Bathroom Makeover

The last week in June I started on a project.  One I thought would take me 4 or 5 days.  By day three I realized I had really gotten myself into something bigger than I could handle in a week!  Well, a month later it is finished!  I'm talking about my master bathroom makeover.  And actually, this is a remodel 4 1/2 years in the making.  The first pictures were taken before we had the granite and new sinks installed in February '08.  Several years later Mom and I painted the cabinets, but the paint didn't stick.   I guess it was so bad that I didn't even take a picture.  And of course I forgot to take pictures before I started stripping the cabinets.  I'm just glad this project is FINISHED!  And a big thank you to Brian for helping me sand the cabinets!

Oh how I remember the seashell sinks!

What a difference!

Meeting a Princess

One of Allie's friends had a princess party today.  The little girls dressed like princesses and some of the little boys dressed like princes.  Cinderella even came to the party!  There was a girl who painted faces, and all the little girls were getting butterflies, hearts, or flowers painted on their faces.  When I asked Allie what she wanted painted, she said with much excitement, "A spider!"  I tried to get her to choose something that would compliment her dress a little better, so she said, "A snake!"  She is indeed a princess with brothers!  You could tell all the little princesses who had brothers.  They were the ones using their wands as swords!

Allie and the birthday princess

Allie and some of her friends

Cinderella taught them about manners, how to do a princess wave in case they meet the queen one day, and how to kiss a frog!

Getting her snake painted on her arm

Look at that smile!

A group shot with Cinderella

Pinata time!

The Summer Games Are Here!

I'm not talking Olympics, just Pik family water balloon games!  The idea was to play D-day attack on Normandy Beach, with Coleman and Brian in the back of the truck armed with water balloons.  But as Spence and Allie started approaching the truck, I thought it looked more like the boys' new favorite computer game:  Plants Vs. Zombies.  In this game, you have to plant different kinds of plants in the garden that defend the house from the zombies.  In our version, you just throw water balloons at the cutest little zombies I've ever seen!

Let's start with this adorable hug!

Here come the zombies

The plants attack

Another surge of zombies

I think this game is called, "Watch out!  Spence has the hose!"

I give them all a gold medal!

Coleman really has a thing for turning computer and video games into real-life games.  It's pretty neat, since it keeps him entertained without sitting in front of the computer or TV for hours.  And he gets everyone involved!  I love their imaginations, even if their games do include zombies.  Oh, and we found out that when zombies get bitten by fire ants, it puts a little umph in their step!

It's ON!!!

The boys are becoming real practical jokers.  A while back Spence put liquid soap on Coleman's toothbrush.  Then Coleman and the biggest boy in our family short-sheeted Spence's bed.  (I'm pretty sure the biggest boy was involved in that first prank, too.)  Tonight Coleman put soap on Spence's toothbrush.  Poor Spence was spitting all over his pillow when I left their room.  But he's already come up with a plan to get Coleman back!  I haven't heard it yet, and maybe I don't want to.  I think the anticipation is what will get Coleman the most though!

This past weekend the whole family went to the Houston Children's Museum.  Coleman and Brian went this Spring for the 1st grade field trip, then the boys went with their summer camp a few weeks ago.  They enjoyed it a lot, and I knew Allie would, too.  So we bought the year membership so we can enjoy it all year!  I figure Allie and I might need somewhere to hang out while the boys are at school!  Here are a few pictures from our day:

Allie didn't care about looking under the hood, just sitting in the back!

Spin faster Spence!  Light up the bulbs!

Spence couldn't wait to show us the giant man made of telephones

And I even found my first car phone!  Memories...

Allie playing cashier at the Vet

 

Her watercolor masterpiece

They all loved the water exhibit

Even Brian!

She Can Name It, She Can Know It!

Here are a few pictures of Allie and her newest treasure:  The Name It Of a Worm It Book!  If you don't get that scroll down and read yesterday's post.

I love that there's an inscription in the front of the book:  To Brian, Christmas 1979, Love Grandma and Grandpa Keough.  They would be happy to know that their sweet great-grandchildren love it also!

