Moestly Hoesly

Facebook Address

2011-10-13T10:50:00.001-05:00

http://www.facebook.com/sarah.hoesly
and
https://www.facebook.com/rob.hoesly

Update...

2011-10-13T09:41:00.000-05:00

Hello all! I just wanted to leave a quick update here. An update to let you know that I've pretty much abandoned this forum in favor of Facebook. Much more convenient and interactive! So, if you HAVEN'T yet tried Facebook, it's time to give it a try! You'll get a LOT more pictures, news and conversation with us there... I will likely be deleting this blog in the next month or so.

We love you all, we'll see you on Facebook!

Happy 2011

2011-01-20T11:36:00.000-06:00

Hello, family and friends....

I was appalled when I realized that I had not updated this blog since AUGUST of LAST YEAR.... Anyone who looked at it now would probably think that I had fallen into despair and dropped off the planet. I sincerely apologize for my neglect! I hope no one has become alarmed at my last cliffhanger update.

So get comfortable...go get a cup of something warm...this could take a while!

So, since last August... Well, I'll just start at the beginning. A couple of weeks after my last post, we got an offer on our house. Being that we were SO tired of having it for sale, and it was a good, reasonable offer, we jumped on it. There was just one catch: The buyers were in a HURRY, they wanted to close in 13 days! WHAT!?! So we had less than two weeks to move out. It wasn't enough time for us to make a good decision on our "forever" home, so we opted to move into a rental for the remainder of the school year, and planned to look for our next home in the spring of 2011 when there would be a bigger selection. With no house to sell anymore, there would be nothing to hold us back. We found a two bedroom townhouse in the same school attendance area, and in what was probably the most hectic two weeks of my life, we left our dear home on Wayne Avenue to it's new owners, and became (gulp!) renters, again.

The townhouse is...cozy. It's...suitable. For now. The kids are sharing a bedroom, which isn't terrible but it's clear that both of them are looking forward to having their own space again. We have a single garage that is packed to the gills with boxes, furniture, tools, appliances and everything else we own, waiting to be transferred to their permanent residence. My perspective is that being so "cozy" here will make it just that much nicer when we do have more elbow room.

So, life went on. Laura is rocking the first grade, Ehren's hanging out in pre-K. I'm haunted by the dreadful thought of my baby in kindergarten next year. What's a mama to do? Oh....I'm sure I'll think of something! Rob's enjoying his new job, it's a lifestyle change for all of us since he's working from home now. That part is a bit challenging with the smaller space, but when we move into our next house we'll have plenty of room to spread out.

And speaking of that, we're MOVING! Despite my best efforts to slow down, pace myself and wait until spring when the selection was best, I just can't help myself. I look at real estate listings online DAILY. I think I really do have at least a mild obsession with houses. So after the new year, we set out looking in person. And we found it... Four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, two-story with a great kitchen. It's big, but not too big. It even has a semi-finished room in the basement that will be a perfect craft and sewing room. It's about 25 years old, in wonderful condition and in a lovely neighborhood. If all goes well, and it looks like it will, we'll be closing mid March. Laura can still finish the school year at her school, but next year she and Ehren will go to a different elementary school.

Even though I should know better, knowing that strange things can and DO happen, I'd like to share a picture of our new-to-us house! We've gotten approved on financing, done all inspections, and everything is a go, so I feel pretty confident that this is really it. I may be eating my hat later, but I guess I'll chance it. Here it is...

Isn't it sweet! I just love the archway above the door, the peaked roof, and it's general curb appeal. It also has great windows, including that funny little window above the archway...it turns out that that little angled window is part of a perfect window seat in the bedroom that will be Laura's room. My little bookworm will have a private little nook to read and dream. The set of three windows on the second floor to the left of the front door will be Ehren's room. It's smaller but it's a bright, cheerful space. Of course anyone who knows me knows that I've already mentally moved in and started decorating. ;)

So, that's probably enough for now. That's the biggest news. The holidays came and went cheerfully and a traditional way for us. Laura had her 7th birthday (*sniff!*), it was a princess fashion show followed by pizza party at one of our favorite local pizza joints. It was lots of fun, I think Laura had a great day. Hard to believe she's already seven...

I hope this finds you happy, healthy and WARM....we're under a blanket of snow today, so we're inside enjoying the pretty scene outside. Again, happy new year!

Just in case anyone out there is interested....

2010-08-03T22:22:00.000-05:00

A quick update on our house situation.

Basically, there is nothing to update. We've had our house for sale for NINE months. (Haven't we waited long enough?) The house we want is also still for sale, and they've reduced their price. We can't and won't reduce ours again, we've reduced it $20K already. And, school starts in two weeks. We were hoping to be out of here by this time LAST year, and here we sit. Not because we've made poor decisions, not because we can't afford it, and not because this house has anything wrong with it that would keep it from selling.

BOOOOOOO!!!!!

Because I am a human being, encouragement and/or moral support would be appreciated. Thanks!!!!

Ok, it's up and running!

2010-07-24T00:55:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Rob, and after several hours of setup, www.ahundredfifty.com is up and sailing. Come take a look!

HEADS UP!

2010-07-21T15:02:00.004-05:00

Ok everyone. Check this out!

I had wayyyyy too much fun writing that post about the kids' rooms.

So here's the deal... I was hit with dee-vine inspiration yesterday. I'm going to start my OWN home improvement/DIY/home decorating blog! There are a number that I frequent, such as Young House Love, Thrifty Decor Chick, 320 Sycamore, and others! I'm hooked. I love hearing about their adventures in dressing their nests, see the pictures of their makeovers, and watching their spaces evolve. I love it!

I also love doing those things myself. And I love talking about it. (LIGHT BULB MOMENT!)

Hello!?! Why can't I do this? I can! Never mind that I know NOTHING about running a "real" blog, one read by people other than my inlaws. I'm totally unfamiliar with blogosphere etiquette. In the beginning I will be stumbling around in the dark as far as the blog world is concerned.

And here's my angle on the DIY blog. In reality, we use a budget. We really do. I have certain amounts budgeted for groceries, eating out, clothing, home improvement, etc. My real, true budget for home improvement is $150 every two weeks. Not a whole lot, but it forces me to be creative. So the idea of my blog is that I will use my $150 budget for home improvement projects like decorating, minor remodeling, furniture makeovers, etc. I'll blog about my plans, my progress, my expenditures, and results. Before and after pics, all that good stuff.

Now, I know that some, probably many, people out there make some money at this blogging stuff. They get sponsors, advertising, etc. That would be lovely, but it's not really the driving force here. At least, not at this point. I'm really excited about this project as a creative outlet for myself. I'm starting at the very beginning with really no background knowledge. So, we'll see what happens.

I'm eager to get started! I'll keep everyone posted!

The Tooth Fairy Arrives!

2010-07-11T22:34:00.003-05:00

Yes, finally.... We've had cause for a visit from the tooth fairy! Laura has been anxiously awaiting the loss of her teeth. I was not anxiously awaiting it....the sight of gums where teeth should be, frankly, grosses me out! I had a feeling, however, that my aversion to the sight would lessen when it happened to be in my own kiddo's mouths.

In fact, we've all been anxiously awaiting this visit... Laura had two loose teeth on the bottom, in front. SO loose, in fact, that they were hanging on by a thread. But none of us had the guts to just yank them out. Then after dinner one night last week, I noticed that one of them was GONE. I got all excited, but this was news to Laura! Apparently, she had swallowed it during dinner!! Not wanting to lose both of them to the depths of her digestive tract, we decided to extract the other loose tooth. I got out the tweezers, closed my eyes, and tugged quite gently...Whew! Out it came. So, she had one of the two teeth to give to the tooth fairy. I thought it was fair of the tooth fairy to compensate her for both.

Before, with the two loosey-goosey's

A couple of days later, after we discovered the loss of one of the looseys:

AND, a few minutes later, after Dr. Mom went in with the tweezers:

Don't worry. I'm not going to post a picture every time our kids lose a tooth.

And I do love her little toothless window, and her lispy "S"s!

Happy mom.

I must, I must, I must feather my....nest!

2010-07-08T16:15:00.008-05:00

I know, that doesn't exactly rhyme.

But it's true... I'm getting REEEALLY antsy here, I've been working really hard to be patient and wait until we sell our house, and move into our new one. But it's been almost 6 MONTHS, people. That's NOT including the several months we had it for sale LAST year!

Those of you who know me well know that I love to paint. Walls, that is. I've lost track of all the colors that have been on these walls over the last 9 years. And, I love to decorate, and re-decorate. Hey....some people travel, some do gardening, some people play disc golf. I decorate. And I'm jonesin'! I repainted and redid our master bedroom back in February, I'm ok with it for now. But lately I've been eyeing the kids rooms........

Laura's Room:

This is how her room looks now:

Well, not RIGHT now. RIGHT now she has stuff everywhere. That girl is a packrat... I'm not talking about little chotchkies and momentos, I mean every scrap of paper, half-colored picture, broken crayon, leaf, rock or stick she found outside. We HAVE to keep that! And the furniture is in a different arrangement, but the decor is all the same.

And, those of you who know Laura well, know that she's "into" fairies...though obsessed may be a better word. So, of course, she wants a fairy-themed room. Yes, I paid beaucoup bucks on her garden-theme quilt, shams and valances at Pottery Barn (Note to self: In the future balance the cost of decor with my need to change them out frequently!), but I really think she's outgrown this print. It was charming when she was two, but doesn't really reflect her dreamy personality at six-and-a-half. Plus, this yellow isn't working for me at all. (Confession: I didn't prime the walls before I put up the yellow paint, and the apple green color underneath gives the yellow a hue that's not what we were going for!)

Now, don't worry.... We're not going Tinkerbell crazy here. This will be a generic, woodland fairy theme, with maybe ONE Tinkerbell touch. And, since our house is still for sale, this isn't going to be anything over the top. No murals, nothing irreversible. The color scheme is purples and greens....soft, dusty plum and subtle, grassy, sage-y greens. Sheer, airy, feminine fabrics and bedding. I'd really like to get her a full-size bed, maybe with a pretty iron headboard, instead of her little twin daybed. And we may do a little furniture toss-up, swapping some of hers for some of Ehren's.

Speaking of Ehren's....

Here's his NOW room:

Well, almost. Again, the furniture has been moved a bit, and he has a "new" dresser and nightstand that I scored at a consignment shop. The best laid plans...... I bought the dresser/nightstand with the intention of using it in the new house, in the guest room. It's not exactly masculine, for a little boy's room. It's not white and girly, but definitely a little more feminine in the shape. (Like he cares at this point!)

If you ask him what his favorite color is, he'll say brown. Why? I have no idea. The boy likes brown. Maybe it reminds him of chocolate. And, since he has a different answer every single time I ask him what kind of room he wants, I'll pick one out of his array of answers and run with it. One day I asked him and he said "cars!"

Ok, that works. ;)

Not Disney "Cars"....we'd all be tired of that in about 2 days. I've noticed lately that he has started noticing cars he likes, as we are driving or in the parking lots. He'll see some old muscle car, or something red and fast-looking, and go "Oooh, that's a cool car!" (God help us when this child is 16...between him and his father he'll probably end up with an old mustang or camaro!)

