Saturday was Nikki day

...and Lauren. We had lotsa fun! Nikki was visiting us from Hawaii (i kinda wish it were the other way around! Hawaii, anyone?)

We got smoothies at Smoothie King, toured IKEA, played with Luke, dined at Olive Garden and were entertained by our waiter, JC, as he shamelessly flirted and chatted with us (I have never been asked so many times if we needed plates cleared) It was funny. And we started watching a movie before it was time to say goodbye.

Here's some pictures i got of the girls with Luke (the rest of the pictures from the day were taken by Nikki so i'll have to get those later):

Luke & Lauren

Luke & Nikki

A Treat for My Window

Well after 0ver 10 months of living in this house with a huge front window ---everyone who walks or drives by can see us inside--I finally have it covered!!

This is Michael Miller fabric I ordered off an Etsy shop (the fabricbee) a couple months ago.

With my new sewing machine I was able to whip out these curtain panels in a little over an hour. I bought the sheers at Walmart and just hemmed them up about 2 inches. Scott hung my double curtain rod on Saturday and tada! Done. Looks quite nice and my kitchen feels much more homey.

Before


After 1


After 2 (with sheers)

The end.

3 THiNgS

3 THiNgs I LoVe AbOuT toDay:

1. One of my BFFs--Nikki-- is coming and I will spend ALL day with her & another BFF--Lauren-- tomorrow!! It will be GoOd TiMes! (we'll miss u Melissa!)


Nikki & Me


Melissa, Lauren, Nikki & Me

2. Luke literally broke into a smile when I was feeding him cottage cheese--he L.o.v.e.d. it!

(obviously this isn't the picture of him eating cottage cheese, but this is a cute picture I just had to share)


3. My house is C.L.E.A.N. Who doesn't love that??

Extras

Things I forgot to put in Luke's 11 month post that I don't want to forget:

He's learned where the nose is! We say "where's my nose?" and he points to it! That's another thing, he's pointing to things now. We've begun teaching him some baby signs to help curve the hitting he's started doing. Hoping that through baby signs he'll get less frustrated and use the signs to tell us what he needs.

He plays "slow" peekaboo which I have to get a picture of because the mischievousness on his face is adorable. I'll throw a little blanket on him (or his pants during diaper changes) and he'll start moving it off his face really slowly and carefully and he peeks to see me with one eye and a huge grin on his face. He loves it.

He likes to crawl under my legs when I'm sitting on the couch. Sometimes he'll just lie there and hide.

He always stops to listen to loud noises like trucks and motorcycles driving by outside.

He hates the grass--every time I put him on the grass he crawls up on me as fast as he can. I guess it's too pokey for him.

He's VERY ticklish. I tickle him often because he's got a cute little giggle.

He's getting really fast at creeping and doesn't even really hold on sometimes. Maybe he will be walking sooner than we think.

He likes watching videos of himself and others on the computer and/or camera or camcorder

When I took him to the doctor I found out that he is 16lbs 15 oz bringing him up to %0.67 from his previous 0.25%. So he's getting closer to the curve that he's supposed to be at.

Double Ouchies

Scott and I have been seeing a LOT of this lately. Luke's had a runny nose for over 2 weeks too, and his appetite is lacking and sleeping is definitely OFF, not to mention he's super clingy. I got fed up with it and took him in today on a whim--not even expecting it to be an ear infection because he doesn't have any of the "symptoms" i'm always hearing about. Well it turns out...DOUBLE ear infection. Dang, poor little guy! I'm SO glad I took him in! So it's amoxicillin for the next 10 days--but that's ok with Luke because he loves it and likes sucking on the syringe. Hopefully this will bring back our happy baby and he'll start eating and sleeping better again.

As for me I'm finally starting to feel normal again too after being sick all last week. I cleaned out our 3rd bedroom and made it a Creativity Zone where I can sew and paint and create. I got my new sewing machine and I'm learning how everything works, but I can already tell I'm going to love it! Now the possibilities are endless!! My first sewing project will be my kitchen curtains. After 10 months of living here it's about time we get something up on that big front window!! I'll definitely be putting up pictures. We're also deciding on PAINT colors! I loathe the neutral color on our walls right now--it has a pink undertone which I detest. It's driving me nuts. Baby steps though...one room at a time. I want to make sure to choose wisely because I don't want to paint more than once. Anyway, super excited!

We also have a bunch of family coming into town next week so it should get nice and hectic around here. My friend Nikki is also coming from Hawaii to visit this weekend too--CaN'T WaiT!!

11 Months

Where does the time go? My baby is becoming less of a baby every day!

Luke is 11 months old!!

He's full of funny faces & expressions




He tries to pick out my contact lenses with his fingers


He's starting to stick out his tongue--which I encourage just because I think it's cute

When he gets frustrated he hits with both his arms. We're trying a few things to get rid of this bad habit, but I don't think it will stop until he can communicate in other ways.

He likes to push things across the room so we got him some big cars. He's perfectly happy pushing books, plates or chairs across the room though. He even pushed Scott who tried on some roller blades the other day (video). These cars are the kind that you pull back and then they zoom forward on their own--It totally freaked out Luke the first week we had them. He'd crawl really fast to me and climb up my leg. He does the same thing with other loud noises (like the vaccum)




He LOVES his daddy. He recognizes him in the pictures on the wall and he will point and say "Dad" He also says Dad when he sees him in person too. He won't repeat Momma anymore.

