What Haven't We Been Up To?!

It has been crazy around here for most of September and the first few days of October too. So last time I blogged Rob's parents had just been here and now my parents just visited us too. Here are Nana and Papa with the boys.





They spent 2 weeks in the midwest- some of it here with us and some of it sightseeing through Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan. I feel like I can never say enough about how much we enjoy having our family visit- it is just the best times. Unfortunately I was sick for the first part of their visit but we did manage to have a yard sale during that time. (Oh yes, at least one of us was sick for about half the month of September. Ugh.) When they got back from their road trip though everyone was feeling good and we had a lot more fun then playing cards, going out and having fun with the boys. I also got my dad to help me on a little painting project Rob has been resistant to. I asked if I could take over the fourth bedroom for an office and if I could design it however I wanted. Rob agreed but he wasn't really into my idea of painting stripes on the wall. I was determined to do it though and finally got it done. Here it is.



I think the stripes came out really nice. Now I just have to get everything else in order in the room. We are still trying to finish up the family room project so most of our time is spent there. Rob had his own little painting project going on while I was busy striping the office.



The fireplace bump-out still needs to be painted and there is a good chance it will be the same color as the stripes in the office (the wall color in the two rooms are the same- Churchill Hotel Vanilla). Rob also hung the ceiling fan in the room. He is working on the threshold for the new exterior door right now and trying to get that door all sealed up just in case it ever decides to get cold around here (it has been in the 80's for several days- crazy!). I am sure it will be plenty cold so I am just enjoying the warm weather for as long as we can get it.

The boys are doing what they do best- being crazy and getting into things. Here are some of their greatest hits over the last few weeks.







Yeah, so they're doing just fine. Rex also started a soccer class a few weeks ago. The parents have to stay the whole time and work with them. It has been fun but Rex would rather just run around than try to learn anything. Rex is best at running and throwing the ball inbounds (the kid can throw a ball like nobody's business- I really should have gotten him into some toddler quarterback class). He also likes kicking the ball at the "goal".





I am setting a new goal to blog once a week, probably on the weekends, so that I can have a deadline to work at. I don't mean to neglect this but I just get so busy sometimes. Thanks to those of you for sticking with me and who keep reading!

Progress

Our family room project has been cruising right along and lots of work has been taking place. In my previous post, I had pictures of the spray foam insulation process and how it turned out. Once that was done, we were able to get the drywall (or drivewall as Rex calls it) hung.



Here's Rob working on it late last night to get ready for the guys to start the taping/mudding/finishing process today.



We had a crew of 4 guys over for a couple hours today doing some taping and mudding in the room. Rob tells me they'll be back tomorrow afternoon to sand and do some more mudding (floating? I'm not sure of all the drywall lingo) and then they'll be back one more time after that to spray the texture on the walls and ceiling. We are hopeful that we can get the painting done this weekend and have the room usable by the time my parents get here next Wednesday. There may still be some small things like trim work to do but that's no reason we can't get out there and start using our fabulous new family room, right?! I can't wait!

Speaking of visitors, Rob's parents were out for a few days recently to visit. We had so much fun, especially the boys and it would have been nice to see them for even longer. Rob and his dad were going to go to a sprint car race in Knoxville, IA but it was rained out. Booooo. Marge and I went out shopping one afternoon and that was really nice to have some girl time. Mostly though, we ate, hung out around the house and played with Rex and Wyatt.



Wyatt walks everywhere now- he is a walking machine. He was tottering around for a month or so and then finally one day, he was just all over it and totally stopped crawling. He loves to splash in the toilet (toilet latches installed- check), pull all my cookbooks off the shelves and throw his toys in our media console. He is learning some new words and knows now how to high five. And the chicks dig him.



