Sawzall.

If you don't know what that is, consider yourself lucky. A sawzall is a small saw-ish tool that supposedly can cut through anything. Including the part of the kitchen cabinets we're removing. It's not a pretty sight or sound. It provides a reality check for what we're about to do: Turn our kitchen into a construction zone. A messy, dirty (de)construction zone. I'm still not sure I'm prepared for this.

The upside is that we received our new sink from FedEx today. It's a beaut. I can't wait to rip the nasty old maroon one out. We won't even wash dishes in that sink because it's so disgusting. The new back door is all but ordered. We've decided on a lovely fiber glass door. Cheaper than wood, looks better than steal. The best of both worlds perhaps. Next up: A new faucet tomorrow. The construction officially begins on Monday.

Wine and Waves

After several "takes" we finally got a good picture... See below.

Turns out that riding bikes and tasting wine is 1) fun and 2) tiring. We rode 25 miles this day and tasted at five wineries. I was tired and tipsy most of the day. We rode all around the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County. It was gorgeous!

Our lovely home for two days. We have some interesting stories from other guests.

These photos from our trip to California in early October are a tad bit late to arrive to the blog. It's been a crazy couple of months. We did have a nice time though. And, very surprisingly, we haven't had a drop of the 12 bottles of wine we brought home. That will probably change soon (between the terrible twos and the kitchen remodel, that is)!

Life in Shambles

A bit dramatic, yes? The kitchen is officially in shambles. Nate is waiting until next week to tear out the stove. When that happens, we'll really be screwed. Right now we have dust on the floors and doors off the cabinets. All will be torn apart.

Our contractor sent us the final estimate today. YIKES! Word to the wise: Don't add and add and add to your wish list with your contractor and expect the number to be small. We're going to go forward, knowing that we'll be all but broke for the foreseeable future. It will all be worth it in the end. It will all be worth it in the end. It WILL ALL BE WORTH IT IN THE END!

The countertops are ordered. The sink and over-the-sink-light is on its way. We'll buy the faucet this weekend. All that we have left to pick out are tiles and paint. Hopefully that means that the weekend shopping sprees are over. Who knew that re-doing a kitchen would be all-consuming? Not I, I say. Not I.

I Miss Fall!

Abrazos y Besos

Benny has never been too keen on giving hugs and kisses. He would reluctantly dole out kisses at bedtime, but otherwise, this type of cuddling and physical contact was limited. Until... Until the ladies at daycare taught Benny how to say "kiss" in Spanish. Now if we ask for a besos, Benny gives us several. I think I got 20 besos yesterday. A record for sure.

Since Benny seemed more open to Spanish kisses, I thought he may be partial to Spanish hugs too. When we were at my parents' this weekend, I asked my brother for the word for "hug." Now Benny is happy to give up an abrazos no matter what he's doing.

The really funny thing about all of this is that Benny is just now getting into saying goodbye to people. But, he's more likely to say "arrivederci" than the English counterpart.

Zee Kitchen (Before)

Update: The appliances arrived yesterday. We found out that the dishwasher was "wood-floored in," meaning that when the previous owners installed the wood floors, they didn't bother to move the dishwasher out of the way. So, everything but the refridgerator are in the basement. We're looking at a post-Thanksgiving start date. Hurrah!

Terrible Twos (and Three Months)

Holy moly! Benjamin Jasper Brown has officially entered the terrible twos. He started in on the massive tantrums after we returned from California and hasn't really stopped since. He now says, "I want a timeout," and runs in his room and sits in his time out chair. Guess that strategy isn't the most effective.

His teachers at school also mentioned that he's started to say "no" to many of their requests. Great. He's doing it at school now too. This from the boy who has been extremely good at school. "Benny always has a good day," they say.

In more positive news, Benny now says that he's "two and three months" when asked. I have no idea where he learned that, but it's pretty freaking cute. He can also correctly identify his right hand, left hand, right foot, left foot, and on and on and on. He jumps with two feet and climbs many things (including his changing table).

So, I guess these are the growing pains we need to get through for the next few months or years. Little stinker.

Denver Half-Marathon

A few weeks ago, I ran the Denver Half-Marathon with my friend, Jen. Lovely day. Lovely course. So glad to be finished with those long runs for the time being!

Kitchen Remodel, Phase 1

We spent a small fortune on new appliances this weekend. Phase 1 of the kitchen remodel is now complete.

We'll be replacing the appliances, obviously. Removing a partial wall. Removing the 70-year-old wall oven. Putting in a "bar" area. Painting. Re-tiling. New countertopping. New light-fixturing.

It's going to be intense!

Happy Halloween!

Daddy, Dumbo, and Mommy. Halloween 2009.



Benny loved carving the pumpkin. He liked eating it too!



Best buds: Benny and Toby, the flying monkey!