May - Kitchen remodel

Cub Central was a construction zone in May once again. I had been very unhappy with how our raised bar had turned out when the house was built. I hated it so much that our tax refund this year went to replace it, so we could have the kitchen we had originally wanted. What should have been an easy fix (just replace the granite bar area) became a whole kitchen redo. Since we couldn't match our existing granite, we had to replace ALL of the granite. Removing the existing granite meant that the backsplash would have to be redone as well. We decided to go "all in" and added some new cabinetry under the bar for extra storage, under/above cabinet lighting since our kitchen is so dark, and a wine fridge. I finally have my kitchen. Too bad it wasn't done correctly the first time. Live and learn...if we ever build again...

The offender: The BEFORE picture. We paid extra for a raised "eat-at" bar. Not a lot of eating to be done here. It was barely wide enough for a plate.


Mid-construction. New cabinets and granite are in. Preparing to install the backsplash.


It only took about a week. Stay tuned for final pics.... next year, maybe???

A look back....WAY back

Yikes, my last post was 10/22, the day before Grandma and Grandpa Bear were supposed to visit. Unfortunately Grandma Bear came down with a virus and they couldn't come, so now we won't get to see them until Thanksgiving.

We have been crazy busy here at Cub Central. On October 21st, after several days of unusually steady rain, we discovered a water leak in Emily's room. Actually, it pretty much announced itself. I walked into her room after dinner and found a "water balloon" making it's way down her wall. I had to take this picture because Steve wasn't home and I wanted him to see it before I "popped" it and drained the water into a bowl.



This lovely intrusion resulted in a week's worth of contractors coming in and removing the drywall, testing/treating for mold (mold test was negative but they treated anyway as a preventative measure), pulling up the carpet tack and base boards, repairing the roof leak, replacing everything, and repainting. I will say that our builder was very quick to get this repaired. We even had contractors here on Saturday. Thank goodness it was all covered by our warranty.

On Monday (10/26), the cubs received their seasonal flu shot and on Wednesday the cubs came down with a vicious case of the sniffles/coughs. UGH!!! Unbelievable. Fortunately they felt better by Halloween to go trick-or-treating for a little while.

I attended a baby shower on Sunday (11/01) for our good friends, Matt and Beth Ann. They are expecting a baby girl in December, and I was glad I got to see them again. It always seems that every time we try to get together someone (aka A CUB) gets sick. I just can't seem to get these cubs healthy. I'm sure it's because they are in preschool for the first time, but it just drags on and on.

We received approval for the pool from the HOA and had our preconstruction meeting on Friday, so we should be breaking ground as soon as permits are received from the City. VERY exciting.

Zach is still eating really well. Last night we took the cubs to CiCis pizza (original plan was to go to Chuck-E-Cheese, but it was packed) and there he ate the cheese topping from four slices of pizza. Emily, however, adamantly refused everything except black olives. It seems like they have swapped roles. Zach is doing well and Emily has become my picky eater. She turns her head and says "NO" very clearly. Can't believe this is the same girl that used to eat EVERYTHING except watermelon. Where did she go?

I will be sharing pictures of other recent happenings here at Cub Central...it's easier (and faster) to let the pictures speak for themselves.

The calm before the storm

Things here still continue to drag on pretty slowly. I think we are trying to appreciate the down time before school starts. T minus 15 days, 23 hours, 32 minutes and 36 seconds, not that I'm counting or anything. I am pretty excited to have six hours per week to myself. I am also very excited that the cubs will be receiving direction from someone other than myself. They really need the socialization and structure that preschool will provide. I am a little worried that I will receive that phone call on the first day asking me to come pick up my wild cubs. Please, please, please don't get expelled from preschool, my little ones!!

Emily and Zach are doing well. They are getting over the cold/allergies that brought us to a halt a week and a half ago. They are getting bigger everyday...and more stubborn. Emily is displaying the redhead temper and Zach must have a little red in there too, because he can throw a fit with the best of them. The cubs are officially in the "terrible twos". Double the fun, right? They both babble but I still have trouble making out anything. People tell me they are saying words, but apparently I need a translator. Hopefully preschool and speech therapy will move the talking along. I've been trying to work on potty training with Emily but not having much success. It would be easier if 1) we were home more and 2) she could tell me when she needed to go. UGH!

We are working on decorating. We've been in the house since April and I finally ordered curtain rods. They should be here tomorrow. It will probably take us another five months to get them installed.

We are tossing around the idea of getting an inground pool. Since we are planning on living here a long time, we thought it would be fun for the cubs. Doesn't every kid want a pool? Plus, with the cryptospiridium issues at the local pools, this would be a much safer alternative. Who knew there would be so many options to consider? Diving vs. play, slides vs. waterfalls, saltwater vs. chlorinated, on and on and on. Then we have to deal with our HOA. It shouldn't be too much of a problem since it seems like everyone here is getting one put in, but leave it to us to have an "issue". We are planning on having several companies out for estimates and if we don't pass out from the price tag, we may have a pool for next summer.

