Skippin' School

A couple weeks ago Zoe had to stay home from daycare. She had a temperature the previous afternoon, and they won't let you back in until it's gone for 24 hours without meds. Kyle stayed home with her pre-nap, and we switched off during nap time. She of course was feeling fine the whole day, so they were able to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather we've been having. Here are a few shot from the Zilker Zephyr. It's a big hit with the toddler set.

Plumbing prep, slab pour

our new vehicle?

As part of the addition work, we're replacing our sewer line. Since we moved into the house, the sewer line has backed up/overflowed into our bathroom twice. That stuff is gross. This was in thanks to it's make-up (yup, that's basically glorified cardboard) and the proximity to the large pecan tree in our front yard.

swinging in a construction zone

a construction find - an old Coors pull-tab can

Since then the beams for the new slab have been dug, the slab was framed out, rebar placed, plumbing roughed in, and Monday this past week concrete was poured. Zoe usually asks where the workers have gone, and we have to explain that they have to go home to see their own families and sleep in their own beds. She thinks they should bring their beds here and sleep in the new house. I'm not so sure they would agree, what with there being no walls or roof.

Zoe checking out the shower with Dad

we'll have some grading to do...

Second Birthday Party

she ate the frosting

off of only three cupcakes

This year we opted for a combo party with all of our rodeo crew. Last year we had four separate birthday parties on two weekends. This year we went in together to rent out a place on a Sunday morning, have them cook for, and clean up after, us. This year's planning (in large part thanks to Valerie and Dallas) definitely wins. I think all of the kiddos had a good time, as did the other kiddos in attendance. And thanks to mimosas and beer available, I'm pretty sure all the parents did as well.

most of the kiddos in attendance

balloons are so pretty

wait, they float?

bring them baaaaack!

This group of babies
and this group of toddlers
are now this group of two year olds.
Wow.

Oh. I nearly forgot to mention - we had karaoke. With this footage, how could I forget?

Pre-Construction

good bye spa
you were great except for that whole
harboring-dead-animals thing

This post is longer overdue.

cutting sheet rock to install piping for the new water heater -
you really don't want to know what's in a plumbing wall from the '50s

This summer we started our 'pre-construction' phase on the house. In part this was jump-started by the Texas Trade Up appliance rebate program (which ended up being this total debacle for the state in terms of organization, which was eventually all blamed on the consulting company they/we hired). I sat in front of the computer for hours while various websites crashed, all while continuously re-dialing two different phone numbers (yes, this was the strategy for a state with nearly 25 million residents) until I reached a live person. I did this twice so we could get some rebate money back on 'trading up' our water heater to a tankless unit

sayonara, you old clunker

and our a/c unit to one that wasn't 15 to 20 years old.

there was barely enough space in the attic for the ultra-efficient a/c unit,
that there are actually two guys standing on this ladder

Both are so much more efficient than our old units, are sized for the square footage of the 'new' house, and our utility usage has gone down. We also took advantage of rebates provided through the City of Austin for the a/c and the Texas Gas Service for the tankless. We are so thankful for all of the rebates. But really, I'm especially thankful for instant hot showers and the extra 16 sf in our (soon to be old) laundry room.

look! actual side-by-side machines!
and space for a person to stand in front of them!

look what fits in our car!
(child not included)

At this time we also went ahead and changed our den (back) into a bedroom, so currently we technically have a 3-1. Zoe's old room (yes, the one we labored over) was turned into storage + some friends have temporary custody of a single bed and living room chairs + the den received some flowers courtesy of Dr. Seuss = Zoe has a new room.

funky flowers where French doors once were

And so it begins....

!!

Look who's two!

Two years ago:

One year ago:

Today:
That first year seemed to go by very slowly, but this second year has gone by at the speed of light.

2 year stats
weight: 28 lbs, 4 oz - 75%
height: 34.75" - 75%
head circumference - 48.75 cm - 85%

celebratory frozen yogurt