So here's my inspiration for his room:

Since he likes brown, I'm going to add a chair rail and paint the bottom half of the room brown. I've found some cute metal signs that will go along nicely with the auto theme, and I have a few ideas about curtains, bedding, and such..... You'll just have to wait for those details! I also plan to use some other fun colors that will jive with this theme, like "rust" red and "primer" gray. There may even be some bright yellow, orange, or red elements. Can't have a car room without "racecar" colors, right? And check this out....I found a store on Etsy that will create a name sign with letters from chopped up license plates. How cool is that???

So, stay tuned.... I'll post some before, during, and after pics as I go along. Wheeeeeee!!

Piano recital

2010-05-16T23:17:00.004-05:00

Today Laura performed in her first piano recital. She was so excited and confident, she did a great job! I was so proud of her. She was the second student to play, and the youngest of all of them.

She played Yankee Doodle and Ode to Joy.

Well, I tried to post a video but it just wouldn't load up. Sorry! She started taking lessons back in the fall, and is almost through her first book, or set of books I should say. She works in 4 books all together, one for lessons, theory, technique and performance. She really seems to enjoy it.

It's hard to believe that her first year of school is nearly over. (sniff!) Things are beginning to wrap up, and it's time to think about how we'll use all of our free summer time. The kids are excited about going camping, riding bikes and eating lots of ice cream. We're looking forward to a great summer!

Happy Birthday, Ehren!

2010-04-22T08:00:00.006-05:00

We celebrated Ehren's FOURTH birthday this weekend! He was so excited this year....the night before his birthday party he repeated several times, "We have a big day tomorrow....We have a BIG day tomorrow!" Being MY son, he's typically not a morning person; however, 4th birthdays are the exception to that rule.

Rather than having a dozen 3 and 4 year-olds in my house, we opted to host his party at the gymnastics center where Ehren takes a class every week. The best part of that is, the kids are worn out from all the play! The theme was Spiderman...

The kids are riveted on the gift-opening portion of the party...

And speaking of gifts....This one came first thing in the morning, we think it was a hit even though we couldn't get a good pic of him smiling while riding it. He'd seen this one in the store a few weeks ago, and we could barely get him off of it so we could put it back on the shelf.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, little man!!!

House update

2010-04-14T15:23:00.003-05:00

For anyone who is interested..... An update on our housing situation.

We've officially had our house for sale since the end of January. We decided to try a new realtor, we're working with a friend from church. He's doing a great job. We've had several showings, and even some talk of a couple of offers. But, for whatever reason, nothing has materialized. We have lowered the price twice, and we really can't afford to lower it again. And, the tax credit program ends April 30. We figured this was probably our best chance of selling, with $6500-8000 as incentive, not to mention the good interest rates. So, I'm sure we'll hang in there until the end of April, but after that we're not sure. At that point we won't be able to take advantage of the tax program either. Too bad....free money is always good. Two weeks left...

If anything changes, we'll be sure to let you know!! Thanks again for all of your prayers and words of encouragement.

CHANGE OF CONTACT INFO

2010-03-09T22:09:00.002-06:00

Ok, so as of tomorrow our home phone is going away. We're trying Google Voice, and "re-arranging" our mobile phone service so at this point you'll have to get in touch with me by my cell. If you don't have that number and would like to, email me at sarah.hoesly@gmail.com.

And my dear family...if there is anyone who doesn't much use the internet and might want this info, please pass it along to them, if I haven't yet! Thanks!!! :)

Hi all...

2010-02-09T09:39:00.003-06:00

I'm sorry I've kind of let this page go... For more up to date info and pics, check us out on Facebook.

All is well in the Hoesly house. We've decided to try again to sell our house...with the tax credits and low interest rates out there, it's a good a time as any. We've got our eye on a place with just a little more space. Wish us luck!

Laura and Ehren are doing good. Laura is still loving school, she's in the gifted program in our district. It's called SAGE (Students in Academically Gifted Education) and that means she goes to another school once a week and attends her SAGE class, with a group of K & 1st graders. She gets to work on her own level in math and reading, as well as a Spanish lesson, group projects, and her own individual project. I've seen her bring home papers with basic chemistry, physics(they're learning about aerodynamics---wow!), earth science, etc. It's all pretty cool, she really enjoys it. She also is in Daisys (Girl Scouts) and is starting piano lessons again. Ehren is going to preschool two mornings a week, and he is in a gymnastics class once a week. It's perfect for him, he's such a monkey. He's a stubborn little 3 year old, he keeps me busy.

Rob and I are both doing fine too. We got some good news from Cerner, Rob will most likely be moving back up to one of the Northland locations in the next month or so. We are SO happy about that, he currently has to drive 40 mins each way to get to work, when he moves back up here it will be 10-15 mins. It will allow him to get back into playing basketball and working out like he used to, which he misses. And I'm still keeping busy with church volunteering, kid's activities, and keeping the house ready for a showing...that's a job by itself!

Hope everyone reading is doing well, staying healthy and enjoying the winter months. We sure are....I LOVE all the snow we've gotten this year!

Take care, everyone...and let us here from you! Lots of love.....

Hey Everybody! Happy Fall!

2009-10-23T09:19:00.003-05:00

I just can't believe how long it's been since my last post....I'm SO sorry! I guess I've been posting our news of interest on Facebook, and kind of let this space go. But, I'm back now, and I am going to try to be more regular here.

So, to catch up...where to start? We're still hanging out here at good ol' 6700 N. Wayne, enjoying our beautiful trees in all of their color, as well as loving our place with all of it's improvements. Sorry about the huge pity party I threw around here...I suppose we all have those moments sometimes?? I think I just needed a little time to get my perspective back. Plus, with all the exciting stuff going on around here, it's a relief to not to have to worry about selling a house.

Laura started kindergarten this fall! She loves it, she's just like a duck in water. Her reading skills are continuing to improve, and her teacher has been having her read aloud to the class a couple of times a week. I'm so thrilled, I think this will be great for her confidence. Her favorite reads these days are the Junie B. Jones series. She also loves anything related to fairies, Tinkerbell or Barbie. She's decided to try Girl Scouts too. I'm happy with this, as sometimes she is a little shy in groups. After the holidays, we're going to get back into piano lessons.

Ehren is in preschool again this year, at the same school the kids have always gone to. He even got the same teachers he had last year, which is nice. He goes two mornings a week. Once we get past the goodbyes, he always seems to have fun at school. He knows all of his letters, colors, shapes, and numbers at least up to 20. He's also really good on the computer (shocking, I know) and I have a feeling will be a good reader too. He can already recognize a few words. He's also taking a gymnastics class once a week, which he really enjoys and is doing pretty well in.

This week, Ehren had a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Everything went very smoothly the day of surgery, we were in and out of the hospital in a few hours. The second day was tough, he didn't want to eat or drink ANYthing. But I think we're now starting to get caught up on fluids and food, and I'm guessing he'll be back to his normal activity in a week.

Rob and I are doing good. Earlier this month we took a little trip out to San Francisco for a few days. (Gloria, I had you on my mind a lot that trip! :) ) We did lot of sightseeing, and had a really good time together. Grandma Vicki came up to KC to stay with the kiddos so they wouldn't have to miss out on any school. (Thanks Mom!) We took at tour of Muir Woods, which was just breathtaking, and then on to Sonoma for a wine-tasting tour. Rob got to play disc golf at Golden Gate Park, and we went to see the show "Wicked" while we were there. We also wanted to see some of the famous "local" spots, we went to the Buena Vista for Irish coffee, the Tadich Grill, and my fave, the Blue Bottle Coffee Co. It had the best coffee and waffles ever!! And we couldn't resist some of the touristy spots either, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghiradelli Square, Chinatown. It was a really fun trip! It was kind of our 10th anniversary celebration. 10 years! Hardly seems possible. They've been 10 really great years. :o)

So, the holidays are approaching, I'm already looking forward to Christmas! The kids, of course, are excited about Halloween...Laura's going to be a cheerleader :), and Ehren's going to be Bumblebee from the Transformers. I've never been a huge fan of Halloween, but I'm liking it more now with the kids. We especially like pumpkin carving!

I think that's about it for now! Hope this finds everyone well and enjoying the beautiful autumn weather. Take care!!

Love to all, Sarah

Back to School

2009-07-23T11:41:00.003-05:00

I can't believe Laura starts school in less than a month, 24 days from today to be exact. Time to think about school supplies, school clothes, new teachers and new friends. She is so excited, though. She's ready. But, we still have a few full weeks of summer before school begins (August 17), so we're going to live it up. We have some short trips planned, for the kids at least, and maybe we'll try to sqeeze in some more camping.

Laura has really been enjoying reading this summer. Her favorites are a series called "Rainbow Magic"...it's a collection of stories about fairies. I'm also introducing her to a couple of my favorites, the "Ramona" series by Beverly Cleary, and the Nancy Drew books...there is a new ND series that is geared toward 4-8 year-olds.

I'll be posting some new pics soon...Rob has saved them somewhere on the computer and I can't find them at the moment!

Trying...to move on, without moving.

2009-07-19T00:15:00.002-05:00

First of all..... Thank you so much to all of you who have offered your support and kind words about our recent house selling disappointment. We really appreciate your encouragement. So, please know that we know we have great friends and family who care. That being said, I just have to let out one last vent. (It's my blog, I can do that, right?) It's been almost 2 weeks since the whole thing went down. We've pretty much just let go of that dream. Still, I feel sad. That place would have been so perfect, everything we've been wanting and lots more. The only way we'd find another place like that would be to build it, and that's not something we really want to do, even if we could. We got our portable storage unit back this week. So, even if we had the hope to go back to the "market," we'd have so much more stuff in here to deal with. That just makes the house looks smaller. School will be starting soon, and also all the busy-ness of fall. I just can't juggle all that myself. After that disappointment, we really don't even care anymore. We had hope before, but this whole thing has kind of wiped it out. I guess we can blame the economy if we want, but I don't really buy into all that hype. Doesn't matter anyway.

Ok, that's my last comment on the matter. I know, I know....we should just count our blessings. But after being so close, after all the work we've put in. I know a house is just a shelter, a building you live in. But it's also the backdrop for your life. It's your memories, and your relationships. The setting for those memories and relationships. It's your own sacred space. The kids have been asking about our "other house" and their new rooms. It's a little hard to explain to them what happened, why our new "friends" changed their minds and don't want our house anymore. I'm really not angry about that anymore, just mourning the loss of the place we fell in love with. :o( If only there was a way.

Thanks. I won't bore anyone with it anymore! Promise.

More news.

2009-07-08T08:40:00.002-05:00

Well, you can completely disregard the previous post. The couple who made an offer on our house has changed their mind, and withdrawn their offer. So, it looks as if we'll be staying after all. It's a shock, we're still absorbing the news ourselves. We've decided that we're not going to re-list our house, after all of this we need a break.

Update on the home selling process

2009-07-01T11:10:00.002-05:00

Well, much has developed since my last report... Only days before we planned to take the house off the market, the right person walked through and fell in love with it. So, we have a contract to sell our house. We've been house hunting as well, and found a lovely place that is only a half mile from our current place! So, if all goes well, we'll be moving at the end of July!

