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I seriously have the best husband in the whole wide world. How do I love him....let me count the ways.....

• He's the most amazing man I have ever met. Ever.
• He is my best friend.
• He is so handsome....he still gives me butterflies in my tummy.
• He is so smart. It makes my head hurt all that he knows and can do.
• He makes me laugh, and smile....every day.
• He works so hard, day after day, and never complains.
• He's a great Daddy and I love to watch he and Anna together.
• He is so skilled - at building things, fixing things, figuring things out.
• He's just him....and I love him.

That's my sappiness for today. I'm a lucky girl. :)

The fire sprinklers are in - YEAH!!!
The heater went out - BOO!!!
It's 51 Degrees in our house - BOO!!!
I'm really COLD - BOO!!!!
(Do you detect a theme here....?)

I'm trying to think of more "Yeah!!!"s, because I'm generally a "glass is half full" kind of girl - but after 24 hours of sub-human temps in the house, I think my brain is frozen. I'll get back to you on that.

Our friend (and, coincidentally, architect and next door neighbor) did a VERY cool 3D rendering of what our house looks like from the outside now, with the new addition. Our house used to consist only of the garage in the front, and the house section immediately perpendicular to that (kind of an "L" shape using the garage and the house). Everything behind and above that has been added in the new addition. Gee - no wonder we're tired!

Curtis has defended Rigby's honor for several years, but I finally got to put an outfit on him. I think it was the vague Simpson's reference that made him cave. Next year, I want to get Kodi one that says "Santa's BIG Helper" and take a shot of the two of them together.

Let me set the scene. It's the day after Christmas. Our muscles ache from the amount of sheer physical strength it took to even OPEN all of the gifts that Anna got, let alone load them into the car to come home (in fact, not all of them would fit in one trip). They cover every surface in the house....and she wakes me up with this, this morning:

Mommy, can we go to Toys R Us today to pick out a surprise because I was SUCH a trooper during Christmas yesterday?

I laughed at her. Hard. She did not seem to share the joke.

By an almost 4 year old. But what else is new?

Tonight, we were having steak for dinner - usually Anna's favorite. Curtis had spent quite a bit of time making a GREAT dinner. Well, as luck would have it, Anna decided that she didn't want steak. And kept saying how yucky it was. Over and over. And over. And over.

So, I told her that it really hurts people's feeling if you say unkind things about something that they worked very hard to make for you.

"Yes, but it is still yucky," she replied. *sigh*

So, I tried a little analogy. I said, "What if you spent a very long time making a pretty picture for Daddy? And after all of your hard work, you gave it to him, and he said "I don't like that." How would that make YOU feel?"

She looked at me earnestly and replied, "I would draw him a new picture of something that he LIKED instead."

Again.....we both had to work hard not to crack up. She is so darned smart. :)

The tummy bug, that has apparently been making the rounds, has come to visit us too. High fever, upset tummy and a wispy little girl. Poor angel. It's such a bummer when they're sick. It is, however, a fantastic excuse to buy her surprises. Then again - when have I ever needed an excuse. Send get well wishes for the Boo-bear!!!

Our [INSERT VULGAR EUPHAMISIM FOR SEXUAL RELATIONS HERE] water meter inspection...you know - the one that was signed off and PASSED last week??? - has now been UNPASSED!!! How is that even [INSERT VULGAR EUPHAMISIM FOR SEXUAL RELATIONS HERE] possible!!?? Grrr.....

We took a break for awhile, but Anna really seemed to miss it, so we just started up again. New studio this time. She's loving it. And it's so much fun to watch her.

It's still there. That's about all I can report.

Seriously, we're making progress....slowly but surely. Right now we're working on finishing all of the systems that need to be done before the walls can be closed in: electrical (90% complete), plumbing (50% complete), HVAC (25% complete), fire sprinklers (20% complete).

We made it past one MAJOR hurdle, which was the water meter for the fire sprinkler. It was a nightmare to figure out. Since what they were requiring of us was a little sketchy, and unconventional, everybody and their mother had a different opinion about how it should be done....including the inspector the first time he came out. (For the record, it has not escaped my attention that we always complete this kind of project JUST in time to call for an inspection after Curtis has to go back to work. *I* am the one who has to look the inspector in the eye when he balls be out about what we did wrong and what is screwed up. I'm on to you, Sweetie. ) Anyway, 3 quotes, one big ass trench up the neighbor's lawn, 8 hours for me at various suppliers and talking to inumerable "experts" and plumbing parts supply houses, and one brilliant husband and two great friends later....it was "creatively engineered" enough to get past the inspector. Whoo hoooo!!!!




