Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero.

Panic, chaos, disorder...my work here is done.

Ha! So yeah, here's the update to the remodeling project that has been a HUGE undertaking-
We completed the living room, the hallway, and Caden's room. Aaaaand, I decided that the red paint in the living room and hallways were too much for the dark wood flooring and the furniture. So, we started repainting too (I know the paint looks white in the pictures...trust me, with two boys, it is NOT white paint). I think I have truly annoyed my husband with the different directions in which I have taken our project. I've tried to explain that this is what doing projects with an A.D.D. person is like. He still loves me so, I'm guessing that if Brian and I can make it through these home improvement projects, we're good to go for the rest of our lives. :)
What I've learned about myself is the following:
*I can use a crowbar, hammer, mallet, and put in laminate like no one's business
*I can use a blade (I will *cut*. you. hahaha!)without cutting my arms all up
*I'm scared of messing up anything
*I have trouble completing projects thus prevents me from starting them even if they are truly good ideas...gotta work on the follow-through
*I would have made a good power lifter in school
*I'm still amazed with how precise measurement needs to be.
So, here are a few pictures as we're progressing. When all is said and done, I will post the final pictures.







Here is what it looks like with the red paint. Not really digging the color of the walls with the color of the floors.


Below you will see it with the new color (it's called Milestone and I dig it.) I think it looks better with the darker flooring. Brian finally admitted he thought so too. (My crazy self:1 Brian's logic: 0)

The Remodeling Has Begun...

We have been dying to put wood floors in throughout the house for quite some time now. The ENT told us to get rid of our carpet because the boys' allergies are so bad and the carpet was making it worse by the day. We waited until our kids were potty trained and walking upright on their own before we started. It is exhausting and I wasn't even the person doing the hardest part of the manual labor. That would be B. He loves doing these kinds of things on his own. I can see why. The finished project is the goal line and he reached it.
We started with Caden's room first. It's separated from the other rooms by walls and linoleum in the entry way so, it was the easiest to start with anyway. Moving all of his toys, furniture, and books to the living room caused me to nearly hyperventilate. It was gut-wrenching to see things strewn around and blocking paths. Mind you, it was only for two days but still...
Well, it is done and it is gorgeous. I swear it's like the house has been given a small, but noticable, injection of Botox to its face. Awesome. So awesome. It seriously has changed the look of his room.
We will continue the process of re-flooring the house with Ethan's room, then the living room, and ending with the master bedroom and closet. I'm tired already just from thinking about it. It's not the actual process, but it's the whole I've-got-to-move-stuff-out-of-the-room-and-then-put-it-back deal. We'll deal. I cannot wait to post the finish product of the entire house. For now though, here are pictures before and after of Cade's room.

MFFL!!

Ethan has had a blast playing basketball this year. He went from standing and watching on the court to becoming more aggressive with the ball. I've enjoyed watching the transformation. For their end-of-the-season party, they were given the opportunity to high-five the Dallas Mavericks as they ran from the tunnel to the court as well as tickets to the game. I was a little hesitant because it happened to fall on a Wednesday which was in the middle of the school week. Anyone with kids knows that you don't mess with the schedule when school is in session. Well, after careful consideration, we decided to go for it. When will he have an opportunity to enjoy an experience like this again? Probably not again. Honestly, it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. Apparently the middle of the week is an optimal time to see a Mavs game. Ethan was so excited about seeing Dirk (Nowitzki) that I was sure we were going to have security called on us. I will say this, Mavs may not be considered the NBA Darlings like the Lakers but, they honestly give their 100% to the game and to their fans. LOVE THEM! Mark Cuban even came out and high fived the kiddos. I didn't think Caden would be able to enjoy it or keep up but he did. We even caught him cheering and yelling "Defense!" during the game at times. It probably helps when you have a bag of cotton candy and a pretzel to keep you occupied, too. I will (eventually) upload a video we took of the mayhem.

From India with Love

Brian and I have some amazing and generous friends, Bhavesh and Dhruti Patel, who always bring the boys back little souvenirs when they travel. Well, they took a trip to India to visit family and attend a wedding. When they returned, they had authentic Indian pajamas for the boys. How awesome is that?!
Brian and I decided that when the boys get older, we would like to visit India to immerse in the culture and the people.
Thank you to the Patel family for their generosity. We adore you and so do our boys.

Happy Valentine's Day!

And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Colossians 3:14

The Similarities are Uncanny!

This is my child. He is three. After giving it some thought, it hit me one day. He reminds me of the children's book character David, created by David Shannon. David (the little kid not the author)is always into SOMETHING. And that is exactly who my kid is, friends. Man alive, do I love him!! I wouldn't change a thing about him.