Back To Reality

Our family vacation to the Lake of the Ozarks with my parents was wonderful! We left at 8am as planned on Tuesday morning. We arrived at the lake around 3, making only a couple of stops. We stopped at a great park for a picnic lunch and then the girls played. I think that helped them cope with the 6 hours in the car. They did amazingly well. Alivia got some new dvds to watch on Aunt Nikki's DVD player (now we want one for Christmas!). This year, Alivia actually watched them, and Addison did too! That helped pass the time a lot!

We arrived to Sunrise Beach to sunny skies and warm temps. It was wonderful! We spent our days in the water, going to a bar and grill that had a beach via the boat (Addison may have liked the boat but did not like her life jacket - so it was a long boat ride!), going to Osage Beach to the candy store (Alivia's favorite), riding the jet skis, taking canoe rides, and cooking our meals. We did not eat out at all! We only went to McDonalds on the way home for some icecream. Chris and I did go out on a date one late night and went to see the Borne Ultimatum. It was a great movie (but this is coming from someone who sees 1 movie every other year). Alivia and Addison both liked climbing up and down Grandma and Grandpa's stairs. My favorite part of the trip had to be the beach! What a great place to take the girls. Alivia and Addison both loved swimming and playing in the sand. Addison, who got in 2 more teeth on this trip, spent a lot of the trip not feeling well with a fever and what we believe to be a heat rash. Both are gone now, of course, and she appears to be back to her normal happy self. Chris probably would say his favorite part of the trip was the jet ski and the canoe rides (I loved both of those things too). Alivia would probably say the beach and playing with all the noodles in Grandma and Grandpa's big pool (the lake) and going to the candy store. Addison liked playing on the stairs outside and splashing in the water at the beach. We all loved the "little something" Grandma would give us after meals (aka cookie dough or fresh cookies!). We had such a wonderful time. I always get crabby when it is time to leave just because I don't want to! Alivia was excited to leave because Grandma told her we were going to eat lunch at the park on the way home!

We have already decided...next year, same time, same place, same crowd with one little addition of course but for a longer period of time! Let's start the countdown now for the Austin family of "5" vacation to Grandma and Grandpa's house!

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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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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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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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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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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

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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Before, During, & 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.

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Addison's 1 year pictures...

Addison's 1 year pictures are available to view at http://www.capturetoday.photosite.com/Album230/

Now, to decide which ones to chose...

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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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Happy 1st Birthday, Addison Rose!

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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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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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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Happy 4th of July

 

chalk flag

 

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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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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Some things ARE free

Spiderman at HyVee

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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Frustration...

...is a new word in our family lately, one Alivia is finding the meaning to quickly. This evening, the nanny called and quit. Yes, the nanny that was to begin on Monday called and quit before she even started. Seriously, did she think she had to clean? Now we are back to the Grandmas to get us by until we find someone else. Can you say, "The handwriting is on the wall"?

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Addison's Going to Be 1 Year Old!

Addison, almost 11 months old

Join us for fun under the sun,

As Addison Rose turns ONE!

Sunday, July 15th at 3pm

Well, the invitations have been snail mailed out! It is difficult to believe that Addison is going to be 1 already. We are having a party with family to celebrate her big day (which is actually on the 12th). We plan on having sandwiches, salads, a Big "1" cake, and icecream. I will, of course, post tons a pictures! Hopefully Addison can open up a bit and enjoy her party.

On July 12th, you can see Addison on Channel 6's 1st Birthdays at 5:45 and 6:45am. Until then, Addison will continue to have us all chasing after her, up the stairs, around the house, around the park, and around the yard. One day after turning 11 months, she got her first tooth on the bottom. She is trying to do a lot of chewing with the one tooth that is barely showing! Unlike her sister, she is a picky little eater. She pushes food away, or, if Mommy is persistant, she will take the food and then toss it. That is always a lot of fun (imagine a bowl, which was to stick to the table, full of homemade mac n cheese tossed on our wood floor. YUCKY!). She is a little lovebug, coming up to us just to give us a hug several times a day. We love that! We love this stage, as with every stage of our girls' lives. You have to enjoy every moment while you can. 

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"I need help!"

