Spring "Break"

Andrew got home from his last final exam on Wednesday, March 21st at about 8pm.  He was hardly home for 15 minutes and already tearing up our kitchen floor.  One of his big goals for Spring Break was re-tiling the kitchen but I thought he would at least kick back, relax and maybe start tackling it the next morning.  Who was I kidding?  This is Handy Andy... the Energizer Bunny, and the hardest worker I know.

Our kitchen floor has given us lots of headaches and even a few cuts on the foot.  Just a few months following installation, our tiles started breaking, popping up and even the grout was crumbling.  With a toddler and another baby on the way, this situation was just not safe!  Instead of tracking down the contractor whowe hired to do the original job, Andrew taught himself.

We went another route from ceramic tile and used a groutable vinyl tile.  Personally, I love the feel of the vinyl tile SO MUCH MORE than the ceramic!  Take a look at all of Handy Andy's hard work!

Kitchen Re-model - Part I:

Day 1: Pulling Up Old Tiles

Here are all of the tiles that were already broken and detached... hence the need for a new floor!

Day 2: Demo & Removal of Hardibacker

Laying of Plywood

The BEST View in the House

Day 2 & 3: Laying of Vinyl Tile

Condition of our Living Room Throughout the Project

  

Application of Grout & Finished Tile Floor

Kitchen Remodel - Part II: Paint & Chair Rail with Fresh New Trim

And... Wah-lah!  Isn't it lovely?

Now... after round the clock sweat and manpower, he didn't just stop there!  After the kitchen was completed, he treated the moss on our front lawn, hauled down all of the baby items from the attic (not an easy task), helped organize and rearrange the nursery and finished gathering all of the last minute items needed for baby Zoe's arrival.  He also took lots of our junk to the dump and also took some to Goodwill.  

I bet you're wondering if this guy even got a 'break" during his Spring Break... and even though it wasn't much, he did give himself some time for R&R.  I surprised him with a 1-hour massage and that seemed to ease some of the soreness for the tile [roject.  He had lots of daddy-daughter time, which I think I'm going to pay for this week... as Londyn now prefers her daddy over me.  I can't really explain it... but watching them together is pure joy.

My favorite part was just having him home, watching movies every night, family outing to OMSI, daddy-daughter dates, his willingness to make craving runs to the market at 10pm without me even asking, and my favorite- the weekend together while Lulu stayed at Grandma & Grandpa Milne's house.  We saw Hunger Games, had a late night dinner at Ruby Tuesday, slept in until 10:30am and then ran uninterrupted errands together all day.  We didn't need to travel far or stay in a fancy hotel... it was just as fabulous, if not more special to just be alone together - doing every day things.

Spring Break couldn't have come at a better time with Zoe's arrival only a little over a week away.  Having some time to reconnect and prepare for all the changes in our near future was just what the doctor ordered!