Fireplace

Paul finally got the fireplace done in the basement and it looks great!! My carpenter-extraordinaire-father-in-law built the mantel for us, Paul installed it, and I antiqued it. Paul then endured about a hundred nicks and cuts while installing the metal lathe that went under the stone, but he got it all done, saving us at least $600 in the process! I think I'll do a darker glaze to make the onlays and corbels stand out more and make the whole thing look older and more distressed, but overall I am so thrilled with the way it turned out!! (the pictures don't really do it justice - the flash made it looked too bright and without the flash it looked washed out, but hopefully you get the idea)

Breckyn's Birthday Party

Breckyn's 4th birthday was celebrated at our house on March 21st with her friends, Gram, and Shelly. We had hotdogs for lunch, then played some games, opened presents, and finished off with cake and ice cream. She was pretty excited to be the center of attention, and even more excited about her great haul of new toys, make-up, and dress-up clothes. She was especially thrilled with a huge tub of jellybeans - which lasted exactly one week!

Nature Center

On a beautiful March 18th, my friend Sarah and I met at Great Plains Nature Center with our kids. We enjoyed eating, getting some exercise, and especially exploring the Nature Center's awesome interactive exhibits and animals. If you've never been, you need to go - and it's FREE!!

Happy Trails

After a picnic lunch at the Nature Center, we all got some exercise and enjoyed exploring a couple miles of trails. We were fortunate enough to see lots of wildlife including plenty of birds, ducks, a turtle, and even a beaver!

Soccer Star!!

Kellyn had her first soccer game on Saturday the 14th. She was awesome!! Despite not playing for two years and having only one practice under her belt, she was very aggressive and quick and scored 2 of her team's 4 goals! She really enjoyed it, too, which is the most important thing! Christal, Mitch, and Triston were here for the weekend, so she had a nice audience, too. The weather was perfect, only in the 50's, but no wind and lots of sun!

Party of Two

We had Paul's family over to celebrate both Kellyn's and Breckyn's birthdays on Saturday the 7th. All the cousins had a great time making crafts, eating yummy hamburgers and hotdogs that Paul grilled, playing outside, watching the girls open their gifts, and having cake and ice cream. Unfortunately, it was pretty windy and cool that day, and we decided to postpone our planned trip to the Zoo - we'll just look forward to that later this summer!

Spring Weather!!

We've had several days of Spring-like weather since the end of February, and a few times the girls and I took advantage of it and went to the park. The girls enjoyed riding their bikes while I attempted to keep up on foot with Mitzi in tow. It's been so nice to see life returning after the cold winter! My tulips are sprouting, leaves are popping out on the tree branches, and the grass is greening back up!!

Sailor Boys

For the past couple weeks, we've been bringing in boxes that have been in storage for over two years waiting for the basement to be finished. We recently unpacked Paul's Navy stuff and Preston was fascinated by it all. He was pretty proud to try on his dad's sailor hat and pose for this picture. Maybe one day he'll be a 4th generation Hamby Navy man!