2

I know this is a supper blurry picture but it captures Keiton's latest winning smile. He gives this to me almost every time I look at him, especially if he is doing something naughty or mischievous.

I can't believe he is already 2.

* He is talking up a storm and putting small sentences together.
* He loves running down the hall in our house
* He can about count to 10
* He loves everything with wheels
* He his a tease and likes to press mommy and Brielle's buttons
* He likes to be silly and still gives lots of "goggly eyes"
* He call all elderly people grandma and papa
* He loves both sets of grandparents but a little extra for Grandma K and Papa Pete

He continues to love to fly down the hill on his bike. He usually would prefer to be outside. . He is constantly trying to push the rules and get away with things he know he shouldn't be doing. He likes to be going and doing and totally fell apart the other day because he wanted to go to church. Really he just wanted to go anywhere and that is what he could think of. He wines a lot and often about wanting milk, treats, snacks and cereal.  He is constantly getting into this with Brielle.

He primarily is an observer especially in new situations and new people. He will just hang around my side and watch on the outskirts. He has some shyness and reserve about his nature, but then can be fearless when it comes to some physical activities. He still gets very frustrated when things don't go his way. He is quite stubborn and tenacious.

We love this little guy so much and are grateful he is part of our family. He can have the sweetest spirit and gives the best smiles and hugs.

It was really fun to see how excited he was about this train set. He has been playing with it none stop.

 We went to Cabellas for memorial day and the kids had a fun time seeing the live fish and all the other stuffed animals.

My little man with his newest hair cut. He is starting to look so grown up. Man time flys.

Moxee

Two weeks after Coleman was born Dave realized he was going to have several insane weeks at work and wouldn't be home much. My mom was leaving in a few days and we all felt like it would be good for me to have a little more help. So Dave's boss agreed to fork the cost of flying me and the babes to Washington with my mom. So we all headed to Moxee for three weeks.

We enjoyed seeing Trevor and his family and Kjirsti and her family while we were there. You can't beat baby chicks, baby kittens, a dog, a horse, and a pond plus the extra attention of two loving aunts and grandma and grandpa.

Coleman's bed in Washington.

Coleman J Karlsven

Coleman J Karlsven was born on March 29th , 2013 at 7:38am

Coleman decided to time everything perfectly for us. He came on a Friday that I already had the day off for work and right before the weekend started.

Brigette’s contractions started around 5:00am and were pretty consistent and 3 minutes apart by around 6am.

I woke up Brielle and Keiton and took them over to our neighbor’s house so they could have fun playing with the dog, going to the park, and enjoying their time while they waited for their new baby brother to be born.

We started heading to the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake around 6:45am.

This drive went much smoother and easier than it did when Keiton was born because we learned from that experience that Brigette’s labor tends to progress very quickly.

When we got to the hospital we parked and Brigette walked in like it was no big deal. Then as we were at the desk checking in, some big contractions started to kick in and the nurses hurried and got a wheel chair.

The mid-wife came shortly after we arrived, which was very nice so we didn’t have to wait for the doctor like we did with Keiton.

They got Brigette situated on the hospital bed and when they checked to see how far along she was, Coleman was right there and ready to come out.

The Mid-wife broke Brigette’s water and told her that she could start pushing whenever she was ready.

It didn’t take more than about 5 or 6 sets of pushes and Coleman’s head was out. The Mid-wife expertly guided the rest of Coleman’s body out and everything went perfectly. We hadn’t been at the hospital more than 30 minutes before Coleman was born.

Coleman weighed 7lbs.

Brigette did give us a little scare when she passed out while getting up to go to the bathroom. Fortunately a nurse was right there to catch her.

Later in the afternoon I went and picked up Brielle and Keiton so they could come visit their new baby brother.

We are so excited to have Coleman in our family. He loves to be held, sleep, eat, and smile.

March is here.

Time is sure flying and Dave is constantly trying to get me to slow down and prepare for this baby and I just want to get a million things done that I won't have time or energy for once the baby comes for a good 4 months or so.

I don't know If I have documented that Brielle use to call Keiton, Keit. I don't hear it any more and I kind of miss it.

Brielle call W double x because X comes after W.  She loves to sing the ABC song as well as twinkle twinkle.

During our bed time routine Brielle and Keiton always vote to sing wheels on the bus and often sing parts of it at meal time or in the car.

Keiton is constantly pushing the rules seeing how far he can go before he gets in trouble.

He is LOVING puzzels right now and will sit and do the same puzzle over and over and over.

He is having a hard time at bed time letting himself go to sleep and cries and begs for whoever is don't putting him to bed. At time I will start then Dave will come in the then I have to finish it off.

We are still having a hard time going to Nursery but once he's there for 5-10 he loves it.

The kids are getting pretty good at getting what they want and climb and get into everything. The other day I came in and they had all of the contents of the bottom door shelf of the fringe spewed across the floor with all the lids of and playing with the mayo.

So I found a challenge on Pinterest (where else!) to start yelling less and I have decided to take the challenge. I wish I could say I'm not a yeller but I am. Especially right now at the latter part of almost every day. We shall see if I can figure out some tactics to control my frustrations and short temper. The lady who initiated the challenge has done if for over a year. One of her tactics is to hit her chest like a gorilla instead of yelling. I will have to try that one and see if it works.