Steve has been trying to get in some golf on Wednesdays. I still have my Nights out with the girls. I went out with the girls from THC last Thursday to Buttons ("food and music for the soul"). I always enjoy good food and good company (and good wine).

I've been pretty lazy on the picture taking. It's just been a boring couple of weeks around here, but look for tons of pictures next month. We will be very busy here at Cub Central!

The long awaited catch-up blog.

I'm looking over my calendar and thinking to myself "Boy, is the reading public going to be disappointed with this one". So fair warning to all...while I have been off-line "forever", not much happened while I was gone.

Moving day:
April 9th was moving day. I struggled to get as much packed as possible before the movers showed up. Steve met them first at our storage building and then brought them to the apartment. As soon as it was confirmed that they were on their way(around 10am) I packed up the cubs and headed out. There was no way I was going to witness this move, especially with the cubs under foot. We drove by the old house, grabbed lunch at Chick-fil-A (we ate in the car), I treated myself to a vanilla latte and a chocolate donut from Starbucks, and then we headed to the mall. Thankfully I took Husky (Em's dog) and L.E. (Zach's elephant) with us so the cubs actually behaved better than I expected. Sadly, though, there was no nap. By 3pm I was begging to come home. I couldn't wait to see if things were put where I wanted them....such a control freak. I must admit that everyone did a good job. Later that night I was smack dab in the middle of suffering from the worst sore throat I think I have ever had. I was MISERABLE. I had taken Emily to the Doctor the day before and she was pretty miserable too. Poor Zach and Daddy didn't escape it either. We all spent the next few days under house arrest. I even missed my parenting class. No one felt like doing anything and the boxes remained stacked up all around us. By Sunday (Easter Sunday) Zach had a fever and by Monday he was suffering from the pink-eye minus the pink too. Steve called the Doctor early that morning and we were able to get in within a matter of hours. Little Emily Bear was diagnosed with her very first ear infection. Both cubs were prescribed antibiotics for sinusitis (I wish I could have had some too) and we took our sick selves back home. What an enjoyable way to spend our first days in our brand new home.

Easter:
We missed Easter morning services because Zach had a fever. I was so disappointed because I had bought Zach the cutest little Easter outfit to match a dress that one of Grandma Shirley's friends had sent us for Emily and I couldn't wait to take pictures. We missed out on every Easter activity this year....we didn't make it to a single egg-hunt and I was disappointed about that too. I really think the cubs would have had a lot of fun. The cubs did open their Easter gifts from Great Grandma Betty and Grandma Shirley and Grandpa John. Emily thinks that all gifts are hers. She loves opening gifts and she's good at it, even if they don't belong to her. We had fun playing with the puzzles, reading the books and watching the DVDs they received. Not to mention how cute they will look in their new pajamas. Pictures to come later.

Services:
We have had our fair share of people coming by...the refrigerator was delivered, the security system set up, the painters were here numerous time, the tile cleaners and installers, the TV guy to install the TV/Internet, blah blah blah. We've had a revolving door of service people through here lately.

March for Babies:
April 18th was our local chapter March for Babies. Our friends Kristi and Donna drove all the way from Abilene to join us. Wow! They were also our very first house guests. We were a little worried about the weather, but despite all of the talk about severe storms, we made it through the walk without more than a few drops of rain. It was actually very pleasant. Last year was hot, so I much preferred the cooler morning. Debbie and her daughter Sydney also met us there. I was sad that Steve had to work and was unable to make it. We want to thank everyone for their support! We are very lucky to have such wonderful family and friends.

LCMOM meeting/garage sale:
Tuesday the 21st was my LCMOM meeting. A speaker presented information to us about college planning. I don't even want to think about it. Two words: Golf SCHOLARSHIP. I also chose to participate in the garage sale, so I've spent my spare minutes gathering and tagging items. I had to work the sale on Friday for several hours and was glad to get that out of the way. I have yet to get the final sales total but was happy to free up some space here at the house. I sold the swing that Zach spent most of his first year in due to his reflux issues. That was a sad moment. He's grown up so fast.

Grandma and Grandpa Bear's visit:
My parents arrived on Friday. We were very happy to see them and I was excited for them to see the cubs again. They have changed so much. I was sad that I had to work at the garage sale while they were here, but the alternative was to postpone their visit for two more weeks and I don't think anyone wanted to do that. The cubs opened their birthday presents...we have a band in the making....Emily got a keyboard and Zach got an electronic drum set. I'm going to sit in a quiet corner and read some of the books they received. We cooked out on Saturday, the first time here at the new house. I am really enjoying the patio and watching the cubs play in the yard. I must admit that they are sleeping much better since the move, probably because they are so exhausted after all of the running they are doing. I think they are adjusting rather well. I know we will be happy once all of these boxes are unpacked.

