Our New House!!!

Today was our first full day as Homeowners! To celebrate we packed up some sandwiches, yogurt, & chips & had a picnic at our new home. The girls LOVE the house & Kaylee keeps asking when we can move in. Soon, my love. Soon.

Big Little Baby Girl

Family picture at the Winter Quarters Temple.
We had an impromtu visit on a rainy day.

With a new baby sister in the house, Kaylee and Lydia love to help me out in any way they can.  Mostly it involves giving Elsa a pacifier to calm her down or grabbing something I have requested.  But what I really appreciate is when the girls are able to entertain themselves without being distructive.

Kaylee is giving Elsa her pacifier
after I had to clean up a messy blow-out.

Lydia absolutely LOVES being a big sister, but she finds herself still wanting to be the baby.  It's hard to tell her "no" when she's being so cute, but it has to happen. Just after I take a picture.

Nothing like kicking back in a
bouncy chair with a binkie!

She had just gotten out of the bouncy
chair but kept the pacifier.  But notice
she is wearing Kaylee's underwear.

 

Not only does Lydia act like the baby, but she loves to get into Kaylee's things. She's constantly trying on her shoes, backpack, and anything she can get her hands on. Today she found some of Kaylee's underwear and insisted on wearing it. After getting her a clean pair, I helped her out.



Free, Fun Entertainment

The girls absolutely LOVE animals from holding to watching to pretending to be animals. Since we don't have any animals of our own (yet!), Rachael lives far away, and Jordan can't spend time at my parent's house since the cats might kill him we have to find another outlet for our animal needs.  We have ventured to the zoo several times this summer, but the free entertainment is visiting the pet shops.  The girls love seeing the fish, snakes, gerbils, rats, guinea pigs, turtles, mice, ferrets, cats, and birds.

When we can't be around live animals, their favorite pastime is pretending to be puppies.  Lydia quickly learned this game from Kaylee & will randomly decide to play it.  So while we're out visiting the pet stores, we let them indulge in a particularly upscale form of the game.  They have so much fun.  I have actually considered getting them a doggie pillow bed for their playroom or for movie watching.

Do You Have the Imagination of a 4 Year Old?

Kaylee has always been one smart cookie & it's always interesting having her around. Yesterday she was playing with her hands; they were little people who were arguing.  One hand was trying to feed her all the chips & the other was saying they needed to share & take turns. They did take turns now & then making a Frito last 8 bites, an amazing trick in itself.

Today, while eating her Tootie Fruities she was finding all sorts of pictures as her few cereal remains floated around changing shapes.  There was a boat, Christmas tree, dog, camel, car and so many more.

This activity was a slightly different version of Pictures in the Clouds that we all have played at some point in our lives. Kaylee has been a fan of this game & always shares her findings which I can sometimes see & sometimes just agree.

So, what do you see?

A Dress for Lydia

Back when I cut out Kaylee's pink dress I also cut out a dress for Lydia. With the deadline of Easter approaching I set Lydia's dress aside & of course forgot about it. This past week I had been thinking about packing & moving which brought to mind the unfinished dress.  So I pulled it out & got to work. Little dresses are nice because there isn't as much to sew together, but can be difficult maneuvering the tiny spaces. To save myself a few headaches & hours of pulling out failed stitches, I adjusted the pattern order which really helped.  my mother-in-law suggested sewing in the sleeves then stitching up this sides which saved me hours of frustration. Thanks Janet!

House Hunting

With a new baby on the way, Jordan and I have been looking for a place to live with 3 bedrooms and room to grow. We have rented these almost 5 years of marriage which has worked for us. We gradually moved into bigger spaces when the occasion called for it, eventually renting a house so the girls could have a yard to play in. Now as we get ready to welcome our third baby girl, we have found the price range for renting a 3 bedroom house or even a 3 bedroom apartment for that matter is quite a bit more dinero than we are willing to spend. I have found some homes that have been in our price range, but let's face it, a 6x8 bedroom isn't going to cut it. Honestly, once you've lived in a house, moving back into an apartment isn't the most desirable move.