My boy...the SUPERVISOR.

We had a LOT to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Especially since we got to spend it in Colorado visiting Grandpa, Grandma Patsy & Uncle Will. We got 10 whole days to just hang out and visit. It was great. We really miss living closer to them. I'm a little freaked out that Will isn't a KID anymore...but time flies. As long as Anna never grows up, we should be just fine. It was so awesome to be there.....we miss them again already.


I guess the rest of opur pics are still on the other computer. I'll try to get them up one of these days.

Work with me here, kiddo. You're killing me here, kiddo.

This is Anna's favorite thing to tell us when she isn't getting what she wants.

Mommy, do you have a baby in your tummy? (For the record, I DO NOT!). And where do babies come out of after they are done being in your tummy?

I kindly deferred this question to 'Daddy', since Anna and I were having this conversation rather loudly while shopping and I could hear the snickers several aisles away.

EWWW! He has GIRL hair! Why does that BOY have GIRL hair!

Shrieked to me in Lowes when a guy with a pony tail came down our aisle.

That sign says S-T-O-P....stop. But Daddy is not a very good listener. He just pushes that sign right out of the way every time. He doesn't stop.

What Anna informed me while we were in Home Depot passing an aisle closed by one of the safety gates that they use when operating a fork lift on an isle. Again....I could hear the snickers.

Work with me here, kiddo. You're killing me here, kiddo.

This is Anna's favorite thing to tell us when she isn't getting what she wants.

Mommy, do you have a baby in your tummy? (For the record, I DO NOT!). And where do babied come out of after they are done being in your tummy?

I kindly deferred this question to 'Daddy', since Anna and I were having this conversation rather loudly while shopping and I could hear the snickers several isles away.

EWWW! He has GIRL hair! Why does that BOY have GIRL hair!

Shrieked to me in Lowes when a guy with a pony tail came down our aisle.

That sign says S-T-O-P....stop. But Daddy is not a very good listener. He just pushes that sign right out of the way every time. He doesn't stop.

What Anna informed me while we were in HOme Depot passing an isle closed by one of the safety gates that they use when operating a fork lift on an isle. Again....I could hear the snickers.

Yeah - you probably think you know where this is headed, and it can't be good, right? Ummm....yeah....you're right. The following conversation took place at our dinner table last night.

CURTIS: Finish your dinner. It's bedtime soon.
ANNA: I don't want to go to bed. Can I take a bath instead?
BEK: Nope - it's getting late. Bedtime.
Anna pauses thoughtfully. Curtis and I resume conversation.
ANNA: Hey! Smell my thumb!
Curtis and I exchange wary gazes.
BEK: Why....?
ANNA: Just because. Smell it!
BEK: (Smells thumb.) OK - what does it smell like.
ANNA: Does it smell like I need to take a bath?
CURTIS: Why....?
ANNA: (In a very proud voice) Becuase I just picked my bottom with it!
There is a stretching silence now, because at this point, Curtis and I realize that it is vitally important that we remain composed and DO NOT LAUGH, but we're both struggling. In the stretching silence, Anna adds in a tiny little voice...
ANNA: Should I wash my hands now?
CURTIS & BEK: YES!!!

We've been too busy living life to blog about it - so I'll try to catch up a little. Because, afterall, this is what MOST normal people do at 1am on a school night, when there is a big pile of work to be done, right?

Just in case you’ve been sitting home, waiting by your computer, thinking, “I wish I could have seen a REAL LIVE PRINCESS” on Halloween….we don’t want to disappoint. J

Here is our very own Sleeping Beauty. She was the perfect princess….and had SUCH a great time. This was the first year that she “got” Trick or Treating. And at every house, after she got her ‘treat’, she curtsied like a real princess, because that is how a princess says ‘Thank You”. Then she’d run back down the walk yelling “Have a Happy Halloween!!!” She had a blast…and a very heavy bucket when we got home. J Then we had a fun dinner, ate candy, gave treats to all of the “trick or treaters” and watched the Charlie Brown Halloween movie. Fun times!

So….here she is. For the record, she did turn back into a pumpkin this morning (sorry – mixed Princess metaphors) – and a grouchy one at that. J Hope you all had a great day too!

