Countertops...Done

well, nearly.
We have a few plumbing hiccups we need someone to look at, but mostly, the kitchen is done!

Here is what it looks like now. We replaced the countertops, the sink and faucet and put in a new backsplash. The countertops and backsplash used to be white ceramic tile and we put in quartz countertops and travertine tile. Now it doesn't look quite as dated. We also replaced the floors in the kitchen before we moved in. They were linoleum and now they are wood. And we replaced all the knobs on the cabinets. So now we are done with the kitchen. Woohoo!!

Here is the before picture.

Close up of the quartz on the kitchen island!
It doesn't show up well here, but it's a greyish brownish color.

And the counters and tile.

Our new sink and faucet. Our other sink was white ceramic or something and very VERY shallow. Our new one has a deep side and a deeper side, which I like. And our faucet is one of those one touch kids. I like it so far!

And we also redid the counters in our bathroom. We replaced the old laminate countertops with...new laminate! PS: laminate is a lot cheaper than quartz or granite and with the new laminate designs can also look very good! I think so at least! We also replaced the flooring in this bathroom before we moved in (it used to be carpet and now is travertine (I think) tile. So all the house upgrades we wanted to do are done. It took us a bit longer with Scott breaking his leg and the baby, but it's nice to be done.

Here is the master bathroom before. I like the changes.

We love to stay at the...

We have been doing lots of activities through the YMCA this summer and one day I told Matthew I would teach him a song and dance about the YMCA. This turned into a dance party and we all had fun. Listening to The YMCA really takes me back to church and school dances of days gone by. :) Here is Matthew doing the dance. Y

M

C

A!
Anna came and helped him for this one.

Grant even did a Y...or something like that.

Happy Father's Day

For Father's Day the boys all wore matching ties. I had to take some pictures 'cause they looked so nice. We didn't have as much pre-church photography time as I would have liked 'cause I had to chase the neighbor's dog out of our yard (again), and that took a lot longer than I thought. Grrr I'm amazed how much dog chasing I've had to do lately and we don't even have a dog! But I digress. Here we all are ready for church.

And just the boys with their ties.

And the girls!
We almost matched.

Grant looked so cute and got lots of compliments on his tie. Happy Father's Day to Scott, who is a great Dad, and to our amazing Dad's (Pa2 and Grandpa Keeler). We're so lucky to have such great Father's in our lives! Come visit us!!

And in honor of Father's Day, here is all about Daddy by Matthew and Anna. Let's just assume all of Grant's answers would be cute, guttural baby sounds. 'Cause that's what they would be. :) See last years answers HERE.

About Daddy
by Matthew (age 4.3) and Anna (age 2.8)

What is something daddy always says to you?
Matthew: I love you!
Anna: "Hi" or "No"

What makes daddy happy?
Matthew: When we give him his Father's Day present or his birthday present.
Anna: If he makes anything nice like chocolate or brownies.

What makes daddy sad?
Matthew: If we do something mean or naughty.
Anna: If we do something naughty or mean or he puts us in time out. That makes him sad.

How does daddy make you laugh?
Matthew: If he does a joke or something silly.
Anna: If he does something.

What was daddy like as a kid?
Matthew: I think Matt.
Anna: French toast (not sure she understood that question)

How old is daddy?
Matthew: I can't know, but I think 28. The number like you (to me).
Anna: Big as a lady.

How tall is daddy?
Matthew: 28
Anna: Big as a lady. (As a lady, I think I take offense)

What is daddy's favorite thing to do?
Matthew: Play a video game on the TV, but its over now 'cause he finished it.
Anna: Read books of stories, that my mommy used to told me.

What does daddy do when you're not around?
Matthew: Watch something.
Anna: Search for me.

If daddy was famous, what would it be for?
Matthew: Mommy, what are you meaning? If he was famous everyone would know his name.
Anna: For a promised land (??)

What is daddy really good at?
Matthew: Controlling the TV!
Anna: Good at reading stories

What is daddy not really good at?
Matthew: I think untying knots.
Anna: Playing hide and seek

What does daddy do for a job?
Matthew: Keep money. I think that's his job.
Anna: Hunting around the house for things.

What is daddy's favorite food?
Matthew: Cinnamon bears. He likes those.
Anna: Pizza!

What makes you proud of daddy?
Matthew: If I make a little note for him.
Anna: Giving him presents. (I don't think either of them understands all the way about "proud")

If daddy were a cartoon character, which one would it be?
Matthew: I think one of those who fly.
Anna: A cartoon.

What do you and daddy do together?
Matthew: Go camping!
Anna: Hunt around for sorts of things.

How are you and daddy the same?
Matthew: If we wear the same things.
Anna: I'm different than daddy! Daddy is differenter than me.

How are you and daddy different?
Matthew: If we don't wear the same things.
Anna: Because my hair is different than Daddy 'cause I got a haircut.

How do you know daddy loves you?
Matthew: 'Cause we're his kids!
Anna: Because he kisses me. He kisses me when its bedtime.

