Project Beadboard

I've been chomping at the bit to make little changes around the house......you know, to make things a little less "cookie cutter."  I've been wanting to put beadboard in our tiny downstairs bath for quite some time and finally got Scott on board.  Lucky for us, his parents had already planned a visit and his dad is quite the handyman.  He was so nice to help us out.

First, the baseboards had to come off.  I'd watched a tutorial online and thought, "That doesn't look too hard."  Boy was I wrong.  I was so happy to have D (Scott's dad) there to help out.  If it weren't for him, we would have really messed things up.

Next came the fun task of cleaning the baseboards.  I really need to teach my boys how to "aim" better!

Scott and D removed the sink, and then it was on to the fun part.....

Power tools!  Don't you love how these pictures make it look like I did most of the work?  That's just a little strategic planning....Scott and D did most of the hard stuff.  They just let me jump in here and there and were nice enough to snap some pics.

This is the part I'd been waiting for!  I was so excited to get my first glimpse of the "new" bathroom.

Once all the beadboard and trim was in place, Scott and D left me alone to paint and worked on some other projects (more on that later).  I love that we opted for a less traditional look and put the beadboard in horizontally.  It really makes the bathroom look so much brighter.

Scott and D put the sink back in....a task that is easier said than done.... 

And VOILA!

{We still need a mirror.  The old one doesn't fit anymore.}

I absolutely LOVE the finished product.  It's even better than I pictured in my head.  Thanks for helping us out, D!

Earthquakes, Hurricanes & Fallen Trees....Oh, My!

Mother nature has been pretty busy around here this week.  On Tuesday, we had an earthquake.  I was with the kids at the pool when all of the sudden, it sounded like a truck was going to drive right into the pool.  The concrete started swaying beneath us, and everyone stopped what they were doing and just stared at each other.  It took a second to register, and when it finally did, all the cell phones came out.  Everyone was trying to call friends and family, but no one could get through.  We were all a little freaked out.  I quickly grabbed my kids and headed home.  We found one picture knocked over and a sweater that had fallen off the drying rack, but nothing too bad.

Just four days later, we were hit by hurricane Irene.  It rained all day long and the winds were CRAZY!  We had three trees go down behind our house.  Three families in our ward (that we know of) had trees fall on their houses or garages, and we just feel so blessed that no one was hurt.  We only lost power for a couple hours, which was way better than what we anticipated.  All in all, we feel pretty darn lucky.

Events of the Summer....

I'm waaaay behind on my blogging.  We've done a lot of fun things this summer, and somewhere along the way, I've lost all motivation to blog about them.  So here's my attempt at catching up....

Logan had a birthday in June.  I can't believe my little Logie is eight!  He's growing up so fast.  We had a fun birthday breakfast consisting of Walmart coffee cake (only the best for our little man).....

and opened presents....

Logan requested a party at Laser Quest, so that's what we did.  It was so much fun!  Scott and I even got in on the action.  I'm not sure who had more fun - the kids or the grown-ups.

********

July was a busy month.  We had our nephew, Scott's parents and Scott's aunt come and stay with us before the big Schlensker family reunion we host every year.  It was so fun to have them here with us and we were so happy they could be here for Logan's baptism.

What a special day!  

Everything was just perfect.  I just wish we had taken more pictures.

********

All the boys (Scott, Papa D, Mason, Logan, Brady & Caden) went to the beach for a day.  The water was FREEZING but they had a fun time.  It was Caden's first time in the ocean and he loved it.  They found all sorts of sea creatures and even brought some of them home (the dead ones, of course).

*********

Next on the agenda was the reunion.  We were so lucky to have Aunt Mar join us this year.  It was so fun having her around, and I loved that the kids got to know her better.

Claire warmed up to her quickly and before she knew it, Aunt Mar had a little shadow.  Every time she turned around, Claire was there.  She even surprised her in the shower once!  (Sorry about that, Mar.)

The reunion was so fun.  It's so nice to have the whole family together.  The kids always have such a great time playing and the adults love chatting and catching up and eating ice cream late at night.

Aunt Mar was nice to take the family picture this year......

It's always one of the favorite activities.  Right, D?......

We also got to meet our adorable little niece, Mae, for the first time.....

Is she not the cutest baby alive?

I love this shot of the sisters....

Thanks to everyone for helping make this year so fun!  Can't wait 'til next year!!!

Hiking with the Fam

A couple weekends ago, Scott took us for a hike on a nearby trail he recently discovered (thanks to a friend and his calling as Webelos leader).  The kids had so much fun exploring and climbing on rocks and branches.

They weren't shy about jumping over streams and creeks.  Even Brady joined in, and to our surprise was not afraid at all.

Claire was perfectly content to pose for the camera.....

Mason even took some time to do a little golfing......

We had a great time!  This hike is definitely making our list of "things we need to do again."

Happy Summer!

Superhero Mash Up

What do you get when you combine the costumes of Mr. Incredible, Harry Potter and Thor?

Only the greatest superhero known to man.....

INCREDIBLY HARRY THOR!

Happy Mother's Day to Me!

I was in Chicago for most of Mother's Day weekend {on a fun getaway with a couple girlfriends}.  Scott was so great and took care of EVERYTHING!  I didn't get home until 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning, and found this waiting for me....

Here's a close-up of the picture in the frame....

How did I get so lucky?

It's Official....

We have a TRAMPOLINE!!!  

Several of the kids' friends have trampolines and they've been asking for one for well over a year now.  We decided it would be a good idea to make them "earn" it with acts of kindness.

It took them quite a while to fill up the jar (some of those puffballs are pretty small), but they did a great job!  It was so fun watching them go out of their way to help each other and do things around the house without being asked.  Plus, they appreciate it so much more knowing they put forth the effort to earn it.  

The best part is that it's been so fun for the whole family.  We've spent many an evening outside together...all six of us jumping on the tramp.  It can't get any better than this!