The first room when you walk in the house was also the messiest, with too many instruments and craft stuff in it to function!  But now, thanks to my sweetie and IKEA, I have a gorgeous new office to fuel my creativity.

Before:

UGH!!  That's pretty much what it looked like all the time.

After:

WOW!!!  I love it!!  Two desks, one for computer, and one for sewing.  Lots of storage, and cute too!!   New curtains to freshen it up, and the piano more accessible to the children.

 

My grandma's antique secretary desk still holds most of my yarn.

 

Doesn't this just inspire you to make something?  It sure inspires me!!

Thanks to my whole family who devoted a weekend and plenty of dollars to this project!!

The kids had fun too, because IKEA packaging contains lots of big sheets of paper:

 

This kept them busy for a while, and prevented us from using the table, so we had picnics upstairs at mealtime.  :)

"Welcome to Boxtown."  I didn't actually get a picture of Boxtown, but we build one every time we do something like this, usually after a trip to Costco.

Audrey likes to experiment with her boxes.

Bu was completely unimpressed by the whole thing.

So now that I have a new gorgeous workspace, I just want to hang out in here all day!!

Hello friends and family!  I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be better about blogging this year.  When the blog broke last summer I got out of the habit, and once it was fixed I never got back in.  Paul also had the blog linked to post on his Facebook page, and while I know that this is by no means a private blog, I wasn't comfortable "advertising" our family adventures to all of our casual aquaintances on Facebook.  But now it is not (thanks honey for accommodating me).  So now I need to get back into the swing of things.

I wasn't just lazy, you know.  Last fall I started up yet another venture, making and selling handmade items.  The Christmas rush of orders took up most of my free time and lots of my sleep time.  Now that things are slightly at a lull, it's a good time to rediscover blogging.  More about my business another time.

For now, here's a peek at the First First of 2010: Audrey's First Haircut!  Miss Bug has been getting shaggier as her superfine curly hair got longer...she had grown two loooooong tails on the back that we called her "swallowtails."  It gave her a crazy Einstein kind of vibe that really fit her personality but made her look like a little ragamuffin. 

So, in Hooper family tradition, Mommy sat her on the edge of the master bathtub with a lollipop and cut her hair.  (It didn't take long, hence the lollipop.  For Katelyn's much more involved haircuts, we use a bowl of chocolate chips to keep her still.)

 

I'd show you the finished product, but Paul didn't get a great picture because Audrey was ready to get back to playing.  She still looks like a wild thing, though!

Yes, it's been WEEKS. But we've been busy living. I only have a few minutes, but to cap off the Staycation posts, here are a couple of pics:

We took Sunday off (mostly) for our date (too tired to drive downtown, we went to Z'Tejas, which was wonderful, and then to the movies).  Back to work furiously Monday morning.

First step:  paint the epoxy on the floor.  Then you toss these confetti paint chips up into the air so they land in the epoxy and create a speckly texture on the floor.  Paul and I both had a little too much fun with the confetti throwing so when we got to the last section we were running kind of short, so the speckles are kind of skimpy there.  But who cares, it's a garage.  This process took us all the way up to lunch.

 

 

This is what it looks like!  It had to cure for 8 hours, so we had lunch, hauled some old motor oil to the recycling center/dump (spared you a picture of that), got a frosty cold beverage at Sonic, came home, Paul made phone calls to various places and planned out where the shelving would go, and I cleaned the bathrooms (spared you a picture of that too).  Around 8:00 I started painting the garage and Paul made YET ANOTHER Home Depot run and then came back with a pizza.  So we had a date.

Aww...This brought back memories of our pizza date the first night in this house.  We had closed on the house on Dec. 23, 1999, and were not moving in until after the Christmas holidays.  So that night after closing we packed for our trip, left our apartment, brought a pizza to the house and ate it in the living room, and then slept on the air mattress in our new master bedroom.  The next day we got in the Ford Probe (yeesh, remember that clunker?) and skidded all the way up to Edmond in what was one of the worst ice storms we've ever seen.  Ah, memories.  But I digress.

I took this picture around 12:30 am.  Paul got all of this shelving up and we started moving stuff in as quickly as we could because of the threat of rain.  Actually, it's thundering right now (9:49 am Tuesday), and it's not all back in the garage, so I better get back out there and help him.  If it rains today, I am not sure how much we will get done on the wall, but at least we can say that we did a great job in the garage.

First of all, Happy 12th Anniversary to us!  Instead of a VA-cation, we are having a STAY-cation to celebrate.  Thanks to Freescale's delightful Mandatory Time Off Without Pay But Just Be Happy You Aren't Getting Laid Off program, we find ourselves with a week off.  And many thanks to Marc and Kandi for keeping the kids.  (Kids!  Mommy misses you and has cried every night so far!!!)

So here's what we have been up to so far.

 

We are building a path and flowerbed here in the backyard.  The path goes from the gate to the porch, the flowerbed retaining wall will have two separate tiers and will be up against the house.  If you look very closely you can see how Paul has strung the level lines between posts and marked the different levels of the stone wall.  Setup for this kind of project takes forever.  The light is because it is so dang hot he has been doing as much as possible at night.

 

Wow, that's a lot of stone.  Home Depot delivery ROCKS.

 

Working hard.

 

 

Starting to look like a path!

 

Yes, that says 106.5.  Time to stop.  Move to the garage.

 

While he was working on the path, my job was to get all of this junk in the garage OUT of the garage.  Now some of it is on the back porch, some in the house, some on the front porch, some just behind the gate...well, you get the idea.  This is all so we could etch and epoxy the floors.  But sometime over the course of the day we had a discussion about what other things we might like to do to the garage, and how it made sense to do it all at once while everything was already out.  And that's how this happened:

If I look a little crazy, well, heat exhaustion does that to you.  It also apparently makes you spend another $600 at Home Depot. 

 

You probably can't see it, but the car is full of shelving for the garage, not part of our original plan.  (Home Depot also tried to tempt me into some wood flooring for my office, but Paul got me out just in time.)  Hey, if you're going to put everything back IN the garage, you might as well put it back into a freshly painted, properly shelved garage, with a beautiful epoxy floor.  So far this staycation is turning out to be one of the most expensive vacations we've ever had.  But we'll have something to show for it in the end.

We worked until about 1 am, but we got the entire thing primed, half of the floor etched, and then this afternoon Paul degreased and etched the other side.  So tomorrow (Monday) when it is all dry we can paint the epoxy on, and when that is dry enough to walk on, we can paint the walls (we are NOT painting the ceiling again, it can just STAY primer white!) a nice garage-y beige.  But tonight, since it is our anniversary and all, we are going to go out for dinner and a movie and forget about home improvement for the rest of the night.

Speaking of, my date is ready, so I'm signing off!

 

My mother tells me that someday I will miss this stage.  Will I even remember it?  It's a blur. 

Tickle wars in the "clubhouse."

 

The constant creative mixing of toys.  Imaginative, but a pain to clean up.  But so fun!  Daddy's shoes are great for dressup, too.

 

Secret puppy tea parties behind the couch.  Using blocks for food, of course.  Never mind that we have a twelve course meal of play food upstairs that hardly gets used.  The puppies prefer blocks.

 

The "art area."  This is surprisingly clean.  Usually it spills out all over the floor and someone trips on a crayon and gets hurt.

 

 

Piles of pink and pastel laundry.  There is no grownup laundry in this picture.

 

 

The Bu, content to sit with her ball right in the middle of all of the action. 

 

Misty of Chincoteague, our latest obsession.  (just like Mommy as a girl!)

 

 

Sight words all over the back of Kate's door.  51 to be exact.  Yes, the green one says "parrot", which was a word she really wanted to learn for some reason, so we added it to the door.  The rest came from a pack of post-its specifically for this purpose.

A growing pile of Babette squares.  Grandma, I am really putting your old secretary desk to good use.  It's stuffed to bursting with yarn, fabric, and sheet music, and all of the supplies that go with those passions.  I bet you never suspected that the little letterboxes inside would be chock-full of knitting needles.

 

So, future self, hope this helps you remember what you did all day when the kids were little.  You'll probably miss it a lot.  Right now I am just trying to enjoy every little moment and not get so caught up in the challenges that I miss out on the joys.

This sweet smile always helps!

I guess 35 must be old, because suddenly yesterday the urge to quilt something seized me, and I did this:

Add to that the knitting, my love for old movies, my tendency to fall asleep on the couch, and the fact that the pharmacist knows me by name....yup, call me Grandma.

p.s. honey, I really like my new sewing machine!

 

We had Audrey's party on Monday.  It had been postponed a week because of rain, but worth the wait.  It was cool that morning and clear, and just perfect for playing outside.  Jen came and took pictures and they are awesome!  To see them all, click here.  But here are a couple of highlights:

 

 

The next few are from my camera, and haven't been photoshopped, so they are definitely more amateur-looking.

Audrey even got a birthday smooch from Luke!  Paul was totally alarmed of course.

