This has been the craziest couple of months I've ever experienced! Talk about emotional roller coaster. I must have twice the number of gray hairs on my head than I had before the holidays started.
Where to even begin? We love our house. It's been a great match for us and we've filled it with love and memories these past six years. But the reality is that all this big yard and isolation comes with a cost...and that cost is TIME (although Mike would probably say the cost is GAS). We spend so much time in the car just "getting" to places that we seem to have less time to actually "enjoy" the places we go to. Mike's commute to work really cuts into time with the kids during the week. Even supposedly simple things like running to the store become an entire morning's outing.
The lovely drive through the country to our house has become something I resent. We want something closer to everything we do on a daily basis. So we started shopping around for a new home. Just casually looking, when we had the time. After looking at quite a few, we found one that felt like it could be The One. We both just knew it was right for our family. We saw it right before we were leaving town for Thanksgiving. Not wanting to miss out on this house, I emailed our realtor before we left, telling her that as soon as we get back we want to make a move on this house. Long story short, our realtor said she never got the email. By the time we settled on a time to get together to write up an offer, another family had secured a contingent contract on The One. Talk about wind out of your sails. There was still hope though. The contract on The One was contingent on the sale of the first buyers' home. So if we could sell our home first, we could make an alternate offer on The One and steal it out from under the first buyers.
It was a risky plan. There was a chance that if we sold our home, the first buyers could also sell their home at the same time and stake their claim on The One. Then we would be left with nothing. We would have to scramble to find another home to buy quickly. Or we could rent until we found something else we liked. But we really loved The One so we decided to risk it. We put our house on the market, fixed some things around our house to make it more appealing to buyers, and crossed our fingers.
It looked promising. We had some showings and real interest. I'll skip a lot of the annoying details and just say that our fourth showing resulted in an offer. After a couple of agonizing days of counteroffers, we finally agreed on a deal. We immediately made an offer on The One, all the while believing that the first buyers of The One had no chance of firming up on their offer. We were wrong. The worst case scenario is exactly what happened. We sold our house and we didn't get The One. On top of that, we sold our house for maybe less than we would have wanted to, since we were trying to sell quickly, we couldn't be too picky.
After a couple days of mourning, we started packing and also looking for a new house or apartment to buy or rent. It was pretty depressing. I went looking at houses while Mike was at work but nothing compared to The One. Then one night, Nora was hit with a stomach flu...vomit everywhere every 20 minutes. I had to cancel some home showings so I could stay home with her. I called in reinforcements in the form of Grandma. Thank goodness for Grandma! She helped take care of Nora while I set up more appointments for homes to look at the next day.
I just happened to be sitting at my computer when I got an email for a new listing in an area we had been looking for homes. This new listing looked amazing online. I felt hopeful. I called Mike at work and told him to look at it. He gave the thumbs up. I called our realtor and asked her to get us in there first thing in the morning and to bring the paperwork for us to draw up an offer. That night, the stomach flu hit me next. I felt absolutely wretched, but I was not going to miss out on this house! Grandma drove Carter to school, then we went to this New House. I carried a bucket around with me while we checked it out. We wrote up the offer and by the end of the day, we'd come to an agreement.
Since then, it's been one thing after another. We just haven't been able to breathe a sigh of relief. Carter took his turn with the stomach flu. Thankfully Mike and Grandma escaped the worst of it. The inspection report of the New House showed high radon levels, which needs to be corrected so no one gets lung cancer. The people buying our home, the Schneider's, missed their deadline for loan commitment. They have been a real challenge to work with, and their realtor is part of the problem. Surprisingly they decided to waive all inspections on our house. At first, that was great news because it meant I didn't have to fix that broken door knob or the few other things that needed attention around the house. But then they decided to do a septic inspection without informing us. So on a Saturday morning at 8:00 am, I open the shades in the front living room and find strange cars in our driveway and people walking around in our backyard. We're still in our pajamas. Mike steps outside and asks if he can help them and they say they're here to do the septic inspection. We quickly learn that the Schneider's brought over a family friend to do the "inspection". He has us run the water in some sinks for about 15 minutes. When he sees that no water has surfaced in the yard (which is covered in snow), he says we passed the "inspections". Unsurprisingly, he admits to Mike that he's not even certified to do this "inspection". The Schneider's daughter, who is also there, tells Mike that they waived the building inspection because her carpenter husband did a walk-through of the house during the 2nd showing and thought it looked "fine". I'll also add that the 2nd showing lasted 40 minutes beyond their allowed time to visit my house, and involved four vehicles full of family members who wanted to see the house. I feel sorry for my neighbors.
The number of people involved in this entire transaction is like a giant line of dominoes. If one person is out of alignment, the rest of those behind it won't fall into place. It's incredibly frustrating to have such a big transaction resting in the hands of people you don't even know. Right now, the biggest issue is the time it takes for all the paperwork to be processed. Deadlines are being missed and miscommunication rules the airwaves. I wish we could do this whole thing without dealing with all of the realtors and lenders and other 3rd parties involved. Things are still up in the air right now. Nearly everything we own is packed up in boxes waiting for a move. We don't know when that move will be, but at least it's starting to look likely that we WILL be moving soon.
It seems like a side note to write about it here, but our holidays (aside from this home stuff) were great! The kids loved their gifts at Christmas and marveled over the "evidence" of Santa eating the cookies we left out. Nora loves all of her dollhouses and her "girls". She plays with them everyday. I am realizing now that I could have prevented many sibling arguments if I had just admitted that she would enjoy playing with these types of toys (even if I did not). She plays so well by herself now that she has toys she's really interested in. Carter, of course, loves all of the new trains he got and he can't get enough of watching marbles zoom through the "woop-de-woop" (loop-the-loop) of his Marble Run game.
I finally posted some new photos on Facebook. Sorry they are so late in coming!
New photos can be seen HERE.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Trick or Treat!
Happy fall all! After such a dry summer, I was afraid the leaves would be nothing but brown this year. But summer ended with a flourish of rain and the trees recovered in time to put out their usual beauty. I love the sugar maples in our front yard. They are so brilliant in their reds and oranges, they almost look like that are on fire. But now all the leaves are gone and we've been steadily clearing them out of the yard. We don't have a yard waste pick up service out here, so we either dump them into a big pile in the woods behind out house, mow them up into tiny pieces, or burn them. The kids prefer the first method because it involves a giant tarp and what we call a "leaf ride" (instead of hay ride). Mike and I pile all the leaves on the tarp and then lug it back to the tree line. The kids ride along on the pile of leaves. Carter even tries to stand and surf his way down. Thankfully, it's a downward slope to the tree line. The work is a lot easier when you hear the kids giggling the entire ride down.
Carter's preschool is going well so far. He's one of the younger kids in the class so he's still getting used to being in a classroom setting. He loves his teacher, Miss Katie, though and she frequently tells me how impressed she is with how much he knows, whether it's letters, numbers, or anything to do with trains. They incorporate gymnastics and swimming lessons into his schedule so he really gets a lot out of each day.
Nora impresses me every day with her drawing skills. She loves to color and draw more than anything I think. She draws little smiley faces with hair and ears. It's amazing how well she can look at something I've drawn and then copy it herself on her own paper. I may run out of space to hang all the little masterpieces!
Halloween was a special "treat" this year. The kids were really into the whole trick-or-treating business and the dressing up in a costume. For weeks, they talked about what they were going to be for Halloween, telling anyone who would listen. Carter, of course, was a train engineer with striped overalls and a matching hat. The fact that he kept the hat on the whole time is a testament to how much he loved the costume. Nora was Olivia the Pig, a children's book character. Grandma made the dress and Nora was adored by all. Our neighbors were really impressed with the kids' costumes and the candy haul was record-breaking!
Thanksgiving is coming up soon so I've started working on our packing list for the trip to Hot Springs. Can't wait to put the new minivan to the test for this road trip. Carter is already asking if we can put up our Christmas lights. Both he and Nora get a thrill when they see pictures of Santa around stores or on TV. The next couple months are going to be a whirlwind!
Funny words of the week:
"maggot" = magnet; "Mom, look at these maggots on the 'frigerator!"
"Semasee" = Sesame; "Could I please watch Semasee Street?"
New pictures posted HERE!
Carter's preschool is going well so far. He's one of the younger kids in the class so he's still getting used to being in a classroom setting. He loves his teacher, Miss Katie, though and she frequently tells me how impressed she is with how much he knows, whether it's letters, numbers, or anything to do with trains. They incorporate gymnastics and swimming lessons into his schedule so he really gets a lot out of each day.
Nora impresses me every day with her drawing skills. She loves to color and draw more than anything I think. She draws little smiley faces with hair and ears. It's amazing how well she can look at something I've drawn and then copy it herself on her own paper. I may run out of space to hang all the little masterpieces!
Halloween was a special "treat" this year. The kids were really into the whole trick-or-treating business and the dressing up in a costume. For weeks, they talked about what they were going to be for Halloween, telling anyone who would listen. Carter, of course, was a train engineer with striped overalls and a matching hat. The fact that he kept the hat on the whole time is a testament to how much he loved the costume. Nora was Olivia the Pig, a children's book character. Grandma made the dress and Nora was adored by all. Our neighbors were really impressed with the kids' costumes and the candy haul was record-breaking!
Thanksgiving is coming up soon so I've started working on our packing list for the trip to Hot Springs. Can't wait to put the new minivan to the test for this road trip. Carter is already asking if we can put up our Christmas lights. Both he and Nora get a thrill when they see pictures of Santa around stores or on TV. The next couple months are going to be a whirlwind!
Funny words of the week:
"maggot" = magnet; "Mom, look at these maggots on the 'frigerator!"
"Semasee" = Sesame; "Could I please watch Semasee Street?"
New pictures posted HERE!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Summer Highlights
The summer is nearly over and I've hardly updated you! Absolutely pathetic, I know. There just never seems to be enough time! Even while I'm writing this, I'm mentally making a list of all the things I still need to get done tonight, this week, this month...it never ends! The summer has been a mix of highs and lows that corresponded directly with the temperature outside. All that craziness culminated to the insanity of this past weekend where we celebrated Carter's 4th birthday, bought a new car, and started Carter in preschool. It's been a hectic few days to say the least!
