To Do Lists...

So this weekend is the second to last weekend until Chris leaves (and he'll be gone most of this week TDY to Washington, DC) so... I had a list of fun projects for him to help me complete before he takes off.  Install baby locks.  Hang curtains.  Take James to get his Tiger Cub uniform (and get unit patches sewn on).  Get big boys' hair cuts.  Build Legos the boys got from Santa.  Organize the outdoor shed.  Can you stand the excitement?  Right... neither could we.  We tried to make it enjoyable by restocking beer for Chris and wine for me.  But a certain someone will NOT leave the wine rack alone...

We have just about every toy you can imagine so tell me WHY this is the only thing Pete wants to play with??  And these two weirdos... why we continue to let them bathe together is beyond me.  Every night I tell them it's the last time.  Seriously...every.single.night.  "That's it!  No more!" I scream.  

Right.  Tomorrow night I'll be fussing all over again when they get water all over the bathroom floor... but at least Chris is still home to help me clean it up!

Before and Afters...

With every move, I have a renewed interest in decorating our house (this isn't our "home" yet... but maybe in time it will be).  It's exciting to buy new furniture and rearrange our existing furniture.  Fortunately for me, Chris and I both agreed that our old dining room set had to GO.  It was nasty.  I mean, really... with kids... what isn't?  So, I sold it to some poor soul for $75 on Craigslist and I found and bought another new set we both love.  When I went to remove my Craigslist post, I happened upon a buffet for $75 that I loved and considered it a "sign" since it was an even exchange!  It took me about a week to prime, paint, and finish the piece but I loved every minute of it.  Here are the "before" and "after" pictures: 

So, now that I have one "successful" project under my belt, I'm exited to tackle the next project!  I actually started it today.  Our family room needs a pop of color and I'm hoping this (along with a sunburst mirror I'm hoping to "win" on Craigslist as I type this post!) will do the trick.  (Okay... and a few other things but there's no sense in overwhelming Chris, right!?)  Fortunately for me, Megan is a fantastic photographer and didn't mind me "stealing" her work.  This was my inspiration and what I'd love to recreate:  http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com/2012/02/inexpensive-way-to-hang-big-art.html

Here is the photo Megan took that I am going to use:

As luck would have it, Vistaprint is currently offering 50% off posters so for a huge 24"X36" print, I only paid $20.  Total!  Jenny, the creator of The Little Green Notebook blog, offered printing websites that charged over $500 for similar sized prints when I checked!  Once I receive the print, my next stop is Home Depot to get it mounted on plywood as she suggests.  I'll post pictures once I receive the print, mount and hang it so you can see the final project.  Even if it's a bust, I figure I'm only out 20 bucks.

Okay... I am PUMPED to start another project.  Any good (easy!) ideas?  Send them over!  I'm ready.

Pete's a walkin' man!!

This video was taken two days ago and since then, he has literally taken off!  He walks just about everywhere.  But where did baby Pete go?  Makes me think it's time for #4... which makes Chris think it's time to leave for Afghanistan!  :)

The Little Gym

So my first post is going to be somewhat anti-climatic.  Reason: I don't have a picture to go along with it and that would really make the post....but maybe that's a good thing so everyone's hopes don't get up too high for this blog.  Anyway, back to the point...  We moved to Fayetteville, NC a little over a month ago.  Chris immediately left for training so the boys and I had to learn our way around "alone."  In full disclosure though, Chris and I lived here before (I know, I know... lucky me) so I kinda already knew my way around.  (Read: I know how to get to Target and really, isn't that the #1 goal for any move?).  As soon as Chris left, I started a list of things for me "to do" in order to stay busy, get organized, and get involved.  The list was long and went something like... Get James involved in Boy Scouts (check!), sign both boys up for spring soccer (check!), enroll boys in TRICARE and get them a physical so they can play in said soccer (check!), enroll in CDC on post (uggggh... not yet), meet cool friends who like to drink a lot of wine (ugggh.... not yet), sign Henry up for The Little Gym (check! and here begins my story).  So... today is the third time we've gone to The Little Gym for Henry to participate in their new "3D program."  Get Moving!  Brain Boost!  and Citizen Kid!   Henry is met with as much enthusiasm as you can probably imagine by twenty-something-year-olds wearing those ridiculous 5 finger shoes.  We go every Friday... and he loves it.  I mean he loves it.  Yesterday, he counted almost to 100.  "Henry, where did you learn that?" I asked.  "The Little Gym." he replied.  Then he kept singing a song entitled "Swim Brother" which clearly he had made up.  "Henry, where did you learn that?" I asked.  "The Little Gym." he replied.  You see where I'm headed with this... most newly acquired skills are attributed lately to the success of The Little Gym instructors.  Which was why I found it so funny and ironic when I looked over in the middle of the session today and found Henry, my child, EATING HIS TOENAILS.  Yup.  There you have it folks.  Three hundred dollars spent so Henry can file his toenails on his teeth.  And that is why this post would be better with a picture.