Sunday, July 29, 2007

Vacation Begins...

...and not a moment too soon! Chris' vacation has started, and mine starts Tuesday. We will enjoy some much needed time in the sun (weather permitting) with our family. I will post pictures when we return. We plan to take a few canoe rides, swim and maybe Chris and I will even go out on a date! Until next week...we are on vacation!

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Saturday, July 28, 2007

Finally!

I think we may have found childcare through our church. The girls will be in a Christian home where they will currently be the only kids there. That will help them adjust from going from the Grandmas to another person's care. The provider, Rachel, has her degree in early child education and has lesson plans for even the youngest learners (including Addison). There is also a park nearby that Miss Rachel plans to walk to with the girls. I asked Alivia after the interview if she would like to go to Miss Rachel's while Mommy and Daddy go to work, and she said "yes!" She has said no to pretty much everyone (except the first nanny we hired). So, they will begin with Miss Rachel on August 13. Wish us all luck and a smooth transition!

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Monday, July 23, 2007

We have cool air!

Long story actually. The first "repair" man came out of Friday, "fixed" our air conditioner for $110. A few hours later, the system broke. Humm. So, he came back on Saturday to tell us the compressor went out. We could either get a new one for $1200 or get a new system. We have a family friend that does this for a living, so he sent someone out to get a second opinion (he was quite sick and that is why he did not come out in the first place). Anyway, the compressor was not broke. The original "repair" man disengaged the air conditioner by unwiring it (which was totally unnecessary). He claimed he gave us freon, but he probably did not. And, we had a shady "leak" on the inside and a real minor leak on the outside. The inside leak was fixed, and the outside leak appears minor. Our air conditioner has never worked better! It is so nice in cool in our house now. However, this IS a temporary fix. The new one - over $5000. We still have a leak outside that can not be repaired. So, we are hoping to get by for a while since we do not want to fork out the over $5000 right now. This is insane. I am telling you, we should have moved when our house reached 6-7 years old! Everything is needing replaced at a major price. Isn't owning a home fun?

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First steps!

Addison took her first steps tonight! Usually I try having Addison walk to Alivia. She looks at me like, "Mommy, are you serious?" and sits down. Tonight I had her walk to Chris. She took 4-5 steps right off the get go! It was like she was waiting for a trusting person to be at the other end to catch her if she fell! She wanted to walk more and more! Yeah! Now, we have 2 kids to keep up with (or they have to keep up with us)!

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Sunday, July 22, 2007

89.7 Degrees

That is the high temperature IN OUR HOME today. Luckily, we were able to find cool places to spend the afternoon (the mall, Chris' parents for a while). This may be a long week. Sounds like we will be getting a new air conditioner, so hopefully this process goes smooth. After some shutters came crashing down on Chris tonight, we are beginning to think we have a dark cloud over us. Well, maybe the dark cloud will provide some shade and make our house cooler. :)

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Saturday, July 21, 2007

What is big and takes our $?

Will it ever end? After getting our carpet installed, our air conditioner went out. I called on Friday afternoon and had someone come out and look at it. After cleaning the filter which probably became dirty with the carpet and adding freon, it seemed to work. Problem solved. Oh, not so fast. It would not be that simple for Chris and I. Chris' motto has been, "It is never easy" for years. One could say that is a negative attitude unless you knew us. It is actually pretty realistic and usually true. We should come to expect it now.

After the repair on Friday, we were gone all afternoon. When we returned home, we did not notice anything out of the ordinary. This morning, we played in the basement (which is always cool) before heading out to run some weekend errands (like go to the "Christmas Store" for Christmas in July and to a new park). Upon our return, it was 86.1 outside and 86.6 inside. Humm...there seems to be a problem. You guessed it, we need a new compressor at $1200 or a new air conditioner that can run $3-4000! Yikes! The compressor, from the sounds of it, is a short term fix. But, we have a friend that does this for a living, so I need to call him tomorrow to come out (he was sick and that is why he did not come out in the first place).

So, what is big and takes our money? This year it seems to be our house and household in general! A fence, carpet, a computer and possibly an air conditioner (and that is just what I can think of right now)! Now we all know why I am a working Mom!

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The Big Hole

The Hole from the bedroom view
The new bedroom upstairs.
View of the hole from downstairs.