Rex's latest thing is changing his clothes. Changing his clothes like 37 times a day like a junior high girl at summer camp. He just got a bunch of new clothes for winter (hello Labor Day sales!) and is busy wearing them ALL. He does pretty good though sometimes his pants are on backwards or he is wearing something that is way too hot for the current weather (note to Rex- although it is getting colder, your winter coat is not yet needed). This outfit today though cracked me up and I had to get a picture of it.



I can't decide if it is so wrong, or so wrong it actually works. But you can't go wrong with a straw fedora so he gets points for that and being bold enough to pull off the hat. I think he is going to be pretty into his clothes when he gets older which I think is just funny and I totally support it. It's always important to look your best. He already tells strangers in the grocery store about his shoes, shirt or something he is wearing. I've also already got him brainwashed that we don't ever go out of the house in our pajamas because it drives me crazy when people do that! It seems the apple hasn't fallen too far from the tree.

Well, I have to get up for bootcamp class in exactly 6 hours so that doesn't look too promising. Oops. It has been kind of a disappointment for me. In addition to not getting the results I was expecting, a lot of the people go to the same church and the class ends up having a very high school vibe to it. If you go to that particular church (which we tried and did not care for) then you are part of the cool kids and if not, then you just aren't cool like they are. I didn't mind so much at first but that aspect is starting to annoy me and really wear on me after 3 months. I think I'll start going to the gym again after this bootcamp session is over at the end of the month. It has been a good experience and I know I am a lot stronger than I probably have ever been so I wouldn't say it was a waste of time- but I wouldn't go back either. One more life lesson learned. I am not a bootcamper, at least not for 5 days a week anyhow!

Family Room Project Update

Last week, our bike-shop-to-family-room project was looking like this-



Lots of mess everywhere and not totally closed off yet. There is the big issue of closing off the room from the garage but there were tons of little places all around the perimeter of the room at the ceiling that needed to be sealed off too. Last Friday we got the word that the guys we hired to do our spray foam insulation would be there on Monday. I asked Rob, "Like 10 days Monday or like 3 days Monday?" Turns out it was like 3 days Monday. Rob worked so hard all weekend and I pitched in too as much as I could. I pounded nails, cut sheets of OSB with the circular saw and even had some really good ideas on how to seal off the tricky ceiling areas. We finally finished a little after 2:00 a.m. last night- here it is all cleaned up and ready for some foam.



It hasn't been that empty or clean in 4 1/2 years! The guys showed up about 15 minutes early (we were still not quite ready) and got to work while Rob and I finished off the last couple items. Here is one of the guys spraying the ceiling.



And here it is once he was all done.



I can't believe how much brighter it is in there now with the white foam instead of all the wood walls! Wow. It has me so excited to get this project done so we can start using the space. A friend of ours, the one that totally bailed us out with shingling the roof last fall, is going to be drywalling for us, probably even this week! I have been busy trying to pick out paint colors but we are all over the place with that. It is our usual tug-of-war between something more Pottery Barn contemporary style and something more IKEA modern style. Hopefully we can choose a color soon and start enjoying our room as soon as possible!

4.5 Years and 2054 Miles Later

Nanette shared a little news with me last week that they are moving to Portland, Oregon and it got me thinking, "What would I say about my experience moving to a new state?" It has been exactly 4 1/2 years since Rob and I left California for Iowa and really, what hasn't changed about our lives? New jobs, new house, new kids- I think our XTerra is the only constant we have besides each other! Some of my thoughts about the move were positive but others weren't so much. So for Nanette's benefit and anyone else contemplating/recently making a big move (and I know there are a few of you!), here are my thoughts on the matter.

Starting with the glass half full... The Positives.

1. Quality of Life- I do enjoy the clean air, Midwestern people, no traffic, and very low crime. The best part is being able to stay home with the boys while they are young. The way they eat, I will certainly have to work when they go to school to be able to feed them, but I love my time home with them for now. Schools are another big part of this that we haven't really gotten into yet but a future positive, nonetheless.

