Super Saturday Fun with a 4 yr old

Saturday morning, I went up to Frisco to attend one of Andrew's T-ball games. We went back to the house so he could change for his afternoon of fun with Mimi.

First stop Chuck E Cheese. I hadn't been since my kids were little. It's changed a bit. Now they have lots of security features in place. Video surveillance, Families are stamped with unique numbers so when you leave the restaurant you have to show parents/kids have the same number stamped on their hands.

So we ordered our food/drink and found a booth to sit in. Then we went exploring the games.

 They had some free things for the kids.
Andrew is checking out the "Fun House" mirror.

He like the Hammer Froggie game.

 Andrew was a little overwhelmed by all the activity and took off from Mimi one time.
He alerted me he wasn't lost. Mimi was lost and he found me! Ha! Ha!
Luckily we just went different directions around a game machine.

Second stop: Toys R Us
I went to the toy store with a goal of going in and getting one thing and I somehow came out with two. I told Andrew he could get one thing. Every aisle he went down. He would say "I want this"
Until we went down the next aisle, then he would say it again.  He finally did settle on a foam dragon.  He said "I want to scare Mommy!"


Third Stop: East Hill Park
This is a fairly new park that has opened nearby.
Andrew loved this park. It has more things to climb on and over. Plus they had swings.
He likes getting his "under-dogs" and pumping his legs.

 Back to Mimi's house for a refreshing popsicle and put our dirty feet in the pool.

We invited Kam & Allison over for some rousing "Pie in the Face" game. Allison didn't like it so much. But Kam loved it!  He kept spinning the handles until he got the pie in the face.

 The Hagen's invited Andrew over for some more fun. Hillary and I enjoyed a glass of wine while the kids played.

It soon got to be 6pm and I had to return Andrew home so I could get a few errands done before the end of the day.  Andrew slept the entire way to his house.  I guess I must have worn him out!!

Kuklenz - March Madness

 Every year at the end of basketball season, we ask each family member to pick the winners for the road to the Final Four.

This year Jackie was the person that coordinated all the activities. She sent out weekly updates on everyone's score as well as an insightful summary of the week's games. And turns out...she was the winner!

Below she is posing with her prize(s)!

Personalized basketball trophy and a gift certificate to Babe's Chicken.

Congratulations Jackie!
Best of luck to everyone next year ~ Maybe you want to consider being the coordinator next year.
They seem to have all the luck!!

Jonathan's 28th Bday

We were invited to the Kiefers for Jonathan's 28th birthday party celebration.
It was a Mexican theme party.
Jackie did a great job with the decorations, dinner and cake.

Appetizers: Taco chips with your choice of dips: salsa, salsa verde' and guacamole.

Dinner: Beef & Chicken tacos (hard/soft shells), Mexican rice, refried beans and Mexican corn salad.
Beverages: Dos Equis, Cayman Jack Margaritas, Iced Tea and Water.

Andrew helped Jonathan (aka Uncle J-Dawg) with his birthday gifts.

Jonathan's mom, Ruthann, getting some baby love!

Party Guests - to the left

Party Guests - to the right

Missing were Michael/Emily McWilliams as they had to leave early.

Jackie did an excellent job on the electrical engineering theme chocolate cake.

The cake was sliced and served with Blue Bell ice cream and a mexican fruit salsa with vanilla liqueur.

Everything is Broke---Even Me!

Well Friday, April 15, 2016 was Tax Day. We still ended up paying the government even more money.
Owing about another $1900 to Uncle Sam!

Then it happened!  Everything under the sun decided to break.

The pool motor broke!
The Expedition got a nail in the tire!
The Expedition "Door Ajar" alarms are going off constantly.
The downstairs A/C unit is not working
My toe is back to being "red/oozy" again and hurting in the joint.

UPDATE:
1) The pool motor has been ordered $265.00 and should be here on Monday afternoon.
2) The Expedition went to Discount Tire on Saturday and had the nail removed and plug was placed - Free!!
3) Doug worked for an hour on the "Door Ajar" issue with WD40 but will likely need a door tear-down to further diagnose. Cost - TBD
4) The A/C repairman is out of town this weekend so will have to wait for that repair on Monday.
Luckily the temps in Dallas are supposed to be on the cooler side (75-80 degrees)
Cost of this repair will depend on if it's the blower motor or circuit board $200-$500
5) Been doctoring the toe twice a day and it is not quite as red today. Less red and oozy! Less pain!
Amputation is still likely..$$$$$$$$

On a side note: We got a confirmation that our windows were officially ordered and should be in Dallas around May 7th. Installation will be scheduled for later in the month.  $7420 yet to pay.

