Insane in the Brain . . .

The title is for those of you who are familiar with the Cypress Hill song . . . it is INSANE around here right now! Which, of course, is why I haven't posted in two weeks. For those of you who don't know, Erik and I were crazy enough to take on a variety of home improvement projects, with a determination to finish them before leaving for North Carolina on July 2. We have been working for 8 days straight, barely know what day it is, can't find ANYTHING in the mess that is our house . . .

We started last week by removing wainscoting in the dining room. We then had to remove leftover old wallpaper underneath the wainscoting, and Erik had to repair areas of the wall that were damaged. He then had to sand the walls over and over again because they were all bumpy from a combination of bad wallpaper and paint jobs. This sanding left our first floor majorly dusty. We then removed the carpet from the living room and dining room, leaving the first floor completely uninhabitable. We lived on takeout food for a few days, even for our morning coffee, because our kitchen was a nightmare. It was lots of fun confining Alexander's play time to the basement for a few days and preparing his meals in the laundry room. An absolute blast.

Of course, under the carpet, the subfloor had a nice mix of mold and other various smells, which took some time to get rid of. We got the floor nice and clean, ready to install the new Pergo flooring that has been sitting in the basement since November. Erik then started painting the kitchen/dining room area. He put up one coat of paint, and it looked really good. The next day, he opened up the second gallon to give the walls one more coat. Well, the second coat seemed really dark to me, but we thought maybe it just needed time to dry. As it turns out, the paint store messed up and it was the WRONG paint. So the whole thing needed to be redone. Erik did manage to get the paint finished, and it now looks great. We got the store to replace the paint, plus give us 2 free gallons and more rollers for the other projects we are planning on doing.

Erik and his dad worked for 2 days putting in the flooring. Erik then replaced the baseboard heaters and moulding. We have one more room to get done, the first floor bedroom. I have been working on removing 3 layers of wallpaper border. Tomorrow we are going to sand and paint the room, and this weekend Erik is going to put flooring in there too.

This whole process has been frustrating because whenever you think you're almost done, something goes wrong, and inevitably one of us has to make a trip to Lowe's or the paint store . . . a lot of wasted time. Plus, as soon as we redo one room and see how nice it is, we end up finding other things to put on our list. We still have a bathroom to do, but that can wait until later in the summer.

So, we will be spending the next few days working like crazy, so that when we return from visiting family in NC, we can come home and just CHILL. I have no idea what that feels like. It does NOT feel like summer vacation. We are SO tired. But it does look like we have a whole new house.

Of course, in the middle of all of this, Mr. Alex is cutting another tooth. LOTS of fun. His newest skill is pointing, and he likes to point at random things he sees, especially other babies. We think he is getting closer and closer to talking. He does say "mama" and "dada" but not necessarily with meaning. OH! Another skill -- dropping things. He has a lovely time dropping Cheerios off of his tray at mealtimes for the dogs. It's so funny, he picks up one Cheerio at a time, and very deliberately leans over the edge of his seat and drops it. NOT funny tonight when we were out to dinner -- there were no dogs there to clean it up. Also NOT funny when he drops his washcloth out of the bathtub and STANDS UP in the tub and tries to lean over and pick it up, almost falling out!

Okay, that was a LOT of rambling. PLEASE share the love and leave me a happy comment to take me away from this misery . . .

Tired of life on Boomerang Drive at the moment . . .

-- Holly

Water Baby

Alexander has been enjoying some fun in the sun lately. Last week, he visited his friend Caleb, who is 10 months old. The babies had fun playing out back in Caleb's baby pool. This was Alex's first time in a baby pool, and he wasn't scared at all. In fact, he crawled around in it and played just like he was in his bathtub at home.

Then, on Sunday, we visited the Schlossers' house. They just got their new inground pool put in. We all had a great time hanging out by the pool on a very hot, muggy day. Alex wasn't sure about what to think of the pool, so he was very serious while he was in the water. Sometimes he got scared when his dad would make splashes or go under the water. But we think he had fun, and I'm sure as he gets more comfortable he will love spending the summer at the pool.
Finally, last night Alex had his first Aquababies class! We practiced floating on a kickboard, kicking, splashing, and other ways to move and play in the water. He LOVED it! At some points, he would squeal with delight and clap his hands high in the air. He was splashing around in the water and having a blast. None of the other babies seemed as happy as he was, and none were splashing and playing like he was. We are excited to go back next Monday!

And that's what's up on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly

Off and Running

Well, Alex is not "off and running" per say, but it's coming soon! He is able to pull himself up to a standing position very easily now. He is actually not very interested in his toys at the moment, but would rather practice his standing skills! He likes to visit whoever is sitting on the couch (usually Lucy). He has a lion toy that you stand and walk behind, and he has started doing that a little bit. Before you know it, he'll be all over the place! Keep checking in for future posts about his checkup with the doctor (this Wednesday) and "Aquababies" (his baby swim class!) which starts next Monday!

I was "off and running" yesterday in my first race! I ran in the Red Rose Run in Lancaster city, which was a 5-mile race. I came in 794th, I think, of 1,026 people. I beat about 150 or so women, and 100 men. It took me 49 minutes and 57 seconds. I can run a little faster than that usually, but this race included some hills I wasn't really prepared for, plus it was very humid! I was just impressed that I didn't have to stop for any walking breaks, like some people did, or throw up after the race, as I saw 2 people doing! I loved running, felt very alive and challenged, and can't wait to do another race. I am planning on doing another 5-mile race in July, and training for a half marathon (13.1 miles) in October.

So that's what's up on Boomerang Drive this week!

-- Holly