About the new place.... As I said, it's in our neighborhood, only a half mile away. Laura and Ehren will go to the same school they would have anyway. It's a good school, at this point we have no concerns about it. It was built in 1968, so from the same era as our current house. It has 5 bedrooms. Sounds like a lot...but one of them will be an office, so we'll have one guest room. All you grandparents now have no reason not to come and stay!! ;) It has a full basement, 2 car garage, a nice sized fenced yard. Lots of nice landscaping. And my favorite part, the kitchen is GREAT! I think it will be a great place for us.

So lots of excitement for us! We'll keep everyone posted. :)

A Big, Fat Update

2009-05-25T11:54:00.009-05:00

Since I forget that not EVERYone we know is on Facebook and catches our updates and pics there, I'm finally getting to getting this space up-to-date. Since our last post, we've had some big fun here. Maybe the most significant is Laura's preschool graduation. After two years at Meadowbrook Early Childhood Center, Laura is now ready for the next level. ( We're not mentioning that "k" word for now, Mommy's still adjusting to the idea...) Nowadays preschool graduation is a much bigger deal than it was for my generation, I'm guessing... They had a nice program, the kids sang some cute songs and recited some little poems. Laura got to pick where she wanted to eat for dinner, so it was pizza at Stone Canyon. Afterward we celebrated over ice cream. It was a nice evening.

Ehren's class had a big luau celebration for the last day of school, including a feast, running around outside and getting wet, and best of all, popcicles. What more could a little boy ask for??

And mabye the most FUN we've had lately was the big KC Jiggle Jam!!!! I have been looking forward to it more than the kids have. After we went last year and had such a great time seeing Justin Roberts and Trout Fishin' in America, there was no way we'd miss it this year. This time around, Justin Roberts and Trout Fishin' were back, but also performing was Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, as well as my new favorite kids music performer, DAN ZANES! He's been on Sesame Street and the Disney Channel, and has Grammy award-winning albums. We had a total blast....but I think I enjoyed it the most!

Before the show started the kids got in their swimsuits and played around in the fountains at Crown Center, where JJ was held.

Below is Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could. They sing Ehren's favorite song, "Look at my Belly," of which he knows every word.

The kids on the "dance floor" in front of the stage. It wasn't terribly crowded at the time we took these...

Snow cone break.

I'm enjoying BR's song about how mom's need coffee to keep up with their kids...

And the guy we REALLY came to see...DAN ZANES!! He was soooo great!

After Jiggle Jam we walked over to Liberty Memorial for the Celebration at the Station, the annual Memorial Day event in KC. Here we're listening to the KC Symphony concert, anticipating the fireworks!

And so, that's about it for now. School's out, and we're in summer break mode. Hitting the park, the pool, and hanging out with friends. We're looking forward to a couple of camping trips, summer school, and lots of time together before.....*sniff*.........Kindergarten.

*sigh*

Ehrenism

2009-04-26T22:40:00.002-05:00

(I'm officially starting to sound like my grandmother.)

We were out running errands with plans to later go to one of the kids' favorite play places, Airzone. Ehren was having a little bit of difficulty focusing on getting into his carseat despite my prompting...

S: If you don't start to behave we'll have to skip Airzone!
E: I am being have!

Some Spring portraits

2009-04-22T22:54:00.004-05:00

These were taken by the photographer at the kids' preschool. I was shocked at how great they came out!

Apparently these days it's a big deal to "graduate" from pre-school....

Ehren's 3rd Birthday

2009-04-22T21:43:00.007-05:00

Our baby had his 3rd birthday last week! It was a great time, we had several celebrations together. On Friday, the 17th, we treated him to an evening at Chuck E Cheese, which was a hit, of course. Then out for ice cream with some buddies!

Then we came home and opened some presents...

On Sunday we invited some of his friends over for games, cake, and ice cream...

They built "stuff" out of toothpics, marshmallows and spice drops...

All of our best buds! A good time was had by all!

Thanks, everyone, who made this a very special birthday for Ehren!

Kid Stuff

2009-04-06T22:43:00.007-05:00

So life goes on while we try to fix up and sell the house. We've managed to fit in a few fun activities here and there. By now you know that we are not the greatest photographers, guess we should work on that! We do our best. We went to a Wizard of Oz exhibit at Crown Center, we all enjoyed it! I was impressed with it, for a free exhibit. I'm noticing in a couple of this pics my sweet little girl looks a little vicious!

Munchkin Land

Emerald City

The Wizard

Pay no attention to those kids behind the curtain...

Laura would take on that witch!

Nothing scares her!

Laura is developing her own sense of style. This was the outfit she chose for a dads event at her preschool.

An encore performance of the songs of the evening (see video below!)

Daddy and Ehren went to see "Monsters Vs. Aliens" in 3-D

And then made a stop at a place we all know well

More to come!

Some more after pictures

2009-04-02T17:02:00.003-05:00

I just noticed that we didn't put any good "after" pictures on this blog, so here they are! These are the pictures as the are shown in our sale listing.

No more showings yet, but I'll bet this weekend we will. I'm just so glad the remodeling is over...it was stressful!

Coffee Leftovers

2009-03-31T13:57:00.003-05:00

I admit, I'm a sucker for all of those useful little tips you find in magazines and now online. Here's a good site for browsing... www.tipnut.com

I found this one today while looking for recipes/uses for leftover coffee.

http://www.blisstree.com/kettleandcup/20-uses-for-leftover-coffee/

I'm interested in the one about using it to color your hair. Hmmmm....

Status Report

2009-03-24T22:58:00.002-05:00

For those who are interested..... Our house is officially on the market now, as of last Friday. We've had one showing so far. Our realtor said we should expect around 2-3 a week, mostly on the weekends. The wheels are turning! : )

Sweet

2009-03-20T09:06:00.001-05:00

Last night Ehren made the sweetest comment ever...

E: Mommy?
S: Yes?
E: I want to be grown-up.
S: You do? Why?
E: So I can be like you.

:o)

Check it out!!!

2009-03-12T22:55:00.002-05:00

I don't know if you can tell, but Rob and I have been editing the post below and marking off the items that are now FINISHED!!!! We're getting closer and closer! We still have a chunk to get done, like the basement, packing some furniture, and LOTS of (painting) touch ups, but it's really starting to look like a house again. I am meeting with our realtor tomorrow morning to show him our progress, and we HOPE to have EVERYthing done by next week. YIPPEE!!!!!!

Almost done!

2009-03-06T09:55:00.011-06:00

This home improvement stuff has gotten to be a little repetitive, but I can finally see a light at the end of the tunnel! Sarah & I really have been working hard on going room-by-room to finish up the remaining pieces & it's starting to show!!

Here's our checklist:

1. Living Room - ~~final coat of paint, front door stop, front door handle~~ Finished!
2. Hall - ~~shoe moulding, wood filler & caulk, door knobs & hinges,~~ little bit of paint?
3. Guest Bathroom - ~~wood filler & caulk, threshold cut & installed,~~ little bit of paint?
4. Master Bedroom - ~~shoe moulding, wood filler & caulk, door knobs & hinges, door stops~~ Finished!
5. Master Bathroom - ~~2 thresholds cut & installed, doors painted, door knobs, hinges, door stops~~ - Finished!
6. Kitchen & Dining Room - ~~base trim behind fridge/by dishwasher, shoe moulding paint cabinets~~ - Finished!
7. Upstairs Office nook (former laundry) - ~~crown moulding, base trim & shoe moulding, paint~~ - Finished!
8. Basement - paint entry & touchup walls, stain & varnish treads, paint risers, install base trim, install backing for in-wall book case, trim & paint.

Ehren's Room - done!! ~~Just need to keep it clean now!~~
Laura's Room - done!! ~~Just need to keep it clean now!~~

Almost done!!

-Rob

Enough Already!!

2009-02-20T10:45:00.003-06:00

Ok, I'm just using my blog to vent off a little steam. I've had enough home improvement already!!!!! AAAAUGH! Currently we're living in the basement because all of our living/bedroom furniture is crammed into two rooms, we're clearing out the rooms to have the wood floors refinished. The kitchen is ok, usable, but the rest of the house is a construction zone. "It's only temporary, it's only temporary" is my mantra these days. Still, it's FRUSTRATING! I'd like to go away for a couple days and have it all done when we return. All the painting, all the floors, all the cleaning, all the packing. Any ideas on how I can arrange that? And there's still the nagging worry that even with all of this, we won't be able to sell or that things somehow won't work out. Please, send positive thoughts in our direction...we, I mean I, desparately need some!!

Thanks.

Ugh...home improvement is tiring.

2009-02-08T07:35:00.004-06:00

I'm getting a little weary of home improvement. The tile is all done and grouted, now we're working on trim. We're replacing all of the trim in the house. The old "ranch-style" trim just ain't cool anymore, so we're replacing with with fresh white trim. It really makes a difference in the appearance of the house! When that's done, or at least almost done, we can start on refinishing the wood floors. That's going to be a labor intensive project too. But, it will be worth it. We really, really want to take advantage of this buyers market to move up just one notch and get a little more space, and our house is going to look so nice that I think it will sell relatively quickly. It will be perfect for a nice little retired couple who want a one-level house. We want a place that has one extra bedroom and a larger kitchen, that is very close to a great school for the kids. We think we may have found one we really like, if it doesn't get snatched up before we can get this place sold. I noticed that the price of it went down recently. So, if you would, keep us in your prayers and positive thoughts for the sale of our house and purchase of the next one. We would SOOOO appreciate it!

BTW......I also wanted to share something really fun. Our church, One Community, (formerly called Christ Church Unity--same church, different name) is doing a really neat series on the metaphysics of music. It's 5 weeks with a different decade each week. It started with the 60's the band played the Monkees, Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and more. Last week was the 70's, they played Cat's in the Cradle, Spirit in the Sky, and some other great songs. (Our band is sooo great!!!!) This week is the 80's, so it will be interesting to see what they take from that decade. You can see all of these services on the website, which is listed in my list to the left of this post. Once you go to the website, you go all the way to the bottom and click on the pic of the girl with headphones, and you can see a list of each weeks service, and see any of them. They really are a blast, you should check it out. Especially the 60's, it was great.

Have a great week everyone!

A whole bunch of pictures....of our floor.

2009-02-03T00:06:00.006-06:00

Yes this has been the focus of our attention for the last, um, two weeks?? It has been a LOT of work, but it's mostly elbow grease and will have a BIG impact when we get our house on the market. Check it out....I tried to go in chronological order.

The first morning we started tearing out flooring:

Part 2...Old stuff is out!

Finally, new stuff going in...

Our buddy Travis helping us out with tile...thanks Travis and Rachel!

And, tada, the finished product, after grouting and all.

We still have to finish grouting the dining room. And then all we have left to do is refinish the wood floors in the living room, our bedroom and Laura's room; replace all the trim in the house; paint all the ceilings, walls, doors and trim; put the house back together, stick a sign in the yard.

Woo Hoo!!

A thought for today...

2009-01-20T00:18:00.002-06:00

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said....