They grow up so fast!!

Can you believe she is 2 years old already?  How the time flies!

As you know, Audrey has such a giant, vibrant personailty she almost defies description.  Her zest for life and adventure reminds us so much of the Nash family (Amy's mom's side) and Kari.   The curly blonde hair and the grin look like Paul at this age (yes, he was blonde!) and her eyes look like Amy's mom's.  I won't tell you who she gets the drooling from.

Audrey's favorite things to do are: play the drum or other instruments, play with baby dolls, color, dance to music, play ball, climb, read books, and sing.  She is quite the jokester and will do practically anything for a laugh. 

She is eager to please but sometimes a little slow to obey because she is trying to make us laugh or chase her down (it is so hard to stay serious when she does this!)  She loves her sister and hardly knows what to do without Kate around.  She can say just about anything she wants to say now, although we still struggle to understand her at times.  Her favorite type of music is rock or anything with a hard beat, but her favorite songs to sing by herself are "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "Oh Happy Day" (a song we did at church on Easter). 

She struggles with fear of bugs, Elmo (although less now than in the past), and robots.  Other than that, she is fearless and will try just about anything. 

 

She does throw 2-year-old-style tantrums now, but they seem related to teething pain, dining preferences, and bedtime more than anything else, so that makes her totally normal in my book.  She is having a really hard time giving up that paci (which is probably not a shock to anyone).

 

She is a joy and delight, and brings sunshine and smiles to everyone she knows.  We had no idea what we were in store for back when she was born! 

 

Happy birthday, little munchkin!  We love you beyond words!

 

I know you have been anxiously awaiting part 2 of our Hawaii blog post.  So here it is at last!  Here we have the major activities we did on the trip, other than laying around the pool and beach at the resort.

1.  Scuba diving. 

Kari is a certified diver, this was Paul's first time.  He took a crash course in the pool and then they went out and dove about 20 feet down.  He saw amazing fish and got inked by an octopus.  I wish we had pictures of the underwater stuff.  This will not be his last scuba experience and his excited descriptions of it have convinced me to try it next time.  Kari went out a second time and dove the wall of Molokini, which is a crescent shaped rock between Maui and Kahoolawe.  You could see it from our villa.

 

2.  Road to Hana.

Hana is a little town on the northeast corner of Maui.  The road along the northern shore of the island has become a tourist attraction in itself.  It's long, winding, and the scenery is incredible.  Waterfalls, rugged beaches, black sand, wildlife, and some of the most amazing views on the planet.  Paul and I left the kids with the grandparents and made a day of it.  We hiked away from the road a couple of times to see some waterfalls (although there were spectacular ones right up against the roadway as well).

One of my favorite things on that trip was this blowhole in a lava formation at Waianapanapa State Park.  The water would come whistling out the top like a geyser.

 

3.  Aquarium

On a very windy day we decided to go to the Maui Ocean Center to do a non-swimming activity.  The kids loved it, Kate especially because a sea turtle waved at her.  We also went to a truly memorable "Mexican" restaurant nearby.  The food was not good but there was a guy with a guitar singing very loudly.  Good times.

Kate touched a starfish, that was cool too.  She was scared at first, but after Mommy touched it and described it, she gave it a try.  It was pretty bumpy.

 

4.  Golf

Paul and Marc played the Wailea Old Blue golf course.  They had a blast.  They did not hit any cars.

 

5.  Ate at restaurants.

This is us at Mama's Fish House for the big anniversary dinner.  Spectacular food.  They could even tell you who caught the fish that day that you were eating.  Kari even ate some fish!  Katelyn had fish and chips and loved it; she wondered why the fish she had tried before wasn't as good.  Umm, because, darling 4 year old, the other fish you had before was Gorton's Fish Sticks, not mahi-mahi caught that very morning.  Other restaurants we visited during the week were:  Ko at the resort, Nick's Fish Market at the resort, and Sarento's.  We also grilled out on the patio a couple of nights, which was nice.

 

6.  Helicopter ride.

This is a spot on the northwestern coast of Maui as seen from our helicopter.  We took a tour of the remote northwest shore and the 'Iao Valley and then over to Molokai.  My mouth hung open pretty much the whole time.  It's just so wild and rugged and unspoiled.

I wanted to climb out and go for a swim in this mountaintop oasis.  The pilot said that sometimes when they come by there are actually people up there.  There must be a secret passage or something, because this is on top of a huge mountain with no roads or obvious trails.  No one is really sure how the Hawaiian tribesmen would get up on top of the mountains, they are so rough, but apparently they used to bury their royalty up there.

Elephant Rock, just off the coast of Molokai. 

The steepest sea cliffs in the world, Kalaupapa Historic National Park.

The coral reef was clearly visible, and the old fishing pond walls from long ago.  The colors of the reef were vibrant and the water was sparkling.  These pictures don't even come close to representing that.

 

7.  Whale watching

Just hours before we left, we went on a whale watching tour.  Audrey slept through the whole thing in someone's arms either on the deck or down below, we took turns.  Kate, however, was totally in her element.  She loves boats.

A whale waved at her.  She's pretty popular with those marine animals.

We saw some sea turtles ("Honu" in Hawaiian) in their natural habitat.

And a happy little dolphin that played chase with us.  It was a really fun trip and a great way to wrap up a spectacular vacation.

 

Be sure to look at our flickr site to see all of the pictures!  If you can't access them, just remind me and I'll re-invite you.

I am finally posting about our trip to Hawaii!  Sorry it has taken me so long.  As you know I went to OK right before and right after going to Maui, so I've been doing a lot of catching up on basic life maintenance around here.  Now that we finally have clean clothes and some food in the house, I guess you would all like to know some of the details.  This will be a multi-post series!

We stayed at the Fairmont Kea Lani in Wailea, Maui, on the beautiful shores of Polo beach.  It was a wonderful family resort, full of other families just like ours, with great restaurants and amenities.  I'll give you the photo tour:

 

The beach at the resort.

 

Our villa - 3 bedrooms and a beautiful ocean view.  See the island of Kahoolawe in the distance.

 

The view from the back porch.  There was even a little pool so you could get the sand off of yourself after some beach time.

 

This was the main pool.  There were usually lots of people there; I am not sure when Paul got this nice calm picture.

This is pretty much Katelyn's idea of heaven.  She could not get enough swimming!

Audrey preferred the baby pool.  She focused on pouring and splashing.

 

The tannest we will ever be.

Sigh.  Can I go back there yet?

 

(Reality calls:  "Mommy!  Audrey is poopy!")

Part 2 coming soon!

The Artist-in-Residence strikes again.  She also got the new recliner and her polka-dot chair.

 

Katelyn is very ambitious when it comes to burritos.  (She did not quite finish this one, though.)

 

11:00 am today:

1:00 pm today:

After it sat for 10 years in our garage, Paul gave the Camaro to my cousin Michael today.  This was definitely a win-win situation.  He is great with cars (plans to go to mechanic school in the fall, actually) and loves to fix them up.  I think we were both a little sad to see it go; we have many fond memories of our college life with this car, and it was Paul's uncle Shannon's, after all.  But we did not have the time or inclination to care for it as the classic it is.  It is time to embrace the new era, of carpooling and preschooling and really really living in this house.

We're going to completely clean out and organize the garage, but just for today, just because we could, we did this...

 

 

Farewell, old girl!

I took these pictures about a week ago.  I decided to take pictures of the typical michievous things Audrey does over the course of the day.  So here are a few.  I am sure some went undocumented.

1.  Breakfast.  I went to the bathroom and returned to find this.  Guess that box of cereal was in reach after all.

2.  Lunch.  That's ketchup.

 

3.  Art time.  Pirate-style pencil chewing.

4.  I went to the bathroom again and returned to find this.  That's crayon on the windowsill, not nearly as much as usual.  All I can say is that Magic Eraser is truly magic and we buy a lot of them.

5.  Audrey's new phobia is Chuck E. Cheese, and she spots him on these birthday balloons.  (I can't believe these balloons have lasted so long, and I don't mean helium loss.  See #6.)

6.  Audrey attempts to stab Chuck E. to death.  Should I be concerned?  Anyone know a good child psychologist?

7.  Work it out with a little boogie.  Mommy threw the balloons away.

8.  Chore time:  Polishing the glass with my slippers.

9.  Helping with the laundry:  checking the spaciousness of our hampers.

10.  Errand time:  she is "right-ready" as we say in my family.  This is why I keep the door locked.

 

11.  The second we get in the car, EVERY TIME WE GET IN THE CAR, Audrey takes off her socks and shoes.  No exceptions.  She doesn't even care if it is 40 degrees out like it was on this day.  Usually she uses a sock as a puppet for at least part of the trip.

12.  A little Blues Clues time.  Mommy was able to successfully go to the bathroom and return to a peaceful scene.

13.  Must be dinner time, she is climbing into the chair.  Usually the climbing starts around 5:00 and we don't usually eat until 6:00.  So there is always some battling with Mommy.

