moving

new blog site.

2008-08-06T18:30:00.003-05:00

blog has been moved to....

here.

if i am linked on your page, change it!! i plan to delete this site in the next month or so.

this and that, for the uninformed.

2008-08-06T12:34:00.002-05:00

on the sale of the house:
the inspection went alright - all we had to do was scrape all of the peeling paint off of the outside surfaces (luckily our house was brick, so there wasn't THAT much paint) and then repaint.
we scooted out to omaha on saturday the 19th. spent all day sunday doing the repairs, spent all day monday packing, spent all day tuesday loading the moving truck, just the two of us (and miette, but she wasn't much help!). on wednesday we dropped off our check at the title company and took off for illinois - our last trip for a long time on i-80 through iowa, and no, i won't miss that drive. we took half of our stuff (the stuff that mice wouldn't destroy) to the shed of the house we will be staying in, in tremont. the rest of it fit nicely in cam and erin's house - thanks guys!! also thanks to the lot of family members who took care of finn for us, during this insane-mad-rush house sale!
so the house is sold, it's gone, done... more on this later.

on moving into our new place:
the people who own the house are moving to france for a couple of years for work. they are waiting for their visas, and for their belongings to be moved, and then the place is ours. we are calling it more of a house-sitting situation, rather than rent, as we will pretty much only be covering the expenses of the house. we even get to look after their dog, an outdoor lab named kati. she's kind of old though. anyway, it's out in the country, in a nice little foresty area. we are really excited to not only have a place of our own, but to have a place of our own that is as beautiful and perfect for our family as this one will be. come and visit us! there is plenty of room!

on potty training:
i was planning to wait on potty training until we were settled into a place of our own... but it was taking too long. so finn went potty for the first time ever for grandma joyce while we were in omaha. and after that it was at least a week before he went again. yesterday we had a small breakthrough... finn went p.p. on the potty three times, and #2 once. it was great. he wore the same underwear almost all day. today has been a little less successful, but he did go once. he must have the bladder of a giant, because he didn't p. from 6:30 this morning until after 11! anyway, we are excited that he is starting to understand the whole process.

on finn's hair:
finn got a haircut. i couldn't handle the messy curls anymore. and i think he had had enough also. so on saturday morning when i got home from a sleepover with my sister-in-law's, i started the chop. it's not great, but it's not bad. i think it's way cute, and he looks so much older!

on miette:
she is doing great. she is almost 12 pounds now. she had her two month shots and cried and cried - i mean, screamed and screamed. she has been doing pretty well with her schedule and sleeping much better at night - although still not sleeping ALL of the way through the nite. she giggled for the first time on monday, for aunt caitlyn. (who i tease, because she get's all of the firsts!! first to see miette, first to hold her, first to be giggled at!)

on our laptop:
our laptop is fixed! well, kind of. it's not the same as it was before, and i can't get on the internet on it for some reason... but soon. which means, i hope to be posting LOTS of pictures and videos soon. there are pictures from my cousin's wedding, finn's haircut, some pics of baby girl... so stay tuned.

moving along: an update.

2008-07-16T14:38:00.000-05:00

well, we have almost sold our house in omaha. we are waiting to hear back on the inspection, and so long as there aren't any major fixes, it's a go. we accepted an offer for a good deal less than what we paid for it, so we are broke! but it will be good to get out from under the burden. if it goes thru, we will be in omaha sometime in the next week (for a few days) packing up and tying up loose ends. pray that all of this goes smoothly.

we have found a place to stay in tremont, just south of peoria. the house is home to a couple who are moving to france for a few years for work. they have made it very affordable for us, so we are feeling very blessed to have the opportunity to stay there.

our laptop is broken. it says that it cannot find the operating system. so there aren't going to be any pictures up here for awhile. sorry (mom). the IT guy at justin's work says that we should be able to get the important things off of the hard drive, and try to reformat it, or something like that. blah.

please pray for justin's grandma borland, and the family. she is having some health issues, and the whole health care system isn't helping much.

hopefully this season of change will be over soon! thanks for keeping us in your prayers.

Radiohead Video "House of Cards"

2008-07-15T16:41:00.002-05:00

This is perfect. You can drag the image to change perspective. Click on the Title of this post to view the video.

two months, yesterday.

2008-07-10T21:13:00.002-05:00

wow... i can't believe two months has already gone by!
miette's crankiness has subsided a little bit, but will usually only flash smiles after she has just waken or just eaten. once in awhile, she will make little coo sounds.
she is almost sleeping through the night, from around 10:30 until around 4:30.
other than that, she pretty much just eats, lays around and sleeps (like most babies).

mo-mo, as we like to call her.

2008-07-08T17:19:00.000-05:00

weekend in buckley

2008-07-08T15:50:00.005-05:00

we spent our fourth of july weekend in buckley illinois, with justin's sister's family - the kennelly's. it couldn't have been a better weekend. good food, good sleep, boardgames, badminton, lots of kids running around enjoying the outdoors, good conversation - it was great.

thanks chari and darin, i can see this becoming a tradition!
here are some pictures.

finn's morning smile

miette's morning smile

finn and sparkler

maddie rose and sparkler

finn, mommie and sparkler

finn scowling at me because i made him take his shoes off in the grass - oh no! the world is ending...

katie, madeline and finn - almost all of them were ready to play in the water...

justin making finn play in the sprinkler...

finn showing how he really feels about the sprinkler... he loves baths, i swear!

justin and katie having a water gun fight

busy busy busy.

2008-07-03T09:54:00.003-05:00

since my birthday, the 19th of june, things have been busy.

there was, of course, my birthday, which was great. dinner with justin (free! since we had a gift card). and i got my haircut, which was way overdue.

then the 20th, miette and i tok the train up and over to chicago. we went mainly for my cousin lauren's bridal shower, but we also hung out with my mom and brother. my brother, zack, lives in the city in a great little condo. so we stayed at his place and he toted us around and was a great host. thanks zack!

well, when we got back from chicago, we noticed there was a bike shop just across the street from the train station. i have been searching for a bike for sometime now. i had saved some of my christmas money, and some other monies along the way just for this purpose. and we found one! bike shopping had been so frustrating since i am so short... not many bikes for me. anyway, we found one.

apart from a few dr. appointments, i don't remember a lot about the weekdays that week.

this last weekend was just as busy - we had to run a few errands on saturday, we hit some garage sales, and met with some people whose home we may rent. we are really hoping it works out with this house, it would be really good for our family - and visitors. then there was church and church activities on sunday...

this weekend we are heading to buckley IL to celebrate the fourth with chari and darin, justin's sister and brother in law. (and their three kiddos). we are quite excited; can't remember the last time we stayed at their house, might have been even before finn was born!

then next weekend we are driving to chicago (the suburbs at least) for my cousin's wedding - also very excited for this... we get to see all of my extended family, which is always a hoot.

after that, i am hoping things quiet down a bit!

girl in purple

2008-06-27T08:39:00.001-05:00

miette is not a fan of smiling. she looks cranky most of the time - cranky or sleeping.

the kiddies

2008-06-24T16:57:00.002-05:00

father's day

2008-06-19T11:54:00.003-05:00

it was a great day.
these three all wore stripes.

quick update

2008-06-04T13:02:00.003-05:00

things are well.

house still not sold. sheesh. oh well. may need to work on alternate plan soon.

miette is healthy, and at three weeks (can't believe she's almost four weeks old!) was weighing in at 8 pounds 5 ounces... which means she is above her birth weight, which is what they like. she is "petite," as the dr. put it, landing in the twenty-fifth percentile for weight and height. we are trying to get a good night time routine going on... but so far, our nights are pretty unpredictable with this girl.

finn is great. he tries his best to help with miette, but doesn't realize yet how gentle he needs to be -- or that she doesn't play with cars or read books. he has also tried to pick her up once! bless his little toddler heart.

justin is headed to a Geekway this weekend, a board gaming convention, in St. Louis. I believe this is something he has been looking forward to for some time. Other than that, he is enjoying work still, and keeping the 'nano-reef' up and running.

i am glad summer is here. glad that the windows can be open and ceiling fans on. i also have realized how bad my bug-a-phobia is, living here in the country. number one disliked insect at the moment: the june bug. totally huge and totally gross.

and that is that.

weekend sleep

2008-05-27T10:59:00.003-05:00

while finn was busy playing with his cousins, miette took in a good dose of the zzzz's. here are various sleeping photos :)

weekend play

2008-05-27T10:47:00.002-05:00

we had a great weekend, with a visit from the kennelly family and cam/erin family. finn absolutely loves playing around with his cousins. we really enjoyed seeing everyone! here are some pictures from the weekend.

finn playing soccer, alone :)

maddie, katie and caroline marching it out

maddie got window markers for her birthday - FUN!

justin and finn playing catch - or something

finn trying to keep up with his girl cousins

sick of dr. offices/health care places.

