We Have (more) Livable Space

It's been a LOOOONG process (going on 18+ months), but we finally have carpet in the rest of the basement!! They "finished" it up on Wednesday night. (I'll explain more later about why the word finished is in quotes.) We are by no means done with the basement as there is still a laundry list of things to finish (paint all the doors, put up the chair rail, finish the ledges in the bedrooms, oh yeah... and actually start on the bathroom, just to name a few). But we have carpet and livable space that can be played in, sat in, and just enjoyed a bit more than the concrete slate that was present before.

Ethan was so excited to go down there last night. The lady that was installing the carpet, April, had just finished up the steps and was cleaning stuff up when Ethan put down his fork (he was eating dinner at the time) and said, "Mama, I want to go see!" I agreed since I think I was just as excited to have it completed, too. And that was the end of dinner... we never made it back upstairs to finish. Ethan went down, looked around, said, "WOW, Mama," and then immediately started running around, doing somersaults and of course, the first thing he grabbed was his hoop! I was holding Trevor and after a few minutes of standing there watching Ethan, I realized that I could put Trevor down. There was carpeting in there now, not just the dusty concrete floor... old habits are hard to break! We played down there all night until it was bedtime. They played hoops, soccer, Rick set up the tunnels while I got into "the next step mode" and started vacuuming up all the little strands of carpeting that get left behind. It was just a great night for all of us to finally have this space, that has been a work in progress for so long, usable!

Now, what's next on the list - besides all the items I noted above? It's time to clean out the already finished portion of the basement because in 7-10 days I have to have it completely cleared! This is going back to my "finished" comment above. You see, when they unrolled the carpeting Tuesday night we noticed that something wasn't quite right. We knew there could be a dye lot difference compared to our old carpeting, and that was a chance we decided to take when trying to match the exact carpet that we already had. But it was more than that. It was the correct carpeting, but something had changed between the sample in the store and the carpet they brought to our house. It was a different sheen and was just ..... different. April, the installer, even said that this didn't look like what she installed last week at a different house and it was supposedly the same carpeting. So - she took a sample of both our old carpet and the new stuff and heads back to the carpet store. Come to find out, after our salesman talked to the carpet manufacturer, they changed "yarn vendors" and that therefore changes the look of the carpeting. But the carpet store didn't have that new yarn on their sample board when we were picking out carpeting or even now. Now what do we do??

It's not really the carpet store's fault, it's not our fault, it's the manufacturer's fault this time. So, our salesman who was a great person to work with, goes to bat for us. He calls me on Wednesday morning to tell me, "Don't worry, we'll take care of you guys. We will be replacing the rest of your basement for NO CHARGE." I was shocked!!! I thought maybe we'd get a good deal on the carpeting but to rip out the current stuff and replace it FREE OF CHARGE! WOW. It's great except for one reason - now I have to have the other side completely cleaned out, everything moved in 7-10 days! UGH.

We love our new carpet and I can't wait to get going on making our house "normal" again and having things where they should be!

Ethan's New Favorite Chair

We've been waiting for the basement to be completed before bringing this out, but I was in an especially calm, kind and loving mood today so gave it to Ethan a wee-bit early. He LOVES IT!!! He "helped" me fill it up and giggled so hard when he let go of the bean bag causing me to miss the opening and the beans went all over the kitchen floor. Then you try to pick them up and any little bit of air movement sends them all "a dancing" across the floor. It took a bit longer to fill up due to this mishap, but it was a fun and harmless activity that Ethan and I got to share while Trevor was in his room looking at books (thank goodness - otherwise I would still be trying to fill the thing up!)

Just Mom & the Boys

Due to it being a working weekend for Rick because of audits being conducted in their department, it was just me and the boys this weekend. Thankfully, it was a nice weekend and we were able to get outside both days! Saturday we ventured to the zoo here in town and to the nearby park. Our friends, the Gunnell's, met us there to play and feed the ducks. Thank you - Ethan had a blast with Jackson and Walker, and I enjoyed some "adult conversation" as well!

