Pregnancy Comments

Men and women are inherently different. 

This pregnancy, I've noticed that's true even in the way they comment on pregnant women.  It's hilarious, actually. 

Women are always kind and understanding IF they say anything.

Men say...well, the oddest things.

It has been men EVERY time that have asked if I'm having twins.  (Many times I've been asked this--especially with Lily and Oliver)

Several times, while working at a photobooth, I've been asked, "Is that a prop?"  (again, always men)

Several times, I've been asked if I swallowed a watermelon for lunch.  The other day, the locksmith (who got me back INTO my van after I locked myself and the kids out...) mentioned that my diet wasn't working very well.

I find these comments hilarious and in no way take offense to them...but as I was recounting them to Joel...it struck me that women don't comment in the same way. 

If we did, we'd probably get a punch to the face!

Happy Birthday Joel!

Happy 32nd Birthday, Joel!  

We love you! 

Family Pictures At the Lake {2011}

One benefit of seeing Joel's sister Karla each year is getting to take advantage of her amazing photography skills!  This year, we took pics out at the lake. And we happened to have a perfect cloudy day to do it!

Here are a few highlights:

Hip Hip Hooray for Hardware!

How's that for alliteration???

Today, I am afixing our new hardware to my newly painted cupboards.  I am SO EXCITED to have hardware!!!  It definitely finishes them off and makes them easier to open. 

Whoever invented these things should nicely rewarded with a giant jelly-filled donut. 

I LOVE a good deal!

This morning, I went out to run a few errands.  Cereal was something we desperately needed...but I've started trying to only buy it REALLY cheap--so I was waiting for some good deals PLUS coupons.  Well, this morning I found some!  Combining sales at Walgreens, a raincheck for cereal from LAST week, and great coupons...I got 9 big boxes of cereal for $17!  Now, I'll admit--this is a lot of cereal--but it will last us MONTHS!!!  I was very excited.  (I'm not a super-couponer yet...so I'm SURE there would have been a way to get this even CHEAPER--but I thought less than $2 a box is a great deal ANYTIME!)

Another thing my kids and I are hooked on for breakfast is Cream of Wheat.  My kids ask for it most mornings!  We make it and then add cranberries, blueberries or raisins to it.  It is YUMMY.  Normally, it's almost $4 at Walmart--which is okay, cause it lasts a long time.  But I found a box in perfect condition at Meridian Grocery (a damaged goods store in our town) for $1.09!  What a deal!  So I bought it.  I LOVE that store!

 

If you haven't tried Meridian Grocery yet--I'd recommend it--today they had boxes of Cocoa Krispies on sale for $.50 a box!  (If I hadn't bought 9 boxes right before that...I would've grabbed a few!)   Most of their inventory is VERY discounted--like 50% or more!

First Day of Pre-K!

(And DON'T you call it preschool....it is Pre-K!!! insists Ollie.)

Today was the first day--and BOY has he been ready. We've have our supplies packed in his bag for almost a month now...and he's been talking for weeks about what he'd wear the first day. (Although that changed suddenly last night.)

I finally convinced him to let me take a picture with his teacher...and then of course, he wanted a few with some friends of his. (Funny how he doesn't just give a nice smile, huh?...that's Joel's genes.)

Here he is with Mrs. Helsel. Wow does he love her!!! He talked about her all summer, and when pointing her out to us in pictures, just grins. We absolutely LOVE her: she is the most sweet, giving, loving teacher. He is SO BLESSED to have her a second year in a row!

Here is his friend, Cooper. Cooper is Mrs. Helsel's son--so these boys have spent LOTS of time together. They both love to help set up and take down after preschool. (They can be pretty ornery, too!)

This is Taylor, our back-door neighbor. Taylor and Oliver go WAAAAY back--they played together starting when they were just 4 and 9 months old! So it's a lot of fun to have them together in pre-K this year.

We're hoping for another super year--where he'll learn a lot, have fun with friends...(and be a little bit more worn out at home....)

Main Floor Bathroom

Our main floor bathroom was BY FAR the most interesting when we moved in. It had AWFUL wallpaper, a vintage mirror (which I can't wait to repaint!), and some really ugly lights. Oh yeah, did I mentioned it didn't have a floor? Just the old plywood sub-floor.

Instead of taking the time to pick the wallpaper off piece by piece, my dad (wisely) suggested that we just re-sheetrock....so we did.

We had to tear some of the wall out anyway to address some slight plumbing issues...so it was easy to just rip it all out.


Last weekend and today, Joel and my dad worked to hang sheetrock and then mud over it all.


Hopefully this week we'll paint it and get the sink and counter tops in! (It will be nice to NOT have to walk upstairs every 30 minutes to use the restroom...)

The "yard"

I use quotation marks because it's more accurately a field of loose dirt...but eventually, once the jet stream moves and Kansas receives rain and cool temperatures again...we'll be planting grass. Hence, a 'yard'.

Joel has been busy prepping this mass of space for what will certainly be a beautiful expanse of grass in the near future:

Kill the yard: Check. (actually, mother nature effectively did that, too--but Joel had a good excuse to walk around with his pump and chemicals.)

Till it with the tractor: Check.

Kill the yard again: Check.

Hook up the pump: (YES, we have a WELL!!!) Check.

Drive a 4-wheeler around and around and around for 3 days to make sure it's smooth: Check.

Dig a trench to connect the well to the sprinkler system: Check.

Rake up mounds of grass: Check.

Scoop up mounds of grass: Check.

And my piddly contribution? I drew a fantastic map of our sprinkler system zones for Joel.

I should mention....all of this hard work was done in 100+ degree weather...so yeah, Joel's a rock star. (literally...)

Today--the basement pins are being installed to every-so-slightly pull back a wall...so now--LET THE PLANTING BEGIN!