The Big Helper

I'm such a good helper. Last weekend I helped Daddy mow the grass.



I also helped Mommy vacuum the floor.

I moved the entry mat out of the way so I could vacuum underneath and moved the shoes aside to get under them.

Finally, I changed the cloth on the sweeper because it was so dirty.

What would Mommy and Daddy do without me?

Aunt Kari

Aunt Kari came to visit last week. Unfortunately it was rainy and cold while she was here, but she didn't seem to mind because it was in the 90's down in Arizona where she lives.

We did get lucky for part of one day when it seemed like it was going to be sunny and warm, so we headed to the Seattle Center. We got to eat lunch by the big fountain.

But, it started getting cloudy and cold again, so we headed inside the Pacific Science Center. We got to see all kinds of cool things like butterflies.

Can you tell what I'm petting in this picture?

It's a Madagascar Hissing Cockroach.

We played lots of cool music.

And Aunt Kari and I took a ride in a fire engine. Aunt Kari thought it was a tight squeeze for her.

There was also a tide pool with little sea creatures that I actually got to touch!

It's hard to tell in this picture, but I'm putting a hermit crab in Aunt Kari's hand.

We saw dinosaurs that actually moved!

And I got to play in a space shuttle.

Right before we left I got play with these orange and white cones. I love to point out cones on the road that the workermen are using, but I never get to see them up close.

So it was a real treat to set them up perfectly in the squares,

and then hop around them.

We caught another break on Aunt Kari's last day here just before we took her to the airport. The sun peeked out for a bit and we headed to the park near our house.

Aunt Kari and Mommy tried to relive their younger days by swinging across the monkey bars. Aunt Kari actually made it all the way. Mommy is a whimp and could only grab two bars. Either way, they both looked hilarious.

And did you know an alligator lives near the park??? Can you spot it in the picture?

It was such a bummer when Aunt Kari left. I got used to her playing with me all day long. (I think Mommy did too.) Hopefully I'll see her again this summer, when the sun will actually be out all day long.

Sunny Days

Last weekend was actually hot and sunny. Awesome! I love it when the sun is out. Daddy opened up my sandbox and played with me. He filled it up with water and made a big swimming pool and river.

I had a nice little perch to sit on and soak my feet in the swimming pool.

After awhile I took over the refilling duties.

My bum got a little dirty from sitting on the edge of the pool.

So I asked Mommy if I could wear my swimming shorts. That's when the fun splashing and swimming really started.

This is my trademark alligator move that I mastered in my pool last summer.

And just in case you were wondering who I am, read below. That's me. T-Y. I spelled that all by myself with Mommy's weights.

Finally Done!

The tile is done and our kitchen is complete. It's a honed marble. Everything was cut down from 12x12 tiles (except for the mosaic and medallions). It was an incredible amount of cutting. Look at the lines of the inside corner by the window below.


Here are some before and after shots. The before shots were taken when we first inspected the house. Obviously some things were changed out immediately.


We enlarged the island to give us more space


We replaced all the fixtures and added gas for the stove before we moved in.


There was a two foot long birds nest in the vent hood with some dead babies that made a foul smell.



When we resided the house and replaced the windows, we shrunk the size of the window on the left to allow for a new upper cabinet.


Now a year later we finally have the cabinet in that spot. We also added a desk for crafts and playdoh.

The one inch tall base was fully replaced.



Every piece of window trim in the whole house had to be primed with two coats and painted.


Next project: moving?

Countertops

Mommy had to do dishes in my bathtub. After my bath I found spaghetti between my toes and a piece of lettuce behind my ear. Daddy says I smell tasty.


We painted the kitchen walls to prepare for the new counters and tile. Daddy didn't do very good. He missed the whole bottom of the wall.


Mommy was really excited for the granite installers. They were scheduled to arrive between 2:00 and 4:00.

At 5:00 we gave up waiting and called off our cabinet installer for the next day. But wait... at 6:30 they showed up ready to install. They had been working solid since 7:00 in the morning on other jobs. They earned their money that day.

Finally our first piece of counter top.


Mommy got a new undermount sink too. She's very excited.


Here's the granite in the late evening light. Scroll down to see what it looks like during the day.


Wow! They finally finished at 9:32.



Now for our tile.