Pictures:
We will be posting pictures as soon as we find the missing cable. UGH. It's either buried in a box or still at the apartment. Moving is such an inconvenience sometimes.

I guess that sums up most of what has happened in the last 18 days. We spent most of the time in voluntary quarantine battling this horrible illness that just drags on and on and on. The rest of our time has been spent scheduling service people and unpacking boxes. Steve took a few days off but unfortunately we didn't get as much done as we had hoped since he was under the shroud of illness as well. We didn't allow the cubs to attend any play dates until this past Thursday. We didn't want to risk infecting any of our friends. I did take them to Paradise Pond since our tile was being cleaned and sealed and we needed to be out of the house. They were still on their antibiotics so hopefully we won't have a relapse. It will be such a relief for things to get back to "normal".

One last update before pulling the plug (temporarily)

Saturday was a very busy day. I had scheduled three painters to come to the new casa to give us estimates. One was a no-show which made the afternoon even longer. I was definitely going to need a margarita and I was not disappointed. Saturday night we helped our good friend Matt celebrate his birthday at Joe T. Garcia's. I had never been there before but it is quite a popular little establishment. The line to get in was ridiculous and they don't take reservations, but it wasn't bad because we were in good company. The pitcher of margarita didn't hurt either. I think there was 14 of us in our group and Steve and I had a very good time. We dropped the cubs off at an hourly daycare. This was the first time we had ever done this so I was a bit apprehensive. I was not too worried about Zach. I knew as soon as I put him down he would be off and running. I was right. Little man didn't even look back. I was worried that dropping off Emily would be a little more difficult. She's been pretty clingy and I thought there would be some tears. HA! Could I have been more wrong?? I must admit that my feelings were a little hurt. They didn't even seem to notice us as we left. Emily joined a big circle of older kids (she's not shy at all) and the rest was history. Three hours later we went in to pick them up. Not only did we have to work at getting their attention, they didn't even really want to leave. OUCH!

Sunday was a blur. I was planning on taking the cubs to an Easter egg hunt but it was just way too cold and windy. We have had the craziest weather lately. I think we even had temperatures below freezing one night. That afternoon we met up with Matt and Beth Ann at the house so they could see it for the first time. We had a nice visit and then did a little grocery shopping before coming home.

The first seminar class was Monday night. I'm hoping to learn some very useful techniques for dealing with my Cubs when they are exhibiting some less than angelic behavior. I know it's hard to believe but it does happen on occasion where a little demon takes over.

Tuesday morning I met with the painters for a final walk-through to make sure that everyone was on the same page. I'm pretty excited to see what it looks like when they are finished. It is so hard to select colors from such a small sample card. That evening I met some friends for a much needed (aren't they all??) GNO (girls' night out). I showed a little restraint and did not order my usual (raspberry margarita) but I did break down at dessert time. One last dessert before the big DIET. Steve and I have decided to start eating better after we get moved in. It will be so much easier when we can enjoy the evening on the patio and grill our dinners. During the spring, summer and fall we usually grill most of our meats and vegetables but we haven't been able to do so here at the apartment. We are both craving a good steak.

Emily came down with "pink-eye" minus the pink yesterday afternoon, so this morning I dragged my poor little puffy raccoon face to the Doctor. We have had more Doctor appointments this year than we did for all of 2008. What in the world is going on here? This time it turned out that Emily probably has a small virus mixed in with a huge batch of allergies. Poor baby....she looks absolutely horrible. Her face is puffy and she has red bags under her eyes. This mess had better clear out by Saturday. We are supposed to go on an Easter egg hunt and I want to take pictures. In case you were wondering, yes, it is supposed to rain. My luck in action.

Zach has been doing really well. He ate one half of a Mum Mum today. It is a crunchy type of rice cracker. I couldn't believe it and I couldn't stop watching. This is progress in action. The other day we didn't feed him any baby food. WOO HOO. He still likes mac and cheese and the refried beans from Taco Bueno. He has even started eating rice if it has a little sauce or gravy on it. I honestly can't remember the last time we had a Mt. Vesuvius eruption and I am thanking God for that!

Tomorrow morning the movers come and I am excited but dreading it at the same time. I just know that it is going to be a very long day and I'm not sure how the cubs are going to handle everything. Emily did help pack a box of toys today. She is such a good little helper. It turns out that she also packed her shoes and Zach's sippy cup. OOPS.

