The Deck

You may remember the original deck shown in Kendall's old birthday photos. It was a great deck with planters surrounding the perimeter that we planted our veggie garden in each year. We loved the layout but it was original to the house and falling apart. the planters also took up a LOT of square footage. The current deck is the same size but taking out the planters gave us a lot of outside living space.

We added a bench and a fire pit. Our original plan was to use stone and a stone fire pit or chimney on the lower level. The week we tore the old deck out we found out we were moving so we decided to go the less expensive route and stick to all wood.

Our poor yard took a beating and has been seeded.

In the below photo you can see the little bench nook that we had added in. The fire pit is now sitting in front of that bench.

Where the grill is now used to be one huge planter. The door that you see there leads to the mudroom, great for when the kids come in from playing.

We made all the steps leading off the deck (two different sets) six feet wide, they were narrow on the old deck.

The bench seat opens up for storage.

The "before pictures were in the spring so these after pictures have an unfair advantage, ha.

This House

I have a crush on my house, a house crush if you will. Did I ever record the story of finding this house? Brian and I made 2 or 3 trips to this sleepy little town during our house search. We must have looked at 48 houses and all I went home with was the realization that people don't take care of their houses. I went back home and Brian continued to work here, I received daily emails with houses as they came on the market. One morning this house showed up in my inbox. I immediately called Brian, "this is the ONE, this is it, go get this house!" The sellers were going on vacation the next day and hadn't wanted it on the market until they got back, our realtor did some persuading and got Brian in that night. We had an offer in before they left the next morning. They also had a back up offer.

The first time I saw this house was the day we moved in. Brian had sent millions of pictures, drawn floor plans, went to the inspection, had a power of attorney at the closing....I walked in on moving day. Brian has great taste, I trusted him completely. When we first moved in I felt like it was massive (around 3800 sq ft) but now it's just normal, it's comfortable and the space is so well laid out that it's all space that we use.

We've been here three years and have finally hung some stuff on the walls. Why did we finally hang stuff? Well, because we're moving. Despite my love affair with this house I'm ridiculously excited about the next step. This move is great for Brian's career and great for our family, I can't wait really. And the next house we plan on hanging stuff on the walls immediately, ha.

So, I've set out to record this house. While Jack is too small to have any memories of this house Kendall and Kate certainly will. This may take awhile, I've taken a TON of photos. Maybe we can divide it up, one level each day?

Our front porch, I love the coffered ceiling, brick porch and walkway, square columns. She looks good filled with mums and gourds in the fall.

The foyer. Directly in front of the staircase is one of two half baths on this level. To the left, a coat closet. This house has ridiculous closets, lots of storage. I don't think I'll ever have another house that can match this one in storage space.

Straight ahead you'll see the bar and the kitchen but to the left is...

Formal living room. This room has one of two wood burning fire places and three big windows. This room has hosted Easter mornings, and birthday parties. Our Christmas tree goes in this room and I love to come in at night, pull the drapes closed and sit on the couch to watch the twinkle lights. Jack likes to sneak in here to bang on the glass tabletops and walk into the fireplace. 

Connected to the living room is the dining room. Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner is hosted here. Peek through that door and you'll see the eat in portion of the kitchen.

We're back in the foyer with a look into the dry bar.

We have a moving company to move our stuff and we'll be flying to our new home. This means that all the liquids (ahem, alcohol) and food have to be consumed or disposed of. Notice the lack of wine in the wine rack. 

Directly in front of the bar are the steps to the basement. Basement is for another post.

Standing in the dry bar looking into the kitchen.

These open shelves vexed me for awhile. I've always liked them but strugled with styling them.  As time has gone on I've added layers and I'm really happy with how they look. Especially that cow creamer, moooo.

What's for dinner? Well, honestly not much lately.

I can watch the kids play through here. Or at night we can set our empty popcorn bowl up there on the ledge so we don't have to get off the couch. :) Sometimes we turn the TV on to the kids music station and have little dance parties while I cook dinner.

Through the kitchen to the family room, pass that to find the mud room and then waaaay in the back there is the other half bath. I think it's safe to call this Kate's bathroom. She may be the only one that uses it.

The mudroom has a large closet with shelves and hooks. You can come straight in from the garage and hang your back pack up. That's a nice idea but let's be honest,  usually the back pack, coat and shoes are strewn out between door and kitchen. I had big dreams of turning that closet into one of those "lockers" with bench and hooks. My dream was shot down and replaced by new siding and a big ol deck. 

Family room.

Behind the brown chair are big french doors leading to the deck. As soon as it starts to get dark out I love to pull those curtains closed. The room feels so cozy all closed up for the night.

I think I need some colorful pillows here. Brian hates lots of pillows. We've cleared things off a lot, you can tell by the empty mantel and side tables.

 The mantel used to hold a collection of black and white family pictures. 

Now is has a big green mossy ball and a white pineapple. Everyone needs a big green mossy ball, I think.

See that little kid's table over there, HOURS have been spent there. Usually it's absolutely covered in various papers, markers...now Jack even climbs on one of the chairs and colors.