 

 

She sure keeps me busy!

 

Speaking of busy, I haven't blogged much because I have been extremely busy making stuff, much of which I can't post about, because it is secret in nature.  So just bear with me.  I'll add in some holiday pictures of the kids' Christmas programs and their holiday parties all at the same time.  Their last day of school for the year is Tuesday, and I have a slew of gifts and foody things to make before then.  Crystal and I got smart and decided to do our holiday baking together this year since we make all of the same recipes anyways, so we are doing that tomorrow.

Happy Birthday, Katelyn! What a wonderful little person you are!  Here are 48 things I love about you, one for each month of your precious life with us.

1. your happy heart
2. whimsical costumes
   
3. the lullabies you sing to Audrey
4. your gossamer hair
5. "mommy, the more I get bigger, the more I'll be your daughter"
6. the crazy nicknames you give everyone ("Boo-ey", "Baby Sukey", "Mommy-moh")
7. your sensitive spirit
8. the way you always put your shoes on the wrong feet
9. how you always want to say the blessing
10. your freckles
11. your love of art projects of any kind
12. how obedient you are in general
13. The way you change your demeanor when you are trying to act grown up
14. you still love it when I carry you to bed
15. the way you look at your daddy
    
16. how much you trust us
17. the look of contentment you get when you feel safe and relaxed
18. your tree-climbing
19. dancing in the kitchen
20. how you think of Greenbear as a real person
21. you ask Jesus to help you with things like finding the 7-11 and being nice to others
22. the way you love Audrey and your kid friends
23. your good manners
24. how you plan out taking turns with others, usually you are first
25. your love of stickers but dislike of fake tattoos
26. that dolphin-squeak when you laugh
    
27. "mommy, is your finger stuck?" (you want me to tickle your armpits)
28. your incredibly specific bedtime requirements (two fans, 4 friends in the bed, water with crushed ice, stereo remote)
29. how you "read the newspaper" with me (toys-r-us ad)
30. how patient you are with adults who want to fawn over you, even though I know you don't like it
31. your cute little toes
32. how you practice your swimming in the bathtub
33. your vocabulary surprises me
34. the way you talk yourself through everything you do
35. how you sleep like the dead
36. when you get in bed with me in the morning
37. "tortillas, queso, beans, and rice"
38. you love to help me cook
39. pirate adventures in the backyard
40. card games with you
41. your love of birthdays, not just your own
42. "mommy, I have a flower for you!"
43. you love to be a princess ("Mommy, I'm a princess because I'm a child of God and He's the King!")
    
44. how you reassure me when I look worried
45. your teachable heart
46. your desire to obey
47. you spread joy wherever you go
48. you are you and there is no one else like you!!!

My sweet baby girl is now my sweet big girl.  I enjoy you more every day and I look forward to more wonderful moments with you.  Happy Birthday to the one who made me a mommy!

 

"Hug"

 

"Here go"

 

"Elmo"

 

 

"Pee-boo"

 

 

"Ta-da!"

 

"Cheese"

So Brandy tagged her blogging friends thusly:

Go to your picture file on your PC.
Go to your 4th folder.
Pull up the 4th picture.

(I obeyed the "tag" rules to find the picture, but it is linked via Flickr so I didn't have to resize it.)

Ok, here it is:  July 2005, Katelyn age 7 months, with Paul in some random park in the south Houston area.  We were on our previous trip to Florida, which I find ironic since we just got back from there.  We had stopped to play at this park and take a break from the car.

Wow, she's so little!

I will blog soon about our more recent trip to Florida and Halloween.  Flickr and I are working hard today getting all of the pix uploaded.  I don't like the new flickr uploader at all, it never seems to get all of my pictures in one go.  Plus I have to do it when Paul is not on the computer or else I'm hogging bandwidth. 

 

After a really long night, Dawson Andrew Shipps has finally entered the world!  We are so excited about this new addition to the family.  For those who don't know, this is my (Amy's) brother David Shipps, sister-in-law Elizabeth "Libba", and my nephew Drew (2 1/2).  Thanks to the Lord for a safe delivery by unplanned C-section.  Big-headed babies run in the family, I guess!

I miss them so much I can hardly stand it.  It hurts to think that it will be Christmas before I can see this little guy in person. 

Welcome to the family, sweet boy!

It's been several weeks since we finished it, but here is a picture of the Babette Blanket for Brandy's Baby!  (aka 4B)  Huge photo so you can really see it.  I loved the "crazy quilt" look of this pattern, and the finished product looks like a Klimt painting.   (google it)  It is super soft, and ended up being about 5 feet square.

Pattern:  Babette Blanket by Kathy Merrick.

Yarn:  16 different colors of Berroco Comfort.

Crocheted with mucho love by Jen, Shannon, and moi, over the course of 4 weeks.  Still can't believe we pulled it off.  :)

 

I just realized when uploading some pix that I never blogged about the first day of school. The kids have really been loving school.  Katelyn is in the "Marvelous Monkeys" class for 3's turning 4.  I can barely get her to say goodbye to me when we get to her classroom.  There is so much ART to do!  That child could do art projects all day long (and often does).  She loves her music class, too.  Audrey is in the "Beautiful Butterflies" class for 16-24 month olds.  She cries for about 30 seconds when I hand her over, but not every day.  Her teacher told me that she is the class clown (does that surprise anyone?)  Audrey has started singing some songs she learned in music class.  She has also picked up a lot of new words and has started expressing herself more with words than signs (probably because her teachers do not know all of the signs that we use). Both girls are really changing!

 

 

This picture cracks me up; I don't know what this pose is...

Kate is going to school Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday; Audrey just goes Tuesday and Thursday.  So on Wednesdays Audrey and I get to be together.  Last year we were together all the time, because Kate was in school, but Audrey was very much still an infant then.  She was still nursing and taking morning naps.  Now we really have all day to be together, and she has changed so much, I am having to figure out how to relate to her.  She really misses Kate and doesn't seem to know how to play alone or just with me.  I do play with just Audrey sometimes when Kate is here, but you know how it is...Kate is always coming up to see what we are doing  ("Hey girls!  What are you up to?  Can I play too?")  Audrey and I read books a lot, but only for about 10 minutes at a time, which is normal attention span for a toddler.  She really likes errands, so she can smile at strangers, so we do that a little bit too.  Katelyn and I get plenty of alone time in the afternoons after school when Audrey is napping.  We're adjusting to our new schedule and I really enjoy having time to myself when they are both in school.  I can get some things done, work or errands or cleaning, so when they are here I am a lot less distracted and enjoy them more.  Hooray for preschool!

Audrey is almost 16 months, and I have been meaning to do an update on her for a while.  So here's a big one!

This week Audrey has:

1. Stole my Dr Pepper while I was in the bathroom at playgroup.  By my estimation she probably drank about 16 oz.  Naptime was pitifully short that day.
2. Overturned 4 cereal bowls, two weren't even hers.
3. Climbed onto a kitchen chair and up onto the table, got my coffee mug, and poured it out all over the floor.  Thank goodness it was lukewarm and not steaming hot.
4. Snatched Kate's cough medicine (dosed up into a medicine cup) and poured it all over one of the throw pillows.  Again, thank goodness, because she did not drink it.
5. Brought me my thyroid medicine while I was taking a shower.  (YIKES!!!!!)  Thank goodness unopened.  Seriously, we DO NOT leave the medicine in reach.  Her problem solving ability has taken a huge step forward this week, so she's figured out all kinds of creative ways to get stuff she never got before.  For the first time I might actually install cabinet latches, never used them for Kate.
6. Rubbed many different foods in her hair: ketchup, beans, applesauce, yogurt, ice cream, peanut butter, pineapple, banana, peach, and guacamole.  The guac is the worst - it turns brown and starts to stink almost immediately.
7. Stolen 4 dishtowels, which I haven't found yet.  If she gave them to the dog, I may never find them.
8. Fallen off of a kitchen chair onto the tile.  Stopped crying in 20 seconds.
9. Collided with Kate, giving Kate a big bruise under her chin, and a big knot on Audrey's eyebrow.
10. Climbed on the subwoofer repeatedly. (in spite of spankings)
11. Rubbed her nose on the TV.  Boogervision!
12. Brought me the remote and the phone repeatedly.  (A couple of weeks ago she actually pilfered Paul's cell phone and called me without his knowing, and we had a conversation.  Totally serious.)
13. Changed all of the settings on the CD player.
14. Unrolled 3 rolls of toilet paper completely, and emptied at least one Kleenex box.
15. Hidden some CD's separate from their cases.
16. Wiped down the kitchen table with the peanut butter side of a PBJ.
17. Changed the volume on Daddy's alarm clock repeatedly.  We never know if it will be ear-splitting or non-existent.
18. Removed her poopy diaper, fortunately, she couldn't get her pants off.  I consider myself very lucky here.  Find more unfortunate stories at Kelly's blog.
19. Tried to flush a My Little Pony down the toilet.
20. Drank about 4 cups of bathwater before I realized it.  (Kate: "Mommy, Audrey must be thirsty - she keeps drinking the water.")

