Dreaded remodel

So, I had been dreading the remodel of my laundry room.  I didn't have to do it, but I spent a lot of time down in this room and it was awful.  Not to mention that I had no running water in my basement to soak clothes, fill up my iron, and many other things that made me decide to start the remodel.  

It started with ripping off wall paper.  A lot of wall paper.  Did I mention the fact that the original owner put the wall paper directly on the drywall?  If you have never had the pleasure of experiencing this fun problem, it means you have to mud almost the entire wall!  Then, sand, then mud, then sand, then texture, then texture some more.  I am now proficient with drywall mud and a putty knife.  Well, as proficient as I ever want to be.

Do you notice the floor?  It's brown laminate that tries to imitate patchwork hardword flooring.  The cupboards dark and flimsy and very much particle board. YUCK!

The patch of brown showing in the picture below is what happens when the paper on the drywall peels off with the wallpaper.  This patch turned into almost the whole wall.  This is the reason I dreaded this project.  I wasn't sure I could patch it and make it look good.  Also, the drywall kept bubbling up so I had to keep mudding it over and over again.  So frustrating!

And now, drum roll please...

I should have taken pictures during the day when the sunlight streams through the window.  My favorite feature is the tile, no wait, the laundry sink, no wait the new white cupboards!  I just can't decide, I love it all!

It's a bright cheery yellow and it makes me happy just to walk in here :o)

I couldn't do one part of the laundry room by myself.  So a HUGE thank you to Jennie and Tony for the tile,  my cousin Jad for the cupboards, Travis for cutting the drywall, my boss for bringing me tools and cutting the counters and doors, and Pete for rescuing me when I just couldn't finish it by myself.

Summer of Cousins

This has been an awesome summer with our cousins!  

It's been great to see the kids get closer and build their own relationships.  It reminds me so much of my childhood when I lived in the same town as my cousins.  We went to the same ward and school.  Those were some of the happiest years of my life.  

Colton, Livy, Bridger (in orange) and Fisher bowling at Fat Cats.

Jenni, Livy, Fisher, Julie, Bridger, Sophie (behind Bridger) and Sarah in glow in the dark miniature golf at Fat Cats.

Bridger and Marshall at the fountains at Gateway.  Does this pose look familiar to anyone?  Chad would do this EVERYTIME I took a picture of him in his swimsuit.  Just made me smile :o)

Livy, Bridger, and Katelyn waiting for the water to squirt their bums!

Our cute Sarah with her mommy!

Just love these kids and their moms.  It's been great to build my relationships, too.

Our first trip to DISNEYLAND!!!!

We braved a trip with just our little family to Disneyland.  It was more fun and relaxing than I had expected.  I was so worried about the plane ride, but each seat had it's own TV and the kids just watched cartoons the whole time.

 I had someone take a picture of us infront of the castle, but I failed to check to make sure that there was an actual picture taken.  So, this is as close as we have to the traditional family pose at Disneyland.

 The favorite place of the whole park hands down was Tarzan's tree house.

 

And of course, Jedi training was a hit!  Bridger didn't get selected as a Jedi, but he loved watching it.  Both kids got scared when Darth Vador and Darth Maul attacked the training.  I had to do some quick
damage control and explain that it was all just pretend. 

Livy's favorite part of the trip was the World of Color water show.  We watched it on our last night.  It was a great way to end a wonderful trip.

Spring tee ball

Bridger is a Turley through and through.  It comes out in different ways and this time, through sports. We have tried about 3 different activities to see what he would like.  This year, he was finally old enough to play baseball, well, tee ball to be exact.  And he LOVES it!

 Getting ready for his first practice.  He is also very excited about being 4!  Him and Livy can pick the number 4 out of any sign, label, story, ANYTHING!

I died laughing at his first game!  It was awesome to see the helmets on these little kids.  It reminded me of the movie "Space Balls".   No one knew where to run after they hit the ball and it was a wrestling match in the field every time a ball left the tee.

Just a few games in and they have a good grasp on the game.  No more dog piles, they all run to first base (no guarantee after first, though), and every great once in a while, someone catches the ball.

It's hard not to think of Chad when we embark on new adventures like this.  I know that he would be right there with Bridger, teaching him all the tricks of the trade.  Bridger is very encouraged to know that his daddy loved baseball and played when he was a little boy just like him.

Happy Easter 2012

We had a small but great Easter at our house.  The Easter Bunny brought suitcases for our trip to Disneyland, some clothes, and a tiny bit of candy (stingy bunny)!  

I started a tradition last year making a skirt for Livy and a tie for Bridger.  I really love to sew and this justifies another project.  I wanted to make a bubble skirt for Livy and after much searching online, I was left to my own devices.  I think it turned out great and she loves it.

I just love these two.  They will forever be my babies!

Let's get ready to PARTTTTTTYYYYYY!

It was Travis' 38th birthday and I thought he needed a party. I don't know if he needed one or I just wanted to see everyone, have some great food, and lots of cake and ice cream. It all worked out and everyone was happy.

Just look at all the trouble makers at this table!

Oh yeah, I've been little busy making memory quilts out of Chad's clothes. This is the one I made for Travis out of Chad's t-shirts. Each one represents some love of Chad's and many trips and memories with Travis, Jim (his dad), and the family.

Hangin' with the homies...

We went camping with my old Kaysville ward a couple weeks ago. We had a blast! The talent show was hilarious, the cabins were cozy, and the sledding, well, that was Livy's favorite (and mine)!

The hill was so fast that we lined the bank of the stream with guys to catch the kids before they went into the drink!

Born speed demon! So love this girl!