Kitchen Remodel

We knew the first big thing we wanted to remodel was the kitchen when we bought our house almost two years ago.  I took a year and half of getting ideas from Pinterest and Houzz to plan our dream kitchen.  I knew it would be a big project, and I wanted to make sure when it was over there was nothing I wished I would have done differently.  The initial idea generation was a lot of fun, but the anticipation when my designer/good friend, Susan Johnson, and I started to make the final plans was even more fun. 

The beginning of this January was when things really set in motion. I choose the countertops, cabinets, floors, backsplash, appliances, paint color and signed contracts for all the different contractors I would be using.  All of this was very exciting, but I kept hearing from friends who had remodeled their kitchens, and from Susan, how stressful it would be. I also heard that no matter how carefully you planned there would be bumps in the road.  I took this to heart and really tried to get into a “Zen” mindset once it started…

For those of you who know me well, know that I am a NEAT FREAK!!!  So I was quite proud of myself when I had to move all of the stuff that was in my cabinets into my dining room and my family room and I didn’t let the mess get to me knowing it was a means to an end.  The first week went really smoothly, the demo/tile guys were great.  I thought, “wow, what was everyone talking about?”  Other than having a microwave for my only appliance and our favorite pizza delivery on speed dial, it really wasn’t so bad.

Then came week two, the day the cabinets were going to be installed.  I had met with my cabinet maker multiple times in the previous month and had explained exactly what I wanted. He had sent me CAD diagrams that reflected both the design and the measurements of what I had told him.  Long story short, almost none of the measurements of what they started to install were correct.  I caught all of this within the first 30 minutes of the three hours it was supposed to take, I was very nice when I called the cabinet maker to discuss all of the issues.  Our “relationship” ended the next morning after I had to ask him to leave when he started to yell at me in front of Amelia and Max.  Thankfully, the owner of the company was more than accommodating and most everything was fixed. 

From this point on, I was a little more skeptical of the men that would be coming and going out of my house in the weeks to come.  The yelling incident made me especially nervous given that Mike travels during the week and I felt vulnerable knowing that a 6’4” 300lb bearded man was very angry with me and knew that Mike wasn’t home during the week. 

Other than all the painting taking twice as long as I thought and them causing a small kitchen fire (can’t even talk about that…) things were looking good.  I was so happy when the last worker packed up and I had my house back to myself, not to mention having a beautiful working kitchen and not having to use my bathroom faucet as a kitchen sink. 

I did not realize that most people hire a general contractor for a remodel this large, and that I would be assuming this role.  I’m not sure that I would have changed things because I learned so much and now know how to fix/install a lot more than I knew before this project started. However, I’m also not sure I would ever do it again, unless it wasn’t my money and I was being paid J!

And finally the before and after picture, my favorite part.

After...

Last but not least, my first time cooking in my new kitchen!

Mr. Maxwell is 2!

It’s bittersweet watching your kids grow up.  I love watching Max’s learning, playing and communication skills grow and expand but it’s hard not to be a little sad knowing that he will never be as “little” as the day before. 

Max has a very unique personality that we absolutely adore.  His interests are so different from those of Noah and Amelia.  They are each truly their own person.  Some of Max’s favorite things include: Daddy’s car (which he talks about incessantly and is upset when we drive my car), balls of all shapes and sizes (especially basketballs), guitars, picking out songs on my iPad while it’s connected to the sound bar (a DJ in the making), and he LOVES Elmo!

So it was fitting that we threw him an Elmo themed birthday party.  I went to Party City and bought basically every Elmo birthday decoration they had, including a four-foot Elmo balloon that scoots around on the floor.  We decorated while Max was asleep, so when he woke up and found himself surrounded by “all things Elmo” he was in heaven.  He kept pointing to different decorations and saying, “Look Mommy, Elmo!”

Our neighbors and some close family friends came to the house for his party, it was basically all of his favorite people, plus an Elmo party.  I don’t think it gets much better than that for him!  Nancy, Mike’s mom, flew out a few days before to be here for both his birthday and his Valentine’s Day party at preschool.

At the beginning of the year I signed up to hold his class’s Valentines party, both because it’s so close to his birthday but because I love Valentine’s day and decorating.  Mike flew home a day earlier so he could be there for the party, which fell on Max’s actual birthday, February 12^th.  We set up the decorations and food while the kids were out on a walk.  When the class returned and Max saw Mike, Nancy and me in his classroom, he was over the moon.  He kept telling his little friends and two teachers that was his daddy, grandma and mommy. 

For actual Valentine’s day Mike, Nancy and I went out to a restaurant close to our house named 12 Stones. When I made the reservations I didn’t know it was a prefixed menu.  Usually, I not a fan of prefixed menus but the two selections we had to choose from were awesome, and every course was amazing! After dinner, we met up with our friends, Jerry and Rayna and danced to a live band.  It was a great Valentine’s day.

Every day Max is doing or saying something new – it really blows Mike and I away.  His vocabulary and his ability to tease both his siblings (and us) is so fun to see!  I feel terrible because I can’t remember all the little things that Noah and Amelia did at this age . . . I wish I would have done a better job of documenting all the new things they did at this precious age.

