Feathers and Squirts

I should be heading back to the bedrooms to get started cleaning, but there are way more entertaining things to be doing - like blogging. So, as I sit here blogging, I have a good old rerun of Trading Spaces on. It just so happens to be the one where Hilde decides it would be beautiful to cover bedroom walls with feathers. Seriously, what design school did she attend; I'm guessing she was kicked out. I've been on a Trading Space kick for the past couple of days after not having watched in several months. Maybe it'll help with ideas for around our house, although feathers will not find their way out of a pillow or down comforter around here.

N's name for the day is "Squirt". He is usually really good when I change his diaper and has shot at me less than one hand worth of times. For some reason he decided to make up for lost time today. He shot at me this morning when I was changing him and getting him dressed for the day; that onesie didn't last long. He then decided it was so much fun to watch me jump and the shocked look on my face, he tried it again. He got the same shocked look and all from this morning just like he wanted. He loved it so much that he began to laugh at me when I jumped back. I'm not as brave as the nurse at the pediatrician's office who just covers it with her hand until he's done. Looking forward to having a little boy still Matt and Lindsay? I think I'll put B on diaper duty for the night! :)

Don't say that word

Our busy week continued on with fun nights both Thursday and Friday.

Thursday is our regular "date night" where N gets babysat by a wonderful lady from church. We started by going out to eat at the Scarlet and Cream Letter Club (yes, it's a Husker place). Good food, but I don't think I'd go for the french dip every time. We then walked around the outdoor mall that is right there. I'm very excited that J.Crew has decided to move to O now that I have. It should be open in the next few weeks. We also have an AT Loft which is another great place. Does LR have either yet? The store we're still missing is Janie and Jack. Although considering what the price tags look like and how fast N grows, it might just be a good thing! (check it out: www.janieandjack.com ) Anyways, we went back to the house and decided to top off our date night with a romantic mowing of the lawn. We decided it'd be smart to get it done while we were kidless. I mowed, B edged, and we were done in 20 minutes. (For working in the dark, we did a pretty good job!)

Last night we headed over to A and D's (B's sis and bro-in-law) for some food and games. We had quite a few laughs playing Taboo and A and I beat D and B 35ish to 13ish before they finally decided catching up was impossible. I couldn't get A to guess "thong", and D had quite a time trying to get around to "wonder bra" with B. I can remember playing Taboo regularly with Jeff, Shana, and Jason. Jeff and Jason had some strange connection where they could guess everything with just one word for a clue. Shana and I became great at losing! Oh well, it's a fun memory!

If I could only figure out a way to make this happen on command, I could have very productive days! :)

There's still some holes to fill and things have to grow some, but here is the start to our front garden. (I promise it really does look better in person.)

Busy Days, Busy Nights

It's been a busy couple of days for the Ks as you probably assumed since I hadn't posted in a few days. We've had and still do have something going on nearly every night this week. I've been keeping my days busy by trying to keep up around the house. It seems that no matter how hard I try, things never seem to be fully done. It'd be nice to wake up one morning and think, "I don't have to pick up around the house today."

Last night was a late night for all of us. We had a youth function going on which was quite a ways from our house even though it was still in O. It was an enjoyable evening, but it was also 11:30 before we got home last night. Luckily B didn't head into work quite as early as usual this morning.

N is currently sleeping which means I should be getting other things done. (Like picking up around the house, argh.) I also have to take my car in because my AC doesn't seem to be working that well again - yuck!

gardens, garages, and grrrrrs

Today was a complete work day for B and I. We started our day out planting a few flowers and shrubs in the front garden. We were suppose to go buy a few more plants, but we kept to busy all day. (Maybe tomorrow.) Once we have some more plants in, I will post a picture.

We then moved into the garage and began to attack the beast of a mess that our garage had become. We put up shelves, organized things, and hung some stuff up high and out of the way. It looks so good now. If we didn't have an entire corner (I'm talking 25+ boxes) worth of teaching stuff that has no classroom, we would have the best looking garage around.

