Running Olivia?!?

Yep, it's true. Olivia walks. And not the wobbly baby walking. Just plain old big kid style walking. A little slow at times and prone to tripping, but she pretty much just walks all around our house. It's quite funny to watch her try to run while chasing Abby. She started walking just about two weeks ago and she's already made attempts at running several times. She is growing up too fast!

We are only 2 days away from Olivia's first birthday. Where has the last year gone??? Abby is so excited about the birthday, especially the cupcakes and presents for Olivia. And there is a Princess Jasmine barbie doll for her if she continues to remember not to suck her thumb. For the last two weeks she's been trying hard to break that habit and she's done a really good job. I just have to mention the doll when she starts to pop her thumb into her mouth and she pulls it right out - that is way more will power than I have.

Happy March!

We are done with the contracted portion of our kitchen and playroom project - just a little work left to be done by Steve and I and then we will have a cleaner and cooler kitchen. The playroom section is all done, except for the addition of cabinet hardware. I am very pleased with the finished product - it is exactly what we needed in functionality and the style matches the space perfectly.

We took a trip last weekend to watch Hannah perform in her high school's musical - Bye Bye Birdie. She did a great job! The girls had lots of fun seeing their grandmas and grandpas. And we came back with a car full of stuff and a head cold for me. I have that feeling like I need my ears to pop, but they won't. And my coughing is keeping Steve awake at night... I hope this is short lived!

Standing Olivia

Olivia is getting braver by the minute. Yesterday she decided she was
going to stand. And she did, for almost a whole minute. On purpose.
Abby was cheering for her and that was pretty awesome since poor Abby
spent a lot of time in time out for hitting, pushing, and toy stealing
yesterday. This big sister job is much harder than she realized when
Olivia just slept in my arms all day.

We had a crazy day yesterday. It went from 39 to 29 within just a
couple hours, then it got really windy - like up to 50 mph gusts
windy. And of course snowy. That combination blew all the snow
straight up our driveway and into the ba k entry. So when I went to
let Maize out this morning the snow was knee deep against the back
door (which I have to use since the patio door that leads straight to
the backyard is totally busted). The drift by the car door is closer
to waist high. But the funniest part is the fact that the rest of the
driveway is totally clear. Good thing there is a good snow blower in
the garage.

And now... Off to he kitchen. We are having a party (shocking, not if
you know our calendar) for friends who are moving this weekend to the
Midland area permenantly. I've got lots of cleaning and cooking to do!

Stage One Done

We have the counter tops in the kitchen installed. It's a dramatic difference already. Not picture ready yet, since we ripped out the old back splash and the wall behind is pretty ugly with old adhesive and no paint. So, this afternoon Abby, Olivia and I may be going to pick out some possible paint colors. Then we may have to host an online straw poll. It's nice to have new counters that look clean. Next week will be the workspace/desk/cabinets. I'm very excited about that!

Kitchen Touch-up Before

Our kitchen counters were delivered today and tomorrow starts the resurfacing project. Here's the before pictures so that when it gets done you'll have something to compare it to. I am so excited for new, clean, stain-free counters!

p.s. the new counters look amazing... even just sitting in boxes on the floor :o)

Blogging in Bed

The computer still hasn't got a home where it is convenient for me to use it during the day, but we pulled it out tonight to catch up on a t.v. series we like (and record, except our tivo had a problem and missed two episodes), so I thought I had better take a moment and update my blog, since I really want to do better at keeping up with it. I promise...

Not much exciting happened last week. We are still waiting for the cabinets to come in so our contractor can get our work station/toy storage installed. The counter tops arrived last week, but they are keeping them at the hardware store until everything is in. I also met with the artist who is designing me art glass cabinet pulls. She has some great pieces started and I am excited to have a one of a kind knob on all of my cabinets. The wider pulls (with the 3 inch gap between the two screws, if you know what I mean) will match the stainless steel stove, so when everything is in our kitchen should have a modern pop to it. And a coat of bright green paint should liven it up a lot. I am very excited to have new, clean counters to work on.

Olivia is still working on walking behind things and hasn't quite figured out whether she wants to stand unassisted or not. She's had a couple brief (2 or 3 seconds) attempts at standing on her own, but she sits down pretty fast when she realizes that no one is supporting her. I'm sure she will be running before too long. She's also been attempting to do the three steps that are up to Abby's bed (it's one of those "dog steps" you used to see advertised on t.v. It works great for helping a little girl into and out of her bed). We've got to get something figured out to keep her away from all our stairs while still letting Abby easily get to the potty. Good thing I'm still faster than Olivia.

In the saga of whether or not I am going back to work we've also made no progress. The offer to work with the other two attorneys still stands, but it is riding on them getting a contract to provide all the public defender services for the county. And we haven't talked salary yet, so it could still get to the point where I have a job offer, but not one that pays enough to cover child care and other expenses. So, we are still praying and waiting. I didn't seek this out, so if it comes about it will be just another "God thing" that has happened to us. We're amassing quite a list of those...