The heat of the summer really limited us with our normal activities. We like to be OUTSIDE! But with temps in triple digits, it's just miserable for all involved. We exhausted our indoor activities pretty quickly so we had to get a little creative. We built towers out of empty diaper boxes and smashed into them. We discovered the "fun" of setting up dominoes and knocking them down. We colored, painted, play-dohed, hopscotched, and summersaulted all in our home. Some other highlights of the summer:
This weekend we had a nature-themed party for Carter's birthday. I think he really enjoyed it. He was so excited and really into everything. I wish I could bottle that emotion and inject it back into him when he's driving me crazy. After all that fanfare, Carter had his first day at pre-school today. He's going 3 days a week at the YMCA. We've been there before for other activities so he was already familiar with the place. I think it went well, he didn't cry when we left or anything and when we picked him up, he was getting along fine. Hopefully the trend will continue.
On top of that, today we traded in the Explorer for a new minivan. It is so wonderful! Honda thought of everything when they built that machine. It is so much more convenient. I think it has more storage space than the Explorer did, yet somehow it feels less bulky. I'm looking forward to curling up with the owner's manual tonight so I can learn how to control all the doo-hickies and gadgets. Can't wait for our first roadtrip in it!
Click HERE for birthday pictures.
Click HERE for summer pictures.
The heat of the summer really limited us with our normal activities. We like to be OUTSIDE! But with temps in triple digits, it's just miserable for all involved. We exhausted our indoor activities pretty quickly so we had to get a little creative. We built towers out of empty diaper boxes and smashed into them. We discovered the "fun" of setting up dominoes and knocking them down. We colored, painted, play-dohed, hopscotched, and summersaulted all in our home. Some other highlights of the summer:
- Carter re-enacting divers and sprinters in the Olympics
- Nora pretending to feed her babies, and also remove boogers from their noses
- Catching crawdads in the creek
- Finally hearing Carter sing a song (that kid just isn't very musical)
- Visiting Grandma and Pop and Grandma Lily in Kansas City
- Seeing the new sea lion enclosure at the zoo
This weekend we had a nature-themed party for Carter's birthday. I think he really enjoyed it. He was so excited and really into everything. I wish I could bottle that emotion and inject it back into him when he's driving me crazy. After all that fanfare, Carter had his first day at pre-school today. He's going 3 days a week at the YMCA. We've been there before for other activities so he was already familiar with the place. I think it went well, he didn't cry when we left or anything and when we picked him up, he was getting along fine. Hopefully the trend will continue.
On top of that, today we traded in the Explorer for a new minivan. It is so wonderful! Honda thought of everything when they built that machine. It is so much more convenient. I think it has more storage space than the Explorer did, yet somehow it feels less bulky. I'm looking forward to curling up with the owner's manual tonight so I can learn how to control all the doo-hickies and gadgets. Can't wait for our first roadtrip in it!
Click HERE for birthday pictures.
Click HERE for summer pictures.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Spring, I Love You!
What an amazing spring we have had this year! The weather has been absolutely perfect! We've already done every possible outdoor activity in the area and it's not even June yet!
I'm happy to report that I am no longer a bad luck charm. Mike's hunting perseverance finally paid off and he shot himself a turkey this year. We've had turkey for dinner a few times, prepared a few different ways, but the best was the fried turkey strips. Very, very good, despite the bit of lead I discovered with my teeth.
A couple weeks ago, I took a two-day nature photography class at Shaw Nature Reserve. I really enjoyed exploring Shaw in the early morning hours and I learned so much from the instructor. I don't often get to take nature photos like that without any distractions, and I soaked up the experience. Played with my new tripod too and got some really good shots.
I also got a chance to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity this past weekend. I help raise several walls on a brand new home. After a day of hammering, climbing ladders, hammering, shoveling rocks, hammering, hauling lumber, and more hammering, I thought my arm might fall off. But it was extremely satisfying to see all of the work that got done by a bunch of volunteers.
Also got our vegetable garden planted over the weekend. We scaled things back a bit this year, not as many plants to keep up with. Despite that, we still have several varieties of tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, okra, lettuce, zucchini, yellow squash, and butternut squash. Our asparagus is doing well and should be ready to harvest next year maybe. The rhubarb is struggling though. We may have to abandon it, which I hate to do because I love rhubarb!
This weekend, Grandma is coming to visit. We'll celebrate a late Mother's Day and eat some birthday cake. Then she'll be babysitting the kids while Mike and I get some long overdue couple time one a canoe float down the Big River. I am really looking forward to it. The weather looks to be nice and nothing beats the leisurely pace and the sounds of nature on the Big River.
I've officially registered Carter for preschool for this fall. Even though it's only three half-days a week, I get a little sad thinking about this big milestone. Soon he'll be texting his friends and out the door with a wave goodbye. I just want to squeeze him so tight and keep him to myself. (Sigh) I'm sure Nora will be thrilled with the change. She'll finally get Momma to herself...something she's probably longed for since her birth, judging by the way she literally fastens herself to me so we can't be separated.
The only real downer this spring has been the whole roof replacement experience. I suppose the company did a fine job getting things completed in a timely manner. But the first real rain revealed a leak right where our satellite dish is attached to the roof. The roofers cam back and resealed the area, but then our satellite reception no longer worked. Satellite repair guy comes out and is unable to fix it. Instead he installs a new dish in a different location, leaving the newly resealed dish base at the old location. Rather than deal with the roofers again, Mike and a friend got up there and removed the old base and re-shingled the whole area. Amazing. While we had some hail damage after last year's storms, we never had a single leak or problem with our old roof. Fix it, and we are up to our ears with problems. It never fails, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
New photos posted to Facebook. Click HERE to view.
I'm happy to report that I am no longer a bad luck charm. Mike's hunting perseverance finally paid off and he shot himself a turkey this year. We've had turkey for dinner a few times, prepared a few different ways, but the best was the fried turkey strips. Very, very good, despite the bit of lead I discovered with my teeth.
A couple weeks ago, I took a two-day nature photography class at Shaw Nature Reserve. I really enjoyed exploring Shaw in the early morning hours and I learned so much from the instructor. I don't often get to take nature photos like that without any distractions, and I soaked up the experience. Played with my new tripod too and got some really good shots.
I also got a chance to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity this past weekend. I help raise several walls on a brand new home. After a day of hammering, climbing ladders, hammering, shoveling rocks, hammering, hauling lumber, and more hammering, I thought my arm might fall off. But it was extremely satisfying to see all of the work that got done by a bunch of volunteers.
Also got our vegetable garden planted over the weekend. We scaled things back a bit this year, not as many plants to keep up with. Despite that, we still have several varieties of tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, okra, lettuce, zucchini, yellow squash, and butternut squash. Our asparagus is doing well and should be ready to harvest next year maybe. The rhubarb is struggling though. We may have to abandon it, which I hate to do because I love rhubarb!
This weekend, Grandma is coming to visit. We'll celebrate a late Mother's Day and eat some birthday cake. Then she'll be babysitting the kids while Mike and I get some long overdue couple time one a canoe float down the Big River. I am really looking forward to it. The weather looks to be nice and nothing beats the leisurely pace and the sounds of nature on the Big River.
I've officially registered Carter for preschool for this fall. Even though it's only three half-days a week, I get a little sad thinking about this big milestone. Soon he'll be texting his friends and out the door with a wave goodbye. I just want to squeeze him so tight and keep him to myself. (Sigh) I'm sure Nora will be thrilled with the change. She'll finally get Momma to herself...something she's probably longed for since her birth, judging by the way she literally fastens herself to me so we can't be separated.
The only real downer this spring has been the whole roof replacement experience. I suppose the company did a fine job getting things completed in a timely manner. But the first real rain revealed a leak right where our satellite dish is attached to the roof. The roofers cam back and resealed the area, but then our satellite reception no longer worked. Satellite repair guy comes out and is unable to fix it. Instead he installs a new dish in a different location, leaving the newly resealed dish base at the old location. Rather than deal with the roofers again, Mike and a friend got up there and removed the old base and re-shingled the whole area. Amazing. While we had some hail damage after last year's storms, we never had a single leak or problem with our old roof. Fix it, and we are up to our ears with problems. It never fails, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".
New photos posted to Facebook. Click HERE to view.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Little Baby No Longer!
NORA
IS
TWO
!!!!!!
She's grown so much over the last few months. Sometimes it seems like she could be Carter's twin sister, other times I am reminded there really is such a thing as the "terrible twos".
I have discovered Nora's superpower. She has the ability to paralyze her foes, even drive them to madness, by simply opening her mouth. The scream that this girl unleashes is like ten thousand nails on chalkboard. She wields her weapon well. Mercifully, she kept it in check (mostly) for her birthday weekend extravaganza. Since it was also Easter weekend, we kept our party on the small side with just family. So, no over-the-top decorating this time...I feel slightly guilty about shafting Nora like that, but I doubt she really noticed (or cared).
Despite the lack of streamers, the fun was endless all weekend long! With perfect weather, we hit the Missouri Botanical Garden, played in the yard, ate cupcakes and cake pops, and played with all the new toys. Sunday morning, the kids had an egg hunt in the yard, and later we visited West City Park to play on the playground and throw rocks in the creek. Now the kids are wiped out and in bed. Whew!
It's been a very busy couple of months for us, and I am ready for a normal routine to be re-established. Nora's got her 2-year doctor check-up coming up this week and I am interested to see what the doctor says about her growth. Amazingly, we haven't been to the doctor since October so there will be a lot of milestones to report....(sorry, I'm still marveling over the fact that we made it all winter with only a mild cold for the kids)...
Other news for us:
- We had our roof re-shingled...one year after we experienced hail damage!
- Carter has made amazing progress in potty training!
- Work has begun in the vegetable garden, rhubarb and asparagus have already sprouted, lettuce to go in soon
More news coming soon! For new photos on Facebook, click HERE.
IS
TWO
!!!!!!
She's grown so much over the last few months. Sometimes it seems like she could be Carter's twin sister, other times I am reminded there really is such a thing as the "terrible twos".
I have discovered Nora's superpower. She has the ability to paralyze her foes, even drive them to madness, by simply opening her mouth. The scream that this girl unleashes is like ten thousand nails on chalkboard. She wields her weapon well. Mercifully, she kept it in check (mostly) for her birthday weekend extravaganza. Since it was also Easter weekend, we kept our party on the small side with just family. So, no over-the-top decorating this time...I feel slightly guilty about shafting Nora like that, but I doubt she really noticed (or cared).
Despite the lack of streamers, the fun was endless all weekend long! With perfect weather, we hit the Missouri Botanical Garden, played in the yard, ate cupcakes and cake pops, and played with all the new toys. Sunday morning, the kids had an egg hunt in the yard, and later we visited West City Park to play on the playground and throw rocks in the creek. Now the kids are wiped out and in bed. Whew!