Today we stuck around home, but still managed to have a good amount of time outside. Ethan decided he wanted to ride his ROCKETSHIP bike around the block not once, but twice. His little legs were so tired after the second trip. As a special treat for Trevor, who normally rides in the stroller, he got to ride in the wagon today. I wish it was a special treat just for Trevor, but I have to be honest, it was really done so that I had a free hand to push Ethan along. Ethan does well on his new bike, but going up the gradual hills in the neighborhood cause him to stop more often than we'd like. Nevertheless, Trevor didn't know the difference and loved the wagon. He held on to his bubbles the entire time, and sported some new shades that he got at his physical therapy appointment Thursday. He thought he was the cool man on the block! He made it the first time around with his hat and sunglasses on, but boycotted wearing them the second time around. They weren't cool enough anymore...

It's been a long weekend (and Mom's ready for a break), but all in all the boys were good and have made it a pretty easy being a single parent for a couple days. But come Monday night when Rick's back to a "normal" schedule... the boys are all his! hee-hee

Waiting for you Grandpa and Grandma

So that Ethan doesn't have to ask every day if Grandma and Grandpa are going to be here on this particular day, we've made a countdown calendar for him. Every night before going to bed he gets to mark off the day and knows that when we get to the day with the airplane on it we are going to the airport to pick up Gma and Gpa. He's very excited and loves crossing off the days... and did I mention it's wonderful not having to answer, "No, not today," each and every day.And so Trevor doesn't feel left out from this mornings blog entries - he's excited too. He wants to show Grandma and Grandpa how "clean" he can be when eating yogurt! (and this was an especially clean day for him.)

My Handy Man

This morning as I was putting some bread in the bread maker (Yes... I do it the easy way most times - just put the ingredients in and press START), Ethan decided that our cupboards needed fixing. He said the screws were loose and he was going to fix them for me. What a helper! Once the screwdriver lost its appeal, the measuring tape came out and he wanted to measure the squares on our rug for me. My thought was, "Great, go ahead. It's keeping you occupied and happy so who am I to say that it doesn't really matter what size the squares are!" It was actually a great little teaching time for me. We laid on the kitchen floor and counted the inch marks to see how long 1 square was, then 2 and then the entire length of the rug. He's doing really well with his numbers, but a teaching moment that he is "leading" should always be taken advantage of!

Our 1st Circus

You read correctly...there was a circus in our little ol' valley, and it was Ethan and Trevor's first time going to one. The Gatti Circus was in town today for two shows. One at 4:15pm and the other at 7:30pm and since our boys are typically in bed by 8:30pm at the latest, I took them to the early one by myself. Poor Dad missed out on the fun. Ethan was so excited to go! All morning he talked about riding on the elephants and being next to the tigers. I hated to burst his bubble before we even got there but I explained to him that we had to just watch the animals and couldn't touch them. He had a sad, pouty face for a few seconds but was then excited to go again.

So, the doors opened 1 hour before the show. I had no idea how busy the place was going to be so I decided I would try to get there around 3:30pm. A circus is a BIG THING and since everyone and their grandmother typically knows what's going on in town, I figured that EVERYONE knew that there was a circus today and it would be hoppin' with people and cars by that time. Guess I was wrong. We got there and had time to get out of the vehicle, start walking across the street since I parked a block or so away thinking it would be easier to get out of the mess after the show. Realizing I could park much closer, we walked back to the car, moved it (so I didn't have to lug Trevor so far), got out of the car again, and walked to the entrance only to realize that I had forgotten the coupons for free admissions. So, we walked back to the van, got the coupons and the stroller for Trevor because my arms and back were killing me by this time, and proceeded on our third (and final) trip to the entrance of the circus. I was cussing under my breath about how absent minded I had been the past 10 minutes; however, Ethan was just as calm and cooperative as can be. He politely asked as we were walking back for the third time, "Do we get to go in the circus, Mama?"