2. Cost of Living- Depending on where you are moving from and to, this may be on the negatives list but for us it was a positive. Affordable housing and goods are also a big part of why I get to stay home with the boys.

3. Four Seasons- The period of time when we get snow could be shortened up a little and you wouldn't hear me complain, but I do love having four distinct seasons. A white Christmas just feels so much more... Christmasy. Spring and summer are so much better after a snowy winter, seeing the white melt away and the green take over. And a crisp fall day with the leaves turning bright colors- I don't know if it gets any better than that.

And now, The Negatives...

1. Missing Family and Friends- Without a doubt, this is the toughest part of moving to a new state. It wasn't so bad when it was just Rob and I because we had the money and ability to fly back to California often. Then Rex came along and it got more expensive and challenging and now there is Wyatt and it just seems impossible. He hates driving more than about 30 minutes in the car and I can't imagine him on a plane for 3 1/2 hours. For now, we have to rely on people coming to see us. We miss seeing everyone anytime we wanted and having the kids away from grandparents/aunts/uncles/cousins is about as bad as it gets. And then It really hit me how tough it is not to have any family to help once Wyatt came along. When it was just me and Rex during the day, it was fine to take him all around town on errands and he just didn't wear me out like the two of them do. I can't imagine what it would be like to have more than two kids! Not having grandparents nearby + more than 1 kid = REALLY HARD.

2. Food- I miss a good bean and cheese burrito and In-N-Out burgers (my mouth honestly started watering when I looked at their website just now!), Rob misses George's shish kebab and we both miss Teriyaki Don just to name a few. We try to recreate these things but it is never the same. Of course we have new favorite things and places here, but we still miss the old favorites.

3. Making New Friends is Tough- It just takes time to build up a group of friends- I mean, it took me 30 years to know all the people I do in California! I'm sure once the kids get involved in more activities and school, we will be meeting a lot more people which will make it easier. And there aren't too many people our ages with young kids so either we have friends our age with older kids, or younger friends with kids the same ages as ours.

After 4 1/2 years, I still think we made the right decision by moving to Iowa. The pros outweigh the cons and if we felt any differently, we would be back at the Penske truck rental to pack it all up and move back to the Golden State.

Good luck with the move Nanette and Brent, we hope you love your new home and we can't wait to visit you in Portland!!

August Already?

Warning- Completely random, stream-of-consciousness post below. Was going to fix it up a little better but ran out of time!

I can't believe it is August 1st already! Rob's birthday is in just a few days and I am totally not prepared. I'm thinking about tools so he can keep working on projects around the house- is that more a present for me or for him though? I will have to keep working on ideas I guess. My dad gets here for a visit on Wednesday so I have been busy thinking about that and what I need to do to get the house ready. He booked his flight so long ago and it felt like it was so far off- I can't believe it is time already. One good thing about time going so quickly is that it has to cool down sometime, right? It has been so hot for a month now and it doesn't even cool down at night. I've got a few things planned while my dad is here and one is to paint some stripes on one wall of our office. Rob doesn't really approve because he is concerned that they will not be perfectly straight and he is a little cuckoo like that. It'll be close enough for me though so I'm going ahead with it. Hopefully I will have the stripes done and have the office ready for photos in the next week or two. It is definitely a catch-all kind of place right now and needs some help. I just saw the internet service guy go by so I better wrap this up. Time to find out why our service is so sketchy lately! Here's a picture of the boys from this morning though that I thought was adorable.

Hotter Than A Firecracker

Wow, has it been hot, humid and nasty here for the last few weeks. It gets that way here in the summer of course but it doesn't usually last this long. Rex and I went to the pool a few weeks ago and I really wish we could go every day. We both had so much fun!





We went during the "toddler time" hours which are exactly the same as Wyatt's nap time so Rob stayed home with Wyatt. It would be nice if we could all go one of these days.

