Pull Up A Chair

Our kitchen table and chairs have seen better days, so I thought I would try and breath some new life into them by recovering the chair cushions. 

With some help from my mom, we got a staple gun and picked out some new fabric. 

(Thanks, Mom for talking me out of the purple print!)
It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be and made the dining room feel much cheerier.

Before:

After:

It's amazing how much better the chairs look with a fresh new pattern! Yay! I may be tempted to change the fabric every season...

I sent a picture to Cole, and he said, "the chairs look good, but maybe we should just get a new table?"

Soooooo.... he likes them?

We had a good time while my mom/Grace's grandma was visiting, and we can't wait until we get to see her again! (We even got the garage organized, so I can park the truck inside the garage!)

In other (good) news, Grace learned how to pull herself up and crawl! Her crawling is a little jerky and more like a bear crawl, but she manages to get around. She also stands in her crib crying when I put her to bed. How sad!

 I am one proud mama!

Love You, Papa

Papa (Ken Alexander) died yesterday after a long battle with cancer and pulmonary emphysema. 

He was an incredible man who helped raise nine amazing children. 

He had oodles of grandchildren and great grandchildren who adored him. 

I am happy he is no longer suffering. He was tired. 

Papa was elected as the Justice Court Judge twice and Sheriff of Sierra County. What a legacy he leaves behind!

He was a gold-hearted cowboy.

He did Cole and I the honor of performing our wedding ceremony. 

He was married to my grandma for 62 years. 

I will always remember him for his great sense of humor and his love for dessert. He would let Jennifer and I play with the kittens in his barn and sing to the cows. We loved seeing the newborn baby calves. We would give them all names, and Papa would remind us that one day these cows would be hamburgers in our freezers. (Sad, but true!)

When we would stay the night at Grandma and Papa's house, my sister and I would be afraid to go into their room at night because it sounded like there was a monster inside. (It was Papa snoring!)

He will be missed and always loved. 

We Might Just Melt Into The Atlantic Ocean

We had a great time camping*. 

*If you can call staying in a 27 foot trailer with all the amenities while your uncles cook for you camping.

Grace enjoyed meeting a bunch of her relatives, playing in a creek with her second cousins and snuggling with mama at night. 

Her meaty thighs were untouched by the mosquitos. 

"What is this place, Mama? Are we in the outdoors?"

She barely fit in the kitchen sink in the trailer (also known as Grace's Castle)!

Each morning around 4, I would bring her into bed with me and she would snuggle up under the blankets!

Then my mom, Grace and I raced home, cleaned up, packed and drugged Griffin. The next morning we flew back to sweltering melting sticky hot North Carolina. 

UGH! It is hot!

Grace's curls are back and the AC in ON!

Griffin is recovering from his jet lag/hangover and learning to use his new doggie door.  

My mom is helping me organize the garage and reupholster the dining room chairs. 

(Yeah, I know I really know how to show my guests a good time!)

Stay cool everyone.

Hoping For A Happy Camper

Grace and I are having a wonderful time in California. (Even though it has been hot!)

We visited both of her great grandparents and drove down to see her Auntie Marilyn in southern California.

 

Jessica and James came to Loyalton and then Auburn for a visit!

We also went swimming....

...and shopping!

Grace turned 8 months old on July 8th. 

WOOHOO!

(I need to start thinking about planning her first birthday party! Oh what fun!)

She's also practicing her walking (her legs are strong, but she has no balance) and working on crawling. 

 She's a pro at rolling!

Her first two bottom teeth are even coming in without too much fanfare! 

I swear, if we ever have another baby, they will have a lot to live up to because Grace is SUCH an easy going and good natured girl!

Now we're preparing for one more adventure before we fly home- 

CAMPING!

My mom is the oldest of 9 (NINE!) siblings, and every year they try and get the whole extended family together for a summer camping trip. This is this picture from 2011:

What a rowdy looking bunch! ;)

 I've been working on compiling the 2012 Alexander Family Almanac, which includes a yearly update from each family. It's nice because we can catch up with what's going on in everyone's life and and we're not trying to type it up during the busy holiday season when most people send out cards/family newsletters. 

(Shout out to my cousins, who put this together previous years!)

 Wish us luck! 

Here's hoping Grace's meaty thighs don't get eaten by mosquitos and she waits at least one more week before she figures out how to crawl!

P.S. Just a few more months and Cole should be home! XOXO.

Anniversaries Are Like Birthdays (They Happen Once a Year)

8 years ago today I was running late for my own wedding. 

(Cole won't let me ever live that down, but I've since tried to be more punctual.)

Over the past 8 years Cole and I have:

moved 9 times

ate Thanksgiving at Subway
got a dog

gave that dog away

graduated from college 

bought a car

bought a jeep
got another dog
bought a truck
bought a house
had a baby...

...and fell in love with each other all over again.


Happy anniversary to my husband, my best friend and my hero.