It's been a very busy couple of months for us, and I am ready for a normal routine to be re-established. Nora's got her 2-year doctor check-up coming up this week and I am interested to see what the doctor says about her growth. Amazingly, we haven't been to the doctor since October so there will be a lot of milestones to report....(sorry, I'm still marveling over the fact that we made it all winter with only a mild cold for the kids)...
Other news for us:
- We had our roof re-shingled...one year after we experienced hail damage!
- Carter has made amazing progress in potty training!
- Work has begun in the vegetable garden, rhubarb and asparagus have already sprouted, lettuce to go in soon
More news coming soon! For new photos on Facebook, click HERE.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
When It Rains, It Pours
Stay away from me people! Everything I've touched lately has broken, vanished, or otherwise turned to crap. I am the opposite of Midas! In the past week, these things have all happened:
1) Our range broke. No stove or oven function whatsoever for several days. Slim pickings for meals my friends when you can't cook anything. We went through an entire bag of charcoal in that time frame, grilling meat in 40F weather. Once Mike brought our propane cooktop we use during camping trips into the kitchen to cook something. The whole house smelled like gas for hours. New range installed yesterday though, so now we can wean ourselves off the microwave.
2) I lost my keys. Keys to the house and each vehicle, plus key FOBs for each vehicle. I found them the next day smashed to smithereens half a mile from our house. The cost to replace the key FOBs and the vehicle keys (which have some kind of chip technology) is astronomical. I don't understand the point of the chip, other than to screw people out of their money when they already feel stupid for losing their keys in the first place.
3) Realization that my happiness is too dependent on Facebook. The short story is that for months, no one would reply to anything I wrote on Facebook. I seriously thought all my friends and family were ignoring me. Then I discovered that no one could see what I was writing because I had inadvertently changed the settings on my account. The relief was a little disturbing. I need to find more tangible ways to connect with people besides Facebook.
Well, that's enough for now. When it rains it pours, right? On the positive side, the weather is warming up and signs of spring are everywhere. We are embracing the sunshine and getting outside. Today I took the kids to the Botanical Garden and we saw daffodils, blue bells, magnolias, and cherry blossoms all beginning to bloom. A couple days ago we went to the Zoo. Carter kept calling the prairie dogs "fairy dogs". Nora likes the monkeys the best.
We've got a crazy few weeks coming up. Lots of trips out of town and projects around here going on. I'm sure we'll have lots to share the next time I post something. In the meantime, click HERE for some new pictures.
1) Our range broke. No stove or oven function whatsoever for several days. Slim pickings for meals my friends when you can't cook anything. We went through an entire bag of charcoal in that time frame, grilling meat in 40F weather. Once Mike brought our propane cooktop we use during camping trips into the kitchen to cook something. The whole house smelled like gas for hours. New range installed yesterday though, so now we can wean ourselves off the microwave.
2) I lost my keys. Keys to the house and each vehicle, plus key FOBs for each vehicle. I found them the next day smashed to smithereens half a mile from our house. The cost to replace the key FOBs and the vehicle keys (which have some kind of chip technology) is astronomical. I don't understand the point of the chip, other than to screw people out of their money when they already feel stupid for losing their keys in the first place.
3) Realization that my happiness is too dependent on Facebook. The short story is that for months, no one would reply to anything I wrote on Facebook. I seriously thought all my friends and family were ignoring me. Then I discovered that no one could see what I was writing because I had inadvertently changed the settings on my account. The relief was a little disturbing. I need to find more tangible ways to connect with people besides Facebook.
Well, that's enough for now. When it rains it pours, right? On the positive side, the weather is warming up and signs of spring are everywhere. We are embracing the sunshine and getting outside. Today I took the kids to the Botanical Garden and we saw daffodils, blue bells, magnolias, and cherry blossoms all beginning to bloom. A couple days ago we went to the Zoo. Carter kept calling the prairie dogs "fairy dogs". Nora likes the monkeys the best.
We've got a crazy few weeks coming up. Lots of trips out of town and projects around here going on. I'm sure we'll have lots to share the next time I post something. In the meantime, click HERE for some new pictures.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Happy Birthday to ME!
I had the MOST amazing birthday weekend of all time! Thank you all for the well-wishes and gifts!
Mike took the day off work Friday and we took the family to the St. Louis Science Museum to see the Star Trek exhibition. We're not huge Star Trek fans but we like the series and the movies, plus I scored a Groupon for tickets to the event. It was really interesting; I wish we could have spent more time looking at all the props and costumes. Carter and Nora were not that impressed with the whole thing. Unfortunately no cameras were allowed in the exhibit, but they had a few stations set up where a staff member would take your photo (Kirk's captain's chair, the transporter, and the Enterprise bridge). Then for a fee, you could get prints of the photos. Thanks to my Mom, we got a couple of the pictures. The transporter one is the best. It's actually a hologram, so if you tilt it one way, you see us, but then tilt it the other way, we disappear! Beam me up!
Friday night Mike and I went out to dinner at the Wildflower. This is the same place where we got married 5 years ago. It still looks exactly the same! Dinner was amazing. It was nice to sit and take our time eating, surrounded by other adults. I wish we could do that more often (no offense kiddos).
Saturday, Mike and I went to go see Star Wars in 3D at the movie theater. I was in heaven! I wish more of my favorite movies would be shown on the big screen again. Maybe I could rent a theater and all the old reels for a marathon movie viewing.
The rest of the weekend was low-key, hanging out with the kids at home, making pancakes Sunday morning, catching up on projects. I was sorry to see it end Monday morning. Thanks for babysitting Mom!
Hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day! Mike went all out with flowers and chocolate covered strawberries. I'm feeling a little spoiled (but I'm not complaining!)
Kids are waking up from their naps...signing off.
Mike took the day off work Friday and we took the family to the St. Louis Science Museum to see the Star Trek exhibition. We're not huge Star Trek fans but we like the series and the movies, plus I scored a Groupon for tickets to the event. It was really interesting; I wish we could have spent more time looking at all the props and costumes. Carter and Nora were not that impressed with the whole thing. Unfortunately no cameras were allowed in the exhibit, but they had a few stations set up where a staff member would take your photo (Kirk's captain's chair, the transporter, and the Enterprise bridge). Then for a fee, you could get prints of the photos. Thanks to my Mom, we got a couple of the pictures. The transporter one is the best. It's actually a hologram, so if you tilt it one way, you see us, but then tilt it the other way, we disappear! Beam me up!
Friday night Mike and I went out to dinner at the Wildflower. This is the same place where we got married 5 years ago. It still looks exactly the same! Dinner was amazing. It was nice to sit and take our time eating, surrounded by other adults. I wish we could do that more often (no offense kiddos).
Saturday, Mike and I went to go see Star Wars in 3D at the movie theater. I was in heaven! I wish more of my favorite movies would be shown on the big screen again. Maybe I could rent a theater and all the old reels for a marathon movie viewing.
The rest of the weekend was low-key, hanging out with the kids at home, making pancakes Sunday morning, catching up on projects. I was sorry to see it end Monday morning. Thanks for babysitting Mom!
Hope everyone had a good Valentine's Day! Mike went all out with flowers and chocolate covered strawberries. I'm feeling a little spoiled (but I'm not complaining!)
Kids are waking up from their naps...signing off.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Welcome to the Flip Side 2012
Happy Halloween! Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Holidays! Happy New Year!
(whew!)
Apparently the last time I updated this blog was in October. Four whole holidays came and went without so much as a "byte" of info from us. To say we've been busy is a bit of an understatement. I've been working part-time nights and weekends (more on that later). We've travelled to visit family and had family travel to visit us. I didn't take a single photograph with my camera for the entire month of November! That's saying a lot for me. Our schedule has had me so frazzled lately that apparently on our Christmas card, I wrote that a highlight of 2011 for us was going to Minnesota for Grandma Lil's 85th birthday party. Yeah...uh...Grandma Lil's party was in 2010. Somehow I lost an entire year in my brain. Despite my apparent lapses in memory, I will do my best to fill you in on the past couple months in the Bunn household.
Event #1: Halloween!
Mike and I decided that Carter was old enough this year to try trick-o-treating in our neighborhood. We live on a dead-end road with only about a dozen houses. It worked out really well for us. Our neighbors really pulled out all the stops with the treats...I'm talking full-size candy bars here people! I figured this was probably going to be the last Halloween where I would get to choose Carter's costume myself, since he didn't really have an opinion on the subject. So, of course, he was Darth Vader. It's hard to tell in the photos that's what he was since he wouldn't wear the helmet part on his head, and he kept sticking his lightsaber (flashlight) in his eye. (sigh) My hopes of a Jedi child are dashed. Nora was very much excited to wear her Minnie Mouse costume, ears and all. She loves dressing up and it didn't take her long to catch on to the "doorbell = candy" equation. Overall, a great experience andMike and I the kids really enjoyed the candy.
Event #2: Thanksgiving!
We loaded up the car and travelled down to Arkansas for Thanksgiving at Mamaw and Papaw's house. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a rough start. The morning we were planning to leave, Carter woke up in a giant pool of vomit. Ugh. In my opinion, nothing is worse than the smell of vomit. I would rather deal with the worst case of the runs instead of vomit. We delayed our start to see if Carter was actually sick, or if he just had an upset stomach. He seemed ok while I spent the morning doing laundry. So we hit the road a bit later than planned and headed south. Before we reached our destination, he barfed two more times in the car. It was awful! The smell! We thought about turning back but we just powered through it. It worked out fine, because the whole time we were down there, Carter was perfectly normal. Took forever to get the smell out of the car though. Moving on to the actual holiday...the highlight for the kids was probably riding on the trailer pulled by Papaw's tractor. Carter loved climbing on the tractors and sitting in the seats. Good food, great family, and Razorback football...we had a wonderful time.
Event #3: New job!
Just before Carter was born, I had left my job at Washington University. Working full-time is something I'd like to do once the kids are in school (or maybe preschool), but that's still a year or two away at least. Until then, I decided it would be nice to do a little part-time work. Nothing too demanding, just something to give us some extra money. Since I'm still with the kids all day while Mike's at his job, I looked for something nights and weekends. Well, there aren't a lot of options outside of restaurants and retail. I applied to a few retail stores and got a call from Michaels. It's an arts and crafts store, and they were looking for someone to fill an opening in their framing department. It's been a good fit so far. I like the store and shop there regularly, but I love the framing. I like being able to help people design something to showcase their special paintings, photos, or memorabilia, and then actually building it myself. It's gratifying when they see the final product. I've learned a lot working there. We get some of the most interesting things that people want framed. One lady brought in an actual footprint of an elephant on handmade paper that she got while in Africa.