The big thing around our house right now is the family room project. There was some framing to do for the bump-out which will have an electric fireplace with a mantel and tv above it. I think Rob is just about done with that and ready to move on to some wiring next. Here is how it is looking so far.



We will have an electrician come in to finish up the wiring and tie it in to the panel but Rob can run the wire in the room to keep the project going for now since the electrician is backed up at the moment. He also put the housing units in for the six can lights we are doing and the thing that the ceiling fan will attach to. Then we get some insulation and walls up and paint and flooring... It will still be a while but it is nice to be working on the project again and finishing up what we started last fall.

The boys are doing great. Wyatt just started clapping today which is so adorable. He keeps adding new words to his vocabulary all the time- the latest is "cheese" which is probably one of his top 3 favorite foods. Wyatt is taking some steps around the house by himself now but he still crawls if he is in a hurry. I don't have video yet of him on his own (I've been too busy just watching him and having fun) but here he is cruising around with his little car.



Rex is 3 now and it seems he can go from cute and sweet to pain in the rear in nanoseconds. He melts down for the littlest thing, everything is "I do it" and he just doesn't want to listen to me and Rob. I had a feeling 3 year olds should be feared more than 2 year olds and it looks like I was right. He is so cute though and he just wants to help a lot of times so we try to find ways for him to be involved and "help". Here he is from a few days ago, wanting to cook lunch for us.



It seems that balsamic vinegar by the tablespoon is on the menu. Hmm, maybe mommy needs to make lunch after all. The boys find a new way to make messes/destroy things all the time. Need your clean laundry dumped all over the floor and then rolled over? Done.



Maybe you need a nightlight taken apart and unplugged? They've got that covered too.



And finally, if you need diapers, or anything really, taken out of the dresser and tossed around the room, Wyatt is the guy for the job.



They are a lot of fun and crack me up all the time. I guess that is about it for us for now- hopefully it won't be so long before my next posting!

In a Nesting/Decorating Mood

About two weeks ago, Rob and I were about to take the boys out on a walk after dinner when we started talking to our neighbors. We were taking some "Twins Day" pictures and they were just getting home from a dinner date and asked if we wanted a picture of all of us. I explained I was just trying to get this picture of Rob and Rex since they were dressed similarly that day.



After chatting outside for a little bit, we went on into their house to see their latest projects. They are always doing something and have such great taste that I love seeing what they've been up to. And I was VERY interested in seeing their new Ikea Ektorp sectional and testing it out. We need a new sofa badly and I have my eye on that one- slipcovers in this house is a must. Anyhow, it got Rob and me both inspired to dress up our living room a bit and spent the weekend before last doing that. We had a lot of stuff around the house already and I bought a few items at Target and now it looks so much better.





House Beautiful doesn't plan on stopping by any time soon but it is such an accomplishment for us! We tried to banish toys to the bedrooms and basement but that just doesn't seem to be practical. I bought some nice woven baskets to keep them in a while back and soon found Rex dismantling them. This time, I went for the much cheaper and indestructible canvas tub/basket things. They are holding up much better. We had most of the artwork just sitting in the basement and we decided to just hang it all rather than pick 2 or 3 things ala Emily Henderson. I have to say, I really like it this way because now it incorporates both of our things and I feel like it is so much more "us" rather than just my stuff or Rob's. It is tough to accessorize with 2 rambunctious young boys- so many things I would like to put on the end tables or ottoman would just be destroyed. We are also in the mood now to get the bike shop/family room project we started last fall finished up so be on the lookout for that soon.

We had a great 4th of July. Some friends invited us to a lunchtime bbq party. We met a lot of new people and Rex got to run around and play with the loads of kids that were there. AND someone asked me for the recipe of the item I brought and very few things make me happier than that. I always feel like I'm Martha Stewart or something when I get asked for a recipe. The lunchtime party was perfect because we brought the boys home for their naps then got up and had a light dinner, watched the fireworks shows on PBS and NBC (NBC's was way better, I thought) and went in the backyard to do our little sparkler display. That's all that is allowed here- I don't think fireworks are allowed in the whole state. SO LAME.