And that's just the stuff I remember!

Here's some non-mischief things:

1. Says "I dit!" (meaning "I did it").
2. Grins that million dollar grin.  It's all I can do to not grin back when I'm supposed to be stern.
3. Gives everybody kisses and running-full-on-crash-into-you hugs.
4. Can do all of our (little kid) puzzles now.
5. Loves to play Little People.
6. Makes me kiss all of her stuffed animals before bed.  And she tucks PeanutBear under a blanket in her bed, 'cause he's her baby.
7. Says "A-men" after the blessing.  Or "Ma-men."  Or "Hi-ya!"
8. Says "Tatelyn."  ("Mama!  I gah et.  Tatelyn bup."  translated: Mama, I got it - Katelyn's cup.)
9. Says "Hi Dad" on the phone. 
10. Instead of "boo-boo", she says "boba." ("Mama!  I gah boba.")
11. Started signing Thank You.
12. Signs please, points to the stereo, and then sways side to side - this is her way of asking me to put on the music so she can dance.
13. Loves to bang on the piano while Kate dances.  (My favorite moment of the week: Kate yelling, "Take it, Audrey!" then they just went to town.  Wish you could have seen it.)
14. Plays Mommy and Baby with Kate in her crib.  They take turns putting each other to bed.
15. Started making animal sounds like moo, meow, woof, etc.  She still calls everything "dogga" though, but she makes the right sound when I ask her what that animal says.
16. "Reads" aloud.
17. She's very sharing - she even shares her paci and cup with everyone.  This is not entirely a good thing, and she also expects the same in return.  Without asking.
18. Blows bubbles in her drink with her straw.  (I tell her to stop, because Mommy is supposed to teach good manners, but secretly I think it is adorable, because she is so proud of herself.)
19. Started eating at the table with a placemat and a (plastic) plate like the rest of the family.  This works most of the time, but she does like to put the placemat on her head.
20. She loves rock music and scrunches up her face and headbangs.  She's going to be my bass player.

What a character!

 

Ok, it's taken me 3 days, but I finally have all of the 4th of July pictures up on Flickr.  (well, the ones that didn't get corrupted by accident, but that's another story.  Paul is fixing them in photoshop.)  Anyhoo, they are up.  Now I just have to go backwards and get the pix from our trip to Edmond up there (the ones I took in June).

We had a great time.  The kids especially had a blast with Papa D. 

Kate isn't sick; she has blue lips because she was eating a blue sucker.

Fireworks are fun! 

So happy!

Audrey wasn't sure about the horses.

Can't wait til next year!

 

 

Up to somethin'.

Whiny.

Deadpan.

Impish.

But always cute!

So recently I had a birthday and became 34 (yeesh).  Paul took me on a fantastic date the night before my birthday, and on the day itself I got to hang out with some of my friends at La Madeline.

L-R: Shannon, Brandy, me, Crystal R, Jen, Jeni.  We can talk for hours about nothing and everything.  It's so liberating to have an evening away from the kids!  (Sorry, kids, nothing personal, you'll understand when you are older.)

Thanks for a great birthday, friends.  I love you all!

Audrey turned 1 on April 27th. We had a party for her at Grammy and Grandpa's house and then another tiny party at our place a few days later. How fast this year has gone!

Audrey is walking fast now, and can climb the stairs in approximately 45 seconds.  She is such a sparkly little personality. She just lights up around people and loves to laugh and interact with others.  She loves to open and close things, push buttons, clean up toys, make a mess again, and dance. Her favorite song is "I've Got The Joy...", the kid's Sunday School song. She likes the "and I'm so happy, so very happy" part, and does the hand motions. She is only marginally interested in TV, but loves the remote. She loves to look at books and push little carts and play with musical instruments. She points with two fingers which looks like a crazy gang sign and it cracks us up. She is obsessed with hair and will sit and brush my hair for quite a while, although it really hurts, not from the pulling, but from her whacking me in the head with the brush. She also loves to brush her teeth. She does not like teething or being forced to sit at the table too long. She wants me to hold her a lot, partly because she is clingy but also because it gives her a better view of the world.  She is "early to bed, early to rise" -- she starts getting crabby at 7:30 regardless of when she got up from nap, which can make some nights very interesting.  She's my snuggly little bug and my silly little imp.  I love her coppery blond hair and how it boingy curls in the back. 

Her current "words": Mama, Daddy, Katelyn, Bay-er, Aud-ie, Nana, Papa, Gaga (Grandpa), done, dogga, more, guck (cup), gack (snack), gacker (cracker), uh-oh, ilk (milk), ck (yuck), baba (bottle), per (diaper), out, bush (brush). She also signs more, please, cup, juice, milk, sleep, diaper, bath, pick up, all done, out, play, and probably some others I have forgotten.  She can throw a world class tantrum now, especially when she doesn't want to take a nap and really needs one, or if she is sick of the car seat.  But overall she is a really good sport, and reminds me of Paul in that she is basically very adaptable and good natured, and it takes a lot to really rile her up (but once you do, watch out).  She has been consistent since birth in that her default mood is "happy."  She is vibrant and delightful and keeps us hopping!

Current food likes include: cheese, pears, crackers, ham, strawberries, mac and cheese, blueberries, grapes, bananas, chicken nuggets, pizza, spaghetti, guacamole, beans, and ANYTHING dipped in ketchup.  In fact some days I suspect all she eats is ketchup, licking it off of whatever she dipped in it, and then throwing the main food on the floor to be gobbled up by the dog before I notice.  Right now she is cutting molars and is super picky about her food - some days nothing sounds good but ice chips.  (We survived this stage with Kate so I am less worried about it the second time around.)  At her 1 year checkup she weighed 19 lb 4 oz (25%) and measured 30 1/4 in (80%).

Watch out world, here she comes!  We love you, sweetheart pie!

We did bluebonnet pictures again this year.  It was super windy and kind of overcast and I didn't get any spectacular pictures, but everyone was primarily happy and there were no ants.  So that translates to success in my book.

Kate and Noah share a kiss.  Daddy will probably flip out when he sees this.

It was impossible to get them to all be still and look toward the camera.  I don't know how those school picture people do it.  We tried everything.  Crystal even brought a whistle.

After picture time we went to the park and had a picnic then played.  Three buses of elementary school kids showed up but fortunately they were not allowed on the toddler playground.

You can find the entire set here.

 

OH MY GOSH.  This is going by too fast.  Is she REALLY that close to being a year old?

I call her my sugar because she is so sweet.  She gives great hugs and well-meant although very drooly and kind of bite-y kisses.  She's very very busy but always takes time out to give a great big smile to everyone.

She's crazy smart in the same way that Paul is.  I am amazed at her problem-solving skills and how she figures out how things work.  Recent examples:

• Refrigerator magnets: she loves to feel the pull as she holds them close to the fridge, and giggles to let them go mid-air and watch them snap into place.
• She can "do" a simple puzzle, that meaning she knows where everything goes but simply lacks the coordination to actually get the piece in the hole.  She sort of lays the pieces on top of the holes.
• She wanted to walk across the kitchen one day so she dragged a kitchen chair along with her for support.
• I gave her a snack trap with treats inside.  Instead of reaching in to get the treat and pulling her hand out, she grabbed it so the rubber lid was completely open, then shook all of the treats out.  So much for that.

Currently, she is refusing to nap, so I'd better cut this short.  She's a handful, but she's a delight!

Edited the next day to add:  Princess Smartypants also ran out of banana at lunch whilst Mother was away from the table, so she grabbed the banana off the table and started eating it like a big kid.  Mother returned to find Her Highness burying her face in the banana, raking her fingernails down the sides of it, trying to peel it.  Not sure how much peel was actually ingested.

In other news, a suspect only known as Little Miss Trouble went on a 10 minute destructive rampage this morning that included emptying an entire box of baby wipes and eating dog food.  She is still at large.  Rumor has it that a massive diaper explosion may occur later in the day.

So this past weekend we celebrated Easter.  It's always a very special time for our family, because we celebrate Jesus and His resurrection.  But this year was more special than ever because of what it meant for Katelyn.

Kate's been asking questions about Jesus for a while now.  She knows that Jesus lives in Mommy's and Daddy's hearts and that He helps us.  She knows that the Bible is God's word and that we seek to obey Him.  She knows that as much as she wants to do the right things, she is not strong enough to do it on her own. 

So last Wednesday night before bed, Katelyn decided that she wanted Jesus to live in her heart too.  She asked Daddy to help her, and they prayed together.  She is forgiven and loved and free.