From totally debt free to the poor house.

For a whole 8 days Steve and I were totally debt free. That all changed within a matter of 30 minutes on Friday. We had our closing on Friday and now we are back in the poor house. Friday was a totally crazy day. Early in the morning we met the Construction Manager at the house and went over all the warranty paperwork and made sure all of the items that we had pointed out on Monday were fixed. That's when we were told that they had to move the fence back due to City requirements. WHAT?? I'm a bit perturbed that no one told us about this. City requirements state that the fence line must be 10' back from the corner of the house that it is nearest to. Fine, whatever. They moved our fence 20' back so now we are fighting to get it moved back up to the 10' requirement. The whole purpose of buying the corner lot was so we could have as much backyard space as possible.

After that disaster we headed over to Dallas to sign our closing paperwork. We took the Cubs with us but it went better than I expected. They played pretty well while Steve and I signed the huge stack of seemingly never-ending paperwork.

We then took the Cubs to Chuck-E-Cheese but unfortunately that was a disaster. Zach did pretty well, he actually ate some breadstick but was totally uninterested in the pizza. Emily was very unlike herself. She refused to try anything. She just fussed and cried. I think she was exhausted from having to get up early and we had just waited too long to feed them. Lesson learned.

After the big pizza mess we headed over to pick up the keys to the new house. I had an appointment with a painter to get an estimate for interior painting. Fun. After dinner we headed back to the apartment just in time to get the cubs ready for bed. Then I hit the MCMOMs garage sale to see if I could score any goodies. I did pick up a few pairs of jeans since Zach's seem to mysteriously disappear.

I returned to our beloved (hack hack) apartment. It's sad knowing that we now have keys to the house but we are still in this apartment. **SIGH** Just a few more days.

Walk-through to closing.

Monday we had our walk-through of the new casa. It's our opportunity to point out things the builder has missed. Steve and I spent two hours with the Manager and we went through the house room by room. We go back again tomorrow morning to verify that everything has been corrected before we head to closing. I still can't believe that this is really happening. The stars have aligned for us. We managed to sell our house just in time to buy the new one. We are a lucky bunch.

Zach had his last therapy appointment today. Steve and I decided to switch to ECI so that Zach could have his therapy sessions at home. I can't help but think that this will work better. At this rate it can't be any worse. I was late this morning because traffic was horrible (due to the races this weekend), so we had a 15-minute $40 session which consisted of me feeding Zach the same exact thing I feed him at home (for free) while the therapist watched. That pretty much sealed the deal and I voluntarily discharged Zach from the program. His evaluation with ECI is on April 17.

Zach has been doing pretty well lately. He had some loaded baked potato and some mashed potatoes this week. He ate almost half of Emily's chicken with rice (minus the chicken). The rice has far more carbs and calories than the chicken so that's ok with me. Steve told me that we could all go to Chuck E Cheese once Zach starts eating pizza. Yesterday our little man ate the cheese and sauce from a frozen pizza. He didn't eat the crust but that was good enough for me. So we are going to Chuck E Cheese. I am so proud of him for trying something new. Then today he tried some salisbury steak. So so proud of our little man!

Emily has been Emily. A bundle of energy who is so fun to play with. She loves playing peek-a-boo with her brother and I love to watch them. I'm a lucky girl!

I have been crazy busy coordinating things for the new house. Setting up the utilities, scheduling painters to give us estimates, and just trying to keep things running here at Cub Central. Mom is exhausted. I wish I could go to sleep and wake up tomorrow morning in the new house, with everything in its place and no packing or unpacking to do. **sigh**

We are homeless and we're happy about it....temporarily.

What a week. We are officially homeless....or between homes...or apartment dwellers, not sure which term I feel like picking today. We closed on the old house on Wednesday. What a relief to have that over with. We definitely know how lucky we are that we found a buyer and at the perfect time. They could have easily bought a newer house for less money in our neighborhood, so we are counting our blessings. That night I treated myself to a celebratory margarita at Mi Pueblo with some friends. We jokingly call it our "scrapbooking meeting". Ironically because none of us scrapbook, but it was brought up in conversation and just stuck. So now I tell Steve I have a scrapbook meeting to attend and he just rolls his eyes at me.

It finally started raining on Wednesday afternoon, several days after my knees began to let me know that it would be raining soon. Stupid knees. They are great indicators of a weather change, much to my dismay. I'm too stubborn to see a Doctor for it even at Grandma Bear's constant urging (I love you Mom!). I'll try to squeeze it in between later and never.

