2 1/2 hours later...

Well, the demo is more done... not all the way done yet as we want to try to keep the kids and dog (and us) as safe as we can for as long as we can. It would be a long fall if someone lost their balance at the top of the stairs. We already like the new look better and the posts you see are just the 2x4s that were in the wall. Wait until the white balusters are up!

In this photo, it is not snowing in the house. The white stuff you see is drywall dust lit by the camera's flash...



Ok, done for the night. We've left the posts up and tomorrow, we'll have to cut them off.

2:15pm -- Time to pick up the kids...

Looking good and making some serious progress... :)

Stairs Demolition!!!!

So, when we bought this house, my main complaint was the stairs. They are not my style at all. I like the more classic look with a railing and balusters. So, despite the fact that we won't get any of this back if we ever sell the house, we decided that it was not fun to live with one big glaring thing that bothers us.
So, the workers are coming on Monday to start the construction. To save money, we agreed to do the demolition and will paint the finished product.
I wanted to document the change since I really think it's going to be a big one so here we go....

This is the stairs from the front door. As Lance said, they kinda look like a water slide.


This is the view from the top of the stairs to the living room and front foyer.

This is the view from the living room.

So I'm working today on the demo...

Here's how far I've gotten so far..
Step #1: Pull up the carpet.

Step #2: Start smashing out the drywall!!

Thanksgiving and a trip to Estes Park

Thanksgiving preparations....
Lance and Emily are working hard to get the meal ready
for turkey-day.


We had a fancy dinner in our dining room --the kids were
ready to eat! We had the traditional favorites plus a few
family favorites too.


Friday, we took a family trip to Estes Park which is about 45 minutes north and west of Boulder. The trip was flat for a while, then you head west and UP! The road makes me nervous but luckily Lance was up for the twisting, turning road upward!

We went to Rocky Mountain National Park and took a short hike around this amazing part of the park. The vistas are unbelievable.




One of the "scenic overlooks" was the perfect place to take a great family photo.


The kids loved being up on the rocks, climbing all over the place... making me nervous!


We went to Estes Park because Henry went there for a field trip on his 2nd week of school and he told us all about the wild elk that roam the town. We hoped to see some of them and were not disappointed. Funny enough, we did not see the elk in the park. We saw them in the town -- they were just grazing right along the side of the road.


It happened to be the town's annual Christmas parade so we decided to stay and enjoy the lights. As you can see, we hunkered down on the curb to watch. Sadie even tucked under the blankets with us. It was a really fun night... the parade is delightful. The funniest part was when Sadie sprung up to bark at the passing Clydesdales pulling a wagon... she did not like the elk either :)


Well, that's it. Hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving and are getting all ready for the holidays.