Maggie hasn't been getting her fair share of blog updates thanks to N, but today is her day. She is really enjoying herself in the new house. One of her favorite places is the sub-basement where there is bare concrete. She has also made friends with the 2 boxer dogs next door. She goes over to play in Willis and Tripper's yard a few time a week. (They have a fence.) She would love to play with the german shorthair pointer puppy on the other side, but they think Maggie is too big to play with him. Just wait! She also has been enjoying lots of early morning runs with B before he heads off to work. She is looking forward to cooler weather so that B and I will start going out to play fetch with her more often.

Enough for now. We've worked hard today, and I'm tired. Have a good one!

Drool Monster

N's official new title is going to be "Drool Monster." He is soaking everything in sight. I've checked his gums for any sign of teeth wanting to appear, but there's nothing there. I can't seem to keep anything dry. He was good to B and I this morning because he slept from 9:30 last night until 7:30 this morning without waking up once. It was a much need change from what was becoming the norm.

B and I both had seperate lunch arrangements for today. I had lunch with one of the other pastor's wife. B, even though it's his day off, had 2 meeting he had to go in for. He's on his way home now and we are going to take advantage of the much cooler weather (only 79 right now). I've been anxiously awaiting help from B to get the rest of the landscaping done in the front yard. I knew today was going to be nice and the perfect day for yard work. So, I starting buying flowers earlier this week so that we woud HAVE TO get it done this weekend! :) I'll put pictures up when we get done. I'd better go get changed into some yard work clothes.

Have a great Friday!!!!

Solid zzzzz's

I'm taking bids for who would like to spend some quality time with N. No reasonable offer will be refused!!!! Okay, seriously, N has had 2 nights in a row of bad sleep. I don't know what is causing him to wake up so much at night. He had been sleeping through the night for a month or so now. Two nights ago we had to give him a bottle to settle him down. Then last night I had to hold him until he was sound asleep again. That lasted a little while and then he woke up again. The only way we could calm him was to let him be in bed with us. I'm afraid to see what tonight is going to hold. I am exhausted beyond belief due to the lack of a solid night of sleep, and I know Brad isn't enjoying the latest develoments yet.

Progress: furniture, sod, a tree

After several attempts and B patiently "loving" them all, I finally am happy with the way the furniture is situated in the living room. N even has his own furniture in the room. He got a swing the other day, and he seems to love it. He loves anything with a toy dangling above his head, so this was a sure fire winner. (And it's a baby toy that plugs in rather than requires batteries! Hard to find!)

B came in the bedroom after his run this morning (I was still sleeping) and asked me what kind of tree I wanted. The tree planters came today and planted our front yard tree. It's a maple just like I love. Unfortunately we have to buy and plant the rest of the trees - trees aren't cheap! Notice the lovely green grass that surrounds the tree. :)
Here's a question for you to answer: What temp do you keep your air conditioning at? B and I are at odds over what the "normal" temp is for a house. Ours is currently set at 75. I'd love to bump it up a couple degrees, but B would love to set it lower so he won't sweat all the time. I'm just curious what other people consider "the perfect temp".

It's been a normal Monday. I did some cleaning, made and few phone calls, and still need to wash dishes and iron. I'm trying to keep my distance from N since I think I am coming down with a cold of some sort. He's not quite understanding my reasoning on this, but mother knows best, right? I'm trying to get a couple of the other rooms in the house picture worthy. Once they're there, I'll post what the rest of our house looks like.

Too hot for too much

Nothing too exciting seemed to happen today. It has gotten miserably hot here (upper 90s, lower 100s). We cut the lawn for the first time today. It looks so nice with all of it's straight lines. (Sorry, no stars or smileys M.) I ran a couple of errands this afternoon before we headed to church this evening. We picked up dinner on the way home and are now just relaxing. B has a little prep work to do for tomorrow, but hopefully we'll get to bed early.