Zach had a therapy appointment on Thursday. Although it went much better this week I am still a bit aggravated by the whole thing. I had to take Emily with me but this time I was smart enough to put them in their stroller. I was determined to keep them contained. I even fed Zach in the stroller which is the main reason I think this session went better. He didn't have to sit in that little wooden chair which automatically induces a thirty minute screaming session. I was most irritated with the fact that while I was feeding Zach, the therapist was busy playing with Emily. HELLO!!!!! I'm here to get help with Zach!!! Emily was perfectly fine playing with her toys on her side of the stroller, she didn't need to be entertained. UGH. This morning I called the ECI program in Denton County. The therapist comes to your home so that the child is in his own surroundings and I have a feeling that will work much better for us. Plus it's a flat monthly cost share based on our income so it will actually be cheaper than paying our $40 copay for each visit.

Our Thursday play date was cancelled due to the weather. It was supposed to be at a park that I have not been to yet, but word has it that it is gated so it would be a little safer for the cubs to run around and easier for me to keep an eye on them. I'm looking forward to trying it out as soon as the weather improves.

Steve brought home a rhinovirus this week. Isn't it nice of him to share with the rest of the family? It's either that or allergies, but I have been mopping up noses for the last day and a half. I'm feeling pretty lousy myself. I declared today a PJ day and the cubs and I remained in our jammies most of the day. We were stuck inside due to the crummy weather (what happened to our 70 degree temps from last week??) and the runny noses anyway.

Emily now calls for Zach by yelling "ACK". When I tell her to go get her brother, she turns and yells "ACK". NICE! She also repeats me when I say "uh oh" except she's a little lazy with it and it comes out "uh uh". Close enough I guess. For now anyway. Good thing she's cute.

Steve is supposed to work both days this weekend (of course) so we have nothing planned. We are supposed to do our final walk-through for the new house on Monday so I'm looking forward to that. It just puts us that much closer to moving day!

New casa progress

Every Monday the builders call to give us a report on what's happening at the new casa. They usually call Steve but he's been so busy at work that we have asked them to call me instead. Today's report was full of all the little punch-list items that need to be taken care of. The big news is the carpet is being installed on Friday. The carpenters will be working on trim details and the painters will be in this week. Our final walk-through is tentatively scheduled for the afternoon of March 30th. The best news of all: we are still on target for our April 3rd closing date! Woo Hoo!

Old house new house

Yesterday afternoon (around 4:30) we finally received a list of items discovered at inspection that the buyers want repaired. There were only six things and they were all pretty minor, but it extends their right to "walk away" until March 12. UGH.

Also yesterday afternoon I received a call from our builders telling us that they were needing to push back our closing from the end of March to April 10. That wasn't really a problem until I contacted our loan officer to double check our expiration date on the interest rate we locked in on Friday. Our great rate expires on April 4! Figures. So I call the builder to let them know and to see if there was any way we could close by the 4th, so he agreed to shoot for April 3rd. If we can't close by the 4th we'll have to settle for the rate at that time, and who knows what that will be?!

I received our final price addendum over the weekend and it was off by $48,000 dollars. Not to mention that one of my deposits was missing. I kindly sent it back with the correct figures and told them to review it again. I think I need to be medicated. This mess is stressing me out!!

Making up for lost time

Since we were sick last week and had to cancel most of our activities, we certainly made up for it this week.

On Tuesday I took the cubs to register for PRESCHOOL. I have heard that this preschool can be difficult to get into. The doors opened at 8am, you were given a number, and then registration would start promptly at 9am. I was number 14. We waited for over an hour before our number was called. Emily was fussy, Zach was noisy, and I figured they would take one look at us and send us on our way. I sat down, the Director asked me what classes I was needing, and I held my breath. They offer two programs. The half-day program which is from 8:45 - 11:45 and the full-day program from 8:45 - 2:30. Both programs are two days per week. I wanted the half-day program simply so I wouldn't have to worry about someone trying to feed Zach. My preference was Monday/Wednesday, but would obviously take Tuesday/Thursday if it were the only class still open. When I told the Director my preference, she opened her book, and said the magic words "you got the last two spots". WHEW!!! We got the last two spots for the entire two-year old class....and we got the days I wanted. Thank goodness, because if she would have told me that there was only one spot left or no spots at all, I think I would have broken down into tears right there at her table. My second choice preschool had already had their registration a few weeks prior so I gambled a little by waiting. For once things went my way.

Tuesday night was my last board meeting with my MOMs group at Buca di Beppos. I had volunteered to do the secretary duties that night since Jennifer was unable to attend. Note to self: never volunteer to do things that I already know I'm not good at. I felt a little like being back in college, 1.5 hours of note-taking. I was starving and wanted to eat and by the time I finished my Italian Margarita, who knows what I was writing. Poor Jennifer is going to have to type up my notes and submit them for approval. I sure hope she can muddle through them and make sense out of it all.

