A Look Back

Totally stealing this from Bron's blog--what a great way to remember all we've been through this year!

JANUARY
Otis was getting to be more mobile and getting into EVERYTHING!

FEBRUARY
Otis learned how to walk!  And we enjoyed being back in Milwaukee, where we belong.

MARCH
We started, and finished, our house hunting.  It was so fast, and almost a year later we could not be more happy with the house we ended up with!!  Our neighborhood is amazing, our house is cozy, and we love to be homeowners!

APRIL
Busy month of going to the cottage for the first time of the year, our first baseball game of the season, and packing up our old house.

MAY
We moved into our new house!  Ingrid turned four! 

JUNE
We took our annual camping trip to Door County. Aunt Corie came to visit.  It was HOT.

JULY
It was still hot.  We spent lots of time outside and enjoyed our air conditioning while inside.  I had a craft fair and we harvested lots of zucchinis.  LOTS.

AUGUST
The kids and I visited my mom in Michigan!

SEPTEMBER
Ingrid started school and we went to see Obama on a dreary rainy day.  (Thank god it's not election season anymore, that got old.)

OCTOBER
Ingrid and Otis were cowboys for Halloween.

NOVEMBER
We had some great family pictures taken and we visited my sister in Michigan.  All of us, even Brendan!

DECEMBER
Otis turned TWO!  Hard to believe he's such a spunky little dude.  He talks as much as his sister and has a personality of his own, for sure. 

We have just had such a great year, I feel really lucky. 

This next year I hope to see Ingrid continuing to love school, I want to work more on our house projects, like painting the rooms colors that don't make me want to barf, and hopefully getting a patioo built in our backyard.  I hope the winter isn't too cold, the summer isn't too hot, and we continue to be happy and somewhat healthy (as I cough and sneeze all over the computer, ha!)  Happy New Year, everyone!

Back in Action!

Well, we did it!  We moved into our new house!  What a week it's been...First of all, we've been without internet for a week, which has not been fun.  I felt very out of touch, and not a bit relieved to be away from things.  I do like a weekend here or there without the computer, but a whole week was not fun.  I had put my Etsy shops on hold but of course got about ten orders, which I found out when I lurked in the Starbucks parking lot and used their wifi with the iPad.  Cable I can do without, internet not so much...

But we're here!  Every day I find something else about the house I love.  We were able to move right in and unpack and are now trying to get settled.  Things are not the exact way I want them but it's nice to know we can do things here little by little because we're here for the long haul, not just a year!  And we don't have to ask a landlord if we can do anything, it's our house!  So happy about that.

The other night I was doing dishes and looked out the window to see this:

What a cheerful little family picture this is!  Notice the new grill?  We have been to the store a million times picking up things we need.  Grill, dehumidifier, lawnmower, shelves, broom, new mailbox.  The list never seems to end.  But it's great!  Otis agrees.



It's OURS!

We have keys in hand and have already moved a couple boxes in.  Our house is our house!  Yay! 

Here's our bare kitchen.  The cleanest it will EVER be.

Here's our bedroom, not sure about the color, we'll see.

Here's Ingrid's room.  Definitely not the color we want, we're painting it yellow.

Here's Otis' room.  Already blue.  Perfect!

Here's my favorite, for some reason.  I love the staircase!  It's so sunny and curves a little.  Love it.

Here's the bathroom.  Again, the cleanest it will ever be.

And I got to see the basement again without any gym equipment and it will be perfect for my sewing area and possibly a little play room.  Just have to get some carpet down there. 

We have a house and it's all ours!  Our kids will grow up there, no more moving! 

Ugh...

We all got horrible colds.  Yesterday instead of packing, we had pjs on at noon and layed around watching cartoons all afternoon.  We also played a game Ingrid made up, kind of like basketball, only you try to throw the ball as crazy as you can and see if it still gets there.  You get extra points for hitting someone on the face with the ball on accident (we use Nerf balls) and there was much giggling involved.