2008-05-21T15:52:00.003-05:00

was in hospital for 3.5 days having a kid.
went to the pediatrician for miette the two days after i got out of the hospital.
went to prompt care on sunday for finn - he had pink eye.
and i feel another visit for miette tomorrow - looking like she may have picked up pink eye too.

i think this is a medical visit record for me.

for those wondering...

2008-05-16T16:27:00.002-05:00

the results from miette's bloody stool came back inconclusive... there wasn't enough 'specimen' to test properly. so the doc told me to wait for a diaper that had lots of blood in it, and to scrape it off of the diaper as soon as possible, so that the blood didn't soak into the diaper. well, i waited and waited, and she didn't have a diaper with lots of blood in it... and now her diapers have zero blood in them! yea! so this means that my new diet (no dairy) is working and she does have an allergy to cow's milk or that it was just a newborn baby thingy. we will wait a while and then i will add some dairy back into the diet and see what happens... and that is the update on miette.

finn, however, has some crazy eye crustiness. hoping that it is NOT pink eye. cause that's just gross.

going home

2008-05-14T17:27:00.002-05:00

we left the hospital on monday evening around dinnertime. it seems a lot has happened since then! miette's bilirubin level has been tested twice, both turning out with similar results, which made the dr. comfortable with the outcome and told us not to worry about it at all. we found some blood in miette's diapers. we are waiting to hear back if it is her blood or my blood (amniotic fluid still in the tummy...). if it's my blood, then it's not a big deal and it will pass (this is what we are hoping for!!) if it turns out that it is her blood, the doctor explained that it could be one of two things. first, and she suspects that it is this, is that miette could have an allergy to cow's milk, she could be lactose intolerant. which would mean i have to stop eating all dairy while breastfeeding. or secondly, it could be something worse, but she didn't want to tell me or explain it to me to keep my mind at ease. which i appreciate. so anyway, because of miette's bilirubin levels, she has been very sleepy and not very hungry. this can be frustrating as a parent, because you only want to see your child behaving normally! but the doctor said that she looks very healthy otherwise. and that she felt this would all pass in the next few days.

justin and i have not been sleeping very much! the dr. had wanted miette to be fed every 2 hours, so when you add the 30-40 minutes it takes to feed and diaper her, you are left with a little over an hour in which to sleep in - four or five times a night. we were both able to take naps today which has helped quite a bit. don't know how things would be going if we weren't staying with justin's parents... justin's mom has been enormously understanding and helpful in taking care of finn for us.

so there's your update and here are some pictures of miette's homecoming! will let you know when we find something out.

miette, miette, in the little blue isolette...

2008-05-12T07:40:00.003-05:00

this little incubator cube is also called an 'isolette,' which rhymes with our new daughter's name! fun fun.
miette's in the blue because her bilirubin levels were a bit high. she has been in there since around 10AM yesterday, only coming out to eat! she didn't like it at first, but she has decided to change her attitude.
as of around midnight last night, miette's weight was down to 7 pounds 1 ounce. so the doctor felt that with the higher bilirubin levels, that she needed a supplement to breast milk. so she has had about 3 ounces of formula since then.
this morning, her bilirubin levels were down to 9 (from 12), so the nurse thought she would be able to come out today. the doctor is in the nursery now, so we will soon here about her weight and when we get to go home (my doctor said i was fine to go home today, but can stay until miette is ready to go.) i will keep everyone posted :)

**in a few of the pictures you may see that miette's feet look like they are in casts! the bilirubin test involved taking blood from the heel, which is easier to do if the foot is nice and warm... so they put warmers on the feet and wrap them up in diapers! it was pretty funny looking....

miette eloise

2008-05-11T16:13:00.002-05:00

born on may 9, 2008 at 1:13 pm.
8 pounds 2 ounces, 19 inches long.

"miette," pronounced 'mee - et' is french for small and sweet.

"eloise" pronounced 'el-o-ees' is french for intelligent and smart.

the c-section went alright. i had some pain in my left side, and near the middleof the surgery i noticed that i was able to move my leg around (this is not supposed to happen!) the pain in my left side was bad enough to make me cry, and receive more meds on top of the spinal block. i was told that they suspected it was an air bubble. it DID go away. and i DID make it through. i am surprised that caitlyn still has her hand; i was squeezing it so hard!

miette was born with a knot in her umbilical cord. the nurse i spoke with afterwards said that we were extremely lucky, as many babies with this problem do not make it. she was crying like crazy! i didn't get to see her much in the operating room, since i was slightly bleary eyed and in lots of pain, but they brought her to my room not too long after the whole thing went down. she was so small and cute! and in my opinion, she looks just like finn did, only smaller. and more hair. this morning, miette was looking a little yellow-y orange, so they did the jaundice test, and stuck her in this litle cubicle with a blue light. she is not able to come out except to eat! poor gal. they will test her again this evening, and probably keep her in the cubicle until tomorrow morning. she is naked except for her diaper and has to wear these little eye goggle things. boo.

i am recovering much quicker than last time. this hospital has given me a lot less drugs, and i am thankful for it. last time i remember being so out of it. but this time i have been quite coherent! i have had some difficulty sleeping, but most everything else is just fine. a little abdominal soreness, which i am sure will get worse someday down the road, when i am not able to sit on my rear all day long.

finn came in to meet miette yesterday. he did really well. (for him!) he didn't want to hold her, but he did kiss her cheek a few times. i think he was so distracted by everything else, and excited to see mom and dad, that he didn't really care much about the new baby.

now we are just excited to get back home! and dress our little girl up in her own clothes, sleep in our own bed, and move on with life!!

wait almost over.

2008-05-08T22:29:00.002-05:00

went to the doc today, and because of this and that, he decided to take baby out tomorrow. so around 12:30 the incision will be made, and we will be a family of four.

andy's wisdom.

2008-05-08T09:00:00.002-05:00

waiting is exciting.
but also frustrating.

especially when you are a 'planner.'
like me.

c'mon little baby.
i've got nothing going on.
just waiting on you.

polling...

2008-05-06T08:16:00.002-05:00

being that delivery day is just around the corner, and justin and i have managed to keep this baby's gender a secret, i am wondering what everyone else thinks we are having! so tell me what you think... what are we having? how big will it be? WHEN will it arrive?!

the last spoiling.

