The Christmas Lights Go Up & Some House Changes...

We apparently love to have projects going in our house because it is always something. We completely admit that we bring it all on ourselves, but we are once again doing some little improvements to the house. Brad is in the process of building our fireplace surround. He has the structure built as you can see in the picture and also has the electric firplace installed. The next step is getting the built-in cabinets installed on each side and then Brad will finish with putting stone on the structure. We hope to have it finished by Christmas. Also, my sister Shelly and brother-in-law Jason came to visit for the weekend. Jason was gracious enough to paint the kitchen. I have not been in love with the color since we moved in. I am much happier with the new, brighter kitchen. Jason did a great job painting. It was a busy house this weekend with the addition of two more kids running around, but we had a good and productive time.

Brad also worked last Sunday afternoon getting the Christmas lights up on the outside of the house. I watched (frightened on the ground) as he dangled on the roof. Fortunately, there was no injuries and the lights are up and working.

Ava is 13 Months Old

Ava, at 13 months old, is now officially able to stand on her own without holding on to anything. She has even taken a few side steps all by herself, so we are thinking she will be walking soon. She is so proud of herself when she is standing. We started clapping for her when she'd stand, so now she claps for herself. It is so hard to believe she is almost walking already!

So Curious....

Ava spends a lot of time lately watching and playing with household objects. For instance, doors are an obsession. She loves to open and "almost" close them over and over. She has learned that if she shuts them hard, she can't get them back open and the playing ends. So, she pushes them to nearly closed, and then reaches her fingers in the crack and pries it back open. She also loves to watch the bath water run. She has a lot of babble that goes along with this activity, although we are not sure what it is that she is saying. She loves to talk very loudly in the tub and listen to her voice echo. We are thinking maybe a future public speaker???