Denton? Really?

How cute is this courthouse?


They love their "Jomaaay"

Pesci and De Niro?

Yum.



Yes, french toast flavored ice cream...





Yes, really. I have only been to Denton a handful of times. The thought of driving the distance and being on I35 was enough to deter me from ever visiting. But, my lovely Zooey Deschanel-like sister, Jamie is a UNT student. She invited us out one weekend to see her new apartment and so that she could show us around. We looked at her lovely apartment, met one of her roommates, and saw a Hurley-esque looking guy sunning his big ol' belly by the pool (yum. Did you sense the sarcasm there?). Mkay. Kolache Haven. Enough said. That place is bomb. We stopped there for a quick breakfast and we decided Rockwall should have one. We drove around for a while after breakfast and headed to Highland Village. It's a cute little place. It reminds me a bit of how Frisco used to look before it burst into people/house/shopping flames. We took the boys into a great little toy store while we were there. I decided that I love little independent toy stores (even if they are more expensive) than TRU. There's just something about seeing original toys and books that cater to the creative/scientific/imaginative child's mind that makes me happy. Dude Manager even let Ethan try out some cool outdoor toys. Very awesome. We decided to head to the downtown square in Denton and grab lunch and dessert. Pizza in a place with a basement bar= I likes it. It looks like it could have been a speakeasy though. It had charm. But, the greatest place ever? Beth Marie's Ice Cream Parlor. ZOMGoodnesalkdnfas;ldfawoeinfa ;ldfnasdkfjnaweoiptrbw9eubt (I had to make up a word just to describe it): This place is for real like an old fashioned ice cream parlor. They make their own ice cream and sell it by the ounce. Nom.
I promised Jamie we'd be back and we will. It was definitely worth the drive just to spend some time with my baby sister.

Legoland-Discovery Center

Grapevine opened up a Legoland Adventure place. Basically, it's a Lego store but with rides and activities. It was interesting. We went during the week after 5 because that's when you get the best discounts. And, yes, you have to buy tickets to reserve your place. I loved this idea because it prevents the place from becoming overcrowded. Aside from that, there was definitely plenty to do. There were two play areas; one was for younger kids (Duplo Village) and the other was for the older rough and tumble crowd. I loved that there was only one way in to the structure and an attendant was on duty the whole time to guard the gate to go into the play structure. There were two rides for grownups and kids alike, a walk-through of the minatures from the area including the Ballpark and Jerry's Death Star, and a 4D movie which we all enjoyed.
Sidenote: The best part was the laser tag adventure ride. I can be lazy AND enjoy a laser tag game. Excellent! (And I am being so serious.)
Caden even kept his 3D glasses on the whole time. This is an amazing breakthrough for us. Legoland even had a demo on how Legos are made. That was pretty cool. Do I think it is worth the $$$ tag it comes with if you go on the weekend? No. Still, it's new/different and it's about the kids. And they LOVED every minute of it. Brian and I decided that when we take our family vacation to San Diego next summer, we'll have to do the Legoland deal. Next on our To-Do list? The new aquarium is opening up this summer right across the way from Legoland Adventure. Ethan cannot wait.

Whoa.

It's been a long while since I've updated the blog. It's been a complete madhouse with the flooring stuff going on, school, work, and my own school has taken up a lot of my time. I was afraid that I'd do this kind of thing. You know, think about updating later (which turned into later, later, no really-LATER) and then lo and behold! an entire month has almost passed without pictures/posts to document. Good news! I got my groove back because TAKS testing is over. (Thank you, Lord!)

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.