2008-05-03T21:26:00.003-05:00

i am 37 weeks along today. finn came just past 38 weeks. i am trying not to get anxious, but i feel like this baby might not be too far away. so, because of that, we wanted to make sure we got in one last time of spoiling finn as an only child. we have talked about the new baby with him, but being that he is only two, and hasn't been around a whole ton of babies, i don't know that he really understands --- this could be a shocker for him!
so we took him out to get his very own baseball cap. he LOVES hats. really. he loves them. and when we found the hat, we also spotted the baseball gloves... i thought for sure that he would be too little for one of those, but we tried one out, and he was actually able to catch a ball with one... and he even picked out the one he wanted... justin wanted him to get a different one, but he insisted on this blue rawlings one. we went to borders to try to find him a book about becoming a big brother, but there wasn't much... so we went to eat at culvers. which was probably more for me than anyone else! anyway, we had great fun, and finn is totally crazy about his new things. we are keeping the glove and soft baseball put away until baby actually comes.
and for those of you who don't know... baby is scheduled to arrive may 16th around noon, if it doesn't make it's appearance before then... as of this past thursday i was measuring 39 weeks... so i am hoping for sooner than the 16th, but i guess we will all just have to wait and see.

Violet Hill by Coldplay

2008-04-29T11:15:00.001-05:00

free download of one of the songs from the upcoming album this summer. (click on the title of this post).

tagged: 7 random things about me.

2008-04-26T17:12:00.002-05:00

tonya tagged me, so here i am. actually, i think this is my first 'blog tag.' here are seven random things about me.

1. i hate insects of all kinds. i can't even pick up dead insects. when i find a bug in my house, i don't kill it. i cover it up with a tupperware container, and put a heavy canned good on top (just so it doesn't escape).

2. i had a bunionectomy on both feet when i was 19. the ligments holding my big toes to my feet had become weak, causing the toe bone to stick out very far... so they broke the bone, inserted some screws to hold it in place, and repaired the ligament. all better now.

3. i am addicted to organizing. it just seems like there is always a better place for my belongings than the day before! drives justin crazy, but keeps me sane.

4. my middle name is laura, after my great grandma on my dad's side. she brought up my dad and his brother, david. she passed away the day of my junior prom.

5. the first place my husband and i ate at after we got married (with the exception of room service) was IHOP, which also happens to be the first place my in-laws ate at after they got married (at least i am pretty sure i am not making that up). i got chocolate chip pancakes, one of my very favorite meals.

6. i get really bad migraines. supposedly related to stress, but i don't know. i remember the first one i got was my freshman year of high school in 7th hour world history class with mr. bixler. i just got up and left! and i walked home; we lived about three blocks from the school.

7. i have lived in 12 different homes, not including dorm rooms. if i included those, we'd be up to 14. yeah, i am used to moving. that's probably the reason i am such a minimalist! the less you have, the less you have to move!

tagging: joyce, caron, chari, erin, cait... all from jerry's kids.

full family update.

2008-04-25T08:38:00.004-05:00

me.
only three weeks left at the most.
can't wait to sleep on my stomach again.
excited to meet the new baby, and get on with life as a four member family.
still have a few more details to iron out with becoming real illinois-ians.
been snoring a lot at night. because of extra weight. sorry husband.

justin.
really enjoys his new work, and even got a raise already!
is going to a board gaming convention tonight and tomorrow.
is getting over what we suspect to be a sinus infection.
was almost eleven pounds when he was born, and i am hoping i never have one his size!

finn.
getting really good at eating with a spoon.
not so much with a fork.
has had a gross runny nose for two weeks (which gets smeared all over his face. mm.)
loves having other people around besides just me. can you blame him!
still loves thomas the train.

rudy. the dog.
likes living in the country... i think.
loves getting into the trash cans here.
enjoys having another dog around to pester and bark with.
has actually been really good, rascally and mischievious, but good.

track meet.

2008-04-23T09:19:00.003-05:00

monday evening finn and i met grandpa and grandma at my brother in law (jordan's) track meet. he is finishing up his junior year of high school... the last kiddo in the family! i was a little hesitant to take finn, as he has never really been to an event of this magnitude, but he did great, and even the people sitting around us had something to say about him! finn was constantly cheering for someone! 'go uncle jordan!!' or 'running, running, all running!!' or repeating after grandma, whoever she happened to be cheering at the time. we started at the high jump, which jordan won. i think finn wanted to try it himself! here he is below crouching down to get a better view, and cheering the jumpers on. my camera died before we made it to the bleachers. after the high jump, we went up into the bleachers, ate our burgers, and enjoyed the races and beautiful weather. jordan won 400 with a great time, and placed in the 100 and the 4x200. i think. i can't remember... but his school won by ten points, and it was a great meet to go to.

here is finn just standing and being cute.

sunday afternoon.

2008-04-23T09:14:00.002-05:00

we played outside during the airshow, some miles away... but we still got to see (AND HEAR) lots of jets/aircrafts. tried to teach him how to smell the flowers, but he didn't really understand.

last.

2008-04-22T13:58:00.002-05:00

here is a picture from finn's last bath in the pink tiled bathroom. so sad. not.

oh my. 35 weeks and four more to go, tops.

2008-04-18T14:33:00.003-05:00

well, i found a doctor here in illinois. there was a lot of hooplah trying to get things organized for me to actually see this doctor, but it worked out and i went today. so here's what i know.

my estimated due date: may 24.
my estimated c-section date: 39 weeks, which puts me around the 16th of may.
my baby's current weight: SIX AND A HALF POUNDS.
my baby's estimated birth weight: giant.

finn came at 38 weeks, so i am hoping this baby follows suit... although, that would mean only 3 weeks left, which is really, really insane.

only time will tell!

a moment of drama.

2008-04-11T14:20:00.003-05:00

as i was sitting here, taking my 15 minute break from doing-doing-doing, i realized today was the last day i would here the 'clink' of the metal mail slot next to the front door. as of tomorrow our mail is forwarded to that country lane i will soon call home. and the mailbox is so far from the house, you would never hear a 'clink,' even if you had super-sonic hearing. especially because the mailbox is plastic. (and i'm not knocking plastic mailboxes, simply stating that they are quiet :)!! )

and that's my moment of being dramatic.

?

2008-04-11T12:14:00.000-05:00

where's that magic wand when i need it...

embracing the spirit of sonic...

2008-04-09T14:09:00.002-05:00

well, today (and the next five or so) i am on the move. moving faster than fast... faster than sonic. too much to do in too little time. i can't even begin to explain or go into detail, just that i am going to be doing a lot of work, very quickly... (and no, we did not sell the house)...

not quite 'low key'

2008-04-07T17:10:00.002-05:00

the day was going great. very quiet.
we went to my dr.appt. at 1 where the dr. felt that with the decreased movement i have been feeling and the heart rate that he was hearing, that fetal monitoring for 20-40 minutes was necessary.

so i got someone to pick finn up... and i was a mess, of course, thinking my little unborn child was somehow in distress. it turned out, after the 20 minutes of monitoring, that baby is just fine... and nothing to worry or think twice about. phew.

but it was still scary... and once i start crying it is hard for me to stop! that's just how i roll. so anyway, i picked finn up around 4 (no nap for the little guy today...) and we went thru the dairy queen drive-thru, because i just needed something chocolatey and cold.

i will microwave something for finn for dinner, put him to bed and then plop down on the couch and probably fall asleep to pathetic monday night prime time shows.

my eyes hurt.

i miss you, lovesac.

2008-04-07T08:36:00.002-05:00

our lovesac left about two weeks ago with cam and erin... not that i'd be sitting in it a whole lot anyway, being the hugely off balanced person that i am right now, but i miss it. i miss it filling that space in the living room corner. i miss finn jumping on it and getting crazy electric-y hair.

lovesac, we WILL be reunited. for now, let caroline take care of you.

today.

2008-04-07T08:30:00.002-05:00

- sit around and do nothing. needing a break.

- make something for lunch and use paper plates. that = less dishes. yea.

- doctor appointment for me with kid, during kid's nap time. this = not fun.

- sit around and do nothing some more.

- ok. you caught me... i probably will pack a few boxes and maybe do a load of laundry. sitting doing nothing does get boring after awhile, especially when there are things that need to be done.

but this day will be a low key day, full of nothing hugely ambitious.

is there a difference anyway?

