Before and After: Family Room Fireplace and General Overhaul :)

So this is a monster. Our living area has been pretty much totally transformed since we bought our house (we just hit our 4 year anniversary on 9/30/19!). 

Here is the main listing photo:

And here is what it looks like now:

I can break it down in small steps. We added a really really long curtain rod and hung panels on the entire back wall. We got some chairs, a new rug, and a huge sectional. But all of that is really brought together by our fireplace, which is now several months into its existence but hey. 

So basically we were working with this:

I mean, it was fine. But the cabinets on either side were actually not even secured, the doors were warped, and the TV blocked the windows behind it. There is literally not one wall to put a TV on in this room so above the fireplace is the only option. And we just wanted to do something a little... grander. 

So Jason sat down to think about it. Here is a picture of Jason thinking about it. 

The first thing we did was take out the cabinets - we knew we had to just box in the existing fireplace surround (and that we would be covering those smaller windows in the process) and it needed to be a certain size. See the blue tape?

So we took out the cabinets and of course the floors were unfinished, so we had to get that fixed before we could do anything. It looked very naked.

We I mean Jason also did lots of research on the stone we were going to use - it ended up being a super cool product with interlocking corners.

And now I'm just going to give it to you. In between January 24 and February 5th, 2019... 

Notice the PVC pipes behind the TV mount - those are built in for the cables so we appear wireless ;)

There were a lot of very tricky parts. We had to stack the stones in the right pattern (they all had different reliefs) so that it was consistent overall, and also our ceiling is slanted so Jason had to get those cuts just right. But of course it's Jason and he did.

I am loving decorating the mantel for all the holidays and seasons and the added texture warms the living room up so much. Another project: CHECK!

Family Pictures 2019

Well we decided to switch things up this year for our family photos. Instead of our usual fall theme, when the photographer we use announced she was doing beach sessions, I thought hmmm, that could work!

And it pretty much did! Although the weather was totally dark and stormy, and I felt like the wind was whipping my hair in every direction. It was damp, our feet were freezing because the sand was wet from the rain earlier that day, and it took an hour to get there so the boys were a bit crazed.

But you would never be able to tell :) Here are the best ones! I can't figure out why they aren't posting like crystal clear but sometimes the internet is mysterious.

Nill Family Photos - September 14, 2019, Crane's Beach

First Days of School - Fall 2019!

Well, my official first day of school photos are here!

Ashton: Wednesday, August 28

Age 8, 2nd grade, Mrs. Chase

Alex: Thursday, August 29

Age 5, Kindergarten, Mrs. Gregg

They stagger the Kindergartners (and it's a shortened day) so half started Wednesday with the rest of the school and the other half Thursday (which was Alex's group). Friday was the first real, full day, with the bus and everything!

Ashton of course did fine. And honestly, so did Alex. He has been waiting to go to Lilja Elementary since Ashton started two years ago so it was like his time had finally come. I didn't even cry :) He was too happy and too ready!

So this school year will bring a lot of things. The first big change is that we've said goodbye to our beloved nanny Jen. 

Her boyfriend Mike was a regular as well

And the four of them had a blast this summer. It is definitely the end of an era. Alex doesn't know a life without her! She started when he was 3 months old and they have a really special bond. We all cried and hugged when we said goodbye but she will definitely be back to babysit! 

Mondays and Tuesdays, the boys will be taking Bus 20 home. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, they'll go straight from Lilja to the after school program at Longfellow. We layer in football, hockey, CCD and other fall activities and that's what's up! Bring it on, Fall...

Happy 8th Birthday to Ashton!

Ashton (and this blog) have just turned 8! Eight. Eiiiiiiight. Yep, it happened on August 3rd and I'm here to tell you all about it.

The past few years, Ashton's birthday has fallen on our "family vacation" week and I thereby get away with not throwing him a birthday party :-/ We usually do something special while we are away and that satisfies as long as he gets presents. This year was no different and we were on the cape (see last post). Actually Saturday, August 3rd was the day we had to pack up and go home, which, sadness. And not wanting to fully exit "vacation mode" we stopped at Duxbury Beach on the way back. It is here that Ashton spent most of his birthday hours, doing what he does best, which I can only describe as "beach busy".

Even after a full week at the beach, Ashton and Alex got busy collecting rocks, sorting them, trading them, assembling towers, building sand castles, swimming, diving for things, etc. This is all Ashton to a T - he can keep himself quite occupied, and if that is not a parenting goal then I don't know what is. 

Anyway we got home and had a BBQ and instead of a birthday cake, we all went to Dairy Queen and sang a little Happy Birthday at a picnic table. He seemed content :) 

Other "all about Ashton" type things!