Not sure how long I'll continue to work there. It was a bit insane during the push towards Christmas. I thought I was losing my marbles. The store was staying open so late, I was getting lots of hours, but I was getting home around midnight. Then getting up with the kids in the morning...and barely seeing Mike at all. It's slowed down a lot now, so I feel like I'm back in control of my household.
Event #4: Christmas!
The build-up to Christmas was actually tangible in our house this year. Carter finally seemed to "get it", that Santa would be coming to his house and he would be bringing presents. He was so excited. Nora quickly learned the word "Santa" and pointed out his likeness everywhere she saw it. We did our first Breakfast with Santa at our local rec center (which by the way had an excellent Santa and Mrs Claus). It went mostly well. Carter happily told Santa he wanted trains. Nora cried and likely got snot in Santa's beard (which was real). We decided to stay at home for this holiday to enjoy all the traditions without worrying about packing suitcases. Instead, my family came to visit us! Grandma, Pop, Karen, Corey, and Dalton all came to St. Louis for Christmas. Their visit was short but we made the most of it. We visited the Whittle Train Store, swam in the hotel pool, decorated cookies, played games, watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (that one never gets old), and generally stuffed ourselves to bursting. Carter still keeps asking me when we get to go to Dalton's house to play with his trains.
I'm running out of steam. This is the most I've typed continuously in a long time and my joints are cramping up. I have a few more news tidbits but I will save them for another update in a couple weeks.
New pictures on Facebook can be found HERE.
(whew!)
Apparently the last time I updated this blog was in October. Four whole holidays came and went without so much as a "byte" of info from us. To say we've been busy is a bit of an understatement. I've been working part-time nights and weekends (more on that later). We've travelled to visit family and had family travel to visit us. I didn't take a single photograph with my camera for the entire month of November! That's saying a lot for me. Our schedule has had me so frazzled lately that apparently on our Christmas card, I wrote that a highlight of 2011 for us was going to Minnesota for Grandma Lil's 85th birthday party. Yeah...uh...Grandma Lil's party was in 2010. Somehow I lost an entire year in my brain. Despite my apparent lapses in memory, I will do my best to fill you in on the past couple months in the Bunn household.
Event #1: Halloween!
Mike and I decided that Carter was old enough this year to try trick-o-treating in our neighborhood. We live on a dead-end road with only about a dozen houses. It worked out really well for us. Our neighbors really pulled out all the stops with the treats...I'm talking full-size candy bars here people! I figured this was probably going to be the last Halloween where I would get to choose Carter's costume myself, since he didn't really have an opinion on the subject. So, of course, he was Darth Vader. It's hard to tell in the photos that's what he was since he wouldn't wear the helmet part on his head, and he kept sticking his lightsaber (flashlight) in his eye. (sigh) My hopes of a Jedi child are dashed. Nora was very much excited to wear her Minnie Mouse costume, ears and all. She loves dressing up and it didn't take her long to catch on to the "doorbell = candy" equation. Overall, a great experience and
Event #2: Thanksgiving!
We loaded up the car and travelled down to Arkansas for Thanksgiving at Mamaw and Papaw's house. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a rough start. The morning we were planning to leave, Carter woke up in a giant pool of vomit. Ugh. In my opinion, nothing is worse than the smell of vomit. I would rather deal with the worst case of the runs instead of vomit. We delayed our start to see if Carter was actually sick, or if he just had an upset stomach. He seemed ok while I spent the morning doing laundry. So we hit the road a bit later than planned and headed south. Before we reached our destination, he barfed two more times in the car. It was awful! The smell! We thought about turning back but we just powered through it. It worked out fine, because the whole time we were down there, Carter was perfectly normal. Took forever to get the smell out of the car though. Moving on to the actual holiday...the highlight for the kids was probably riding on the trailer pulled by Papaw's tractor. Carter loved climbing on the tractors and sitting in the seats. Good food, great family, and Razorback football...we had a wonderful time.
Event #3: New job!
Just before Carter was born, I had left my job at Washington University. Working full-time is something I'd like to do once the kids are in school (or maybe preschool), but that's still a year or two away at least. Until then, I decided it would be nice to do a little part-time work. Nothing too demanding, just something to give us some extra money. Since I'm still with the kids all day while Mike's at his job, I looked for something nights and weekends. Well, there aren't a lot of options outside of restaurants and retail. I applied to a few retail stores and got a call from Michaels. It's an arts and crafts store, and they were looking for someone to fill an opening in their framing department. It's been a good fit so far. I like the store and shop there regularly, but I love the framing. I like being able to help people design something to showcase their special paintings, photos, or memorabilia, and then actually building it myself. It's gratifying when they see the final product. I've learned a lot working there. We get some of the most interesting things that people want framed. One lady brought in an actual footprint of an elephant on handmade paper that she got while in Africa.
Not sure how long I'll continue to work there. It was a bit insane during the push towards Christmas. I thought I was losing my marbles. The store was staying open so late, I was getting lots of hours, but I was getting home around midnight. Then getting up with the kids in the morning...and barely seeing Mike at all. It's slowed down a lot now, so I feel like I'm back in control of my household.
Event #4: Christmas!
The build-up to Christmas was actually tangible in our house this year. Carter finally seemed to "get it", that Santa would be coming to his house and he would be bringing presents. He was so excited. Nora quickly learned the word "Santa" and pointed out his likeness everywhere she saw it. We did our first Breakfast with Santa at our local rec center (which by the way had an excellent Santa and Mrs Claus). It went mostly well. Carter happily told Santa he wanted trains. Nora cried and likely got snot in Santa's beard (which was real). We decided to stay at home for this holiday to enjoy all the traditions without worrying about packing suitcases. Instead, my family came to visit us! Grandma, Pop, Karen, Corey, and Dalton all came to St. Louis for Christmas. Their visit was short but we made the most of it. We visited the Whittle Train Store, swam in the hotel pool, decorated cookies, played games, watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (that one never gets old), and generally stuffed ourselves to bursting. Carter still keeps asking me when we get to go to Dalton's house to play with his trains.
I'm running out of steam. This is the most I've typed continuously in a long time and my joints are cramping up. I have a few more news tidbits but I will save them for another update in a couple weeks.
New pictures on Facebook can be found HERE.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Happy Fall and Go Cardinals!
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the way the leaves look in our neighborhood. And driving down Hwy 21 on a bright sunny day can make the hillsides look like they are on fire! The kids could care less about the breathtaking view, but they do love playing in the leaves. If only they could rake them up themselves.
Some things our family has done the last month or so:
1) Picked apples at Eckert's apple orchard.
2) Hiked a trail at Powder Valley Nature Center.
3) Sampled and admired all the works at the Best of Missouri Market.
4) Played volleyball or softball.
5) Brewed some beer.
6) Took a photography class at Forest Park's Jewel Box.
7) Slid down the twisty slide without Mom's help.
8) Saw a real armadillo at the World Bird Sanctuary.
9) Played chicken with a bison herd at Lone Elk Park.
10) Upgraded to a big-boy bed.
11) Cheered for the Cardinals!
12) Drew chalk pictures in the driveway.
13) Learned STOP, DROP, and ROLL!
14) Climbed all over some firetrucks.
The weather has been wonderful these past few weeks. We've been spending a lot of time outside. Once the weather turns colder and the days grow too short, we'll turn into crabby, caged beasts until spring comes again. So for now, it's "Let's go outside!"
Click HERE for new pictures. Enjoy!
Some things our family has done the last month or so:
1) Picked apples at Eckert's apple orchard.
2) Hiked a trail at Powder Valley Nature Center.
3) Sampled and admired all the works at the Best of Missouri Market.
4) Played volleyball or softball.
5) Brewed some beer.
6) Took a photography class at Forest Park's Jewel Box.
7) Slid down the twisty slide without Mom's help.
8) Saw a real armadillo at the World Bird Sanctuary.
9) Played chicken with a bison herd at Lone Elk Park.
10) Upgraded to a big-boy bed.
11) Cheered for the Cardinals!
12) Drew chalk pictures in the driveway.
13) Learned STOP, DROP, and ROLL!
14) Climbed all over some firetrucks.
The weather has been wonderful these past few weeks. We've been spending a lot of time outside. Once the weather turns colder and the days grow too short, we'll turn into crabby, caged beasts until spring comes again. So for now, it's "Let's go outside!"
Click HERE for new pictures. Enjoy!
Monday, September 5, 2011
"I am 3!"
Carter is officially out of the terrible twos, though I don't think they were ever really all that terrible. We had a great birthday party at our house with a Thomas the Tank Engine theme (if you don't know who Thomas is, pull your head out of the sand). Family and friends came to help us celebrate. Thanks everyone for your help and for the awesome gifts!
I keep thinking about all the milestones Carter has reached during this past year. The explosion of talking, running, and memory just blows my mind. We're working on potty training and soon he'll be in a "big boy" bed. I love being a witness to all his accomplishments but it is a little sad to see some things disappear. His word pronunciation improves all the time, so the adorable ways that he used to say some things are gone forever..."Nora" used to be "Ra-ra" and "Caboose" used to be "Boose-a-boo-boo". There are a few new ones though. Part of me doesn't want to correct the way he says "Peetz-ba" for "Pizza".
Nora has plenty of her own milestones to brag about as well. She's much more expressive at this age than Carter was. Already she has a few dozen words that I can recognize and her facial expressions never fail to make me smile. She's figured out how to climb onto the furniture and it's not uncommon for me to catch her standing up on an end table after leaving the room for a moment. She loves hiding in closets and tents, and hugs her stuffed animals whenever she comes upon them. In the flash of an eye, she will empty an entire drawer of clothing, then prance around the room with the clothes draped over her head. Such a ham! The best parts are listening to her and Carter giggle together like two scheming siblings.
The weather is finally turning cooler and we are welcoming the change with open arms. It's been a very hot and dry summer this year and we are looking forward to enjoying some playtime outside. Hope everyone is doing well!
Click HERE for a couple new pictures on Facebook.
And click HERE for birthday party pictures.
I keep thinking about all the milestones Carter has reached during this past year. The explosion of talking, running, and memory just blows my mind. We're working on potty training and soon he'll be in a "big boy" bed. I love being a witness to all his accomplishments but it is a little sad to see some things disappear. His word pronunciation improves all the time, so the adorable ways that he used to say some things are gone forever..."Nora" used to be "Ra-ra" and "Caboose" used to be "Boose-a-boo-boo". There are a few new ones though. Part of me doesn't want to correct the way he says "Peetz-ba" for "Pizza".
