Phone Dump

Chad took a few days off to study for another CPA exam.  Keller did his best to sit on Dad's lap every moment he could.  My boys LOVE their Daddy.

Vance took me on a date so we could have a little one-on-one time.  He was adorable.  He opened the doors for me, let me have the first drink of our soda, and even bought me dessert (with money Dad gave him).  We didn't do anything too fancy.  We went to Taco Bell and then we were supposed to go to Wet n Wild but it closed due to rain.  Instead we went to look for a toy Vance has been wanting at Walmart and then to Sweet Addiction for dessert.  The whole thing probably took an hour tops but Vance loved it and it reminded me how important one-on-one time is.  Now we will have monthly dates!

 We've been enjoying our new neighborhood.  The streets are pretty and we are so close to five parks.  We've taken multiple trips to all of them!

 I went to my cousin's bridal shower and we made a dress for the little girls.  Isn't my team's dress adorable?! I need a girl.

 Vance went to church camp for a week (3 hours a night).  His leader, a 15 year old teenage girl, loved him.  Who doesn't?! She even sent him home with his first love letter -

 We took a couple of trips to the park with Grandpa and Grandma -

 My best friend, Amanda, got Keller a gift card to take our family to see Planes for his birthday.  The boys were counting down the days and we finally got to go.  We invited the rest of the family too.  They loved it! Thanks Aunt Mandy!!!

First Day of School

We had our very FIRST first day of school!  I think we were all excited.  No tears from Vance (or mommy).  We are all ready for the next phase of life that begins with a kid in school.  Here's my cutie pie Vancey-pants all ready for kindergarten:

 He wanted a picture with just his backpack too -

 I helped him find a seat and snapped a quick picture.

 Daddy and Keller gave our big boy a squeeze -

and we were the first parents out of there :)  It's going to be a great year!

Planes Obsession

Keller got his first few planes for his birthday.  After seeing the movie we decided to invest in a few more.  We had to hit a few stores because they were sold out of a lot of characters but has quite the collection already.  He plays with them for hours everyday and takes them everywhere we'll let him.

  Doesn't his face say, "This is so awesome! I couldn't be more happy with all of my planes!"

Vance likes them to but these are Keller's toys and he doesn't really like to share.  We decided Vance has quite a few toys we don't let Keller play with so these can be Keller's.  Vance patiently waits until nap time and then enjoys his "planes time."

Drive-ins

Chad has been working and studying constantly so I have been trying hard to think of fun things to keep me and the boys busy.  I thought it could be fun to go to the drive-in movie theater so I called up the Mathewsons and we went! We saw Planes (again) and Despicable Me 2.  

 My little treat.  All I need is a little Diet Coke and my iPad :)

 Keller REALLY enjoyed Planes the second time.  He screamed out in excitement about every 30 seconds.  He also made his planes fly and made sound effects.  The best part of the drive-ins is that you don't even have to tell him to be quiet.

 I thought I would just say for Planes (which started at 8) but Vance really wanted to stay for the second movie so I gave in.  I thought they would fall asleep...they didn't.  We didn't leave until almost midnight!!!  The boys were excellent and had a great time.

 Amy and David gave me some adult company.  It's nice to have someone to talk to that's over 10 years old every once in awhile :)

I glanced at the clock when I left the drive-ins and noticed it look my boys less than 4 minutes to fall asleep!

Gymnastics

I have been asking Vance if there was anything he wanted to do.  I gave him lots of options.  Everything from baseball to dance to cooking to art.  He chose soccer and gymnastics.  His next soccer season starts up soon and I just enrolled him in gymnastics.  

Parents aren't allowed in the gym so I'm not sure what exactly he does during class but he absolutely loves it.  After the hour he comes out bright red and sweaty - perfect!

He does like to practice a little bit at home.  Here's his pike -

 Straddle -

 Gallops through the house -

Table tops and one-legged table tops (Keller likes to join in too sometimes!).

It's a little pricey so I hope he continues to enjoy it.  I just love watching him be so excited about something.

Unexpected

A homeless man at the gas station watched me struggle get my kids in and out of the car today ( I had promised them a slurpee). He wasn't watching in a way that gave me the creeps. It was more like you can tell he was thinking "That looks like a lot of work!" The kids weren't misbehaving but you know how it is when you have your hands full of drinks, toys that your toddler insists on taking everywhere, and your toddler. Plus I was trying to make sure Vance didn't spill his drink as he climbed in and buckled up.

After I finished buckling Keller I turned around to grab my drink which I had set on the hood of my car. The homeless man was walking over. At first I got a little nervous and then I noticed his outstretched hand holding a few crumpled dollar bills. He smiled and said "Keep doing a good job taking care of those boys," and offered me the money.

I was caught off-guard by his generosity and sincerity. Of course I declined the money. How could I accept anything from this man who lives on the streets? I actually started to feel a little guilty. Had he come up and asked me for a few dollars would I have given it to him? I'm not so sure I would have. I know I definitely wouldn't have gone up to him and offered it without solicitation.

I drove away but I immediately u-turned and went back to the gas station. I asked if there was anything that I could go buy for him at the store. He told me, "No thank you. I don't need anything. God bless you."

This interaction had a profound impact on me, more than that man will ever know.  He had so little but yet he was still willing to give.  I don't think I will ever forget his example of selflessness.  

Thank you homeless man at the gas station for the unexpected lesson you taught me today.  May I strive to live with the same spirit of giving you do and may God pour out His blessings on you too!

Loft & Dining Area/Office: Before & After

The loft before -

 The loft after -

 The dining area/office before -

 The dining area/office after -

A little more about the chevron wall.  I wasn't sure how to tackle this project so I watched a few youtube videos and came up with a plan.  Step one was figuring out how many stripes to do and how big to make them.  I used some software at work to come up with the plan -

 It's hard to see in the next picture but I used a chalk line snapper (from Chad's masonry days) to draw rectangles on the wall.  This was an original idea I came up with and it was DEFINITELY the easiest of the different ways I say.

 The next step was to connect the corners with tape to get your stripes.  I just had to take my time to make sure I was connecting the correct corners.

We rolled the middle of the stripes and then used clear caulk and a paint brush to get crisp lines on the edges.  We only had to do minor touch-ups and I'm so happy with the end product!

Deja Vu

Keller is VERY into playing with Cars right now.  He lines them up on the floor, coffee table, countertop, etc.  Then he'll move them one by one.  I love watching it.  It's like he has the whole thing planned in his head and each car is just a piece to a puzzle.

Watching him play is like deja vu because when Vance was the same age he played with the exact same cars in the exact same way.  I don't know what it is about my boys but they are definitely wired the same way!  Here's Vance when he was two- 

Now look at them side by side.  The three pictures of Keller and the three pictures of Vance are basically the exact same thing.  I just don't understand boys :)

 I remember as we were buying Cars for Vance thinking what a ridiculous amount of money we were spending.  We probably have at least 10 Lightning McQueens and countless multiples of other Cars characters.  HOWEVER - every single cent was worth it.  Both of my boys have played with these for hours on end!

Brotherly Love