Short post, but pictures!

I need to be quick, because it's about dinner time. Noah's schedule has been somewhat disrupted today--we've had workers doing drywall & various other wall treatments, so even though he woke up BEFORE 7 AM (!!!) today, he did NOT take a morning nap, nor did he get a very long afternoon nap. Which means fun for everyone...

We went to Cleveland Park in Spartanburg last weekend--it's an unbelievably nice park--they've got a lake, a playground, picnic tables (complete with grills), walking trails....and a TRAIN!!! Noah and I rode the train and he had a really great time; I think we'll be going back again. As much as we love Falls Park in downtown Greenville, it can be really crowded; Cleveland Park--not so much! Not sure if it was because it was a Sunday, or if they were calling for rain later that afternoon, or what, but there were very few people there.

So, I'm posting some pictures from last weekend, as well as some of the "before" and "during" (since the workers will need to come back & sand tomorrow) pictures of the walls, and just a few of Noah that I took in the last day or so.

Our love to all! Enjoy!

Noah & Mommy waiting for the train; it was nearly impossible for Daddy to get any shots while the train was moving...All the more reason to go back!


Mommy tickling Noah when we got ON the train because it seemed like it took FOREVER from the time we sat down until we started moving, and Noah started to get really, really restless. I know. Big surprise.


Noah after sliding down the slide all by himself!


He was looking through a plastic "window" that was on the playground...I guess it was supposed to be some sort of space machine? Maybe? All I could think of was, "E.T., phone home!"


Daddy & Noah, sitting on the swing (one of many) at the lake. There were lots of ducks & geese around, too. We're going to have to go back...


The self-portrait of the Hardin family at the lake. Patrick and I used to do these all the time whenever we'd hike somewhere. It has been awhile since we'd done one, and I thought this was the perfect time to resurrect the tradition.


Noah, dressed by Daddy. Love the sentiment of the t-shirt, but think it's probably a bit too small.

I snapped this today; was a complete accident, but I loved the result. His eyes are so blue.


Before, in the dining room. Notice the peeling drywall paper on the sides, the vast expanses of electric blue & neon yellow...


During, and no more peeling drywall paper, and the vast expanses of electric blue & neon yellow are much smaller. Once they're done sanding, I'm whipping out the primer. That wall may very well be the first wall we paint. And yes, I say that knowing full well that there's a 1st coat of primer on our bathroom walls (yes, the terracotta is going bye-bye) and needs to be a 2nd, but oh, yeah, I need to finish primer-ing the walls. I ran out of primer. And Noah was about to wake up. Yes, this is what I do during our son's naps. I primer. Or spray paint. I found a can of silver spray paint in a box of stuff Mom & Dad left us and I began touching up our swing set in the back yard. Ran out of spray paint, too, and had to stop that project. So, um, yeah--I've got about 3 projects half-finished. Not including the front door that has nearly all the paint off, but I just need to go over it with a sander and maybe one more time with the stripper... But I digress.


Before, laundry room. Notice the slatted boards, the various types of paneling. Okay, maybe you can't see it in this size, but if you click on the picture, it'll be more clear. You can also see the various shades of paint that were used to try to make the room a bit brighter, a bit nicer... It didn't really work.


During, and notice the nice, smooth drywall... Just try to ignore the crappy floor. I think what we may do very, very soon (do I hear another project? I think I do!) is to lay down a thin sheet of plywood as a new subfloor (so would that be a supra-subfloor?) and then do the peel-n-stick tiles on top of that. There are about 3 layers of vinyl/linoleum/peel-n-stick on the floor now, in addition to parts of the subfloor that are exposed and parts of where a vent used to be & duct-taped over, and I'm just afraid that were we not to do something with some substance to it, that the peel-n-stick tiles wouldn't stick, and you'd be able to discern the various layers underneath the floor. Not sure exactly how to undertake this particular project, but we've both got Dads who have done this kind of thing before and can offer all the advice that we care to take. And then go & do it however we wanted to in the first place.


And this was a spur-of-the-moment negotiated project. I asked our drywaller how much to do the small bathroom, since Patrick & I were mostly finished taking off the wallpaper, but the walls were so crappy underneath the wallpaper (explaining exactly why they wallpapered...with Gorilla glue) that we were not sure how we were going to fix it. SO--Jose said "$15o." I said it wasn't within our budget right now, that the job we were having him do was stretching it already. He said, "$100, and I'll do it right now." I responded with this: "You quoted us $425 for the dining room & laundry room. If you can do those two rooms & this for $500, you've got a deal." And, as you can see from the above picture, the walls look mucho bettero. I had to fight the urge to say, "$150? No way, Jose!" Actually, this guy is very, very nice, and does excellent work. Let's just say that I'll keep his phone number handy, for myself & for my clients!