Today is another rainy, sick day.  I keep thinking I should be packing and then looking around and not even knowing what I'd pack anyway.  I am pretty darn glad this is the last time we're moving.  I can't believe we did this every year for ages.  Screw that.

The kids are actually in pretty good moods for being covered in snot and sneezing every five seconds.  My head feels like it's puffed up five sizes too big.  I want to go to bed and I have to go pack.  I have to, don't I?  Damn.

Mass Destruction. Or, the Week Before We Move

Want to feel better about yourself and your homemaking skills?  Take a look at our house as it is right now.  Seriously, I just took these pictures a minute ago.  And instead of cleaning anything up, I'm blogging. 

There, don't you feel better about your house now?

We closed on our house yesterday!  We had to wait around forever for the paperwork--they put the wrong sale price on the papers and when they went to go fix it, they found out we'd have to get another appraisal, another something or other with the interest, lots of junk that would take another week or so.  I was super pissed, but what can I do?  Nothing.  So we figured it out and signed our little hearts out and we now own a house.  In fact, for this week we are landlords.  The sellers need some time to move so they are renting from us.  Fun!

I have been trying to get things packed/thrown away/cleaned out but it's really hard with kids around.  I wish someone would take them away for a couple days so I could magically get shit done.  But instead, I do load after load of laundry, pick up toys, give baths after someone whose name starts with O and ends with -tis gets into the yogurt.  And in between all that I pack a box here and there, I start another bag for the thrift store, I throw out another thing that has been sitting in a corner somewhere collecting dust.  And my house turns into a chaotic mess.

I'm hoping to get all this packed up by Friday so we can spend the weekend at the cottage in peace and quiet and then move on Monday. Our official moving day is Tuesday but I feel like I can cram some mattresses in and on my car and move us there Monday, what do you think? 

Smiles!!

The day is finally here when Otis smiles and isn't gassy!  He was very interested in the light coming in from the window this morning and spent some time smiling at it.  I wish this cute face was lighting up for me, but no, it was for sunshine...

Not that you can blame him, I'm pretty smiley about sunshine, too!  Even though it's cold out, we were able to walk to the local coop grocery the other day.  We got some things to make the most delicious grilled cheese sandwiches ever.  Yum.

Ingrid woke up with Pippi Longstocking hair this morning.  She has finally let me pull her hair back and fell asleep with piggies in her hair last night.  Actually, she passed out so quickly last night that she still had underwear on.  I went in to put a pull-up on her and she stayed asleep as I moved her around, got her pjs off, pull up on, and pjs back on.  All this five minutes after I kissed her good night, she was tired!

Things are great here, we're settling in nicely.  Brendan likes his job, we've seen lots of friends, and Ingrid is a LOT better about her sassiness.  I think she's starting to feel at home again, and we're less stressed now that we're moved in.  I put up curtains, got a rug for Otis' room, a dresser for Ingrid, and I'm about to set up my sewing stuff today.  Ahhh, settling in is so much better than packing up.

We're Here!

We survived the move.  The weather was horrible driving over to WI but we made it.  Luck was on our side and our apartment that we found on craigslist and rented sight unseen is amazing!  It's huge, three bedrooms, huge kitchen, brand new bathroom, brand new appliances, everything we need! 

I could go into specifics of the craziness of moving, staying at a hotel, driving seven hours, staying at the in-laws, and then having to move in, but I want to just forget it.  I want to just enjoy being back in Milwaukee and knowing we are staying here.  We saw a house for sale across the street and I said I wanted to look for houses in our neighborhood when the time comes.  For the past few years it has been "I want to look here...if that's where we are."  Now I can honestly say I want to look in this neighborhood.  Because we WILL be here next year!  And many more happy years to go, phew!

The bub turned two months old, so we did an impromptu photo shoot yesterday.  He's getting bigger every day, but he's still just the size of a newborn, it's so crazy.  He still has blue eyes and red hair, and I'm still confused by it!