That is a phrase that it took me years to say. I am the first to admit, I am quite stubborn. But, with 2 kids and being quite tired and many times sick with our third child, I am finding it difficult to keep up with it all. Although there are many Moms of 2 or more kids that work, I do not personally know of very many that I can talk to on how they juggle it all (believe me, if I could, I would be an at home Mommy cleaning during naptime).  Anyway...a couple months ago, I finally started calling about getting someone to help with the household cleaning. By the time I get home from work, get dinner, clean up, play a bit with the girls, bath time - it is 8:30 and I am exhausted. I then have to study for my job (new products coming out in August), and do my other at home work for my job. Then, about 9:30-10, I have to clean up a little bit. If I am tired or something and skip it...there is just more to do the following night. You get my drift.

I thought finding a cleaning lady would be simple. No. The first one cancelled before even showing up for an estimate. The second one (the one I have now), did a HORRIBLE job on her first clean, the next time she did not show up until 4:45 (giving her 15 minutes to clean our home). Needless to say, I had her go home. I have tried to get others between these 2, all charging too much for me. Remember, I am quite a conservative spender, but try to be very particular about a clean house. For a family without cable because I think it is a waste of time and money, devoted any money to a cleaning lady is a big splurge.

So, I now know why it took me so long to say, "I need help." Sometimes it is just better to try and do it all myself. :) Happy cleaning.

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Success

Success at first meant getting my Bachelor's Degree in Nursing. The next thing success meant to me was to be married to my wonderful husband, Chris. Next, success was getting a job in pharmaceutical sales. Success then had to be being the best and achieving president's club for top sales. If that was not enough, success meant getting my MBA. After all that was said and done, success was to finally become parents. Now, as a Mommy to 2 and soon to be 3 babies, success has taken on a much different meaning.

Today, success means ALIVIA IS STAYING DRY AT NIGHT! I wake her at 10pm every night, she goes potty, and then is dry every night. This is her success...but as a Mommy, it feels good to have less laundry to do (and this is actually success...the other stuff was just stuff leading to successes as a Mommy!)! Yeah, Alivia!

Now, doesn't success feel good?

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A Year of Change

Oh, where do I begin? Well, I will start on April 26. 2 weeks prior to this date, I started running with my neighbor, Beth. Running has always been a passion of mine. I also had some things to tone since having Addison 9 months prior. I was having fun with our new evening activity, but I had begun to have what I thought to be low blood sugar in the evenings and in the mornings. This would not have been uncommon since I was still pumping extra in the evening, was running, and was now skipping the evening snack (because I was running where I was spending the time snacking before). I did not think anything of this until my friend, Heidi, called on Tuesday, April 24, to announce they were expecting their third baby. As excited as I was for them, I then began to think to myself...could I be PREGNANT?! No way! After all, my body was not functioning correctly since I was still nursing. I could not be. Right? So, Thursday morning (April 26), I stopped and picked up a test. Sure enough, it was positive almost instantly! Oh my goodness, I had to call Chris at work. I was in shock. Chris just did not believe me!! He was shocked (and still is) to say the least. I called and scheduled blood work and an ultrasound. Since baby's due dates are typically figured by the woman's cycle, our due date is more of an educated guess. My blood work at that first appointment had me at 7 weeks. My ultrasound was conflicting. So, I did not get a due date. I guessed it to be December sometime so we could announce our surprise in the end of photobooks we were giving the Grandmas for Mother's Day.They were surprised as well! At the 8 week appointment  I was told my due date would be right around Christmas, but still no exact due date (although they are only estimates anyway). At my supposed 12 week appointment last week, I had another ultrasound and my due date was set - December 27, 2007. Alivia was born at 36 weeks and Addison was born at 37 weeks. I am hoping for a somewhat early arrival so we do not have a Christmas Birthday. How have I been feeling, well better after being placed on Zofran. This is a drug used for nausea in chemo patients. I was on it with Addison, and I could not have made it without it! I was quite sick on Zofran for a couple weeks this time. It is slowly improving, but I still know when a pill is due. Maybe in a few more weeks (I was on it until week 16 with Addison). I am now 13 weeks. After mailing out the announements last week (to everyone except my work, unless they read this blog), we told Alivia. She, at first, said she wanted 2 sisters. Then, changed her mind and said she wanted a baby brother like her baby cousin Henry. She has not said much since. I really do not think she knows what is going on yet. I do think she will be Mommy's little helper this time. Addison, is just figuring out what babies are. For the most part, she thinks "babies" are dolls. At 11 months, she is still a baby herself!

