More renovations

With the family coming home this Saturday I had to finish up my projects. Well 'project' now since I don't consider cleaning the house a project even though I probably should. The kid's bathroom was the last thing to do. The plan was to repaint and replace fixtures. The painting was great fun since bathrooms are small (less room to work in) and have a lot of things to paint around (cabinets, shower tile, toilet, etc). I had some help from my dad on the fixtures so they were relatively easy. I still have to get a shower curtain and new shower rod to be completely done. Below is a slide show of the before and after pictures.

Aidan's Spanish

Aidan has loved Spanish since he began learning it at Miss Claudia's. Well, he hasn't really learned anymore since he stopped going there, but that hasn't stopped our little man from speaking it. However, he just would rather make it up now. It is so stinking hilarious. He will basically just start talking or singing in made up words with an occasional Spanish word stuck in there from time to time. It actually sounds very realistic. Today I think I even heard amarillo when he was singing "in Spanish" while on the trampoline.

I was sitting outside with him reading a book, the Shack, and he asked me to read the book to him. I told him there weren't any pictures or anything and it was a grown up book with just words. He said, "Thanks ok mom, I speak Spanish."

Well ok then.... I love the way his mind thinks.

Under Construction part 2

When I got home from church today I finished up taking the tape off the walls and then doing a lot of touch up. I tried this trick on the ceiling that someone told me about to get a great line. The only problem was that I ended up with 4 layers of paint over the tape. So when it came time to peel it off it took some of the paint with it. It was very frustrating. It's a good thing that there was no one home.

So after the paint fiasco I vacuumed the room very well (something you always have to do after you move furniture around) and moved what was left of the furniture back to where it was going to go. I then dragged the bunk bed box in from the garage ignoring the 'lift as a team' symbol on it. Hey I didn't lift, I 'dragged.' I opened the box and flipped through the instruction manual and realized what I was getting myself into. I put the head/foot boards together downstairs and then took them upstairs. For each step I would go downstairs, get the pieces of wood that I needed, and then take them upstairs to assemble. Let me say that is was a very simple assembly but would have been a little easier with one more set of hands. I got the bottom bunk together in the room. Then my first issue. The instructions say to build the top bunk on the floor and then lift it up onto the bottom bunk. So here I am thinking "if I build the top bunk on the floor, I won't be able to lift it by myself onto the bottom bunk." So what do you do? That's right, build the top bunk on top of the bottom bunk. This actually worked out better and would probably have done it this way if someone was helping me. And in no time (maybe 5 hours in all) the bunk beds were together. And like a smart little monkey I was washing the kids new bedding as I was building the bunk beds so when they were done everything was ready to go.

So here is a slide show of the bunk beds and a video I made of some before and after clips. Try not to get dizzy.

Under Construction

While Tiff and the kids are in Illinois I figured this would be a great time to do a couple of big projects.

The second, no I did not forget the first it is below, is redoing the kids bathroom. We picked out a grey-blue color for the walls and I have been looking at new fixtures at Home Depot. This project will involving priming the walls to cover up the burnt orange paint currently on the walls, priming and then repainting with the blue/grey paint, installing a new sink faucet, tub/shower faucet, robe hooks for towels, and toilet paper holder (required), and finally doing something about the shower curtain. With the changes in the wall color the current curtain will have to be curtailed. Ha! It's late, excuse me. This is a big project for me to tackle so I am waiting for the last week that the family is gone to do it.

The first project is making some changes to the kids room. We recently bought some bunk beds for the kids. Aidan is very excited to sleep on the top bunk and mommy and daddy are very nervous that Asher will not stay in the bottom bunk. I'm sure there will be more on that later. So the plans were to paint the top part of the room (area above the chair rail) an off white, remove the crib, toddler bed, maybe the changing table, and all the cowboy decorations, and finish it off with the new bunk beds and bedding. I took the crib and toddler bed out, removed the stuff on the walls, and moved all the remaining furniture into the middle of the room yesterday. Today I have been painting and it has been going slow. The original color that was on the wall has proved to be tougher than I thought and has required two thick coats of primer. I should be done by tonight with the final coat of the new paint. The bunk beds will have to wait for tomorrow. I'll post some before and after videos when it is all said and done. But for now here are some pictures during the painting.

This was for Aidan to see. It was during the 'cutting in' with the primer. This is where his top bunk will be.

Here it is with the 2 coats of primer on the walls.

And with the final paint. I know it isn't that different but up close you can tell. It's like light gray versus custard or something like that. I have to wait until tomorrow to see if I have to touch it up anymore.

So right now in the fridge I have two rollers, a rolling pan of paint, a trim pan of paint, and about half a gallon left of tea. Yum. We'll see what I can get done tomorrow.

