House Update...

There has definitely been progress but we still have several months to go before we can start calling the movers. It seemed like the permit process took FOREVER - oh, how I love bureaucracy!

While the builder was working towards the necessary permits, the demo company came in and knocked down our old house. While it was sad to see it go, thinking about our new house gave me a smile!







A couple weeks later we finally received all the necessary permits and things kicked into high gear. First up was the slab...














Next up was the framing...







Before we knew it, we had a roof and windows...



They are working on the stucco and insulation/sheetrock as we speak - just waiting for a few inspections before they can continue (yes, the joys of bureaucracy continue), but at least we have the general structure now!

Hope to have more soon...

1st Haircut

A more appropriate title would have been hair-trim but, nonetheless, Mommy finally gave in and took Kayla for her first hair cut. I was trying to let her hair grow out as much as possible but her bangs were just too long and kept falling in her eyes no matter how many times we pushed them back.

I was unsure how Kayla would react to someone cutting her hair so we decided to try out Snip-its, a "kids only" salon, thinking she might respond better there. Sure enough - she did GREAT!!! Here are some pics from the "Daddy-Cam"...

Getting Buckled In

Starting to look a little unsure about this...

Time for the scissors

She didn't even mind the hair dryer - I guess she's used to Mommy's

Wouldn't be complete without a bow!

So proud of herself (& her prize - the mini slinky)

Why, hello Kayla! She ran up to Daddy while he was taking her picture!

SUCCESS! Kayla has already asked to go for another haircut. I think we might go again in a couple months for another trim to see if her hair might grow faster that way ;) Whenever it is, we'll be heading back to Snip-its for sure!

We're still here...

Wow, it's been 2.5 months since the last time I blogged. I knew it had been awhile but it didn't seem that long! I had good intentions of getting on here but never seemed to find the time. Looking back at our pictures I realized alot has happened since our last entry (Easter) so instead of writing about it I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Kayla had an accident in early May - she fell and hit her head on the edge of a sharp table. Luckilly, it was a staight cut so they just glued it back together and we were able to avoid having stiches on her face!

We spent several hours in the waiting room but Kayla was a trooper!

Mother's Day 2011 - Four Generations!

Daddy took Kayla and Mommy to the park to celebrate Mother's Day - here's Kayla being her typical silly self!

Kayla's 1st horse ride - ever since she's been in love with horses and ponies and is always talking about riding them. Daddy is in trouble!



Kayla and her friend, William, enjoying a peach and snacks after our bike ride to Hermann Park





Napping during a Rice baseball game




Kayla's 1st day of school - she is growing up WAY too fast!


Soaking her feet in the pool at Art & Jill's house on Memorial Day





Playing with some chalk - thanks, Mrs. Jill!



Kayla's artwork that she created for Daddy (Father's Day 2011)



Enjoying some ice cream at The Chocolate Bar to celebrate Father's Day...I'm still not sure who enjoyed the ice cream more...


Looks like someone is ready to hit the pool!

Aplogies for the "catch all" post but I couldn't see myself going back to create a seperate entry for each of these! I hope to have an update on our house and our trip to Breck soon! Hope being the key word. Hope you all have a great week and thanks for stopping by to check in on us!

Easter at the Beach

Gigi and Gramps invited us to come with them to Cape San Blas, Florida for the long weekend. Beach, sun, and relaxation....who says no to that ?! Not us! We took the late flight on Wednesday night so we could maximize our time.

Unfortunately, Kayla came down with a fever that morning. I usually wouldn't schedule an appointment the first day she has a fever but since we were heading out of town, I figured it couldn't hurt. Thank goodness we stopped in to see Dr. Koush that afternoon, the poor little girl had a double ear infection! Yikes. Luckily for us, Dr. K gave us the go-ahead for the flight and was able to prescribe some meds and "numbing ear drops" to help during the flight. We swung by the pharmacy on the way to the airport then we were on our way. Kayla was a such a delight on the flight, thanks to the empty seat between us.

The next morning we woke up to sunshine, sandy white beaches, and the sound of waves crashing on the shore. Here are a few pics from our trip to the beach...

Fun in the Sun

The Girls...

Checking out the water

She was so tired that she fell asleep on the floor!

"Uh Oh" (as Kayla says)

Helping Gramps dig a hole for our fire

Gigi & Gramps

Amber enjoying the sunset

My love!

On the hunt for Easter Eggs

She had SO much fun looking for the eggs - she kept saying "more"


Looking forward to our next trip to Cape San Blas! Thanks to Gigi and Gramps for a GREAT weekend!

Houston's Hidden Jewel...

We found Houston's hidden jewel, the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center! I think we've driven past this place over a hundred times but never stopped to take a look. That all changed this morning, thanks to some good thinking by Daddy.

Enjoying her first real nature trail

If you look closely, you can see about 4 turtles lying on the tree in the middle of the pond

Look at the turtles, Momma!

Kayla & Daddy sitting on the HUGE tree that had fallen

Daddy & Kayla checking out the tops of the trees

As you can tell from the pictures, we had a great time this morning and highly recommend this place to everyone. From the moment you step out of your car, you'll forget that you're in the middle of Houston. Be sure to check out the visitor's center to pick up a map of the trails and other great info before venturing too far into the woods. Oh, and one more great tidbit - it's entirely FREE! They do accept donations but there is no obligation to pay anything. You can't beat that in today's economy.

Hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as we did and maybe we'll even see you out on the trails!!

Our Home away from Home...

We finally have everything out of our house after several weeks of organizing, packing and moving. Where have we gone, you ask? Well, thankfully we have AMAZING parents who have opened their doors and are letting us live with them for the next 9 months or so. We spend most of our time with Kent's parents as their house is much closer to our jobs and where we live. For the weekends, we plan to spend quite a bit of that time with my parents in Spring - it's like a mini vacation up there. We are definitely spoiled because we have our own bedroom and Kayla even has her own bedroom, toys, and clothes at both houses!

I'm sure you are probably wondering why we moved. Well, we are actually tearing down our current house and building a new home. It's been a long process and we still have tons of work to do, but we are looking forward to the finished product and raising our family in our new home. Once we have all the necessary permits we will be ready to proceed. Next up, demo day!

Kayla helped "clean out" the kitchen cabinets

It's starting to look empty

All of our belingings fit inside this truck and are now packed away in storage - I hope I don't need anything, because I have no idea how I would ever find it or get to it!

Needless to say, we are very LUCKY and can not thank our parents enough for everything they have done and are doing for us!!!