2008-04-06T16:36:00.002-05:00

the last two sundays, finn has mistaken NASCAR for the movie "cars." which works out well since we don't have that movie.

pop.soda.love. need....

2008-04-05T11:37:00.004-05:00

when i would come home from soccer practice in high school, the first thing i would do, would be to guzzle (quickly) an entire can of mountain dew. after this, i would have another can, to enjoy and savor.

caffeine never bothered me. i could drink an entire can of caffeinated soda right before bed and fall asleep just fine.

then when i found out i was pregnant with finn, i was fairly certain i would die without being able to drink soda. water? you want me to drink water? are you kidding? milk? drink milk? do people actually drink milk!? but i survived, and afterward, was better for it -- it was really hard for me to drink caffeinated pop after that. i would be awake for hours, or i would get a horrible headache...

so i adapted, and adopted diet rite as my new, non-caffeinated soda. and with this pregnancy, i have done very well, and rarely miss pop at all.

until last weekend when i was in the drive thru at mcdonalds. and i had my window down in preparation to order, when i heard the lady in front of me order a DR. PEPPER. i can't remember the last time i had dr. pepper, but it's pretty much all i have been able to think about for the last six days.

i feel a bit like i might 'fall off the wagon!'no - must resist temptation...

(picture by matthew labutte...)

packages.

2008-04-03T11:24:00.002-05:00

yesterday was a great mail day. finn got a package from uncle zack, containing THREE new thomas the tank engine books. this is great, because i have managed to get away with hiding the one i have read over and over. finn even loves the mickey mouse package the books arrived in! you can't see mickey in these pictures, as he is facing finn, but he carries it around with him all around the house.

we also received a package from my parents, containing some superb goods from switzerland... justin and i got some WONDERFUL, chocolate that just melts in your mouth. maybaby got a great little onesie, and finn got a really cute little t-shirt.

and then there is this little package... huge package. getting... heavy...

and, yes, lauren, this is a self-photo - if you want them of me, this is how you get them.... i don't trust finn with the camera yet...

the way kids who can't read yet read.

2008-03-31T18:31:00.003-05:00

we got a curious george story collection for finn for his birthday. i had originally intended for this book to be an "only before naptime or bedtime" special treat. but he likes it so much, i let him read it whenever. it is so funny to hear him reading stories to himself. this entire book is composed of two, two year old words. "monkey. hat." monkey, of course, refers to curious george. hat refers to his friends, also known as the man in the yellow hat. and those are the only two words he uses - for the entire book. so he'll be sitting in his room, and i'll hear, "monkey. hat. monkey. hat. monkey. hat. monkey. hat." over and over and over.

he also has this thomas the train book (which i have read so many times, i am slightly tempted to burn it...) which he reads to himself probably 30 times a day. he knows about three words per page, such as "chug chug chug," "poor thomas," "screech, bertie bus," hooray thomas." and he reads it with expression, which is what really makes me laugh. i'll try to get a video.

anyway, i love that finn loves books, and that he attempts to read them to the best of his ability, pretty much by memory.

only

2008-03-31T10:15:00.002-05:00

twenty bajillion things left to do.

it has been decided, that whether or not our house is sold, finn and i will be joining justin in illinois in mid-april. the main reason for this? well, by that time i will be around 35 weeks pregnant... big enough that living on my own would be kind of scary. since we can't afford both a mortgage payment AND rent, we will be staying with justin's parents. hopefully the house will sell and we'll be able to get an apartment before the baby comes... but if not, i will just deal with it! this is becoming more and more of a reality for me, as there is just over six weeks before maybaby comes. i know a miracle could happen, but i'm not counting on it (but still praying for it!!!). anyway, we will have people staying in our house, so at least we won't have to worry about it being vacant and vulnerable.

anyway, when i think of all of the logistical things that need to be accomplished in the next three weeks for one little pregnant woman with a 2 year old, i get a little overwhelmed. but then i think, "hmmm, i have enough time to write a blog post... enough time to watch primetime tv - get to work you lazy bum!!"

i need a dose of adrenaline. too bad i can't have caffeine.

(on a side note - is it just me or does the word 'caffeine' abort all phonics rules... i before e except after c, as sounding as a as in neighbor or weigh... i never noticed this before.)

friday afternoon cuteness

2008-03-29T11:09:00.001-05:00

morning photo shoot

2008-03-26T11:25:00.004-05:00

finn's birthday video

2008-03-26T10:30:00.000-05:00

finn's birthday: part two

2008-03-26T09:40:00.002-05:00

finn was sick on his birthday. i think the only thing he ate this day was a waffle. i plan to post a video of this same scene, where at the beginning, finn refuses any type of food - even cookies. poor little guy! oh well, he wasn't refusing his presents!

TWO!! i had great plans to make a football cake - but turns out i was sick too, so he got this boring ol' thing.

wait, is that a SMILE! these were hard to come by this day.

i suppose it didn't really matter what his cake looked like, since he didn't want to eat it anyway... maybe we should do a re-do birthday or something.

finn playing with some of his presents (no, he didn't get ALL of those train cars for his birthday, he got three to add to his collection tho... he loves those things.) he also got a variety of other vehicles, a curious george book, two styrofoam swords, and probably some other stuff.

the mysterious offer...

2008-03-25T21:23:00.002-05:00

well, we finally found out today what the deal was with those folks who said they planned to put in an offer on our house. turns out they still own a house in colorado, which they need to sell before they can purchase another house. they wanted to put in an offer that was contingent upon their house being sold. their realtor told them he didn't think we would go for it, which is why we never heard back from them - and he was right, that is something we won't go for. we don't know their situation, or what their house is like, so we don't know when theirs would sell... and we don't want to get sucked into something that could drag on forever. of course, there is always the possibility that their house could sell soon, in which case they would probably come back and actually put in an offer. so maybe pray that their house sells!

anyway, just thought i'd let you all know what was going on with that. frustrating, but at least now we know!

i started packing the upstairs closets today. i figure if i do a little here and a little there, the end won't be so much work. so that's what i'm doing. if you pack it, they will buy it... right? isn't that the saying!

illinois. influenza. (please someone buy our house).

2008-03-24T07:37:00.003-05:00

the past few weeks have been a little insane.
finn and i left for illinois on friday, march 7, with caitlyn, to visit with justin and the in-laws. the first weekend was great. then my father-in-law got sick the following monday, flu-like symptoms. and it all went downhill from there.
it was tuesday, i think, when finn started with the cough, runny nose, and all around whiney-ness.
it was wednesday i started with the cough.
thursday was finn's birthday, in which he didn't even want to eat a piece of his own birthday cake. so sad.
friday was when i got hit with everything. justin's boss gave him a special day off so that he could spend it with finn and i, as a birthday present to finn... but it ended up being a day of taking care of us.
friday evening my fever started, and around 8pm it was 101.3. called my baby doctor, who said, "we highly recommend that you see someone once your temp is over 100.1, so go now..." which meant we were off to the ER, being that all other places were closed.
we got right in. had a breathing treatment for the ol' asthma. got my blood taken. had an influenza test (they shove a skinny q-tip up your nose into your sinuses). they listened to the baby's heartbeat to make sure it was not in distress (it wasn't). the flu test came back positive, which meant i was taking the influenza A strain back with me. and they gave me a prescription for vicodin. WHAT!? for the FLU!! i was having really bad headaches, and not sleeping. the next three or four days are a bit of a blur, as i was in and out of sleep. it's hard being a mom when all you want to be is a kid being taken care of by a mom! especially when your kid is sick too!
it was tuesday or wednesday before i started feeling a little better. and even now i still don't feel like i am better. oh, maybe that's because now i have a SINUS infection.
well, justin ended up driving back to omaha with me on good friday. justin's brother cam and his family drove back too, as they found a good deal on a car in omaha. they left saturday, and justin just left this morning on the train. so after three weeks of having someone around all of the time, it is back to being just me and finn. in a quiet house.
we did have someone come look at our house twice this weekend, and it was said by their realtor that they had planned to write up an offer - we haven't heard back yet, so who knows. but that would be wonderful. and i would start packing like a maniac.

today = grocery shopping. dr. visit. sleep, sleep, sleep. and maybe a shower :)

two.