I think we are going to be on bologna sandwiches and water for lunch/dinner for the rest of April and all of May. 

Garry's Birthday in Texas

My brother Garry was in town for the Nascar race at Texas Motor Speedway,
which just happened to occur on his birthday.  Since he was gone to the race on his actual birthday,
we celebrated his birthday on Sunday, April 10th.

I made a cake, trying a new Wilton method I've never used before.

Andrew is trying to talk Garry in to letting him blow out the candle.

After cake & ice cream, we played Andrew's favorite game "Pie in the Face" game.
This was Karl and Garry's first time playing.

 

We play until everyone finally gets some whipped cream on their nose.

 Happy Birthday Garry!  Hope you had a fun time in Texas!

Nascar Weekend

Saturday, April 9th - the boys (Josh, Karl and Garry) attended the Texas Motor Speedway evening Nascar race. I packed them lunches and they left the house around noon with their cooler of sandwiches, chips, cookies and assorted beverages.  This was the first Nascar race for Karl and Garry.

The track opened at 2pm.
They were able to walk around the field as they had pit passes.
They also got to attend a concert by Lynyard Skynyrd.

 Garry @ Texas Motor Speedway

Karl @ Texas Motor Speedway

Then there was a rain delay.
The race was supposed to start around 6:30pm, but did not end up starting until after 8:00pm.
The boys arrived back at the house around 2:00am.  Needless to say they slept in the next day!

Window Shopping...literally

Doug and I have been shopping around for window replacements for our home.
We started this process knowing nothing, but now we are quite articulate about the pros and cons of each window type (materials, operation, single hung vs double hung) and can speak to energy ratings (U Factor, SHGC - Solar Heat Gain Coefficient, VT - Visible Transmittance, AI - Air Infiltration, SL - Structural Load) for the specific glass packages being offered (Glass Vendor: Cardinal/Guardian; Low E class; Panes of glass: Single, Double, Triple)





We have had multiple estimates regarding most window options for our area. Each company came out and measured for the project. This will be a FULL replacement job - replacing all 25 windows in our home due to seals being lost on almost all windows and two windows with a large amount of condensation between them.


All of the window companies below were able to provide estimates and offered financing options.
The estimates include pricing for all the same size windows (no changes being made) and including grid where the grids currently are in place.

Feb 19, 2016: LEI Window replacement www.LEIHomeEnhancements.com

Alside window - Revelation (fusion welded vinyl window)
The estimate was $17,742 but this price was only good for that night only...Big Red Flag!
The estimate increased to $37,594 if purchased at a later date.

Feb 24, 2016  Home Depot   www.homedepot.com
Vantage Pointe - Windows by Simonton; 6200 Series Narrow Frame Single Hung window
This estimate was $21,094.70

Mar 15, 2016 - Lowe's  www.lowes.com
1) Reliabilt 3500 Double Hung window; This estimate was $16,065.33
2) Pella 250 Single Hung window; This estimate was $13,085.97


Mar 17, 2016  J&M Glass  http://www.thermalwindowsdfw.com/
This is a window manufacturer that we visited on a Saturday, March 12th.
They make and install their own vinyl single hung windows. The vinyl of this window seem the most structurally sound. This vendor also provided a very detailed estimate by window (the rest of the vendors just presented a grand total for the project)  The estimate for this vendor = $13,733.84

Mar 28, 2016 Renewal by Andersen  www.renewalbyandersen.com
This product is made from Fibrex (composite made from reclaimed wood fiber blended with a polymer)
This estimate was $45,253

Mar 29, 2016 - Fosters Exteriors http://www.fosterexteriors.com/
Alside - Mezzo series vinyl single hung windows. This was the only window that had a sloped sill instead of the channel mechanism in most window designs. This allows for a more efficient drainage system to prevent water and dirt debris accumulation.  The estimate was $14,840

We have decided on a window replacement company and the windows have been ordered and will be delivered/installed sometime in May.    Stay tuned for the BEFORE and AFTER photos.

T-Ball - Andrew is a Brave

Saturday, April 2nd Doug was brewing beer and he prefers that I not be in the house when that happens.
So I spent the day out and about. My first stop was Andrew's Tball game in Little Elm.

Mimi and her little Brave

Andrew and his first hit of the day.

Andrew running home.

My shirt I had made to wear to the next game

 After the T-ball game, we went to a local cafe for breakfast/lunch and then back to the Elliotts for a little fun, before I headed out for some errands (drycleaners, shredding service, etc.)
I then drove to Frisco to the Kiefer's apartment, Jackie was my personal shopper as I was looking at types of clothing for vacation in October.