Remodeled Bathroom

The bathroom has been complete for a few months now, but we haven't had a camera to get pictures to share. I really like how the space has changed from the original. It seems so much bigger with a lot more light.
So, here is the before:

And here is the after:

The contractors tore the bathroom down to the studs, so absolutely everything in it is new. The tub/shower is standard length, but extra-deep. It is tiled with the same tile you see on the walls. We did not realize that the window guys were going to frame out this window, so our one disappointment is that the cabinets are not the same color as the window frame. Still, we are very pleased with the outcome!

Make a Joyful Noise!

Kyrie sings the joys of flying like the birds on her new swing!

Come Out & Play

This is our new swing set! The kids LOVE it! Kyrie always wants to be outside playing now. Degen who is Lilliputian next to the towering structure can now climb the chain rope easily and make it up the climbing wall with a little bit of help.

The neighbor boys have already been over to play, and we've set some play dates on the calendar. Kyrie wants to share her new swing set with all her friends.

 After dinner, the kids rush out to play. When Darren is done, he goes out to push the swings, give words of caution and spin tales of adventure. I follow, after the kitchen is cleaned, with popsicles in hand.

The first night after we got the swing set, both kids slept through the night (a rare occurrence for Degen) and slept in (after 7 for Degen & after 9 for Kyrie). We've had it for less than a week, and I am already thrilled!

Don't Blink!

I can't believe it has been so long since I last posted. I have to admit that it is much more fun to post when I have pictures to share (see "My Life Without Pictures"). I am happy to report that we have ordered a new camera and it should be on its way. I can't wait to get it!
So, July has been a(nother) busy month! Our most exciting news is that we bought a large play set for the backyard. It was just installed today, and Kyrie already loves it! Degen will need a little time to grow into it. A few weeks ago we went to the showroom with a sale flyer in hand. The kids played & played on the demo sets and trampolines. We are looking forward to this play set becoming a real center for our backyard life! I've already have two play dates on the calendar so that Kyrie can get a little help breaking the ol' girl in!
My thoughts flutter around a thousand different stories to tell about the kids and the happenings in our life:
Darren started switching out light fixtures, outlets & switches. Unfortunately, the wiring in our almost 60 year old home has never been updated. He has run into many troubling issues, so much so that he feels it is almost dangerous for him to continue the project on his own. He is disappointed with the entire situation.
A couple weeks ago, our cat Brutus caught a baby bunny and ran into the house with it. When I gave chase, he dropped it on the floor. The poor, stunned thing was unharmed so I took him out for Kyrie to see. She held him for about 20 minutes and loved every minute of it. When we told her she had to put him down, she cried and cried. We told her that when it's time to get a kitten (when our hunters have passed on), we can get a baby bunny to raise with it.
Degen seems to have arrived at the terrible twos. He's gotten quite whiny and demanding. Kyrie started the same thing around the same time. It's fairly frustrating, but it also coincides with an increased interest in play among the siblings. I am actually finding myself with brief moments of peace when both kids are happily occupied in shared play. It's a happy glimpse into the future. Though showing his "tough side," Degen is just too darned cute! He LOVES music and dance, and will break out in the cutest moves. You just can't be upset with him for too long. 
We are tentatively planning for a family trip to Los Angeles this fall that will coincide with one of Darren's business trips. I am very excited for this opportunity!

Pass the Popcorn

I have always thought that there was something special about going to the movies. Since becoming parents,we have not been able to go to the movies very often at all. And to be honest, even before that our movie attendance seemed sparse because we've been pretty busy since the months before our wedding. But in the past few weeks, I've been to the movies multiple times. My theater loyalty card is racking up numbers after years in hibernation, and I'm buying theater gift cards (for the fuel rewards from the grocery store) every other week.
It actually started about a month ago when I started putting prize cards into Kyrie's big prize bag. Usually, the bag is stocked with an assortment of toys and movies, but I thought giving her the option to choose experiences with one or both parents would be nice now that she's older. There are three prize cards: dinner choice, ice cream shoppe and the movies. Right off the prize cards were a big hit, and her first choice was to see "Shrek..." with Darren. She loved it!
I took the kids to one of the summer kids' movies to test Degen out, and he did well enough. He liked the popcorn and watched a little of the movie before falling asleep. Sitting in a darkened theater with a bag of warm popcorn was great, even if I did have to spend part of the movie trying to keep Degen from running amok. After he fell asleep, it was nice to settle back into the comfy seat with Kyrie and take a break from the summer heat and all the errands waiting at home.
When "Twilight: Eclipse" came out, I knew that I'd be headed back to the theater. (Yes, I am one of those!) One of the moms from playgroup read all the books around the same time I did, and we'd seen the last two movies together. We made a plan to go over the July 4th holiday weekend. I felt like I'd won a small jackpot when mid-week before our planned jaunt, I got coupons for $1 concessions on July 4th. The date was set and with coupons in hand, we had the cheapest trip to the movies either of us had ever seen ($7 bought a morning matinee ticket, a large popcorn and large drink). We went early and stayed for most of the credits, lingering. Oh, sweet freedom!
This morning, we headed back to the movies. Kyrie wanted to see "Toy Story 3" using one of her prize cards. Degen had been fairly interested in the first two on DVD, so I held off his nap and told Darren that we would all be going. We all shared a popcorn and drink and both kids did great (Degen fell asleep about halfway through). It was great to have the whole family there all in a row, big & little hands reaching for popcorn while our faces took on rainbow hues with the light from the screen! 
Leaving the theater, Kyrie said that she wanted to see the movie again and before we even got to the car, I, too, was thinking about our return!