2008-03-13T09:24:00.002-05:00

he's two today. and unfortunately, also sick. here he is getting in his first showing of 'cars' for the day. so far, he has gotten a sweet fleece spiderman blanket from grammie dee and grandpa ken. the rest of the loot will come later today.

i can't believe how fast these two years have gone, and although there have been difficult times, how easy it has been. finn is the greatest kid. we love you little guy!!

sick.

2008-03-12T17:22:00.002-05:00

we are.
today we have watched...

-finding nemo (1.5 times)
-cars (twice)
-over the hedge
-thomas and the toy workshop (twice)

we woke up at 4:45ish this morning and have slept for about an hour today.

it's the cough, runny nose, and yucky rear end for finn.
and the cough, EXTREME heartburn, and large amounts of sleepiness for me.
fun.

current.

2008-03-08T09:21:00.002-06:00

-caitlyn came to visit. her train (supposed to arrive at 10:30) was 2.5 hours late. thank goodness for ring-a-words, which took me through that last long hour. we laughed, we ate, we napped, we even got an oil change in the van.

-dr. appt. this last week revealed nothing new. everything is as it should be. and dr. thinks all is going perfectly. let's hope that lasts.

-no house news. nothing. nada. except that temps are supposedly getting warmer, which should draw more people. and a buyer. and the end of this craziness.

-finn turns two in less than a week. he does new things (read: not always good new things) everyday. he is obsesses with vehicles and remains an avid fan of puppies. and kitties. and, well, all animals.

-my parents and brother are going to switzerland on tuesday. this sounds like fun.

-the quilt is coming along, although i made a few other things, which stalled the process a little. hope to catch up with production this week :)

and that's all.

failed nap.

2008-03-04T15:09:00.004-06:00

for me. i really really wanted to take a nap. but i couldn't stop thinking about all of the craziness and uncertainty that is happening in my life! this baby is coming, sometime in the next 10 weeks or so. that isn't even the scary part... that's the one thing i know for sure! no matter where i live, no matter where all of my belongings are, this baby will come. a certainty.

but the list of unknowns and what ifs keeps growing, and it is weighing heavy on my heart. it is getting scarier and scarier by the day. how can you plan for the unknown? isn't that sort of an oxymoron? i am trying my hardest to trust the that the Lord has a plan, and that it is the best plan for our lives... i just wish i knew what it was! if i knew, i could plan, i could adjust to knowing what was going to happen. even if it wasn't the plan i would choose, at least i could get used to it.

but i don't know it. i can't plan. i have no control. just go with the flow (which is totally against everything i know and practice...) and it's hard to be at peace with that. perhaps i am being taught a lesson. i really am NOT the one in control... of anything.

there is so much to do in the next two months. how can i just take a nap?
instead, i packed three boxes and wrote this post.

(** anyone else notice my baby widget on the left side of the blog just went from 82 days to FIFTY TWO DAYS!!! ha. someone is playing a cruel joke on me, i know it)

open.

2008-03-02T07:59:00.003-06:00

house. today. hopefully people will come. hopefully someone will buy. patience... wearing... thin...

here is a cute picture of finn from yesterday. he was happy because he didn't have to wear a coat in his carseat. that makes me happy too.

oldies.

2008-03-01T12:19:00.002-06:00

what gets me through long days at home? yep, the oldies station. they are upbeat and rarely depressing. we usually try to start the morning with some nice classical music, but after breakfast, it is time to rock out. there is something about the oldies that makes me feel alive, makes me feel like i can accomplish anything. and so that's why we listen.

laid out.

2008-02-26T08:56:00.000-06:00

here it is, all laid out... i think it looks great. now, if only it would sew itself.

camera sadness.

2008-02-26T08:48:00.001-06:00

i barely get the camera out, and finn starts crying. this is probably why there are so few pictures of him, as of late (mom...). he wants to see the pictures on the digital screen... which, of course, is much more fun than having your picture taken, even if there is the perfect morning light streaming into the bedroom, with great, vibrant colors all around... that digital screen is all he wants to see. i did get one happy one at the end, although not as clear as i woulda liked.

ironed. measured. cut.

2008-02-25T09:53:00.003-06:00

i haven't made a quilt in awhile. the first two i made were on a singer 'tiny tailor,' which could be the smallest sewing machine known to man. anyway, back then (2001) i was not aware of such handy gadgets as the cutting mat and the fabric cutter (which is like a pizza cutter thingy). so this time, the cutting was not only faster, but much more precise. this should also make for a more even quilt. yea! so all of the ironing, measuring and cutting are completed for the top portion of the blanket. i am still dreaming up what i want to do with the back - go simple, or a little extravagant...
not sure.

there's around 125 8x8 squares here, in case you were wondering...

sleeping update

2008-02-24T07:36:00.002-06:00

so far the tally is:

3 full nights in bed, total perfectness

2 naps started in bed, but ended up in crib, and 1 nap not even attempted in the bed (this would be yesterday when i had a migraine, no messing around then!)

so the naps aren't going well, but nite time sleep is great (can i just say that this is obviously because his room is pitch black at night and he probably can't see his hand in front of his face. that would make me stay in bed alright.)

the blueprint.

2008-02-22T12:58:00.003-06:00

well, the blueprint has been made for finn's quilt. it's really just a collection of 7x7 inch squares, but with the way i plan to lay the fabrics out, it will look like a brick patio, kind of - not good at explaining these things. over naptime, i will check my fabric storehouse to see what, if any, amounts of fabric i will need to purchase. all fabrics will be washed and ready for cutting... and then the fun begins.

after a little googling, i have learned that this pattern is called "herringbone." all the fabric is ready to be ironed and cut today!! i am excited to get it all laid out - hopefully it turns out as cool as i am hoping...

yet another change.

2008-02-21T09:46:00.003-06:00

i know it's only been one night, but never did i think transitioning finn to a bed could be so easy. granted it is not a bed - it is just his crib mattress on the floor. but still. he stayed on it the whole night, from 7PM to 7AM. without a peep. okay, there was one loud thump around 7:20.

finn never ceases to amaze me. and i am grateful that i don't have to lift his little(big) 30 pound body over that gate anymore.

the crib will stay up though - just in case night two, or naps are not as easy.

new obsession

2008-02-20T16:37:00.002-06:00

no, not mine. finn's.

he saw a commercial today, during the news, for jeopardy. since then, he has been running around saying 'jeopardy' as well as he can in his almost-two-year-old voice. and now that jeopardy is on, he is watching with rapt attention (it's the teen tournament week) and cries when the commercials come on.

i suppose there could be worse things to let him watch (like caillou...)

home at last.

2008-02-19T19:01:00.003-06:00

after eleven days of illinois fun, finn and i are home.
the drive was long. i will explain more later.
my back is hurting.
i am eating a mini-digiorno pizza in reward for such a ridiculous drive.

more tomorrow.

approximately sixty five percent complete.

2008-02-05T13:42:00.000-06:00

that's how complete this pregnancy is. it's hard for me to imagine all of the things that must be accomplished before this baby comes, in 12-15 weeks. not that the list is incredibly long, but the things on the list are incredibly HUGE. for example, MOVE. not just MOVE, but MOVE to another state. not just another state, but one that is six hours away. and before we can MOVE, we must SELL the house. after we SELL and MOVE, there is, of course, the finding of WHO will cut me open to get our baby out. and after that happens, the HOW will i lose all of this weight quicker than i did with finn.

so much to happen, and only thirty five percent left. yikes! it's getting scary!

for now, i will just enjoy my lemon lime arctic freeze from dairy queen, and think about all of that later.

weekend creations.

