Happy Birthday Miles!

We spent the day celebrating Miles' "actual" birthday as he likes to call it.  First, we ate some pancakes with one eye open...

Then, it was off to school for our big six year old.

Darrin and I both took off early to pick him up in car line together. This kid has us completely wrapped around his finger.  He also has his Marmee, Granny, and Pa wrapped too. They sent him some birthday cash in the mail even though they spoiled him with presents just last weekend.  Miles gets the mail every day on our way in from school and he lives for the days that there's something for him.

He's been saving his money and finally saved enough to buy the Skylanders game for the xBOX.  That's how he spent the majority of his birthday night.

He did take a little break for some pizza, presents, and cupcakes on the patio.

Wedding cake for me, candy bar for Darrin, and bubble gum for the birthday boy.

 

At six, Miles is witty, tenderhearted, protective, and cautious.  He's less impulsive than a year ago, but is still emotional especially when he's passionate about something.  He's like Darrin in that he loves to be silly and will revisit a joke ten times if someone laughed the first time around. He's like me in that he has to be pushed into new things and he schedules his allotted ice cream days and video game time in great detail.  He enjoys the little things in life, but can sometimes have such vivid expectations that reality doesn't always live up.  There's nothing he loves more than quality time at home with us.  Happy Birthday, Miles Cooper! We love you!

Favorite color: Red
Best friend: Colin Stroh
Favorite animal: Monkey
What he wants to be when he grows up:  A contractor (going on 3 years now)
Favorite thing to do: Play his Skylander game
Do you have a girlfriend? Yes, Alli McMillan

(Miles & Alli)

Less Words Wednesday

Just a few random thoughts on this Wednesday.  This guy went through a few days of not liking school b/c it's boring, it's too long, and he misses me, but he's back to liking it again. I am SO thankful for that.

I moved my office to Jackson, which is a 20 minute commute instead of 45 minutes. I really didn't mind the drive to Martin, and I miss my work friends, but I like being able to pick Miles up sooner in the afternoon.

I love my new office. It's very quiet and neat, just the way I like it.

Miles is going to be in a wedding on Labor Day weekend. We got him fitted for his tux last weekend. He's going to look very sharp.  Now, if we can just get him to walk down the aisle in front of a few hundred people without freaking out we'll be in good shape.

My new office is 2 miles from Darrin's office. Perfect for watching a little practice during my lunch break.

Our concrete patio was poured yesterday!  It's just waiting for some friends to come hang out with us. Who's in??

Weekend Wrap Up

The highlight of our weekend was celebrating Miles' birthday with family.  His birthday is actually this Friday, but we celebrated last Friday night due to some other conflicts. This is the first year that we didn't have a big birthday party. With all the busyness & house stress that we've had lately, we chose to eat at a local pizza place and have cake & ice cream at our house afterwards.

 

After pizza, we headed home for presents. He was more than ready to tear into them.

He got some awesome presents from his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They really spoiled him with Legos, Build A Bear, soccer goals, a fishing pole, and a tackle box, just to name a few things. He was one happy little boy.  Then, it was time to give him our present.  We keep him in suspense about it all week. He counted down the days until Friday b/c he knew that was when he got his present.

We set up a little scavenger hunt that lead to his present.  Here he is with his first clue...

After searching for clues all around outside, the last clue lead him to a little shed behind our shop. 

It's hard to see his face, but it was a look of surprise and joy. That moment made mine & Darrin's hearts very happy.

I'm not sure who was more excited, Miles or Darrin.

If you know me, you know that I have always been anti 4 wheeler. A boy died when we were in high school b/c he hit a bump and landed on his head. I've been scared of them ever since. 

When we moved to this property, I knew I would have to get over my fear and let he and Darrin have their fun. What was the point of having land if you don't have the toys to enjoy it??  Plus, I know accidents can happen anywhere, so we just need to teach him how to be safe.

Is this not the cutest thing you've ever seen?  Darrin picked it out and found a matching helmet. He did a great job. 

Darrin's dad drove to Indiana last week to pick it up for us.  When Darrin told Miles that, it meant so much to him that Pa would drive that far for him.

Then, it was time for some Skylander cake and ice cream...

On Saturday, a mere 12 hours after getting the 4 wheeler, he had his first accident.  I was sitting on the porch watching him ride. He drove around the side of the house. I heard it stop abruptly and then I heard some moaning. I raced around the house to see him bent over holding his side with dew and grass on his clothes. I never figured out exactly what happened, but I think he either stopped or turned too quickly and it threw him off.

He didn't cry, b/c he's figured me out and knew that making a big deal out of it might send me into a panic and cause the 4 wheeler to disappear.  It was not a fun experience for either of us, but it was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. He's ridden it twice since then and he's been very cautious.  I'm thankful he's okay and that he learned a valuable lesson in the process.  Happy early Birthday, Miles!

Weekend Wrap Up & a Construction Update

We had a fun weekend with Crystal, Steve, and the girls. They came to spend Friday night with us so Crystal and I could shop on tax free weekend.  This was the first time they had been to our house, so we were excited to show them around.  After a quick tour of the house, things got a little crazy.  We ended up in some sort of gymnastics talent show.  Crystal and I tried to show them how handstands and headstands were done, but then we remembered that we were old.

Miles can do a mean cartwheel. He worked on his handstand most of the night and did a pretty good job. 

Ava working on her cartwheel....

On Saturday, we shopped until we dropped. Crystal had much better luck than I did, but we had so much fun. We just did whatever we wanted and didn't get in a hurry about it.  I see this becoming an annual event.

The rest of the weekend was packed with stuff too, but I'd rather talk about what's going on with our house.  The brick is on!  We knew we couldn't get brick to match exactly, and even if we did, it wouldn't match the rest since it's 20 years old.  Seeing the difference has been concerning for me, but as the mortar continues to dry, I'm slowing coming around to it.  

The pictures make the discrepancy worse than it actually is, in my opinion.  I love the knew shape of the house.

The hallway leading to our bedroom is coming together.  It was hard to imagine how it would look. I was scared it would be too long and feel out of place, but I actually think it looks normal.  The door leading to the patio was supposed to be a window. I'm so glad we changed it. I think it's going to good from the patio and be very functional.

The first coat of paint is on the walls in our bedroom.  It looks a little turquoise in this picture, but it actually leans more towards navy. It was a little bit of a gamble for me, but I really like it.

The shower floor has been tiled. Just waiting on the grout and white subway tile on the walls.

My tub is in!  It is just like the tub at our last house, which I LOVED.   I cannot wait to have this back.

The first coat of paint is on in the sun room and the floor is down. I really like the tones in the floor, but I wish I would have gone with a 16" tile instead of 13".  Once I get the rugs down and furniture back in, I'm sure it won't make any difference to me.

I have to be honest, I'm reaching the end of my rope with the house.  I'm trying to just hang on and chill out until it's finished, but I just want a clean house with all my stuff where it belongs.  They were supposed to be finished by the end of August, but I don't see that happening. We've run into a major issue with the kitchen floor, which was a room that wasn't supposed to be touched. Deep breaths.  Just reminding myself daily that a month or two more is not very long in the scheme of things.