Den Update

Here are a couple random pics of the kids. Emma enjoys Daddy time, and Morgan exhibits a few signs of "type-A-ness" (carefully lining up all his toys). Then there are 2 pics of our newly remodeled den. We got the carpet today. So now we just have to set up all the furniture. We already have the desk (just needs to be assembled), but
we're still waiting on the couch and chairs. Also we need to add a few more shelves; other than that it's finished. What do you think? It's like a different room!

Morgan Spells Pottery Barn

This week we got a new computer desk from Pottery Barn. As soon as the boxes arrived, Morgan went right up to them spelled out P-O-T-T-E-R-Y B-A-R-N one letter after another perfectly. We went and got the camera and fortunately he performed the feat again. Here it is.

Our New Dining Set

Just one photo this time... After over a year of saving in our furnishings category, we finally have a real dining room set. It was actually a very unexpected find. Yesterday we went to search the Odessa furniture shops for chairs for our newly remodeled den. We weren't really thinking about our dining set since we figured we still had some saving to do. But then we stumbled on a great deal. This table actually seats 6 which is just wha t we wanted. And it's perfect because we were kind of torn between going with espresso/black or wood finish. This has both so it can kind of tie in with the black furniture in our living room and some of the wood in other pieces we have. And best of all, we spent about half what we were expecting! We thank God for what He has provided.

Emma is 5 months old!

It's Emma's 5 month birthday- can you believe it? As you can see, she's pretty happy about her special day. Lately, she has been working her knees up under her when she's on her tummy, putting everything in her mouth (or letting Morgan do it), and she has disovered her feet!


Showcasing her flexibility...

Feet are fun!



She likes to wiggle and scoot...



And she loves to show of the cuteness

Doesn't she look like her Daddy?

Remodeling the Den - "Before" Series

On October 8th, we began a big remodeling project- our den! We are completely re-doing everything. The guys were here just 5 days, and in that time they removed the old wood burning stove, tore off the wall paneling, fixed the roof and ceiling, etc. Now we are in the process of painting (celing, brick wall, everything). Sometime next week, our new windows and trim will be installed. And then new carpet will be laid. We are also having an old sleeper sofa freshly padded and upholstered. And we have ordered a new computer desk. So in 2-3 weeks, it should all be finished! For now, here are some "before" photos, and we look forward to presenting photos of the completed room very soon.
Here is the very retro sleeper:


Here is the room on the first day of the project, before demolition:




Here it is mid-way through the process:


Here's our team of talented contractors:


Morgan soaked it all in...


...and enjoyed some coloring on the protective paper...


...while Emma supervised.


Later, he helped his Daddy paint.

The Griffin Grandparents Stop By On Their Trip to New Mexico

Papa Wes and GiGi stopped by on their way to and from New Mexico. Of course, we all enjoyed being together and talking and eating and all that stuff that we do when they come into town. Here are a few photos. The mysterious brown paper is construction byproduct from our back room remodelling that we let Morgan color on.

The Latest

Here are the latest photos from this week. The first ones are of Matt and me at the bowling alley (date night). We totally stunk up the place with our tragic bowling skills!
The rest of the pics are probably of more interest to our primary audience (grandparents) since they are of the cutest set of babies EVER!

Morgan and Fernando

We have been keeping Fernando after school for a couple months now. Morgan loves to play with him- it's like having a brother. Here are some pictures of them doing activities together. And also in this post I tacked on a couple of Morgan "helping" me bake a cake and relaxing in his chair with his "babies".

Visit to Austin

Whew! We are a little behind with our blogging lately. These are some pictures from our trip to Austin a couple weeks ago. We were able to meet up with Mawmaw, Pawpaw, David, and Bridgette at a little "greasy spoon" diner. It was actually very tasty, and we enjoyed catching up with everyone.