hard work...

we had set aside some money from our tax returns so that we could redo the floor in our living room.

i was so excited when the day finally arrived for ken (drew's step-dad) to come and help do the install.

we went with a wood laminate because we have 2 dogs and a max. :)

drew had the carpet torn up before they arrived.

drew and ken got the floor done so quickly...they really worked hard.

after his nap, max enjoyed some wake up time on the new rug.

all that's left is choosing a new wall color (i'm leaning toward a wheat/gold color) and installing the trim.  we are so happy with how it looks so far!!!

while the boys were hard at work on the floor, i got ready to transform max's room into a pirate room.

we put all of max's snuggle buddies (stuffed animals) on his bookshelves since he can't really reach them yet anyway!

some of the accessories.  he has been talking to this ship wheel for months.

he would open the closet and tell it that when he started going poo-poo and pee-pee on the potty, he'd get his pirate room.  well buddy, you're doing great, so here you go!

he gave it a thumbs up!

A little bit of everything...

last week friday we headed up for a day at the stachowiak's new cottage.

we had been working hard on our house projects...there will be a separate post on that.

so we drove up to have an afternoon full of fun.

drew and denny walked around and discussed guy stuff.

diane and i sat on inside and outside and just talked.

max played "pirates" with hannah and teddy.

then he found this rock which apparently looked just like a bicycle.

i don't see it...do you?

all the running around and fresh air wore this guy out!

last saturday night we had our first fire!

can you tell we were excited?

drew got a good deal on this new fire pit.  i like it because it has a lid and is closed in all the way around.

there is a door that you can open...we used it to roast marshmallows of course!

mr. max got to enjoy his very first s'more.  he was a fan!

he liked sitting by the fire.  

it really made me start to look forward to our first camping adventure!

and on sunday we enjoyed a family movie night.

we watched monsters inc. and enjoyed popcorn and lemonade!

monday night we took a trip to mcdonalds for a ice cream cone.  

max's coat enjoyed the ice cream just as much as he did! :)

tuesday was a bit chilly but we took our first spin around on our bike.  

it was a short ride, but max was just a bit excited about it!

first trip to koreana...

we took max out to lunch at one of our favorite restaurants...koreana.

he loved looking at all the decorations, especially the wall painting of the cranes.

we ordered him some chicken...and he really liked it.

he enjoying trying to figure out the chopsticks.

he did a pretty great job.

we were feeling confident...and about 5 minutes after this picture he peed his pants.

well, better luck next time! :)

easter morning fun...

the easter bunny was all ready to go on saturday night!

max woke up and was ready to start looking for his basket!

after running in circles for a bit he decided it wasn't in this room.

dada helped max put on his "binoculars" to help in the search.

he found a small basket...but that one wasn't his...it was momma's.

and then he spotted something in his car.

look, my easter basket!!!

handsome fellow with his loot.

books, cars, barrel of monkeys, new socks, reese's bunnies, whopper eggs, and jelly beans!

silly boy!

ready for church!

kentucky trip 2012...

drew and i led youth go's 6th annual spring break service trip to kentucky the week before easter.

we took 9 amazing youth go kids down to volunteer with the christian appalachian project.

it was a great week filled with team building, personal growth, fun, drew's 30th birthday, laughter, and hard work. check out our group blog at www.ygkentuckytrip2012.blogspot.com for details of our journey.

i'm ready to hit the road for the 12 hour drive!

i was so excited to see this place...camp aj.

my favorite spot in the world!

the kids enjoyed some time on the lake.

here was my team's project.

we built a 64 foot long ramp for an elderly couple.

the wife was recovering from a fall where she broke her hip and shoulder.

this ramp was going to allow her to come home.

end of day two...we were making some serious progress!

our wonderful cooks made drew a birthday cake! happy 30th to my wonderful hubby!

we were so glad to complete our project.

i was so proud of my kids. they did an amazing job all week long!

stud muffin...

look at this guy.

we were trying on clothes for a wedding that's coming up this summer.

i got max all dressed, he checked himself out in the mirror and said, "look, i'm dada!"

too cute! watch out ladies!