Yesterday we took a trip down to Humboldt for the day. B's grandma has been in town from Seattle for a little over a week. We wanted her to have the chance to spend some more time with N. It was good to get to visit with her. She seems to be doing really well after all the health scares she had not too long ago.

After B gets home from church tomorrow, we will hopefully get a few more things done around the house. I'll be glad when all of the moving in related things are done with!

Wacky Weather

Today has been quite a day in the weather department. I put Maggie outside this morning and couldn't believe how hot and muggy it already was. It just continued to get hotter and hotter as the day went on. We were in the mid 90s by the middle of the afternoon. Then the wind suddenly picked up and the dark clouds took over the sky. The temp dropped close to 30 degrees in no time. It downpoured for a while. Eventually things passed over and blue skies returned. Now the skies have clouded over again and the rain has returned. I am so glad that I didn't waste time watering the lawn today!

Other than the weather being wacky, so was N's napping. He took a 2 1/2 hour nap this morning, followed by another 1 1/2 later in the afternoon. And he's been in bed for the night for half an hour now. Talk about one sleepy boy! Maybe it's a growth spurt or something - I'm not complaining though. I've been able to get a lot done!

N and his favorite bug buddy.

The House is Becoming a Home

The furniture is here! I should have done some photo editing to brighten up the pictures before uploading them, oops. It certainly seems like the room has shrunk since they delivered it all. For now the side of the couch is pushed up against a wall, and I'm not really thrilled about it. I have rearranged things about 8 times today, and I will probably still play with it some more. The trick is finding a place for the chair and ottoman to be together and not mess up the coffee table being in front of the couch. The back pillows on the couch can be the decorative side or the same plain fabric of the rest of the couch. I still haven't decided which side I'm going to use. Right now I have the center two on the accent decorative side and the outer two on the plain side. The back of the chair does the same thing. I've also been hard at work to put pictures up on the walls. It makes it seem more like a home once the pictures are up. Let me know what you think about the back pillows for the couch, should I go accent side or plain side?

We'll see how much of this the kid lets me write before he demands his dinner. Let me just say that you've gotta keep an eye on that little guy. He can move! He uses he feet to push himself around. This morning he had pivoted 90 degrees from where I put him before getting in the shower. Although, he has not repeated his tummy to back roll-over manuever, he keeps trying to get from his back to his tummy now. Won't that be a rude awakening when he accomplishes this task since he really doesn't like being on his tummy. Someone is fussing for his dinner. . .

I am adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom. It really is enough work to be a full-time job! I make a to do list for each day and seem to keep more than busy with it. I got a call today asking if I was interested in a part-time teaching position. Not this year, but thanks.

B is continually busy at work. He seems to be in meetings all day and not have much time for anything else.

My furniture comes tomorrow morning! I'll post pictures!

HAPPY 3 MONTH BIRTHDAY N!!!!!!

Ouch!

I win the prize (although I hear I share ailments with Mom) this week for dumb move of the week. I was gettting ready this morning and had walked out of the bathroom for a minute. When walking back through the unbelievably narrow doorway to the bathroom, I ran three of my toes into the door. I must have broken one of my toes because it is quite swollen and bruised. The sharp, shooting pain also is a clue that something is not quite right. I guess this doesn't help me in my quest to get back out there and into running shape.

The plan was to work in the front yard garden today and maybe even throw a couple of plants in the ground. Unfortunately for gardening, it has decided to do 15 minute downpours on and off today. It's great for the new sod, but I really was hoping to garden. Maybe I can still get out there for a little bit today. They also marked the water and gas lines in the front yard which I think might mean they are going to plant our tree (yes, only one) soon. Yea! (There are no trees in the yard that was part of a corn field a couple years ago.)

Monkeying Around

Here are the pictures of N's (and your) bathroom. We had planned to do a zoo theme, but they discontinued the shower curtain a week before I went to order it. Go figure. We decided that monkeys would make for a fun kid bathroom. The monkey hooks are low enough that Nate will be able to hang up his own towel when he's still little. Eventually it might get a coat of paint, but after N's stripes in his room, we are done painting for a while.