We get in and there are just a handful of people (can't you tell by the picture?? It looks like we have the place to ourselves!). Guess we had some time to spare and didn't need to get there so early. But it was ok anyway. Being that we had the stroller we parked in the front row and just took everything in. Ethan especially liked the way the vendors belted out, "POPCORN, HERE!" and "COTTON CANDY!" We indulged ourselves with a bag of popcorn and Ethan thought that was the coolest thing. As the people started piling in - the closer it got to actual showtime - Ethan must have asked me 50 times if it was going to start. Finally, the show started and Ethan and Trevor's eyes were glued to all that was going on.

The favorites of the show - Ethan liked the motorbikes that did circles in the "big ball". A very dangerous act that I hope he never asks to do! Trevor - loved the animals... the horses and dogs that did tricks. His arm was stretched out as far as it could be and he was pointing while saying, "Mama, Mama, Mama....neigh (or puppy, puppy)!" In addition, his head was on a swivel between looking at me (making sure I was paying attention) and the objects of interest. I actually laughed out loud at him and how excited he was to see the animals.

Now, if you'll remember, Ethan talked about the elephants and the tigers prior to going. However, shortly after the intermission Ethan decided he wanted to go home... He didn't even get to see the elephants in the ring. If you ask me, I think the only reason he wanted to leave was because the "silly" clowns were passing the time for us while the other acts were getting ready. You see, he takes after Auntie Traci in that he doesn't care for the clowns all that much. Once he saw them come out and start walking toward the crowd, he was ready to go. I couldn't convince him that they would be gone soon and something else would come out. But that was ok and I didn't want to force him to stay for my own, selfish enjoyment of the circus. I went there for him so if he wanted to go, we would go. And it actually worked out better for me. He put on his coat without fussing, held his popcorn bag while I got Trevor back in the stroller, and followed me out of the circus as I always dreamed he would - no fussing, no crying, nothing! Just quietly walked by my side all the way to the vehicle.

It was a great adventure for the three of us, made a very good end to a crazy week, and made me remember how much I love being a mom to my boys!

Is It Really Spring??

Based on weather reports, I already know it's not going to last, but this weekend was absolutely beautiful outside. 60's and sunny! And we took advantage of that nice weather by being outside as much as we could. We played outside, we took down the Christmas lights, we cleaned out some of the flowerbeds and ventured to Baby Animal Days, a great annual event to showcase all the fun baby animals of the farm (sheep, cows, horses, chicks, pigs, and even a baby lama). Trevor, our animal lover, wanted to touch and look at everything twice and excitedly said, "Neigh!" every time he saw a horse. And Ethan actually rode on the ponies for the first time ever. (Thanks Melanie for letting me borrow your camera to capture this "first" for Ethan.) The kids had a blast and didn't want to leave when the day was done.

The boys loved being outside and just being able to play, too. Ethan got in his sandbox, played on his swing set, and of course had to get some sports in there! So he played baseball, golf and basketball. Trevor had fun on his little scooter bike and loved playing with the bubbles. Much to his surprise he even blew a few of his own bubbles! All in all, it was a great weekend to be out and hopefully it cured us of some of our cabin fever that has been building up over the colder months. Here are some random pictures from the weekend at home.

Ethan helping put on the plates.

Ethan's proud moment of putting on sunscreen himself. A new kind called "dirty hand sunscreen"!

Daddy helping Trevor ride the "big boy trike" a few times.

In addition, with the warmer weather I have been on the hunt for a new little picnic table for the boys. Ethan had one from Grandma and Grandpa; however, after bouncing up and down on it last year one of the seats broke and I don't think it will last another summer. So, I mentioned this to Rick and he suggested that I try the portable camp table that we have. We've done about ZERO camping since moving out here so why not get some other use out of it. Made sense to me. On Saturday, to pass the time while Rick as working I got it out. I set it up in the house to see if it would work for them, and Wha-Laa, they loved it! Ethan immediately said, "Mama, I want to eat lunch at my new table!" Little did he know that lunch was over 2 hours away. Instead, to utilize this new, fantastic table NOW, he got out a puzzle and Trevor got to color. It made their day and ours too because now we don't have to go spend the $$ on a new table.