Those french doors lead to my office. So nice to be on the main floor.

Not a good shot but currently the pinboard holds a book page wreath. Such an empty little pinboard.

Green binders are the Russel and Hazel binders, I highly recommend. The red clock is IKEA and opens up to hold some sewing supplies. Oh look, I can put more pillows here ;)

And that's it for the first level. Next time we'll head upstairs.

This Boy

This is my boy. I love this boy and all his boyness.

poor quality phone picture

Growing up when I thought of having kids I wanted boys. Little men in their puffy vests and plaid shirts, their short hair cuts and little man shoes. Then I got pregnant the first time and I did a 180, suddenly I started thinking about my mom and my four sisters and the relationships that we have and then I very much wanted a girl. Insert Kendall here. About 22 months later I was about to have our second baby and all I could think about was that I REALLY wanted Kendall to have a sister. Insert Kate here. Then we decided we were through. I sold all my maternity clothes and baby gear and settled in for our life with girls. Then I got the baby itch. It's partially Jennie's fault (Sprouts Spot). We had both of our other babies at the same time and she was putting ideas in my head. We decided to go for it (Brian and I as well as the Sprout Spot family) and this time it really didn't matter to me. I could easily see Brian surrounded by "his girls" and I loved the idea of a bunch of sisters growing up together (think of all the bickering over clothes!) but I was also thinking back to my old dream of a little man in a plaid shirt and a puffy vest. Insert Jack here. Suddenly our pink princess infested house has trucks and little red wagons, plaid shirts and puffy vests.

This boy is the sweetest boy there is. I love how he randomly pats my arm, love those open mouth baby kisses. I love how his sisters can do the most RANDOM things (throwing Cheerios) and he dissolves into a fit of giggles. I love how, like his sisters, he is in no hurry to walk. He'll stand in the middle of the floor, unsupported for as long as he wants but if you get close enough to him and try to encourage him to walk he'll either fall like a log into your arms or slooooooooowly lower himself down to the floor and crawl to you...the stinker. Not that I'm in a hurry for him to walk. He has enough boy qualities that I know things will get significantly harder once he's on two wheels. When Aunt Lorie watched the kids for our trip she texted me saying, "Jack is like a tornado with four limbs." He is into everything. Turn your back for two seconds and he will have pulled everything out of any drawer that doesn't have a child lock, pulled all the books off the bookcase, yanked your dishtowels off the counters, thrown your toothbrush in the toilet and produced an amazingly stinky diaper.

Checking out the work that's happening on the deck. Jack thinks he's the foreman of the job.

My most favorite thing that he does right now involves how he gets into the mudroom. See that door back there? It leads to the mudroom and there is a step down from the carpeted family room onto the hard tile of the mudroom. He knows that he has to back down the step in order to avoid injury (and this little man is no stranger to self induced, exploration caused injuries). He has taken a tumble down that step and is willing to avoid that pain at all costs. So he crawls towards that door but once he gets about SIX feet from it, he'll crawl in a circle like a little dog making a bed. Around, then around again until he's in the right position. Finally he'll stop and start to back that thing up...from six feet away. Crawling backwards is not one of his best skills so he'll often have to stop and realign after bumping into a wall or door. He'll sliiiiide down the step on his belly, be down no longer then .3 seconds when he's back into the living room to find something else to get into or to just try it all again. Love him.

San Fran Part III

On our final full day we decided to take the scenic route from Santa Rosa to San Francisco. Our plan was to catch the Pacific Coast Highway way up there and slowly make our way down. What actually happened is that we got on and then must have immediately got back off unknowingly. We were in an open top jeep and driving down this highway with a bunch of semi trucks (that were throwing all kind of dust and junk into our faces) and then came the smells. Evidently the road we were on was the home to a LOT of California's farm industry. Now, I love a good farm, my husband and kids can tell you that I can't pass a barn without commenting on it, I point out every horse, cow or goat to my kids and I always guess what they are growing. These farms however, were not so charming. Large quantities of farm animals (that we couldn't even see) in small spaces make for a rather "interesting" smell. When you are in an open top jeep the smell is that much more pungent and we passed one farm operation after another.  Not the scenic view we had planned on. After some GPS fiddling we finally made it to the coast and my goodness it was beautiful.

Having been born in Florida I'm not a stranger to the beach but beach combined with mountains is not something I had experienced. The Pacific Coast Hwy is narrow at that point, and twisty and curvy like you would not believe. Once we were right where we had wanted to be and snaking back and forth against the mountain Brian mentioned to me that we were low on gas. So low in fact that it had stopped showing how many miles we had remaining in the tank and was just flashing red lights at us. There are NO gas stations around there. It was also about this time that I realized I had another problem, the lack of gas was small beans compared to the car sickness I was beginning to feel. Hairpin turn after hairpin turn had me turning a lovely shade of green. To our left was a mountain and to my right was a steep drop down a cliff into the Pacific ocean and at no point was there a place to pull over. I haven't told Brian how seriously I was considering sticking my head over the side of the jeep. I dug around blindly in my purse for the little container of Dramamine which I realized suggests you take an hour before you get in my situation. Fortunately the gas held out and we made it to a gas station and bathroom.