Nora has plenty of her own milestones to brag about as well. She's much more expressive at this age than Carter was. Already she has a few dozen words that I can recognize and her facial expressions never fail to make me smile. She's figured out how to climb onto the furniture and it's not uncommon for me to catch her standing up on an end table after leaving the room for a moment. She loves hiding in closets and tents, and hugs her stuffed animals whenever she comes upon them. In the flash of an eye, she will empty an entire drawer of clothing, then prance around the room with the clothes draped over her head. Such a ham! The best parts are listening to her and Carter giggle together like two scheming siblings.
The weather is finally turning cooler and we are welcoming the change with open arms. It's been a very hot and dry summer this year and we are looking forward to enjoying some playtime outside. Hope everyone is doing well!
Click HERE for a couple new pictures on Facebook.
And click HERE for birthday party pictures.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Dog Days of Summer
The heat wave finally broke today and we celebrated by going to the Zoo. Carter was most excited about the snakes, but I think Nora liked the ducks the best (because she can nearly say the word "duck"). I liked the Dippin' Dots ice cream break we took after two hours of pushing a double stroller.
Nora's vocabulary is really starting to take off. Not that anyone would be able to understand her...most of her words are ones that only I can comprehend. But in some form or another, she is able to say: Mama, Dada, ball, more, water, mouth, nose, ear, hair, duck, dog, book, Olivia, and Minnie. There may be more but that's all I could think of on the spot.
Carter hardly ever stops talking. His pronunciation improves every day. For example, he actually says the word "caboose" now instead of "boose-a-boo-boo" like he used to say. His hang-up now is that his entire conversations take place in the form of questions. It's kind of impressive really. I can't believe he'll be turning 3 in a few weeks. He's turning into a little man!
We just got back from a long weekend trip to Hot Springs with Mike's family. Despite the HOT weather, Mike and I were able to take the kids to their first beach trip at one of the local lakes. It was great! Carter especially liked walking in the water, even though he kept calling it a pool. Nora enjoyed collecting rocks on the beach and was loathe to give them up (I found several in her carseat later). While visiting the family, we even managed to get a respectable family photo with everyone (even the kids) looking at the camera! It was a miracle, especially that we only had time for ONE shot before the rain started pouring.
Hope everyone is having a good summer. I am really looking forward to fall and the cooler weather that it brings.
Click HERE for new photos added to the Summer 2011 album on Facebook
Nora's vocabulary is really starting to take off. Not that anyone would be able to understand her...most of her words are ones that only I can comprehend. But in some form or another, she is able to say: Mama, Dada, ball, more, water, mouth, nose, ear, hair, duck, dog, book, Olivia, and Minnie. There may be more but that's all I could think of on the spot.
Carter hardly ever stops talking. His pronunciation improves every day. For example, he actually says the word "caboose" now instead of "boose-a-boo-boo" like he used to say. His hang-up now is that his entire conversations take place in the form of questions. It's kind of impressive really. I can't believe he'll be turning 3 in a few weeks. He's turning into a little man!
We just got back from a long weekend trip to Hot Springs with Mike's family. Despite the HOT weather, Mike and I were able to take the kids to their first beach trip at one of the local lakes. It was great! Carter especially liked walking in the water, even though he kept calling it a pool. Nora enjoyed collecting rocks on the beach and was loathe to give them up (I found several in her carseat later). While visiting the family, we even managed to get a respectable family photo with everyone (even the kids) looking at the camera! It was a miracle, especially that we only had time for ONE shot before the rain started pouring.
Hope everyone is having a good summer. I am really looking forward to fall and the cooler weather that it brings.
Click HERE for new photos added to the Summer 2011 album on Facebook
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Alright Already!
Harassment has begun. Must post photos.
Here's a link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2082397132169.274471.1012296258&l=fe0c1956bb
Here's a video:
It seems like there's always so much to do these days. The blogs is at the very back of my mind. Sorry everyone! I know you're not waiting on the edge of your seat for my next update, so I don't feel too guilty. :-) We've had a busy summer this year. Despite ongoing battles with insects of all sorts, deer, and groundhogs, our garden is producing more vegetables than we can keep up with. I'm running out of counter space in the kitchen. Nothing beats a BLT with a homegrown tomato though! Over the 4th of July, we visited Grandma and Pop in Kansas City. The kids did amazingly well on the trip and we all had a nice time. Here at home we've been visiting our usual haunts...train museum, gardens, playgrounds, etc. But now that the weather has really warmed up, we'll probably start looking for indoor activities. Suggestions are welcome! We can only hit the mall so many times.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!
Here's a link: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2082397132169.274471.1012296258&l=fe0c1956bb
Here's a video:
It seems like there's always so much to do these days. The blogs is at the very back of my mind. Sorry everyone! I know you're not waiting on the edge of your seat for my next update, so I don't feel too guilty. :-) We've had a busy summer this year. Despite ongoing battles with insects of all sorts, deer, and groundhogs, our garden is producing more vegetables than we can keep up with. I'm running out of counter space in the kitchen. Nothing beats a BLT with a homegrown tomato though! Over the 4th of July, we visited Grandma and Pop in Kansas City. The kids did amazingly well on the trip and we all had a nice time. Here at home we've been visiting our usual haunts...train museum, gardens, playgrounds, etc. But now that the weather has really warmed up, we'll probably start looking for indoor activities. Suggestions are welcome! We can only hit the mall so many times.
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Getting Out to Play!
The days have finally warmed up and I have a legitimate excuse for not updating the blog so often. I can't believe all the rain we got this spring! Flooding is not something we need to worry about in our neighborhood, but even still...I was beginning to feel like my clothes needed wringing out even though I was only watching the downpour from the window. When the sun finally arrived, we burst out of the door and into the world! Just in the past couple of weeks, we've been to the Magic House, the Missouri Botanical Garden, Shaw Nature Reserve, the Museum of Transportation, and many local parks. So much nicer than staring at each other in the house.
Nora
It's official! Nora is walking! She had been cruising along the furniture for a couple months, but now she walks confidently everywhere. Usually she walks wherever Carter is happily playing by himself (screaming inevitably ensues). If she's not shadowing her big brother, she is looking at books. However the idea of books on bookshelves must be completely impractical in her mind. Each book must be individually examined and discarded on the floor before settling on one to page through. Perhaps she thinks she's "cleaning" the shelf? For the most part, Nora is also off baby food and eating table food. She's nearly weaned from her bottles too. I can't decide if this makes our lives more or less chaotic at meal times, but it's exciting to see her growing up. She's even beginning to talk a bit. The other day, Mike walked in the door after work and Nora shouted "Da-da!" She also says "Ma-Ma" and I swear today she tried to say "Snack".
Carter
Carter's conversation skills still continue to grow exponentially. He always surprises me with new words and phrases because while it may be the first time I've heard him say something in particular, he says it in a way the suggests he's known how to say it for months but was simply waiting for the right time. He's also started incorporating his train vocabulary to everyday situations. "Round the bend", a phrase frequently used by Thomas the Train, might be used by Carter while navigating around living room furniture. A few weeks ago, we got Carter a new sandbox to play in by the garden. This kid could spend an uninterrupted half hour just scooping sand with a shovel and filling a bucket. It's very serious work (according to him). Nora loves the sandbox too though she prefers to work without shovels and often pulls handfuls of sand out of Carter's freshly filled buckets.
Mike
Unfortunately Mike didn't get to bag a bird during the spring gobbler season. I'm really starting to think it's me that's the problem since he hasn't bagged one since we started dating. Does anyone know of an anti-turkey-jinx dance that I should be doing? Mike's been working hard making our yard one of the nicest in the neighborhood, which is no small feat! He's looking forward to his upcoming high school class reunion in a couple weeks, a chance to catch up with some old friends he hardly ever gets the chance to see.
Becca
After taking a year off of vegetable gardening (Nora's birth made it tough to get things in the ground last year), my green thumb has returned! We've got a nice vegetable garden this year and I'm really looking forward to harvesting things as they ripen. This year we planted TONS of tomatoes, at least 15 different varieties. There are also bell peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, and artichokes. I also planted some rhubarb and asparagus in the hopes of establishing some long-term production (they are perennials). So far things are growing well and I am winning the battle against the deer and rabbits (Thank you Liquid Fence).
Hope everyone is doing well! We miss you all so much!
New photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1857314385241.260963.1012296258&l=31fde3a1fb
Nora
It's official! Nora is walking! She had been cruising along the furniture for a couple months, but now she walks confidently everywhere. Usually she walks wherever Carter is happily playing by himself (screaming inevitably ensues). If she's not shadowing her big brother, she is looking at books. However the idea of books on bookshelves must be completely impractical in her mind. Each book must be individually examined and discarded on the floor before settling on one to page through. Perhaps she thinks she's "cleaning" the shelf? For the most part, Nora is also off baby food and eating table food. She's nearly weaned from her bottles too. I can't decide if this makes our lives more or less chaotic at meal times, but it's exciting to see her growing up. She's even beginning to talk a bit. The other day, Mike walked in the door after work and Nora shouted "Da-da!" She also says "Ma-Ma" and I swear today she tried to say "Snack".
Carter
Carter's conversation skills still continue to grow exponentially. He always surprises me with new words and phrases because while it may be the first time I've heard him say something in particular, he says it in a way the suggests he's known how to say it for months but was simply waiting for the right time. He's also started incorporating his train vocabulary to everyday situations. "Round the bend", a phrase frequently used by Thomas the Train, might be used by Carter while navigating around living room furniture. A few weeks ago, we got Carter a new sandbox to play in by the garden. This kid could spend an uninterrupted half hour just scooping sand with a shovel and filling a bucket. It's very serious work (according to him). Nora loves the sandbox too though she prefers to work without shovels and often pulls handfuls of sand out of Carter's freshly filled buckets.
Mike
Unfortunately Mike didn't get to bag a bird during the spring gobbler season. I'm really starting to think it's me that's the problem since he hasn't bagged one since we started dating. Does anyone know of an anti-turkey-jinx dance that I should be doing? Mike's been working hard making our yard one of the nicest in the neighborhood, which is no small feat! He's looking forward to his upcoming high school class reunion in a couple weeks, a chance to catch up with some old friends he hardly ever gets the chance to see.
