Our Spring Break

Being a teacher has lots of perks, and Spring Break is one of them. This year, the kiddos and I went camping with my family. We took lots of camping trips as kids and they are some of my best memories. Days outside riding bikes, sight-seeing, fishing, and nights around the campfire. No TV, or house to clean, just all day long playing with my kids and enjoying my family.

Morgan and Ethan enjoying some breakfast from little cereal boxes (a family camping tradition)



Little fisherman with a Spongebob fishing pole



Ethan and Papaw having an important conversation.

The museum near the campground (This place was so awesome we visited it THREE times)

Sweet girl enjoying some lunch (hidden inside Easter eggs!)

Meanwhile, Chad was back at home working hard on removing tree stumps. He cut down two semi-dead trees that we thought could potentially fall on the house, and grinded 7 stumps. The work around this place never ends. 



Basement gets a facelift

Every time we decide to start a new project we jump right in instead of taking it slow, hence the delayed blog-posting that has been happening.

So our basement had the slight (okay, major) stench of dog. And we could take it no longer. So rather than taking it slow, we rip the entire place apart. 

Ah, the beauty. Why would anyone want to change this?

My hard-working hubsy and the messy closet.

The bedroom, complete with "ocean breeze" trim.

I know, more beauty.

So we rip up the carpet and begin the looooong process of painting over the beautiful paneling, which takes 5-6 coats of paint and primer. We had some help.

From left to right:  CALLIE  DOG(looks like a P, the paint dripped)  ETHAN

So we paint day and night so that Chad can lay the laminate flooring. So he begins to lay it, but that proves to more difficult that we anticipated (it ALWAYS is!). We call in the professionals to lay the flooring. We're up to a three week project. In the meantime, Chad builds a shelf to put in a nook to display his collection of alcoholic beverages and Coca-Cola memorabilia. But that also did not work out the way we expected it would. When we tried to bring it inside, it was too tall and would not fit. Now we're up to four weeks.  We thought it would be two weeks, tops.

AFTER: Still a man cave, but improved.

Our shelf (it's not really crooked, just the photographer)

The spare bedroom

But it was all worth it. We spent a lot more time downstairs, and I don't cringe when the kids play on the floor. One more thing checked of the to-do list.

Our Growing Little Caterpillar

Our baby girl turned two on January 18. To celebrate, we had some striped cupcakes (that I saw on Pinterest), her favorite dinner of macaroni and cheese, and of course, a green vegetable. Mom always says you need a green vegetable at dinner. A good rule to live by.

Callie enjoying her striped cupcake, which weren't too tricky to make.

Callie and Daddy

Callie and Momma

Not sure what was going on here...I think she was mad because Ethan wanted to be in on the picture.

Later that week, we had a party at our house with family and friends to celebrate. Callie loves The Very Hungry Caterpillar  (and there were tons of ideas on Pinterest: anyone noticing my Pinterest obsession?), so the theme was set!

Callie's cake, made by Gina Gordon, a friend of my momma's

Cake pops!  Genius idea for a party with small kids, the perfect serving size and a lot less messy!

Big Bro! (please disregard the ugly brown paneling, this room has yet to be made over)

my copycat of the Pottery Barn caterpillar (glad my little sis had these left over from her wedding this summer)

The big 2 year old having some snacks.

So sweet. She blew her candles out all by herself.

 This little gal has brought so much pleasure and happiness to our family. She is a daddy's girl, but also gives momma lots of hugs and kisses. Lately, each morning when I'm saying my goodbyes, she has been saying, "Wait, Momma. One more kiss and hug!" What a wonderful way to start my day! Her daddy likes bedtime when she asks to sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Row Your Boat".

Callie's favorites lately are:

• baby dolls (she rocks them, changes their diapers, and covers them with blankies)
• coloring with crayons (sometimes even on walls)
• cooking in the toy kitchen
• puzzles
• books

I'm taking the advice of everyone who says, "Enjoy every moment. They grow up so fast." I already feel that way. It just seems like a few months ago when the doctor showed me her for the first time. Tears came to my eyes and Chad asked what was wrong. I was (and am) soo in love with this baby girl.

Happy Birthday, Callgirl.(no, not like Pretty Woman, like a cowgirl.)

On October 26, 2011, our little man turned four years old. On his actual birthday we celebrated at home by having Ethan's birthday meal of his choice, chicken nuggets and french fries, and of course, a cake.

For his party, we invited family and friends to the Pavilion to eat cake and swim. And guess what the theme for the party was? Of course, Thomas the Tank Engine for the second year running.

Every birthday, I always think back on the day that Ethan was born.  So here's a brief synopsis.

October 24, 2007: I went to the doctor because I was getting so close to due date. He looked at my massively swollen cankles and told me I couldn't go back to work, but I begged for one more day to wrap things up with my first grade class.

October 25, 7:15 AM: Sitting in chair at school at my desk talking to another teacher, and suddenly feeling like I peed my pants a little. Comment on how I'm loosing bladder control. Stand up and realize that my water has broken at school when students will be arriving in 10 minutes.

7:30 AM:  Call Chad and tell him I'm on my way home because my water has broken. When I pull in the garage, he runs in, panicked, saying "What do we do?"

8:00 AM Arrive at the hospital, my doctor is on call (thankfully) and checks dialation. Only 2 centimeters. Starts pitocin.

12:00PM: Chad calls everyone he knows, telling them we're in the hospital.

8:00PM: Lots of people visiting, in LOTS of pain because contractions are INTENSE from pitocin.

October 26, 12:00AM: Finally time to start pushing.

1:00AM: Still pushing.

1:30AM: Still pushing.

2:00AM I remember looking at the clock and thinking, how much longer will I push?!!! Doctor finally decides that the baby is getting hung up on my pelvis.

2:15 AM: Preparing for c-section. I don't remember much about this, it went by quickly, and they gave me lots of pain medication.

October 26, 2007, 3:45 AM: Ethan Scott Wallace was born.

1 week old

three months old

Don't remember how old, but always makes me laugh.

How can you NOT laugh at this one?

Ethan's 3rd Halloween

I remember looking at him for the first time and thinking about how absolutely beautiful he was. From that moment, our lives changed. Our priorities and thoughts were different. 

Happy birthday, Boo Bear.

Been a long time...

The Wallace home has been busy in the past 6 months. We have moved, renovated/destroyed losts of things in our new house, celebrated 3 birthdays and Christmas, and probably some other things that I've forgotten but hope to remember. So I'm going to try to catch up.


We closed on our new house on July 29th. Ethan went on a camping trip with Mamaw, Papaw, cousins, and aunts while Callie stayed with Nanny and Grandaddy.  I tried to count the boxes as we loaded them into the moving van, but I lost count around 147.

Just the beginning of the boxes...

When the kiddos came home from camping and Nanny's, we tried to have their bedrooms ready, but that was a harder than we thought.

All of the bedrooms needed to be painted, needed new carpet, then the furniture could be moved in.

Ethan's room before removing curtains (circa 1970), fresh paint, and new carpet.

Callie's room with 1970s curtains removed (see them on the floor?), but no new paint

We had only about 4 days to get semi-settled before we had to start back to school. The kids were great through the whole process. They adjusted well and really enjoyed the open space to run.

This house is a major work-in-progress, but we love it. It's what we have dreamed of having for our kids- space to run and play, wooded area to explore, fruit trees, plenty of room for a big garden, and even a pool (which wasn't in the original plan, but I'll take it!). We are blessed to be here.