A few months ago, Brynna, my sister-in-law, suggested we take a look down the street from her.  Jordan knows I LOVE looking at houses, so he agreed to go.  This house was a foreclosure for $60,000 which is well within our price range and would actually be a reduction from our monthly rent.  Before visiting the house I looked at the available pictures and researched information about that particular foreclosure company.  Based on the pictures, the house needed work, but I was willing to do some work over the years.

The time finally came to visit the house and my dad was nice enough to come with us since he has more of an eye and knowledge for home structure and repairs.  My mom also came along to play with the girls at the park across the street.  Jordan, Dad, and I joined the realtor in the house and I instantly knew it was not for us.  I am willing to do work, but I'm not going to completely redo a house.  The floor was so wavy I was afraid I was going to trip unless I high-stepped through the place.  It looked like the last resident had contemplated starting a fire with the floor boards, but resolved to use them to gouge holes in the ceiling.

The renovations needed to make the house livable for a young family were flooring on the 1st floor, ceilings, air conditioner, furnace, roof, foundation, and the 2nd floor bathroom.  The master bedroom had been recently switched up.  But I should tell you, the house had been made handicap accessible.  I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but the way the last owner did it was not the best move.  In the corner of the bedroom, they closed off a section and put in a toilet.  Once again, not bad, but it was just a toilet, the sink was on a different wall so I could wash my hands from the bed if I wanted to.  Finally, the took a walk in closet and turned it into a walk in shower.  The shower that look nice in the pictures was poorly assembled.  Since the shower was not in a bathroom, you could walk straight into the shower from the bedroom and shower for all to see.  That's not really my thing.

Even thought this house was definitely not what we were looking for, I will always be grateful because it got Jordan interested in our house hunting process.  We have since found a realtor and are in the process of taking a NeighborWorks class to help us be more informed home buyers.  We have visited many houses and I have looked at dozens more online trying to find the right home for us.

Kaylee has enjoyed visiting homes.  Every house she likes is accompanied by the comment, "I want this house so I can get a dog." Although, yesterday we visited 8 or 9 houses and only one was occupied.  The family had a couple little girls and a lot of barbies and dolls.  Kaylee's comment turned it to , "I want to get this house so I can get a dog and these barbies."  After a few laughs and "you're so cute" remarks I explained that we don't get to keep their toys.

Jordan and I are realistic in our search.  We realize we that we can either afford a small house that needs cosmetic updates or a larger house that needs more work.  Since we're planning on having more kids, we would like a place large enough to sustain us.

The houses we looked at have been in every condition and size.  Something people need to realize is that if there is a room with a closet, it qualifies a bedroom, no matter the size.  A couple of the houses we have looked had a nursery type room where you have to walk through a bedroom to get to it.  Nursery rooms are also smaller than other bedrooms because they need only hold a crib instead of a bed.  One of these houses also had a TINY staircase.  So small that Kaylee kept saying it was her size.

The worse house we visited would be one that we visited yesterday.  It was turned into 3 apartments, which was not the issue.  The owner made some renovations but didn't complete the whole process.  He put in new cabinets, but the flooring wasn't fixed before they were put in.  That wasn't the issue.  Upstairs there were still beds and desks, games in the closet, books and stuffed animals laying around. It felt like a creepy horror movie where the people just disappeared. 

Out of all the houses we have looked at we there is one that has felt like home.  It was the first house we looked at (besides the foreclosure) and every house we look at makes us like it more.  Hopefully by next week we can get the process started and be in a new home before the baby comes.

Easter Dresses

I finished the Easter dresses for the girls right on time, but I'll have to make an adjustment or two. The bows have to be fixed. I made them so they could be tied, but i am constantly retying them as they slip apart or Kaylee pulls it apart to chew on it. That is another reason why I'm going to sew them into permanent bows; Kaylee has chewed a little hole in her ribbon.
Overall, they turned out nice. The girls look really good in those colors. They are big enough they should be able to wear them for a while.

