Crunch time and creative craziness

So I'm feeling the crunch time before Coleman arrives and I have lists and lists of what I need to do to get my life in order and get as prepared as possible for this little guy to join our family.

Then what happens? I come across this "creating with the stars" and I can't sleep and totally want to jump on board. I'm crazy! so here are the details

http://www.eastcoastcreativeblog.com/2013/01/creating-with-stars-on-ec2.html

Should I go for it? or just stick to my lists and lists of baby prep?

A strength and weakness of mine is I totally believe that I can make it to the 12 contestants and maybe even go all the way. My new favorite quote used to describe my type of personality "I see all the possibilities and believe they are all possible"

To be fair I only think I can do this and it be worth it if I jump on the blog world and that is only practicle if I have a few team members namely Kjirsti and hopefully Sabina. Together I think we could have an awesome diy blog with lots of followers.

However timing could not be worse but then life only ever seems to get more complicated and complex so maybe now is as good of a time as ever.

I would use my concrete counter tops as my entry project which from everything I've seen in the blog  and Pinterest world is pretty unique so I think I would have a really good chance if I can get some awesome pictures and have the writers in my family help me write up a post.

should I go for it and just see what happens haaaaaaa/. choices

It would be kind of stressful if I made it but so much FUN!

Jan. 2013

I haven't really taken any pictures I have been so bad. Here are the kids each with their own technology apparatus. They are pretty good at sharing and Keiton is figuring out this technological world more all the time. Brielle has had it mastered for a while. It is incredible what she can do on the "pad" We have to limit the time they both have because that all they want to do.

"Daddy phone couch"
"pad"
"train"
phrases I hear often through out the day. "train is an alphabet youtube video that is helping the kids learn their letters that they are slightly obsessed with.

Keiton is talking more and more and is starting to say parts of the prayer.  He is also getting more coordinated and can finally climb the latter to the bunk bed, climb onto the bench, and most other pieces of furniture in our living room.

Brielle is constantly singing her version of twinkle, lullaby, or the ABC song. She knows about 8 colors and knows all the letters in her name and a few more K for "Keit" and S and maybe  a few more.
She also knows a few shapes: star, heart, oval. she is verbalizing words together a lot but leaves out all of the articles and only says the important words :)

I am really feeling the anxiety and stress of getting ready for this baby and can't believe I only have 10 weeks left. We have been doing lots of organizing, food prep, and trying to finish this kitchen so that I will have the peace of mind to really enjoy this new addition.

Remodeling kitchen

So in the last 2 months we have done quite a bit of updating our kitchen here is the list and pictures

* putting on hardware for all lower cabinet doors and drawers
* adding floor board and trimming for the back of the peninsula
* Painting the lower cabinets
* demo the soffit
* remove upper cabinets
* build floor to ceiling wall tower
* build and install all upper cabinets

Whats left of phase 1
* finish customizing upper cabinets
* build install paint upper cabinet doors
* install crown molding and bottom of cabinet trim piece
* upper cabinet hardware
* wall cabinet installation
* hood ordered and installed
* sand and paint backsplash for now
* caulk, touch up, repair any needed spots

Phase 2
* trim in window
* replace window
* paint bottom of counter and add plywood piece
* move some electrical work
* cobbles on peninsula
*  backsplash
and i'm sure there are things I can't think of right now

December 2012

It's been to long and TONS has happened sense I posted last. Lots of Family time, everyone being sick, and some remodeling.

Our big snow storm left 2 feet of  snow and the kids weren't sure what to think of it. They didn't like not being able to walk through it.

We had a great December with Kjirsti and Scotter staying with us. We are growing more hopeful daily that we will have the blessing of them living close for the next 5 years starting this summer some time. It will be so fun the have the three kids grow up together and have Kjirsti close enough that we could do a music dance theater group together and or the MANY other projects we have talked about.