Abby and I are starting a preschool workbook and art projects during Olivia's nap time. She has been showing increase ability to concentrate on an activity and has been thriving in Sunday school, so we figured it was time to start working on some basics at home. Today we bought a workbook, construction paper, scissors, and crayons. I really hope I don't regret the scissors purchase... For good measure Abby also snuck a Tangled (the latest Disney princess movie) t-shirt and a Michigan Wolverines t-shirt into the cart. Since she's outgrown a lot of what we had for her to wear this spring I figured I'd let her get away with selecting her own shirts. It took almost 10 minutes for her to decide which Tangled shirt she wanted. I think there were 8 or 9 options. She is going to be very disappointed if she wants to be a shopper like Grandma Mary and is limited to the Soo for her stores.

Walking Olivia

Olivia has been cruising around things lately and today started walking behind the baby stroller. It's not going to be long before we are chasing her all around this house. I'm not sure if we are quite ready for that new level of activity. I better get my running shoes out of the closet.



We got back last night from our travel around the state. We left Tuesday morning to see Grandma Lorraine and Grandpa Harley for a few days. I love being there with them. I have so many happy memories of times spent at their house as a child and during our grad school years. Abby and Olivia decided to make themselves right at home and had a great time. Abby even told me that Grandma Lorraine had the best toys in the universe, which is quite funny considering most of those toys are older than I am. The girls both enjoyed getting spoiled by their Grandma and Grandpa. Abby didn't want to leave - she told me that I could leave her there and see her later.

We got to do some much needed retail therapy on our trip. Abby has sprouted up, literally, in the last few weeks and now wears size 4. So, we hit the winter sales racks for size 5. I hope that she is still wearing size 5 when next fall rolls around. If not Olivia will be a lucky girl. We got lots of warm shirts and soft pants for Abby to cruise around in next fall. And coffee - mom's best friend. We also got a two screen dvd player for the car. The upgrade to a screen for each little person made our trip home much better. Olivia loved being able to see and hear the movie on her way home.

So, we arrived home to a freshly painted dark blue wall behind where my new cabinets will be installed in the next couple weeks. It looks amazing and it was great to have that get done without having the extra assistance of Abby and Olivia. Now for the big task of keeping them away from the project when it really gets going.

We have a problem...

Okay... I will admit it. I have done a terrible job at updating this lately. Or really since Mother's Day when Steve bought me an iPod iTouch and I could check my email and facebook account without having to get on the computer. It has been a wonderful thing for both of us - it is much more convenient to have a little hand held device that allows you to check email practically instantly and then put away. And so, I have not been on the computer much and this poor blog has suffered. But an end is in sight... we have ordered the counter tops, cabinets, and all the supplies for putting a built in counter/desk/storage system in the playroom. Then the poor laptop should be able to find a home in a place where I can use it and still supervise small girls who are quick to destroy the office where the laptop has been living.

So... we are looking forward for the arrival and installation of the project in two or three weeks. When I say we, I think I am mostly meaning Steve, since he will be painting the wall where the cabinets are going this Saturday while the girls and I are downstate visiting family and friends. We are leaving tomorrow to see Grandma Lorraine and Grandpa Harley for a few days and then swinging over to Hastings to pick up a quarter of a cow that has been waiting for us since around Christmas, plus a few Christmas presents that didn't fit into the car on the way home. It should be a fun time and a good change of pace for the girls since the extreme cold weather has been trapping us inside. Today it's a whopping 13 degrees, but yesterday I don't think it got above zero!

Avalanche Bay

We just got back from a wonderful day at Boyne with Grandma Mary &
Grandpa Scott (Hannah & Emily too!). The girls had a great time
playing in the water and enjoying some extra attention. And Steve and
I enjoyed a little adult time to ride a waterslide or two. It was
great. Our night at the hotel was not good, but Abby was pretty tired
after two days of having her best friends here. And I came home with a
head cold. Not fun!

Almost Playmates

Abby and Olivia are making big strides on playing together without screaming or crying involved. Finally... Poor Olivia is still getting the short end of the stick, since the playing for the last few days has involved pretending that Olivia is a dog and trapping her in a pretend dog crate made of all the toy bins or trapping her in a pretend baby crib made of the same toy bins. But at least there has been a few quieter moments around here and the girls have been able to entertain themselves and each other without physical injury.

While Olivia took her afternoon nap yesterday Abby and I went out and froze our bottoms off in the snow. She filled the yard with snow angels and Maize entertained us both by running in circles around Abby and jumping over the top of her while she was working on her snow angels. She also took a trip down the "snow slide" and got it all cleared off. We also took our first trip to the library in a long time to join the story hour for preschool aged kids. Abby did really well listening to the stories and making the craft (a sweet pair of raccoon glasses).