We are so excited to have another baby. We found out that God definitely has His way of planning things. Chris said at the beginning of 2007, "This is going to be the year of change." We had NO IDEA what that meant at the time. I just thought he was going to get a new job! So far, we just hired a nanny (which we are so excited about), we are looking for a bigger car (oh boy...do I dare say MINIVAN?), we are trying to decide if we want to remodel our office and move that space to the spare bedroom in the basement so that each of our kids can have their own room, and we will be having  a new bundle of joy joining the Austin Family in December (and I am not even listing off every change)!!

Now, that is a year of change! 

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Happy Father's Day

Our Annual Father's Day in Iowa at the flight breakfast was exciting this year. Daddy was able to get a test ride in a plane Grandma Bill is considering. The girls had a good time, too. Happy Father's Day!

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God's Blessings

Alivia & Addison

God's Blessings come in many shapes and sizes,

Some even come as big surprises.

We were happy with our family of four,

But God thought we would be happier with just one more.

December 27, 2007, is now the approximate date,

For a baby girl or baby boy, we will just have to wait.

 

Love,

Chris & Krista

Alivia, Soon to be "Crowned the Big Sister" again &

Addison, Soon to be "Crowned the Middle Sister"

 

Thank-you, God, for your surprises!

(I am now 12 weeks)

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Addison turns 11 months old!

Our little baby is growing into a little girl. She is setting her own pace, as both of our girls tend to do. Unlike Alivia at this age, Addison gets around by crawling and cruising well. Outside, however, she moves like a spider, never allowing her body to touch the ground. Addison can stand alone - but refuses to take her first steps. She has perfected crawling upstairs and up the slide (the baby one at the park and the toddler slide we have in our basement)! She shows no interest in climbing the steps and going down the right way on the slide in our basement, either. She is quite vocal, mostly squeeling to get her needs met. Her only words: Mama, Dada and Piper (our cat). I am strict with words though. I have to hear her say something twice for me to count it. Unlike with Alivia, I am not allowing others to convince me that there is something wrong with her because she is not talking nor walking. As a nurse by education, I realize babies set their own pace. Addison has yet to do any signs. Alivia was signing at 8 months, but I have not had as much time to focus on this with Addison. She waves, does the whole SO BIG, and shakes her head yes. But as far as signing milk, more, eat, etc...she just has not shown interest. I am hoping in the next month she will begin to communicate by signing.

Addison's favorite things continue to be her taggies and her favorite toy is her little piano that her big sister colored green today. She also loves to play with rocks outside, but I am waiting for her to try and eat them. Inside she has found the pantry, the towel drawer and the storage containers. Letting her go crazy while I get dinner can get rather messy. One of Chris and my favorite things about Addison is her sleeping habits. We lay her down at night with her taggie and she goes right to sleep without a peep. When she wakes in the morning, she lays, sits or stands quietly until I check on her and see she is awake! The same thing goes for naptime! Gotta love that!

In one month, she will be 1 year old. That is so hard to believe!

Addison will have her 11 month pictures taken on this Thursday. Check out proofs at http://www.capturetoday.photosite.com/. Look for Addison's proofs to be available Friday or Monday of next week probably. I will post her picture from today as soon as I get it loaded.

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Yummy chicken toes...

I know...that does not sound good! Call them whatever you want, they turned out yummy. I have been hunting for new, fun things to make for dinner around here. Alivia and Chris like chicken nuggets, but I refuse to buy any of the unhealthy versions in the store. I found this recipe in my April issue of Parents Magazine, which adapted the recipe from "Cooking Rocks! Rachael Ray's 30-minute Meals for Kids." That is a book on the top of my want list! What working Mom has more than 30 minutes? (or Mom in general for that matter).

Okay, here it is.

Crunchy Oven-Baked Chicken Toes

1 c. cornflakes cereal, crushed

1 c plain bread crumbs

2 Tbs. brown sugar

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp allspice

3 Tbs. vegetable oil

1/3 c. flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 lbs. chicken-breast, cut into 20 pieces.

1/4 c honey mustard

1/4 c barbecue sauce

1. Heat oven to 375. In large bowl, combine cornflake crumbs, bread crumbs, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and allspice.

