House Preview

Here is your first preview of the work we have done on the house. It is not terribly exciting, but I like the way it turned out. It is the hallway leading to the boys room, bathroom, and nursery. I found an example of this on the internet this summer and talked Travis into doing it in our house. Anyway, here are the pictures:

Before picture of the hallway.

During our renovations. The walls hadn't been painted yet and you can see we broke out the tile and tore the carpet out.

Installing the beadboard.

Travis did all of the work himself. He built a shelf and attached it to the beadboard. I wanted a ledge to put family pictures on.

Final product! I used picture frames I already had and filled them with my favorite family photos.

Looking towards the bathroom. You can see the wood floors we installed through most of the house. We still need to change out the hallway light fixture.

More pictures

You can see the new doors we installed. You can also see that we painted all the wood trim in the entire house.

I really like how it turned out. Good job, Travis!

Catching Up...

Get ready, because this post is going to catch you up from the last 4 months! We have finally moved into our house and are trying to find our things among hundreds of boxes. The boys have loved finding some of their favorite toys and have been entertained by helping us unpack boxes. Moving is definitely harder when you have two busy little boys trying to "help". We have gotten a lot done, but have so much to do to get the house the way we want it. The master bathroom isn't functional right now, so Travis and I find ourselves roaming across the house to use the restroom or shower. It is such a mess! I will post pictures of the house as soon as things are settled a bit more. I do have to brag about my husband a little bit, because he has done ALL of the work on the house except for painting the cabinets and trim and installing the wood floors. He has done AMAZING work and has worked very hard. He has been working after his day job and on weekends. Travis' Mom and Dad also helped out quite a bit by helping on the house or watching the boys so we could work. I did help before I got pregnant, but after we found out I was pregnant I didn't help much because a lot of the materials that we were using could be harmful to the baby and we didn't want to take any chances!

So back to the last 4 months...


The first week we were here we headed out to the farm because they were cutting grain and Tyler wanted to ride the combine and tractor. He absolutely loves being out there and I'm pretty sure he threw a fit when we had to go home.

Uncle Lynn, Travis, Tyler, and Cooper riding the tractor and emptying the buggy into the truck.

Grandpa and Cooper out at the farm.

Grandpa, Travis, Sarah, and Cooper going for a ride on the Combine.

We have made several trips to the beach since we moved. The boys absolutely love going and driving their dump trucks in the sand. The first trip we took to the beach they weren't real big fans of the water, but since then they have become more brave and they love to play in the water too! I think there will be many more trips to the beach in our future.

Tyler and Cooper driving their trucks in the sand.

Tyler digging holes in the sand.

Tyler and Keith feeding the birds at the beach.

The week after we moved we celebrated Cooper's 2nd birthday. Travis and I took the boys to the circus one Saturday for his birthday. They had fun, but they are probably still a little young for the full experience. It wasn't very crowded and after intermission we moved up to the very top row because Cooper was tired of sitting down. We ended up leaving early, but overall had fun. The boys really liked the animal parts of the show, but the goofy stuff they do between the animal acts bored the boys!

Before we left Grandma gave the boys some money for a treat. Tyler picked out a snowcone (that he ate one bite of!) and Cooper picked out Cotton Candy that came with a crazy hat.

Cooper and Daddy watching the show.

Mama and Tyler

Cooper in his crazy hat eating his cotton candy!

On Cooper's actual birthday we had a little party with family. We cooked out and had cake and homemade ice cream.

Thomas the Train was a big hit!

Family picture.

Cooper digging in head first.

Sugar high!

Getting ready to open presents. So serious!

The boys still love playing outside, although the flies, gnats, and mosquitoes seem to be worse down here. It is quite annoying and the boys get mad and demand to go inside. We finally have had some cooler weather down here so hopefully the bugs will go away for awhile.

The boys riding through Grandpa's fruit trees.

Tyler's truck is sporting some new paraphernalia.

Both Cooper and Tyler are going to school this year! It has been really nice for all of us. The boys love it (although I'm not sure Cooper would admit it!) and have been learning so much. The other day Cooper busted out singing the ABC's and I was shocked! Tyler doesn't even know the ABC's! They are doing great at school and have made some new friends. Tyler walks in like an old pro and doesn't look back. Cooper on the other hand, clings to me until the very last second. Once I leave he is completely fine and loves every minute of it!

Cooper on his first day of school!

Cooper's school had a pumpkin patch fundraiser so I took the boys recently to pick out some pumpkins.