She's still got a natural bent toward sin; we all do.  But already, when she does mess up, there is a change in how she handles it.  They are subtle changes, probably ones that no one else would notice, but that we as parents saw immediately.  She submits more readily to parental authority, with much less drama.  She has greater awareness of how her actions affect other people, and shown true repentance for wrongs.  There is evidence of God working in her heart.  On Easter, Paul asked her how her heart feels now with Jesus living inside.  She thought about it for a minute, then said, "It feels kind of like loving and sharing."

As she matures, she will no doubt grow spiritually.  She'll be learning her whole life long.  But what a blessing to see my sweet child embrace the truth of salvation at such a young age. 

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14

 

Thanks, Crystal, for the picture.

How the time flies.  I gave up doing the "milestones written on a sign" thing, she kept eating it.

Audrey is a live wire!  She crawls and cruises very fast to keep up with her big sister.  She is testing all the limits and keeps Mommy on her toes!  She stands briefly alone, but could probably stand for a while if she would ever BE STILL.

She LOVES the dog.  In fact, "dog" is one of her newest words, although it sounds like "dogga."  She has 10 signs but she reserves them for when she already has your attention; otherwise, a screech works best.  She is just shy of 18 pounds still but outgrowing her 6-12 mo clothing already.  She has 7 teeth, four on top and three on bottom, with more on the way in.

Favorite foods include bananas ("ba-bas"), macaroni and cheese (she models some in the picture above), minestrone soup (seriously!), and baby yogurt ("yo-ga").  Grammy let her try a cookie during our visit, and Audrey was very excited about it.  She's a little cookie monster, in fact.  ("Coo-kie!  Coo-kie!  Coo-kie!")

We all just adore her, if you can't tell.

Ok, the long awaited (9 days) picture of my new haircut.

It's short in the back.  I was told this is called "The Posh" in reference to a particular famous person, but that's not why I asked for this haircut.  I just thought it was cute.  It goes nicely with my personal sense of style which also includes Infrequent Shampoos and Baby Drool Crust on My Shoulder.

Speaking of baby drool, look at this flirty little girl:

That's Audrey making eyes at Luke, Lauren's little brother, on a baby playdate.  I think she thought it was a real date.  She LOOOOVES him.

Audrey also has recently sprouted two top teeth, and two more are on the way in.  This accounts for much of the sleep trouble, I think, and will probably cause more for a while.  She's been pretty clingy.  She is learning how to eat all kinds of things and occasionally gets food in her mouth.

She's a feisty little thing!  And she turns nine months next week, so I'll have to update again soon.  Now, for this week's Kid Quotes:

Daddy: Hi Audrey.
Audrey, waving: Hi Daddy. 

--------

Katelyn (giving Audrey her cup): Here you go, Audrey.
Audrey: Taaaggg-ooooo. 
Katelyn:  You're welcome, Audrey.  (turns to Daddy)  She said thank you!

--------

Katelyn:  Mommy, dadh gooi hhe hoogok hllw.
Mommy:  I'm sorry, can you say that again, honey?
Katelyn, louder:  Djsll fooi whg jhkj aa.
Mommy, a little frustratedly:  Katelyn, I don't understand you.  Can you use your big kid words, please?
Katelyn, downright yelling:  MOMMY, SHOIGG WJ BOOHTW WATRKK FOSSSII PORU!!
Mommy, irked:  Alright, Katelyn.  I'll just wait until you are ready to talk like a big girl.
Katelyn, with dramatic sigh:  MOMMY, I'm speaking Spanish!

--------

(Katelyn has started calling us Mother and Father.)
Katelyn:  Hello, Father.
Paul:  Kate, I'm Daddy.  Why do you call me Father?
Katelyn:  Because I love you, Father!
Paul:  Aww, that's good enough for me!

Picture heavy post!  Prepare yourself!  And I know the formatting is terrible, but I don't really know what I'm doing, so don't be picky...

1. Kate's very first school concert!  She lost her shyness as soon as they started singing "Go Tell It On The Mountain."  She was one of the few kids actually singing, and was very animated.  Made mama so proud!  (sniff)
   
2. Christmas trip!
• People we saw during our trip:  Dad, Mom, Marc, Mom, Dad, Kari, David, Libba, Drew, Mick, Susan, Andrew, Butch, Mema, Guylene, Nona, Doug, Libby, Aiden, Laura, Blake, Scott, and probably about 20 other people I left out or forgot their names (sorry).  It was a blur.  Can you imagine how overwhelming this must have been to the kids?
• Kate was sick the whole week, poor thing.  She still managed to get excited about her presents, though.
• There was snow!
  
• There were Christmas hats!



3. Vacation at home!
• This was a good idea.  We needed some recovery time after the Oklahoma trip.  We finished the shelves.
  
• We played some Rock Band.
  
  
• We played with our new toys.
  

4.  Back to normal...

• Playin' in the backyard.
  

LOTS more pix on Flickr.  Sorry it took me so long to get them up there.   We're having fun playing with the new camera, too.

What we're doing this week: Kate is learning about ice at school, and Audrey is cutting several front teeth at once (she has not been her usual jovial self lately).  BUT overall we are sleeping more, yippee!  So Mommy is a nicer person now.  :)

Ok, in the hoopla of Thanksgiving and family illness, I never posted about my sweet Katelyn Pie and her big birthday.

She's 3 now.  3.  I can't get over this.  It seems like such a small number for the amazing amount of changes that have occurred since her birth.

Kate is vibrant and joyous in spirit.  She is a tangle of emotions and energy so fierce I am shocked by her passion and lust for life.  She is independent in thought but deeply emotionally connected to those around her.  She is empathetic, sensitive, loving, observant, creative, and sweet.  She is shy of new people in general, but can form strong attachments very quickly.  She knows what she wants and is unafraid to say it, but when something is bothering her, she is often unable to identify the source of her feelings.  You always know what she's thinking because she thinks out loud.

Kate is fun.  She's always singing, jumping, acting out scenarios with her toys, being silly and spontaneous.  She loves being outside and doing art.  She loves Audrey and can't wait until she is bigger so they can play more together.  She tries to identify with people on their terms to connect with them; for example, she knows Daddy likes computer games, so she wants to play computer games with him, or blocks.  She likes to sing and read with Mommy and help with chores.  She is developing into a kind and flexible friend.  She adores her kid friends and has grown leaps and bounds through her relationships with them.

I love her little kewpie face.  Love her big smile, inability to say the letter "L", upside down sleeping positions, "moo-MAH" kisses, giggles that end in a half-choking sound, attempts to sound grown-up, bizarre object collections, Darth Pie breathing, and dress-up habits.  She'll come out of her room pushing a shopping cart, wearing a hat, scarf, rain boots, purse, and absolutely nothing else, only to announce, "I'm going to the HEB.  Do you need anything?"  She snatches ordinary objects and stashes them in pockets, baskets, etc. in unexplainable themed collections (e.g. "things Moogy needs for his bathtime").  I love it when she says, "Mommy, count my freckles" or "I need sweet snuggles."  I love her little voice singing with me at night, and stifle an affectionate laugh every time she sings "Christ the Yord."  She is my little friend and colors my life with spontaneity and silliness.

Oh, how many more joys await!  I love you, darling Pie.

 

Ok, to recap the Whirlwind:

10/30 Halloween party for 9 toddlers, 5 babies, and their parents.

11/10 Katelyn's birthday party, with out-of-town guests (Marc and Kandi).

11/14 Out of town guests Amanda, Brianna (3), and Beau (7 mos).

11/16 Tradeout of guests.  My parents arrive, Amanda leaves.

11/17 My First Thanksgiving To Cook extravaganza, went better than planned.

11/18 Katelyn turns 3, more out of town guests stop by (Jim and the boys), I eat soy accidentally and am unable to enjoy my Thanksgiving dinner.

11/19 No thanks to illness delays, David and Libba and Drew finally arrive.  Mom and I get some retail therapy.  Worship team rehearsal.

11/20 Mom and Dad leave.  Libba and I need more retail therapy.

11/21 I'm up all night sick again, and it's Kate's special day to go to Sea World.  David and Libba leave early.  I place a pathetic phone call to Crystal who generously gives me some of her nausea meds.  We go to Sea World anyways and have a blast.  It was worth it to see the look on Kate's face.

11/22 Thanksgiving Day!  Paul gets up with the kids and lets me sleep.  Bliss...

11/23 (today) up all night sick AGAIN.  I've had enough at this point so I go to urgent care and get a real prescription of my own. Today's plans include drinking Gatorade, laying on the couch, and knitting.

 

So now you know what we have been doing.  If I haven't promptly returned your phone call or email, now you know why.  :)  Maybe next week I will get to some Christmas shopping.  Pictures will eventually be up on Flickr.

Now, something I am thankful for:

I took a few of the semi-recent Katelyn and Audrey studio pictures, and compiled them into a desktop background.  As before, I made them in various sizes to match your own computer's desktop.  To find out what yours is set to, right-click on your current desktop, select Properties from the menu, select the Settings tab, and check out what it says for Screen Resolution.