When you talk to me ask me how I am doing so I have some accountability.

Two

Brielle is 2 and I can't believe all that has happened in the last 3 years. She is such a precious wonder. I am amazed by here every day. She is such a gift to our family and brings so many laughs and loads of joy. She is very much into her letters and counting right now. She is constantly singing the abc's and counting to 10 as she hopes around the house. She continues to be the little mother trying to start the dishwasher, clean up, order everyone, and discipline Keiton and her teddy. She even is the little helper at nursery, cleaning up everyone's napkins after snacks and putting all their crayons away.

We had a wonderful b-day celebration*--

 Brielle woke up to helium balloons in her room. Which they spent hours playing with through out the day.
 She started out the day with a much needed hair cut. I didn't do the best job because I didn't want her to know I was doing it. She was pretty scared when we cut Keiton and Daddy's hair. It looks so much better then before and she is looking so grown up.

 We then did water color painting which was a little bit of a disaster with Keiton in the mix.

Then they helped me bake the sugar cookie dough.

after naps we rolled out the cookies and cut them out.

Then once they cooked and cooled we frosted them.

I'd have to say they were the best sugar cookie I have ever made. So soft and fluffy.

We then had pizza for dinner. Scotter called to wish a happy birthday and they were making pizza for dinner so both of my kids proceeded to ask for pizza for dinner. Sense I had no other plans and nothing in the works we pulled out a costco take and bake pizza out of the freezer and baked it. I had two happy kids.

Saturday We all went to dinner together in Celebration of V-day and Brielle's birthday to Rodizio Grill. So yummy and I ate way to much and ended up having a pretty miserable night and next day because of it.  Over eating and being almost 9 months pregnant don't go together well.

On Sunday we had a family dinner and finished celebration Brielle's birthday. She new something was special about the last few days but I don't think she really understood what was going on.

 This was the favorite give and she willingly shared with everyone.

 This was the favorite toy of the night, until Brielle got distracted with all the fun and peed her pants inside the box and left a nice little puddle.

 

By the end of the night we had two very tired girls.

We loved having so many people celebrate with us.

Funny picture of out little man.

new blog

Here is the name of my new blog stop by and let me know what you think! creatingacreator.com

creating with the stars post

I would love feedback of what you would add take away change PLEASE. I have to submit it tomorrow.


Before our first house even closed I had insomnia for weeks. I lay in bed every night going over every inch of our soon to be house, creating an endless list of everything I wanted to update. I knew the kitchen needed to be done first. The 70's cream chipping cabinets, bisque fridge, avocado sink, and gold and green flecked countertops were hideous. Half the drawers didn't work, many were off their tracks leaving saw dust on the ground from the constant rubbing.


The problem was we were putting every dime towards our down payment. Contracting it out wasn’t an option. So I I starting searching every inexpensive DIY kitchen remodel I could find. Pinterest and I became dear friends. Through my research I came across this youtube concrete tutorial video.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7leWebt_xM


After watching them turn basic concrete into gorgeous granite-looking countertops, I was sold. With this method for a fraction of the cost, I could get the high end granite/ marble counter top that I dreamed of. Further research revealed that concrete had its perks. The only problem? I had never worked with concrete in my life. Never held a trowel, never even mixed grout. But heck- if they can do it so can I- right??? Regardless, I went for it!

Inspiration
Here are our before and afters. Comment if you have questions.

Before


Here is the original countertop in all its dingy 70‘s glory. We removed this countertop. (However, you can do this whole process over your existing countertop if you like your depth and layout.)
We hired a friend to build the counter base/ frame. He build out the two corners on either side of the sink so they are no longer 90 degree angles but rather diagonal. The results were dramatic. Not only does the kitchen look more custom, it also feels much larger! I decreased the overhang between the peninsula and the wall oven and increased the overhang for the bar. In order to get the stately solid look we wanted, we increased the depth of the countertop to about 4 inches.


Here I am finishing up the two layers of concrete overlay. (If you look where I am standing you can see how we turned that corner into a diagonal.) This is a day and a half process. You first apply the bond coat and let it dry and then you apply the marble coat. The challenge is trying to get the concrete to be as smooth as glass. I ended up sanding more then I planed to get my desired finish.


This is the painting step. Most of the painting is done with spray bottles, followed by sea sponges and paint brushes. It's a messy process and my kitchen walls looked like a child's splatter paint project for 6 months. I wanted the painting to be perfect and very realistic so this took me three full 8 hour days trying to get it right. It still isn't perfect but I've come to love that about it. It is truly a one of a kind countertop.

The sealant was the hardest part and what I'm least happy with. Because the sealant hardens quickly, getting a smooth-as-glass surface, VERY stressful. We have several dimples and defects in our finish but overlooking its flaws we love love love it. 


Final product. Isn’t she a beauty!



Again, here’s what we started with:


Here’s what it looks like today:

The change is drastic. We went from a basic “blah” kitchen, to one that looks custom, upscale and grand! Now we just have to finish tackling those cabinet doors! We also will be adding a tile backsplash and a new trimed-in window. Yea

Cost? Even with the expensive training course I purchased, plus the materials and tools, we spent about what we would have paid for the lowest grade laminate to be installed. This price included my two practice bathroom counter tops. (here is a link to those posts).