It has been hot and humid here lately. Yuck. We have a new city aquatic center and we've been promising to take Rex there but I think I am more excited than he is. It is huge with a toddler area, lazy river, several big slides and a huge pool area. In a few years I am sure we will be buying the summer family pass because we will be there all the time. Everything else is going good around here- hope you had a good July 4th too!

Happy (insert holiday here)!

The last week or so has been busy- there was Father's Day on Sunday and then Rex's 3rd birthday on Monday. Rob decided he wanted to smoke some ribs in our smoker for his special dinner so that was what we did. He also wanted iced tea and I made a big pot of beans. My recipe is very similar to this one but I use kidney beans and butter beans instead of lima and black. I made a festive little banner for the day too that Rob didn't realize for a few days that I had made. I guess it looked so good he thought I bought it- ha! I got the idea for it here.



Wyatt unhappily modeling his special Father's Day shirt-



And a special Father's Day treat I ordered from California-



It was a really good day. Looks like I'm missing any pictures of Rob from Father's Day though. Oops. I will do better next year! I thought we would just get a pizza for dinner on Rex's birthday but we decided to go out to eat instead. Rex got a cheeseburger and had 3 or 4 young waitresses sing happy birthday to him and give him ice cream so I am sure he was pleased with the decision.



He had lots of presents, including this Sheriff Woody toy-



The whole time Rex was opening his gifts, Wyatt just sat off to the side and played with his toys. I don't know why I thought that was so funny but I did. Here's Wyatt playing with his toy puppy.



Finally, we had some birthday cake. I made a dinosaur cake again this year because I vowed to make one every year forever on his birthday. Even when he is 42, I will make a dinosaur cake for him.



Nobody spent much time with the cake though because it was time to get back to the toys! Seriously, I don't think Rex took even one bite of the cake. He was too excited about all the new toys and ran right out of the kitchen to go play again after he blew the candle out. Since it was his birthday, I let him. He definitely was asking for the cake the next day though. Good thing for him I saved a piece!

Gotta play-



Wyatt is doing good. He is more and more mobile all the time and has stepped off like he was going to walk but just fell. Poor guy. He holds on to the couch or my hands and walks but he still needs that little bit of help. He's not quite there yet but it can't be too much longer. I am doing good too. I started a bootcamp fitness class last week and I have never been so sore in my life. I am more of a cardio girl than a strength training girl so this is a big change for me. I enjoy the class and getting some time just for me- it is unfortunate though that the class is at 6:00 a.m. everyday (Mon-Fri) and I have to get up at 5:30 a.m. Yikes. I thought it was bad that I used to have to get up at 7:00. I signed up for 14 weeks so that means only 13 more weeks until I can sleep in again!

If a Tree Falls in The Forest...

Last Monday we had a dying spruce tree removed from our backyard. I also decided once they got here to have them trim up the two trees out front. Rob wasn't thrilled with my little add-on project but he did say that it looked nice once they were done. He was at work while they were here and I didn't want him to miss the excitement of taking out the big tree so I recorded it. I didn't mean to narrate the clip, I just happened to be talking to someone on the phone at the same time and I was telling them what was going on.



Here is how the corner looks now-



Now we have to figure out what to do with our empty corner. Our plan was to put in a small-ish swingset but I'm not sure there is enough room and we kind of blew the budget on tree removal and pruning. We definitely need to do some screening along the fence to get some privacy and block the view of the neighbor's house for everyone's benefit. I am thinking it is a perfect spot for a little fenced-in vegetable garden like this.