I took my muddled mess of notes to Jennifer on Wednesday and the cubs had a play date with her twin boys. It was a pretty morning and we spent some time with the foursome in the backyard. Her boys are so cute and they are talking so well...we need to hang out with them more so the cubs will learn to talk too. Nothing like a little peer pressure.

Thursday morning the inspector came out to inspect the house. We accepted an offer and now have a contract pending. WOO HOO! They have until midnight tomorrow (Monday) night to submit their request for additional repairs or back out of the contract completely. I am holding my breath and watching the clock. So far we haven't heard anything, so hopefully no news is good news. I talked to our realtor on Friday and she agreed that the best thing would be to hear nothing at all and then we will push forward to closing on March 25. So today Steve is emptying out the garage and the attic and moving everything out to storage so the house will be completely empty and ready to transfer to its new owners. Part of me is a little sad. It was the house we first brought the cubs home to, and I'll miss their nursery. It was my favorite room! Now they will have their own rooms at the new house with much more space to play, but you never forget bringing them home the first time.

Thursday morning was also Zach's first feeding therapy appointment. Our copay is $40 per visit, each session lasts 30 minutes, so I paid over $1.00 per minute to listen to Zach scream. All I could think of was that I could do this at home for free. Needless to say, his first session did not go well. He HATES the little booster chair and he screamed almost the entire time. Plus I had to take Emily, so she was a huge distraction. She wanted to be in the middle of everything, she wanted to play, she wanted to eat, and she stuck her fingers in Zach's food. That was thirty minutes of my life that I don't care to repeat. I ushered the cubs to the car, finished feeding Zach, who by the way eats like a champ in his car seat, and took them to Paradise Pond for some fun time. They played for an hour and half and took a nice long nap after we returned home.

Saturday was "Girl Day". Kelli and I spent the entire day together doing what girls do best. Mani/pedis, lunch and shopping. Dad kept the cubs, and I left right after breakfast and came home right before bedtime. I had a ton of fun and it was so good to do things without my two shadows in tow.

This morning I am trying to adjust to this ridiculous time change. Not my favorite time of year, I hate giving up an hour of sleep.

They giveth back....update to 'they taketh away'

All fenced in...


Housing update! The garage doors have been installed and the gutters are being hung. I'm not sure I like the garage doors, but I guess I can live with them. It looks like a great big asterisk, but that's what happens when you pick something from a black and white, one-dimensional, pencil drawing. The fence is up. The light fixtures are in and cabinets are in place. The whirlpool tub has been delivered but not yet installed. (Can't wait for my first soak!) The Travertine has been laid and the ceramic tile for the shower and tub surrounds have all been installed too. As for the Travertine, we did get the free upgrade after I sent a nice little email to them. So kudos for that! It's been very busy at the house and there really isn't too much left to do. We still need the cabinets stained and the granite and carpet installed. We are now looking at a completion date at the end of March. YIKES! We are going to paint some of the rooms after closing, so we aren't planning on officially moving in until mid-April. We have the lease on the apartment until June, so we don't have to rush. For once we can take our time moving in and for the first time ever we can actually unpack our things. Since we got married we have never really unpacked since we knew everything was temporary. Our home in New Mexico - temporary, our first apartment - temporary, our first home - temporary (we anticipated being there only 5 years and we actually made it last a little longer), our next home - permanent (or so we hope) and I am UNPACKING!

They giveth and they taketh away.

Who said building a house was fun? Sure, it was a little fun to pick out all the things that would go in it (except for the part where you doubt every decision you make) but the fun comes to a screeching halt when there is a problem.

First the Travertine:
I received an email late Friday afternoon notifying us that there is a problem with our Travertine -- the batch they received was defective. We were given three options: 1) Wait for a month for the new shipment, 2) Upgrade to the next class of travertine tile at no charge, or 3) Pick a completely new tile. So on Saturday we drove out to Plano to see if we liked the upgraded travertine. Steve and I both decided that it would be fine. It had a little more gray color in it than our original tile selection, but it would work better that the other two options we were given.

Now to the Granite:
Not even 10 minutes after I got the email about the tile I received another email about the granite: "One more thing…our granite rep has brought to our attention that currently the Golden Pearl granite is coming out slightly different than our show room sample. I have a sample of it here for you and I wanted to bring this to your attention so that there are no “surprises” when it is installed". Apparently there are now random splotches of rust color throughout the granite. Steve and I looked at the "new" sample and we both hated it...instantly. There is no way the rust color was going to go with the mahogany cabinets. Steve and I informed them that we would rather select a different granite than be stuck with one we didn't like, so we selected another color. Now all we had to do was wait until Monday to find out if they were going to let us change it. It was a good thing that I received an email on Monday letting us know that they were going to let us change the granite. GOOD THING!! There is nothing worse than a redhead spinning off into outer space over ugly granite countertops. Somebody must have warned them.

