Home Improvement

Here are some photos of the latest house project...the upstairs. Thanks to good friend Brandon we have finally gotten things started! I spent some time this week doing clean up so the last room can be cleared out and torn apart as well. Here are some pics:

"Before"

"After"

-check out that honeycomb!

Initially (and still some now) I was not too excited about this project, though I really wanted it done. Now its kind of 'exciting' to see the bare bones of the house and see how it gets put back together. It will amount to 2 large bedrooms with lots of closet space and a bathroom. The one room is currently housing the trim to be stripped and used again and some misc. furniture, but we hope to get that moved in the next couple weeks and get that room cleared out as well. Fun times and good memories! I was looking back at my "home improvement" scrapbook and its interesting to see the changes in the past 5 years already. The other project currently in the works is getting the trim on the living room windows so we can put up curtains, hopefully before the hot summer sun starts coming in.

The bestest weekend!

We have had such a fun weekend! Gabbie is still recovering from 15 month shots and teething, but she has still been a trooper for weekend activity. Friday night we all went swimming and played in the gym, then hit the McDonalds drive through as we were too tired to get out of the car!

Saturday Gabbie and I rode with Brice to take a load of hogs to Sioux Center.

Gabbie enjoyed the truck ride! Again, lunch at McDonalds as it was the only place we could fit the truck and trailor well. I got a book finished on the way up and a nap on the way home! We went spans of time with Gabbie having no pacifier...we are trying to get rid of that thing before her 18 month birthday!

Sunday we just had to play in the mud! Hard to resist making a huge mess...

Gabbie needed her Vitamin D (she laid down on purpose, didn't fall!)

She found the best mud puddles! And yes, she did try to eat it; and no, she didn't like it!

Then we came in the house and she found her loot-2 sippies AND the pacifier! What a treasure!

I love weekends that aren't booked full and we can just play! I have been doing well this year with staying caught up on housework and bookwork, which has made the weekends much more free and fun. I'm glad Gabbie enjoyed the mud, as it seems we have many days of that ahead!

Good report!

To those who know my dental history...today (after using the weather as an excuse 4 times now) I finally went to my dental appointment and exited the chair with no cavities! To those who do not know...I usually only escape that chair 1 out of 4 times with no cavities. And usually if there is 1 cavity there are 2 or 3 (yes, one year there were 9 of them, no joking). So, needless to say that made my day. Other than having the male dentist do my cleaning versus the female assistant. Those man hands made my jaw hurt all day.
I spent the rest of the morning doing the things I have meant to do for 5 years now, basically since I got married. I finally updated my passport with my married name. Now we must plan a trip! I went to get my license plates changed to the county I live in, but decided it was too cold to change the plates today in the parking lot. Mailed baby gifts to children who probably aren't going to fit into the gifts anymore, had a thyroid check which the doctor ordered weeks ago, and bought my gardening items to start my indoor seeds. I have officially titled this year "The year of staying caught up". The year we were pregnant was "The year of cleaning" to make room for the little one, the first year we had Gabbie was "The year of organization" as we learned to juggle schedules, checkbooks, and keep the house somewhat maintained. This year is the one...the one where we don't wait until the end of the year to get everything done and caught up! This is even helping me at work as this afternoon I caught up on a few charts and turned in all my home health notes 5 days early, yeah me :-)
Another bright note of the day...the upstairs remodeling project has begun. Tonight I already found myself dreaming of a real bathtub as I scrubbed Gabbie up in her baby bathtub and tucking her into a bed in her own room where we can put her things instead of in the closet or basement. (I know...I whine over a bathtub and a bedroom when the fact is she is perfectly clean and healthy and has a place to sleep). However, as materialistic as it may be, I am excited :-)

Las Vegas trip

Found the 'leaning' power lines interesting!

Family picture at Hoover Dam :)

Pretty amazing bridge!

CHEESE! Fun in the sun!

Hoover Dam from below

Double G! Gabbie and GretchenBrad looks so manly pushing a stroller!

Brad and Angela's dog, ShatsiVegas

Brice and Gabbie in one of the casinos

I wish we could take the plug out for just 1 pic!Where Brice went hunting in the desert

The sunset...we have been missing those!

M & M store

We have been back from our first family vacation for about a week now, so I thought it was time to post some pictures and a THANK YOU to our hosts! We traveled to Las Vegas to visit Brice's uncle Brad, aunt Angela, and meet up with his sister Gretchen from California. It was nice to spend time with each other and family for a few days and go to a place where we could see grass and take off our snow boots! The temps were in the 50s and 60s.

It was a blast to spend so much one on one time with Gabbie; although it was quite tiring! I feel like I do not get to spend much time with her when there is no distractions (cleaning, making supper, laundry, etc.) so it was great to 'catch up' with my own kid! Brice and I both agreed that we are missing out of course with our work schedules, but did not come up with any solutions to that problem besides using the time we do have to absorb the amazing person that our child is. The blessing for both of us is that she is thriving at daycare and loves it, and as long as she is happy we can not be too upset that we are missing out!

