Fireplaces and Jammies

Right now Collin is in Denver participating in the 911 Stair Climb....his knee has been bothering him so I am hoping that he makes the climb without problems...He was also interviewed for the local paper and there is a really nice article about him and the other guys from Cheyenne that go to the 911 Stair Climb in Denver every year........

Jammie's....Dylan is so cute in his new Jammie's....all summer he wore only shorts to bed since it has been so warm....but a couple of nights ago we started putting him in his new Jammie's since it has cooled down enough at night to wear them........his Nain got him two new pair of Jammie's....they are so cute on him.....I am going to pick up 3 or 4 more pair for the winter....he loves them.....Dylan is also putting so many words together and has decided that he likes food again which is a relief for us......he is so much fun...and today I am off so we are going to spend the whole day together...

Projects....well the house is going to be pretty much a disaster zone starting tomorrow for the next 3 weeks or so.....so here are the projects....some are more exciting than others

The family room is getting a face lift....a new fireplace...ceiling is being torn out and we are installing can lights and fans and new trim....and then finally a new paint job....the sheet rock alone will create a lot of dust and mess but I think we will really enjoy it and it will finish out the room nicely...

Our bedroom is getting several windows ripped out and 2 new windows installed...right now the headboard sits against windows....it looks kind of dumb so ripping out the windows behind the headboard and installing one on each side of the headboard should look nice....we are also getting a french door in our bedroom it is replacing the old patio door.....this was not a planned part of the bedroom but there was a mistake on one of our new construction homes so we are getting a pretty pricey french door pretty reasonable and the old one really needed to be replaced anyways......of course more sheet rock work so lots of dust and mess and then we will need to paint once the bedroom project is done....

We are also getting several plumbing and roofing repairs taken care of.....our plumber is adding a couple of outdoor faucets to make it easier for watering...he is re installing a heater we have in our shop and adding some safety shut offs and thermostat features so that it will be more economical and the dogs and mooks will love it in the winter....the big plumbing improvements are that they are installing washer and dryer hookups in one of our master bedroom closets...it will be so nice that we don't have to go downstairs to do laundry any more...of course we will still keep the 2nd washer and dryer in the lower level....they are also going to disconnect the gas line at our gas fireplace in the front living room.....we are going to turn that back into a wood burning fireplace....this was a huge compromise for the Moody family....Collin hated the gas fireplace in the front room because it offered no real heat and was pretty much just for looks and cost money with no real return except for my personal enjoyment....I loved it well because I liked the way it looked and loved the ease of having a fire with a push of a button.....so the compromise was that we would turn the front fireplace back into a wood burning fireplace....so a true heat source at little to no cost and I would still have a pretty fireplace to look at...but we also agreed to install the gas fireplace in the family room so at a flip of a switch I will have pretty fire....the good news is the fireplace that we picked is actually a furnace rated unit ...so it is designed to put out some serious heat and was pretty darn efficient...it will be the primary heat source in the family room and is actually thermostatically controlled.....there is a old gas heater on the side of the family room that was put in to heat the room...it is old and kind of dangerous with a little one....it also looked out of place since the family room had a different heat source....so need less to say I am very excited....we have known that we have wanted to do these improvements since we have moved in so it is nice to be able to get them done and cross them off the list.....

Today....Dylan and I are going to head down to the farmers market and then head over to the park....Collin should be home sometime this afternoon so we are hoping to have a relaxing evening and BBQ this evening and burn a fire out on the patio tonight.....

Updates

Lets see life have been good...busy but good....business is good...Dylan is oh so wonderful....talking so much....though I can't always understand what he is saying... he is talking all the time......he is such a special little man that I just can't get enough of him.....we are fairly relaxed parents ...so far it seems to be working......but I guess I am waiting for the back lash of bad baby behavior....if it comes I guess we will adjust at that time....for the most part we enjoy his art and attempts at manipulation.....I must say though when we do get serious and put our foot down he usually falls in place with what we are asking ....it is amazing to watch him carve out his place in our family and the world......to watch him grow and become his own unique little person...with likes and dislikes...with little quirks....and his very own concerns....most days we don't sweat the small stuff...perhaps a blessing of being a older parent.....I guess only time will tell.............

So we got our new bedroom set....and we are really enjoying it so much...have bought a couple extra wall sconces that hold candles.....the windows should be done here in the next 2 weeks or so...then we will pick out window coverings....paint and call it good

Last week we attended a benefit auction for one of Collin's good friends.....I am glad that I have been so busy...it allowed us to be the winning bid on a autographed baseball bat from one of the star players of the Rockies...we are super excited to be able to get it for Dylan....we also managed to be the high bid on a 2 night getaway to Estes Park...at what looked like super luxury accommodations.......

Family is here for the weekend...Grandpa Moody got in yesterday....we headed to Fort Collin's today to pick out a new fire place for the family room....get me a much needed purse at the outlet store....pick up some new Lego's for Dylan at Toys R Us and rounded out the day with lunch at 5 guys burgers........yummy good and took Dylan to go play at a Jump House Play Ground...where he jumped, jumped, ran, climbed and jumped some more......for a good hour and a half....little boys and their energy....right now he is still running, jumping, climbing and jumping some more......Dylan seems to have boundless energy........

Tomorrow Aunt Carol and Uncle Herb should be arriving in the late afternoon.....we are planning a Saturday afternoon BBQ for friends and family.....Collin and his Dad are going to the opening college football game for the Wyoming Cowboys on Saturday night....a colleague of mine has pretty good season tickets and offered us her tickets for the game....only 2 so we thought it would be nice if we made it a father and son night....Monday we are thinking about heading up to Estes Park....and I believe I am going to be taking the whole weekend off....I have to work about a 1/2 day tomorrow....otherwise I should have the whole weekend off.....I am really looking forward to the time off with family..... well with that until next time