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase. "

That fits us pretty well right now! ;o)

Look at this! Bitty Block

2009-01-13T16:29:00.005-06:00

No, you're not just looking at my sweet little face.

This pendant was a Christmas present from Rob, isn't it cute! It came from a place called "Bitty Block", a store on Etsy.com. Here's a link to the specific item:

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?ref=sr_gallery_2&listing_id=18833037

As you can see, it's made from Scrabble tiles, and has a pic of Laura and a pic of Ehren on the opposite side. Clever idea, I thought! Of course, now there are all those poor, dejected Scrabble boards out there, pining for their tiles. Perhaps someone on Etsy.com will come up with a creative use for all of those unused Scrabble boards...not to mention the Zs, Qs, Us, and Xs.

I think we're going to do it....

2009-01-10T16:51:00.003-06:00

...or at least, we're going to try. After literally about 3 or 4 years of thinking, debating pros and cons, sleeping on it, changing our minds, changing them back, and pretty much driving ourselves crazy with it, we've decided we're going to attempt to sell our house and look for something with a little more room.

When we bought this house in early 2001, it was just right for us. With only two of us, there was ample space for our lifestyle. But now, the size of our family has doubled. Over the past few years, I have been vigilant about clutter...tossing out ANYthing that hasn't been used in 6 months. Clothes, toys, books, and just "stuff" that takes up space...it was outta there. And I've been very careful about what I've allowed into the house too. It's not a matter of us having too much stuff. It's a matter of small closets, small bathrooms and a dismally inadequate kitchen that is right smack in a high traffic area.

I love our little home at 6700 N. Wayne. So many WONDERFUL things have happened here. They say love grows best in small houses. That has been so true for us! Many beautiful memories for us took place here. That being said, I can't see our family growing and maturing here. There's just not quiiiite enough space for us to really feel settled. There always seems to be things that we don't have a place for because there just isn't a good place to put it. Also, we'd love to get into a better school attendance area. The school district is pretty good, but the attendance area we happen to live in only got a 4 out of 10 overall rating.

So, we'll begin the process in the next months of finding out how this will work. We know what the economy and the market is like right now. We hope to use that to our advantage and while we know we may get less for our current home, we hope we can more than compensate for that by getting our new home at a great price. We'll certainly know a lot more now than we did when we bought this house 8 years ago! If anyone could spare some prayer and positive thoughts for us in this adventure, we would be so grateful. And anyone who has bought or sold a home lately and has any tips or thoughts we should keep in mind, we'll take all the input we can get!

Wish us luck!!!

Ehren-isms, big girl stuff, and an update on Rob

2009-01-02T20:23:00.004-06:00

The latest "Ehren-ism"... "punkuter" (computer)

Now that Laura is a "big girl", she seems to have become an expert on what big girls do and do not do. Big girls do not take naps. But they do have "quiet time" in their rooms, right about when naptime used to be. "Big girls know how to eat properly", which Laura stated right before she slurped up a huge cascade of spaghetti. (true story!)

My big girl....

Update on Rob. He's doing a lot better than he was a couple of days ago. I think this surgery and recovery was a lot harder than he expected it to be. He's really had a lot of pain, and on top of it he's had a bit of a cold and congestion, so that just makes it that much harder for him to get comfortable. But, he said today that he's feeling about 85%, so by the time he has to return to work next week he should be feeling good again.

Laura's 5th Birthday

2009-01-02T19:22:00.004-06:00

Five year old in the house!!!

Can you believe it? I can't. Laura's very interested in Barbies right now, as I was when I was her age :o), so her Daddy and I, with help from Jody, created a little Barbie house out of some leftover closet shelving and some scrap wood. I think she liked it. She also got a new reading chair for her room, and a few other goodies.

We held Laura's Barbie birthday party at a place called "Fun Run", a kids play center in town. She got to invite 5 of her friends, and there were some little brothers and sisters in the mix too. I think fun was had by all!

I love this picture. Laura and her two "oldest" buddies...Tony and Isabelle have been in the same playgroup with us since they were about 9 months old. Here they look like old pals.

Not to worry...Laura has informed me that she is NOT going to turn 6. Whew! Does that mean I don't have to age either?? ;o)

He's out!

2008-12-29T15:46:00.002-06:00

And doing fine. It took about an hour and a half, and another hour in recovery. He's in a regular room now and will stay overnight. He says he feels ok, just a little pain and very tired. He's taking some pretty good pain medication too, so that helps! Thanks for all your prayers and positive thoughts.....

He's in

2008-12-29T13:17:00.001-06:00

Rob went back for the surgery about 12:30 pm, and it should take about an hour.

5 years

2008-12-29T12:02:00.005-06:00

While I'm sitting here in the hospital passing time, I thought it would be neat to look back over the years since Laura Anne was born. She turns five tomorrow....it hardly seems possible. Here's a look back.

December 30, 2003

6 months

One year old!

Two years old

Three years old...

Four years old...

And tomorrow, she's five. *sigh*

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl.

Surgery Today

2008-12-29T11:34:00.001-06:00

Today's the big day, Rob's surgery. Right now we're in the pre-surgery area, he should be going in any time. I'll be posting updates as the day goes on. Keep us in your thoughts.

Oh man. What am I in for?

2008-12-21T23:35:00.002-06:00

I caught a glimpse of what I have to look forward to in the near future.....

Today I was "helping" Laura clean her room...well, ok, I was probably lecturing her a little in the process. Laura,without turning to look back at me, responded with, "Ok, ok, I get the point!" (oops!)

Eesh, she's not even 5 yet!

Ehren is getting to be a little smarty pants himself. I was pouring myself a cup of coffee this morning, and while I was replacing the pot he said, "Here ya go, Mommy!" He was reaching up to hand me my little carton of half-n-half. :o) You know, I've always suspected that a kid knows their mom better than they know themselves!

A Few Other Bits

2008-12-20T16:08:00.003-06:00

A couple other interesting things are going on around here. As some of you know, Rob was diagnosed with moderate obstructive sleep apnea back in October, and has been using a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine at night while sleeping. After visiting an ENT specialist, he was told that he was a good candidate for a corrective surgery. It is scheduled for December 29. He's having a tonsillectomy, a uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP)--say that three times fast--and a midline partial glossectomy with coblation. I won't go into the graphic details of what that all is, but just know that this is the most invasive surgery he has ever undergone. So, if you could keep him in your thoughts that day, I know he would be grateful. My friend Jody will be visiting and staying with the kids so I can go with him.

On a more upbeat note, I have started a new little part-time business. Ehren will be going to preschool two mornings a week starting in January (thank goodness--the terrible twos hit us HARD this past couple of months!) and I'll have a *little* time to work on getting it started. The company is called At Home America. Here is my website: www.athome.com/sarah_hoesly . I think it is something I will enjoy, and I hope to make a little money at it too.

More on the "terrible twos".... Holy cow. Laura was never "terrible". But then, she didn't have a sibling to compete with, and as a girl she's just more reserved anyway--she's just like me. But Ehren.....WHOA! He's such a boy, an ornery little stinkbug sometimes! He's determined to do everything his big sister does, he's stubborn and just knows how to push all the right buttons--he's just like ROB! But, and I mean this for both Ehren and Rob, for as much as they're ornery and pestering, they're as much or more sweet and affectionate. Ehren still loves to cuddle with me, he's mommy's boy. His favorite bedtime ritual is for me to sing the "happy sunshine" song ("You are my sunshine"), and it's the sweetest thing ever when he asks to hear it. God bless the "terrible" twos!

Happy Hoesly Holidays...

2008-12-20T15:28:00.004-06:00

I know it's been a while since my last post, so here's the latest from our house. December is always the best month of the year around here, with the holidays, our wedding anniversary, and Laura's birthday. Here's what we've got so far....

Our annual visit to Union Station to ride the "Holiday Spirit" and see the HUGE model train display:

Laura's Christmas program: She attends preschool 3 mornings a week at a local Methodist church, and these are from her Christmas program last week:

A visit to see Santa! We like to go visit Santa at our grocery store, they always host a "Lunch With Santa" that is really fun for the kids. They have lunch, Santa reads them a story, they do a craft and then everybody gets to see Santa.

Last year Ehren was too shy to sit with Santa...Not this year! He insisted he got to talk to him first. (But I think he got a little shy when the moment came!)

Not Laura! She told Santa in detail what she wants for Christmas.

(This is the best Santa ever....SO nice.)

We're going to be home for Christmas, with Grandma Vicki, Grandpa Butch and Great Grandma Carlson visiting. Hard to believe it's only FIVE days away!!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!!

Our trip to Mississippi, Thanksgiving

2008-12-09T20:39:00.006-06:00

Laura's Thanksgiving dinner at her preschool--you have to click on this picture to enlarge it and get a look at Laura's face. The other kids next to her are so somber....

This year for Thanksgiving we loaded everybody up and drove down to Tunica, MS to visit Rob's mother and family. Rob's grandmother, aunts and uncles had yet to meet Ehren, and they were surprised to see such a big boy....they were expecting a baby! Not anymore! Here are some pics from our trip:
Four generation picture

The kids with their Great Grandma Vera

Great Grandma braiding Laura's hair

On the way back we stopped to visit Jody at work

Then a stop at Grandma Vicki's house...we always have to walk down to the lake.

Laura demonstrating her reading ability to Aunt Bonnie, Uncle John and Great Grandma Carlson:

Christmas Portraits...

2008-11-06T22:49:00.004-06:00

Ok, I'm only sharing a *few*....you'll all be getting more later!

A Great Article

2008-11-04T13:45:00.001-06:00

Andrew Sullivan wrote this great piece. Take a few minutes, it's worth the read.

Why I Support and Admire Barack Obama

2008-11-04T13:06:00.005-06:00

I've been more involved in this election than any other one in which I was eligible to vote. I've been trying to formulate a some ideas to share here on our blog to explain why I so fervently support Barack Obama. At first, I was in favor of Hillary Clinton. I felt she had the best experience, and being a democrat, shared my political views. I was disappointed when she lost the primary. I mourned her loss for a while, and while I knew I would ultimately support the Democratic candidate, I wasn't able to get behind him right away. But I have to confess, I'd never listened to him speak, read any of his writing, and knew nothing of his personal or political background. And then I heard his acceptance of the Democratic nomination. My heart and mind changed in about 13 minutes. Never, EVER, had I heard someone speak in such an inspiring, confident, and genuine manner. (It helps that he speaks proper English as well!) Wow.....WOW! Now I get it. Call me an Obamacon if you want, I'll take it as a compliment. I don't believe in the whole celebrity obsessions with the political candidates, I feel that is inappropriate. But if ever there was a politician that have supported with all my heart, it is Barack Obama. I hope you're with me. This year I've canvassed, I've made phone calls, attended rallies, plastered myself and my car to demonstrate support for this candidate. I believe he can, and will, lead our country in a straightforward, honest, tireless, and (finally!) intelligent manner. He will be accountable to US. He will tell us the truth. He will serve our COMMON good. I'm so grateful to have been a part of this campaign. I now know why he speaks of hope. This candidate has given me hope. And if you're still unclear as to why I think the way I do, check out this video. I love it!