Anyway, back to the trip. The first day we were there we went to Hoover Dam-how awesome! The things humans can do when they put their minds to it. I was so in awe of the bridge being built for traffic to bypass the dam. Its like gravity doesn't exist; though I'm sure those building the bridge disagree! Day 2 we went downtown and walked through the casinos, saw "Bodies...the Exhibit" and the M & M store. Downtown Vegas is not a place for a child...you can not get within a foot of a slot machine and someone is after you like you've commited a crime (which I guess technically it is...). Day 3 Brice went hunting with his aunt's brother and though they did not have much luch it sounds like they had a great time! Gabbie and I went with Gretchen, Brad, and Angela to the Ethel M chocolate factory and out for sushi while Brice was hunting for our supper :) Overall a great family vacation! Brice and I have already agreed that next time we will probably leave the kiddo at home...airports are too annoying with a child (taking shoes off, having milk tested, and searching strollers) and it is hard to get much rest and relaxation when you are chasing a 1 year old who has way too much energy! We are thinking a local amusement park or water park will suit us for our next family vacation!

Otherwise not a lot is new in our neck of the woods. Brice is busy moving snow, pigs, etc. Gabbie is busy climbing, swimming, talking a little (trying to repeat some words...time to watch our language!), and carrying things all over the house. I am a new addict to books on tape/CD and am really regretting having disposed of my portable tape and CD players 2 years ago when I bought an I-pod for my music. I am currently reading Marley and Me and it definetly makes the time spent doing laundry, ironing, and dishes more enjoyable while Gabbie is napping. TV is so annoying anymore.

Hope you enjoy the pictures! I am off now to get some firewood from a friend to keep our woodstove going. Winter has been longer than predicted and we are all out of our own dry firewood! We are longing for summer like everyone else...the dripping on my head this morning in the bathroom and the discovery of yet another leak thanks to the large amount of ice and snow on the roof has my neutral attitude toward winter becoming bitter. To curb the bummer feeling I think Valentine's Day will be spent planting garden seeds in the basement and getting those tomatoes a good start while I dream of that first bite of a juicy tomato this summer :)

Its all worth it...

Just have to brag...and kick myself in the behind for the whining I do. Today I worked an 11 hour day, thanks to my in-laws being able to help with Gabbie and to potentially bad weather this week nessecitating (sp?) my getting as much done as I could. Came home to what amounted to over 30 minutes of dishes, did laundry, made supper, and sorted mail to pay bills. Brice was in early, thinking he had a board meeting tonight which turned out to be cancelled. I was feeding Gabbie in between dishes, returning phone calls, etc. I'm not used to him being in the house during the 'evening rush' which is even more rushed after a long day. As I'm walking by the table for the millionth time he stops me and says "you know, you really are a pretty awesome wife".
Ahh..that felt pretty good. Especially because he really is an awesome husband, and usually by the time he gets in the house we are already working on bedtime.
Now time to get back to balancing checkbooks. Good thing we both think each other is awesome, because our account balances really aren't...

A WHOLE new level of energy!

Here's what Gabbie got done during my 5 minute shower this evening: splashing in the toilet, pulled half the toilet paper off the roll, standing on her potty chair to rearrange the items around our bathroom sink, and found the garage door opener and managed to open and close the door before I got out to grap the device from her hand before she caused the door some problems!
So...I thought we'd go wear off some energy at the pool. The other Mom there (whose daughter was older than Gabbie but about half her size) thought Gabbie was so much fun and 'fearless'! Her daughter was so nervous in the water and did not like she she went under. Gabbie thought it was great to dunk her head under-and to climb the bars to the deeper part, and jump in off the edge (not totally on her own, I was standing in the pool, but she didn't hesitate!) If only this Mom knew how absolutely nervous it makes me to have a child that has no fear of the water...
So...then I think we can wear off some energy playing basketball. She stood in awe watching a girl who was about 9 or 10 years old shooting baskets. Too bad Gabbie couldn't even lift a ball above her head. Then she saw a group of boys playing ball and decided she needed to join. I don't think they were looking for an extra player!
Time to leave the rec. Not content to be carried she had to walk/jog on the way to the car. And she's still going strong now at 10 p.m, and I was ready for bed an hour ago! I need to tape nights like tonight when people ask me "when is number two on the way?" Probably when I start drinking Red Bull or some energy drink to get through!

Winter Scenery

Thank goodness for a nice South wind to bring some warmer temperatures! It was not at all pleasant this morning, but by later afternoon we were able to head outside-comfortable with snow pants, good coats, hats, mittens, and boots (with 2 layers underneath) for a good hour or more. I don't think we'd spent any time outside just for fun in the past 2 1/2 weeks! The fresh air felt awesome. Took some pictures of the pretty scenery. I know people may think I have a mental disorder, but I do enjoy winter :-) Its pretty, cozy, and allows for more indoor time. I will remind myself to re-read this in March!