Click on your closest match, and when the image loads, right click on the image and select "Set as Background"

1024 by 768 Pixels

1280 by 960 Pixels

1280 by 1024 Pixels

1400 by 1050 Pixels

1600 by 1200 Pixels

Kate gives her best thumbs-up, the only cheerleading move she knows.

That's Audrey, the crying Dalmatian.

Lots of stuff to share with you!  First up:  Audrey turned 6 months yesterday.  We took some pictures in the front yard and she was uncharacteristically stoic.

Audrey is usually our little ray of sunshine, don't let the pictures fool you.  Her current hobbies include drooling, shrieking, and kicking.  She loves having her clothes changed and when you pretend to eat her leg.  She is finally starting to appreciate being sung to.  She hates having her face wiped and being buckled into anything.

Next up:  we got some video of the two girls playing after dinner, both of them in their usual hyper state.  Paul translated the Kate-speak with subtitles!  Audrey only shrieks once or twice in the video, but prior to us turning on the camera the blood-curdling shrieks had been going on for about 15 minutes.  It puts a smile on your face and a migraine in your head all at the same time.  Anyways, observe the cuteness:

And in Mommy news, I wore my finished handknit tunic to church today.  It's made of bamboo yarn and I am very proud of it.  It was a big knitting challenge for me since I'm still a beginner.  Mom, thanks for all of those sewing skills, they really came in handy.  I wouldn't have been able to figure out the garment construction without them!

I gave Kate this bear today.

This is what she gave me in return:

We'll see how naptime goes.  My big brave girl.

Audrey teeth pic:

Isn't that weird for her to get those first?  The back one has the points already through- it's blurry but I think you can tell from the photo.  Yesterday I noticed that the eyetooth on the other side is coming up.  Poor kid - it's been rough.  But she is a good sport and today she was totally happy regardless.  BTW, she turns 6 months on Saturday.  It's going by so fast!

And here she is totally trashed in the Jumperoo:

 

Now for some priceless Katelyn quotes:

"Daddy and I are going to play Donkey Kong.  Audrey, you're invited.  Mommy, you do the dishes."

(after a fall) "Mommy, I hurt my yeg!  I need corn!"  (yeg=leg, corn=bag of frozen corn that I use as an icepack)

We took some great video of the two of them playing tonight.  Hopefully Paul can make that into a YouTube video this week so you all can see it.  Also, Kate's birthday is coming up soon and I am gathering gift ideas (for the family only, you friends know I don't want you getting gifts), so just be patient!  You have all given us so much it is very hard to find anything we need, still I understand the desire to get her something for her birthday.  We are planning to take her to Sea World as her gift from us.

Audrey has cut her first tooth!  And it is not at all where I expected.  I was so busy looking at the bottom front two hiding beneath the gums that I missed the one coming in on the side!  It is her left lateral incisor.  I am not sure how I am going to get a picture of it, might have to wait until it comes through a little bit more.

And she is signing!  She has signed "eat" a couple of times, and now she is signing "diaper" like crazy.  It's actually her version of the sign for diaper:  she slaps the top of her diaper two times.  Of course I thought it was a fluke at first, but after a full day of actually paying attention, it's obvious that she is signing deliberately.  I think she has probably been signing it for a while and I just thought she was flailing.  But now I can tell the difference, and when I recognize and respond, she gets so happy!  I remember this stage with Kate too.  It is so cool when they realize they can actually communicate with you.  It cuts down on the frustration for everyone. 

Check flickr for the latest pix of our trip to Sweet Berry Farms.  I am amazed we made it there at all, because we were running late then stopped to buy sunglasses then stopped for the potty then stopped for carsickness.  It was all worth it in the end.  A fun time was had by all.  Kate rode the hayride with Daddy and her friend Noah and his family.  She also loved exploring all of the pumpkins.  We really wanted to do the pony ride but the line was super long, and she did pony rides at Octoberfest in our neighborhood park just the weekend before.  (Paul has a few cameraphone pictures of this to upload sometime.)   Here are some more highlights:

 

 

Better late than never. She's only 5 1/2 months now. We've started fruits and vegetables! So far, carrots and sweet potatoes are a big hit - appropriate, given that her nickname is Sweet Potato Pie. Pears are ok, prunes are tolerated, and peas are a big thumbs-down. Or throw up, as the case may be. She is rolling tummy to back now a little, but it requires intense concentration. Her gums are really swollen, but when I give her ibuprofen and the swelling goes down, I can see the little clear line of her bottom two front teeth!

A pic from baby dedication:

And just some cuteness:

More on our flickr site!  Now, let's all pause a moment to soak in some Motherly Wisdom.

1.  Going to the bathroom is a privilege.  If you have the opportunity, take it.

2.  A happy heart is the most important ingredient for a good day.

3.  There is no such thing as too many stickers.

Man, we're sleep deprived around here.  Audrey has been waking up hourly during the night because of a cold.  She doesn't need help going back to sleep, but she is loud enough that it wakes me up every time.  This has been going on for a few days.

But finally, here is a picture of Audrey at 4 months:

 

Kate's preschool pix coming soon, flickr is having trouble.  She's been doing great at school.  Potty training has plateaued, but her teacher and I have a plan.  In a couple of weeks (let her get a little more used to school first) we're going to go cold turkey with the pullups.  Pray for me.  I know I'm going to have a lot of fits and messes to deal with.  But any child that can hold it ALL THE WAY TO OKLAHOMA has no excuse still being in pullups!  (except that her mother continues to buy them for her)

It's Tuesday, aka ReaLife group day, aka Cleaning Day.  So in the spirit of housework, I submit to you my method of self-motivation, or What Keeps Me From Just Sitting On The Couch Instead of Cleaning.

TV.

That's right, TV.  Not as a reward for cleaning, but as a motivator.  Here's how it works:

Problem:  Clutter.  Show: Clean Sweep, on TLC.  A crew of people clean two highly cluttered rooms out of some poor slob's house, make them sort it all, sell some in a garage sale, throw lots away, and give away the rest.  Result:  I pick a pile and get cracking.

Problem:  General unsanitary conditions.  Show: How Clean is Your House, on BBC.  Two very British ladies help the filthiest people clean up their home, and they swab and test samples from around the house to very disgusting ends.  Result:  I clean the kitchen and bathroom with bleach and a toothbrush.

Problem: The closet.  Show:  What Not To Wear.  Two snarky people criticize ordinary schlub's wardrobe and make them throw it all away, then give them money and tips to buy a new one.  Result:  No new wardrobe, but this always makes me want to clean out drawers.

Now of course I can't get all this done in one week.  So I pick one or two obsessive things to do per cleaning day, on top of all of the regular cleaning.  Today it was scrubbing the spots on the stairs, vacuuming the blinds, and bleaching the door from the garage into the laundry room, which has some kind of weird mold on it.  So maybe I still have dirty dishes in the sink, but darned if the dog doesn't have a clean door.

Now, for a little bit of culture.  Some still-life art from the great artist Katelyn The Pie.

Dog With Bracelets

Yarn-Ball Band with Ladybug and Assorted Puzzle Pieces

A dearth of blogging lately...sorry...but here's a tidbit:  Audrey rolled over yesterday, from her back to her tummy!  She now just can't stop doing it.  She is 15 weeks old tomorrow.  Yay!

 

This is her after rolling over for the 3rd time. She worked so hard at it her pants are slipping down!

I'm so proud of myself!

On Friday, Audrey turned 3 months old!

Audrey's favorite things:

• being held with one arm hanging over yours (the grandmas got good practice with this carrying position while we were in OK)
• trying to get her hands in her mouth
• grabbing toys, esp. Buzz the bug
• looking at books
• trying to get her feet
• eye contact (seriously, she is an eye contact junkie and would love it 24-7.  this is how i get knitting done: i put her in the bouncy and just look her in the eye every couple of stitches - she's in heaven)
• Kate, but Kate never holds still long enough for Audrey to get the eye contact, oh well

Audrey does not like:

• mirrors, which i find weird given her love for eye contact
• hats (proof below)
• the hiccups
• the pack and play
• the baby swing
• being alone (but sometimes i can fool her with toys that have faces, just long enough to go to the bathroom or something)

Current silly Audrey nicknames:

• Sweet Potato Pie (to continue the Pie motif, Kate being the Punkin Pie)
• Crabcakes (when fussy)
• Audrey Audrey (Kate invention)
• Audrey-doh (another Kate invention, including Daddy-doh, Katelyn-koh, Mommy-moh)
• Baby Aud-a-dree (you guessed it)
• Baby Dree (yup)

And, oh, what a joy she is!

Updated flickr with our latest pictures, and added a fun peek at Kate and Audrey's development side by side.  Don't forget, you will need to log in to see them all because they are not completely public.  If you are not already registered as one of our friends and family, let me know and I will invite you.  :)

Today, my Audrey turned 2 months old.  I can barely remember our family before her.