Seaworld

On Monday and Tuesday Matt and I took the kids and my brother Kaleb to Seaworld. We have been able to take my brother Zach and Kaleb to Seaworld before to swim with the Beluga whales and were very excited about taking the kids for the first time. The temperature was blazing! It was over 100 both days. All in all the kids did amazingly well. The park was not really very crowded so we didn't have to wait to see the shows or ride the rides for very long.

All sunblocked up and ready to go.

Holding hands, our solution to them fighting over the armrest in the middle...

Day 1 was pretty packed. We stopped by the dolphins but it was not yet feeding time so we just visited for a little bit. Then we saw the Shamu show which Asher absolutely loved. She was looking with such big eyes in awe of the huge whales jumping out of the water. Kaleb decided to sit in the splash zone and was soaked! It was hot but at least in the shade and the frozen lemonade and caramel corn helped make the kids happy.

Looking at the dolphins for the first time.

My sweaty family watching the show.

If you look closely you can see the trainer standing on the tip of Shamu's nose. After that trick Aidan asked me if I got a picture of that one.

We also fed the dolphins which was one of the best parts of the trip. In the process of Matt playing with/feeding the dolphin, one was a little excited and was trying to (playfully?) bite him. It was pretty entertaining for Aidan!

Feeding and petting time... I wish Aidan's arms were a little longer so he could have touched the dolphins.

Uncle Kaleb petting the dolphins

I took Aidan on his first roller coaster, the little kids Shamu coaster. He DID NOT want to go on it, but we got him on it and he held on tight the whole time. Day 2, however, he WANTED to go on it and had a great time.

Shamu coaster first time around - not too fun for Aidan...

The kids played in this splash zone area with Matt while Kaleb and I went on a water ride and then stood on the side next to it and got soaked as the ride went past. We went back over to the splash area and had fun with the kids. This is where Matt earned Daddy of the year by changing one of the worst poopy diapers ever! That is a story in itself...

Can you tell they are related?

Water buddies

Kaleb and I also went on the Steel Eel Roller coaster. I think that the roller coasters were one of Kaleb's favorites. We took him on his first ever roller coaster, the same one, a few years back. That was neat to be able to ride together again.

We also visited the penguins, sharks, fish tanks, and otters. Both of the kids really loved the sharks, and Matt and I loved these weird fish with red eyes. They just stayed in one place and didn't even move around. Maybe they were Twilight vampire fish! Kaleb like the piranhas.

Looking at the fishies...

My boys standing in front of the shark tank (that didn't show up...)

The sharks were very cool to look at.

We also fed the sea lions. Aidan thought the squid were interesting and Daddy and him talked a little bit about how people actually eat squid too but not quite like this. He said feeding the sea lions was his favorite part of the trip.

Kaleb and the squid - sea lion food.

Aidan feeding the sea lions.

At about 5:30 we headed over to the water park not really knowing when they closed or even what time it was when we went over there. Well, the water park closed at 6, so we rushed in a couple of rounds in the wave pool, which turns out to be one of Aidan's favorite things! His face just lit up and him and Kaleb had a blast cooling off and playing in the waves. It was a bummer that we had to leave after having so much fun!

We headed back to the hotel after walking around a little bit more and had a fun time there too. Dinner was Papa Johns, then off to the hotel pool for the boys and bath and bed for the girls. Asher did pretty well in the pack and play, which we were worried about since she doesn't sleep in bed with us and sleeps in her room every night. We weren't sure how it would work out with her being in the same room as us. When I first layed her down she was scared and really cried hard. I tried to hide by the door to let her cry it out a little like we do at home, but that WAS NOT working. Then I figured out she needed to see me to be settled, so I layed on the end of the bed right by her and eventually she fell asleep. A few times during the night she woke up and I layed her right on top of me and cuddled with her to calm her. I love moments like that because at home that would never happen. We both did get some sleep and the boys seemed to be pretty tired after a long night of swimming and slept well too.

Sound asleep...

The next morning we had breakfast at the hotel which was really good. We didn't rush and got to the park around 11. For day 2 we didn't have much on the agenda except for a pirate show, roller coaster number 2, and the water park.

Ready to leave the hotel and begin day 2.

The pirate 4D show was a bust. It was very cool for grown up kids, but the huge 3D spiders heading straight for you and the water sprays sent us out of the theater before a total crying episode arrived. Darn...

Aidan did a great job keeping the glasses on. Asher thought they were a fun toy.

After riding the second roller coaster, the Great White 2 times in a row and feeling kind of sick, we headed towards the water park. We spend most of the day there. The wave pool was a hit again. Aidan also braved a water slide with Daddy. The first time he went down he was saying, "whoooooooooo, yeahhhhhhhhhh...." and other fun ride noises. He then rode a few other times with us. Not scared a bit.

Can you see the joy on his face?

Wave riders

Ashy and Daddy relaxing in the water.

Lunch was fun for the kids because they got to see a high school musical meets Shamu show while we ate. That was not Matt and Kaleb's favorite part.