Where is daddy's favorite place to go?
Matthew: To work.
Anna: To the park!!

T-Ball Time

Matthew started T-Ball last week at the YMCA. He's been having a great time so far. Here he is at their first practice (working hard). They practiced inside last week 'cause of impending rain. His team is the Cubs!

Here they are doing a drill inside.

And here is some of our team at our first game. Some of our players were having a hard time. Scott said, "It turns out there is crying in baseball...and a lot of it."

Matthew played second base...and I helped him. I liked this picture 'cause you can see the mountains in the background.

And Matthew at bat. He got a hit and ran to first base...after trying to get the ball he hit. We're learning.

And the hardest part of the game was getting the kids to shakes hands/give hi-fives at the end. They had a hard time figuring it out, but eventually we got there. Good job Cubs! We've got several more weeks of T-Ball fun. Hopefully it gets easier.

Overheard in the house today

Anna (to Matthew): Mama says I'm not the boss. I'm only a children.

It sounds pretty harsh when she says it, but I do have to remind her from time to time that she's not in charge.

This picture was from our yogurt/ice cream bar day at home, Yogurtland style.
Anna was "helping" Matthew with his toppings.

Anna refusing to get her picture taken.
Or get dressed.

Tumbling

I signed up Matthew and Anna for a tumbling class this summer. Today was the first day. Matthew was the only boy in the class - I guess people see tumbling (ie gymnastics) as a thing girls do. But Matthew loved it and, between you and me, was the best somersaulter in the class. Anna also had a good time. Here's Anna doing a back bend.

Here she is after one of her tumbles.

Jumping through hoops.

And walking on the balance beam.

Matthew doing...something. I don't know all the tumbling/gymnastics terms.

And doing some stretching.

Grant stayed asleep for their whole class. It was great! We'll have more tumbling next week.

Summer Weather

And then one day, it got hot.

I feel like I've been waiting and waiting for warm weather to come, but the cold persisted much longer than I would have liked. Finally it seems like it's really going to be summer...but I wouldn't be that surprised if it snowed tomorrow. Here are the kids swimming in the kiddie pool.

Matthew eating strawberries

Anna playing in the water.

Anna playing Tball

And Matthew and Anna having a little "conflict" about the T. I think we are going to be spending lots of time outside this summer. Hooray for having a yard!

Countertops

Scott and I have been planning to replace the kitchen and master bathroom counter tops since before we moved into our house. The kitchen counter top replacement had many different parts to it, and we didn't get everything picked out to do it before we moved in. Then Scott broke his leg and things got put on hold for a while.

This week we finally pulled the trigger on the counter top project and I've had contractors in and out of the house all week taking out the old counters and tile and taking lots of measurements. We are supposed to get our new counters installed in a week or so, but in the meantime, we've got this. Because of the nature of the counters, we have to have our old ones ripped out to take super accurate measurements before they can get our new ones cut. So we will be without for a while.
Here is the kitchen after the tile and drywall were ripped out, but before the counter tops were taken away. Baby steps.

And here they are without counter tops, but with the new drywall in.
The dishwasher keeps tipping 'cause its not attached to anything at the moment.

Scott says it shouldn't be too hard for us to adjust to no counter space since that's about how much we had in Okinawa. And he's right. It's not that bad. :) Plus this is only temporary.

Here is the kitchen before everything was ripped out.
Goodbye green and white tile.

One of our contractors (who was awesome!) brought in a big piece of plywood for our sink to sit on while we wait for the counters. I thought that was nice of him, otherwise we would have no sink. Hmm, maybe this natural wood look is good enough for our new counters. It would definitely be cheaper and easier to install. :)

Grant at Two Months

Grant turned two months old this week and he had his two month check up. He weighs 12 lbs, 13 ozs now - about the 50th percentile I think they said. Grant was completely adorable at the doctor (it was definitely better than last time). He smiled and cooed at all the doctors, nurses and techs. If someone picked him up he would smile big and make little baby sounds at them. I think he won best baby of the day award. He had to get some shots and then the fun was all over. Even Matthew and Anna cried watching him get his shots. It was very sad, but somehow we survived. Grant slept it off in the afternoon.

He is smiling a lot!

The doctor gave me a sheet of info about Grant's age and it said this age is one of the most enjoyable ages (I don't really believe that, but I was intrigued). The info page said it was a great age because he doesn't cry as much anymore, they are more socially interactive (ie smiling) and they can't yet crawl, so you don't have that to worry about. So you heard it here folks. Two months is the best age. ;) I'll remember that when I'm up in the middle of the night feeding him. But seriously, it is a very cute age. :)

Grant's current hobbies include sleeping, waking up in the night, taking baths (he sort of likes that now), putting his hands in his mouth, smiling, kicking blankets off, being held and watching Matthew and Anna.

And here are a few more pics.

I got my DSLR camera out for the first time since we moved and Matthew couldn't wait to take some pictures.

He took this one of Grant and I. Thanks Matthew! And happy two month birthday Grant!