She is such a delight (most of the time, everyone has their moments).  My favorite Audrey things:

• how a diaper change makes her instantly smiley
• how she loves to push off of my chest and look around
• how she goes crosseyed when she concentrates
• the way she folds her little feet under her when sleeping on her tummy

• her little turned up nose and great big Paul-ish smile
• her squeaky noises
• how watching her is like deja-vu, and I get to freshly remember Kate's baby-ness, which has faded in my memory
• and how she is also totally different from Kate, so uniquely herself

And I can't explain how full my heart feels when I see how much Katelyn loves her:

Wow, what fun times lie in store.  Writing this now makes me miss them both now that they are asleep.  (Catch me at about 2:00 tomorrow and I might feel a little differently, but that's motherhood for you.)

Yup, he did it:  Paul got a Wii yesterday.  Ryan called yesterday morning to let us know that they had some at Fry's, so Paul picked it up on the way in to work.  And now, he is playing tennis with Kate!  Really!  Here's the proof:

In non-Wii news, we are all a bit under the weather. I think Paul is almost over it but I have a sore throat and Kate has a super runny nose. Since the actual weather is rainy today, we will probably just lay around and play Wii all day. Baylor won't be feeling well either in a few hours. We were away from the breakfast table for a few minutes taking care of potty and diaper issues, and returned to find Baylor had eaten approximately a pound of bacon off of the table. That won't end well.

I uploaded a bunch of pics to Flickr today, including this, my new favorite:

My three favorite people. Happy Father's Day to the sweetest husband in the world!

So Audrey turned one month old this past weekend!  And the really big news is...SHE SMILED FOR THE FIRST TIME!  At who?  Katelyn, of course!  This morning the girls were in my bed hanging out (A was in the Boppy) and Kate was talking up a storm, right up in Audrey's face as usual.  Audrey just gave her the sweetest little look and smiled at her!  It was definitely in response to the attention from her big sister.  Audrey always lights up when she hears Kate's voice.

Audrey is now 3 weeks old!  We are doing pretty well, and she is growing like a weed already.  And remember, here our weeds grow extra fast - you've seen our backyard.  By my scientific calculations (by that I mean weighing myself and then weighing myself holding her on my Wal-mart special scale) she weighs 10 pounds already!  So I guess that means that the nursing is going okay.  A few days early in the week she wanted to eat every hour and a half (hence my inability to complete thank you notes and simple housekeeping tasks).  She has struggled with some gas and tummyaches the last couple of days but thanks to the natural remedy gripe water, that is a little better.  I did not use gripe water with Kate, but I wish I had tried it - it seems to really help Audrey.  After about 15 minutes she calms down a lot and is able to relax enough to actually burp and pass some of the gas.  (Note:  I am sure that some of my readers are uncomfortable with this subject matter, just like the potty training stuff, but with a newborn, gas can mean that no one gets any sleep at all.  Therefore it is a very important topic around our house!)

In other non-baby news, the TV died on Saturday so we now have a new TV.  Goodbye, old friend, we only knew you 8 years.  The old console TV lasted some 20 years or something ridiculous.  They don't make them like they used to.  Anyways, it was actually me that insisted that Paul get out on Mother's Day and get one right away.  It is my only connection with the adult world sometimes, how sad!  Seriously, we don't go out to movies, we don't even rent movies, we watch DVR and DVD's.  It is worth buying.  And I really need the Little Einsteins right now, for those times when I am nursing and Katelyn feels the urge to climb all over me.

Well, back to the kid subject, because it is all I do:  Katelyn is a great big sister.  Really.  She is so loving, and very excited to have Audrey here.  She doesn't seem jealous at all, but does get clingy sometimes.  I just have to make sure that she gets lots of exercise (read: Daddy time) and eye contact playtime, such as tickling or books or just being silly.  If she has that, she sleeps well, and is content to play on her own for an hour or so at a time, which really helps me take care of Audrey.  Today Kate played alone and Audrey napped, so I actually got to clean the kitchen and do a few loads of laundry.  Paul's clean clothes situation was so dire that yesterday he actually BOUGHT new clothes.  Anyways, I think that after a few weeks, when we are really truly on a schedule I can sort of predict and Audrey is responding to her world a little more, that the two of them will have TONS of fun together.  I have heard it said that the firstborn lives in an adult world and any other kids live in a child's world.  That seems especially true when I see Katelyn right up in Audrey's face telling her all about the world.  I hope they grow up to be best friends.  It fills me with tremendous joy to think of the fun times to come.

So today Paul's family went home, and he was back at work, and the Hooper girls were left to figure it out on their own.  It did help break up the day that Paul came home for lunch and to take us to Audrey's doctor appointment.  But overall, we did very well today.  Katelyn is struggling with sharing Mommy (of course) - this took form in a lot of fussing and demanding to use anything Audrey happened to be using at any time.  For example, the Boppy.  What on earth would Kate want with a Boppy, other than just to get it away from Audrey?  Every feeding, she began whining about needing a turn with "that special pillow."  And at bedtime, she cried a lot and Paul and I had to go in there a bunch of times, which hasn't happened in ages.  I am sure this is normal and will pass in time.  This week we are going to do a lot of extra special art projects, read fun books, etc. - anything where she can be close to Mommy and feel important.

Audrey is just doing her baby thing, eating incessantly, sleeping lots, and occasionally giving us a glimpse of her eyes.  She's really agreeable this far, and we had another great night last night, with stretches of sleep from 12-4 am and 4:30-7 am.  I am having to set my alarm to wake her for night feedings.  Glory hallelujah!  Of course I have to literally feed her 9 times during the day for this to be possible, but it is worth it.  These are actually longer stretches of sleep than I had during pregnancy, what with all of the bathroom trips and pain from the elbow and all.  I really like that I can actually take some painkillers now if I feel uncomfortable!  Also, at Audrey's doctor visit today, we discovered that she is back up to 8 lb. 4 oz., up from 7 lb. 12 oz. a week ago.  She's almost back to birth weight.  The jaundice is almost completely gone as well.  She was very brave for her heel stick.

Now about me...this is a TOTALLY different recovery experience than I was expecting.  I guess I just thought that what it was like last time was what every Caesarean recovery was like.  Not at all.  I am moving around great and can actually feel my abs now - just a few days ago I could not.  The big difference surgery wise from is that the muscles were not severed this time, just pulled apart.  I can go up and down stairs.  I can bend down.  I am only taking a little Advil at night.  I'm tired, sure, but it could be SO much worse (and it is fresh in my mind how awful I felt just a few weeks ago).  Thanks to everyone for praying!

One last thing...a picture of my new little cutie:

Born: April 27, 2007 at 11:39am

Weight: 8 lbs. 5.9 oz.

Height: 20.5 inches

She's done very well her first afternoon.  She arrived very healthy, and was able to nurse and get milk at 1:30pm!  Daddy can vouch for the plumbing -- everything works as it should.  After writing this, getting a couple pictures up, and eating something, daddy will be heading back to the hospital to help.

She's already a joy to be around.  She doesn't cry very much, but she definitely can when she wants to.  She likes hearing daddy's voice and holding his hand -- both comfort her and she will stop crying.    Lately, she's been opening her eyes and looking around, checking out this big world around her.

Grammy and Grandpa brought Katelyn with them around 2pm, and that went very well.  Katelyn seems to really like being a big sister.  She got home, gathered all the stuffed animals into the "clubhouse" and told them all about it.

Mommy is doing very well -- this was much easier than 12 hours labor, 2 bags of epidural, and THEN a C-section.  She's still not really up for visitors, but tomorrow probably so.

OK, now for what you really want: the pictures...

  

And a video... eventually...

So tomorrow is the big day!  My parents are here, they are having fun with Kate and I am getting a lot of last minute stuff done.  Paul has to work, of course.  But we are going out for Tex-Mex tonight (duh) to celebrate.  We have decided to have a birthday party for Audrey on Monday, when she comes home.  Katelyn is really into birthday parties right now, because so many of her friends have had them lately.  So she has really latched onto the idea of having a party for Audrey, with cake and balloons and party hats and goody bags!  We (I) made some little "Happy Birthday Audrey" signs and she picked out a present for the baby.  She got a little stuffed doggie that makes a rattle sound, and we named it Cocoa.  She doesn't know that Audrey (I) picked out a present for her, too: a miniature version of Greenbear, so basically Greenbear is having a baby too.  I hope this works out to be as great an idea in real life as it does in my mind.

Overall, I feel great.  Yes, I'm enormous, tired, and sore in various places, but compared to where I was a month ago, I feel teriffic.  I can't believe that in less than 24 hours I will finally get to see her.  I can't wait!!!!!!!!  So here is a final picture of me at the end of it all:

And here's a pic of Audrey's room, ready for a tiny and adorable occupant.  There's the little doggie Kate got for her, on the new dresser (a gift from Paul's family).  Do you like the diaper cake that Jen made?

We'll post the big news as soon as Paul has the time.  Thanks for getting us through the last few months, it's been quite a ride!  I am sure that the next few will be too!

