Finished!

For the past two months, we've been remodeling our bathroom and laundry closet after our water heater leaked and ruined the subfloor. Along the way we ended up replumbing the whole house and completely stripping the bathroom and starting over.... we are FINALLY DONE! I don't like the mess, the expense, and the endless to-do list, but it was really rewarding to work together and complete something. Andy doesn't let me sit idly by. Even if it takes me three times as long as him, he teaches me how to do each part along the way. I'm getting more confident in my home repair skills and have spent a lot of time reading forums on the internet about how to do things right! We kept the shower assembly, toilet, and vanity top. I refinished the vanity cabinet and made a new medicine cabinet frame. Everything else is new! Here are the before and after pics we have of when we bought our house and after the remodel. :)

BEFORE

AFTER 

Memory Lane

With all the nice weather we've been having, we've been taking of more outside chores than inside. One afternoon while Wynn napped, Sydney and I spent time planting some bulbs and flowers together in the beds outside. I don't remember a whole lot about my childhood, however one clear memory I have is of planting flowers with my dad along the fence in the backyard. I have always loved spending time with my dad. It makes me smile to think of going on daddy daughter dates and weekend trips. I smile when I think of how silly he can be and how loving he is. Dad's hugs still help me feel safe and loved. I always knew Dad loved me and made a special effort to spend time with me. Looking through the pictures I've taken when we visit, I noticed that Grandpa Pack now makes sure to take time to get on the floor and play with my kids too. I have many pictures of them walking together, playing together, etc. So as Sydney and I sat in the yard, I felt very sentimental as I remembered him showing me how to dig the hole, set the flower in and then water the plant with our pitcher. It was fun for me to do the same thing with Sydney and think about those warm morning with my Dad going to the store to pick out flowers and then planting them at home. I hope Sydney continues to like to help so it can become our tradition too. I love you, Dad.

Vehicles at Play

All the vehicles of Juneau are out of hibernation and ready to play! We've been spending a significant amount of time out watching them, and Wynn loves it! When we can't be outside, he looks at his books of them. His favorite book is Hannah the Helicopter. He carries this little book everywhere we go and even sleeps with it. Sydney and Wynn are enjoying running in the warmish weather and watching the town come alive. Looks like we'll have a fun summer ahead!

Happy Birthday, Mom

Today is my mom's birthday. She is on a cruise in the Carribean however, so I'll celebrate her birthday by finally posting the pics of her last visit in March. Its always a party to have Grandma around. She loves to treat us to dinner and have ice cream parties with the kids. This time we did a lot of fun things. See for yourself! Happy Birthday MOM!

Andy's Birthday

I've been so busy I've fallen behind! But we did celebrate Andy's birthday. He was very busy at work, so I took his brownie ice cream cake out to work. It took FOUR brownie mixes to make this monster chocolate concoction and got pretty melty on the way to the airport. It was a good thing we went out to work too, since his friends at work helped him finish it off. We did presents briefly when we got home and then our friend watched our kids so we could go to a movie. Andy loves going to movies and we don't go very often so I think it was a fun birthday treat! Happy 30th Andy :)

West Mendenhall Lake

On a sunny day we ventured out to Mendenhall Lake for a little picnic. It was pretty windy, but Wynn still had fun walking in the snow. He's getting his "snow legs" yet. Sydney also got her first life experience with why we don't walk out on a frozen lake. She was having fun breaking/kicking the ice along the shore when suddenly a bigger chunk broke off and startled her. Instead of running to shore, she stepped up on the other ice and started running to the middle of the lake. Well... obviously we rescued her and had a nice little talk about ice safety just like the talked about at her glacier field trip a few months ago. What an adventure!