Ingrid has been okay, but just okay.  She was upset by having all her stuff packed up and became decidedly more comfortable once we unpacked her toys.  But she is just so negative to everything we say, whether it be it's time for bed, we're going for a walk, we're having chicken for dinner, whatever it is she says NO I'M NOT!!  And everything has been a power struggle lately, which is tiring on so many levels.  I'm tired of yelling, I'm tired of her crying, I'm tired of feeling like a bad mom.  I'm trying to find a more productive way of dealing with her but it's hard.  We both have that personality of getting our own way and knowing we are right.  So put us together and BAM!  You've got one struggle after another...We're working on it.  But this is what Ingrid looks like most of the time:

It goes back and forth, she's crabby then she's fine.  I am hoping for more fine minutes of each day as we get more and more settled here... Here's hoping turning three will be the magical antidote to all this bitchiness (on both our parts!)  Unfortunately I've heard three is just as bad as two.  *Sigh.*

Otis is 2 Months, I am 34 Years.

Wednesday Otis turned two months old.  He is not much different than a newborn, which is so wierd to me, since Ingrid was really moving and cooing and smiling by now.  Otis likes to sleep, while on someone, and eat, and sometimes look around vacantly.  I hope this next month he catches up and starts doing stuff.  He's a cute little peanut, but he's kinda boring.  Although I suppose he gave me enough crap to go through while in utero, so he gets to be boring for awhile.

Thursday I turned 34.  I don't feel much older, although it's been awhile since I've gotten my highlights done and the grays are really peeking through.  I had a crappy day of whining and crying by the kids, stressing about packing and moving, and wishing I had a babysitter so I could've gone and done something fun.  [Thanks a lot for going to Florida right now, mom.  (Just kidding, you deserve this vacation!)]  We did manage to have a nice dinner at Metzger's.  I had spaetzle and wursts.  It was delish. 

And now our house is mostly empty and all echoey, Ingrid keeps asking for things and cries when I tell her it's packed away, and I am ready for this move to be OVER.  It almost is.  Come Monday afternoon we will be in our new house and I can start doing the fun stuff again, unpacking and decorating and organizing.  Yay!

Valentine's Day, Toddler Style

Monday night we went to a friend's house for a toddler V-day party.  Ingrid was so excited about this, she kept asking for days "Is it Monday yet?"  It was a crazy mess of kids running around, ball pits, candy, food, and pregnant ladies.  So much fun! 

 

It was also a great send off for us, as it will be the last playdate Ingrid has with her Michigan friends.  It's hard to believe that when we moved here, Ingrid and Allie were 8 months old, Ben was just starting to walk, Olivia wasn't even born yet, and now look at them!  So big, such personalities, and new baby brothers on the way!  We'll miss you guys!

Is That the SUN??

Yesterday we saw a brilliant bright thing in the sky.  Gasp!  It was the sun!  And it was gorgeous!  We ran outside to take advantage of this rare sighting in the midst of February.  It felt SO GOOD to get outside again!  I wrapped a sweater around Otis in the Ergo, Ingrid had her boots and hat on, and we set out to splash in puddles and flick snow around with a stick. 

Things are a crazy mess around here right now.  We have a few days left until we move, so most things are packed away.  Ingrid is getting a little freaked out and showing her unease by peeing her pants, whining, and throwing massive tantrums.  We're trying to be understanding, but it is so hard when we are also getting zero sleep because of a snorting baby not sleeping well at night.

I have been feeling SUPER bad about Ingrid's life lately, and I can't wait to get her settled.  Since Thanksgiving this poor kid has gone through so much.  First I was in the hospital for almost a month, then she got a new brother, then we started packing up all her toys to move to a new house.  So much change for such a peanut...It's the least I can do to try not to yell at her for being whiny.  She's got a lot on her mind and no way to express it.  Let me tell you, I will breathe a HUGE sigh of relief to be in our new place, finally settled and not going anywhere!  Let our life begin!

Home Sweet Home

Brendan got a job!

It's in Milwaukee!

It starts in three weeks!