Go vote. Vote for Obama. May God bless the USA.

Yes We Can-Music Video

We have a READER

2008-11-02T23:12:00.003-06:00

As some of you already know, Laura has become quite a reader. Over the past couple of months, she has gone from recognizing a few words here and there, to reading road signs, to reading complete books from cover to cover. If you are at all familiar with some of the early reading book series, they are numbered starting with 1, with very simple "one-vowel" words, 3-4 word phrases and sentences. She's really more comfortable at level 3, with compound vowel and consonant phonetics, and 1-2 phrase sentences. And she reads with feeling, it's so cute to watch. She loves reading to Ehren, and we rarely get to read TO her anymore. She'll tell me she wants me to read to her, and halfway through the book she takes over. It's really quite amazing! There are kids in 1st and 2nd grade who are still learning to read. She's 4 1/2.

Since she's doing so well with reading, we decided it was time to begin a new learning process...Laura has started taking piano lessons! We found a piano teacher who is so bubbly and cheerful, Laura just loves her. She told us she has never worked with a child under 2nd grade, so working with Laura would be a new experience for her. And so far, she has been doing really well. It's only been a couple of months, but she's already learning quarter notes, half and whole notes, rhythm and dynamics. I love it! :)

Ehren is just soooooo much a 2 year old BOY right now. I can't think of a day recently where he hasn't been injured, scraped, bumped, or at least smashed a finger. He's just like a bull in a china shop. Quite a contrast to Laura at 2, she was content to sit and look at books or just sing to herself and tell stories (which she still does, by the way!). However, I do at times find him in a quiet moment, carefully lining up cars, blocks or puzzle pieces in a straight line. And he still likes his mama to sing "rock-a-bye-baby" every night. He's really starting to speak clearly, which shows how his whole thinking process is developing. It is so amazing to me to watch this on a daily basis. I'm ever so grateful to be with them each and every day....it such a precious gift. And it is passing by so quickly. Next year Laura will be in kindergarten 5 whole days a week, and in, to her, a brand new world. She's almost 5. Where did the time go??? How is it that motherhood can be the most wonderful and the most heartbreaking thing in the world, at the same time?

Kitchen Fun

2008-10-18T16:03:00.008-05:00

Thanks Dad & Judy for the gently used cooktop, it looks 100% better than the old one!

Before

During - had to expand the opening and square off the corners.
I also had to notch the back right corner of the drawer for the conduit whip.

After!

Cats and Dogs

2008-10-17T22:36:00.000-05:00

This is by no means anything important, but I just felt like sharing it. We have 3 cats, and if you have cats, you know how they are....sometimes it takes them a while to warm up to someone. Well, I just went in to check on Laura before turning in myself, and our big alpha-male cat, Paws, was sleeping on her bed. It's only taken almost 5 years, but he's finally decided she's trustworthy and predictable enough to cuddle up with. It really is so cute. He's a big, fat, yellowish tiger who is so soft and snuggly, when he lets you hold him. Laura is so thrilled that he wants to sleep with her.

On another note, it's becoming more and more apparent that Laura is a DOG person. I don't know how it happened, we've never had a dog, I'm not a dog person....I think they're too unpredictable especially with kids, and they require a lot more attention than cats do. No way is it happening soon, but off in the distant future, I see a dog in my life. Are there any dogs out there that don't bark, shed, jump on you, smell funny, have bad breath and poop in the yard??? I'll be on the lookout.

My Best Friend's Wedding

2008-10-07T08:26:00.006-05:00

Last weekend was the big nuptial celebration for my dear friend Amber Campbell and her groom, Gary Roberts. I was honored to be a bridesmaid in the wedding, and Laura was a flower girl. It was a beautiful and elegant wedding...a candlelit evening ceremony followed by a lakeside reception. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Anyone who knows Amber knows what the last 5 years have meant for her. By her own determination, she has gone through many life-changing challenges and come out shining. I'm so proud of her!! When she finishes her residency program next spring, she and Gary will be moving back to her hometown of Warsaw, MO where she will begin her family medical practice.

All our love and best wishes to Mr. and Mrs. Gary Roberts!

Weaubleau Meteorite Impact Zone

2008-09-25T13:28:00.005-05:00

So it turns out our family farm in Weaubleau is near a very large meteorite impact zone.
It's a long story but here's an article from the recent Missouri State magazine with the details.
(You can click on any of the images below to read the print easily)

Royals Outing

2008-09-22T11:57:00.007-05:00

Sarah was doing some volunteer work on Saturday afternoon so we decided to go check out a Royals game at Kaufman.

I think the kiddos has a pretty good time on the little outing w/ Dad!
They especially liked sitting WAY up where we could see the pigeons, check out the whole stadium, and of course, the new CrownVision scoreboard. Here is a link to the original Crown scoreboard for posterity.

One of the highlights was being there for the only night in the last home series where KC beat Chicago! It was also fan appreciation night so we all got Royals stocking caps for the winter months.

Sorry the pics are a little blurry - that's what you get w/ a cell phone camera (even 2 megapixel ones)!

Ehren's all moved in

2008-09-13T22:15:00.003-05:00

Tonight's the first night Ehren's sleeping in his own room, in his own bed. He slept in there by himself a few times prior to the room re-do, but now his room is really his own. And, surprisingly, he went right to bed, no protest at all! I was concerned that he might not like to be in the room without Laura, but he did great. I still have to put a few finishing touches on the room, but for the most part, it's finished. It looks so different, with the refinished wood floors, new trim, etc. We actually left the closet without doors, and put Ehren's dresser in there, and it JUST fits....it looks a bit like it's built in. I like it. Yeah, you can see his clothes hanging in there, but it's not really too bad. Rob and I are going to put together a combination chalkboard, pegboard and metal surface (for his Leapfrog fridge magnets). I'm really pleased with how it's coming together. I'll have to post more pics when I get the last things few things done.

Do you think we'll take some time off before we start a new project? Hmmmm.

First day of school, and other bits.

2008-09-04T08:29:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was the first day of Laura's second year of preschool. She's going to the same school as last year, three mornings a week. All went well....Laura loves her new teacher, and I like her a lot too. Ehren was determined that he was going to stay right there with Laura and go to school too. Next year, buddy.

Oh, did we mention that Laura is READING now? Yep, she is. Her favorite reading material is signs, along the street. And she loves reading books to Ehren.

We're still in the process of remodeling Ehren's room...that's a whole other post!! The title would be, "The Cheap, but not easy, method of refinishing a wood floor." I opened up a can of worms I think...I decided to try using some citrus stripper to remove some particularly stubborn paint spills on the wood floor. Well, it was very effective, it removed the paint and the varnish completely. So I decided to use it on the whole floor. It's messy, VERY messy, but it works well, and is a lot cheaper than paying someone else $400 to refinish the floor. But now we have to sand and stain. It will only take a very light sanding, but still it needs one. And then there's the staining/varnishing. That will be several days in process. But, it will be so pretty when it's finished. I can't wait! Ehren's new room will have a lion theme. I found some really great lion fabric online, I'm anxious to get some and make a window treatment and some nice accents. Soon Ehren will have the nicest room in the house!

ETA: I just noticed that Rob posted pics earlier of the floor project. Like those stylin' orange gloves???

We have a really busy couple of months coming up, particularly October. The first big event is the wedding of my friend and KD sister, Dr. Amber Campbell. Laura will be a flower girl, and I'm a bridesmaid. I'm so excited for her and Gary...they seem like they have a lot of fun together. The next weekend is our CCU Women's retreat. I've been on the 3-woman planning committee, and we've been meeting and working on this for almost a year now. It's almost as detailed as planning a wedding! It will be a 2-day retreat with the theme of promoting peace on all levels. The two other ladies I'm working with are really great people, and it's been a wonderful process from the start. We all seem to think alike and have very similar visions for the weekend. That makes the planning so much easier! Finally, after all that, I'll be ready for a little getaway. Jody and I are planning a little trip to Chicago for my birthday. We're taking the Amtrak, the first time for both of us. I'm going to attempt to get tickets to the Oprah show taping. Other than that, we're going to do some shopping and exploring.

Oh...and the Spin Doctors concert was great. Rob and I had a good time. They're such a fun band and the lead singer is a really nice guy and seems to really appreciate their fans. It was so cool!

Ehren's Room, a work in progress

2008-08-25T14:04:00.008-05:00

We've been updating Ehren’s room starting this weekend. We figured it would be nice to pull up the carpet and go with the original oak floors, which is a pretty big project since the previous owner had used carpet remnants in places so there is double-sided tape ALL OVER the floors. It's nothing Goof Off and Goo Gone won't take care of though! ;) We are also updating hardware (door handle, hinges), ceiling fan, closet doors & trim. The fun part will be trying to get it all paint ready for Sarah by the time they get back from Springfield! As you can see from the pics, I've got a lot of furniture and things to move back in before Ehren can sleep in there again.

Closet with doors, shelves & organizers removed:

Starting to tear out the carpet, padding & tack strips:

Prepainting the trim is so much easier!

Looks like there was quite a bit of old paint on the floor.
Instead of Goof Off, Sarah used some Citristrip and it even took the old varnish off!

Update: we're still working on it, but here is our current progress:

The floor is almost ready for stain and varnish (still needs a little oak wood filler and sanding).
The trim is almost ready for touch-up painting (still need a little white wood filler and caulking)
The walls are ready for their second/final coat!

Maybe with a little luck and time, we'll have Ehren moving back in this weekend or next week :)

Windows, the Replacement Kind ;)

2008-08-25T12:47:00.010-05:00

I've recently finished replacing all the windows on the front of our house!
Our old aluminum windows just weren't cutting it anymore. Not only do the new vinyl ones look a ton better, but they are double pane with low-e glass so they should definitely help with our utility bills! I did all the work myself, with the exception of lifting our massive 4' x 9' living room window (Thanks Troy & Jeremy)! Thanks also to Troy and Debi for loaning me your tools (Table Saw, Compound Miter Saw & Reciprocating Saw)! Hopefully I'll have this kind of tool lineup by the time I start working on the remaining 6 windows next Spring! Here are some pictures in all phases of the project (click the pics for larger version):

Before (this was in 2007 when State Farm replaced our hail-damaged roof):

In progress - we have the playroom (now Laura's room) done, but not the kid's room, which is now Ehren's

BIG window in the Living Room!

Note the old (tarnished & rusted) light, house numbers, mailbox and door bell button:

Check out the new light, house numbers, mailbox and door bell button:

The current state, finished front and 1/2 of the North side windows.. only 6 to go!!

Let us know what you think of the pics.

2008 KC Airshow! (I love airshows)

2008-08-24T21:43:00.030-05:00

Well, Sarah & the kids are down in Springfield for a few day and my friend Kyle and I went to the KC Aviation Expo at the downtown airport and it was awesome! Aside from our nice red sunburns, we got to see a very nice group of flying machines from the past and present. From the WWII days and beyond, there was a P-51 Mustang and FG-1D Corsair. To represent today's state-of-the-art fighters, there was an F-15C Eagle, F-18 E/F Hornet and the USAF Thunderbirds performed an amazing show with their F-16C Fighting Falcon jets. We enjoyed a couple of amazing aerobatic shows by Sean Tucker and Tim Weber. I did not upload it due to the file size, but Sean has a "Harrier Pass" where he routine where he hovers his biplane at 75% throttle for about 45 seconds.