On My Own

I have sewn a few things in my life, but I am constantly getting help from more experienced sewers. Thank goodness Brynna only lives a few blocks away and is willing to come to my rescue when I'm in between a rock and a hard place.

I also only got a zipper foot for my sewing machine this past Christmas. It was a gift from my aunt and grandma. I am grateful to have it, especially since it was thrown away in the wrapping process. Thank goodness Michele noticed and dug it out of the trash!

For my first project I decided to make a dress for Kaylee since I'm pregnant anyway. I was very pleased with how it turned out. It fits, she can move, & she likes it. Triple success! I even made a matching bow for her hair assuming she lets me fix it.
I did all the sewing myself and only broke down twice to call Brynna. It was helpful to walk through the directions with a translator.

I must've flipped on some crazy switch because I have 6 more dresses lined up for Kaylee and Lydia.

The first real snowstorm this winter

Kaylee and I got the chance to play outside in the snow this morning!!  Lydia wanted to come play, but we don't have snow apparel for her.  Plus, last time she came out in the snow while I was scooping the driveway, she kept taking off her gloves to eat the snow which caused her to cry because of her little frozen hands.  So, sorry Lydia, no snow for you this winter.

We live in a neighborhood with a lot of trees and there were some casualties from the heavy snow.  Nowhere near as bad as October 1997, but more than a normal snow storm.

This is a branch down in our backyard.

This is a larger branch from the same tree that is sitting on the fence.
It just barely missed our neighbor's shed.

A closer look at the same branch in the neighbor's yard.

The same neighbor's had another large branch fall on their other fence.

 

It always amazes me now much snow can cling to the branches.
All of our trees were sagging several feet lower than normal.

The neighbor to the back of us had a lot of bendy trees,
luckily no broken ones.  They were all hovering over the power lines.

The tree in the middle usually stands as tall as the ones on either side.

More of the back neighbor.

After assessing the damage, Kaylee and I played in the snow.  We even made a Snow man and a Snow Angel!
It was excellent packing snow.

She took a break from eating snow to smile for the camera.

Crawling like a baby in the snow.

She's stuck

Just hanging out

Kaylee's Snow Angel

Our AWESOME Snowman.  This is the first one Kaylee and I made together!

It's hard to believe that just 2 days ago we were at the park!

'Tis Nebraska for you!

Delusions

When Kaylee wakes up from a nap she is either happy, crabby, or disoriented.  The other day she woke up more out of it than normal.  I was sitting at the kitchen table when Kaylee came running out of her room after her nap.  She headed straight for the trash can and opened the lid.  Her legs and bum were shaking a little as she struggled to pull down her underwear.

Confused, I asked, "Kaylee, what are you doing?"

After a few "uh!"s she replied, "I have to go potty!!!"

Click!

"Not in there, you're not!!!" I shouted as I grabbed her and darted to the bathroom.  It was a close call and one of the weirdest things she has ever done.  If she had succeeded in her delusion, it would have been pretty nasty.

"It Don't Want to Have Died"

We were playing around outside and Grandpa pointed out a dead mouse in the driveway. Kaylee of course reached right down to pick it up when Grandpa and I shouted "NO!!" at her.  The way Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt did in Jumanji when Peter and Judy's parents said they were thinking of going on a ski trip.  I don't really want her to get in the habit of picking up dead animals.

I grabbed a pair of pliers, picked up the mouse by the tail and headed for the garbage.  Kaylee of course was there to meet me, blocking the trash can telling me I couldn't throw it away.  I explained to her yet again the mouse had died and we had to throw it away.  Her only response was, "It don't want to have died."



Kaylee, acting like Jordan's daughter and the 3 year old that she is, looked up at the sky and exclaimed, "AIRPLANE!" I turned around to see a contrail and used this as my opportunity to throw the mouse away.  She still hasn't asked me what happened to the mouse.

