PUPPIEEEEEES!!!

Kitchen mini makeover!

From day one I've HATED the kitchen linoleum, but I thought I'd have to live with it.  I tried to make my peace.  It wasn't so much that it was "blah", or that it was linoleum, as it was that it was nicked, scratched, and chipped.

It never looked clean. Ever. GROSS. I cannot handle this!

My parents redid the tile in their house in Arizona and the gal they bought from over-ordered. Lucky me!!  They were gracious enough to stack the remaining tiles into the back of their Expedition and lug them up here.  Well, Isaac actually lugged them up the stairs (let's give credit where credit is due!)

And so we begin!  He came over after work tonight and the man was on. a. mission.  "I want to get as much of this done tonight as possible."  Me: "Ummm...okay?!"  Little did I know.  He's been here roughly 45 minutes and this is now my view:

The man works fast and he works hard.  And he's hot.  I win.

I know you can't wait to see the makeover pictures, but patience is a virtue my friends.  And now I must sign off.  We've hit our first snag: the subfloor isn't wood, it's thinset concrete. Off to McClendon's we go. Hi ho!

4 and 6

I had the pleasure of capturing my nephew and niece's 4 and 6 year pictures.  The day was VERY bright with nary a cloud in the sky. That created challenges from "dead eyes" to lots of squinting and a few backlight issues.  It was a great learning experience and I've already figured out a few things to do differently next time.  That said, I took enough (about 500 images!) pictures to ensure there were some keepers! 

Getting ready: 

Sweet girl, stop growing up so quickly! 

This is how they SHOULD look at this age...2 years means several inches, right? 

Isn't she a beauty? Her daddy's going to need to lock her up! 

Sweet boy gathering flowers for me for my wedding... 

My crazy little niece! I love her and her MANY expressions! 

They're such friends! Sure, they fight like the siblings they are, but at the end of the day, they really crack each other up:

Chatting: 

Little girl is looking SO mature! 

But then she makes this face and I know our little pookie is still in there: 

Risky business: 

Sweetness! I want to eat her with a spoon! 

Ava: "I don't wanna look like Shuhley Temple" (Shirley Temple)

Me: "Do you know who Shirley Temple is, Ava"

Ava: "No..." 

This is what they give me to work with: 

But I rose to the challenge: 

And since it was the fourth... 

Hey Ava, come up here! 

Hey, let's give Nana a heart attack!!! The boy loves to JUMP...off...ANYTHING! 

Happy 4th!

We could not have asked for more beautiful weather for Independence Day! 

Nana and Papa (or Mom and Papa as they're also known) graciously hosted: 

The hawks (there are two) even came out to hunt. 

Proof that my future husband is both patriotic and awesome: 

We pledge allegiance: 

There was hanging out...

There was swinging...

There was snuggling...

There were puppies...oh my! Were there ever PUPPIES! 

Puppies that absconded with Noah's golf ball! 

And on the Fourth as we celebrated our independence we wore loud pants and enjoyed America's favorite past time: Baseball! 

A few lessons and he was swinging for the fences! 

  

And in true patriotic style, we broke out the firecracker popsicles: 

"You should LICK it" 

Papa hooked Ava up with some additional ear protection for the upcoming fireworks: 

Thank you, Lord for a BEAUTIFUL day with our wonderful family! 

GOD BLESS AMERICA!