I swear, we couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried. Anna and I went to the Dollar Store today and bought a whole bunch of coloring books for the kids to play with at Schmittoberfest tomorrow. I was tearing out all of the individual pages when I came across this picture. I did a double take and then held it up for other opinions. We all came to the same conclusion independently…it looks like My Little Pony Target Practice! Maybe this is why it make the Dollar Store cut? Hahaha

9 years ago today I married my best friend, the love of my life, the most amazing, wonderful man in the whole wide world. Our wedding favors said this:

Today I married my best friend...
The one I laugh with..
Live for...
Dream with...
Love.

So true. We're pretty darned blessed to have the marriage, and the relationship, that we do. We like each other, love each other, laugh with each other (and sometimes at each other), respect each other, have fun with each other. If I had it to do allllll over again...I wouldn't change a thing.

Ich liebe dich, immer, Sweetie!!!

It's been awhile since I've blogged. The start of pre-school heralded the arrival of the perpetual illness. Anna-cold. Me-cold. Mom-cold. Mom-pneumonia. Me-another cold. Anna-ear infection. Me-bronchitis & walking pneumonia'. Then, just for kicks - Me *AND* Anna - stomach bug everywhere. Ugh! Hopefully we'll be on the mend soon.

I had to note this conversation from last night before I forget though....Anna is SO funny.

So, Anna was playing with some 'sand toys' in the bathtub, and decided she wanted them to sleep with her. No biggie. So, she took the blue dolphin, yellow walrus and the pink sea horse to bed when we were tucking her in. I started to "lecture" her that her sand toys would only be able to stay in bed if they don't keep her awake. If she goes to sleep, they can stay, but if she is playing with them and they keep her awake, then....

At this point she interrupted me and said,

"Actually, Mommy, I think it's your talking that is keeping me awake."

We both had to make a quick exit before she saw us laughing. What a riot.

Almost as much as I love the little girl. It makes me smile to look at it. It is just so 'her'...when she is feeling sweet. She also has "the mischevious", "the attitude", "the silly" and "the frown" down pat these days...but she's always a joy. We are so very, VERY blessed to have this little girl. And I pray every day that we make good choices for her, and that she has as wonderful a childhood as she deserves. And I pray that God will always be a part of her life, and that she finds her own path with Him. What a gift she is.

My family and I just got to do a baby shower for my cousin. It was so fun. It's exciting to have another baby coming into the family! This is Anna's second cousin (Avery was her first) and we are all very excited. So, here are a few pics from the shower...mostly of my latest cake, and our pretty little girl. It was a 22 hour labor (no pun intended) of love. I wasn't thrilled with all of it, but overall, it turned out OK. I think my cousin was happy, and that she felt special and pampered on her day - and THAT is what mattered most to all of us.

This is the final installment of this one for now....we need to move back to BIG projects again!

We did the linen closet in the bathroom last week too. We previously had a linen closet in the hallway. But I thought it would make the hallway seem more open and less cluttered to wall off where the door USED to be, and put the doors in the bathroom instead. After all, it is all bathroom stuff that we access in there anyway.

So, we framed up the wall over the door. Then, Curtis had the great idea to use the prefabbed cabinets in there, since we were going to have to buy the doors from them anyway to make them match our existing vanity. So we worked and scratched our heads and finally figured out a configuration of cabinets that would A) fit the space and B) be in stock, so we didn't have to wait for a special order. We got them all in (after some additional creative framing) and it looks awesome!

Once we get the linen closet stuff put back away, we'll have SO much more space than we did. I can't wait!

The Back Step:

We have had only one entrance to and from our house since we started working on removing the back step. So, Curtis built our new steps leading from the kitchen so we could have our yard back. I LOVE them! We built them from that synthetic decking, Trex. No maintenance, splinters, wear, etc. It looks awesome. And we made them a cool deign, instead of just boring straight steps.

We have been wrapping up a lot of LITTLE projects lately; things that seem to go slow for their relative size and scale, but fortunately make a BIG difference in our ability to LIVE in this mess.

Project #1: The kitchen pantry.
Our one, small, kitchen pantry got deeper in the remodel, to accommodate the hallway wall. But, in the meantime, we had to empty it, which means we haven't seen our kitchen nook for several months now. My mom had the bright idea to go ahead and finish that now, so that we could get our kitchen back - because the rest was pretty much unchanged. BRILLIANT! So, we moved the electrical that ran through it, finished framing, drywalled and taped.

