Claire and the Great Outdoors

There are few things Claire likes more than going outside.

I think the list goes something like this:
1. Goldfish crackers
2. Ham
3. Going outside
4. Books
5. Mom & Dad

Hey, at least we made the top five.

We usually try to get outside once in the morning and at least once in the afternoon/evening. But there are some days that life is too busy or the weather is icky, and we can't make it out on those days.

These days are especially hard for Claire.

She understands that in order to go outside we have to put on our shoes. So, about every 15 minutes she'll bring me a shoe, usually one of mine. She'll shove it at my foot and grunt at me until I put it on. Then she goes to fetch the other one. Once, she brought me a flip flop back and I told her that it didn't match the shoe she already brought me. So she went back and got the match. She gets her genius from me, I think.

Anyway, so she'll bring my shoes, insist I put them on and then her arms shoot straight in the air and her eyes fill to the brim with desperation. Pleeeeeeeeease, take me outside, Mom.

Most of the time, we oblige. Her sweet eyes and delightful smile are truly hard to deny. But on those icky days where going outside just isn't in the cards, we replay this scenario at least a half dozen times. Each time, I pick her up and tell her we can't go outside because it's icky. About 15 minutes later, she brings me my shoes again. She gets her stubbornness from her father, I think.













P.S. Grace says hi, too and wanted me to tell you not to worry, that soon there will be a post about her. And then she bit her sister. Foreshadowing, anyone?

Fashionista

There are times that words are the best way to tell a story.

There are times that drawings are the best way to tell a story.

And there are times that pictures are the best way. This is one of those times.







Needless to say, Claire loves hats. She'll find one, plop it on and wear it the rest of the day.

The Grand Finale

When my Mom got to the end of the first post in this series, she said "Oh no! Not a continuation! I hate continuations." And then I went and made ya'll wait the weekend. So, without further ado, I'll let the pictures do the talking.

THE PAINT
We had four different colors going on in the basement, so we decided to give it a more unified look. We chose Biscuit.











THE CARPET
Although our basement has a tendency to flood, we really wanted carpet in the bedrooms. It just makes it feel more homey. The carpet expert we talked to recommended that we ditch the carpet pad. If it does flood again, he said, then we won't have to pull up the pad, we can just shop vac the water right up.










THE TILE
This was, by far, the hardest decision. We couldn't decide between ceramic tile (expensive!!), peel-and-stick tile (may pop up if it floods) and painting the concrete (may bubble if it floods). One day we were chatting about it with Cassie's BF Trent, when he suggested VCT (vinyl composition tile). It turned out to be the perfect choice for our budget and flooding concerns.







THE GRAND FINALE
Two weekends and a lot of sweat later ...







CUTE BABIES
What kind of blog would this be if it didn't feature some cute babies?





Thanks to all who helped! And those who woulda if they coulda! (Looking at you, Johnny and Carrie!)

The Crew

It was late Friday night and we just put our lovies down for the night.

I was exhausted, starving and ready to relax with some mindless TV.

But Scott had other plans. Plans he had been working on for months.

You can imagine my surprise, when my family started showing up one by one.

They brought with them work clothes, ladders, tool boxes. They were prepared to take on the huge job of redoing my basement. All in one weekend. I can't begin to express my gratitude for the all their hard work.


Team Captain: My older brother Tim
Although he had never laid tile or carpet before, he took charge of the operation and didn't look back.

First Mate: My Dad
As Tim's right-hand man, he jumped in wherever needed and did it with a smile.



Top Secret Project Coordinator: Scott
He put this whole project in motion months ago. Gathering the crew and supplies without even hinting at his plans.

The Professor: Scott's Dad
As a man who has redone a basement a time or two, he brought to the table knowledge, expertise and advice.



The Young Gun: Cassie's boyfriend Trent
He didn't even blink when asked to help his girlfriend's sister's husband redo the basement. And even after a back-breaking day of laying and cutting tile, he still managed to take my lil' sis out for a movie. What a guy.



Super Awesome Badass: My Mom
I could have sworn she was in three places at once. She was always there to find a tape measure, vacuum a room or hold a baby.



The Apprentice: Our friend Gage
Gage watched our basement go from riches to rags and was more than willing to jump in to help bring it back to life. (Not pictured: his lovely wife Joanna who so very kindly helped me care for babies while the work was going on downstairs.)



Documentarian: My lil' sis Cassie
She photographed the whole weekend, helped me with the girls and could be found occasionally watching Glee on my computer.



Uber Cuties: Claire & Grace
They were my responsibility. I may or may not have had the easier job this weekend.



Lazy bum: Izzy
She spent the whole weekend doing this. I think she was just bummed that she couldn't use the basement as her bathroom any more.

This is the second in a three-part series following our shock-and-awe basement remodel.

Four Years

Four years ago in May, a series of storms swept through the midwest.

It rained and poured for hours. We lost power, and subsequently our sump pump. We had only been homeowners for seven months, so we still lacked things like a generator.

Our finished basement (with beautiful carpet) quickly started filling up with water.

Scott, his dad, our good friend Cook and I carried pail after pail of water out of the basement, up the stairs and poured it down the driveway, hopeful that we could minimize the damage.

But the next morning, with a few hours rest and a clearer head, we saw the writing on the wall. Our finished basement would no longer be so finished.



This was a few weeks before our wedding. A few weeks before my enormous family was supposed to stay with us. Every bedroom, sofa, space of floor was assigned to someone. Who wants to sleep/walk on bare concrete in a basement that vaguely smells of mildew?

It also should be noted, that this was a few weeks before we were emptying our bank account to pay for flowers, cakes, rental fees, honeymoon, etc. You know, wedding things.

The panic started to set in when we tried to find the time, energy and money to take on this project.

So, instead, we took a deep breath, and decided it could wait.

My family would understand.

My honeymoon would be grateful.

We'll just wait a few months.

Ha.

Hahaha.

Fast forward a bit … and for my 29th birthday, Scott surprises me with a gift nearly four years in the making.

This is the first in a three-part series following our shock-and-awe basement remodel.

Weird things My Kids Do: Apr. 5

I will walk into the room and find Grace doing this several times throughout the day. What exactly is she doing? That's a good question. Let me know if you find the answer.

Pictures of the Week: Apr. 1

Our lives have turned into one big game of monkey see, monkey do.

If Grace sits with her feet hanging out of the crib, Claire immediately copies.

If Claire starts to play with the blocks, Grace immediately copies.

If Grace slaps me across the face because she's hopping mad, Claire immediately copies. But more on that later.

For now, enjoy these non-furious, non-temper-tantrum-throwing cuties.