2008-02-03T19:43:00.000-06:00

fudge.
my first batch of fudge didn't even make it into the baking pan to cool. this is a no-brainer recipe, one that you can't mess up. and then it fell into the hands of my pregnant self. all you do is microwave 16 oz. of semi-sweet baking chocolate, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, then after you microwave that, you add 2 tsp. vanilla. mix it, put it in a foil lined 8x8, and throw it in the fridge for two hours. easy, right? not when you buy unsweetened baking chocolate instead of semi sweet. there is no amount of sugar in the world that can correct this evil flavor. and it does not microwave well.

but my second batch, made with the correct ingredients, came out just lovely. i even added walnuts to one half of the batch. (sidenote: there is more of it, of course, these were just the pieces that made it into the photo...)

pound cake with lemon icing.
i haven't tried this one yet, so i can't say it turned out perfect, but it sure looks pretty...
i used a classic butter pound cake recipe... butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk, flour, salt and baking powder. the batter sure tasted good. i was hoping for a loaf, but the recipe called for a bundt cake, so i just went with it.
i never really thought about why a pound cake is called by it's name. i guess to me it's like asking 'why is an apple called an apple?' but there is a reason for it's name. after my recipe digging, i found that a pound cake is so called because back 'in the day' it called for a pound of butter, a pound of sugar, and a pound of eggs... and obviously some other things.
anyway, it was fun to make something from scratch, something that i have never made before. hopefully it's as good as sara lee's. mmm.

then there came the icing... lemon icing sounded good, so i went with it. typical icing recipe, just powdered sugar and then added a couple tbsp of lemon juice... it tasted good by itself, so i am hoping it is just as good on the cake!

i have tried the cake since writing this, and it is good --- not AS good as sara lee. in fact not even close. still, tasty, just less pound cakey, i think.

i'm not sure why the baking bug has bit me, but it has. i have a banana bread on the docket tomorrow (mom's recipe) and after that, i am stopping!! i ordered some fabric for finn's quilt which should be here in the next few days, so hopefully the sewing bug will overpower the baking bug.

finn chattering on and on... pretty cute.

2008-02-01T22:09:00.000-06:00

fairytales

2008-02-01T21:33:00.000-06:00

for some reason, i have been really into watching fairytale-ish movies lately. here are two that i have really enjoyed. both of these movies have a good storyline that keeps your attention, while also remaining slightly humorous, but not too obnoxious. (in my humble opinion)

The passage from this world to the fantasy kingdom of Stormhold is through a breech in a wall by an English village. In the 1800s, a boy becomes a man when he ventures through the breech to prove his love for the village beauty by finding a fallen star. The star is no lump of rock, but a maiden, Yvaine, and Tristan, the youth, is not the only one searching for her: three witches, led by Lamia, want her heart to make them young. The sons of the dead king of Stormhold want her because she possesses a ruby that will give one of them title to the throne. Assisting Tristan are his mother, the victim of a spell, and a transvestite pirate of the skies. Will Tristan win his true love? Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

Folklore collectors and con artists, Jake and Will Grimm, travel from village to village pretending to protect townsfolk from enchanted creatures and performing exorcisms. They are put to the test, however, when they encounter a real magical curse in a haunted forest with real magical beings, requiring genuine courage. Written by IMDb Editors

morning snack goofiness

2008-01-31T16:54:00.000-06:00

in the 'making' mood

2008-01-30T20:57:00.000-06:00

the last few days i have been nudged into the making mood. maybe it's because i have done virtually all of the organizing and household projects that are possible, and i have nothing else to put my time into. or maybe it's because it's winter time, and i can't play outside. i don't know... but here is my list of things i want to make.

1. fudge. i have never made fudge before, and it just sounds good.

2. pound cake. we had some pals bring us lemon pound cake awhile back, and it also 'just sounds good.'

3. quilt. when we move, finn will be getting himself into a regular bed, so i thought it would be fun to make him a special blanket, that hopefully, he will appreciate more later on in life. although, i tried to get a few fabrics he will like now, but will also transcend the age thingy (no thomas the train fabrics here....)

4. scarf. justin requested a special one to go with his new coat.

5. zip pouches. i saw some really, super cute zippy pouches on this one website (the black apple - there is a link on the left side of this blog somewhere) and they look so easy, and would probably make fun gifts.

anyway, i am borrowing this super amazing sewing machine, and i figured i best get my rear in gear to get this stuff done, since i have to return it before we move :(

justin's first haircut

2008-01-24T20:45:00.001-06:00

tomorrow morning will be the first time justin has gotten his hair cut by the hands of an actual barber since we have been married. i have been the barber.

i don't particularly enjoy cutting his hair... we are just really, cheap, i mean, thrifty. my roommate from college, regina, bought us a hair trimmer thingy for our wedding (she was always really good at cutting hair, did mine all through college, and is now attending cosmotology school in NYC...) so we really haven't paid to have justin's hair cut for the last five and a half years.

but now there are too many factors resulting in my negativity towards the cut.
1. i am pregnant, which automatically exempts me from doing any extracurricular thing that i don't want to do.
2. our house is for sale, and haircuts are generally a very messy ordeal, and i just don't feel like cleaning up hair specks for the next three weeks.
3. justin is starting a new job next week, so he should be able to feel and appear his best.
4. i need my haircut too, so we may as well go in together.

so here is to the end of a haircutting era... at least for now.

change number one.

2008-01-24T07:59:00.000-06:00

today is justin's last day working at his current job. he has been a 'staffing specialist' (one who finds employees for companies who need jobs filled) for two years now. it has been a good place for us, but in the past few months, we have both felt the need for change.

justin will be starting his new job at samaritian ministries international next monday (or tuesday, not sure exactly!) this wouldn't be a huge deal, except that SMI is located in peoria, illinois. and we are still located six hours west of said location. so while justin is adjusting to his new job, finn and i will be working our rear ends off in O trying to get our house sold, packed, and ready for the transition to illinois.

i am very excited for justin... sometimes a job change is just what you need, and i think it is just what justin needs. i am sad that i have no idea when our family will all live in the same building again, but i also know that we are strong, and will persevere through this season of change. i just can't wait for the change to be complete! all in God's time, i suppose.

fun with playdough

2008-01-22T12:47:00.000-06:00

about to kiss the playdough puppy that i made. finn loves puppies!

finn upset because i am taking photos... and then being cute again

play play play... finn was really upset when we put the playdough away. he didn't really 'get' how to play with it yet, but being as it is something new to him, he just like looking at the jars and squishing the dough. he liked seeing the things i made, like the puppy (whose head and tail kept falling off...)

losing it. and by 'it', i mean the phone.

2008-01-21T12:55:00.000-06:00

i would debate that pregnancy doesn't tend to make me all emotional. nor does it make more clumsy than usual, or even more forgetful really. some might argue this, but i think i am pretty much my normal self, with the exception of being extra tired, sometimes sick, and usually achy.

but if i had a dollar for every time i lost, misplaced, or just forgot where i put my cell phone in the last two months, i would be one wealthy mama. lucky we have the internet, so i usually just IM justin at work so he can call my phone so i can locate it by the ringer. (the only time this did not work, was when the phone was outside for an entire night, in zero degree weather, sitting on the ice. it miraculously survived and was found.)

today i couldn't find my phone. the disturbing thing was that not two hours earlier, i was sitting at the breakfast table, my phone next to me, and i picked it up to check it's battery life, which it had four "nuggets" left. i put it back down, and that was the last time i remembered seeing it.
i looked everywhere. justin wasn't answering the IM and so my last attempt was to email all my family members, hoping someone would look at their email soon. and then it rang. it was on the kitchen table. underneath my purse. thanks caron. for not only helping me find my phone, but also making me feel like a complete dodo.

my etsy wishlist.

