A "DIY" brag...

After living in our house for a mere 16 months, we finally decided to finish our kitchen backsplash ;) It's been a source of debate--stainless steel? tile? What to do? Well, Peter and his handy DIY dad finished it off! Peter and I decided on glass mosaic tile from Waterworks and his dad stuck them up there. Peter finished off the alignment and grout and voila!:

Before:





After:

Before:

After:

Now if we could just get some sort of blinds up! Every morning I hear grumblings from Peter about how we have to get them up in our bedroom..maybe that would be a good idea before the baby comes!

Those crazy Rapaczynskis...

Some pictures from Rebecca's birthday fete in East Hampton. Of course Dad had to bring in some Asian influence, so he dressed himself and Trent (Tessa's boyfriend) in his traditional Chinese jackets from his last trip to his beloved land:





And then Rebecca and Mom had to get their picture taken with the guard..just like all those tourists in London always want pictures with the guards in the big hats who never smile:

I came to the conclusion that Tessa and I are the only normal ones in the house:

A couple of shower pictures...

Here are a couple of pictures from my shower. Frankly, I selected only a few because in the rest of them I look like a huge heffer. I am sure it was the camera, and not that I actually look that large ;)

Tessa and I admiring Kevin's beautiful Cinderella popup book:



The cake!:

All the pretty pink presents:

We had a very nice time and I am very grateful for all the wonderful gifts that I received--we are almost fully stocked now!

Sorry we've been MIA...

but it's been a little crazy around here! Phil & Claudia were in town from Monday to Saturday. We got some major painting in the nursery done, but we are still finishing our circles--we are almost done, so I can't wait to post pictures of the completed project! We also are almost done putting up the backsplash behind our stove, which we've been meaning to do since we moved in!

Other than household stuff, not too much exciting to report. Peter had his birthday on Friday and we went out for a nice dinner at David Burke Primehouse downtown--it was actually really good!

Wow..there are quite a few exclamation points in this post..I think I have been sniffing too much paint ;) Off to finish..I promise I will post a bunch of pictures soon..

The little Alien...

Here are some pics from the elective 3D ultrasound that we did on Saturday before my baby shower. Unfortunately, I think we did them a little late, because she looked awfully crowded in there--plus she is head down (ready to go!!!!), so it was hard for the tech to get some face-0n shots of her (and we confirmed--it is definitely a her!).

And apparently she is either really crowded in there or she is a future gymnast...yes, that is her foot up by her head and hands :)

Some more pics that wouldn't post...

Tessa in Aspen:


Tessa & I on the top of Independence Pass:

Colorado Road Trip..

Tessa and I returned from our Colorado road trip all in one piece! We got back on Thursday and I had my big 3D ultrasound and shower on Saturday..so lots of pictures to come...

First off..our Colorado pictures & story:

Day 1: Arrive in Denver and rent car. Drive to Boulder where we are starving and have dinner at Juanita's on Pearl Street. After a little walk, we get back to our hotel (Marriott) and conk out.

Day 2: Lunch at the Med in Boulder. Spend all day driving to Telluride. Stay at the Peaks Resort and head down to downtown Telluride via gondola for dinner--what an experience--heading straight down in the pitch black night in a gondola!

Day 3: Walk around Telluride and have breakfast.
Drive to Crested Butte (stopped at the weirdest McDonald's ever on the way..keep that in mind if you plan to Big Mac it in Gunnison, CO). Dinner in Crested Butte.

Day 4: Breakfast in Crested Butte.

Afraid of Keebler Pass, so we drove around and took Independence Pass to Aspen. Arrive in Aspen and walk around and shop :) Dinner at my favorite: Takah Sushi. Stayed at the Hotel Jerome.

Day 5: Lunch at my favorite: Johnny McGuires. Walk around a bit, hit Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory for a caramel apple and head off to Vail. Arrived in Vail where weather was pool worthy, so spent an hour relaxing and then ate a yummy Italian meal at Campo de Fiori.

Day 6: Breakfast at hotel (Sonnenalp) and a short walk around Vail. Head to Denver to go to the airport and go through the worst rain storms ever (Tessa sleeps through it all). Head home...