We also saw the Army's Golden Knights parachute team, a jet-powered 300mph Dodge Ram, a twin-jet powered Alisport Silent-J sailplane, a Pitts S-1T, German Extra 300, Oracle Challenger-II, B-25, Lockheed Super G Constellation "Connie", DC-3, A-10, Martin 404 and several others from the museum and SAC hanger.

We took over 900 digital pictures and short movie clips today, so here are the highlights (thanks Kyle, your DSLR camera rocks!) Note: click the pictures for a bigger version! (this does not work with the video clips)

I liked this.

2008-08-19T23:29:00.001-05:00

The Invisible Woman

I wish I could say I wrote this; I didn’t, but I found it moving enough to remember it six months later.

It started to happen gradually.

One day I was walking my son Jake to school. I was holding his hand and we were about to cross the street when the crossing guard said to him, “Who is that with you, young fella?”

“Nobody,” he shrugged.

Nobody? The crossing guard and I laughed. My son is only 5, but as we crossed the street I thought, “Oh my goodness, nobody?”

I would walk into a room and no one would notice. I would say something to my family like, “Turn the TV down, please,” and nothing would happen. Nobody would get up, or even make a move for the remote. I would stand there for a minute, and then I would say again, a little louder, “Would someone turn the TV down?” Nothing.

Just the other night my husband and I were out at a party. We’d been there for about three hours and I was ready to leave. I noticed he was talking to a friend from work. So I walked over, and when there was a break in the conversation, I whispered, “I’m ready to go when you are.” He just kept right on talking. I’m invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?” Obviously not. No one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all.

I’m invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, “What time is it?” I’m a satellite guide to answer, “What number is the Disney Channel?”

I’m a car to order, “Right around 5:30, please.”

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum ma cum laud - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She’s going¸ she’s going¸ she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.

It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, “I brought you this.”

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription: “To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.”

In the days ahead I would read—no, devour—the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work:

No one can say who built the great cathedrals—we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished.

They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, “Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.”

And the workman replied, “Because God sees.”

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, “I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.”

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride.

I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, “My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.” That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, “You’re gonna love it there.”

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

~~Author Unknown~~ from The Invisible Woman by Nicole Johnson
I first saw it on http://www.mamablogga.com/the-invisible-woman/

Mobile Test Blog

2008-08-19T14:21:00.001-05:00

Typing this on my mobile phone using mail2blog option..

She graduated from Aqua-Tots!

2008-08-13T22:46:00.002-05:00

Yep, it's official. Laura had her last swimming lesson today and now she is ready to move on to Level 1 (American Red Cross) swimming lessons. She is proficient at water adjustment (walking in, face in, blow bubbles, open eyes), enter/exit water by self (ladder, jump, etc.), front/back glide and float, kicking, bobbing, and lifejackets. : ) She had two really nice teachers, they were very good with kids.

Oh, and we now have all of our front windows replaced!! : ) It makes SUCH a difference in the look and feel of our home. I failed to get a good "before" picture, but I'm sure I've got something. I'll get an "after" picture and post them. Rob has done every bit of the work himself. He's awesome! : )

And now for something completely different....

2008-08-05T20:40:00.005-05:00

This is one of those rare moments when I feel the need to actually "blog", not just update on kids.

What are the most memorable moments in YOUR life? For me, of course, the moment I met Rob... I'll never forget the exact exchange of words. Of course, our wedding day. And of course, the days our children were born. Graduating from college. The big ones.

However, some of the most landmark moments in my life have revolved around seeing my favorite musicians in concert. I have memories locked in from those nights. Seeing the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels concert at Arrowhead Stadium when I was 13. Seeing Bob Dylan as a senior in high school. Seeing Paul McCartney (yes, Sarah, he is a BEATLE!).... Driving across the state of MO to see Paul Simon in concert because I thought I'd never have another chance in my life....turned out I got to see him again a couple of years later. Awesome.

One of the most memorable concerts I ever went to, though, was the summer between my sophomore and junior year in college. It was a hot summer night, and two friends and I went to a little bar in downtown Springfield, the Juke Joint. John and Jason and I were an odd assemblage, but it happened that we all lived in the same apartment building that summer. I even remember exactly what I was wearing...grey t-shirt and short denim shorts. Together we made last-minute plans to see the group The Spin Doctors. In my mind they'd always had a sort of "one-hit wonder" quality to them, very "pop", but not bad. I jump at the chance to see live music whenever I can. Well, little did I know I was about to see one of the best jam bands I would ever see. At that point I'd never really seen a jam band. This band is way, way underrated. Their performance went on non-stop, with 3-4 songs all blending together with amazing improv in between. I was on a music "high" for days afterward...and forever in love with the Spin Doctors.

The whole reason for sharing this fond memory of mine is that it just happened that I was with the kids out at Union Station last week, one of our favorite places to hang out, and I caught a glance at a sign for a free summer concert series happening nearby. And who do you suppose was on the list?? Of course. The Spin Doctors. I literally almost started squealing in excitement right there and then. So, next Friday night, you know where I'll be.

Laura's Photography

2008-07-27T22:44:00.004-05:00

Yes, Laura has been bitten by the photo bug. She has an eye for "abstract" shots, but she also does portraits and self portraits. Here is a sample of her work... ;o)

Yes, someday you'll be looking back thinking, "I knew her when...."

Have a great week!

Summer Adventures

2008-07-09T13:12:00.013-05:00

I'm sure you've all been wondering what in the heck we've been up to for the last couple of months, since no one has posted an update lately. Between camping trips, swimming lessons, ballet camp, and home improvement, we've been staying pretty busy this summer.

Our first big "adventure" of the summer was the building of our deck. We have had plans to do this for, oh, probably 5 years or longer (how long have we lived in this house??) This summer it finally came to fruition, between Rob and a little help from our friends. The original plan was to work straight through Memorial Day weekend and get it completely finished. Well, the weather had other plans, and it rained every day that weekend. We did get it started, however, and with the help of a couple of friends in the construction field, we got it done about a month later. Here are some before and after pics:

We've also done a couple other smaller projects inside, like moving our laundry downstairs to make room for a a small home office. I don't have a "before" picture on this (just picture a washer and dryer and you'll have the idea), but I do have an "after"! This has been a wonderful change, I so enjoy having my own space to put my stuff and use my computer.

My big project for the spring was to put in a flower bed along the front and side of our house. Here's a pic:

But I know the real reason you all visit, and it's not to see pics of our home improvement projects....

Our first family adventure was a camping trip on Pomona Lake in Kansas. We met up with our friends from Wichita, the Sumralls. We met somewhere in between and camped for the weekend. Laura and Bradley were like long lost friends, and the other kids had a great time too. The weather was great but WINDY....I guess it's always windy in that part of Kansas. We did manage to find a little cove that was still enough for the kids to take out a little inflatable boat and row it around.

Later in June, Laura attended a "dance camp" with her good buddy Malena. They went to dance class for an hour and a half every morning for a week. Before the camp, Laura and Malena got to go shopping and pick out their ballet outfit, and of course they were the same. Here are a few of the pics we got...

We just got back from a long camping weekend on Lake Pomme de Terre. We celebrated the 4th of July and Rob's birthday while we were there. Rob decided that for his birthday he wanted to rent a jetski for a couple of hours, he and the kids had a good time with that. While we were camping we were joined by my mom and Butch, Jody, and Dad and Judy. As you may be able to tell by the pictures, we were very close to the water and the lake was still really high after all of the rain in the past months.

And here are a few more shots from our summer. One Saturday we went to a really fun kids music festival called "KC Jiggle Jam." We got to see 2 of our favorite kid's bands, Trout Fishing in America and Justin Roberts and the Not-ready-for-naptime Players.

That's all for now, more adventures to come!

The Greatest Show on Earth!

2008-05-08T22:08:00.000-05:00

Laura and Ehren got to see their first circus last weekend. It was a bit unusual, a completely outdoor circus that was set up on a dirt race track near Lake Pomme de Terre. Lions and tigers, elephants, clowns, acrobats and of course, cotton candy...that was Ehren's favorite part!

After the circus, we went over to Grandpa and Grandma Hoesly's farm, where everybody got to take a spin on the tractor.

Laura loved petting "Butchy."

Ehren's 2nd Birthday!!

2008-04-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

Our little baby boy just turned two last Thursday and we had his big party at our house this weekend. We also made some cool tie-dyed shirts on Friday at church. As you might imagine, Sunday was a little crazy around here with eight kiddos and parents, but a good time was had by all! Big sis had a pretty fun time too, here are the pictures:

Easter Pics

2008-03-23T20:01:00.000-05:00

Fun Saturday

2008-03-16T18:08:00.000-05:00

Ehren & Laura - Enjoying the Carousel!

Ehren - picking out his new stuffed animal at Build-A-Bear

Laura & Ehren - Playing at the mall

Ehren - crashed after a bit too much excitement

Pictures of the week...

2008-01-27T17:53:00.001-06:00

Laura, at the Doodlebops concert....

Ehren, looking all grown up. Well, as grown up as he can look while sitting in a high chair.

Grandparents--warning, sentimental.....

2008-01-24T14:55:00.001-06:00

For some reason today, I found myself thinking about my Grandpa Carlson, about his funeral last May and how I have missed him. That made me start thinking about grandparents in general, and what a unique relationship they have with their grandchildren. I think in many ways, grandchildren really get the very best of the person that their grandparent is. Unlike a parent, grandparents are almost always thrilled to see you, full of affection and ready to give you lots of attention. They almost never scold or punish. For the time they are with their grandkids, they're willing to play games, make special meals, engage in fun activities. And later, as the grandkids grow older, they share bits of wisdom in a kind and gentle way. I think parents sometimes put so much pressure on themselves to produce a fantastic, intelligent, well-behaved and well-adjusted child, they have more of sense of urgency as they try to raise their child. Grandparents have already been through it, know that despite their best efforts, kids must make their own choices and are able to share with their grandkids in a way that is less...mmmm....weighty.

I love remembering my grandpa, especially those years when I was younger, before high school. He would let me drive the tractor, take us fishing in their pond, and every morning, he would sit on their patio while Grandma cooked breakfast, looking out over the pond and taking in the cool air...I'd wake up, go out to join him and he'd ask me the all important question... "Did you get any sleep last night?" Then we would have breakfast and he would proceed to marvel over how many pancakes I could eat, and how tall I would be getting. And always he called me "Punkin"...even until I was in college.

I know how time and distance separates people. Currently we live at least two and a half hours' drive from any of our parents, with Rob's mother being over 10 hours away. If you can, try to keep in touch with your grandparents. It can be hard, their lives and ours are paced so differently. But think of the love they gave you as a child, how pure it was. I hope everyone reading this has, or had, a grandparent like this. Don't forget them.

This picture was taken at my wedding reception party. It was after Grandpa had a stroke, so he was quite different then than he was when I was growing up. Still, it is the best pic I had of the two of us. He danced and had a good time that night. : )

What are you babbling about NOW?

