What Else is New . . .

So aside from all the construction at the house, this summer has been pretty eventful. 

I took a week off of work to spend at home with Noah while his daycare provider went on vacation.  Happy bonding time with my Baby Boy who I can't believe will be one in just a few short weeks!  He's growing up way too fast.  He's a lightning fast crawler now and gets into everything nowadays.  His favorite things are the remote control and veggies!   He loves to babble, but no "Mama" yet :(  But he loves to laugh and laugh and laugh.  

One weekend both Mike's parents and mine were in town so babysitters for all the kids = Parents' Night Out for us, Mae, and Dennis.  The first night we hit up Reston for dinner and drinks at Passion Fish and met up with Paulie and Eric for a little bit.  The next night we hit up Blues Alley in Georgetown to hear Lynne Fiddmont, an R&B vocalist who was a former background singer for everyone from BabyFace to Stevie Wonder.  Her show was amazing!  We grabbed drinks at a new bar next door called Rugby.  SO Georgetown.  Actually it might not even be new, just new to me since I haven't been to Georgetown in years!  After the show we hit up Chi-Cha Lounge for a little bit.  Club/lounge scene not really my thing anymore these days.  Although I did try the hookah which was uneventful.  

Mike spent a week in San Diego for a work conference so while Noah and I had the house to ourselves, I was able to get a couple of things done around the house like fix a leaky faucet (saved myself $189!), rearranged the family room furniture (it looks SO much bigger and roomier!), put together some patio furniture (the firepit, some dining benches, and a sectional and coffee table), did a little shopping, and started planning our next vacation.  I felt very handy and accomplished!!!     

RJ came for a visit too.  Hopefully he will be moving back to the area soon.  Randy moved.  Jason and April are in the middle of moving.  Victor and Joni sent out their wedding invitations.  Also got Treb and Joyce's wedding invites.  Having lunch with the Gordon's this weekend and trying to hit up the Reston Asian Festival to see Raf and his new band.  Lots going on!

Are we done yet?!

Day 8 was an off day since it was Sunday. It took one guy all day Saturday to build the first sitting wall.

Day 9 - Worked on the sitting wall around our basement egress window . . .


Today is Day 10 and there's still some work to be done. They have to finish one sitting wall, set the pavers in sand, lay down the stone walkway to the driveway, and finish all the electrical. Will keep you posted!

The Sitting Wall

Day 7 - The sitting wall under the pergola is finished - it feels like Napa! . . .

Deck Railing

Day 6 - The deck railing finally arrives and is installed, but the sitting wall is untouched. This project is starting to take forever . . .

Patio Pavers

Day 5 - The pavers are put down and the "new" sitting wall is prepped . . .

Patio Snafu

Day 4 - They installed the sitting wall wrong so it has to be redone . . .

Patio - Cement poured

Day 3 - We FINALLY get a better idea of what the patio will look like because they poured the cement base - LOVE it!. . .

The Patio

More supplies arrive - the sitting wall capstones. Still waiting on the deck railing . . .


They FINALLY start on the patio!
Day 1 - Clearing out all the sod . . .


and setting up a level line for the patio height . . .


Day 2 - Clearing out all the dirt and digging a trough for the gutter . . .

and lining the final border of the patio with boards (it changed again!) . . .

Outlining the Patio

My multiple attempts at drawing an outline for the patio and sitting wall (already made a couple of changes from the original vision) . . .

Trying to make sure the dining furniture will fit on the patio even though we're still waiting on the table! . . .

Deck Furniture

After the deck was finished, we had to wait a couple of days for the patio team to begin. In the meantime, our furniture arrived and I couldn't wait to set it up . . .

The firepit in front of the future sitting wall under the pergola . . .

The sectional and coffee table on the deck . . .

The new view from the foyer and family room . . .

Deck Stairs and Pergola

Day 3 - The deck stairs are added and the pergola is installed . . .

The deck

Supplies arrived and took over our driveway . . .

Evergrain Composite Decking in Cedar for the deck and Cedar for the pergola . . .

and EP Henry Pavers in Dakota Blend for the Patio and PA Fieldstone for the sitting walls . . .

End of Day 1 - Holes dug for the pergola and deck posts . . .

Day 2 . . .

Deck built and foundation for pergola poured . . .

Backyard Renovation Project

For the last three weeks, we have been renovating our backyard by adding a deck and patio. Hopefully everything will wrap up by the end of this week. What do you think?

The vision . . .

Before . . .

Noah at 10 Months Old

Here's pics of Noah when he turned 10 Months Old last month . . .

Margarite's Baby Shower

On June 20, I went to Margarite's Baby Shower at her house. Maggie Mae is almost here! . . .

The happy parents-to-be . . .

Yummy Georgetown cupcakes - the strawberry was REALLY good! . . .

Some cute gifts from her sorority sisters . . .

I got her a clothesline and my favorite swaddle blankets . . .

Group pic . . .

Congrats Margarite and Matt!

Mike's 1st Father's Day . . .

On June 21, we celebrated Mike's first Father's Day with Noah . . .

DC BBQ Battle

On June 27, we headed down to the annual DC BBQ Battle for some yummy lunch and then went over to the waterfront to check out the seafood selection . . .


There was a ton of food at the BBQ Battle from foot long corn dogs to turkey legs to funnel cakes to ribs of all kinds! . . .




Then we enjoyed some fresh oysters and crab cakes at the waterfront . . .



Noah had a ton of fun with his Daddy . . .


We even saw the President's helicoptor, Marine One . . .


GREAT family outing with the hubby and baby :)