Home Improvement Mikey-style

Swapping out a few post lamps. Seems fairly straightforward and simple, right? Of course not.

Here's one of three old post lights we were replacing. (I forgot to take "before" pictures when they were actually on the posts)

But before I can get to the "after" pictures we had one giant dead branch standing in the way. It died in the ice storm two years ago and still has yet to fall. The problem is that if it ever decided to fall on its own, it would likely land right on top of one of our new post lamps which means Michael had to figure out a way to get it down prior to installing the new light.

Here he is assessing the situation. The dead branch cluster is technically in our neighbor's tree, but it hangs over our property line and they are out of town so it is now our problem.

This video shows Michael's first attempt at pulling the branch down. It involved standing on top of the column and yanking randomly.


Then he did a lot of pulling from ground level. That helped get down a majority of the branches one of which did manage to fall right on the spot where the post lamp would have been.

And finally, when all else fails he decides to get on the roof with the extended saw thingy. I was standing by to either ship the footage off to America's Funniest Home Videos or call the ambulance, whichever came first.

I'm happy to say the crazy tactics worked and he managed to muscle the entire dead area down. Once that happened, installing the new lights took only a matter of minutes. What do you think?

Traditional versus Mid-Century

Next up, changing out the brown porch posts for more mid-century ones custom designed by Michael and inspired by the square pattern in our rod iron courtyard fence. But first he's trying to convince me we need to buy a table saw. Always something!

Trying Something Different

This afternoon Grayson decided he wasn't going to take his normal two-hour nap. This made for a long day for his parents so Michael's philosophy was if the boy wasn't going to sleep, then it was time to burn some energy at the park.

I wasn't a fan of this plan for a number of reasons, mostly because it was over 90 degrees today and they departed right in the heat of the day. The silver lining was that it did allow for me to get a few things done I had planned for naptime, so in the end I gave in and sent them on their way with lots of water.

By the time they were done playing, they were both so hot that Michael poured water all over Gray. They also decided it was time to come home and eat popsicles.

"Honk, Honk" (this is Grayson doing the "honk your horn" sign Michael taught him for semi-trucks)

Although it appears the boys had fun, tomorrow I think we'll give naptime another try.

Investment Tip

I wish we owned stock in Kleenex. I'm not even sure if they are publicly traded, but we should own some kind of share with the amount of Kleenex we've burned through in the 20+ months that Grayson has been alive.

His nose is a constant faucet which makes it difficult to spot ear infections and colds since his nose drips even when he's not sick. Case in point, this morning's commute.

Grayson fussed and cried -- and I mean FUSSED and CRIED -- nearly the entire 30 minute car ride. Even his favorite books seemed to cause mass hysteria, making it a terrible way to start the day.

Later at work I began thinking that his fussiness may not be a toddler phase issue but instead may be caused from lack of sleep the last several nights. His usual nasal drainage has been on overdrive the last week or so and recently turned into a nighttime cough once we lay him down.

I ended up taking him to the doctor this afternoon and learned that in fact he does have a sinus infection. We've started our first dose of antibiotics and I'm praying they kick in quickly.

While we were waiting at Target to get the prescription filled, I walked over to the shoe section to see if they had any shoes that might stay on his feet. We tried on some crocks and when I went to put them back he had a total meltdown. Not in a tantrum kind of way, but more emotional like they were his favorite blankey or something.

Before you even ask...yes, I ended up buying them and I must say I'm not ashamed to admit it. With the entertainment they've given him this evening alone they were worth the $8 investment, plus they are going to be darn cute with his bathing suit this summer.

Buddies

It's been a while since I've posted an update about Grayson and his best buds Liam and Cora. Most often, we see each other on impromptu walks or everyday cookouts, so I don't think to grab my camera. Since both Liam and Cora are approaching their one-year birthdays, I thought it was time for a few updated snapshots.

One thing you may notice is it looks like they all go to the same barber. Apparently, the caesar/buzz cut is the ticket to being "in" with this threesome.

Pajama parties are always popular with this crowd, but they do prefer to sleep in their own cribs and pack-n-plays. I'm sure someday soon we'll be creating big floor pallets for the kiddos.

Cora is a jumping bean, but doesn't mind taking a quick break for hugs.

Grayson still seams so big and burly compared to the two youngsters, but Liam is quickly building his mobility skills and is sure to take his first unassisted steps any day.

This picture makes me flash forward a few years when they can all talk and scheme against us...

Scheming? What? Not these angels...

Zoo-mania

Today Grayson had his first visit to the Oklahoma City Zoo. We are lucky to have a great zoo here and my mom and I were excited to watch him discover the animals.

We only planned to explore the new children's zoo area and maybe see a few other exhibits, but Gray did so well we were able to see nearly the entire zoo. We were all hot, hungry and worn out by the time it was over. Tonight it was all he could do to finish his dinner, bathe and was in bed before 7 p.m. (something that hasn't happened in a long time).

Here are some of the day's highlights:

Hello there!

Hugs for Mr. Giraffe

In a nod to my sister Amy, we got Grayson his first animal mold-a-rama (aka a plastic animal shape that is molded as you watch). This oddball contraption was one of our childhood favorites. We decided on a lion since Gray seemed to like that exhibit and likes to ROAR!

Sometimes you gotta let a bit of silly out

Just to prove all the animals weren't bronze statues, here's an animal I discovered for the first time today and must say, I think is on my list of favorites. Business in the front (solid brown like a deer), party in the back (like a zebra).

Grayson also really loved the bird exhibits. He likes watching a Cardinal family in our backyard and the colorful combinations he saw today really seemed to impress him.

Superstition

As you've probably seen in the news recently, our area has had several rounds of tornadoes and severe weather. Tonight was yet another day of storm outbreaks, but we (and our house) got through it unscathed.

Growing up in Oklahoma, I pay attention to the weather coverage but don't get overly worked up about it. Now that we have an extremely anxious dog and small child to also protect, I will admit I've cleaned out the interior hall closet in case we need to take quick cover.

Tonight I realized something about myself when it comes to tornado alerts -- I've subconsciously developed a superstitious routine. If I'm barefoot I always put on shoes (and always the same pair of sneakers) and I place some pillows in the hallway. We have yet to actually "take cover" in the hall, but somehow going through this routine makes me feel like it will keep the tornadoes at bay.

Hopefully by writing this down I'm not jinxing our house. I share this in case it's the secret recipe for redirecting severe weather. Feel free to give it a try.

Shoes

Grayson's trick of the week is undoing the velcro on his shoes and taking them off only to get frustrated when he can't get them back on exactly the same way. Yesterday when we picked him up from school he was barefoot because he had taken his shoes off so many times that his teachers finally just left them off.

Today when we arrived he had his shoes on, but was sitting in the timeout chair because of taking them off over and over again.

He knows he's not supposed to do this, but apparently can't resist even if it lands him in timeout. The reason I know he knows it's wrong is because when he brings his shoes to you to help put them back on he does so regretfully like he knows a timeout is coming, but he's resigned himself to that fact as long as it means putting his shoes back on.

If any of you have tips for nipping this in the bud, I'm all ears.