2008-01-19T08:15:00.000-06:00

Yesterday we had a visit from our Parents-as-Teachers educator, and she did an evaluation with Ehren, which included checking to see how many words he's learned. It was actually more than I realized.... Here's the latest from our littlest voice...
Mommy (his favorite word), Daddy, Laura, apple, doggy, duck, balloon, yeah, no, mine, Elmo, baby, mooo, meow. There are at least a dozen more that he has used once or twice, after hearing us say it. At his age, according to our educator, she was only looking for 2-4 words, so he's doing pretty well knowing as many as he does. I think we may have another chatterbox in the making.

THANKS, JAYME!

2008-01-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

Did anyone notice the AWESOME new title graphic above? It was created by a good friend of mine, Jayme, whom I know through my online message board... Isn't it beautiful?? And by the way, Jayme has three little kiddos 4 and under, so where she finds time to do these things is beyond me....I barely find time to brush my teeth. Thanks so much Jayme, I know I will enjoy our new look!

New Stuff

2008-01-12T08:58:00.000-06:00

Editorial note: I started this post a few days ago, before Ehren's surgery. It has remained in draft form for a little while until now, and when you read down farther you'll be brought up to date.....

Every day's a new day here. We've entered a new era with Laura...the girlfriend sleepover era. Ever since her birthday she has been asking regularly for friends to come spend the night. *sigh* She is really quite social, and always plays really well with her friends. I've noticed that she is much more comfortable one on one, sometimes she hesitates to jump into a group of kids. I think I was a bit like that too. She is very well liked by everyone that knows her. And Ehren just climbs. On everything. The table, the piano, the kitchen counter, anything that stands still long enough.

Speaking of Ehren... He is having a surgical procedure on this coming Monday. He has a double nasolacrimal duct obstruction. In other words, he has two blocked tear ducts. The ducts that allow tears to drain from his eyes into his nasal passage are partially blocked, causing his eyes to water a lot, and also sometimes a build-up of dust and bacteria in his eyes resulting in some nasty eye infections. The procedure is an outpatient surgery, and a fairly simple operation. He'll have to go under general anesthetic.

January 19

Well, the surgery went fine. Of course I was totally nervous but it was over in no time at all. Rob and I had barely gotten settled in the waiting room when the doctor called us in to let us know it was done. Essentially, the procedure consists of the surgeon inserting a small probe into the duct to open any obstructions. In some cases, like ours, the duct was so small and tight that the doctor has to insert stents into the duct to help open them up. The stents will stay in for 6 months and then be removed. After about 45 minutes in recovery waking up from anesthesia, he was back to normal. With the exception of a very small amount of blood-tinged runny nose, you would never have known the surgery happened. In fact, to see him running and climbing on Monday afternoon, you'd never guess he was laid out on an operating table earlier that day. Overall it was a good experience for us, as good as surgeries can be. Hopefully this will be the end of the eye infections and just teary, crusty eyes. Laura had a great time at her friends house, thanks Tammy! And thanks for all the prayers we received...the fact that Ehren came through this experience with flying colors, in my opinion, is no coincidence.

Hey, wait a minute, did you just turn FOUR?

2007-12-31T20:07:00.000-06:00

"...and you're even cuter than you were before." It's true, we just celebrated Laura's 4th birthday yesterday. In the weeks and months before her birthday, she was already excited about getting one year older, and wanted to ensure that the event was properly celebrated. "Don't forget to make me a cake, Mom!"...."You'd better buy some of those candles, Mom!"..."Don't forget the balloons, Mom." Of course...how could I forget? She seems to grow before my eyes every day. Not a single remnant of the baby we met four years ago. Now, she says things like, "...then I got up and then I realized something...Santa Claus had come!" It truly amazes me how she understands things. She recently learned how to read a clock. Anyway...back to the birthday celebration! It was decided months ago that she wanted a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party. So when she and Daddy and Ehren got home after a little lunch out yesterday, and she walked into the house and saw all the Mickey Mouse decorations, she kept walking around the house repeating, "Oh my gosh I LOVE this party! Thank you so much for this party!" We had a small party with 4 of her friends, two girls and two boys. We had so much fun playing musical chairs, London Bridge is Falling Down, Ring Around the Rosie, Duck, Duck, Goose and the Hokey Pokey. What child's birthday party would be complete without a round of Pin the Tail on the Donkey? We found that short rounds of several different games kept all the kids busy and having fun. Then we sang Happy Birthday and dove into the cake...chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting, sprinkles, and Mickey Mouse's head on each one...precisely as requested. Oh, and we could not forget the Dora the Explorer ice cream...It was all actually quite yummy, I have to say. Then Laura opened up all the gifts from her friends...a new Barbie doll (her first Barbie ever actually), a Disney DVD Bingo game, art supplies, and various other little goodies. After the party, one of her little girl friends stayed with us to spend the night, Laura's first sleepover with a friend. The girls went to bed around nine, but we heard commotion from that room until at least 11 pm. We decided that the day was a roaring success, literally!

Happy Birthday, my sweet girl!

Birthday cereal, with sprinkles

A banner day

The kids making their mouse ears party hats

Li'l bro gets in on the action

a game of hot potato

The cake

"Happy Birthday, Dear Laura....."

"...Happy Birthday to you!"

Make a wish!

Let's eat!

And more presents...

All tucked in...and not going to sleep soon.

My sweet four year-old girl....how I love you.

Holiday Pics

2007-12-31T11:56:00.001-06:00

Lunch with Santa (and Daddy),

and a chat afterward....

Before her big "interview" at church...

Ehren being silly with Daddy

And on Christmas morning, Santa was here!!!!

Let the chaos begin! Ha!

The aftermath...

A Very Hoesly Christmas

2007-12-31T11:35:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

We had a lovely Christmas this year. We had the opportunity to do so many fun things during the holiday season... Laura sang in her very first Christmas program at her preschool, and of course all the related school Christmas parties such. Another fun activity we took part in was a luncheon with Santa Claus. Instead of going to the local mall, we attended a party at our local Hy-Vee grocery store. They served the kids lunch, did crafts and made their own treats. Then Santa Claus arrived, read them a story and then visited with each child to discuss the important business of Christmas presents. It was really a nice party for the kids, much better than waiting in line at some shopping center, dodging overloaded shoppers and inconsiderate teenagers, to see Santa.

Laura was also invited to be a part of a special presentation at our church. Each Sunday in December, three kids were invited to come up and participate in a short interview, Art Linkletter style, about their feelings and thoughts on Christmas. Laura was asked to join two other girls on the last Sunday to talk about joy, and the things that make them happy. When asked what made her happy at Christmastime, Laura promptly replied, "My Christmas tree at home!"

On Christmas we were joined by my mom and her husband, as well as my Grandma Carlson. We all must have been good girls and boys this year, because we all enjoyed opening lots of gifts. Some of the favorites were the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, a Dora the Explorer doll, and a pop-up play tent. Mommy's favorite was a new laptop (the old one recently died a traumatic death after a one-year-old spilled an entire cup of coffee on it...eek!)

I hope that some of you received our cards..... and if you didn't, I'm TERRIBLY sorry. I'm afraid some of them did not get out in due time. Now that the mad dash of Christmas and then Laura's birthday is over, I hope to get in touch with ones that didn't hear from us as yet.

So, to all...whether you received our Christmas greetings or not, we hope you had a wonderful Christmas holiday and have a fantastic 2008.

Some December pics

2007-12-15T08:43:00.001-06:00

Falling Leaves....

2007-10-27T16:15:00.000-05:00

Trick or treating, Jack o'Lanterns, warm sweaters, pumpkin and spices, Indian Summer, birthday wishes......just a few of my many favorite things about Fall.

Hello, loved ones! Thought I'd check in for my monthly blog post....hehe. Thank you so much to those who sent me happy birthday wishes! Anyone who knows me well remembers that I still LOVE to celebrate on my birthday, and this year was no different. Below you'll see the beautiful cake made for me by Laura and Rob, sooo sweet.....

They had a lot of fun decorating it. And the day of my birthday I took myself out for a little shopping, which is always a welcome treat! We've also been doing a lot of Halloween partying over the last couple of weeks as well. Laura and Ehren are Minnie and Mickey Mouse this year. Laura is a big fan of Mickey Mouse these days, though I think she still has a place in her heart for Thomas the Tank Engine. The kids recently had fun attending a birthday party for one of Laura's friends, where all the guests, including the boys, dressed up like princesses. Rob was a little distressed to see how happy Ehren looked in a princess dress. Ha!

Speaking of Ehren.... He had his 18-month well-child check up this last week. He weighs just over 26 lbs, which is just over the 50th percentile, and is 33.25 inches tall, the 75th percentile. He sprouted up about 2 inches in the last two months!

We've been doing some work in the house lately. Rob has been working hard on the basement remodeling project, and it is nearly complete. I think we'll all be glad to have a little extra elbow room in the house.

We're still really enjoying our new church as well. Earlier this month I attended a women's retreat that was thoroughly enriching and enjoyable! About 30 or so women attended, and it was held at a beautiful, remote location in NE Kansas. It kind of reminded me of where I grew up. It was a bit like a 2-day summer camp for a group of women....we had campfires and music, some crafts, lots of food and some really wonderful spiritual learning experiences, discussions, meditations and the like. Back here at our church, Rob's learning all the ins and outs of the audio-visual equipment. As you can imagine, he loves to volunteer doing that! Just in case you're interested, here's a link to our church's website. It's been an exciting time there lately, with all the hoopla about the "Complaint-Free World" movement. Will, our minister, just had his book on the subject published, so we're all proud to be a part of it.

Well, that's it for now..... Happy Fall everyone, and here's a few misc. pics to enjoy!

No, we haven't fallen off the planet!

2007-09-25T11:17:00.000-05:00

Hi all! Happy Autumn.... My apologies for not updating more often. You may soon see why it's been forever and a day since my last post!

Where do I begin??

I guess first with the "life" stuff.... Laura is now a big preschool girl! She's been attending a nearby church preschool two morning a week for a few weeks now, and seems to be enjoying it. There are lots of activities and field trips they do, and she gets a chance to make some new friends and get out of the house. She is also becoming quite the computer nerd.... You should see her play games on some of her favorite sites. Playhousedisney.com, noggin.com, pbskids.com, just to name a few. Now I just need to teach her how to update this blog and you'll never have a shortage of reading here! Her second activity of choice is coloring, which she's also gotten quite good at, as well as writing her name.

Ehren is becoming quite the toddler, and perhaps even heading into the "terrible twos" a little early. He's almost 18 months old now, and will climb up on anything that will hold still for 5 seconds. He's definitely at a stage where he can physically do many things, but verbally can't communicate his frustration or wants. It's a trying phase, one you try to get through with as few injuries as possible! He's still a "mama's boy", and panics whenever he sees me walk out the door. This, too, shall pass. I'm taking the opportunity to relish the love and adoration of my baby boy, before he grows up to be too cool for mom.