2. Drizzle vegetable oil evenly over the cornflake mixture. mix well to combine. Place flour and beaten eggs into separate bowls. Dredge the chicken toes in the flour, then the eggs, andthen the cornflake mixture. Pat to form an even coating. Arrange the chicken toes about 1 inch apart on a nonstick baking sheet. Place the chicken in the oven and cook until crisp and brown all over, about 15-20 minutes.

3. In small bowl, mix together honey mustard and barbecue sauce for dipping (We just had bbq sauce).

 Makes 4-6 servings.

I served it with grilled vegetables (peppers tonight) and cubed watermelon. Alivia loved the grilled peppers. This is a girl that until recently would not dare to eat a vegetable (which started when she was about 12 months old. Interesting considering she nursed for just over a year and I eat mostly fruits and vegetables). 

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A week gladly over.

What a week. After all that went on last week, it is no wonder why our entire family now has a cold. I am now just getting the sore throat...so I guess it's my turn. After the whole daycare incident (and the 2 prior ones) Chris and I are done with childcare. We are going to utilize family for the mean time until we can figure something out. Chris will maybe consider a nanny type person to just watch our girls and maybe ours with their own children. But, that is it. And, that is a big maybe, too. We just had no idea the evil in this world until this week. It is really sad. Why can't we live closer to my friend, Heidi? :)

Today was our nephew Henry's baptism. Chris is honored to be his Godfather. We already marked it in the calendar so we can be sure to recognize his baptism day yearly. Chris wants to be the best Godparent and uncle he can be. I will post pictures when I get them loaded.

We are praying for a nice, peaceful week this week. I really do not think we can take too many more twists, turns and surprises. But, you never know...

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Pathetic Baker

Okay, let me explain. I am not THAT pathetic really. After all, I had a job in high school making cookies everyday for a local business. I loved that job! With that said, I will get to the pathetic part. I love oatmeal cookies. I have this recipe that came from my now 92 year old Grandma. However, the recipe only works if you use lard. WHO USES THAT ANYMORE? Anyway, I had this big craving for oatmeal cookies and I did not have a good recipe. So, while doing my Friday evening grocery shopping, I actually bought one of those Betty Crocker Cookie in a bag things. I often wondered when I saw those, "Now who would buy those?" Oh, I would! Let me tell you, they are NOT homemade. But, they were okay and I guess I filled my craving a bit. Next time, I will look on the web for a recipe though - not one through Betty Crocker.

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What a day!

My day started out wonderful. I woke up to sunny skies. Went downstairs to prepare for breakfast and was greeted by the flowers Chris got me yesterday. The girls were in good spirits and easily got ready to go. We arrived at daycare and our provider was clearly in a bad mood. She was quite rude to me and not so nice to Alivia. I was NOT HAPPY when I left there, but decided not to say anything until my return. I returned to pick up instead of Chris so I can ask her about her behavior. I asked, "Is there a problem that I need to be aware of?" Without getting into the story, I will summerise with...we are looking for new care. They are going to Grandmas house for now. This is just proof that you can not trust your children with just anyone, not even someone who calls herself a Christian. Stating it is one thing, acting as God would is another story. As Chris said after she hung up on him tonight, WE NEED TO PRAY FOR HER!

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Happy Birthday, Grandma Bet!

Last night, we had a small gathering for my Mom's 60th birthday on Monday, June 4. It was just our family, Marsha, Nikki, Mom and Dad (of course), and Char & Jan (close friends of my parents). It was a fun night. Alivia loves parties. I guess we must too since we have so many it seems. :) Mom got a lot of nice things. We gave her a nice locket from Von Maur (my favorite store) and put 4 pictures of the girls inside. I think she liked it. Jan bought a champagne cake from The Cake Gallery (where we normally get our cakes), & it was a huge hit.

Happy Birthday, Mom (aka Grandma)! & many more...

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A Dry Bed...

I really don't think that before Chris and I were married that we would think that one of our biggest desires now would be to sleep alone together in a dry bed! Alivia has gotten out of bed and snuck into our bed in the middle of the night since shortly after Addison was born. She was 100% potty trained until she started daycare, then reverted to wetting at night. The combination of sleeping in our room and night accidents are a big problem. Last night Alivia was in our bed when I came upstairs for the night. I admit, I ignored her until I was ready to crawl into bed 1 hour past the normal time (so I was good and tired). I went to pick her up and she was soaked, along with many layers of bedding on my side of the bed (including a silk comforter). I was not happy. I gave up pull-ups just last week when I asked her if she wanted to wear panties or pull-ups and she picked panties. It is just not working.