The latter part of December we spent lots of time with the whole Phil Petersen Crew and enjoyed many days with the 30 of us crammed into Sabina's house. We however did not enjoy the sicknesses that we all pasted around and just recently have felt like we all are better.

It's a boy

So I know I haven't even posted that I am pregnant up to this point on the blog. I am 19.5 weeks and we are having another boy. Way excited. We feel like it will be the best thing for Brielle and Keiton. I think Brielle will be more likely to jump in and play with her two younger brothers as well as boss, mother, and discipline them, then Keiton jumping in an playing with two sisters. Also there will be less comparison for Brielle and she can be her own self with out so much sibling rivalry.

This little guy's birthday is going to be sandwiched between Brielle and Keitons and crazy of crazys the three of them will go to nursery for about 3 months together.

3, 2 and under here we come!

 I think my kids had more fun in the fall then any other time of year in our yard. It was a long warm season.

Then from Thursday to Sunday we got a huge dump. 22 inches. The kids like to watch it fall from the window but haven't decided that it's fun to play in yet.

prayers

Brielle is our little prayer reminder and 9 out of 10 times she will be the first to fold her arms and remind us to pray. She likes it some much she wants to pray every time a second serving or a new dish is brought to the table. She constantly asks why if I tell her we already prayed, so sometimes we just pray again.

Keiton is trying to say a lot more words and makes the animal sound moo for cow. Most of his attempts no one would catch but me. He is starting to be more obedient and even has stopped his bike before it went in the road and turned around and come back home when asked. yeah progress!

words

Keiton is starting to slowly add to his vocabulary. He says; baby, daddy, mommy, more, the inflections of -here you go, hi, stuck and eye.

 Keiton has banged his lip a few times. He is starting to have an interested in a baby doll and Brielle's special teddy which has caused a lot of contention.

Keiton is our "little adrenaline freak" as my dad would say. He take his bike to the top of our hill in are back yard and speeds down it on his bike. He has had a few biffs but just gets back on and rides down again. Sometimes Brielle is the helper and pushes Keiton on his bike back up the hill but usually he just screams stuck and wants mom or dad to help him get back to the top of the hill. He also likes to venture as far away from mom as fast as possible as soon as I let him out the front door.

One day I let them out of the car after a grocery shopping trip and when inside to put the perishables away and when I came back out they both were gone I couldn't see them anywhere and started to panic. I was running around and screaming their names. Finally I found them 3 houses down playing in their toy house. I now know I can't let them out of my sight for more then a min.

We tried on Brielle's Halloween costume to make sure it fit and she fell in love with it. She kept her hood on all evening and the next morning she found her costume and hugged it and started carrying it around. She loved it so much I felt we had to go and do something so she could stay in it. Our local grocery store had a little activity that the kids had a good time going to. Keiton's costume didn't fit so we scrambled and pulled together a cowboy costume and we carried most of the costume around the rest of the evening because he didn't want to wear it. I think Brielle was able to handle her hood all night because she has a cowboy hat of Dave's that she puts on and off all day. She really loves those hats.

Brielle changed her own poppy diaper this week. I went in after her nap and she was sitting without her pants or diaper, on the floor. In the middle of the room was the poppy diaper with one dirty wipe and scattered around the rest of the room was every last wipe that had been left in the container, all with some pop on them. When I checked her she had very little residua on her bum and non on her hands. I did find some on her coat, the carpet and the humidifier. She has sense undressed and taken her diaper off a few other times, non others quite like this first time.

Brielle has been more consistent with going the potty in the toilet. I think if I was consistent with asking her if she wanted to go she'd have it down within a week. Her favorite time to go is when daddy is using the restroom and they commiserate together and laugh at each other's bodily noises. I think they are having a lot of quality bonding time.

Brielle is also obsessed with getting her own drink and oven drinks for Keiton as well. It seems like more offten then not we have water all over our floor.

We had a first case of croup and it was a scary night but luckily we got a steroid pill and we only had one night of it.