He waves byebye when brought to any door and will even do it when he sees cars or people walk away.


He likes just chilling in his bouncy chair. He likes to stand on it and bounce


He likes going outside and feeling the wind. He loves going on walks so we try to do that at least once a day.

He's a stair climber! Only problem is he has no interest in learning how to go down the stairs...only up.

He's still pretty small--I estimate he's just over 16lbs. He is finally outgrowing some 6 month clothes. Except all his pants are still 3-6 months (he has no bum to keep them up!)


He likes to play games--chasing us around the ottoman and playing peekaboo. He also likes to just crawl over us back and forth when we sit on the ground. Apparently we are human jungle gyms

He's got 6 teeth now--four on top, two on bottom.

He's super ticklish on his neck under his ear...I take full advantage to hear the baby giggles.


He dances! He pumps his left hand up and down and bends his knees. I have yet to catch it on video though because he's very selective in which music he'll dance to :)

Another one of Luke's favorite games is Take Off Hat. I put a hat on his head and he smiles and takes it off.



He also still likes playing in the suitcase, so I have yet to put it away and in fact I usually throw some toys in there for him to find.


He's walking with a walker, but doesn't really like walking holding onto our hands. I don't think he'll be walking at the 1 year mark after all.
This is the video of his first day with the walker (he's a bit faster now, but still can't turn)


Our busy boy! We're excited for his 1 year birthday party! Until next month!

Love This: 7 Was to Find Motivation at Home

This article struck me particularly because I just realized I've been done with school for 6 1/2 months and I haven't really done much with my days at home even when I really do have plenty of time to do the things I need to do and want to do. This article was very helpful.

Found here.

7 Ways to Find Motivation at Home

June 15, 2009

Photo by Robert S. Donovan

I‘ve got several emails with a “to be answered in a post” tag that all ask this question–“How do I find the motivation to work at home when I just don’t feel like it?”

I’m responding to this question today because it’s a good one to address in my own life. It’s getting hot, life isn’t quite as hectic as last month, and there’s not much on the calendar for the next few weeks. It’s easy to get lazy at home.

Here are a few ideas to fight off the apathy, the lack of interest, or the plain ol’ annoyance at the cyclical nature of your job as home manager.

1. Remember that it’s a job.

When someone asks where you work, don’t answer, “I don’t work; I stay at home.” Instead, answer, “I work at home.” When you manage your home, plan the meals, handle the finances, juggle the calendar, and make sure that family members enter the world relatively groomed and sanitized, you work a lot. Think of yourself as the COO of the home. If your home was Home, Inc., how would you rate your performance in a quarterly review?

2. Start your day with a realistic morning routine.

Seasons in life call for flexibility, change, and not doing what you want all the time — but do your best to write down a weekday morning routine for starting your day. Whether it be working out, reading your Bible and journaling, going on a walk, or simply showering and getting dressed before the family wakes up, do what you can to prepare yourself for a day of work.

2. Eat your frog.

After your morning routine, attack that one thing you dread the most. Is it laundry? Start a load of wash right away, and make it your goal to get clean clothes in their closets by lunchtime. Do you need to pay the bills but can’t stand the work involved? Jump on it right away — the weight will be off your shoulders for the rest of the day once they’re paid.

3. Find inspiration…

Spend a few minutes reading blogs that encourage you in your job as home manager. Flip through some home magazines you enjoy to motivate you to clean up the clutter. Set a timer as you do this, so that you know when it’s time to actually put your found inspiration to work.

4. …But, don’t let those blogs and magazines discourage you.

It’s easy to throw in the towel before you even start your work when you read about other moms that seem to do everything, or look at glossy pages with gorgeous, stain-free furniture. If you’re a perfectionist, like me, you might especially be prone to not doing anything at all if you think you can’t do it expertly. If this is you, make a point to not open your laptop or a magazine until a certain chunk of your checklist is crossed off.

5. Leave the house.

Are you frozen with discouragement as you trip over the carpeting of Lego and stare at the pile of lunch dishes? Are your kids restless with energy, full of wiggles needing release? Get a change of scenery. Go to the park. Go on a walk. Go to a friend’s house. Sometimes fresh air will do all of you a world of good.

6. Evaluate what you’re about.

Perhaps you feel lazy about starting your work because you feel like you have so much to do, with no sign of completion. Are you trying to do too much? Is the goal of your job to have a sparkling house, spotless kids, and a three-course meal every evening? Are you losing the love of your game? Maybe it’s time to sit down and create a family mission statement. Decide who you are as a family. Let that be your guide for what you prioritize during your working hours.

7. End your work day.

It’s hard to see the end in sight, and there are sleepless nights peppered in our work weeks because of sick kiddos, nursing infants, or willful toddlers. But do what you can to end your work at a reasonable hour in order to spend time with your spouse, recharge your batteries with some adult (or alone) time, and get adequate rest for tomorrow.

Everyone has valleys in life, when your spark has waned a bit, and you’ve forgotten what it’s like to love your calling. Your love is probably still there, somewhere. Do what you can to find it, instead of running your batteries on obligation. Everyone in your family will thank you.