Ready for Spring!

I am a little late posting, but two weekends ago we celebrated Matthew's 4th birthday.  We had cake two days in a row and he got a lot of wonderful gifts from people we love.  That Saturday night he had three cupcakes and blew out candles each time (he has a hard time blowing them out, but we are doing daily exercises to improve his speech and ability to control his breath).  He was so excited to turn four and cannot wait until he is five now.  Overall, it was a great weekend.  He received a scooter that he rides in the house a lot these days (due to the snow we had and colder temps), a camera (so he can catch us at our best worst moments), Angry Birds everything (from swim trunks, to pajamas, to games), and bath toys that make it so much more fun for Matthew and Natalie.

Seeing four candles on his cake just put me into shock lol. 

I also finished up our chairs for our new table this week.  Who knew painting pine chairs black would take so much work?!!  I wanted to do it right, since we have an in home daycare, so I lightly sanded, primed, sanded again, painted three to four coats of black paint, and then two coats of polyurethane.  I also waited a day in between each coat of paint and sealer.  Needless to say, they took a lot longer than expected, but I am so happy I distressed the chairs and took the time to do it right.  I think the whole set looks great and the kiddos love sitting on the bench together.  Who knew lunch time with the daycare kids could be so easy.  We successfully had lunch with no runners from the table for 20 minutes the first day!

I ordered the table by chance when I came across a relatively new company on Craigslist.  They linked me to their facebook page and I fell in love. Mr. Shartank was pretty much confused as to why I wanted a new table so bad, but now he loves it too!

J & K Custom Tables and More

I love how we can all sit at the table together now!  Matthew picks a new seat every time!  Also, I truly fell in love with the table the first night when I took this picture!  They did this on their own!  I mean how cute are they? The kids love sitting together when they eat and I could not be happier!

I used the products below to finish the chairs.  I was very surprised by the quality of the Rustoleum paint.  For under nine bucks a can I was weary, but the reviews were fabulous.  It had great coverage and was not too thick or thin.  Oh, and Purdy brushes are wonderful.  I have used a number of brands to paint and seal products, but they are by far the best!

Oh, and last week Mr. Sharktank booked our next relaxing vacation.  This will only be our second vacation together in seven years, but will also probably be the last vacation we will take without the kids for a while.  So, we wanted to do a tropical destination with another couple.  Dominican Republic here we come!  We cannot wait go to Melia Caribe Tropical and be with one of our favorite couples! Mr. Sharktank and I have never taken a big vacation with a couple before, so we are really looking forward to this trip!