So, the DRY CLEAN ONLY silk comforter was washed along with all our bedding including the pad. Now, I just have to come up with a plan so we can have our clean dry bed back!

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Welcome summer!

Oh, why can't every day be a day off? Topher and I have loved the last 4 days at home with the girls. I would be lying if I did not say that Alivia and Addison loved having us home, too. Everyday, Alivia would wake up and ask if Daddy was still at home. Then, when I said yes, she would excitedly ask, "Do I get to stay home with Daddy and Mommy today?" It is so nice to see how excited she is to stay home with us, but at the same time sad that she is so upset to be left at daycare. I am sure there will be a lot of tears tomorrow as they are left for breakfast.

What did we do all weekend? Oh, we rode bikes (Daddy has this new toy that he pulls the girls behind his bike. It was an early Father's Day present that I think Alivia loves!), swam in the girls' new pink pool, played on the swingset, changed Alivia's baby's diapers more than 100 times, and went to the park. The sprinkler park is now open, so Alivia is looking forward to going there when the weather warms a bit more. Topher took her up there to look on Sunday, but it was just too cool to go play. Today we went to Iowa for the Memorial Day service and then the annual family picnic. I would post new pictures, but I left the camera in Iowa! What will I do without my camera all week! Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa are coming on Friday to babysit, so I will get it back then. Alivia can not stop talking about all the fun she has on the farm. Chris is looking nonseriously, I think anyway, at land to build a house on. What would Alivia do without being able to go to gymnastics?

I finally signed up Alivia for Swimtastic swimming lessons. We will see how she does. It is an independent swimming class with just 4 kids maximum in her class. She went to gymnastics alone, and she thinks she is ready for swimming alone. For the price of these lessons, we have high hopes. She begins in 2 weeks, so we will keep you posted.

So, tomorrow is back to the daily grind. Nothing like being thrown into the fire, either. My boss will greet me at my breakfast appointment at 8:30. Okay, what was I thinking making a breakfast appointment the day after a Holiday (the boss coming is completely out of my control)? So, it will be a big rush to get the girls up, dressed and at daycare early so I can rush to pick up my breakfast and get there in time. My hands hurt just typing that out. Thank goodness I have that SUPER WOMAN cape stashed away for just the occasion.

With that said...Happy Summer! Our family has a busy month of June planned with something every weekend, I think. Then, in July, Addison will be turning 1 with her big birthday bash on July 15th. I am sure there will be more Austin excitement up our sleeves as we make our way through summer.

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Going Private...kind of

Okay, those of you on vox know that when you post a message, vox shows other users that just posted updates. One from a person named Stace, I don't know why, caught my attention. Scary, this woman had pictures/videos of her daughters stolen and placed on someone else's blog as their own pictures! Creepy! So, I will continue to keep most of our posts public, but I will no longer post the pictures to the public. That is way too disturbing for me. Sorry, if you want to see updated pictures you will have to sign up to vox and I will add you to our neighborhood (which is an easy process). I hope everyone understands and keeps visiting anyway.

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Happy 3rd Birthday, Alivia!

Oh, what a 3rd birthday it was, too. Alivia woke to fresh chocolate donuts...her favorite but an extremely rare treat. She opened her presents: A Barbie big wheel that she will have to grow into, a wooden bake set, and Dora colorforms. She was mostly excited about the donut and told me, "Mommy, now that was a good donut!" After checking out her presents, we packed up for our trip to the zoo. It was a nice day to be at the zoo. It was busy as it usually is for our annual birthday trip. Alivia noted "there are a lot of kids here," to Grandma Bet when we called her while at the zoo. Alivia was actually afraid at first, which was weird considering we were just at the zoo 6 weeks ago and she was fine. She soon got over that. We visited the aquarium, bears, elephants, tigers, monkeys, gorillas, rhinos, and the giraffes just to name a few. Alivia liked the sharks best, as she thanked God for the "Sharkies" in her prayers tonight. We brought a picnic lunch from Little King. We stayed just a bit longer after lunch then made our way to Zestos for icecream. Alivia had her first chocolate shake and Addison helped eat my cone. Yummy.

