The New Master Bathroom (DONE!)

After months of Troy's hard work, our Master Bathroom is finished! It turned out so pretty! Next project....Nursery!!!

Uncle Jimmy

Today was an incredibly sad day, as James Howard Gann III, aka Uncle Jimmy passed away to heaven. My dad called to let my brothers, my sister, and I know and I can honestly say that we are all shocked and devasted. Sure, he's had his problems in life, including a recent battle with throat cancer, but like my dad said, "we just thought he'd live forever". It's so true. How could there be a world with no Uncle Jimmy? It just doesn't seem possible, but I guess it's reality. Jimmy came to visit us when I was in 5th grade and ended up living with us for a few years. I am so thankful we had that time with him...it was filled with so much laughter and we learned so much from him. Jimmy was my daddy's older brother (by 11 months) and there was nothing I loved more than listening to the two of them tell us stories from their childhood. They are the most hilarious stories made so much better by the two of them getting tickled as they remembered the details. He certainly had his demons, but we loved him and accepted him for who he was, and he loved us as if we were his own kids. Some of the memories that crossed my mind today...
picking him up at the Fredericksburg bus station, playing pool or horse for the dishes, playing hockey in the basement with him and my dad, he would take us fishing for blue gills way back in the woods, Mississippi Silver Peas and Khale from the garden, finding-cooking-teaching us about Morel Mushrooms, talking me into taking a big spoonful of castor oil (just to see what it was like), him knowing I would take a bite out of a jalepeno pepper with him...it was painfully hot, waving to him from my bedroom window as he left for work every morning, turning Spanish words into Ba-tee and Ben-gaso and Ba-tee yah name, snapping the cat's tail, saving Pepper from the Beal's mean dogs on his birthday in the snow, he and Daddy laughing at all the crazy stuff we did, late-night Jimmy phone calls when he just called to tell me to "be good" and "I love you, Manda", oh, and "BA-TEEE!". I love him too...I hope he knew how much. He died today....today....10 years to the exact day that my Granny passed away. I miss her today and everyday...and now they are together again. I love you both!

A Baby on the Way!

We are so excited to announce that we are expecting our 2nd child! We have spent years talking about and wanting to have another one and we are finally here! I am just starting the 8th week with a fair amount of nausea...yay! Ugh! So far, it's bearable, but no fun. Everyone's reactions have been amazing...it seems like all of our family and friends are so excited! The baby is due December 5th of this year and I am soooo hoping I can get close to that date with no complications. I'm looking forward to having a big baby bump this time. Aidan is just over the moon, as she has been begging for a baby brother/sister for years. This was number one on her Christmas list this past holiday. She has been diapering every stuffed animal she has....if you know about her stuffed animal obsession, you can imagine what a sight this is. Troy is very excited as well and is actively preparing for the nursery remodel (as if we didn't have enough projects already, right?).
The first positive test-March 26, 2010 (Faint, faint, faint positive line) :)

The 2nd positive test-March 29, 2010 (A little more convincing)

Disney World

Last month we surprised Aidan with her first trip to the one and only Walt Disney World! We woke her up in the middle of the night on January 30th and headed for DFW Airport. She kept asking if we were tricking her, she cried from being confused and half asleep, and finally just decided to go with the flow. I thought, for sure, she'll figure it out once she realizes that we were headed to Orlando; however, not once did anyone ever say "Florida". As we were boarding the plane, she glanced down at her boarding pass which read "Orlando MCO". MCO being the airport code. She looked up at me and said, "We're going to Massachussettes???". I then looked at Troy, then back at Aidan and said, "Yes, Orlando, Massachussettes". Ha Ha! She didn't put it all together until we were walking up to the Disney desk in Orlando. She was so excited and shocked! We all had an amazing time! It really is a magical place!

Major Renovation Project--Master Bathroom

Our new fixer-upper is undergoing it's first major renovation as we are installing a master bathroom suite complete with tub, separate shower, toilet cove, double vanity, and walk-in closet. The space we are using is the original bathroom, laundry room, and one of the downstairs hallways. This past weekend we ran into some electrical that needed to be updated pronto! Adrian (our friend and construction expert) found some hot knob and tube wiring (the oldest form of residential wiring). Pretty dangerous considering this wiring conducts a lot of heat and was resting on insulation. Nice, huh? Anyway here is what we've done so far...
Before (Old Bathroom) Don't be jealous of the purple carpet ;)

Laundry Room and Old Hallway

So far we've knocked out the wall between the old bathroom and old laundry room to combine into one space.
Under Construction...
New Stuff

View from New Bathroom Door and New Closet

I know it's kind of hard to picture, but it is really starting to take shape...so exciting!! Stay Tuned!

Starting From Here...

Okay, so I have really slacked off for the past 6 months! Instead of trying to catch up and risk burning out on blogging, I'm just going to start again from here and pledge to be better. We'll see how long that lasts! Over the weekend, Aidan and I competed in a Tae Kwon Do tournament. It was a super long day and I'm glad it's over. You can see her compete in forms in the video above this post...
1st place-Forms

Aidan did such a great job and we are very proud of her for doing her best!