Chocolate Meringue Pie

My grandma has made Chocolate Meringue Pie for Thanksgiving  for as long as I can remember. This year I requested it but through all of the confusion it was forgotten.  So I decided top takes matters onto my own hands since I was still craving it on Monday.  So I found a recipe online and set to work. It's even called Grandma's Chocolate Meringue Pie.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
5 T baking cocoa
3 T cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
2 c. milk
3 egg yolks, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pie shell (9 inches), baked

MERINGUE:
3 egg whites
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
6 T sugar

Directions:
In a saucepan, mix sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and salt; gradually add milk. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat. Stir about 1 cup of the hot filling into the egg yolks. Return to saucepan and bring to a gentle boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in vanilla. Pour hot filling into pie crust. For meringue, immediately beat egg whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add sugar and continue to beat until stiff and glossy. Spread evenly over hot filling, sealing meringue to pie crust. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until golden. Yield: 8 servings.

Side note: you need to use electric bearers for making the meringue unless you want your arm to fall off. And "peaks" means when you lift up the beaters they stand up stiff.

After it cooled a bit I sprinkled chocolate sprinkles on it just like my Grandma does. Later I found out Kaylee had been picking the sprinkles and eating the while it was cooling.  Needless to say it was wonderful, everything I had hoped it would be.

Lydia may have loved it the most...

Little Fix-it Girl

Grandpa Seating came over and worked on our Toyota the other day and Kaylee has begun to be our little fix-it Girl. She found a couple tools and went to work on her toy sroller. (Which by the way, I made the seat since she sat in the other one so many times it ripped off & was beyond worth trying to repair.)  Then it was her beds. She has also worked on our bed and the crib.

Christmas Gifts

Since Jordan and I are poor, we decided it would be best other were resourceful for Christmas this year.  Since this gift is for Lydia I can post pictures of it now without spoiling anyone's gift.  Well, anyone who cares.

When Lydia was born,since it was the middle of winter, I bought various kinds of fleece fabric and made several little receiving blankets that were warmer than the paper thin ones they sell in the store.  An added bonus was I could pick out patterns I liked.

Well, Lydia is now 9 months and she doesn't have much use for several warm blankets that cover half her body.  Enter resourcefulness!  I cut the blankets in to 9" squares and sewed them onto a large blanket!  I also didn't want to have to deal with raw edges (and I thought it would be cute) I clipped the edges.  So one side is neatly put together and the other is cute and fun!  Go saving money!

I have plans to post my other gifts after Christmas.

The Lion King

Kaylee loves riding the antique carousel in Story City with her cousin Evie. So it's only natural that she would want to ride the one at the mall. But if Kaylee were expecting me to fork out $2 every time we went to the mall, that would get expensive. So I opt to sit and watch the carousel turn while other parents dish out the money.

This week, however, watching wasn't enough for Kaylee. She saw the Lion King going around and around and around and she wanted a ride. Luckily, being the smart mommy I am (which will probably come back to nip me in the bum later)  I told her she could ask to sit on it and not ride.  The carousel worker, the extremely bored carousel worker agreed and she was able to sit in the Lion King. Happy Kaylee! And happy Lydia, who got to share with her sister.

If Kaylee had her way

Kaylee can be pretty stubborn.  For example, when I give Kaylee a direction or and she blows it off, I'll ask her, "What did I say?" to see if she was paying attention.  Sometimes she will tell me what I asked her to do and then does it.  But if it is something she wants like food, a game, to play outside, a show, or countless other things, when I ask her she replies with, "No!  What did I say?"  Her face gets all scrunched up as if she is a mean tyrant who hates being crossed.  Sometimes she'll give up pretty easy and other times she'll fight.  This is always followed by a discussion of Kaylee needs to obey Mommy and Daddy, not the other way around.

