Could we fit more stuff in one week?

So, the week before Abigail's birthday, all of our renovation projects came crashing down upon us at once. We hired the same company to do install engineered hardwoods downstairs and new tile upstairs in our master bathroom. We also planned to have our roof replaced after some hail damage. Thanks to the weather and everyone's schedule, they all showed up at once. The first day, it was just he wood flooring guys...then the next day the roofers arrived just in time for Katherine's nap...and just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the tile guys showed up. Luckily that was the worst day....but it was the loudest and craziest 4 days. The results are beautiful though...well worth the trouble.

Ketchup

Ok, so clearly, I have some ketchin' up to do....

We have had a very busy fall...I just don't know where the time has gone.

For Halloween, we went to the fair at Abigail and Katherine's preschool. It was packed with families. I guess everyone wanted to jump in the bounce houses, ride the train and try to win the cake walk. We had a good time, but the girls had the best time trick or treating with their best friends Kayla and Meghan.

Abigail chose to be a vet, and of course, her favorite bear Snowball, was in tow for the night. And Katherine chose Pocahontas. It would have been a perfect evening had it not been for the over excited toddler who fell in the street 3 times, scraping her knees terribly. It's just so hard NOT to run!

Tomorrow...remodeling (in preparation to put our house on the market).

Sorry I've been MIA....

Sorry it's been so long since my last post. Somehow the end of the summer and beginning of school made life in the Martin household a little overwhelming. So here's a quick recap. Both girls started preschool in August. I was so impressed how great Katherine did. This was her first day of any kind of school program, and she didn't shed a tear. They were so excited about their first day, they were holding hands and skipping. But before then, we did lots of playing this summer with friends and family. We do a lot with MOMS Club, and of course we try to see Jackson and Mason (Brooke's boys) as often as possible. Here they are after raiding the dress up box. The boys love all the princess stuff, but they complain about the lack of boy dress up in the Martin home. Sorry boys....

Another big milestone in our home was the introduction of Snowball #2. As you can see, the original Snowball has been so well-loved by Abigail that he/she (gender changes regularly) is hardly recognizable. Ouiser found #2 on Ebay and gave it to Abigail in the hopes she would relinquish #1. And you would have thought we were reinacting Sophie's Choice.... Poor, sweet Abigail couldn't speak...she just started crying. The thought of relinquishing #1 was just too painful. Needless to say, they are both living with us.

We also did our fair share of swimming this summer. And while they love swimming in the inflatable in our backyard, we had a great time going to Noah's Ark. It's a huge splashpad and pool that is open to the public. Katherine is off sliding down a slide somewhere. Just like in our backyard, that's all she does. Climb up, slide down, squeal with glee, get up, walk back to stairs, climb up again... over and over and over.... It's equal part hi-larious and equal part cute.

And while I don't have a big story for this photo, I just had to include it. Not only is this a quintesential Katherine face...but the shoes. She's a shoe horse. Loves them all. The fancier the better. Fit is unimportant...as you can clearly see. We were trying on closed toed shoes to wear to school, and she reached over for a pair of size 9 black pumps with 3 inch heels. I think they look good with her Finding Nemo custom dress. :)

Of course what this picture really demonstrates is my inability to keep my 2 yr old on task while trying on shoes. That...and...my friend Robyne's phone takes really good pictures. :)

That's what we did...check back soon for Abigail's birthday...Halloween...new roof...new floors and so much more. :)