So...we have lots to do!  But all things I want to do, because it means moving back home.  I am SO relieved to have things figured out, and even more relieved that we're going back to Milwaukee.  It's funny because at one time in my life, being in one place for too long made me itch to move, go somewhere new, see new things.  Now I'm all about staying in one place for a long time.  I like that I know Milwaukee, I know neighborhoods, good places to eat, parks to go to, people to see.  Yes, finding new things is fun, too, but I'm an old fogey now that just wants to know where she's going, how to get around a place, and I like having a million people I can call if I'm bored. 

Also, thrifting is so much better in Milwaukee!  I know that seems silly, but considering I buy a large portion of clothes and house stuff at thrift stores, it's a real bonus that I can go to seven different really good thrift stores as opposed to the one here. 

We found a house for rent in a great neighborhood, a friend is checking it out for us today.  Hopefully it will be good and not a dump, it would be really nice to have a place lined up for us.  And a whole house!  With restaurants and bars and things in walking distance!  Brendan and I have been just giddy talking about all the things we're excited for.  Yay us!  It's finally coming together.

Go Pack Go!

I really don't care about football but yesterday we had fun.  I made the kids these shirts:

I made soup, we watched the game, Brendan paced around.  When there was a touchdown Brendan would jump and yell, which Ingrid found very exciting.  She made him get up and jump around with her well after the game was over.  It was a fun family afternoon, and the Packers won and are off to the Super Bowl!!  I think Otis is a good luck charm.  Brendan jokingly said he's going to use our tax return to get tickets, ha!  As if we don't have a million more pressing things to spend money on.

Like moving.  Hopefully soon, people!  Brendan's off to Missouri for an interview this week.  And hopefully soon he'll be getting asked to go to another one in Milwaukee, fingers crossed he gets this one and we can move home again!!  So maybe we'll just watch the Super Bowl on tv instead of flying to Texas, okay, honey?

Halloween in Milwaukee!

We took a quick trip to Milwaukee this weekend.  Brendan has an interview with a company there, and we thought it was going to be today, so we decided to go as a family for the weekend before.  Then we found out it's actually next week but we had our hearts set on going so we went anyway.  Ingrid was awesome in the car, fell asleep right after we got to Grandma and Grandpa's, and just traveled so well.

We went to the Public Museum, which I've been wanting to take Ingrid to forever.  She liked the butterfly exhibit, where you walk through and they all fly around you. 

In the afternoon we traveled down to one of our old neighborhoods and went to the park.  They have a beach of all rocks, which we figured Ingrid would love.  Yep, she did!  The views of the city are great from here, and she and Brendan spent an hour or so skipping stones.  Ahhh, simple pleasures!

On Sunday we met with some friends for brunch.  The place is on the river, in an old lodge, with gingham tablecloths and a big huge wood burning fireplace.  It was so cozy on a fall day!  And so much fun to see my friends!!  Ingrid was so funny with her new pal, 6 mo. old Poppy.  She was all up in her face and stealing her pacifier and making her cry...We are going to have SO MUCH FUN with a new baby around here!

We also went trick or treating with Ingrid up and down Grandma and Grandpa's street.  God bless Milwaukee, the guy handing out candy was drinking a Hi Life!  Ingrid was such a nosy little grabber, she wouldn't let people put candy in her bucket, she had to grab stuff for herself.  It was her first time going, she had fun but didn't quite get it.

All in all it was a good trip, and really made us feel anxious to get back there and settle down once again.  Enough moving around, I want to stay put for more than two years!  Everyone cross your fingers for Brendan's job interview next week, we'd like to get back to Milwaukee, please.

So Much the Same...

I just found an old journal from when I was pregnant with Ingrid.  I wanted to see when I had hit little milestones with her, like feeling her move, getting into maternity clothes, etc.  Everything is pretty much right the same.  Even job situations with Brendan and the unknown of where we'll be when this baby is born is the same as with Ingrid!