2008-01-18T13:03:00.000-06:00

these are some of my very favorite, affordable things on etsy.com. although, i am sure this list could be 100 items long, i will limit my wishes!

this birdie pendant it too fun.

there are a lot of really fun wall graphics on etsy. i really like this one, but there are about ten others that i could live with too...

i am addicted to winter hats, and this one reminded me of an elvish hat, which would be fun to wear about.

this apple fabric is great. and i have a project in mind for it!

and this apple tree fabric, this would make a sweet apron, or fun magazine bag.

my yellow blanket

2008-01-15T14:27:00.000-06:00

i am not a very sentimental person. i don't like to keep things just because someone i love gave them to me, or because they represent a memory.

i was laying underneath my yellow blanket the other day. and i thought to myself, "my grandma made this blanket for me about twenty years ago. twenty years seems like a long time to have a blanket." my grandma made one of these blankets for each of her grandchildren. zack had a brown one. lauren had a purple one. brandon had a blue one. i can remember all of these blankets that were made so long ago.

my grandma makes a lot of interesting things. she sends us handmade goods each year. and i'll be honest, most of these goods hold zero use to me. but this blanket, made so long ago, is one i will keep forever, and probably pass on to my children someday. it's not that i particularly like this blanket... yellow is not my favorite color (even though i am certain grandma thinks it is) nor does it match a single thing in my house. but it keeps me warm, and it reminds me of her, and all of the hard work she puts in to making things for her loved ones.

as much as i don't like my yellow blanket, i really do.

happy/sad

2008-01-15T12:58:00.000-06:00

finn was bipolar yesterday.

a new niece!!!

2008-01-14T15:19:00.000-06:00

no pictures yet, but as of around noon today, finn has a new cousin, a GIRL!!

stella jane easley was 8 pounds 14 ounces, which is a new easley family record if i am not mistaken. 20 inches, and looks like caroline as a baby, only less hair (so they tell me...) congrats cam and erin!! we are so excited to meet her!!

choo choo brings change

2008-01-13T10:10:00.000-06:00

i know i have mentioned it before, but this is finn's very favorite book, a christmas gift from his cousin caroline. it's not just that it is his favorite book... if we ONLY read this book, finn would be just as happy as if we read every book he owned. and it's not like we have to read the book... afterall, it is a look and find... we just have to ask where this and that is, over and over and over. but receiving this book has really made me realize finn's potential. i never would have thought he was old enough to learn how to search for an object on a page, much less learn new objects and people, like "the porter," who is just a random guy toting along a suitcase.
finn's desire for a challenge has challenged ME to challenge HIM! i guess i have always had that block in the back of my mind, "oh, he's too little to understand, why even try..." but in reality i have been holding him back from his potential with that way of thinking. finn understands a lot, and i am excited to see the growth in him, when i am actually helping to push him forward with new opportunities.

and the baby is a...

2008-01-11T11:32:00.001-06:00

secret. sorry folks!
we had our 20 week ultrasound (technically 21 weeks, but who's counting...) yesterday, and the "may baby," so called because it is due in may, looks great. it has all fingers, toes, kidneys, heart chambers, etc. it was hard to get a good look at the face, as it liked to keep it's arms and hands covering it. the technician and doctor said the baby already weighs a whole pound even, putting it plenty far ahead of where it needs to be at this point (please no, not another ginormo baby!!).

just hanging around at home.

2008-01-08T09:09:00.000-06:00

An Encounter

2008-01-05T20:37:00.000-06:00

one of the hitchhiker crabs we pulled out:

i heart cinnamon melts...

2008-01-04T10:28:00.001-06:00

several weeks ago justin got a mcdonalds cinnamon melt. that night i felt only like ingesting sodium and grease drenched foods, so i declined a bite.
today, after noting that target no longer sells my favorite vitamin-enhanced-pomegranite-blueberry-flavored water at the check out lane, (and being very disappointed about this) i opted to pick up a chocolate shake at mcdonalds on my way home... this of course was a gamble, as the shake machine seems to only work 15% of the time i stop at mcdonalds. so i ordered my shake, after checking that the machine was working, and saw a little picture of the cinnamon melt, and thought that would go well with the shake.
it was so good. it is just about AS GOOD AS a cinnabon. and that is saying a lot, because i love cinnabons. and it was the perfect amount of food. all in all, the cinnamon melt is perfect and you should go out and try one immediately.

holidays,over. back to normal. kind of.

2008-01-02T11:22:00.000-06:00

well, the holidays have passed, again. i have spent all morning putting away christmas decorations, our fake trees, and organizing. the house is looking kind of bare. which is what january through march are like - bare, with no holidays or visitors or happenings of excitement. so i suppose it is only right that the house matches the time of year. i just can't wait for summer!

right now, finn has thomas the train on, and is spinning in circles. he has been really funny the last couple of days. talking in his little toddler talk, seriously trying to have conversations with us. dancing and trying to sing tunes. and he is addicted to this dvd called "praise baby." anytime i ask him if he wants to watch a show he goes to the movie drawer and pulls out "babies" as he refers to it, and will not stop asking until i agree to let him watch it. he got a lot of fun toys for christmas from various people. among his favorites are his buzz lightyear cell phone, farm animal fridge thingy, a keyboard, matchbox cars, a pretend welding torch, and from cousin caroline, his "choochoo" look and find book (which i am glad he likes it and all, but i am so sick of that book!). finn got lots of other goodies too, too many to mention.

after several years of having our xm radio and a handheld compaq ipaq sit in a box in a closet, justin has finally managed to get rid of both of them, in a trade. he got several large pieces of coral for his reef in exchange, which we both think he got the better end of the deal as these pieces of coral range anywhere from $50-$100+ each!! it worked well for us, as those electronics had just been sitting around forever. maybe justin will post a pic soon of his re-worked tank.

i am busy, scurrying around the house, cleaning this, organizing that... organizing is my obsession. it always seems that there is a better place for each and every item in our house... i know it drives justin crazy, but to me, a household is like a puzzle that can never be finished, there is always a new piece, or a new spot, so all of the pieces get jostled around, in a never ending cycle. i love it. OH! and my brother got us a years subscription to netflix for christmas!! what a great gift. it's great, because not only do I LOVE movies, but i also love not getting stuff for christmas, so this is something that won't just sit around! if you want to be netflix friends, our email is easleyjustin@hotmail.com. befriend me, it would be fun.

and there is your little update. time for lunch.

snippety snip snip

2007-12-28T14:01:00.001-06:00

BEFORE...

DURING....

AFTER....

playing during the holidays...

2007-12-28T13:53:00.000-06:00

zack and finn at the mall playplace
just going boatin...
driving the john deere at the children's museum
picking the freshest of fruits at the c.m.
playing with water at the c.m.

family at christmas...

2007-12-28T13:47:00.000-06:00

grandpa ken, grammie dee and finn
mom, zack and myself
finn and uncle zack, bestest pals
grandpa ken and finn, play play play
finn and justin rockin it out on finn's new keyboard

a little bit of our christmas...

2007-12-28T13:39:00.000-06:00

the christmas tree
finn opening up a gift
finn wondering how to find out what's inside
finn showing uncle zacky (who slept through all of present opening) his new cars, without response
justin, working finn's new welding mask

finn playing...

2007-12-19T09:08:00.000-06:00

finn loves this fire truck that aunt chari got for him last year. he loves using the ladder as a car ramp! i was in the living room, and kept hearing his little gleeful sounds, grabbed the camera and was able to document this playtime. finn usually shies away from the camera, so i tried to be sneaky, but he surprised me and continued to play even after he saw me and the camera. hope you enjoy this video as much as i do... also you will notice that finn has come to love his socks, and just seems off balance if one is on and the other off... and no one likes to be off balance!

