House Projects

We have been very busy over the last couple weeks. We had wallpaper in our hallway, dining room, and kitchen that we had lived with for 4 years and were finally tired of. So over the course of the last 2 weeks we have torn all the wallpaper down and painted those three rooms. We even ended up painting the cabinets but not intentionally. I decided to touch up a few spots that were chipping and it ended up being the wrong paint-just a shade off! So in the process we ended up having to repaint the cabinets too. We also got new dining room furniture. It's been a busy and tiring couple of weeks but it looks so nice and it's finally done! It's almost like a completely different house. If I get some pictures taken soon, I'll post them for you all to see what that part of the house looks like now.

In the midst of our work, we did take a break on Monday night to go to a Pirates game with friends. We had a great time even though the Pirates got slaughtered by the Cubs (Jen was thrilled!). I'll try to get the pictures from that up soon too!

PNC Park is a gorgeous stadium! The view of the river and the city from inside the park is tremendous. It was so neat to see at night!

Family Cookout

This past Sunday we went to my Aunt Judy's for a cookout. My grandfather and Janet were up from Florida visiting so Aunt Judy planned a family get together so everyone could see them. There were lots of people there-our immediate family, Aunt Sharon and Landy's family, Uncle David and Carrie, and the kids, Aunt Judy and Sandy, and Pap and Janet. It was a beautiful day so we enjoyed the weather and the company. We had an excellent meal and dessert too, of course. This was the first time Alex really got a chance to play with her two cousins-Tayla and Aspyn (my cousin Whitney's girls). They had a great time together! The hot tub was open so we decided to put Alex in with my cousins-Jesse, Nick, and Katie. She had a blast floating in the water with them. It was so nice to be with everyone since it seems it's such a rare occurence anymore. Everyone's lives are so busy and we are so spread out but it's nice to find time every so often to share memories together.

Trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo

Well, it's been a while since I last updated this so here it goes. Last Monday night Alex and I went with my mom and dad to Pittsburgh for a few days. Dad and I were going to a conference for work so mom and Alex hung out with my Aunt Sharon. On Tuesday while we were sitting in a conference all day (trying to have fun) mom and Aunt Sharon took Alex to the Pittsburgh Zoo. This was her first trip to the zoo and they said she had a blast. She enjoyed seeing all the animals (the fish were her favorite); however, she really had a great time watching all the kids there running around. I think they all had a great time! And of course, her grandma had to buy her a souvineir sweatshirt. Alex discovered this wooden dog that she absolutely fell in love with. She insisted on carrying it around even though it was way too heavy. It kept pulling her down but she picked it up and kept on going. She was even giving it kisses.

We had a really nice time visiting with Aunt Sharon and Landy and the conference was worth the trip too.

Swimming

Our neighbor up the street has an in-ground pool that Alex loves to go to. Now that I'm done with my clinical work and am home we have more time to go. She and I went Friday morning and then we went with daddy, Uncle Rob, and Aunt Susan on Saturday evening. She had a great time splashing and playing in the water. She loves to be held on her belly so she can kick her legs and swing her arms. I think we will need to think about signing her up for swim lessons since she loves the water so much. After swimming Saturday evening we all came back to our house and hung out for a while. It was a nice evening. Alex always enjoys spending time with Rob and Susan-she thinks they are a lot of fun!