It was ridiculously hot earlier in the week and then by the end of last week, and still by today, it has been cool and rainy with lots of hunderflash (that's Rex-speak for thunder and lightning), much to Rex's dismay. I took the boys out for a walk on Saturday morning when we had a little break in the weather and we went to the Farmer's Market. Apparently all there is in Iowa at this point is cilantro and I think I saw some onions too. I bought some baked goods and jams at one stand from people I have purchased tasty treats from before but that was it for us. I decided I better just plant my own stuff if I want some homegrown produce so Rex and I went to Lowe's on Sunday and bought 2 tomato plants, 1 cherry tomato plant and a cantaloupe plant. I have never grown cantaloupes before so I have no idea what to expect from that but it was only $3 so I thought it was worth a try.

I bought 2 delphinium and 2 foxgloves too because I love them and planted them in the bed along with the tomato and cantaloupe plants.



The boys are doing good. No real big excitement for them this past week except Rex can finally say his name! Yay Rex!!! He has always just said "Reh" or maybe "Rek" but couldn't quite get that x sound until this past week. Here is what they are looking like on Monday, June 13th.

Wyatt playing with Rex's blocks-



Rex in our front yard, just as it was starting to rain this morning-

DIY Weekend

I took the boys out on a walk Saturday morning- it is something we do every day, weather permitting- and found an awesome retro stereo console for sale at a yard sale. I had to cross the street and get a better look at it because it just looked so cool and I was thinking it would be perfect for under our tv. I was right, it is!



And it was only $35- woohoo! I don't know what Rob was planning on doing this weekend but I know what he ended up doing. He gutted the old stereo and record player parts from the cabinet and put our cable box and dvd player in there.



He also put his nice amp in there and hooked it up to the speakers so we could put the big speakers (that used to be hooked up to the tv) away. Rex loved to unhook the wires and he can't do that anymore which is awesome. Rob bought a remote relay thingamajiggie so that the remote still works even with everything all closed up inside. We still need to attach something to the wall to hide the cords and then put a latch on top of the console so Rex can't get in there and then it will be perfect.

I had my own little DIY project I have been working on, trying to recreate a Pottery Barn trellis that I love. I got it all put together but it was a while before we had a non-windy day so that I could spray paint the thing. I finally got that done on Saturday and here it is in my garden.



I would still like to get some solar string lights to go on it but it looks good for now. That was my prototype and since I am happy with the way it turned out, I'm going to make two more. I think I'll end up spending about $30 for four of them instead of $99 for one. AND mine doesn't have any lame hearts on it. Holly Hobby I am not.

Rob and I discovered we may have hit the jackpot with Rex. He loves to play with his teeball set in the backyard which he and I do a lot during the week. I knew he batted opposite of me but I didn't know that was a big deal that he hit it left-handed. So when Rob saw him do it, he was pretty interested. We tried to get him to bat right-handed and that was not happening. He hits (naturally!) way better left-handed. So then we did a little test with his throwing and discovered that he throws right-handed. Rob tells me that a player who hits left and throws right is desirable and rare. I just want him to have fun and as long as he likes to play, I will encourage it. I would never be a parent who forces my kid to play a sport they don't like or ruin something they like to do and have fun with. But if he turned out to be a baseball superstar, that would be pretty awesome.



Rex got his first skinned knee this week. Poor baby. He looks just like his mommy though.



Wyatt is getting closer and closer to walking all the time. He is figuring so much out every day and you can tell he just can't wait to walk like his big brother does. Part of his development is pulling himself up onto things- AND out of things it seems. I put him in his walker the other day, walked in the kitchen and came back seconds later to find him like this:



It is possible that Rex helped him but I really doubt it. I am certain Wyatt did this all on his own. See that cheshire cat grin? That's the face of a boy who is awfully proud of himself.

We had a good weekend working on projects but Rob and I actually got to go out to dinner on a little date Friday night which was the best part of the weekend, without a doubt. We left both boys with a sitter for the first time ever and went to a work dinner Rob had which was a lot of fun. They had a raffle for prizes and we both left with stuff. Lucky us!