First Day of Preschool, Round 2

Today is Roper's turn...he does not share the same enthusiasm for preschool that his big brother does, but he didn't seem completely opposed to it today, which is good. One of his Sunday School buddies is in his class, so I've been reminding him that he'll see Jack at school, which seems to make him excited.

Here is my second handsome boy...

First Day of Preschool, Round 1

Today is Mason's first day of preschool. He has been looking forward to this day all summer! He is in the same local church program that he was in last year. He will be going four mornings a week this year -- wow!! We originally signed him up for two mornings, later decided to move him to three mornings, and by that time the three-day class was full. So four days it is. It seems like a lot to me, since last year he only went two mornings. And I know that he'll spend the rest of his childhood in school. But...for now he really loves going to school so we might as well send him while he loves it! He might not always feel that way! :)





Tomorrow is Roper's first day (he only goes on Wed & Thurs). I'm so thankful for our boys' preschool, which reminds me so much of the preschool that I attended as a child.

Last year's preschool post is here.

Fishy Kisses

There are moments when I realize that God truly knew what he was doing when he gave me two little boys (not that I ever doubted it). Things that other mothers might find gross don't even phase me!

In case the pictures don't speak for themselves, Mason & Roper were picking up each mud minnow (our bait fish) out of the bait cooler & then giving them kisses. Fish need love too. :)

The Gull Whisperer

During our Murrells Inlet cruise, Captain Graem had some excitement in store for us.

Daddy was fishing off the back of the boat and the boys and I were throwing out broken pretzel pieces for the seagulls. Before we knew it, there were seagulls swarming around our boat!



One of the birds inadvertently got his wing caught in the fishing line. The poor thing was starting to go berserk! Daddy slowly reeled in the line, and Graem was able to grab the gull by the wing...finally he calmed down and let Graem get his wing free! I think he will avoid fishing poles from now on. :)

The Beach

Pardon my absence here on the ol' blog...it has been over 2 weeks since I've posted anything!

We've just returned from a week at the beach...now I feel like summer is officially over. The week before we left for the beach our upstairs A/C unit kicked the bucket. This has been a long time coming. It was 23 years old, and they typically only last about 15 years. The good news is that we only had to endure the heat upstairs, and it was only for 2 days. It conveniently decided to quit working just before our beach trip, which meant that the new one could be installed while we were gone.

The kitchen is still coming along...we are finishing up some details and hopefully I can pull together a "completed" post for the blog in the next few weeks!

Enough rambling...the reason I'm here is to share pictures of our beach trip! We were with my parents, and Rob, Kelli & Robert joined us mid-week.

Most of my beach pictures don't include Mason...as long as we were at the beach he was in the water, either riding his boogie board or jumping waves or deep shallow sea diving. Roper, our more cautious child, spent most of his time playing in the sand or just in the edge of the water, making him an easier target for photographs.





















I'm pretty sure Mason & my mom rode this wave together...






You can see Mason & my daddy in the background...




Mason took a break from boogie boarding to get buried in the sand...


We rented a pontoon boat in Murrells Inlet one morning...it was so peaceful in the inlet!











One night we rode up to Calabash for dinner...mmmmm!




Another night out for dinner...




Followed up with a visit to Bass Pro Shops...I think Mason got on every 4-wheeler and climbed in every boat that was on display. He was particularly fond of a green metal john boat with a trolling motor. He told me, "This is so much better than our boat!"



Who needs the aquarium when you can get into Bass Pro Shops for free?


What a great, relaxing week! Our beach trips were bookends to the summer this year...we went with Graem's family the week before school got out and we went with my family the week that school started back up!

Finally!

Our countertops are in!! Oh how I wish I could say our kitchen is 100% done...but now I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This week has been frustrating because of some delays with our granite. I guess I learned my lesson...just last weekend I was bragging to my cousin Alice about how quickly and smoothly everything was coming along. Oops!!

So I mentioned last week that they broke one of the pieces of granite when installing it Monday. They finally - finally (!) got it right yesterday (Saturday). It just happened to be the granite on the counter where our sink is, meaning we have been without a sink and dishwasher all week. We have been doing our best by washing dishes in the bathroom sink!

The good news is that the plumber is coming tomorrow to install the faucet, and he can turn the water on to our dishwasher. Also the electrician will be here to put in the disposal. Lastly, our backsplash will go in tomorrow.

The painters will be back at some point this week to do some touch-up painting. Our cabinet hardware will come in on Tuesday so the knobs/pulls will be up this week (after searching high & low I found the exact knobs I have been looking for at Lowe's for $3.12 each, compared to $13.17 each at myknobs.com). I need to find fabric for a cushion for the benchseat. I have been kind of halfway looking for a pedastal table for our breakfast area and at some point would like to replace the light fixture...but our kitchen will be livable again before I cross all of those things off my list!

So here are some shots of our new counters...I am immensely pleased with how they turned out!!







I have gotten some compliments on the light fixture above our sink. I picked this up 2 or 3 years ago at the Pottery Barn outlet in Gaffney. It has been hanging out in my attic for a while! It was a steal -- I got it during one of their 1/2 price lighting sales. It had some scuffs on the metal, but nothing a gray sharpie couldn't take care of!

This is what happens when you go without a sink and dishwasher for a week...


I feel like I have mostly been posting about our kitchen lately, so here are some pictures of the boys from our trip to the Saluda Shoals Splash Park last week...my camera battery ran out of juice after snapping just a couple of shots!

Coming Along...

I had to spend part of last week in Washington, DC for work. Not only was I thrilled to come home to my sweet family, but I also came home to a kitchen where much progress had been made in my absence!

The cabinet doors are up.
The new light fixtures are up.
The cabinets, island and benchseat have been painted.
The walls & ceiling have been painted.
The double oven and microwave are in.







I used the oven over the weekend to make...drumroll...cheese toast. :) Keep in mind we still don't have countertops or a stove.





In the beginning I spent so much time obsessing over the color of the cabinets that the color of the walls was an afterthought. I went with Wade's recommendation and didn't think twice about it. When I got home from DC, the color of the walls made my stomach sink. It is darker than I expected. But after looking at it all weekend I have decided that I really really like it. It is such a drastic change...from dark cabinets and light walls to light cabinets and dark walls.

The countertops & sink are being installed today...I got a call earlier that one of the slabs of granite cracked during the installation, but they will fix it.

The oven and disposal will go in tomorrow.

For the backsplash I've decided on classic white subway tile. I love the look, and I think it will complement our white trim and contrast with the walls and cabinets. The backsplash will go up on Thursday.

That just leaves the hardware (knobs & pulls) for the cabinets & drawers. I have searched high and low for what I'm looking for...an oversized plain round knob in a dark finish with cup pulls in the same finish. I have scoured catalogs and yesterday I thought I finally found exactly what I wanted. Wade checked the price today. The knobs are $9.60 each and the pulls are $15.60 each. I need 30 knobs and 9 pulls. Do the math...that is too much! So I will keep searching. If anyone has suggestions, send them my way!

I can't wait to see how the granite turned out!