And back to the travertine:
Then, yesterday I received an email about the upgraded tile: "Hi again…it looks like the tile that you came in to look at on Saturday is now on back order. I apologize for this…but I do have good news…the original selection will now be available by Friday, so we can have that installed for you." WHAT??? Not only did we drive all the way out to Plano (with the cubs) but now we aren't even getting our free upgrade. UGH!! They giveth and then they taketh away. What will it be next?

Zach checking out his new digs!

Here is Zach's first photo in his new room!

Bricks anyone?

Finally a house update....I apologize to all of our faithful readers for taking SO long!

The bricks and stonework are going up. The insulation is being installed. The drywall has been delivered. YIKES! Because the weather has been so great, this is happening much faster than we expected. I am gathering all of our information to start the loan process. I think I'm going to have to start taking ulcer medication...this is so nerve-wracking. Still waiting on the other house to sell...

Pictures from Sunday, January 11:

Random things

Most of this week was spent emptying the "old" house and scheduling the house cleaner and the carpet cleaners. Plus trying to arrange for the Salvation Army to pick up some large donation items, I think I was at the house every day, sometimes even twice a day. What a pain trying to get everything scheduled but it is finally over, except for moving out what is left in the garage and the attic. All we have to do now is wait for the house to sell.

Apartment living still stinks. I can't stand that my kitchen is 1/16 the size of my last one. I have decided that I am living in a glorified hotel room with a minimal kitchenette. UGH! At least it's only temporary. My mantra for the next six months. Poor Zach must not like the apartment even more than I do. Every time we come home (and yes, I mean EVERY time) he barely makes it in the door before he starts crying. Have we scarred him for life?? He never used to do this at the old house. Poor baby! When I tell the cubs that we are going 'bye bye' they both run to the door. The guilt is horrible. Hopefully that is just temporary too.

Zach has started throwing up again. We were doing so well and I am just convinced that I jinx it every time. Giving him this new medicine is harder than wrestling with an alligator. He hates it, I hate it. Period.

On Wednesday, I went out to dinner with a friend to La Playa Maya. I love my monthly Wednesday night dinners because we always go some place new. It was really yummy. I think I could eat Mexican food every day.

Steve had an appointment on Thursday with the stereo/sound techs to mark the wiring for the computers, phones, TVs and surround sound systems at the new house. We didn't take any pictures because the exterior hasn't changed since the last post. All the good things are happening on the interior. The electricians are working their magic now.

Zach had an orthopedic appointment on Friday. It is always a challenge to take both cubs to the Doctor's office without their Dad. The rooms are always small, the wait is always long, and their attention span is always short. At least we had good news. The Doctor was very happy with Zach's progress and has determined that we don't need to go back unless we are concerned. The curving near his knees has corrected itself and he feels that the curving near his ankles will straighten out on its own. So no braces, thank goodness!

Friday night I was all set to take the cubs to an hourly childcare service so that Steve and I could join Beth Ann in celebrating her birthday. My friend referred the service so I really had no concerns about dropping off the cubs for two hours while Steve and I went to dinner. However, they squashed my plans! Little Emily Bear had been experiencing some diarrhea because of all her major teething, and they wouldn't take her. UGH! So Steve stayed home with the cubs while I went to dinner with Beth Ann, Matt and their friends for the big celebration. I had a lot of fun, the food was good, the margarita was great, and their friends are just hilarious. I really wish Steve could have gone with me, but I am really thankful to him that he was willing to cubsit so I could still go.

The week ahead will be just as busy. We will load the cubs and all their equipment and travel over the hills and through the woods to Grandma Bear's house. I am excited to visit my parents and grandparents and even more excited that Steve will have three days off to spend with us.

We hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday! Merry Christmas!!

Too tired to think of a title.

How sad is that? I can usually think of something but sheer exhaustion has taken over.

The house is now on the market. While we still have some minor things to finish up, the sign is now posted and we are officially listed. Steve and I have been incredibly busy trying to get everything moved out of the house and into the apartment or into storage. We have been taking alternate turns, one staying to cubsit, and the other going to the house. The process has gone much slower than we would have liked, but at least we are making some progress. The housekeeper should be coming this week and the carpet cleaners are scheduled for Wednesday.