Right now Max can count to 10, sing the alphabet song, as well as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, Jingle Bells (his favorite), If You’re Happy and You Know It and The Wheels on the Bus.  He can spell his name, not super hard since it’s only three letters.  Probably knows how to use my iPad and iPhone better than me.  He recently discovered how to “Facetime” people.  I’m not sure how, but he knows the different names of people his calling.

My most favorite part of this new chapter in his life is how well he and Amelia get along and play.  They always have to kiss and hug when I drop them off at class, when they go to bed at night, or when I have to take one of them somewhere without the other.  When Max is down for a nap, Amelia always asks if we can wake him up because she misses him and wants to play.  I think having a little brother has been a great thing for Amelia, she is very nurturing and protective and it’s wonderful to watch.

Happy Birthday, Babe!

I always love celebrating birthdays, especially when they are milestone birthdays.  I also love surprising people, so I knew I wanted to do something extra special for Mike’s 30th.  With the help of some friend and some careful planning, I was able to surprise Mike with an overnight stay at the Ritz in Dallas. 

 

Originally, I was going to throw him a surprise party, but he made it very clear that was not what he wanted.  So, having a night to ourselves with a romantic dinner and being able to sleep in and then go out to brunch was a perfect way to celebrate.  When we got back home the kids had decorated the house and Noah had even made a game, it was called "Pin the Tie on the Consultant".

We had planned a trip to Miami for the two of us for his birthday/our anniversary, but the trip took place two weeks after his birthday, so most the month felt like a celebration -- never a bad thing.

Miami was a lot of fun overall, but we had some vehicle issues that made it less enjoyable than our last trip to Miami.  Mike had rented a convertible for the weekend to try and make it extra fun, but I swear this car was cursed.  We got a parking ticket, the car was towed on our first day in South Beach and, worst of all, it broke down in the middle of the express lane at 8am when we were driving back to Naples.  We had to abandon it in a parking lot and call a uber(taxi) to drive us for the two-hour trip back, because Mike had to make it in time for an important work event.

Instead of trying to recreate an fun weekend in the same city again, I think next time we’ll try somewhere new.  Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE MIAMI, but I’m good on visiting for a while.

Merry Busy Christmas

Our Christmas vacation went by in the blink of an eye!  Mike had three weeks off, but when it was over, it felt like it had just been a long weekend.  We had a lot of fun with family in town, decorating the house, eating lots of yummy food, and of course all the awesome Christmas presents.  This was the first year that Max could really start getting into Christmas and Santa.  The first time Max met Santa was after the Children’s Holiday Parade in Dallas, when we had brunch.  Amelia ran right up to Santa and was first to sit in his lap; when we tried to put Max on Santa’s other knee – well, a picture’s worth a thousand words.

Max’s second visit with Santa went much better; in fact, it was pretty much every parent’s dream.  For the last three years we’ve gone to the Gaylord Texan to have the official “picture with Santa” taken.  Since this wasn’t our first time, I knew to arrive early to get one of the first spots in line.  That way, by the time it’s our turn, the kids would still look good in their nice clothes and have a matching attitude.  The difference this time was amazing!  Max ran right up to Santa and wanted to climb onto his lap, then turned toward the camera and started making his “CHEESE!” face.  Of course, being the Santa “pros” that they are, Amelia and Noah knew exactly what to do.  I have to say I feel like we got the best Santa pictures of all time.  Mike was so impressed that he sprung for the biggest package, since we couldn’t decide which picture we liked the best!

 

Ray and Nancy came out for a week just before Christmas.  Between all of Nancy and Mike’s great cooking, Ray being a huge help around the house (even installing much-needed shelves in our garage), and all the love and attention showered on their grandkids, we had a pretty good time!

Noah has wanted an Xbox since they first came out.  Partly because of his good grades and  partly because I think Mike also really wanted one, we decided to get one for Christmas.  Noah’s reaction made it completely worth it!  When he tore off the wrapping paper and realized what it was, he just starting screaming and after about 20 seconds he stops, puts his hands on his head and said "I have a horrible headache!".  He was so excited; he gave himself a head ache. This was a particularly fun year to watch the kids get their presents; they all gave such great reactions

Mike’s sister Shelley was able to visit us for four days over New Year’s.  Something that made it extra special was that we didn’t tell Amelia she was coming, which made it was a big surprise for Amelia when she came down to breakfast and saw her Aunt Shelley.  For those of you who aren’t aware, not only does Amelia look just like her Aunt Shelley, but she also absolutely adores her!  We booked a hotel room in Dallas for New Year’s Eve, as I’m not a big fan of being road on big holiday nights.  It worked out well because my brother Jason and his wife Emilie and their two boys happened to be coming into town for a dirt bike race and were going to sleep at our house that night, so they stayed with the kids.  Mike, Shelley and I got to enjoy a nice dinner and then drop in at a few friends’ parties.  Unfortunately, Mike had a bad reaction to something he ate, so it was a pretty earlier night for us.

Jason and his family stayed for a few more days after Shelley left, and the cousins were able to enjoy some fun play time!  They even managed to sit still long enough to snuggle on the floor and watch “Hook” – one of my favorite movies!

Mike started traveling back to Florida again when his vacation was over, and it was a shock for the little ones for the first week since they were used to having Daddy around all the time.  Of course, I always miss him when he travels, and I also really miss his cooking.  I’m sure the kids do, too, because that means I will be the one cooking.  (“Mom, casserole AGAIN?!”)