When Life Gives You Beef, Make Hamburgers

It's been a rainy week here.  June was so packed full of event after event that I could barely find time to stop and blog about it!  And now July has been pretty uneventful so there's not much to write about.

This week was supposed to be swim lessons.  Katie, a sweet college student from our church, has taught the boys for 2 summers, so this summer I decided to let Coleman sit out and have Spence and Allie take lessons.  Monday was great!  Allie is really brave and loves the water.  And Spence just picked right up and did great too!  But yesterday and today the rain has cancelled our lessons.  Oh well, last summer was so dry that our foundation cracked and cost us thousands to have repaired, so I'll try not to get all whiny about the rain!

One thing about summer that is hard for me is getting all my errands done with the kids around.  I'm pretty spoiled by having them in Mother's Day Out during the school year.  Maybe I should have trained them to go to the grocery store with me when they were younger, but it was just easier to go when they were at school or leave them with Brian on the weekends.  Now when I have to take them to the store, it's a stressful event!  Coleman can keep it together in the store, so I see it won't always be like this!  Until then though...  Yesterday in the grocery store, I had picked out a 1 pound roll of hamburger meat when I looked over and Allie had poked her finger through a $14 package of beef!  I felt my options were to either take it over to the meat counter and ask them to rewrap it, or buy it.  Buy it seemed like the easier choice.  So when we got home I made 8 burger patties to freeze, baked some meatballs, cooked ground beef for tacos and spaghetti sauce, and put another pound of meat in the freezer.  We're set for a while!

Last night at bedtime after I sang a few songs with Allie she wanted me to say Bible verses.  She's never asked for this, so I wasn't sure what she wanted me to do.  I said, "You want me to sing Bible verses?"  To which she answered yes.  I was able to think of about 5 songs that are taken directly from scripture (like Seek Ye First and As the Deer).  She laid there quietly and listened.  It was so sweet.  Totally made up for that finger-through-the-beef-thing.

Some nights Allie wants Brian to lay on the floor and they usually chat for awhile.  He told me that the other night she asked, "Why did Jesus have to die?"  Oh my goodness!  I pray that she will keep that desire to know more about Jesus!

A few years ago Rita gave us a book that was Brian's when he was little:  The Name It Know It Book.  He had written in it and the book was falling apart (thanks to our kids).  Allie calls it The Name It of a Worm It Book.  No idea why!!!  But it's so cute that we all call it that now!  And she wants to read it every night.  It had gotten to be in such bad shape that Brian wouldn't even let her hold it.  Finally I hid it because my hand would cramp up trying to read it and keep it from falling apart.  Luckily you can find anything on the internet, even a copy of your childhood book from 1977.  It finally arrived today and Allie was so excited that she had to call Daddy and leave him a voicemail.  Most of all she's excited that she can hold it!

Well, I said July was pretty uneventful, but it seems I've just gone on and on.  I'll try to get a picture of Allie and The Name It of a Worm It Book soon.  And hopefully some swim lesson pictures too!

Pictures from June

Apparently I took the week off from blogging!  You probably didn't want to see pictures of what I was doing anyway:  stripping the bathroom cabinets.  That was a major job!  Thankfully Brian helped me sand one evening.  Sanding is one of my least favorite things.  The boys went to a camp at our gym that was Monday through Friday from 8 to 6.  They were exhausted every evening!  And Allie stayed with my parents from Sunday to Thursday.  She was ready to come home!  I realized that I had lots of pictures on the camera that I needed to share, so in no particular order, here are some pictures from this summer:

Daddy and the boys at a Skeeters game

The boys got to run the bases after the game

Daddy took Coleman to a rugby game at the Dynamo's stadium

Rugby fans?  Italy vs USA

Not all daddies would agree to push you on the tree swing in the rain!  That's Allie in her rain gear!

Today we picked out a patriotic dress for Allie to wear to church.  She picked out the rain boots since it was, indeed, raining!