Just a fun picture of the boys getting ready for the summer, sunshiny months!

A Toy To Help Daddy

While the painting marathon was going on, I gave Rick a full proof activity that would make the boys think he was the coolest Daddy, EVER! This past week, I went to Toys 'R Us and purchased a fun play hut and some balls for the boys. I was planning on keeping it hidden until the basement was done to make it a "new" toy for the "new" toy room. However, seeing Rick beginning to "head for a wall" with the kids, I thought I'd bring out some of it now (but not all of it -- I need something to make the kids think I am the coolest Mom ever). It was a TOTAL hit!! They played in it all night and Ethan has already gone down there this morning (Sunday) to play some more. Hopefully they will continue to play with it as the days pass by and it will always bring the smiles and laughter that it did last night.

Paint, Paint, More Paint

I'm still not done completely, but maybe I am for the weekend. It all began Friday night when I started with "Color #1 (White River), Coat #1". It went much faster than I had anticipated being that I only had 2 doors and 2 corners to go around. No windows and no closets is a beautiful thing.

Then Saturday morning I was up and at 'em with "Color #1, Coat #2. After that was done, I moved right on to "Color #2 (Sage Smoke), Coat #1." I'm not sure who comes up with the names of paint colors, but I want that job. It's not like there's any real science to it... just pick a name that fits in the color family and you're good to go. Really, it has to be a "fool proof" job, don't you think? How can you get fired from it??? I've never heard of a consumer not picking a color of paint because of the name it has. If they like the color, that's all that matters, and if it has a cool name, more power to it. Okay, sorry about that side-track.

Now that I was at a standstill with the wall painting, I could move to door casing so that Rick can start on that when the wall paints are dry. So, Saturday afternoon, it was "Door Casing Coat #1". Whew.... dinner time, thank goodness! But after dinner - right back to painting for me. "Color #2, Coat #2". DONE with the walls!! But, it had been over 4 hours since I did the door casing, so why not put coat #2 on the casing? The painting continued - but come 9pm I cleaned everything up and was done for the day.

Now, all the walls are done, there are enough pieces of door casing painted so Rick can get 2 of the 5 remaining doors done, and my hands and arms are officially sore. And I have to give Rick some cudos as well because if he wasn't around to have some (ok, A LOT of) Daddy time with the boys, none of this would have gotten done! It has definitely been a productive weekend in the basement already and we still have a full day to go!!

Another milestone...

So...today was Dad's night to watch the boys while Angie was painting yet another room in our basement. What does Dad's night entail...well, it's a walk around the block with Ethan on his trike, Trevor in his stroller, and Kelty on her leash. Then it's off to play trucks, basketball, blocks, and any other game the Ethan and Trevor can bring to me. It's always fun, especially after spending a long week at work.

The most exciting event of the evening, however, was our little Trevor taking full-fledged steps on his own!!!! As one of Angie's earlier posts mentions, it's a day we have dreamed of and prayed for since May 2006 when we learned of his spina bifida. And after all of those dreams and prayers, cruising on the couch and table has officially given way to reaching from the table, taking three small quick steps without the help of a life line (a.k.a any inanimate object or pants leg around the house), and stopping at the couch. It was awesome to see and was met with cheers from Dad that put Kelty into a "I'll play. You wanna play. Good, let's play. Here's a toy." frenzy. Of course, you must be asking what motivated "Little T" to accomplish such a daring feat...a TV remote which he quickly put to his ear and said, "Hello." Kids...you just gotta love 'em.

Keep One Eye Open

With Trevor's new found love of cruising the furniture, windows and walls, Ethan no longer has a safe haven upon the couch - ESPECIALLY while sleeping. Ethan, exhausted from a day of playing and preschool, fell asleep watching Curious George as I was getting dinner ready. I heard Trevor giggling and went in the living room to find this.

You'll see that I end the video quite abruptly and that's because the last strategic move by Trevor was a nail scrape on Ethan's cheek rather than a nice little poke. Ethan woke up crying and crabby - ugh. That's what I get for letting Little Brother unfairly torment Big Brother!