Minnie Winnie Remodel

If I had been really smart, I would have take awesome before and after type photos. But, we were just really ready to start ripping stuff up....So we mostly just have after photos. You can take a look at what it looked like in our Spring Break 2014 Posts if you need a comparison.

Our new back splashed step. All these steps were carpeted. As you can imagine, one day of camping and these things were trashed.

Notice all the nice hardwood laminate too! :)

The couch just has a fitted sheet over it, but you can see my curtains  (I made all of them) and my mattresses and new dinette cushions.

Up on the bunk, there are two long green mattresses. They're stacked onto of each other in this picture but  that little drawer pulls out and then the mattresses can be side by side.

New dinette cushions and curtains

A better view of my mattresses (that I also made!) and curtains for the bunk. 

Here's a decent 'Before and After' Pic:

Notice gross couch, disgusting carpet, tacky window coverings and nasty wallpaper.

NEW!

Into our bedroom

Behind the couch

Bedroom

Bedroom, again.

Bathroom. We just put new floor and painted the walls in here.

A view from our bedroom looking into the living area.

Front door. 

Boys' School Pictures

We got the boy's school pictures back last week. They look so much better than last year! Ha! I'll post Vivi's once I get hers back. Also, I'll have to post Clay's soccer pictures. We sent them back because they said "CLAYTGON 2014" on them. So that was super.

Carter 2nd Grade

Clay 1st grade

Halloween 2014

It was super cold this year. Normally, it starts to cool off around Halloween but this year a cold front moved in and it was super chilly! Luckily we didn't have too many Halloween activities during the week so that we were burnt out on Halloween before it showed up. We had the AWANA fall festival the day before where Cory and I volunteered and then went trick or treating on Friday. The kids all picked out their costumes a few weeks back and luckily still wanted to be those same characters by the time Halloween rolled around.

Carter just finished the first Harry Potter book so he was very excited to be Ron Weasley. Although, he was a little frustrated that everyone assumed he was Harry. He kept saying, "Mom, don't they see my red hair? Ron has red hair like me so they should know that I'm Ron!"

Vivi was determined to be Optimus Prime. She's quite the tomboy and girly things are not 'cool' in her book. Really? Why must my only daughter do this to me?

Clay had been wanting to be Boba Fett (Or Jango) for awhile now and so he was perfectly content with his costume as well.

Cory and our friend Darren took the kids around while me and Darren's wife (also named Cory; I know, very confusing) handed out candy and tried to stay warm...with what we dubbed as 'not coffee'.

After trick or treating all the kids (including our friends') came over, dumped out candy and traded and talked about their loot. We then put Ghost Busters on until late into the evening.

Our Jack Skellington and one 'regular' jack o lantern

End of the Year Cub Scout Campout

This weekend was the end of the year campout. The boys (and families) go up to Tehachapi and tell corny jokes, scary stories and get to 'cross over' to the next level of cub scouts. Carter has been a tiger cub all year and is now a wolf cub! He's pretty excited and most of his little tiger friends will also be here next year. Although, he was pretty bummed because he was under the impression that wolves were able to get their pocket knives and found out that it's not until you're a bear cub that that happens. It's probably better that way anyway. The longer we can prolong the knives, the better. Clay, Vivi and I didn't camp. We went up Saturday during the day to watch the ceremony and have dinner with Cory and Carter.

The tigers getting ready to cross the bridge

The former wolves got to put the neckerchief on the boys

Pretty indicative picture of the tiger cubs

Pt. Mugu

We took our camper to Pt. Mugu. It's an awesome little site on Ventura Naval Air Station. Sometimes the military has its perks! It was another dog friendly beach which was great! We even *may or may not*  have let Newman off leash and let him totally freak out and try to swim away in the ocean.  Him and Bailey had the time of their lives. So now we just need to find a forever home with out own private beach. Should be easy, right?
Also, apparently the still kid gets the most pictures…..

Welcome the Air Force's Newest and Most Handsome Lt. Colonel!

   
     Cory pinned on Lt. Colonel on May 1st. His parents were able to make it out and we had a great time celebrating all of Cory's hard work and achievements. Our great friends from our TPS class made it to celebrate and our good friend Bob was able to swear Cory in. It was a special moment. (I think for both of them ;) ) I'm so proud of my super awesome husband. Sometimes I get bogged down in the day-to-day 'my husband is just a normal guy who can't seem to put his laundry away'. But if I take a step back, he's done some amazing things. A-MAZ-ING. He's a TEST PILOT for goodness sake. He flies big planes, AND little planes. He has TWO master's degrees. He's published. He's a Director of Operations! And, these are only academic/professional achievements. I could go on and on about how great of a dad, and husband and best friend and partner he is. Seriously, I lucked out.