Hard Work and Fun Times

This weekend we went to Austin to work on our house out there.  We have had renters in it since we moved to Houston and we want to try and sell it now.  Of course, if it doesn't sell in the next month or so, we are going to look for more renters as an option.  Right now the houses are still flying off the market in the neighborhood so we are hopeful.  

The weekend started with Jayden and me driving downtown in the truck to pick up Travis from work.  We headed straight for Austin from there.  We got in to Austin around 9pm and we were all ready for bed.  Jayden went down pretty well and we got up bright and early to start work on the house on Saturday.  The house just has some problem spots, but mostly we wanted to clean it up and touch up a few places to make it look more appealing.  We worked hard and got a lot done.  That night we went to dinner with some friends and had a great time!  They have two cats and Boggie...LOVED Jayden...and her carrier...

We took the dogs with us because there was a couple interested in meeting Cooper.  We have been thinking about giving him away because we just don't have the time to train him and needs so much more space than we can give him.  So...this wonderful couple came over to meet him with their dog Sly.  The dogs got a long great and if you scripted the home Cooper needs and would thrive in...you couldn't script it any better than what this couple had to offer.  So...we let Cooper go home with them.  We already miss him, but know that it is for the best.  Nikki misses her playmate, but now we are looking forward to rekindling the bond with her and letting her bond with Jayden.  Cooper is now running around on 25 acres of land with Sly and chasing horses!  I talked with the guy who took him yesterday and it sounds like everyone is getting along great.  We plan to stay in touch with them and I am excited to hear all the stories about Cooper and Sly getting into mischief together.  This is the best picture I could get.  The dogs were both so excited that they couldn't sit still!

So now...Cooper is in a good home and having fun adventures every day!

Sunday we got up early and went to Target.  We got out of town without looking at the weather forcast and apparently a cold front was coming in.  We hadn't packed any warm clothes for Jayden so we stopped at Target on our way to church and bought several warm outfits for her.  We totally dressed her in an outfit straight from the 80's for church, but she was sooo stinkin' cute!  I will take pictures next time we put her in the outfit.  :)  We got to visit with several friends from our former church and catch up a bit.  It was good times!  

After church we went back to the house and started working again.  We worked hard painting and cutting wood and staining and cutting wood....you know...the usual.  He wouldn't stay still for me to get a clear picture!  Grrr.... ;)

Nikki got a little lonely without Cooper...

On Monday, our friend Amy came over and watched Jayden while we worked.  It was so great to have her there to free up my hands too!  She got Jayden a HUGE dog for Christmas and she is working on a blanket for her.  We love Amy!

We got done and pulled out of the driveway headed home at exactly 4:33pm.  Only 3.5 hours behind schedule, but hey...we got home in time to put stinker bean down for the night! :)  She was such a trooper!  We are so proud of our little traveler.  She always does so well and makes us so proud!

She only kept us up late one night..."Come on Dad....Play with me!  It is only 1:00am!!"

Of all the work we got done: painting two bedrooms, replacing trim in both bathrooms, caulking some gaps, fixing some foundation gaps, painting the front and back doors and fixing the interior garage door...we were most proud of the side patio that we turned into a really cool hangout!  As most of you probably remember...the old house has a really cool deck in the backyard and we had a small patio right outside the kitchen...well, here are some before and after photos.

I have an adorable video of Jayden that I will put up this afternoon!  Check back! :)