat rope out of it and stored said rope to use in emergencies. Like, escaping from a ten story building that was on fire.

We played on the trampoline. Well, I didn't, I would have peed my pants, but the kiddos had a really good time jumping around. 

We worked out and even convinced four of the little ladies to do it with us. I moved from next to the couch to behind sister, S. Man! She is so toned! I kept staring at her back and shoulders and thinking that she looks a-mazing. I'll just say that I was happy to have sleeves on my shirt. Anyway, the littles did the entire workout with us and it wasn't an easy one. I was so impressed with them for busting it out with us.

We went to the park and did cartwheels. I won't tell you how many times it took us doing cartwheels in order to get this awesome picture. Just know that it was long enough that the number of people who started doing it, slowly dwindled. Maybe it wasn't because it was taking a long time, maybe it was because we didn't line up right and someone got taken out. 😉

She wanted to know if she could do an elbow stand. She tried it and can do it. Awesome!

He was showing me that he can pull himself up to climb between the bars. He hangs upside down and then pulls himself up with his abs. He can stop halfway up and just hold himself there. He knows he had amazing abs and has heard probably close to one million times to be humble. To which he responds,"I know, but do most kids my age have abs as strong as mine? I mean, do they have a six pack like me? Can I get a 10 pack?" We try not to add to his ego, but, I think it's so cool that he can hold himself up like this that I had to take a picture.

There were little bodies all over our family room. I loved it! All the kids played and hung out so well together. I love my sister's so much and I am so thankful that three of them were able to come. I so wish that all of them could have come. We talked until way too late, tried wall twerking(which is A LOT harder than it looks.) ate cookie dough and went to lunch in B's sexy truck. It was a fabulous few days that went by way too fast. We can't wait for it to happen again!

Mommy wow, I'm a big kid now!

First of all, what's not to love about this picture?! Little B and his friend, I, are pretty hysterical together. I calls little B his brother and tells his mom that he needs to go see his brother whenever he wants to come play. Today was one of those glorious days that they were able to play together. We were sitting on the living room floor and he asked little B and I if we ever watch Scooby-Doo.  He said that he watches them and really likes them because they're super funny. Little B sat there very thoughtfully for a few seconds and then said,"When I was a kid I watched them too and liked them." Yeah, because he's 40 and not 4. Anyway, we talked for a few more minutes about falling out of trucks at our grandma's houses, landing on our faces and crying because it hurts a lot. They ran off to play and I started cleaning something in the kitchen. As I listened to them play I was thinking about when I was little and my older siblings would have friends over to play. I wanted to play with them too and would follow them around the house. Of course my sister's didn't love me hanging around and I would hear,"Stop following us!" I would often wonder how my mom didn't stop what she was doing and follow them around too. I really thought that she must have had so much self control to just leave them alone. I couldn't imagine not wanting to hang out with my older and much cooler sister's and their friends. I made a BIG discovery today as I stood in the kitchen. I had zero desire to follow these two little fellas around. My mom must not have needed to use any self control. The thought of following M or K and their friends around does not sound fun to me. I am so so happy to report that although I may not have graduated from wearing a training bra yet, I am big enough that following people and their friends around our house doesn't sound as fun as it used to.

Let's hit the slopes

I know, I know, I'm way behind on this here blog. The thing is, I would waaaaay rather read my book than update the blog. But, my life is run by guilt and I feel guilty that it's been so long. This here skiing adventure actually took place the first week in March but, we still talk about it fairly often. When grandma B came up for A's blessing, she stayed for the week. B saw it as a perfect opportunity to take the offspring skiing. M and K are pretty good and don't really need a lot of help, but they can't go off by themselves. Little B was still learning and so he needed someone to help him. B didn't feel like he could take all three alone. Grandma happily came to the rescue. I don't ski, unless you call careening down the mountain side whilst yelling for everyone to move out of your way and taking out a skiing instructor helping a very small child, skiing. It's in everyone's best interest that I stay home and take care of the baby.

This was how all three of the littles felt about going skiing. Not only did they get to miss school, they also got to ride in the truck! B LOVES his truck and doesn't like to drive it a lot because it might get dirty. True statement. I used to only compete with BYU football but, the truck moved in and I have fallen in ranking yet again. 😊 The skis had to get to the mountain somehow so the truck came out of hiding and they got to ride in it. Best. Day. Ever!

We spent so much time the night before making sure that the kiddos had everything they would need. B says that skiing when you're cold is the worst so we sent more clothing than they needed knowing that they could take it off if they got too warm. They got there and started getting all their stuff on and that's when B realized that he had forgotten his ski pants. Oops! Thankfully it was warm enough that his sexy tights and shorts were good enough. 

We have the best grandma in the world. She hurt her knees a few weeks before she came to our house and even though they were still hurting her, she went skiing. The kids loved being able to spend so much time with her.

As they were eating lunch, M couldn't find her turkey that she had packed for her lunch. She eats the bread plain and then the turkey because she's weird. Well, she ate her bread but couldn't find her turkey. When she saw the picture and noticed the turkey on her shoe, she laughed pretty hard. She may or may not have picked it off her shoe and eaten it. 

I am so proud of these little people. They all love to ski and that makes B's heart almost burst with happiness. M and K are getting really good and are excited about skiing on the big hills at Snowbird and little B likes to tell anyone that'll listen that he can ski.