Alivia came home and played until heading to bed. After thanking us for her birthday, she went right to sleep. What a sweetheart!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Alivia! Thanks for 3 great years (and many more fun years to come!).

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It's Time to Celebrate...

Alivia turns 3!

...Alivia's 3rd Birthday! On Sunday we had Alivia's 3rd Birthday party with a few family. We try to keep the parties to close family that she knows well. Alivia had a lot of fun this year. Her cousin Lucas came, so she had fun playing with him. She needed help blowing out those 3 candles on her Dora cake (she asked for a Dora cake with Dora presents :) ), but she had no problem opening her presents. She has been enjoying playing with some of those tonight.

On Friday, her actual 3rd birthday, she will open her presents from Chris and I, and then it is off to a day at the zoo. She is really excited about that.

 

Alivia's 3rd Birthday Dora Cake

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The Cost of Living...

Seriously, Chris and I are finding out how much our cost of living is going up lately. Perhaps it is the cost of living in our house! The first of May started with the installation of the fence. We love it and would do it agian in a heartbeat. It was needed! Next came carpet. We have rather yucky carpet throughout the dining room and upstairs (we replaced the family room carpet last year and the basement carpet is new). So, it had to be replaced. Chris and I are dragging our feet to call the store to set up the installation. Why? We have to move all of our furniture, take down the beds, move dressers, clear closets, etc, etc. I, for one, just am not interested. Oh, and to top things off, our computer crashed last week. Chris had a hard drive just for me to save my pictures on. Luckily, I load them every month at Shutterfly, but, I lost most of them from our computer. Needless to say, I am quite upset about this. Chris is always telling me to back them up on a CD, but I am admittedly too dumb to do that. I will learn when this new Dell arrives. Now, don't anyone tell me that Dell produces bad computers because it is too late - it is on its way.  After 2 crashes in 2 years, this one better last longer. That is all I am saying. So, this is the final warning for Microsoft and then we are going to Mac.

So, now you know what I mean when the our cost of living seems to be on the rise THIS MONTH. Oh, and to top it off, I have never seen gas prices so high! Seriously!

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Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day! We went to Chris' parents home last night to wish his Mom a Happy Mother's Day. Today we are making the trip to Iowa to wish my Mom the same (and Grandma's too). We are looking forward to a relaxing day on the farm. Alivia, having spent the night there this week while I was out of town, is excited to get to play with Grandma's toys, playset, and Tiper, their cat.

Happy Mother's Day!

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Addison turns 10 months old!

Addison has changed a lot over the last month. She has advanced into a big girl by eating mostly table foods. I still give her a baby food with DHA in it at every meal, though, and she has yet to refuse. As she turned 10 months, she started to spit food out. Hopefully that was just a fluke.

She is cruising really well now. However, to get from point A to point B, she drops to her nears and crawls like a rocket. Her favorite thing to chase is Piper, our cat. (He is a household favorite). She has also been known to crawl to Mommy or Daddy and crawl up our leg to hint that she wants to be held. She got her first pair of shoes so she can get around outside and in stores without stepping it something with her barefeet. We had to buy cradle shoes with a traction because her little feet are too small for cruisers or first walkers! These ought to last a good month!

Happy 10 months Addison. Check out the girls' lastest pictures taken on her 10h month (5/12/07) at http://www.capturetoday.photosite.com/Album152/. They are mostly Alivia's 3 year pictures.

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All fenced in

All fenced In...

Well, we did it! After living in our home for nearly 7 years, we finally had a fence installed. Oh, we have our privacy back somewhat too! Our yard was turning into the neighborhood playground (which Alivia loved), but Chris and I got frustrated by being the neighborhood babysitters. It is SOOOOO nice now to go out to our yard. We were not sure we would like it, but we would do it sooner (like last summer when we had a new baby, a 2 year old, and a neighborhood full of kids to look after).

As for this weekend...it is the garage sale. I know we say this every year, but this year is the last year. We are giving up a lot of stuff to clear our spaces a bit. What does not get sold goes to Good Will.

Next week is a busy week. I leave Monday night for Denver leaving Chris with the girls. I am totally dreading it. I hate leaving the girls. Chris will have fun, though. :)

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