Becca
After taking a year off of vegetable gardening (Nora's birth made it tough to get things in the ground last year), my green thumb has returned! We've got a nice vegetable garden this year and I'm really looking forward to harvesting things as they ripen. This year we planted TONS of tomatoes, at least 15 different varieties. There are also bell peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, zucchini, carrots, and artichokes. I also planted some rhubarb and asparagus in the hopes of establishing some long-term production (they are perennials). So far things are growing well and I am winning the battle against the deer and rabbits (Thank you Liquid Fence).
Hope everyone is doing well! We miss you all so much!
New photos on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1857314385241.260963.1012296258&l=31fde3a1fb
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Nora is ONE!
It's Sunday night and I am totally wiped out! It's only 8:30 pm and as soon as I am done updating you, I am going to BED! Even though my head longs for my pillow, I will try to be as thorough and descriptive as possible. To make it easier on myself, I'll just break it down to one section for each family member.
Nora A baby no longer! Nora has accomplished so much in the last several weeks, she's almost unrecognizable from the baby we had at Christmas. Our little girl is now a big 1-year-old! She's nearly weened off her formula and bottles, she's eating more and more table food, and she's even taken a few tentative steps all on her own! Her doctor checkup had her weighing in at a hefty 25 pounds and measuring 31 inches long, both >95% for her age. It's getting harder and harder to carry her, but fortunately she likes to crawl and cruise on her own. There's no denying her growth though. She's working on more teeth again, wearing 18 month clothes, and sharing diapers with Carter (who's older by almost 2 years!). Nora's birthday party was small and simple but lots of fun. Everyone raved about the carrot cake cupcakes we made, but the credit really goes to Aunt Gracie for the recipe (Thank you AGAIN!). Pictures from the party can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=1857326545545&id=1012296258&aid=260964&l=1ad40a8236
Carter Even though Carter is nearing his 3rd birthday, there are days that it seems like he's just now entering those "Terrible Twos". Sheesh! This kid has a scream that could shatter glass and burst ear drums. Despite these bumps in the road, he really is a very sweet boy. He's showing a lot more affection towards Nora (if tackling is affection) and the kid simply can't stop talking! We really have to be careful these days as he's perfected the role of the household "echo". Anything you say he is likely to repeat, as Mike and I discovered during separate moments of frustration when we each said "Crap!"
Mike The winter months have given Mike a chance to hone his skills as a homebrewer. So far he's got a few batches under his belt and he continues to perfect his craft. A few other buddies also homebrew and they sometimes get together after work to "study" beer brewing at the local pubs. The warm weather brings other activities though so brewing might be on hiatus for a while. The lawnmower was tuned up and already been put to work. Soon we'll be planting some vegetables in the garden and that will keep both of us busy. Softball leagues have begun. And the most anticipated of all...tomorrow...opening day for the spring turkey hunt. Everyone keep your fingers crossed for Mike as he tried to bag a bird!
Rebecca For the first time in a very long time, I am not playing softball or volleyball at all. It's actually been 3 years since I played any softball, but I had kept up the volleyball, even playing while pregnant with Nora. But now I am without a team. I miss it sometimes, but the trade-off is worth it for now. I've been able to take some classes and do some other things I've never had time to do before. The bookclub I joined has got me reading some great books I probably would never have picked up on my own. I've learned so much about how to use my camera in some photography classes. I've also taken a bookmaking class, which I really enjoyed. Hoping to pick up some sewing skills this summer as well, and maybe volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. I love to learn new things. Is it weird to say that I actually kind of miss being in school?
New pictures posted at the link below, and I'll try to get a video of Nora's baby steps soon! https://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=1857314385241&id=1012296258&aid=260963&l=31fde3a1fb
Sunday, February 27, 2011
We Got Jokes, Yes We Do
One thing I always looked forward to as a new parent was the time my kid would say or do something so hilarious it was worthy of documentation. You know what I'm talking about...those moments that you laugh out loud and then store it in your memory to re-tell everyone you know over and over again...and then tell your kid about it after he's all grown up just to embarrass him. There's no need to look forward to that moment, because it has arrived. Here are some classic Carter moments from the past couple weeks:
1) For reasons beyond my comprehension, Carter has an elevated interest in BUTTS. Maybe it's a boy thing where all things butt and fart are funny. Lots of kids run up to their parents at random moments and wrap their arms around their legs for a quick hug. Carter is no exception here. However, he shares this affectionate moment not with my thigh or knee, but with my BUTT! He literally runs up, wraps his arms around my thighs and plants his face in my crack letting a muffled whoop of delight or giggle escape. It's always at awkward moments of course...while I'm washing dishes or paying a cashier at the store...moments when my hands are too busy to shoo him away from my derriere.
2) Speaking of BUTTS...just the other night Mike was getting Nora ready for her bath. While he undressed her in her room, I was running the bath water in the bathroom. Carter hovered back and forth "helping" us. Once Nora was down to her birthday suit, Mike set her on the floor and she immediately began crawling for the bathroom. Carter found this hilarious. He'd never really seen her naked up close before and he was very amused. He followed her on all fours with his face an inch away from her cheeks, all the while poking her and laughing. Nora barely noticed him, she was on a mission to get to the bath. But Carter was relentless. When they reached the bathroom, I said to Carter, "That's Nora's butt." (Our first mistake) He repeated with excitement, "BUTT!" Mike and I laughed (Our second mistake). With such an engaged audience, what kid wouldn't keep up his antics? "BUTT! BUTT! BUTT!...."
3) The potty humor is endless. When you have a small kids in the house, all privacy is out the window. A chance to use the bathroom without an audience is a rare privilege when I'm home with the kids by myself. So I'm quite used to Carter letting himself into the bathroom will I'm perched on the throne. I take it as a good sign that he is so interested in watching me use the toilet. In fact, he's so excited that he usually runs into the room and immediately begins slapping my bare thigh with both hands at a speed that would impress a military drummer. Somehow I need to transfer that enthusiasm towards his own potty training.
4) Carter's verbal expression has really exploded in the last couple months. Every day he attempts new words and often gets them on the first try. However, some words are going to require a bit more practice. A couple weekends ago, Grandma and Pop came for a visit. While Carter knows who these two are when we talk about them, he had yet to call them by their names himself. Well, no longer! Grandma has been christened "Cranky" by Carter. I have no idea why he says Cranky and not Grandma...he really seems to think he's saying the word "Grandma". The name Carter uses for Pop is a little more phonetically logical, however Carter struggles with words that have a "P" sound. So Pop has been named "Cock". Nothing beats hearing Carter ask "Where's Cock?" Pop says he's been called worse things so all is well for now.
5) Carter's verbal explosions has been accompanied by alphabet and counting skills. He can actually identify nearly every capital letter of the alphabet, though lower-case is still a challenge. As far as counting goes, he still needs some practice but it's coming along. Here is how I might count to ten: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Simultaneously Carter counts to ten in his own way: 2, 2, 3, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 10. He likes the number eight I guess. :-)
Of course Nora has yet to utter her first word, but she brings her own amusing antics to the table. She babbles all the time and displays a level of confidence no one can match. She's happy and giggling all the time, and loves to do whatever Carter is doing (much to his dissatisfaction). With a mouth of eight teeth, she's beginning to get the hang of finger food. Crawling was perfected in a matter of days and she moved on to walking along the furniture. She can pull herself up and sit herself down with ease. In the blink of an eye she'll be on the other side of the room! I can't believe she'll be one year old in just over a month. Time flies so fast in this house I'm beginning to think the laws of physics don't apply across our threshold.
1) For reasons beyond my comprehension, Carter has an elevated interest in BUTTS. Maybe it's a boy thing where all things butt and fart are funny. Lots of kids run up to their parents at random moments and wrap their arms around their legs for a quick hug. Carter is no exception here. However, he shares this affectionate moment not with my thigh or knee, but with my BUTT! He literally runs up, wraps his arms around my thighs and plants his face in my crack letting a muffled whoop of delight or giggle escape. It's always at awkward moments of course...while I'm washing dishes or paying a cashier at the store...moments when my hands are too busy to shoo him away from my derriere.
2) Speaking of BUTTS...just the other night Mike was getting Nora ready for her bath. While he undressed her in her room, I was running the bath water in the bathroom. Carter hovered back and forth "helping" us. Once Nora was down to her birthday suit, Mike set her on the floor and she immediately began crawling for the bathroom. Carter found this hilarious. He'd never really seen her naked up close before and he was very amused. He followed her on all fours with his face an inch away from her cheeks, all the while poking her and laughing. Nora barely noticed him, she was on a mission to get to the bath. But Carter was relentless. When they reached the bathroom, I said to Carter, "That's Nora's butt." (Our first mistake) He repeated with excitement, "BUTT!" Mike and I laughed (Our second mistake). With such an engaged audience, what kid wouldn't keep up his antics? "BUTT! BUTT! BUTT!...."
3) The potty humor is endless. When you have a small kids in the house, all privacy is out the window. A chance to use the bathroom without an audience is a rare privilege when I'm home with the kids by myself. So I'm quite used to Carter letting himself into the bathroom will I'm perched on the throne. I take it as a good sign that he is so interested in watching me use the toilet. In fact, he's so excited that he usually runs into the room and immediately begins slapping my bare thigh with both hands at a speed that would impress a military drummer. Somehow I need to transfer that enthusiasm towards his own potty training.
4) Carter's verbal expression has really exploded in the last couple months. Every day he attempts new words and often gets them on the first try. However, some words are going to require a bit more practice. A couple weekends ago, Grandma and Pop came for a visit. While Carter knows who these two are when we talk about them, he had yet to call them by their names himself. Well, no longer! Grandma has been christened "Cranky" by Carter. I have no idea why he says Cranky and not Grandma...he really seems to think he's saying the word "Grandma". The name Carter uses for Pop is a little more phonetically logical, however Carter struggles with words that have a "P" sound. So Pop has been named "Cock". Nothing beats hearing Carter ask "Where's Cock?" Pop says he's been called worse things so all is well for now.
