Nicholas's Big Day

Well... today was a major milestone in Nicholas's life. He had his first haircut, and as you can see from this "before" shot, he needed one badly! We just could not tame it any longer. And, of course, he was such a brave little guy! All morning, we wondered how it would go, and agreed that it could've gone either way.

He sat all by himself in the chair and never moved. I think he actually liked it! The hairdresser used the electric clippers, and the vibration almost put him to sleep. We were so proud of him.

He looks like such a little boy now - no more baby. It's a good thing I was in charge of taking pictures, because otherwise I would have been in tears.

After our haircut, we went out to lunch at Red Robin. What a great restaurant to take a little kid - there is so much going on in that place! Between the neon lights, moving airplane hanging from the ceiling, and balloons to play with - there was no way this could fail! We ordered him his own meal off of the kids' menu, and he pretty much ate the whole thing. I swear, this kid can eat as much as I can, and lately, he can't get enough food. He must be going through a growth spurt. Oh well, no matter how hard I wish for him to stop - he just keeps on growing up...

Are we there yet?

What a week. Lots of changes on the house. We are looking to get our final inspection by the end of the week. It looks great, and we are BEYOND ready to be done with this. Seriously... enough already. Here are the latest pictures.

tray ceiling in master bedroom
(we have electricity!)

carpet in master bedroom

Vanity in master bathFlooring in living room82 Michael Drive Before......and after

So... we're just about there. Finally. Nicholas is doing well, and staying healthy, thank goodness. Although, I can't imagine how, considering the fact that sleep has become a luxury around here lately. For some reason, out of nowhere, Nicholas has little to no interest in sleep, and is up most of the night. We are completely exhausted. Right now, we're blaming it on teeth, but who knows. All I know is... whatever it is, I hope it doesn't last. And on that note... I'm off to bed.

The Home Stretch

Finally... we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This SHOULD be it - our last week of construction. Primer, moulding, interior doors, electricity, heat, flooring, plumbing - all should be done by this time next week. Man... it's going to be hard to hold my breath for that long.

I ran around taking progress pictures tonight- in the dark. The quality, therefore, is not the best, but I think you can get the gist.

Tile at new living room slider

Tile in new master bath

master bedroom (looking into bedroom area)

master bedroom (looking into seating area)

Don't try this at home...

Oh boy... I just heard my mother scream, "Oh my God!"
To be fair... he does climb ladders for a living.

This is totally unrelated, but I am fully aware of the fact that most people check the blog just to see pictures of the monkey. Here's our latest video - Nicholas the cook!

Our Crazy Life

Things are so nuts around here - if we don't laugh... we'll cry. The sheetrock is up, and we are on coat 2 of joint compound. This is progress. BUT, as I arrived home from work each day last week to the MESS, it didn't always feel like progress. The days went like this - Todd tried to keep Nicholas from stepping in or putting his hand into the wet joint compound all day, then Nicholas would go to my parents' or his parents' house while Todd went to work. I would come home, vacuum and mop the floors and try to find the kitchen from underneath the 1/2 inch layer of sheetrock dust. Every night, as I was cleaning, I would sing that Daughtry song to myself... "Be careful what you wish for... 'cause you just might get it all - and then some you don't want." (I'm thinking Chris Daughtry must have put an addition onto his house at some point.) Anyway, then I'd go get the boy, eat dinner, give him a bath, put him to bed and crash. Then... we'd do it all over again the next day! This project needs to end- soon. Oh, and Todd and I need to give MAJOR props to our parents. I don't know how we would be getting through this without their help. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

But let's not dwell on the negative here - lots of things are getting done. We got garage doors, which look great. (Of couse, we can't use them, though, because there's no elecricity in the addition yet.) The central vacuuming system is in and usable - and AWESOME! I am loving that. And, the subfloors are in and ready for tile. This week should be a productive one - walls should be done, we should get heat (yipee!), and walls should get primed. Then, we should be close to done. Say a little prayer that everything goes as planned. I know these pictures aren't the best, but they're all I had - I will take some more this week.

Nicholas is doing great - making us laugh and keeping us VERY busy! We have become the "No!" house, unfortunately. There is so much that he can't touch around here right now. It's been tough. He is busy busy busy. He is saying daddy, kitty, Tigua, cookie, binky, and some version of thank you. And, I am sorry to report - I think he's starting to say no. Ugh. And yes... you read the list right - Mommy is not on it. Grrr.....

Anyway, like I said last time, it's really hard to get a picture of him lately, so here is a funny video from a couple weeks ago. This is Nicholas running around the living room in his jammies with a bucket on his head, screaming at the top of his lungs. We are so proud...

Christmas With The Cutlers

Well... I cannot believe that the holidays are over. I have been terrible about posting pictures lately, but I do have an excuse. Nicholas will not stand still long enough for me to get a decent picture! I had nothing on my camera, so I borrowed my dad's today. He apparently has much better luck.

Considering all of the moving around and change in routine over the holidays, I'd say he handled it very well. He even sat on Santa's lap - only for a second or two, but at least he didn't cry! He couldn't take his eyes off of him. He wasn't sure what to think. It was hilarious!

The holidays were crazy, but really great. We certainly made the rounds, and saw pretty much everyone we know and love, which was so nice. Nicholas was absolutely showered with gifts. He is loving all of his new toys, and I'm pretty sure I can put him in a new outfit every day until June! What a lucky kid.

It's been so nice having time with him this week - it makes me not want to go back next week! He is so busy, and into everything! He's also starting to talk a lot lately. He has lots of words now, and understands almost everything we say. He's growing up way too fast.

The house has been a bit of a frustration lately. Things are moving pretty slowly right now, and we are getting really anxious. We are DONE with the mess and the plastic hanging all over the house. Hopefully we are looking at only a few more weeks. We're keeping our fingers crossed. We did get sheetrock this week, but they're not coming back to tape it until next week. And what a MESS!!! I can only imagine what it will be like in here after they sand it. Ugh... I'm just trying to keep my eyes on the finish line here, but it's not easy.

Thank you to everyone for all of your well wishes and holiday gifts. We are so lucky to have such wonderful friends and family. Happy 2010!