New pictures!

Not much has been going on; Noah had a cold, is getting over it now, and is currently battling an ear infection. Luckily, he's pretty easy-going, and we caught the ear infection very, very early so we've got a good bit of the antibiotics in him, and he seems like he's back 110%. He is still coughing every now & then, but from previous experience, this is normal when he's getting over a cold (and the Dr. confirmed that yes, the coughing may linger for 2 weeks or more...fun!).

To help cut down on some of these maladies, we've started him on gummy vitamins, and they're in the shape of Winnie the Pooh. He even asks for them, saying "Pooh Bear fruit snacks? Please?" He's become very Pooh-centric lately, noticing how many Poohs we have around the house. In fact, today one of the assistant teachers at his school asked him what his name was & he responded "Pooh Bear." I thought that was pretty funny. No worries that Pablo has been displaced, however; that little blue penguin is still #1!

And notice above that he's saying "please!" We've really worked hard on this, and he doesn't say it every time, and sometimes he refuses just for the sake of exerting his will, but he'll usually say it without prompting. Then when he's given the requested treat, he'll say "ThankYouWelcome."
We've started watching "The Alaska Experiment" on Discovery. We missed the first few episodes, so had to watch them via the website, and I really, really like it. There are 4 groups of people, 2 couples and a group of 3 friends and a father and his two daughters, and they're all given a place to live (a 200-sq. ft. dwelling with a wood stove), some dry goods and they do have experts dropping in on them (apparently to hunt moose or goat you have to have a guide, but the guide doesn't guarantee that you'll get anything), but other than that, it's up to them to cut all the wood they'll need to survive the 3 months they'll be there (as far as I can tell it's maybe mid-late October that they start?), they'll have t0 gather their water AND get protein somehow. It's really interesting to see what choices they make and how it impacts them. There is no prize--no money, no nuthin'. They're not in competition with each other, this is just to see how strong they are internally, whether or not they can suck it up & do what it takes. Don't get me wrong--yes, I lived in Alaska, but I had the luxury of a nice house (that was provided to me free of charge, thank you Mom & Dad!) and a flush toilet. Which was indoors. Do I think that I could survive, that I could participate in this challenge? Absolutely. I've become a bit complacent in recent years, but I think that I still have that "Suck it up & quit complaining!" part of me that's not too far from the surface. Do I think I'd whine and complain more than I should? Absolutely. Up to a point. I think even I would get tired of my whining and tell myself to shut up & just do it. I remember cross-country skiing and my feet would get so cold (probably because I wasn't moving them enough...but I do remember having a fear of frostbite & loosing a toe...I've always had this thing about losing a toe, whether to frostbite, or a turtle or a snake. Don't ask me to explain it; fears don't have to be rational.) and Dad would stop, and patiently help me take off my shoes, socks & rub my feet. I was whining the entire time. Boy, I must have been fun. The odd thing is, those are some of my favorite memories. That, and Dad stopping to re-wax the skis depending on the condition of the snow, and choosing from what seemed to be 50 different waxes. I remember thinking, "Is this really necessary? Can't we just keep moving? I'm hungry. My feet are cold."

I digress. Not sure what my main point was, but I'll stop & let you look at these pictures...


Outside, in his favorite place--his swing!


Cool baby in sunglasses!


Looking cute in his tres chic Carrabelle "How to be a Pirate" t-shirt!


Notice that Noah is holding on BY HIMSELF!!! Also notice Mommy's pensive expression...


This is what Patrick used to make my Mother's Day present--he did a paint effect on it, and it's really beautiful, but I also like the B&W photo that he cropped & zoomed in on to make the template. Since I'm usually the one taking the photos, there aren't a lot of me & Noah pictures, so this (and the one that Patrick made for me) are really, really special.


Pushing his Tonka truck, wearing Daddy's shoes...I think it's a great look.


Fun with monkey stickers! Notice the one on Daddy's forehead.


Okay, I know that my public was anxious to know about the baby robins--well, here's one perched on the edge of the galvanized planter. This is probably right after they left the nest, since they weren't flying, but hopping & flapping their little wings.



Close up of one of the babies; haven't seen them since, so hopefully they are all okay, and I was happy to be able to see them fly & be free.

Robin Update

The little chicks are pretty much taking up the entire nest; I wish these pictures were better, but I'm just hesitant to really hang around & try to get a great picture when Mommy & Daddy Robin are buy trying to feed the little ones worms. I think I saw one of the parents actually FEEDING the birds, and heard a little retching noise. Kinda gross, I know, but also kinda cool. The little ones are so loud when they sense Momma and Daddy approaching with food! We're hoping we can catch their first flight...