Rob has been on his sabbatical leave from Cerner the entire month of September. It has turned out to be a busier time than when he is working! We've taken on remodeling our basement. After several years of having the basement unfinished and basically unusable, we're finally doing the work to finish it so that it can be added living space. HOORAY!!! Our house isn't large, so every square foot counts. We've also been doing some small projects to spruce up our space. It's been fun, and I'm sure Rob is looking forward to going back to work.

As for me, I've been occupied taking care of the kids and our home, getting involved in church activities, and taking my ASL sign language class. I'm really loving it! I'm definitely planning to take more classes and perhaps enter the interpretor program at the same school. It is wonderful to be back in school, I've always really enjoyed being in the classroom learning new things. ASL is such a fun language, and my professor is a total riot. It's a total immersion class, which I was nervous about at first but now realize that's the best way to learn.

More later....

more pics

2007-08-03T09:04:00.001-05:00

A few summer pics

2007-08-03T08:51:00.001-05:00

What's on your bedside table?

2007-08-03T08:36:00.000-05:00

I have a huge stack on my "to read" list... What's on yours?

Illusions, by Richard Bach
Lessons in Truth, by H. Emilie Cady
It's all too much, Peter Walsch
8 Minute Meditation, Victor Davich
The Mister Rogers Parenting Book, Fred Rogers

On that last one...some of you know how I admire Fred Rogers. Not only was he a favorite when I was a kid, but I truly love his respect for children. You may not realize it when you hear him speak, since he always spoke as if he were talking to a 4 year old, but he was extremely intelligent, thoughtful and aware of the culture around us. I saw an old interview with him from the 60's, and was blown away by his insights, which are even more relevant today. He spoke of our consumer-driven culture, and the implications for a small child and his future. He was truly a gifted educator and amazing person.

Something new for me...

2007-08-03T08:27:00.000-05:00

I'll bet most of you didn't know this about me....one of my dreams is to become a sign language interpreter. It's not something I've really talked about much, but always had in the back of my mind. Well, I think I'm going to check it out and see if it's really something I'd like to try. Our local community college has a fantastic program for interpreting. I've always been very interested in language development, communication, learning and deaf culture. So, I 'signed' up for a class this fall...(no pun intended!) So if you have a moment, close your eyes and see me as an interpreter... and help me realize this vision. Namaste.

Preschool!

2007-08-03T08:12:00.000-05:00

Well, the time has come...Laura's first day of preschool is just around the corner. We've got all the supplies, a new backpack, fresh crayons and our box of kleenex. Her first day is September 4, and she'll be going two mornings a week for 3 hours. She can hardly wait! Every day she talks about going to school. She will know three other kids in her class, so that's a good thing too. I'll miss her, but I know she's going to love it and it's only 6 hours a week. Ugh...my baby's starting to grow up.

Ehren's 15 month stats

2007-08-03T07:59:00.000-05:00

We took Ehren for his 15 month checkup yesterday. He weighed in at a little over 24 lbs, was 31 inches tall. He has 9 teeth now, with three more about to erupt. It's also looking like we will have to go ahead with the eye surgery when he's 18 months old. A few weeks ago we took him to an opthamologist to check into his constantly watery eyes. They determined that he has two blocked tear ducts so his tears aren't draining properly. Usually kids grow out of this by 6-12 months of age, but at this point it's not likely that the ducts will repair themselves. So we will do an outpatient procedure to correct the problem. Obviously I dont' like the idea of putting him through surgery, but I'm told this could lead to more problems down the line, so better to do it now. He also had 2 shots...Owie! But overall, a good checkup.

Blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda........

2007-07-26T23:34:00.001-05:00

Ok. I know I said before that I was really going to BLOG here, for better or worse, but I haven't really done that yet. Well...what can I say? We're busy, but so is everyone, and I can't deny that I do have moments that I could sit down and type here for 5 minutes. But.....enough of all of that.

We've had a lot of visitors this summer! Back in June, Great Grandma Carlson came for a short visit, followed the next week by Grandma Claire, who came to visit for a week. Just this last week, Jody came for a few days! And when we aren't entertaining guests, we've been spending a lot of time at church. Which brings me to my next update...

Rob and I took the plunge and have officially joined our church, Christ Church Unity. We started attending back in November of last year, and have been eagerly involved since. I don't want to belabor the story but I have to say that this is the first time in my life that I've actually been excited about church. My close friends and family have probably decided that I've gone crazy! But, we love it, and that's what matters. Unity is so different than any other church experience I've ever had. Laura is in Sunday school now, and it's so cute.

Just checking in....

2007-07-23T23:14:00.000-05:00

Hey all..... Just letting you know that this site has not been abandoned! I will be posting updates and pictures in the very near future.......

Sarah

He walks!

2007-06-06T14:33:00.000-05:00

Hooray! We officially announce that Ehren is up on his feet and walking better every day. He's so excited about his new skill! I hope to have a video on the net sometime soon. Laura is also doing new and exciting things... This last weekend she got on her first two-wheeled bike, with training wheels of course.

Laura also had her first swimming lesson this week. It went so-so, but not bad for the first one I guess. She was definitely excited, a little bit too excited maybe....
And just a cute one of Ehren....

Bye for now!

In May

2007-05-30T11:47:00.000-05:00

Hi friends. May has been a busy month here. After our trip to NJ, things were starting to settle down a bit and then we got some very sad news. On May 10, my Grandpa Carlson passed away. His health was not good....After a stroke several years ago, his health was never really the same, and the past couple of years he'd been in and out of the hospital for various things. At the beginning of May he'd had a cold, and was very congested. He died early on Thursday morning, apparently peaceful and in no pain. His funeral was on May 14.

After his stroke, I really felt like I'd lost him. He wasn't the same, he couldn't speak and he was always a talker so that was sooo different. But he was still there in his spirit, even if he couldn't chime in like he always had. Now that he's gone, I realize how much I've really missed him. (Sad, how that works.)

Rob and the kids took a weekend trip down to his dad's farm in Weaubleau, and had a good time. Mommy got to stay home and have a little r&r time to herself! They went fishing (didn't catch any, though), rode the tractor, played with trains and had a lot of fun. It's a good place to get away from the busy city.

And over the holiday weekend, we had a garage sale to clear out clutter, and to prepare for our future move. And of course, we can't forget about the Celebration at the Station, the big Memorial day fireworks and KC symphony concert. We've gone the past two years and wouldn't have missed it this year. It's a really great display, and free concert. Laura got a huge kick out of it, she just laughed the whole time. Ehren wasn't really sure what he thought at first, he got a confused look on his face when the booming started. I think once he got used to the sound he liked it.

We have been really enjoying the mild temps lately! Seems like the past few years we've gone straight from furnace to a/c, but the weather recently has been perfect! We're just holding our breath until Ehren starts walking....he's SO close! As soon as he realizes no one's holding onto him, he collapses. I saw him take about 3 independent steps the other day, when he wasn't thinking about it. It won't be long.

Here's some recent portraits:

Hope that works. Hope all is well for everyone reading...

Joisey and the Big Apple!

2007-05-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

So, some of you already heard about this, but I'll share for those who haven't... We just returned Tuesday from a trip to New Jersey! The kids and I flew out there for 6 days, and the main purpose of our trip was to go to a gathering of moms from my online message board... (For those who aren't familiar with this...and most who know me at all know about my message board pals...I belong to an online message board made up of moms from all over the country. There are about 30-ish members, and we all have a child born December of '03. Last summer we drove to Chicago to meet up with three others, and this trip we got to meet about 7 others!)

We stayed with one of the moms and her family, and it was such a good time! THANKS, VIKKI & MATTHEW, BECKETT & DANE!!!!!!!

Thanks too Vikki, for coming up with the new title for our little blog, it's perfect!! ;o)

We flew out on Wednesday, the 25th of April, and returned Tuesday, May 1st. We had a great time hanging out with Vikki and her gang, did a little painting, a little shopping, got together with all the moms and kids at a bbq, and also spent a day in the Big Apple! I've ALWAYS wanted to visit NYC, and FINALLY, I did. We took two three year-olds and two babies into that crowded, hectic city. Are we nuts?? Actually, the kids did GREAT, and we had a wonderful time. I got to visit Central Park and the John Lennon memorial also. That was first on my list of things to do in NYC.

A little story about that...Of course all day I was looking forward to visiting the John Lennon memorial and taking pictures, right? Well, I was snapping pics here and there, around town on the bus, then I took one where we entered Central Park, and just as we were getting to Strawberry Fields, my camera batteries died. GRRR!! There was NO way I was going to go there and not take pics. So, while Vikki and Matthew and the kids sat on a park bench I trotted across the street to look for batteries, and I found myself right in front of the Dakota. I've seen that scene many times in the videos and documentaries about John Lennon, and there I was...right where his amazing life was taken. If my batteries hadn't died, I probably wouldn't have even gone by there, and had a little moment to stand by myself, no kids.... It was really nice. Isn't that "funny"? I don't think it was an accident.

The Dakota
Anyway, it was a great trip, we had a blast! The flights out and back were not bad either. Even though they were VERY early in the morning, with layovers, etc, the kids did as well as could be expected. I can't wait to make the trip again! Some pics...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EHREN!!

2007-05-03T06:11:00.000-05:00

Yes, we celebrated Ehren's 1st birthday a couple of weekends ago! It's hard to believe, he's one year old now. And just the most fun and pleasant little boy you'll meet. We had so much fun celebrating his birthday! On the day of his birthday, Tuesday the 17th, our friend Jody visited and we had a birthday dinner at home, with his first birthday cake. Then on the weekend we had a cookout in the back yard with some good friends and family. Rob's dad and step-mom were here, as well as Uncle Mike and Aunt Linda, Shelly and her girls, Aunt Nancy and Uncle Phil, and several other friends. We cooked hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill, the older kids played outside, and Ehren had such a good time with his cake that he had to have a bath afterward. There was no cleaning him up after that crazy mess! We all had a really fun time.

As his mom, I'm so grateful for my little boy. I recently realized that I had never had a little boy in my life until Ehren came along. I have some cousins who are boys, but I didn't spend a lot of time with them. When I was pregnant I actually worried about how I would feel about having a boy. With Laura I had my heart SET on having a girl, and the second time I really wanted a boy but couldn't quite picture myself having a son. Now I realize that kids are kids, whether they are boys or girls. He's just a doll, a Mama's boy, a Daddy's boy, and a kid brother who LOVES his big sister. He has 5 words now....Mama, Dada, LaLa, Uh-Oh, and Bye-bye. He's a complete cuddler, he still loves to be held and snuggled. He enjoys playing with toys but would probably rather sit on my lap or play a 1-on-1 game with us.

Happy 1st Birthday, Little Man!

Our new home on the web...

2007-05-03T06:04:00.000-05:00

First of all, I want to thank theBABYJournal for our previous blogsite. It has so many wonderful features, I really hate to leave! The tooth chart, wish list, photo puzzle, growth charts....those are so cool to have for the kids. That being said, I've been having some trouble using the site lately, and with our busy days I have to make the most of the internet time I have. This site is pretty cool too, maybe not as many bells and whistles as theBABYJournal, but it will be a comfy place for us too. So, thanks again, Laura and Chris! We really appreciate your generosity and help getting our news and photos out on the web.