5) Carter's verbal explosions has been accompanied by alphabet and counting skills. He can actually identify nearly every capital letter of the alphabet, though lower-case is still a challenge. As far as counting goes, he still needs some practice but it's coming along. Here is how I might count to ten: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Simultaneously Carter counts to ten in his own way: 2, 2, 3, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 10. He likes the number eight I guess. :-)
Of course Nora has yet to utter her first word, but she brings her own amusing antics to the table. She babbles all the time and displays a level of confidence no one can match. She's happy and giggling all the time, and loves to do whatever Carter is doing (much to his dissatisfaction). With a mouth of eight teeth, she's beginning to get the hang of finger food. Crawling was perfected in a matter of days and she moved on to walking along the furniture. She can pull herself up and sit herself down with ease. In the blink of an eye she'll be on the other side of the room! I can't believe she'll be one year old in just over a month. Time flies so fast in this house I'm beginning to think the laws of physics don't apply across our threshold.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Coughing and Crawling
Blog entries are supposed to be short blurbs, frequently posted. Well, I seem to have trouble with the frequent part. There always seems to be other things in need of my typing fingers...noses wiped, diapers changed, trips to the rec center or grocery store, dishes washed, laundry folded...and frankly when I have time to update the blog, I'd much rather curl up on the couch after kids are in bed and wrap myself in the silence with a good book.
To help me remember the things I want to write in my next post, I've been jotting the ideas down on Post-Its and sticking them to my desk. Now I will attempt to bring you up to date by translating my scribbled notes.
Carter
The past month has really shown a HUGE improvement in Carter's verbal communication. I can't tell you how much this has helped us avoid a potential tantrum (not that those don't still happen). His vocabulary expands at light speed and he's starting to string words together. While he's still considered a little behind for his age (in verbal expression, but not in comprehension), his recent advances have given us a lot of confidence in him. Now, if only we could get him to learn words that lie outside the realm of trains. How many two-year-olds know what a gondola car is?
Tis the season for colds and Carter was the first to get hit hard in our family. He weathered it out without too much trouble, except for the food strike. When he's sick, there's very little that appeals to his appetite. Unless I bring french fries, cookies, or fruit to the table, I might as well toss it in the trash. Fortunately he's recovered and his appetite matches that of a linebacker. Yesterday's lunch included mac'n'cheese, green beans, an apple, handful of crackers, Nilla wafers, and because he was STILL hungry, an entire hamburger bun. (Hey, I ran out of ideas and needed to hit the grocery store, ok?)
Nora
The 9-month check-up took place without incident. Nora is in the >95% for height and weight, understandable seeing how she eats nearly as much as Carter. Unfortunately, she picked up the cold Carter had, only it wasn't just a cold for Nora. She developed a double ear infection with a respiratory virus. Her coughing was so bad she required nebulizer treatment at the doctor's office. We all went without sleep for a few days then, but after the treatment, she really improved. Whew!
On a more positive note, Nora has begun to crawl. And crawl she does! We've had to re-evaluate our baby-proofing and be more mindful about what's in her arms' reach. For example, she can shred paper faster than your standard office paper shredder. Carter's books have become her favorite targets. It's exciting to see her growing though...pulling herself up to standing at tables, babbling like crazy, feeding herself. I can't believe she's almost a year old already.
Us
Other things going on include swimming lessons for the kids at the rec center. Carter goes with Dad and Nora with me. The lessons are at the same time so I can look across the pool and catch a glimpse of Carter trying to escape from Dad. So far there's been mixed results, but we've got a few more weeks so hopefully the kids will get used to it.
Mike and I have been filling our free time by catching up on movies we missed in the theaters with our new Wi-fi Blu-Ray player. I've signed up for some photography classes and Mike has taken an interest in home brewing. We've also tapped one of the sugar maple trees in our yard to collect the sap. In a few weeks, we'll try boiling it down to make our own maple syrup. At the rate of our collection, we'll likely only have enough syrup for one morning of pancakes, but it's a start!
New pics here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=245105&id=1012296258&l=abd5b6bafb
New video below
To help me remember the things I want to write in my next post, I've been jotting the ideas down on Post-Its and sticking them to my desk. Now I will attempt to bring you up to date by translating my scribbled notes.
Carter
The past month has really shown a HUGE improvement in Carter's verbal communication. I can't tell you how much this has helped us avoid a potential tantrum (not that those don't still happen). His vocabulary expands at light speed and he's starting to string words together. While he's still considered a little behind for his age (in verbal expression, but not in comprehension), his recent advances have given us a lot of confidence in him. Now, if only we could get him to learn words that lie outside the realm of trains. How many two-year-olds know what a gondola car is?
Tis the season for colds and Carter was the first to get hit hard in our family. He weathered it out without too much trouble, except for the food strike. When he's sick, there's very little that appeals to his appetite. Unless I bring french fries, cookies, or fruit to the table, I might as well toss it in the trash. Fortunately he's recovered and his appetite matches that of a linebacker. Yesterday's lunch included mac'n'cheese, green beans, an apple, handful of crackers, Nilla wafers, and because he was STILL hungry, an entire hamburger bun. (Hey, I ran out of ideas and needed to hit the grocery store, ok?)
Nora
The 9-month check-up took place without incident. Nora is in the >95% for height and weight, understandable seeing how she eats nearly as much as Carter. Unfortunately, she picked up the cold Carter had, only it wasn't just a cold for Nora. She developed a double ear infection with a respiratory virus. Her coughing was so bad she required nebulizer treatment at the doctor's office. We all went without sleep for a few days then, but after the treatment, she really improved. Whew!
On a more positive note, Nora has begun to crawl. And crawl she does! We've had to re-evaluate our baby-proofing and be more mindful about what's in her arms' reach. For example, she can shred paper faster than your standard office paper shredder. Carter's books have become her favorite targets. It's exciting to see her growing though...pulling herself up to standing at tables, babbling like crazy, feeding herself. I can't believe she's almost a year old already.
Us
Other things going on include swimming lessons for the kids at the rec center. Carter goes with Dad and Nora with me. The lessons are at the same time so I can look across the pool and catch a glimpse of Carter trying to escape from Dad. So far there's been mixed results, but we've got a few more weeks so hopefully the kids will get used to it.
Mike and I have been filling our free time by catching up on movies we missed in the theaters with our new Wi-fi Blu-Ray player. I've signed up for some photography classes and Mike has taken an interest in home brewing. We've also tapped one of the sugar maple trees in our yard to collect the sap. In a few weeks, we'll try boiling it down to make our own maple syrup. At the rate of our collection, we'll likely only have enough syrup for one morning of pancakes, but it's a start!
New pics here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=245105&id=1012296258&l=abd5b6bafb
New video below
Sunday, December 26, 2010
On the Flip Side
Christmas has officially ended, but I have to say that this particular Christmas will go down on record as one of the best ever. The snow started Christmas Eve and we spent several hours over the next couple days exploring the snow, sledding the slopes, and building a snowman. I hadn't had that much fun in the snow since I was a kid! Carter really enjoyed the sledding part, and Nora seemed happy to observe from the backpack carrier. Opening presents, lots of good food, and spending time with each other really made the entire holiday memorable.
Some new milestones to share...
- Nora can push herself up onto all fours now. She's not crawling yet, but we consider this a major accomplishment considering how...er...round she is in the middle. Crawling will come soon though! She already rocks back and forth on her hands and knees.
- Nora's also quite the chatterbox. A near-constant stream of BAs, DAs, YAs, MAs, all come out of her mouth.
- Carter's not near the chatterbox Nora is, but his vocabulary finally seems to be catching up with his age. Every day he says a new word. It's amazing to watch him...he's known what these words mean for ages having heard them from me and Mike, but to hear it from his own mouth is so thrilling...hard to put into words.
Hope everyone had a great holiday! Have a safe New Year! Couple new videos below, and click the link for pictures on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=245105&id=1012296258&l=abd5b6bafb
Some new milestones to share...
- Nora can push herself up onto all fours now. She's not crawling yet, but we consider this a major accomplishment considering how...er...round she is in the middle. Crawling will come soon though! She already rocks back and forth on her hands and knees.
- Nora's also quite the chatterbox. A near-constant stream of BAs, DAs, YAs, MAs, all come out of her mouth.
- Carter's not near the chatterbox Nora is, but his vocabulary finally seems to be catching up with his age. Every day he says a new word. It's amazing to watch him...he's known what these words mean for ages having heard them from me and Mike, but to hear it from his own mouth is so thrilling...hard to put into words.
Hope everyone had a great holiday! Have a safe New Year! Couple new videos below, and click the link for pictures on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=245105&id=1012296258&l=abd5b6bafb
Thursday, December 2, 2010
The Weeks In Between
Normally this time of year is totally crazy for everyone. We are no exception! Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's a nonstop frenzy of shopping, Santa photos, tree decorating, present wrapping, package shipping, and card making all packed into a few short weeks. Amazingly, I actually have a moment to update the blog again! Twice in one month! Nora is happily bouncing in her jumper (i.e. The Mother's Godsend) and Carter just went down for a nap.
Wall quote: "The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books" - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
So, now that our traveling is out of the way, I can share some things the kids have been up to. Nora has mastered the art of sitting up. It's such a huge relief for us because she will quietly sit and play with her toys for 10-15 minutes at a time, giving us chances to tend to Carter or whatever else needs attention. I think there's less screaming because of it, but I'll have to get back to you on that. Nora's also progressed to 3 square meals a day. So far she has yet to totally reject anything I've given her. When Carter was her age, he ate mostly homemade baby food. And now he's a great eating toddler who will try almost anything. Hopefully Nora will follow in his footsteps.
Carter seems to have resigned himself to the fact that Nora is a permanent addition to the family. He still gets a bit jealous sometimes but I think it's getting better. The next few months will be a challenge since we won't be able to spend as much time outside. He absolutely loves the outdoors! He's always ready to plop himself in the nearest pile of dirt and begin sifting for treasures. I think we'll need a bigger sandbox come spring.
Around the house, I've been doing a little sprucing up. The family room area in the basement was painted with colored we had leftover from upstairs rooms. I like those colors in the upstairs rooms but hated them in the family room. The lighting was completely different. Over the course of a week, I repainted the entire family room area (6 walls!), one wall at a time every night. I love the way it turned out. I also added a few extras...a hand-painted wall quote, new painted bookshelf, framed pictures and family decor. Come visit to see the changes, or scroll down for pictures!
This weekend we'll get the Christmas tree up with all the decorations. Who knows? There might even be ANOTHER blog update with more photos!
New pics on Facebook here and also below.
Wall quote: "The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books" - Henry Wadsworth LongfellowSunday, November 28, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving holiday! As usual, we ate way too much...but how can you turn down such good food? We visited Mike's family in Arkansas for a nice, laid-back vacation. The driving was mainly uneventful, except for on the trip down, Nora exploded in her pants TWICE, leaving her down to her diaper for the last 2 hours of the drive. The kids slept through the night mostly, lots of food and leftovers, the Hogs won, Mike got his fix of Rocky's and McClard's, and Clay shot a huge buck went deer hunting. Who could ask for a better trip?