What should we do with the hole in our once office turned bedroom (future home of a child's bedroom...not sure which child yet, though)? Looking at the top picture, there is an actual window in the room to the left. Suggestions we have had for the hole are:

1. Drywall it (so we would never know it was ever there).

2. Cover the space with white shutters, like we have covering many of the windows in our home (but not in this room) with a lock of some sort on top so the kids can not

open the shutters.

Whatever we do, it needs to be child friendly. Any suggestions are welcome. Thanks!


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Friday, July 20, 2007

Before, During, & After

 

The office: Look at all that STUFF
Dining room: During
Family Room?
Dining Room: After
Upstairs Hallway: After

It goes without saying at this point that I have no desire to give up the computer or the internet for Lent...ever! We have not had our computer this week, and it has not been easy. With the carpet install, we thought it was a good time to move the office to the basement to our spare bedroom (since it was tore down anyway). Seriously, we had no idea that getting carpet was like packing up for a move! What a lot of work. Chris had to do the heavy lifting. It was a good thing he got in a "mood" so he could come up with that super human strength to carry things he should not have by himself all over the house. Now, the carpet is installed and to quote Alivia, "It looks pretty."

The office: now in the basement. The old office space, now the spare bedroom. It will be one child's room...we just do not know whose room it will be yet. And, we have yet to decide what to do with the cool opening in our once cool office...close it off, put in shutters....what do to? Suggestions welcome.

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Addison's 1 year party

This past Sunday, July 15th, we had a big bash for Addison's 1st birthday. The fun under the sun began at 3 pm. Addison had her adorable 1st birthday cake and DQ icecream which she just loved. She was not sure why everyone was looking at her and singing to her though. Next came the gift opening. Oh, that was so overwhelming for Addison (and Mommy too!). Alivia helped as Addison was pretty tired before we even started opening the presents. She liked all her new toys and clothes, but played with her new car and stroller mostly right after the opening. Alivia and Addison walked around and around chasing each other with the stroller and the noisy car. It was cute. As a thank-you to the guests, Addison gave butterfly and #1 cookies with a sweet little thank-you on the back. It was a fun afternoon, and a great way to top off her 1st birthday.

Addison's Special Table
Addison's 1st Birthday Cake
Addison: The Birthday Girl!
Zeger/Austin Cousins
Addison checking out her cake.
Addison taking the stroller for a spin.
Addison on her new car...beep beep!

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Thursday, July 19, 2007

Saturday, July 14, 2007

So, what have we been up to?

We have started removing the carpet upstairs for the new carpet install on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. What a nightmare! We have way too much stuff! We have the bedroom carpet up...just need to pull the office, hallway, steps, dining/living rooms yet. Addison's birthday party is tomorrow...so we will wait for the steps and the dining room/living room until that is over. Yes, it is bad timing. I was just trying to get in the install asap not knowing when we would for sure be annexed (this is important because city tax is more than we pay now for delivery/install of goods). I know now that I do not want to move for a while. Well, at least until I forget what a pain this has been (& Chris is doing most of the work...I have just loaded up drawers so he can move the stuff!).

I will post before and then after pics when the project is completed.

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Thursday, July 12, 2007

Happy 1st Birthday, Addison Rose!

Addison's 1st set of wheels
Crawling like a spider

Addison turned 1 year old today! At 11:39 pm one year ago, we welcomed our little girl, Addison Rose. Now, a year later, she is inching her way towards walking, talking a little (uh-oh is her favorite word), and crawling like a spider outside. She is still a Mommy's girl, but I don't mind. Her favorite thing to do outside is play in the pool and in her baby swing. Inside, she likes to do whatever her big sister, Alivia is doing. I still call her my little George as she is curious and gets into trouble just like curious George. In the last month, 4 teeth have come through! WOW! So, we are now advancing food intake a little. She likes her veggies, but she is still unsure about most fruits. For the most part, she looks at the fruit and will not even try it! She is definitely taking after her picky Daddy! She appeared on 1st birthdays this morning in her little swimming suit. What a doll!

For her birthday, we gave her a push car, one that she got a couple weeks ago. Alivia bought her a puzzle and new babies that she will open tonight. Addison will like those presents, and Alivia liked the shopping experience to Toys R Us with her Daddy yesterday.

