Kitchen make-over - Part 2: Backsplash

We finally had our kitchen backsplash installed.  We decided to go with a traditional white subway tile and also picked out an accent tile for a recessed niche behind the sink.  Well, come installation day, things didn't go so well behind the sink:

The pipe got in the way and having those wires there didn't help either.  Actually, the contractor accidentally sniped the wire with his saw when he was cutting the niche.  Oops!  Thankfully, the electrician was able to fix it quite easily.
So, here are the before photos:

And a look at the opposite side of the kitchen:

And here's the after.  What a huge difference!

And here's our niche turned accent wall:

Pretty but Bob's comment was "... but it doesn't do anything!"  Ha!  The kitchen does look brighter:

I did have a problem putting on one of the face plates back onto the wall, so looks like it's not quite over yet!
Thankfully we did manage to piece together some tiles for the kitchen floor.

I think the accent tiles actually worked alright here!

There were some other tiles that sounded hollow underneath.  Hopefully none of them will pop off and crack!
Next project will be the cabinets. Eventually we'll get this all sorted out!

Charlie is 10 months old

Charlie is quite a little character now. We've been teaching him how to stick his tongue out :-P

Too cute!

He's also standing a lot more these days:

Although, not quite walking yet.  He just keeps busy on the ground level - keeping the house in order:

I thought one kid was bad, but now with two - I can never seem to keep the house tidy!

When Charlie is not inside gnawing on toys, he enjoys being outdoors:

He loves to pull on the grass (and sometimes eat it too of course) while his big brother Graham plays in the yard.  Now, that's quite a golf swing!

Charlie has also figured out how to drink from a sippy cup.  I guess he had been watching his big brother because it was Graham's sippy cup!

Thankfully Graham loves his little brother!

And thankfully both boys play well together (for now, that is :-)

Two more months before Charlie turns 1!

Ok... one last video!

Happy birthday to Bobby/Daddy!

Bobby celebrated his birthday recently at the end of May.  It was quite a day for him.  He had a long drive back from Little Rock, AR in the morning through some stormy weather.  But when he got home, he was greeted with home-made spaghetti served with chicken parmesan - his favorite!  And us, of course - his favorite too! :-)

And then, it was another one of Daddy's favorite - Cherry Pie!

We know someone else really enjoyed the cherry pie!

And then, time to open up Daddy's presents.  Just like last year, another bag of pistachios. I think he really likes them:

And saving the best for last, a hand-painted cereal bowl!  It had been in the cabinet since a week before Mother's Day.  Obviously daddy did not see it.  It seems that he had been using the bigger bowls from the other cabinet!

Once the birthday celebration was over, we were all glued to the TV.  The local news was tracking a possible tornado heading towards us!  And sure enough, by about 9pm, while Graham and I were using the loo - Bobby said "The tornado is on the ground!".  My heart probably jumped a beat when I heard that and it probably wasn't the best either to hurry a 3-year old during potty time. Graham's "aim" was not the best and I had to clean up the floor right before we were finally able to gather everyone into the shelter.

Here are some pictures of the storm brewing and also the aftermath from the local news center:

http://www.kjrh.com/gallery/news/news_photo_gallery/photos-oklahoma-storms----may-30

The sirens went off twice while we were in the storm room and the power went off after the first siren.  Fortunately, the power came back on after a couple of hours. The next day, we found out that the tornado hit the neighborhood just one mile south of us. YIKES!!!  This was definitely a birthday to remember!

Graham's doctor appointment

Graham did so well at his appointment today.  He listened to the nurse and the doctor without fussing. I'm so proud of my little boy!  Now, if he will only listen to Mommy when she's trying to take his picture!

Graham now weighs almost 30lbs and is 3 feet tall - both within the 25% percentile.  He's still our tiny petutie, still wearing mostly his 2Ts at three years old.  Small but "mature" according to the doc :-)

More fun in Phoenix

Graham almost always says that he likes the "Phoenix house" better.  I wonder if this is why...

Who knew it would be so much fun to watch the wash cycle!  Charlie's head just got lower...

And lower...

And even lower... to a point that he actually bumped his head on the glass!

Who is so silly... and so happy!

I tried to put some shoes/slippers on him but he liked gnawing on them a lot better.

And while at a local improvement store, I noticed a scooter for quite a bargain. Graham had been talking about having one recently so it made a good belated birthday present from Mommy and Daddy.

He did pretty well on his first attempt and was even brave enough to venture onto the path all by himself!

Although after a few minutes, it was back on the playground. He loves to swing like a monkey!

And loves to pile on at the slide:

Gosh, the boys are getting so big so quickly.  Wait... how big, you say?  Sooooooooo big!

I'm glad the boys are able to play together. Who needs a fancy toy when you have a box!

By the way, I finally finished my height chart on the wall by the boys' bedroom in the "Phoenix house".  But we forgot to mark their heights before leaving!  Oh well... next time.

Although next time might be when it's not so hot!

Grandma and Pop-pop's first visit to AZ

We are so proud of Grandma and Pop-pop for making their first trip to Phoenix last week!  They not only got to spend time with their (favorite) grandkids but also experience the dry heat of Arizona.  I've forgotten how quickly it gets hot in the morning - even at 9am!

Both the boys had fun spending time with Grandma and Pop-pop:

Charlie was even getting better with his separation anxiety!

And Pop-pop celebrated his birthday as well in Phoenix - the day right after Graham's on the 23rd of May.  We got Pop-pop a cute customized t-shirt which he loved!

And as for the cake... well, we had a lot of Graham's cake left so Mommy "recycled" it.

 Tada!!!  Happy birthday Pop-pop! :-)

Thank you again Grandma and Pop-pop for coming by to be with us in Phoenix and also for the nice matching pajamas and outfits!

Happy 3rd Birthday to Graham!

We recently celebrated Graham's 3rd birthday on the 22nd in Phoenix, AZ.  I didn't have too much time to think about a cake, so I ended up making chocolate cake out of a box and drawing out one of his favorite cartoon characters - Bot.  I'm just so happy that Graham recognized it!

We didn't have a light at home (darn electric stove-top!) so we tried to use the magnifying glass in the 100F heat.  We got smoke but unfortunately no fire. You can sort of see the trail of smoke.  It's almost scary how quickly the dry leaf started to smoke!

Eventually, Daddy had to just get the light from the grill.  Graham was very excited to blow out his cake:

We still can't believe he's 3 years old now!

So glad Grandma and Pop-pop were able to join us in Phoenix!

Graham liked the cake...

but I think he liked the presents a whole lot better.

Along with the playdoh crane, Graham also got some new duplo legos from Grandma and Pop-pop.  Well, we know which one is his favorite!

After a quick rest, we decided to fill up a sand pit with water. Charlie loved splashing in it!

And putting whatever he could into his mouth:

Graham, on the other hand, just wanted to put all of his toys into the water:

There's just something about this boy and his excavator:

See what I mean?!

I think all in all, Graham had a great birthday!