Ho ho ho!

It's Christmas time in Kansas! The kids are really into it this year which makes it really fun.

The stockings are hung by the chimney with care...yes, we actually have a CHIMNEY! I'm so excited about this. We haven't had a fire yet b/c we're waiting for the chimney sweep to come this week (I've always wanted to hire a chimney sweep. It's like Mary Poppins!), so hopefully in about a week it'll cool down and we can light the fire. We have "Tonny" the Christmas Elf on the Shelf and he's been hanging around the house for some time now, watching the kids to make sure they are good for Santa. We are getting our tree next weekend and Andy decorated a tree in front of our house with some awesome lights and giant green Christmas light balls (the house proved to be a pretty daunting task to light b/c the roof is super steep and high, so we opted to light one tree). It's really cool--you can see it all the way down the street.

We also took Christmas photos this weekend. The winner will arrive in your mailbox sometime this month, but I've posted some of the outtakes here. The kids proved to be hilarious again this year in that they couldn't look at the camera at the same time (of course), and Cleo started her melt down earlier than we expected. It was funny. Andy, ever the perfectionist, was really frustrated at first but calmed down and we ended up with a nice photo. It's always quite hilarious and mildly stressful to go through these silly photos.

These days we are super busy. Andy's been traveling like mad, but thankfully it'll slow down this month a bit. Gus and Cleo seem to like school. They have friends there and have been learning great things. They are so cute together right now. They play and play for hours together. I'll let them play outside in the backyard while I cook or clean up the kitchen and I watch them sometimes. They just play imaginary games that Gus makes up and they LOVE it--it's so darling to see them interact with each other. On Thanksgiving day Cleo showed Gus some goofy necklaces that she had put on. She said, "Look, Gus. Look at my necklaces." Gus said, "Cleo, that is really pretty." It was absolutely hilarious. He was dead serious with his compliment. Love it! Anyway, they are great together. Their personalities are so different, so I'm glad they get along.

More later!

Our house

Backyard


The front of the new house


Backyard


Magnolia tree in backyard.


Kitchen
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Basement

Basement

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Dining room

Kids' art in the upstairs hall bath


Living room


Cleo's room-light pink paint is new. This doesn't show her windows, which are my favorite part-so big!


Gussy's room--new paint.

(please pardon the random links under some of these photos. The HTML is kinda jacked on this post...and I'm too tired of trying to fix it!)

So it's been about 1.5 months since we moved into our new place, and we've yet to unpack a number of boxes. In fact, we still need to retrieve a handful of bins from our friend's house who was kind enough to store them for us. But we're getting there, slowly.

Andy has been out of town for work so much lately that I just try to find pockets of time during my days working from home to hang things, clean up or unpack. Andy then fills his weekends with chores like painting and yardwork and such, so we've been doing what we can, but I'm certainly looking forward to some down time when we can just finish unpacking and finish fixing up the house.

I've included some photos of the house. Pardon the mess-I didn't both to pick up before shooting these today. You'll see it in all it's glory. We still have so many plans to make the home "our home." We are putting simple blinds or shades on all the windows in the lr and dr b/c right now we live in a fishbowl! It's nice and light during the day but weird at night. We need to get curtains for upstairs, too (our room and Cleo's room), and for the bathrooms. We've painted most of the rooms, but still have to paint the ugly guest room (currently Pepto pink), and over time I'd like to paint the dr and kitchen the same color. Right now the dr is a light blue and the kitchen a cashew/brown color. They are nice colors, but there's no flow. These are the things that are on our list! We had to replace our heater right after moving into the house, which sucked, so we're holding off on our cosmetic changes until we can save up some more moolah. We ended up getting a high efficiency heater, which is more money upfront but pay off in the long run. Still, it was a huge hit to our savings, for sure, especially just after buying this house. Fun with home owning. But at least we have a nice new heater. I guess the old one just missed the old owners or something b/c the first time we turned it on it just bit the dust.