 

It's true, the nesting thing.  Not a myth.  Add to that the relief from no longer wearing a sling, and here's what I've been up to in the past week:

• Cleaned the back porch.  Even had Kate "scrubbing" the back steps with a brush and soap.  Scrubbed the porch swing for the first time ever.
• Packing the hospital bag.
• Laundry galore - washing everything of Audrey's, even what has been previously washed.  Washing and returning all borrowed maternity clothes, since almost NOTHING fits anymore anyways.  Washing various clothing items that will probably fit me after birth.  IMPORTANT NOTE:  Not even nesting motivates me to use the iron.  Sorry, Paul.
• Organization of baby related medical receipts.
• Cleaning my office.  Those of you who have seen my office realize this is a pretty big deal and must be hormonally motivated.
• Knitting mania.  Finished Amanda's baby present (hopefully she is having that baby RIGHT NOW), Audrey's sweater (link to come soon, haven't taken the picture), and working on Kelly's baby present.
• Shopping.  Buying up all of the stuff we still need for Audrey.  And stockpiling yarn.
• Even got Paul in on the nesting - "we" cleaned out our cars and set up the new car seat and bases.  Once again, those who have seen my car realize that cleaning it must also be hormonally motivated.  And by "we" I mean that I occasionally pulled out trash within my limited reach, and mostly drew fancy doodles on the driveway with Kate's chalk, while Paul sweated up a storm doing the rest.  What a guy. 
• And of course, we finished the taxes.  Not completely to Paul's satisfaction; he has found a few extra bucks that we can legally squeeze out of the government, so he will probably amend the return in the next few days.  I personally don't really care, I'm just glad it is done.

So what, you ask, could POSSIBLY be left to do?  Here's what the nesting fairy keeps shouting in my ear:

• Hang Audrey's name on the wall in her room.  (Paul)
• Clean the carpets in the house, they are disgusting.  Ideally we'd just replace them, but what is the point?  (Paul)
• De-pile my bedroom dresser.  I am not sure how it collects so much stuff.
• Sterilize all of the bottles and pacis and various thingies that can be sterilized.
• Make ridiculously detailed instructions for the grandparents on How To Take Care Of The Kate.  They will, of course, patiently smile, nod, and read it through for my benefit, all the while restraining themselves from rolling their eyes at me.  As soon as I am out of sight they will go about handling Kate in their own way and she will be just fine.  It's like they have done this parenting thing before or something.  It must be their great love for me that causes them to humor me so.  And yet I can't help myself, I'm so neurotic, if I don't make a list I will feel like I've just abandoned her.  Motherly guilt is a strange and powerful thing.
• I'm sure the nesting fairy will come up with other bizarre things for me to do as soon as anything of real consequence is done.

So now, for your springtime enjoyment, a glimpse of MY Easter basket:

 

Happy Easter, everyone!  We put up some pictures on Flickr.  Just go to the main page and you can view what we put up today.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/selzhanik/  Or go to the 2007 Mar - Apr set.

We went to church last night, and this morning we slept in and had a big breakfast.  Since it was freakishly cold outside, we did a little egg hunt in the living room.  Kate was so cute and excited!  And then later she "played" Guitar Hero with Daddy.  It's been a fun and relaxing day.  The best part is knowing that Jesus is risen!

 

35 1/2 weeks.  Which means that if Audrey comes on the 27th as planned, that is only 3 weeks and 2 days away.  It is time to get the ducks in a row.  I have liberated my arm from the sling COMPLETELY (the orthopedist will tell me tomorrow if that was a good idea or not).  It doesn't hurt that much.  It sure improves my mood!  I just have to be really careful not to lift anything more than a couple of pounds or do things with my arm at certain angles.  I figure that the pain is a good indicator whether or not I should be doing something in particular.

Now that I am off of so many medications, Audrey is back to her normal perky self.  And by that I mean her judo-jabbing, rib-kicking, hiccuping, somersaulting self.  Motherly guilt has me wondering what kind of damage I did to her with all of that medicine.  But I don't really know what else I could have done, I have to breathe, right?  And the OB will tell me tomorrow how she is really doing.  Our ultrasound is bound to be soon, but it is not this week.

Here's a picture of my gargantuan belly:

Isn't that so attractive?  Shamu called me for a date the other day.  And no, that is not a trendy, one-sleeved maternity top, it's me in the sling.  What I find completely fascinating is that belly size-wise, I am about the same as with Kate at this point.  But I am a good *25* pounds lighter.  Yes, 25!  I don't have water retention in my legs and face and fingers and earlobes and every part of my body.  You know, if I had been retaining water like that, then when I fell, I might have just bounced!  Anyways, the "normal" sized ankles and feet have been a real perk this time.  THANK GOD.  He knew I needed a perk in the last trimester, what with all of this other stuff to deal with.

Just wanted to share a pic of Her Cuteness playing in the "clubhouse", her little pink tent.

 

Ok, here's the latest pic of Audrey and me:

Still not too miserable, mostly due to her being kind of low.  The heartburn has been manageable and I can usually get out of a chair or bed without help.  I caught up on my weight gain over Christmas (shocker!) and have now gained a total of 13 pounds.  I am still praying fervently that the water weight will not pile on like it did with Kate, but only time will tell!!!  Audrey is super active, and very predictable in her routine:  Snoozing in the morning, snoozing in the afternoon, elbows in the evening, nap from 8-11:30 pm, and then dance party til 1 am.  Hiccups anywhere from 3-4 am that make Mommy have to go to the bathroom.  She likes the loud music at church (love that subwoofer) and when Mommy sings.  (Of course that may change, since Kate used to like my singing in utero, but now she frequently says, "No like Mommy to sing!")

Now that Kate is in her new room, I am really looking forward to personalizing Audrey's room and making it special just for her.  :)

Well, she's in her new room!  We worked like crazy and in one week the guest room transformed from "Boring Beige with Miscellaneous Clutter" to "April Mist Green with New and Vintage Furniture and Girlish Accessories."  Kate has been so excited about this project that once it was done, she had no trouble sleeping in her new bed.  This was fantastic because Mommy and Daddy were so worn out from the process that we needed our sleep too!!!

Most of the credit goes to Paul because of course Amy was useless when it came to certain types of paint, hardware installation, assembly, moving furniture, and anything that involved a ladder.  So if he seems extra sleepy or walks with a limp, cut him some slack.  Of course there are a few finishing touches needed, like curtains and stuff on the walls.  We'll get to that eventually...

For the complete transformation process, visit flickr here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/selzhanik/sets/72157594494447259/ or login and visit our page.  Look for the set titled "Kate's New Room."

 

 

 

Just wanted to let you know that we updated the flickr site recently with pictures of Katelyn's birthday party.  I'm a little behind with the blog entries right now, because of all of the holiday hoopla!  But I'll get there. :)  This is one of my favorite pics of Kate and Paul ever:

 

Thanks to my friend Jen, who taught me the basics of Photoshop today!

Ok, at long last, here is the list that has been requested repeatedly by patient grandparents everywhere:  The Official Wish List of Her Toddlerness Miss The Kate.  And yes, I am making you work for it by checking out our new site.  Ha ha.  Now without further ado, in her "own" words, The List.

Katelyn’s Birthday AND Christmas Wish List

Hi everyone!  I am a big girl with a big imagination now, so I really like to create, imagine, role play, etc.  I don’t need toys that “do” a lot of things, just simple stuff. 

 

Here are some things I would really enjoy:

 

• Books, especially board books because I can turn the “pages” easily
  • Clifford the Big Red Dog
  • Elmo
  • Blue’s Clues
  • Corduroy
• Lego Quatro 70 piece block set (I am very into building towers right now, and need more blocks to go with my current Quatro set)
• Fisher Price Little People Sweet Sounds Home (like a dollhouse)
• Potty Elmo (Mommy has ulterior motives, but I actually do LOVE this toy, my friend Lauren has it)
• Bowling Pin Set – the old school kind if you can find it anywhere
• Doctor Kit (give Aunt Kari dibs on this one!!)
• Aquadoodle or Color Wonder for mess-free coloring
• Wooden puzzles
• Little Einsteins DVD’s (examples below)
  • Our Big Huge Adventure
  • Mission Celebration
• Clothing, mostly size 2T but occasionally 3T
• A dress up box, with hats, bracelets, necklaces, purses, etc.  I love to accessorize!

Note from the Neurotic Mother:  Please keep in mind that this child's current favorite toys include miniature pumpkins, things she has pulled out of the trash, and sippy cups (which she diapers with Kleenex).  If you give her a balloon, she will hug it all day long.  So you don't have to spend a lot (or anything) to make her happy.    :)

 

For those who are having trouble getting onto the Flickr web site, we've put the link over there to your left.  It says "Photos @ Flickr."  Click there for the latest.

Also, we'll be able to post a few pics here if they're especially good.  And (hopefully) you can click on the picture to go to that picture in Flickr, where you can download other sizes, order prints, and so on.