As for today, Addison (and Alivia) will be at Grandma Kathy's. We took a day off last week so can not take another off this week. Daddy has a good meal in mind for her birthday, and we will have cupcakes for dessert (and let her practice looking at the candle while we sing). Her party is on Sunday afternoon where we will have a big #1 cake. Tomorrow she gets her 1st birthday pictures taken and will have her 1-year check-up (yes, all in one day...what was I thinking?!).

Happy 1st Birthday, Addison! We love you!

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Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Week 16, Into Phase 2

Oh, but who is counting. :) I am now four months pregnant, and into the second trimester. With that, comes the16-week check-up. All was well, baby's heartbeat was strong. My blood pressure was low (hence the lightheadedness I have been having) at 80/42! The nurse retook it and it got lower, so she said she thought she would stop. I guess I will stand up slow for a while until it repairs itself.

Next month is the big ultrasound where we will not find out what we are having (that is right, Chris, we will not find out what we are having this time)! I figure, this baby is God's little surprise, so we might as well go with the surprise all the way to the end. It does not matter what we are having anyway (no, we were not trying for a boy). So, we will all have to wait until December to find out - girl or boy! I will save the names until then, too (not like we have them picked out or anything, though).

Funny side note: when I told Alivia I was going to the Dr today, she asked, "To push the baby out?" Seriously, she is 3 years old. Can we say too much Baby Story?

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Saturday, July 07, 2007

Nanny Hunt - Needing to call it quits

Have you ever heard of Craig's list? Well, it is my new favorite place, well, sort-of. We had a curio cabinet that we tried to sell on a garage sale (and it rained) and then again through the paper (and got one crazy man to look at it). Then, someone told us about http://omaha.craigslist.org/. Gotta love it. Several people responded showing interest. We sold the curio 2 days later at the price we were asking (but $50 less than our original price because I was beginning to think I had it priced too high). Yeah!
Nanny Hunt. What does Craig's list have to do with the Nanny. Well, I can not find a suitable candidate to watch our children! So, I posted an ad on Craig's list. You select your state and city, so you only get local responses. I have had many responses to my ad for a nanny, some good and some not so good. But, I get to go through the candidates like resumes, weeding through them as I go. I will not go into detail on how scary some of these people are. I need someone through December when I will finally be staying home. If we were not expecting, I would just quit my job. However, my insurance vs. Chris insurance for maternity is keeping me at my job for now, regretedly. Believe me, I am not saying that I will not give up and quit in the next month or two. I have not had care for my kids in 2 months and I really have nobody dependable to watch them (or who wants to watch them). It is seriously exhausting! I have been told that I am just too picky, that I just need someone for a few months. I DON'T CARE IF IT IS A FEW HOURS! These are our kids, and I refuse to leave them with someone that is not going to take the best care of them. Period. If I wanted crappy care, they would still be with Judy (who I had to turn into the state!). Needless to say, this expecting mom of 2 is nannied out, exhausted and just wants to give up the hunt and be able to do it myself! I will keep you updated on this hunt, the good, the bad and the ugly. I did try to hire another nanny this week, but she took a different job out of state as a nanny. So, the hunt goes on for now...

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Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy 4th of July

 

 

All American Girls!
Family Photo: 4th of July 2007
Lucas & the girls
Daddy & Addison watching fireworks
Alivia all glowing
Omaha Country Club Fireworks

We had a fun 4th of July! We stayed home and did the normal playtime until after the afternoon nap. Then we packed up and went to Chris' parents for a 4th of July "picnic" inside (since it was so hot outside). The girls and Lucas played and we all went over to the area park. Alivia just loves playing with her cousin Lucas! We then went to see the grand, and I mean GRAND, fireworks display at the Omaha Country Club where Chris' brother is the chef and our sister-in-law is the pastry chef. The fireworks display was just awesome to say the least! Alivia does not like the noise, but did open her eyes once I took her in the clubhouse. Addison, on the other hand, loved the fireworks. She was pointing and all excited as she watched from Daddy's lap. We arrived home around 11. Our neighbors continued their fireworks  with loud music until 11:30, which did not make Alivia too happy (she slept with us).

It was a fun day. And, yet another wonderful day off with our girls (aren't they all?!).

 

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In Memory

A wonderful man, and friend of Chris & his family lost his battle with cancer last weekend. Here is the dedication that was posted on Channel 6's website, where he worked as News Director. May God grant eternal life to John!