Shamu meets High School Musical

The highlight was when Aidan, Kaleb, and Matt went down a big tube ride. Aidan held on to the straps like the big guys and was so brave! He did awesome and loved it! Asher and I were at the bottom cheering them on.

After we left the water park Asher fell fast asleep in the stroller. Aidan rode the Shamu coaster one more time and he had a great time with Uncle Kaleb this time. He wasn't scared at all and actually smiled the whole time.

Asher sleeping while brother rode the roller coaster.

Shamu coaster second time around - lots more fun.

A little blurry but can you see the smile on his face?

We were tired out on the way home but Matt did a great job of getting us all home safe and sound and letting us sleep some along the way. Aidan managed to fight sleep and say awake the entire trip except for literally the last 5 minutes. He is the opposite of mommy in the car. I fall asleep within minutes and he has probably only fallen asleep a few times in his life.


The bummer of the trip is that Asher had a fever when we arrived home of about 103.5. She wasn't extra hot during the day and didn't feel feverish when we put her in the car. She surprised us when Matt picked her up to bring her inside and noticed how hot she was. Aidan is running fever today, so I guess the kids caught some bug at Seaworld.


All in all we had a BLAST! The kids did wonderful and we all had a lot of fun. We took lots of pictures but included some of our favorites. It was really nice to be able to take Kaleb. He is a great kid and the trip was that much more fun because he was there.


See ya next year Seaworld! (ok - maybe not next year, maybe the year after!)

A Trip Back in Time Part 1 - Easter (Second Half)

I am behind in posting pictures so I am just going to post them anyway and not care that they are late. Kuddos to all of you who faithfully post and are never behind... Someday...maybe...but probably not...

Here are some pictures from Easter. It was a busy day, but we never felt rushed or stressed. It was very enjoyable. We woke up and opened up our Easter baskets, had our traditional orange cinnamon rolls, went to church with Meme and Grampy, had Papa Murphy's pizza (possibly a new stress free Easter tradition), played store, and pirates, and store, and more store in the living room with Meme, and finally drove Meme and Grampy to the airport. This was a great end to a weekend full of family, friends, birthday, celebrating Jesus, and watching our kids play, play, play!

Meme and Grampy celebrated with our family this year which hasn't happened in awhile. The Easter Bunny was very good to us all! They got some fun stuff!

More important than the Easter Bunny, it is so wonderful to actually be able to talk to Aidan about Jesus and what he did for us. He is starting to understand what Easter is really about. He knows that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that he rose again. He is a very smart little boy and remembers everything. He definitely gets that from his father.

Asher doing my hair.... I remember doing my mom's hair and having the greatest time! Jerrica and I would put all sorts of barrettes in it and just have a blast!

The kids and Daddy playing Don't Break the Ice - a game our family played a lot growing up!

This was a really sweet time for Aidan and Grampy. They made eggs in a nest, which is something that Tom remembered his grandma making growing up. Grampy made the nests and then Aidan loved putting the eggs in them. They had so much fun!

Meme and Grampy - what a cute couple!


Mommy and Daddy - even cuter couple! :)

We opened some Easter presents from Grandma and Grandpa Buss after church.

The Easter Bunny hid some great eggs in the backyard.

Once Asher figured out how to open them and that there was candy inside it was all over. Grampy and Aidan sorting through the loot.


I'm not sure who was having more fun - Meme or Ashy?

This was so much fun to watch! Meme and Aidan played store with Aidan's new cash register and had such a blast together! Matt will have to post the video soon... It was hilarious!

It was a wonderful Easter weekend. Thanks for visiting us Meme and Grampy!

Inner Space Caverns

I was able to take Kaleb to Inner Space Caverns in Georgetown for the second time and the kids for the first time. Dad works there on Fridays so it was nice for him to see the kids and for us to get in free! All in all it was a lot of fun. Asher was a little too courageous at times and made me nervous getting too close to the edge! Both of the kids were very good, although Kaleb and I got a work out from holding them during the tour. We took a lot of pictures, but here are the highlights. We also LOVED the gift shop. It had some really neat things that Aidan loved, especially the polished rocks. And the 72 degrees in the cave was a nice change from the 100+ outside. Grandads popcorn snack at the end was probably the kids favorite part!

Asher and Kaleb in the little train heading down to the cave. Asher wasn't quite sure what was going on! Kaleb did her hair today to and it looked really cute!

Aidan and Mommy heading down to the cave. Doesn't Aidan look like such a handsome big boy? :)

The cave was amazing!

Aidan loved the soda straws from the ceiling and did ask me if people could drink out of them. How cute!

This formation was cool because it was very sparkly and it looked like nice clean snow. It was neat!

Kaleb is such a good uncle! This was my view for most of the tour. It was very nice to have help and I don't think I could have done it without him!

We had a really fun time visiting Grandad at work and exploring the cave!