Life has been crazy lately. Gus and Cleo both started school at the Lawrence Montessori School. They are doing well, although Gus needs to work on being more independent, his teacher tells me. So we're working on that right now. Cleo is a fish in water. She loves it and is super adjusted. Gus just takes a little more time to adjust, but I know he'll love it soon enough. Work has been insanely busy for Andy, and relatively busy for me. I have to MC a Halloween concert/costume contest tomorrow night (30th) at the Lied Center...yay. It'll be fun, but I'm nervous to have to speak on the Lied stage in front of 800-1,000+ people! Yikes. But I'll just make it fun and have a handful of drinks before hand to take the edge off. I kid. I told my boss that and he laughed...proves he at least has a good sense of humor.

Sunday night Andy will take the kiddos trick-or-treating (Cleo is a unicorn and Gus a dinosaur) and I'll stay home to hopefully hand out candy. I don't know what to expect in our new neighborhood--I hope we get some kids. I think we will. Oh well, I will have to finish off the candy myself if not. Darn.

Let's see...not much else to report, I guess. It's cooling off, the leaves are falling off the trees, it's that time of year. We have a fireplace this year, so I'm super excited to cozy up in front of it. I have a feeling we won't want to leave the house or living room this winter...could be a good thing or bad thing. I've never had a fireplace before, so I'm super psyched.

Happy Halloween, everyone! And happy birthday (today), Cherie! Now we're all 35 or older. You've caught up! :)

Vacation, all I ever wanted

Visiting Great Grandma Benseman in Chicago


Taken from the loft in our log cabin.


At the beautiful orchard. We ended up with two giant buckets of fruit for $20!




I couldn't resist...Andy will kill me for posting this. Ha!



Gus showing us how high he can jump!



Andy's Aunt Ginny-the kids fell in love with Aunt Gin.




This photo cracks me up...reading stories at bedtime. Pick a winner, Cleo...


Our little cabin in Michigan.

We had a great time in Michigan. I was thrilled to find the weather in the lower 70's and 60's for the week. Sweater weather...so wonderful. I've loaded a lot of photos from the trip.

Let's see...what did we do. Not much, and it was nice. Thanks to a co-worker who let me borrow the DVD, we were able to watch the 2nd/final season of Flight of the Conchords while on vacation--that was awesome! We did go to an orchard to pick apples, peaches, raspberries and whatnot--so lovely. The kids loved the orchard. We took some hikes and walked out to the lighthouse in town. It was a relaxing week. We spent time with Andy's Aunt Ginny, and the kids absolutely fell in love w/ her. We enjoyed a campfire by our cabin at night, and the kids chased squirrels and chipmunks. Andy and I even went on a couple of runs/walks in the gorgeous weather. On our way back to KS we went through Chicago and visited Andy's Grandma Benseman in her new apartment. It was so good to see Gma Benseman, and the kids loved hanging with her. She gave Cleo a doll (named "Bonnie") and gave Gus a watch. Each kid also received a seashell from her. It was great.

We're moving to our new house this weekend, so I'll soon post photos. I'm excited, but we still have so much to pack...so off to packing I go.

Moving + vacation + busy work = holy crap!

Summer fun in the sprinkler


Mr. Cool


Dad and Gus doing their daily exercises


Our great friend, Cliff, who lives in Austin, sent Gus two vintage Santa Fe RR t-shirts (Cliff's aunt made these). Cliff is rad!




The move to the new(er) house seems to be on! We've been under contract on our house for a couple of weeks now, and we're just working through the inspection details. We close on Sept. 17 and must be moved into the new place by Sept. 18. The siding issues on the new place are being addressed, as well, so it seems to be working out. I'm a little sad we're leaving our house. I love it here. I'll miss the bright green paint in the dining room (punk rock was the color swatch, I remember so well). I'll miss the character and the very 1960's kitchen. I'll miss our yard. Somehow I'll even miss seeing the Hallmark Factory every day. I'll miss the kids' rooms b/c they are the only rooms both kids have both known well.