I've been getting several queries about Christmas gifts for the kids. Please don't think that we expect gifts from everyone for the kids, but I'm going to post some ideas for those who plan to play Santa.
Carter
- Wears a size 2T in pants and shirts.
- Clothing ideas include Razorback apparel, pajamas, sweatpants and hoodies
- Toy ideas, pretty much anything with wheels: trucks, tractors, trains, cars
- Also some art supply stuff would be good for winter indoor play: fingerpaint, coloring books, etc.
Nora
- Currently wearing 12-month clothes, but will likely be in 18-month stuff this spring.
- Clothing ideas: pajamas, knit pants and leggings, hoodies, socks
- My mind is blank for toys for Nora...she's happy playing with Carter's old toys for now.
We're counting down the days to Christmas now! I love this time of year. Hopefully we'll be able to get our Christmas tree next weekend, and maybe we'll hang some lights up outside this year. Another post will be coming soon...I've got some photos to share.
I've been getting several queries about Christmas gifts for the kids. Please don't think that we expect gifts from everyone for the kids, but I'm going to post some ideas for those who plan to play Santa.
Carter
- Wears a size 2T in pants and shirts.
- Clothing ideas include Razorback apparel, pajamas, sweatpants and hoodies
- Toy ideas, pretty much anything with wheels: trucks, tractors, trains, cars
- Also some art supply stuff would be good for winter indoor play: fingerpaint, coloring books, etc.
Nora
- Currently wearing 12-month clothes, but will likely be in 18-month stuff this spring.
- Clothing ideas: pajamas, knit pants and leggings, hoodies, socks
- My mind is blank for toys for Nora...she's happy playing with Carter's old toys for now.
We're counting down the days to Christmas now! I love this time of year. Hopefully we'll be able to get our Christmas tree next weekend, and maybe we'll hang some lights up outside this year. Another post will be coming soon...I've got some photos to share.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Adventures in Travel
There's always a moment shortly after becoming a parent when you realize you've become THAT mom. The mom you said you would never become. Those moments have come more frequently for me since we had Nora. For example, recently I was unsuccessfully trying to navigate a double stroller through the narrow aisles of the Eddie Bauer store in the mall. The salespeople were giving me dirty looks as I bumped into their displays and knocked things to the floor. Even though I realized it was hardly my fault they designed their store for people of supermodel thinness, I couldn't help feeling self-conscious. To my chagrin, I had become THAT mom...wielding her diaper bag and snack container with multiple babies in a monster truck of a stroller. *sigh* Other moments like these have followed...giving my child a meal consisting entirely of Teddy Grahams because that's all he will eat, looking with longing and envy at the moms driving the new Honda Odyssey, and now...being the parent of the two extremely loud, crying, screaming, kicking kids on a 1.5-hour flight.
This weekend, Mike and I took the kids up to Minnesota for a big family reunion. My Grandmother's 85th birthday is coming up and everyone met in the North Star state to surprise her. We debated on driving versus flying up there for the long weekend. After finding some low fares online, we chose to fly. I spent weeks planning for every possible need and situation we might encounter on the plane, and I thought we'd have a fighting chance of making it through the flight without incident. Ha! Oh the luxury of naivety!
The trip actually started out surprisingly well. We made it from remote parking to ticket counter through security and to the gate without much trouble. Carter was thrilled to look out the windows and see airplanes up close and Nora was on her way to falling asleep. The dream came crashing down when we boarded the plane. Carter panicked after seeing a hundred pairs of eyes on him while walking down the aisle. The well-meaning flight attendant made things worse when she tried to talk to him about his first flight. Nora woke up as soon as we sat down and proceeded to scream in Mike's arms. Carter didn't want to sit in his seat and he kept trying to escape into the aisle. The flight attendant got on the airplane speaker and invited everyone to welcome Carter and Nora on their first flight. The passengers repeated the welcome in monotone voices like school kids forced to greet their teacher. Mike and I tried to look like she wasn't talking about us.
After takeoff, I held Carter on my lap and tried my best to keep his legs from kicking. But my two arms were no match for his four flailing limbs. I felt awful for the guy sitting in front of me. Even Carter's favorite snack, applesauce in a pouch, didn't come through for us. Carter gave it a hard squeeze and an applesauce volcano erupted in my lap. Mike wasn't having much luck with Nora either. While she cried, he shushed and rocked as best he could in his cramped window seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the tray table of the woman sitting behind him. She had to hold her drink to keep it from spilling. We decided to switch kids...Mike took Carter and I took Nora. Things calmed down a little after that. Carter was more comfortable away from the aisle with his DVD player and favorite movie. Nora seemed happier with me as well. She actually fell asleep just as we landed. Whew! We were exhausted and the trip had hardly begun!
My whole immediate family stayed at my sister's house. It worked out really well since they have lots of room and tons of toys! Carter loved playing with his cousin Dalton's trains and cars. He also seemed to get a big kick out of chasing their cats around the house. He would laugh anytime they came into the room and say "Kitty cat!" Nora's experience wasn't so positive. She had a hard time sleeping in a new place, waking up every two hours. Over the course of the trip, she developed a fail-safe, guaranteed pick-me-up-NOW noise. This noise isn't crying or wailing, but it is by far the most annoying sound in the world! I am not exaggerating! Jim Carey from Dumb and Dumber has nothing on Nora! Mike and I took turns getting up with her, but we still felt it in the morning. I surpassed my normal weekly caffeine intake within the first day!
The best part, the whole point of the trip, was Grandma's party. Her face was priceless when we walked in the door. She seemed to be in shock. I loved being able to see so many family members that I hadn't seen in so long. I think I might have been 9 when Uncle Dwight last saw me! Carter and Nora lasted longer than I thought they would at the party. However we still had to leave after a couple hours. I wished we could have stayed longer to visit with everyone and take more pictures. I feel like I missed some opportunities there, having everyone in the same room for the first time in so long.
To wrap up the weekend, Mike and I took Carter to a Halloween trunk or treat with Dalton. Dalton was a cowboy, complete with leather chaps. Carter was a Star Wars jedi, though he shed most of his costume by the end of the event. He seemed to enjoy running around and looking at the sights. Since he didn't collect any candy, I had to steal some of Dalton's (shhh!).
This weekend, Mike and I took the kids up to Minnesota for a big family reunion. My Grandmother's 85th birthday is coming up and everyone met in the North Star state to surprise her. We debated on driving versus flying up there for the long weekend. After finding some low fares online, we chose to fly. I spent weeks planning for every possible need and situation we might encounter on the plane, and I thought we'd have a fighting chance of making it through the flight without incident. Ha! Oh the luxury of naivety!
The trip actually started out surprisingly well. We made it from remote parking to ticket counter through security and to the gate without much trouble. Carter was thrilled to look out the windows and see airplanes up close and Nora was on her way to falling asleep. The dream came crashing down when we boarded the plane. Carter panicked after seeing a hundred pairs of eyes on him while walking down the aisle. The well-meaning flight attendant made things worse when she tried to talk to him about his first flight. Nora woke up as soon as we sat down and proceeded to scream in Mike's arms. Carter didn't want to sit in his seat and he kept trying to escape into the aisle. The flight attendant got on the airplane speaker and invited everyone to welcome Carter and Nora on their first flight. The passengers repeated the welcome in monotone voices like school kids forced to greet their teacher. Mike and I tried to look like she wasn't talking about us.
After takeoff, I held Carter on my lap and tried my best to keep his legs from kicking. But my two arms were no match for his four flailing limbs. I felt awful for the guy sitting in front of me. Even Carter's favorite snack, applesauce in a pouch, didn't come through for us. Carter gave it a hard squeeze and an applesauce volcano erupted in my lap. Mike wasn't having much luck with Nora either. While she cried, he shushed and rocked as best he could in his cramped window seat. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the tray table of the woman sitting behind him. She had to hold her drink to keep it from spilling. We decided to switch kids...Mike took Carter and I took Nora. Things calmed down a little after that. Carter was more comfortable away from the aisle with his DVD player and favorite movie. Nora seemed happier with me as well. She actually fell asleep just as we landed. Whew! We were exhausted and the trip had hardly begun!
My whole immediate family stayed at my sister's house. It worked out really well since they have lots of room and tons of toys! Carter loved playing with his cousin Dalton's trains and cars. He also seemed to get a big kick out of chasing their cats around the house. He would laugh anytime they came into the room and say "Kitty cat!" Nora's experience wasn't so positive. She had a hard time sleeping in a new place, waking up every two hours. Over the course of the trip, she developed a fail-safe, guaranteed pick-me-up-NOW noise. This noise isn't crying or wailing, but it is by far the most annoying sound in the world! I am not exaggerating! Jim Carey from Dumb and Dumber has nothing on Nora! Mike and I took turns getting up with her, but we still felt it in the morning. I surpassed my normal weekly caffeine intake within the first day!
The best part, the whole point of the trip, was Grandma's party. Her face was priceless when we walked in the door. She seemed to be in shock. I loved being able to see so many family members that I hadn't seen in so long. I think I might have been 9 when Uncle Dwight last saw me! Carter and Nora lasted longer than I thought they would at the party. However we still had to leave after a couple hours. I wished we could have stayed longer to visit with everyone and take more pictures. I feel like I missed some opportunities there, having everyone in the same room for the first time in so long.
To wrap up the weekend, Mike and I took Carter to a Halloween trunk or treat with Dalton. Dalton was a cowboy, complete with leather chaps. Carter was a Star Wars jedi, though he shed most of his costume by the end of the event. He seemed to enjoy running around and looking at the sights. Since he didn't collect any candy, I had to steal some of Dalton's (shhh!).
The flight home was the complete opposite of the flight up. Nora slept the entire time. Carter sat in his own seat, quietly watching a movie and eating a snack. After the halfway point of the flight, he sat in Mike's lap and fell asleep. It was kinda peaceful sitting there, looking over at my two guys and down at my baby girl, all sleeping on the plane.
Now we're home with piles of clothes threatening to suffocate us. I hope to kids adjust to the normal schedule without much effort on our part. Click the link below for photos from the trip on Facebook.
Favorite quotes from the trip.
"What is on my leg?" - Mike wondering out loud on the airplane while he held Nora.
"Did you want sauce and cheese in the 2nd layer of lasagna? Or meat and sauce?" - Me getting confused about how Mom wanted me to help make the 4 giant lasagnas for the party.
"Look at the cute cowgirl!" - Random person at trunk or treat admiring Dalton's costume. Is it time for a haircut?
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=238678&id=1012296258&l=5f0cc90b62
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