Help Us Name Our Yellowstripe Maroon Clownfish

2007-12-18T21:42:00.000-06:00

some options (feel free to chime in as well):

Bob Dole
Michael Scott
George Michael
Ghandi

oh what a night...

2007-12-14T01:58:00.000-06:00

i fell asleep on the couch this evening, like usual, only justin didn't even try to wake me up to come to bed. i woke up at 12:30, hungry. a handful of graham cracker bites, a slice of colby jack cheese, a chocolate chip granola bar, a glass of water, and 2 online puzzles later, it is now 1:59am. i have turned a movie on in hopes that it will make me sleepy and will help me drift off. wish me luck.

recent pictures

2007-12-12T12:27:00.000-06:00

this is a picture of me from today! i'll be 17 weeks along on friday... feeling little squirmies inside, but no firm movement... still fun though.

this is finn a week or so ago... with his new blow up chair he got from grandma and grandpa easley. he loves this chair. he also loves puppy and monkey, which are also featured in the photo.

this is a pine tree branch in our backyard. just thought it was pretty.

december happenings

2007-12-11T15:15:00.000-06:00

- snow, snow, snow, ice, and then more snow.

- five out of eleven december days have been spent hanging out with delsenno kids.

- our local mall, the one where WE shop, becomes a "massacre" site with nine people being shot to death with an AK47. weird.

- justin turned 26.

- finn learned to say,"NO." he has also overcome his first really bad cold.

- corrie is 16 weeks and several days along in the pregnancy. yea! along with this she has said "see you later" to her favorite pair of GAP jeans, along with many other wardrobe items. so sad.

- rudy, the dog, is reminded of her dislike of the winter-time. cold paws, cold paws!

- justin's second fish, the blue one below, died. his water is checking out fine, must just be getting sicklies. so sad. so we are fishy-less.

- and most importantly, harry potter and the order of the phoenix dvd comes out today, and justin already picked it up for me. hooray!

they say it's your birthday...

2007-12-06T14:37:00.000-06:00

....well,happy birthday to ya...

i had a picture of this really elaborate cake to post here, but blogger is being difficult so i have none.

today is justin's 26th birthday.
i forgot to say happy birthday this morning. so he walked out the door without any well wishes... and me not realizing it until about 10AM. i was a little preoccupied this morning with all of yesterday's events and trying to get out of the door by eight oclock to go watch cathy's kids. sorry dude.

so, justin, happy birthday! i am so glad to have you as my partner in crime, my compadre... without you life just wouldn't be right. as dr.evil once said, "you complete me." haha:)

hope that next fish works out for you!!

Yellowtail Damsel

2007-12-03T19:48:00.000-06:00

this is our official starter-fish. he's quite aggressive and will be to large for our tank in the long run...so he'll most likely go back to the local shop once everything has had a chance to balance out. good thing he was only $6. he is a pretty color though. Finn loves to watch us feed him.

back.

2007-11-28T10:15:00.000-06:00

well, here we are, back home after our thanksgiving/easley christmas trip in illinois.

it was a great weekend.
there was the eight hour drive in insane traffic (usually only takes six hours).

there was the amazing thanksgiving day food, drink and great company. and i'll admit, i especially liked my sweet potato souffle. and ja's pecan pie was worth each of the 500 calories that went along with it.

there was black friday, in which i found most of finn's christmas gifts (kohl's was an amazing stop with 50% off on all toys, although the line was a bit atrocious, half way around the store...)and some good movies at target for $4. we also had avanti's gondolas for lunch, which will make anyone's day perfect. we decorated the christmas tree that evening.

there was our pretend christmas morning, in which i got several items i have been delaying in buying for myself... a 1.5 qt. tupperware juice pitcher from the 80's, a giant pancake griddle, and a tupperware cupcake holder. also got a sweet bag from anthropologie and some cash which i will put towards a bike in the summer; post-baby.
finn got this sports tent/sleeping bag/blow up chair set, which he loves the chair. i will try to post a pic soon. it actually gets him in a lot of trouble because he thinks it's a trampoline. he also got this great thomas and friends phone and book from cousin caroline. justin got a few board games and cash to put towards his aquarium. saturday was also christmas dinner, which was my second favorite meal of the weekend. the cheesy potatoes were sooo good.

there was sunday church, which finn made all the way through without going to the nursery. sunday lunch, which scored as my favorite meal of the weekend, soups soups soups... baked potato, made by chari and darin, was so so so good, and caron made chili, which was spicy to me, but also very very tasty. caitlyn left to go back to IWU in the afternoon, and the rest of us just hung out...

monday came, and finn had a bad cold. we never leave ILLinois without an ILLness. go figure. we packed packed packed, forgot a couple things, and headed for home at around 1:00. we made it back by seven, but not without a little throwup from finn at dinnertime.

all in all, the trip was wonderful. it was great to see all of the kids that we haven't seen forever, or has never seen at all. finn loves playing with his cousins, although, we discovered he is not super keen on babies, especially babies being held by mom and dad. hopefully this is a stage, otherwise where will be some issues for finn to overcome, come may!

love you easley's! it was so good to see everyone, can't wait until next time!

Cleanup Crew

2007-11-18T19:09:00.000-06:00

Hermit Crab

Astrea Snails (on the glass and the other cone-shaped shells)

you know the world is upside down when...

2007-11-16T09:15:00.000-06:00

...you make an oil change appointment online during the seventeen minutes the lube place has you on hold on the phone.

...the pharmacist tells you your kids medicine will cost half of your months grocery bill. (you just laugh and drive away without the medicine)

...all you want is a nice pair of sweatpants that don't collect every dust mite and piece of dog hair in the house.

...you live in the sweetest house in the neighborhood and no one wants to buy it, much less even look at it.

...you look in the neighbors back yard, and not only do you see an old conversion van, but a newly added minivan, which is not only illegal, but also really ups the value of your house.

...when walmart ONLY has ripe, very yellow bananas.

what we've been up to...

2007-11-14T13:57:00.000-06:00

we have been hanging out with these girlies a lot, annie and sophie. finn loves to watch them play and be goofy, and of course he loves to play with all of their toys. he has no clue who is who, but he can almost say "sophie."

and we have been trying to stay out of doors, before the big blizzards start shutting us away for the winter. the afternoon weather has actually been quite nice.

i have had a few side jobs, and i just got a borrowed sewing machine so i can resume my craftiness. it is the nicest sewing machine to ever sit in front of me. i am SO thankful.

and we are slowly preparing for our trip back to illinois next week, which will be a WELCOME break from the monotonous-no-family-in sight-land of nebraska. woohhooo!!

Reef Update

2007-11-11T16:25:00.000-06:00

i moved the rock around a bit and will probably do a bit more moving after it cycles and we start to get some coral in there. we've seen a snail, some dusters, and a couple of tiny brittle stars (serpent-like starfish).

our little guy

2007-11-06T12:16:00.000-06:00

for clarification...

2007-11-05T08:15:00.000-06:00

the two posts below, and probably most posts following regarding the "nano reef" will be done by justin. this is his new project, his christmas and birthday presents from many. it's a saltwater tank, so we will be able to have corals and ocean-y fish in it... it will kind of be like having "finding nemo" on permanently in our living room. it takes awhile for the water to cycle to be safe enough to put fish and corals in it, so that's why it's kind of plain now, and will be for two weeks to a month.
so anyway, that's the longer version of the two posts below, which you must have noticed weren't written by me, because i usually go into every detail as humanly possible.

Day 2

2007-11-04T19:57:00.000-06:00

Here's the tank with the rest of the live rock. there's a lot of it in there...you have to have about 1 lb. per gallon. not sure i like the structure yet...we may have to break one or two in order to get the right look.