The cubs have been handling everything pretty well. With the exception of Emily's molars coming in. She has been a real handful lately. At the last tooth check, she has three molars coming in. They haven't yet broken through but they must be causing some extreme pain for her because we are all feeling it. Too bad she isn't following Zach's example. He has a molar that has already come through and he didn't fuss a bit. He is such a trooper. Emily is not. She wakes up screaming in the middle of the night and won't calm down unless one of us is in there with her. So Steve and I have been taking turns sleeping on the floor in their room because we are afraid that her screaming will alert the neighbors, who will in turn alert CPS. It has been miserable. If I ever needed a back massage, it is now. I seriously doubt that there is any carpet padding installed in this apartment. I feel like Wilma Flintstone sleeping on a rock slab. Yabba Dabba Do. It will sure make me appreciate the upgraded carpet padding we are having installed in the new house.

We did drive by the house this weekend. Things are progressing very quickly there. It now looks like a house. I'm a little overwhelmed by how fast this is happening. It is exciting, but ulcer inducing as well, at least until the house sells. Steve's friend Brian has helped us move some of our really heavy furniture and we are very thankful to him. We have really great friends and family who have helped us with this huge transition. Many many thanks to all of you!!

Emily and Zach have been trying some new foods lately. Emily had some pineapple. She also had fruit cocktail which the first time she ate the whole serving while the next time she totally refused it. Fussy monkey. Zach has tried scrambled egg. I don't think he liked it very much but at least he tried it. That was huge for him. He also ate #3 Gerber spaghetti. This is the first time he has eaten a #3 food and been able to keep it down, so we are very proud of him. It's been slow going but at least we are seeing some progress. He has even started drinking some of his Pediasure from his sippy cup. I'm starting to feel a little less discouraged and a little more optimistic that he will be eating something other than pureed foods before he enters preschool.

The weather has taken a major downturn. Yesterday the temperature was in the 70s and today the high was only in the low 30s. It is sleeting and the overpasses and bridges are icy and dangerous. They said the temperature last night dropped 30 degrees in 30 minutes. I believe it. I had made a grocery run and stopped to fill up the car and the change was unreal. CRAZY weather. By Thursday the temperature is supposed to be back up near 70. No wonder everyone is always sick here.

A Saturday spent with Dad

We had a very busy Saturday. Today we took the circus out of the house. Dad had a rare Saturday off and we planned a big shopping trip. We really weren't planning on buying anything, we were just all anxious to get out of the house and since it was way too cold to play outside we settled on the mall. So that is what we did today. We spent the entire day out of the house with Dad.

We started out before lunch and headed north. We stopped for lunch at Mom's favorite fast food place...Taco Bueno. We decided to try eating in. I was a little worried about how the cubs would behave but they did amazingly well. No fussing at all. I was so impressed. We didn't spend too much time there because I really was worried about pressing our luck. The cubs even had some refried beans. These ARE my cubs afterall.

We then went to check on the homesite. We now have pipes. Woo hoo. This is moving along a little faster than I expected. Right now I am perfectly happy for them to take their time because we still have a house to sell. As soon as this one sells I'll be urging them to hurry things along.

After we checked on the site, we traveled up to Grapevine Mills for a little window shopping. Zach took a nap while Emily did some mall walking. Then we loaded the cubs back in the car so Emily could take her nap. Why they can't take a nap at the same time is beyond me. We then went to Northeast Mall for a little more window shopping. They did play for a while at the indoor playground before we packed up and headed home.

I think the cubs really enjoyed hanging out with Dad and getting out of the house! I had fun hanging out with Dad and getting out of the house too!

Housing update

We drove by the site on Friday and found that something has actually changed. We have forms for the concrete pour. YIPPEE. We are moving forward. We're keeping an eye on the weather and praying that it cooperates. It's been beautiful up until yesterday when we had tons of rain and now we're expecting low temps near freezing next weekend. Just our luck.

On Saturday we met with the realtor that will be listing our house. Our apartment won't be available until November 22, so we are looking forward to putting the house on the market around the beginning of December. Things are going to get really crazy here at Cub Central.

Designs and dilemmas

We had our first design appointment on Saturday. Four hours and we're only 40% complete on our selections. What a long four hours it was. It wasn't that Steve and I couldn't agree on things. It was more like we didn't really like any of the choices. Nothing really jumped out to us that said "this is the one". Now we're second guessing everything we selected. Good thing is that nothing is set in stone yet, so we can go back and make changes. We are undecided on the flooring (wood floors vs. travertine), undecided on interior paint, and don't even mention the master bath (cabinets, granite and ceramic tile selections are all up in the air). We are definitely going to have to spend some time looking at the other houses to see what goes well together. I didn't even mention that practically everything is an upgrade. Ching ching. I can see the dollars evaporating. I am freaking out. For example, a silverware drawer for the kitchen cabinetry is $160. Steve said for that price the darn drawer better open up and hand him a fork. Thanks but no thanks.

We cannot thank Grandma and Grandpa Bear enough for driving all the way here to cubsit for us. We could not have possibly taken the cubs with us, so we are very grateful that they were able to come this weekend.