But, I'm super excited for the new place. Our backyard there is amazing. It's like a park--so many trees, and it backs up to a ravine behind our house. Our yard is fenced in, but it's a very subtle fence that blends in well with the wooded area. The previous owners are leaving a jungle gym/playground in the backyard, too--it's huge and in great shape. The kids will love it. The landscaping is pretty established but there's still room for me to add things. But most of all we're excited for the fireplace. We've never had one and it will be so nice to have one this winter. And it will be nice to have a daylight basement, too. We do need to paint some of the rooms right away (bedrooms, especially), and over time we'll make other improvements. We want to add on a sun/screened in porch to the back of the house within 3-5 years, so I'm looking forward to that. Photos to come once we've made the move! I'll definitely post "before" and "after" photos of the master bedroom--the paint in there is currently lime green and coral. MY EYES! :)

The kids start their new school in a couple of weeks. We're waiting for the "green light" that the building is ready (it's a brand new place). Our friend Mo has been our interim daycare provider, watching the kids at our place on M, W, F. She has a little guy, Zeke, who is Cleo's age, so it's been fun for all 3 kids. Poor Mo is probably a little fried at the end of the week, though! She's been awesome, taking the kids apple picking and to butterfly farms and whatnot-she totally puts momma to shame! I need to do more fun stuff like that, but it's so hard when I have to work 1/2 day from home. I always feel somewhat guilty just going to the grocery store. But we're anxious for the kids to start school. I think (I hope!) they'll both really dig it there.

We're getting ready to take our family vacay to Michigan in a couple of weeks. We'll go the week of Labor Day. I'm so anxious about it b/c I'm super busy at work and we move the week after we return from vacation. But we've already put the deposit down on the cabin, so it's going to happen. I know once we get there I'll feel better, but it's stressful to think about. I'll post photos. It's always gorgeous there--in the 70's and the lake is just amazing. Just what the doctor ordered when it's so hot here in Kansas in September.

Photos are from Andy's company family party last week and random photos taken recently.

This crazy life

I'm going to attempt to cover all the crazy stuff going on with us right now because, well, there's A LOT. GOING. ON.

Birthdays: Both kids are celebrating birthdays this summer. Cleo turned 2 on July 22, and we had a small family gathering at our house. She was thrilled to receive mostly Dora gifts, including a backpack on rollers (you know, so she can take it through the airport when she's traveling for work) and a Dora guitar. She is 2...golly, where does the time go? These babies aren't babies anymore...reminds me of a quote in book called "Ten Little Babies" by Gyo Fujikawa that Cleo received from Leah, Dan, Bea and Ben: "One happy baby Alone, having fun, He became a grownup And then there were none. "

Gus turns 4 this week! He had a really fun party this past Sunday at Lawrence Gymnastics and Athletics. He and a bunch of his friends and cousins played inside the gym, ate cake and then played on a water slide. Gus is still talking about it. It was really rad and perfect for a super duper hot day (over 100 degrees...).

Speaking of the weather, geez. I hate to be a complainer like so many other Kansans during this time of the year (if I had a dollar for all of the Facebook posts about the HOT WEATHER...), but seriously, it's bitchin' hot here! Today is supposed to be close to 105 or 108 and that's without humidity. That's insane. We've been in a heat warning for a couple of days now. Good times. But that's what you get in August when you've had sooo much rain this summer. I always want to leave KS during this time of year and come back in the autumn, but I'm trying to embrace late summer more. I feel bad for it...it gets so much hate. So I've been listening to the cicadas at night and trying to enjoy the sun on my face b/c I know I'll be pining for it come January.

Miami!!! Andy and I leave for our mini-vacay to Miami tomorrow morning. The kids are going to Burlingame to hang w/ Gma and Gpa and Lucy the dog. I think the kids are more excited about going to B-game than they were about their bdays. Which is good, b/c it helps ease the sadness when we're not with them. We are super excited to get some serious sun and beach time, though. This is Andy's company trip they take (for making his sales quota). We're gone through Sunday. I'll be sure to take some hilarious photos of scantily-clad old men on the beach for you all. I'm sure we'll see plenty...