I'm so thankful that the hotel let us check in early and I laid down for about 20 minutes and felt fine. The rest of our time we spent exploring, shopping and finally downing a whole bunch of sushi. Because doesn't raw fish sound good to everyone when your stomach has been revolting all afternoon?

San Fran Part II

After the tour we met with one of Brian's high school friends at The Plant Cafe Organic. I tried the "plant burger" which actually doesn't have any meat, instead it's made with lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews & bulgar wheat. It was actually pretty good but I wouldn't compare it to a real burger. After lunch we took the top off the jeep and headed up to Napa. At this point it was too late in the day for the wineries to be open so we just explored and drove around.

One of the pictures I emailed the girls. The first day there I didn't have a ponytail or a hat so I had quite a windblown look going.

We checked into Vintners Inn which I would recommend in a heart beat. Our room was great with a vaulted, beamed ceiling, and a great little terrace overlooking the fountain. After some research we settled on a small Italian restaurant that was good but not great. We woke up on Sunday and took a run through the vineyards before breakfast. Breakfast was really good, waffle with pureed fruit and fresh whipped cream. Yum AND I didn't have to feed anyone bites of my food AND I got to sit through the whole meal without getting up to serve someone, clean up a spilled drink, remind someone to take bites or chew with their mouth closed, bliss.

The type of photos my Lorie (a photographer) would email back.

Our first winery was Hop Kiln and it was a great, small and informative tasting. I blabbed that it was our first tasting and the guy was great at explaining everything and gave us some extra wine to taste as well. We ordered a few bottles and did a little shopping as well (vinaigrettes, balsamic vinegar). The next winery, Ledson, was a disappointment. Some kid ran the tasting and he clearly didn't really know anything about wines but instead had memorized a response to any possible question, blah. The grounds were pretty so we grabbed some lunch and ate next to their vineyard.

Hop Kiln Winery

That night was the wedding and we had a blast. Brian's business school buddies are great, interesting people and we had so much fun hanging out and dancing with them. I will say I am feeling some embarrassment and regret over a running man attempt. Why, why do I do that, there is never a time when the running man is attractive. The worm, that is a dance that is cool I need to practice that one.

Stay tuned for part three, it includes a wrong turn, farm animals, an empty gas tank and a bit of car sickness.

Overheard

The girls are sitting at their little table drawing.
Kate to Kendall: "This picture is for only you"
Kendall: "Why only me?"
Kate: "Because you're my best sister"
Kendall paused and then responded, "Awww, you're my best sister too"

I love it when they love each other.

If You Gooooooo To San Francisco....

My girls sing that song all the time, it cracks me up. Brian and I just came home from a getaway trip to San Francisco. We had such a great time, it was so beautiful and fun and just nice to go somewhere as a couple instead of as parents :)

I was really really good about taking pictures....on the first day. After that the only pictures I took were with my phone.

Saturday morning we woke up and headed to the Ferry Building. Honestly, it was beautiful. I was so impressed with the attention to detail. Each of the farmer's booths displayed everything so beautifully, all the logos were fantastic (and made me crave some graphic design classes), it was all really inspiring. I wanted to take pictures of everything and then steal their ideas while decorating my house.

After that we were complete tourist and took a trolley tour and loved it. Although a little chilly it was a fantastic way to see all of the city. We rode around for two hours and occasionally stopped to get out and explore.

Singing a New Song

I hate to brag but seriously, could there be a more talented group of kids?

12 Months

At one he...

...waves bye bye

...plays patty cake

...likes to carry around his wooden hammer

...loves to brush his hair

...raises his hands in the air when you ask, "How big are you?"

...says DA DA DA all the live long day.

...likes to pull things out or put things in boxes and drawers. Nice when he is cleaning up toys, not so much when he is pulling stuff out of kitchen drawers.

...eats everything, non stop

...rests his head on your shoulder, gives wet kisses, or crawls very quickly to snuggle when you lay on the floor.

...has made us all fall in love with him.

...is so unbelievably squishy that none of us can leave him alone. The poor boy always has one girl or another all over him.

Yesterday the girls were playing at an indoor playground. I stood up to leave and Jack started looking at the play area and yelling very loudly, "DAA!"  "DEE DEE!" over and over.  When I called for Kendall and Kate to get their shoes on he stopped yelling. I'm convinced he was calling for his girls.

Summer Days

 

We've had such a fun summer. 

Today we drew a chalk city that included home, Target and Daddy's work. You know, the essentials. 

Jack crawled around and even drew with chalk but then he tried to eat mulch, rocks and chalk. I decided to put him in the stroller when he went after the mushrooms growing in the yard.

 Kate had her hair in a ponytail the majority of the day. When they put on their new shirts she decided to take it out to be Kendall's twin. She sported an afro for the remainder of the afternoon.

We rounded out the day baking chocolate chip cookies while playing a board game then taking a seriously deep bath.