When I was pregnant with her, Brendan was finishing up his phd and it kept taking longer than he'd thought.  He was applying to positions and we just didn't know where we'd be.  He ended up staying an extra semester and we moved in with his parents.  Then we moved here to MI.  Now, he's just finishing up his fellowship, he's looking for positions all over the country, and we have no idea where we'll be when this baby comes!  How on earth did we plan two children to come at such stressful unknown times?  Are we really that stupid?

I just have to laugh because it all did work out with Ingrid.  We had her, we had a roof over our head, Brendan got a job, we moved.  It will all work out with this bub, too.  In a year I'll look back and think ahh, remember how silly all that worrying was?  Of course it would all work out!

On another note, with Ingrid I always called the baby a her and she even before we knew the gender.  Saying he or him didn't feel right.  It's the complete opposite this time around, it's a he, a him, a little brother.  Otis.  So we'll see next Wednesday if I have amazing motherly instincts or I'm full of crap :)

Gallup Park, now 20 minutes closer!

I am so enjoying being close to everything now that we've moved!!  There's a great park in Ann Arbor that has trails, two parks, canoe and kayak rentals.  It was always a far drive away from us, but now it's five minutes away.  Ingrid and I headed out there on this sunny, cold day. 

We had some nice one on one time with the ducks.  They were pretty harmless, just quacked at us and ran away.  The Canada Geese, however, those guys are brutal!  They will attack if provoked, and I made sure Ingrid steered clear of them!

I got some coffee and sat in the sun watching Ingrid play.  We had a great time, a nice calm morning.  It feels good to be getting back to normal.  Our living room is painted, the furniture is back where it's supposed to be, and all but two boxes are unpacked!  Slowly we will get back to normal.

I can't wait, because Ingrid has been having some issues dealing with things.  Instead of going to bed she sits up and wails that she needs a drink.  She sips a little from her water bottle, then says good night.  Then a minute later she throws her nuk on the floor and cries that she can't find it.  Then when I finally say enough, no more water, no more getting your nuk, she yells out "I gotta go poopy, Mama!"  That kid!!  She knows I can't say no to that, I have to let her go to the bathroom.  However, after three times of getting her out of her pjs and onto the toilet only to have her say all done about a second later, I banned potty breaks as well.  She sure does know how to stall bedtime...

Settling In

Well, we are here!  And I finally have internet after being on the phone for almost 2 hours last night and this morning.  It is so exciting to be in a new place!

So last weekend I was home alone with Ingrid while Brendan jetted off to Chicago for a friend's wedding.  I tried to get everything packed up so we would be ready to go Monday morning, and I truly thought I had done a good job.  But it was hard with Ingrid trying to "help" and I got tired by the end of the day Sunday.  I did not want to see one more box or clean one more thing.  So I quit.  I really shouldn't have...

Monday morning we got the truck, started moving the big stuff in, and then I took Ingrid to a friend's.  We packed the truck, packed my car, and the only stuff left to bring over was whatever was in the two front closets and the cats.  No problem!  We took off to the new house, started unloading things, I had to go get Ingrid from her friend's house.  I thought I'd take a break for awhile but no, I couldn't just sit and look at boxes all over the place.  I started to move things around and unpack, and then I realized it was getting late and I still had to go back to the apartment and finish packing and cleaning. 

Like I said, we had way more things in the closets than I thought.  So I packed as much as I could in my car, cleaned everything up, and called Brendan in tears because the cats and their litter boxes would not fit in my car and I did not want to make yet another 20 minute trip back at 5pm.  But we had to hand in our keys and get our stuff out, so it had to be done.  Bless him, Brendan offered to come back and finish up.  Bless him, seriously! 

By the end of the day, we were all moved out of the apartment, and our new house was in shambles with boxes, random tools, and animals floating around.  Ingrid was going on no sleep and was freaked out to be in a new house, we were absolutely exhausted and in pain--it was just the two of us moving so we had done a ton of going up and down stairs and lifting heavy things all day long.  Both Brendan and I said next time we move we are moving into a place we will stay at for more than a year, and someone else is going to move our stuff.  We are SO SICK of doing this every year!! 