STRESS!!! So, I've hesitated even posting about this b/c it's soooo up in the air right now, but might as well update everyone (my 2 readers! Ha ha). Our little, lovely house is on the market. Yep, that's right. There's a FOR SALE sign in our front yard. It's been there now for 2 weeks officially and no offers yet, although we've had quite a bit of interest. Why? Well, we "bought" a house but it's contingent on us selling our house first. And we've run into some issues w/ the inspection of the other house (that we bought--the siding has to be replaced), so honestly the new house may not even work out. We're supposed to find out this week, but we'll see. We've decided no matter what we're leaving our house on the market for awhile just to see if we get any bites, and hopefully when and if that happens we'll have found a house we love. Wish us luck. It's been super stressful keeping this house clean for viewings. So hard! The kids probably think I'm so mean b/c I'm always cleaning and getting frustrated when they make huge messes. I'll be happy when we're through all of this.

Ah, almost forgot. Our daycare provider is no longer going to watch the kids after next week. I've gone through major denial and sadness about this, and my heart is broken. But it's a good thing for all, and it was inevitable. Jen is taking a part-time job at the Catholic school her kids go to, and after a frantic search for a replacement daycare facility we've enrolled the kids in Montessori preschool. I am so excited about it. The Montessori schools in Lawrence are always super booked up, but a new one is opening in west Lawrence and we got in. So Cleo and Gus will go starting in September on M, W, F. I'll start to work in the office on those days and from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays. So it'll be a change for all of us, but I think a good one.

So...I THINK that's it. More when we get back from the land of g-strings! :) And no, I'm not wearing a g-string. Can you imagine? Wait, please don't imagine. Ha ha. But I did buy a super cute bathing suit for this trip...it's a 50's style suit that comes down over the hips (it's black)--very 50's pin-up style--and it's the first suit I've ever actually liked. Can I get a holla from all the pear-shaped ladies out there who are happy the 50's suits are making a comeback?! WOOT!

More later.

"To the mountains!" said Ted

Dad at the parade!










So we just got back from a roadtrip to Crested Butte, Colorado, to visit my little sis, Ker Bear. It was fun. We went last year over the 4th of July, as well, so we knew we were in for some fabulous fireworks and fun.

Here are some photos from the trip. The kids did SO well on the car ride. Seriously, Andy and I kept saying that we felt so lucky they were doing so well. They really didn't even need to watch the DVD player that much. They both enjoyed the scenery and the radio. Whew! I'm sure we're jinxing ourselves for our roadtrip to Michigan coming up over Labor Day, though...

My Mom and Dad and older sis, Shana, and her three kids came up a couple of days after us, so we were able to all spend the 4th together. They are still on a roadtrip this week. Just got a text from Shana saying they are driving from Durango, CO, to Roswell, NM today---aliens! I asked her to tell them "hi" for me.

Kerry is doing well in Colorado. She works two jobs right now-part time as a nanny and part time at a liquor store. She knew pretty much everyone in town we passed. That social butterfly...it was fun. We hiked around 4 miles one day w/ the kids on a trail that was so beautiful, it reminded us of the scenery in "The Sound of Music" or something. So gorgeous. And the kids loved hiking! And Andy stepped in fresh horse poop not once but twice in one hike, and in the same day Cleo puked on his head while she was riding on his shoulders. Poor Andy! Ha ha. It's funny now...

We're back to the old grind now, but Andy and I are excited to go to Miami on August 4 for his sales incentive trip. The kids will spend almost a week with my parents in B-game. I know I'll miss them like crazy (I already do), but it'll be awesome to get away. I selfishly hope the oil stays away from South Beach...we shall see. On the other hand, it would be a reality check to actually see the damage for myself to better understand the horrific impact the spill has had. I will feel a bit guilty enjoying a clean beach if the oil hasn't affected the waters yet in Miami...it just tears me up what this spill is doing to ocean life and to those to depend on the waters for work. :( On that positive note...more in a month or so. I figure worse case I'll still get a good tan.

ek