Cooper showing off his unique pumpkin.

Sweet Cooper!

When we moved into the house we decided we were going to go ahead and move Cooper to his big boy bed. He has done great with it and hasn't gotten out of bed except at naptime. The boys are sharing a room and loving it. I know they are going to have so much fun together. They really do love each other and have fun together.

Cooper getting ready for his first night in his big boy bed!

Tyler helping Daddy screw in the new drain for the tub.

Well, that is all for now! I have a small preview of some of the work we have done on the house that I will post soon. I promise I will be blogging more now that we are in our house.

Three Amigos!

We have been very busy since we moved to Harlingen- moving, getting the house remodeled, enrolling the boys in school, and all the usual things that come with a move. It seems our lives will only get busier from here because we are expecting our third bundle of joy in April! We are super excited and have wanted to add to our little family but the timing just wasn't right. The boys are excited and are already talking about the baby and asking questions. In fact, I was talking to Cooper about the baby and he asked me to get it out. I told him we had to wait for the baby to grow big and strong before the baby could come out. He got so upset and started yelling, "Get it out! Get it out!" I thought it was hilarious!

It looks like we will be in our house the first part of October! We are very excited to be moving in our own space. We haven't lived in our own home since February and I'm ready to feel settled again! I promise to post pictures once we move!

Update

We are still alive. No access to posting pictures since our stuff is still packed away for the most part. We have closed on a house and are in the process of working on it. Will have to post before and after pics when we are done. We should move in around the end of September or so. Until then Sarah is busy with the boys, the boys are busy with playing outside and going to school 2 days a week, and Travis is busy working on the house every night till about 11 pm. We are all pretty worn out but ready to move in to our new place. That's all for now. TJ out.

I guess that's why they call it the poop deck!

This past Saturday, we decided to take a fishing trip on my dad's boat out of Port Mansfield which is about an hour's drive from Harlingen. We decided that it was high time that Tyler be initiated into the saltwater fishing club. We woke up before dawn and I pulled Tyler out of bed and he was immediately ready to go. We picked up a friend of my dad's John Magee and were on the water on a beautiful morning. The wind was calm and it wasn't too hot considering it was the middle of July. We got out to the first spot and anchored up and caught 4 keeper trout in a matter of about 20 minutes. That is when the problem started. Tyler announced that he had to use the potty and not the easy one where you just pee off the side. We tried to take him on to the shore so he could go there, but he wanted to go back home to use the potty. He refused any of our suggestions of where he could relieve himself and proceeded to complain off and on for the next 45 minutes or so. We moved to another spot and started catching more fish, but Tyler was not enjoying myself as he was not in a very comfortable situation. I decided then it was time to take action. I put my Aggie brain to work and came up with my best Aggie solution. I told him that Papa had a built in toilet in his boat and that he could use it. He seemed agreeable with the suggestion. I opened up the hatch to the livewell that my dad never uses and he proceeded to relieve himself in that.(For those of you that don't know, the live well has a hatch that opens up and has water inside to keep bait in.) We fished out a few floaters with a homemade net and cleaned up(Let's just say Papa went home without one of his socks.) After that, Tyler was great! He loved steering the boat, eating butterfingers, and drinking lemonade. We all caught fish and enjoyed a nice day on the water.Good memories of a first fishing trip on the boat with dad and papa.

We're Here!

We drove down to Harlingen on Sunday with the rest of our things and we haven't slowed down since we got here. On Monday evening we went to the farm to take dinner to the guys and so the boys could ride the tractor and combine. Tyler didn't eat a bite of food and immediately wanted on the tractor. He rode it the entire time we were there. Cooper rode the combine with Papa, Momma, and Dadddy. The boys loved being out there. I think Tyler could ride tractors all day just like his Daddy used to do when he was young. Yesterday we headed to the beach with Grandma and met up with some of Travis' aunts. The boys loved it and I was completely exhausted by the time we got home at 9 pm last night. I don't have pictures to upload becuase I have absolutely no idea where my camera accessories are. We are staying with the Johnsons right now and our stuff is spread among their house and two storage units! But the good news is we put an offer on a house and we negotiated a great price. The only problem is that it needs some updating and a little remodeling before we can move in, so we will be living here until we do most of that work. The inspection was done on Monday and nothing major was in the report so we are moving forward and hope to close by the end of the month. We are very excited about the potential of this house and the best part is that it has a pool!!! Well, I better run. The boys are begging to go outside and I better take advantage of the "cooler weather" that is around in the early morning!

Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day!

Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day, Travis! We have been celebrating Travis all weekend. I felt kind of bad for him because his birthday fell right in the middle of us packing and getting ready to move. I would normally bake him a cake or pie, but this year I bought a cookie cake for him because all of my baking supplies are packed up. Tyler serenaded him by signing Happy Birthday which was so cute! I'm so thankful we have Travis in our lives. He is a wonderful husband and the best Daddy we could ask for. He never complains about watching the kids and he is always willing for me to get away and have some time for myself. The boys absolutely love him and I'm so glad they have a Daddy that will take the time to show them how things work, take them fishing and golfing, and just do BOY stuff. Our lives wouldn't be complete without you! We love you!!!

New Friends

We have had a gift card to Build A Bear Workshop for almost two years now! One of Travis' homeowners gave it to us when Cooper was born and we had yet to use it. I wasn't even sure it would be worth anything after that long, but it still had all of its value, so I decided we should use it before we moved. We told the boys we were going to make some special friends that they could take with us to Harlingen. They were very excited and picked out a friend immediately! Tyler choose a puppy dog and Cooper choose a bear. They enjoyed their morning making their friends and had to take them with them in their beds for naps!

Tyler stuffing his puppy dog.

The boys giving their animals a bath.

Cooper bathing his bear.

Showing off the finished product. With the help of mommy and daddy, Tyler named his dog Spot and Cooper named his bear Brownie. Mommy and Daddy were too cheap to buy an outfit for the animals so they came home naked!

Goodbyes

Last night some of our best friends threw us a going away party. We had a wonderful time swimming, eating some yummy ribs, and visiting with good friends. It was definitely hard saying goodbye at the end and tears were shed, but I know these friendships will last a lifetime.

We have been busy packing up the house and getting ready for the big move. I am leaving Thursday with the boys and heading to Tyler to spend some time with my family before making the drive down to Harlingen in early July. Travis' plan is to pack up the U-haul on Thursday and head down to Harlingen on Friday and then start work on Monday. Our lives are crazy right now and I don't really see it settling down anytime soon! Here are some pictures from the party last night.

I love this picture of Laura and Marley.

Sweet Daniel, one of Cooper's buddies from church.

I love this sweet picture of Hudson.

I think the men had more fun with the water guns than the kids.

Cooper and Daddy enjoying the pool.

Sweet Coop!

Tyler is obsessed with goggles right now. I really need to buy him a pair!

Oops! Somebody found the chocolate chip cookies!

Shelby

Uncle Ross had some new friends by the end of the night. The little girls love him!

I love this picture of Jeremy with his kids.

Sweet Natalie! I love miss Natalie.

Tyler and Natalie giving hugs as we were leaving. This picture is a keeper for their wedding video, right Laura?

Travis and I have been so blessed to have GREAT friends here and leaving them is probably the hardest part about moving. They have become our family here. We have such a unique friendship with three other couples. The wives and husbands all get along wonderfully as well as the 13 kids between us and I just think it is rare. I treasure these friendships so much.

Saying goodbye to Candice. She is the sweetest person you will ever meet. She has a huge heart and is one of the most compassionate people I have ever met. She is always full of wisdom and encouragement. Her family is about to embark on an adventure of their own and I can't wait to see what God does in her life.

Saying goodbye to Laura. She is the hostess with the mostess! She is the crazy one that keeps us laughing and she ALWAYS has a smile on her face. She is one of the most generous people I know and I have been blessed by her many times.

Saying goodbye to Ashley. Ashley is fabulous in every way. She amazes me so much. She is blessed with the ability of leadership and inviting people in and making them feel welcome. She is probably the biggest reason the four of us are so close.

I love you girls and I can't wait to get together for girls weekends!!!

Johnson Construction

Front elevation before

Back of house before

Back of house after

Front of house after

So this is what I've been up to since I've been working on my own. This house is down in a nice older neighborhood close to 610 loop. It was a small house built in the 40's or 50's and we added close to 600 square feet of master suite and utility room. It is going to be really nice when we are done. Here are the before and after exterior pics. I'll shoot some interior a little later. We replace roof,siding,windows,garage door, front door, and repainted the old part of the house in addition to adding on the suite. Jeremy McFarland of Brick Moon Design in Spring did the design so give him a call if you need some architect work done.

What we have been up to...