If I had a hammer...

Move over Amy Matthews...there's a new carpenter in town! Look at this girl...on the filthy garage floor surrounded by power tools...and she couldn't be happier!

Claire had a BLAST watching the guys work on the door today. The word that comes to mind is obsessive. She constantly asked if she could help, so Uncle Jim put her to work hammering nails into a board. She was diligent! What you see here is only the beginning. I bet she had at least 50 nails in that board before she was through.

Of course, she wanted to display the board in her room, but I convinced her that it would be safer to keep it in the garage (I can just imagine the trail of nails through the house!)

I think we've stumbled upon raw talent here....I'm picturing her own show on the DIY network! Daddy will be so proud :)

...and now we have a door!

My husband is a wise man, he knows when he needs a little help with a DIY project. He called in the troops, meaning, Grandpap & Uncle Jim came to lend a hand!

They turned Tio's hole in the wall into a real-live-functioning door. Now we can actually walk from our kitchen into our garage. How exciting!

Of course, you need to be careful when using said door...that first step is a doozy!!!!

...and the WALL, comes tumbling down...

Here he is folks, my man, wielding a very big-scary-brick cutting power saw! Just another step in our on-going kitchen remodel.

This weekend was devoted to cutting through the wall of our house to create a door from the kitchen to the garage. You can see the small hole he started with. Now it is a full sized door.

Tio was inexplicably excited to do this...something about cutting through a wall really made him happy. Just having a reason to rent this huge power tool made him happy. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that it is the RIGHT size, because something tells me it is easier to cut bricks out than it is to put them back in....

PRE-SCHOOL!?!

Oh my! Is it possible that my BABY is going to pre-school? Yep, that seems to be the case. And to make matters worse, she LOVES it!!! No tears for mommy, no clinging to my leg, no begging me not to go....she just slaps me a high-five and she's off. How's that for gratitude!?! You'd think she'd show a little more remorse, but noooooo, she has to be all happy and well adjusted. Hmph. I guess I'll shed enough tears for the both of us.

The first day was a success! Of course, she can't remember the names of anyone she played with, but she definitely loves the pre-school scene. I, on the other hand, am going to have to get a puppy or something. It's going to be a loooong year!

Weekend at Grandma's!

Look who we got to hang out with this weekend! Aunt Merrily & Aunt Jean came to visit Grandma, and we joined in on the fun!

Whenever the Tomko sisters get together one thing's for certain....there is sure to be LOTS of FOOD....oh, and LOTS of fun, too! We happily enjoyed both!

We are so glad whenever we get to spend time with this crowd, and we hope it's not too long before we see them again!

Extreme CLAIRE Makeover...

What do you get when you leave Claire upstairs alone with her sister and an unlimited supply of make-up and hair products? TA-DA! Supermodel Claire!

Believe it or not, this make-up routine is a weekly occurrence in the Paci house...and I would get rid of the stuff if it didn't make them so darn happy! The barrettes are a new thing...this is the first time I've seen such an elaborate 'do. It didn't last, though...soon I began to find trails of barrettes through the house, like Hansel & Gretel's breadcrumbs.

It won't be long before I don't find their make-up routines so amusing...I guess I'll enjoy the artistry while I can...and I'll stock up on make-up removing wipes!