Now it's been a few days and we are settling in nicely.  Cody and Ingrid love the back yard, Ingrid loves loves loves her new playroom in the basement, even though we haven't got a rug yet and her little feet get so cold on the concrete floor.  I love all the windows and the light that pours in, and we all love the cute neighborhood we live in.  There's a park three blocks away we've gone to every afternoon, all the houses are adorable and everyone takes such good care of their gardens.  Brendan especially likes the fact he doesn't have a commute anymore.  He rode his bike to work yesterday and even came home for lunch! 

Pictures to come soon.  I have to paint the awful mustard colored living room and find some rugs for the floors.  Right now they are a muddy mess from a dog and an almost 2 year old!  But Ingrid's birthday party is coming up and we will try to get it looking like a home before then.  Then I have to have surgery and I won't care a thing about what my house looks like, so while I care, I should get things done.  I am just so happy we are here and I don't have to think about moving again for another year!

Summer In April

Yesterday was in the 80s!  It was full on summertime.  Ingrid and I met up with friends to go to the Detroit Zoo.  They have a memebership so we had a fun free day!  Since it was so hot out, most of the animals were lounging out of sight, so it wasn't that much fun for the girls.  We did get to see some zebras and giraffes, but all Ingrid really cared about was the playground.  Go figure!

After resting up we headed out again to go meet Brendan for dinner.  We sat outside, enjoyed the balmy weather, drank beer, and ate really great pizza.  It seriously felt so much like summer, it's hard to believe it's only just May!

Brendan just left to catch his bus to Chicago, which leaves Ingrid and I home alone to pack the rest of our belongings and clean the house.  Why is it that when we move I end up doing everything??? 

For the love of Tulips!

Next week is Tulip Time.  I can't go this year, I am so bummed!  It is so much fun to watch the Dutch dancers, see the tulips, eat an elephant ear, and go to parades.  I was really looking forward to going with Ingrid again this year but alas, we have to move instead.  But how coincidental is it that at the thrift store yesterday we found this:

I can't wait to put up a little shelf in Ingrid's new room with this little lady and the wee wooden shoes we have! 

We also went to the park yesterday and were the only people there!  It was gorgeous out, just a little windy and chilly.  But seriously people, throw on a coat and come play!  Brendan and I are always amazed how many people stay indoors so much.  I'm all for the days of relaxing and all, but once it's spring, I want nothing more than to be outside. 

Speaking of relaxing, here's Ingrid in the chair.  Quite the little queen, isn't she?

Painting, Picnic, and Puddles.

We got a watercolor book at Target yesterday.  It was funny to watch Ingrid try it.  She's used to regular paints, so watching her figure out how to get the brush wet and then get the paint wet and then try to get the paint on the paper was interesting.  It's so amazing when you can watch their little brains working to unravel a new mystery!  She did well with it, and I like that watercolors seem to be less messy than regular paints. 

After painting we went for another picnic.  This is Ingrid's new favorite thing to do.  We take some snacks and a blanket down to the field, let Cody run around, and enjoy the sun.  The other day I wanted to go home so I stood up and started to take the blanket to fold.  Ingrid yelled at me, "No, Mama!  Lay down!"  I guess she wasn't ready to go home...

Post-picnic was puddle time.  I honestly did not think the puddles would still be there, as it hasn't rained in a few days.  But, down by the lake they hung on.  And Ingrid won't let me bypass them, she has to run straight to them with the look of greatest joy on her face!  I caught a pretty good splash shot here!

Her feet were so gross and dirty when we got home, and I hate to think of what was in that puddle!

In other news, we're packing slowly but surely and should have everything ready to go in a couple weeks.  The first of May cannot come soon enough.  Our 20-something neighbors were having a nice fight all day yesterday, with slamming doors, swear words, and much yelling.  And our other neighbors' washing machine was unbalanced and making the loudest noises above us all day long.  It sucks living in a complex!!