Then Curtis had a business trip for a few days. I told him that I might try to build the shelves for it while he was gone, and he LAUGHED AT ME. (OK, in his defense, the shelves had to be cut from a full sheet of 3/4" plywood, that SHOULD have been done on the table saw, not with the skill saw. He said he was envisioning me trying to maneuver THAT on my own, which, would have been VERY funny.)

Anyway, I DID IT!! I cut all of the shelves myself (relatively straight even). Cut the supports. Mounted them all and covered all of the shelving. Voila! We have our pantry! My mom came over and helped me organize and clean. It was SO good to have a functioning kitchen again! I owe it all to Curtis and my dad anyway for teaching me everything I know about power tools and woodworking. (Which actually isn't THAT much - but enough to get the job done, huh?!)

BEFORE:


AFTER:

When I dropped Anna off at pre-school this morning, I told her teacher, Miss Jenny, that I would be happy to help out in the class if they ever need volunteers. She said, "Actually, I could use some help later on today, if you can make it!" Cool! I have SUCH fond memories of my mom always being there when we had special projects, parties, crafts, and stuff.

(OK, except for the time in the 5th grade when the teacher was introducing all of the kids to my mom, and when she got to my crush du jour, Taja Hamilton, my mom made this wide eyed little smile and drawled, "I've heard ALLLL about you." I could have died. Really. Just sunk into the floor and died. Except for that time, it was great. Not that it scarred me for life or anything. Just for the last 21 years. But I've had therapy, and we're working on it. But I digress....)

Anyway, I got to go help with the science project. Each kidlet had a ziplock bag with their name on it. Miss Jenny put a scoop of blue jello and a scoop of yellow jello inside. (WAIT - this is MY PART!) *I* got to tape the top of the bag closed, to avoid jello carnage on the clothes and floor. Then, the kids mushed it up with their hands to see what NEW color blue and yellow make when mixed together. It was very cute.

It was so fun seeing all the kids, and watching them. They are so sweet. I'm not sure, if I had that job, if I would laugh all day at the cuteness, or want to hide in a quiet dark room at the end of the day. Maybe both. Anyway....that was my first day at school. Very fun stuff.

(Except for the back aches, blisters, sprained ankles, cursing, etc., etc.) We filled in the hole where the step used to be with concrete this weekend. Anna even helped out with her 'pink' tool box and a special handprint while we poured the concrete. Next, we'll build steps back in where they need to be. Another weekend....

Well, after waaayyyy too much time had passed between building the playhouse, and decorating the playhouse, Grandma & Alisa agreed to take on the task while they were watching Anna (which they have generously agreed to do on weekends while we are working on the house). And, you'll probably be surprised to learn, that Anna decided that everything should be PINK!

So, the playhouse is now painted inside. In fact, if you lean your head out the nearest window right now and look at the sky, you'll see a pink glow. That's from the walls of Anna's playhouse....I'm sure you can see it WHATEVER side of the globe you're on. It is partway decorated, and it still needs the white trim paint, but here are some inprogress shots. She is thrilled beyond belief already!

Thanks, Grandma & Alisa!

What a milestone. Our baby started school today. There were tears, anxiety, happiness and fear, some uncertain moments. But, in the end, I got through it and didn't let Anna see me cry. (I saved that for the parking lot afterwards.) She was all smiles. She asked why we were leaving, and we told her it was time for the mommies and daddies to go so that school could start, and she said, "OK" and ran back to play some more. Curtis and I are so proud of her. She just ran right in and made herself at home, just as we suspected she would. It's a great place, and it will be wonderful for her.

Here are a few pictures of this morning. Of course, Anna was decked out head to toe in her signature color. If it touches her body, it HAS to be pink. I love my 'girly-girl'.

(Could also have been titled DING DONG THE STEP IS DEAD!")

The cost of building this simple, concrete step in 1971 when our house was built.....$32


The amount of time Curtis and I shed blood sweat and tears trying to rip is out last weekend, and only got this far.....13 man hours.


The cost of the jackhammer rental from Hertz Equipment Rental....$63


The time it took Erik to get the step out with the big ass jackhammer....52 minutes.


Having a friend who shows up to your house to do ONE project for you (awesome) but stays to take over another as well.....PRICELESS.