Height: 53 inches (4' 5") - 89th %

Weight: 63 pounds - 73rd %

Grade: 2

Shoes: 2.5Y

Clothes: Mostly 8's

Teeth lost: 8 (front top and bottom 4)

Teeth crooked: 6

Fashion: Luckily, Ashton still blindly accepts any outfit I tell him to wear. He does love being in head-to-toe Under Armour with the tall socks and hightops, but understands when to wear sport clothes and when to wear regular ones (i.e. collars to school! May this never end haha). 

Food: Ashton eats and eats and eats. And eats. He outeats a McDonald's happy meal now too - we have to supplement that box with like, a lot of other stuff. Besides his food allergies, peas, and raw tomatoes, he'll try almost anything and usually doesn't bother to complain. His favorite thing that I make for dinner is stromboli. 

Haircut: Ashton is really in to his hair. His current cut involves a very crisp part that he calls his "line":

He gets very distressed when it disappears, which is every three days considering how fast his hair grows. As our resident stylist, Jason stays on top of it ;)

Newest obsession: cars. We have a Corvette in our neighborhood and every time we drive by, he presses his nose to the window and goes "Ahhh, just look at that!" And then the other day told me Corvettes don't have trunks because that's where the engine is. True? I have no idea. And he is constantly asking if certain cars are faster than others, more expensive etc. Ashton is currently on the fence between getting a Porsche or a Subaru Crosstrek (in orange, specifically) when he grows up. He has put a lot of thought into these choices. 

Also loves: Dude Perfect, Pokemon cards, tracking his steps on his Fitbit, rollercoasters, mini golf, collecting treasures like shark teeth and shells, games, things that have remote controls, cool socks

Sports: This season, football and hockey. Hockey starts tonight, actually. But football he's been playing since August 5th and I can't believe how grown up he looks in his uniform!

 Another shot of the line:

So, if you see a car with pads and helmets and hockey and football equipment flying out of it, wave hello to me. 

Health: Mostly perfect :) A little update on this one. Ashton's always had articulation issues and also breathing issues. His nose is perpetually blocked. I took him to the ENT last spring and he had his adenoids out and his turbinates cauterized on May 8. I expected everything to clear up pretty much overnight and months later, things are the exact same! His ENT put him on a daily nasal spray but we have seen literally no results. So fixing that somehow is still on my list.

The best idea he has ever had in his 8 years on this earth: So, the cleaners come twice a month. One particular day we got home after them and of course, the house was spotless which is basically my favorite thing of all time. The boys immediately went to the kitchen and started tearing into the graham crackers. I threw my hands up and made some exasperated comment like couldn't the floors go five freaking minutes without being covered in crumbs?! The cleaners just came!

Ashton looked at me, looked at his graham cracker, and goes "C'mon Alex, let's eat over the trash."

I have seriously never loved him more. 

According to his teacher: I thought I would share what his first grade teacher wrote about him this past June on his ROSP :)

"Ashton is a friendly first grader with a cheerful disposition! He takes great pride in his work and is making steady progress academically thus far this year. I only expect this to continue, as he become more and more motivated intrinsically rather than looking to others for praise, something he is beginning to develop. He is working on taking his time and doing is most careful work, particularly in writing, or being willing to return to "finished" work to revise (add/delete/edit). He is sweet and cares for all the members of the 1JB and Lilja Community and is often a role model for others!

Ashton has grown in all areas of academics this year in first grade, due in no small part to his own inquisitiveness, which he brings to all subjects! He's been a joy to teach as he always tries to apply concepts taught and even often remembers them and carries them over to other situations, as seen in particular with his reading skills; he's truly blossomed as a reader! He is a strong mathematician as well and enjoys challenges when given the option. He has made marked progress in writing but if he were to work on anything over the summer (in addition to reading of course) I'd suggest keeping the writing fresh and rereading to make sure the conventions are as good as his craft. He is poised for a great year in second grade! Have a wonderful summer!"

He definitely has things to work on but I think I am especially proud of this section of the report - 4 means "consistently" and is the best you can get :)

All 4's by R2/the end of the year! That's my boy. 

Overall, Ashton is so good. He's helpful and rational and insightful and empathetic. He takes amazing care of Alex and is patient, teaches him things, and includes him. He's also sensitive, sweet and has an incredible sense of right from wrong. One time after a play in football practice where he scored, he did this big touchdown celebration dance. I pulled him aside when he came off the field and said "Ashton! These are your teammates - you cannot brag like that in front of everyone. It's ok to quietly tell yourself good job and to feel proud, but you are all working together and you do not want to make anyone feel bad." He looked me in the eye and said "You're right Mommy" (he still calls me that) and I could tell he 100% took it to heart. The next night at practice he scored a few times and at the end he said, "Mommy did you see? I did not dance ONE time, just like you told me. Even though I had some awesome plays, I kept it to myself because I didn't want anyone thinking we weren't a team." 

Ashton honest to goodness said that. To say we simply adore him and are so proud of him would be an understatement. Happy 8th birthday to our Ashton! WE LOVE YOU!!