Recently, Kaylee has been trying to take over the decision of having more kids.  Kaylee absolutly adores Lydia and she's been having fun playing with her.  So when I ask Kaylee if she wants a brother another sister, she'll say, "No, only Lydia."  I'll try another angle and ask if she wants another baby or a baby in mommy's tummy.  She'll reply, "No, I say only Lydia."

So if Kaylee had her way, we'd be done having kids.  Of course she'd probably ask years down the road for another one.  But, Kaylee's not incharge.  More kids are in the future!  By the way, I'm not pregnant.  Just a clarification.

Silly Jordan!

Jordan had a couple hot dogs for lunch today.  He loaded them up with a slice of cheese in the middle then topped them with mustard, onion, and shoestring potato sticks.  He was especially excited about the potato sticks.  I asked him how long we've had them and he noticed the "Best if used by" date was sometime in 2009.  He proceeded layer them on the hot dogs and eat.  about half way through the second hot dog he said he wasn't sure if he just wasn't used to the onions, but something tasted weird.  I grabbed the potato sticks tub and smelled them.  They didn't smell pretty, it was like old cardboard.  He smelled them then continued to eat his hot dog.  I suggested he take them off.  He did and said that was way better.  I know Jordan isn't always good at math, but 2 and 2 is always duh!

Baby Food is for Babies

For lunch today Lydia got to try chicken and gravy!  She ate a few bites of it with a disgusted look on her face.  I think she was hoping each bite would be better than the last.  After thoroughly laughing at her silliness, I mixed it in with a jar of carrots which she does love.  She was hesitant to try more food, but she eventually ate a good portion of her lunch.

Kaylee has been eyeing Lydia's food since we first bought it.  Each time I try to get her to eat a bite she backs out and says, "That's Lydia's. I no want it."  But, DUM-DA-DA-DUM!!! Kaylee tried her food today!  It was even the carrot, chicken and gravy, and rice cereal mix!  What could've been better?!?!  I shoved a spoonful --granted it was a baby spoon -- into Kaylee's mouth.  She gagged, coughed, spit, and almost threw up!  She refused to put her tounge back in her mouth until I wiped it off with a napkin.  She then went back to her previous statement of, "That's Lydia's.  I no want it."  I don't think I'll catch her trying to steal any baby food in the future.

It's a Good Thing Jordan Loves Me!!!

Otherwise he'd never put up with me!  I was feeling a bit silly this morning.  Actually silly may be a bit of an understatement.  Jordan was taking a shower and I flushed the toilet.  Like I said in a previous post "Flushing" our shower gets scalding hot when the toilet is flushed.  If that weren't enough, I poured a cup of cold water on him.  Kaylee was watching me and thought it was hilarious and she wanted a turn.  Being the wonderful mother that I am (wife is a bit iffy at the moment!)  I let Kaylee have a go.  I filled her up a cup, all the while Jordan is telling us no.  Kaylee thoroughly enjoyed daddy's scream as she dumped her cup on him.  I put Kaylee down, because of course I had to lift her so she could do maximum damage, and she proceeded to cheer me on.  So I did it one more time, though Kaylee was telling me to do it 10 more times.  Through my laughter I told Jordan I loved him to which he replied, "uh-huh."

Don't worry! he has forgiven me!  I am sure I will be making another post describing his revenge.  This (luckily for Jordan) is not a common occurrence and it did bring back memories of when Rachael would do the same to me. So I do have empathy for Jordan and I'm sure I will relive it soon!

Common Sense, People!

How stupid can you be?  I was making a cake for a family gathering and I couldn't help but read the directions.  Check out the BAKE section.

Wait!?!?!  I shouldn't stick my finger in something that was in a hot oven for over half an hour?  My other question is who was the first person to do this, sue the company, and win?  Why else would they put it on the package?  Also I should note that this is the Best Choice brand and it almost makes sense to me that it's a cheap store brand that had this issue with a customer.  Although, I could see Jack doing this...  What do you say Rachael?