 

"Channel 6 News Director Loses Cancer

There have been 4 comments posted

Longtime Channel 6 News Director, John Clark, lost a long battle with cancer this weekend. John was just two weeks away from his 59th birthday.

John dedicated his entire broadcast career to . He started as a reporter at KMTV, but in 1980 moved to WOWT.

Working at Channel 6 first as a reporter, John became Assistant News Director and Assignments Editor in 1984. In 1991, upon the retirement of Steve Murphy, John became News Director.

John Clark was a journalist and a professional. He expected no less from the rest of us.

While it has been many years since John has been seen regularly on TV, you see his impact in every Channel 6 newscast which airs today.

As News Director it astonished him that viewers in some surveys are asked if accuracy matters. John believed that if we are not accurate we are nothing. If he said it once, he said it a thousand times; he'd rather be last and accurate than first and wrong.

John was always mindful that many of the stories we do touch people in very personal and sometimes painful ways. He always urged care and caution in those situations.

John took great pride in leading a news organization that is able to step up and cover major stories whenever they happen.

He was especially proud of the many national and regional awards won by Channel 6 during his tenure, but he most valued the trust that viewers placed in our newscasts night after night, year after year.

While always a professional broadcaster, John Clark was also a family man. He was husband to Joyce, father to Justin and Jeff and proud grandfather to five energetic grandsons.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family who will miss him deeply. His Channel 6 family will miss him as well.

Our industry and our community have lost a strong, honest leader.

VISITATION will be held on Tuesday from with a Wake Service beginning at at St. John Vianney Catholic Church.

FUNERAL will be Thursday at a.m. at St. John Vianney.

St. John Vianney Catholic Church

5801 Oak Hills Drive"

 

http://www.wowt.com/home/headlines/8272247.html

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Tuesday, July 03, 2007

The Process Has Begun

With a little (okay, maybe a lot) of encouragement from Chris, I have started to wean Addison just 1 week before her first birthday. After being pregnant and breastfeeding almost constantly for 3 years, you would think I would be ready. Oh, but I am not. Addison is doing well. I think I could cut her off altogether and she would be fine (that is the benefit of stopping now at 1 year instead of later I guess). Alivia was a bear to wean, so I hope that I am right about Addison. I have her at 3 times a day now. I am looking forward to weaning the noon feeding so the pumping in random parking lots will be over. I am going on a business trip shortly after Addison turns 13 months, and I do not want to take my pump again. I am SO TIRED of airport security questioning me and my breast pump that I can not wait to leave it at home. Since I am almost 4 months pregnant, it would probably be best to give all my nutrients to the new baby now.

So, wish Addison and I luck. Our little baby Addison is growing into her little girl body quicker than Mommy can mentally keep up with.

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Sunday, July 01, 2007

Some things ARE free

Free event at the church
Daddy and Alivia walk to get free treats

We spent our weekend fdoing all kinds of free activities that found us, really. First, we went to Hy-Vee where Alivia played on the blow up things outside. She loved the big slide and grew to like the spiderman trampoline like "thing". She really liked the cotton candy and icecream! Addison, we soon found out, does not like clowns. Sunday, we went to another free event at a church up the street. It was a lot of fun and a lot of people from our neighborhood went (it was an open house type thing for this new church). They had outdoor activities and a free concert. They topped it off with fireworks at 10. Addison LOVED them, Alivia layed on Daddy's chest and cried. Hopefully the 4th goes better at the country club.

So, some things in life ARE free!

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Oh What a Feeling!

Okay, it is not like Chris and I had a lot of debt or anything. However, we were paying on a student loan that we had for Chris' Masters Degree. It is now official...it is paid off! I realize if I were as financially savy as I think I am, I would have parked the money into a growing account and paid the minimum monthly payment since it was a low interest rate that was tax deductable. However, I would have to have done this until Chris was 45 of something...another 10 years of interest I just did not want to pay! I hate monthly payments, too! Now, we can happily report that we have only living expense bills to pay every month! (Luckily, Chris and I do NOT believe in credit cards). To celebrate, Chris took me out on a date last night to Kobe Steakhouse, our favorite. First of all, we never go out just the two of us.. Although we missed the girls, it was so nice to do and should be done more often.

 

Oh, what a feeling to be debt free! We are SOOOOOO excited!

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