Today was B's day off. We went and checked out one of the local malls. It's all the normal mall stores, but it's all outdoors. I'm not sure how that'll go over in the bitter cold of winter, but we'll see. Other than that we've just been hanging out at home and avoiding the rooms which aren't quite done. :)

Oddness

I have to start by telling everyone, especially those use to the heat of Arkansas, about the weather yesterday evening. When we went out on the front porch to watch fireworks, I had to go back inside for a minute. It wasn't because Nate had woken up from all the noise, or Maggie getting spooked by the fireworks. I had to go inside and put on pants and a sweatshirt because it was too cool outside! How is that for a crazy 4th of July? In fact, we've had the AC off since yesterday afternoon, and it's July! We've had some hot days (they do exist here), but it's nuts to be able to open up the house for a couple days in July.

N, Mags, and I had an uneventful day. Aside from going out to water the lawn and couple of naps taken by N, we just hung out and had a fun time playing together. B worked.

Say a prayer for Corrie and her family as they go in at midnight tonight to induce labor. Hopefully we'll have news of a happy, healthy baby girl by this time tomorrow.

Happy 4th of July!

So, I promised to keep up with this better and feel good that this'll be my third day in a row. We Ks don't have any big plans for the fourth. I may try to map out the gardens in the front yard since I am anxious to start on them. We also plan to try out our new grill this evening. We've talked about seeing if there are fireworks to watch nearby, but we also a have good view of everyone else's from our front window.

B, N, and I have been enjoying the running stroller that N gave B for Father's Day. We went on an almost hour long walk last night and for a 40 minute walk (with a few minutes of running) this morning. BTW, congrats to my Dad who ran the Firecracker 5K this morning with 9 minute 50 second miles! Way to go!! (Inspired me to get my butt moving and back into running condition again!)

Other than that, we're still just getting settle in. We are getting living room furniture delivered next Wednesday, and I am more than thrilled about this. I've been waiting over 4 years for a real couch and will finally have one! I'll put a picture of the living room up once it is filled with the furniture.

Have a great fourth!

What's next?

Last week it was learning to suck his thumb, but with the new week comes another new trick for N. We were doing tummy time this morning, and he decided he'd had enough of it. After a couple of failed tries and with the help of some fussing and kicking, he managed to escape tummy time by rolling from his tummy to his back. He seems to be learning things at an unbelievably fast pace lately. He sure does make Mom and Dad proud of him.

The past few weeks have been more than busy for the Ks. We have been to and through 6 different states and have also made our move to O. The past week has been spent unpacking boxes and figuring out where everything is going to fit. Even when you have a bigger place, there still doesn't seem to be enough room.

Nate was able to go meet a couple of his relatives in Nokomis. We also stopped by Decatur, where B vicared, to say hi to some good friends. Too bad there wasn't time to see everyone we would have wanted to see.

After a stop in N to close on our house, we headed to Chicago for a few days of relaxing vacation. We went Shedd's Aquarium and spent a lot of time just walking the Magnificent Mile.

We were also able to head to "the Friendly Confines" of Wrigley to take in a Cubs game. We were met there by a couple of friends and had a great time as N took in his first Major League baseball game.

After Chicago, we headed to Michigan. N was able to meet both is Great-Grandpa Ko and his Great-Grammy Ki. It's amazing the smile a great-grandchild can bring to a great-grandparent's face!

The main attraction and reason for the Michigan trip was my cousin, J's wedding to K. Princess C was an adorable flower girl.

The past few days have shown us that N's new trick seems to be here to stay. It seems that everytime we turn around his thumb is back in his mouth. It's a double-edged sword since we don't really like it being a habit we'll fight later, but it is nice to not have to replace the pacifier continually.We were also able to finally give N the nursery that we've been waiting to prepare for him. We spent quite a while taping the stripes and then carefully paining within the lines. His room is in the one finished room in the house.

The goal is to be able to get back into a routine of adding to the blog regularly. So, until then, take care!