The Corner of Madison and Gabriel

January 10 - January 27, 2012

2012-01-28T10:55:00.006-05:00

The laminate counter tops were installed.
Below is the main upstairs bath.

Below is one of the kids sinks.

Below is the laundry room counter top.

The garage was taped and mudded.

They began the stair banister.

They began the fireplace surround.

The island cabinets were installed.

The Master Bathroom tile was installed.

More Fireplace.

More Master Bathroom tile.

More fireplace.

Finished Stair Banister (it still needs to be stained)

The outside woodwork was completed.

Finished Fireplace

Our air conditioner was installed.

Our appliances were delivered.

All of the doors were painted.

The pantry was painted.

The granite and cooktop was installed.

It's looking like we'll be able to move in around February 23rd. Yeah!!!

January 1st, 2012 through January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T17:21:00.005-05:00

January 1, 2012 - They started putting up the white trim.

January 4, 2012 - They primed all the walls in the house. I had to pick three colors. That was hard. Then when I came in, most of the rooms were primed the wrong colors. Then, when I came back the next day they had all been fixed.

January 5, 2012 - The wood floors were installed.

January 6, 2012 - They started the siding.

January 9, 2012 - They started installing the kitchen cabinets and some of the trim.

December Epic House Update

2012-01-09T16:33:00.008-05:00

December 1, 2011 - The fireplace was installed.

December 5, 2011 - The front porch was poured.

December 7, 2011 - They started insulating.

December 13, 2011 - They started dry walling.
(Dave's Office)

(looking through the dining room from the foyer to the kitchen)

(the great room)

(the kitchen)

(the laundry room)

(the garage)

(the staircase - looking up from the great room)

(the play room)

(my craft room/office)

(the upstairs hallway)

(Madison's bedroom)

(Gabe's bedroom)

(Our bedroom)

(Our bathroom)

November Epic House Update

2012-01-09T15:49:00.008-05:00

I have been so bad at updating this blog with our house progress. Here's an update for November, and I'll try to get December and the beginning of January up soon too.

It's fun to look back at these pictures and see all the progress the house has made in such a short time.

November 1, 2011 - Pea gravel was delivered to start getting ready to pour the basement.

November 2, 2011 - They began pouring the basement and garage.

November 3, 2011 - The basement and garage was finished being poured.

November 8, 2011 - Front door is in.

Brick was delivered...

...and our house was bricked.

Tub inserts were delivered and installed.

November 18, 2011 - Our address brick went in - Yeah!

November 24, 2011 - They started the stone on the front pillars. I've been really nervous about the color combination and there is a lot more orange and red then I thought there would be. I'm hoping once the siding is up it will bring more of the blue/grey out in the stone and brick.

November 26, 2011 - Dave and his dad started to put the central vac in yesterday, but they didn't get it finished. Gabe came with us today to finish it up. This is what he did most of the time.

Our Roof is Shingled and Rough Plumbling is Started

2011-10-30T12:57:00.002-04:00

October 21, 2011 - Windows

2011-10-21T21:07:00.005-04:00

That's our front door on its side behind the other doors.

October 17, 2011 - Trusses

2011-10-21T20:54:00.004-04:00

We have trusses on the house.

This is looking out the playroom window.

Madison's Bedroom

Jack and Jill Bathroom

Gabe's Bedroom

Hall closet

Upstairs bathroom

The Craft Room

Basement Steps

October 13, 2011 - We have an upstairs!

2011-10-16T13:05:00.000-04:00

October 12, 2011 - Just a driveby

2011-10-16T13:04:00.000-04:00

10/10/2011 - Lots of Interior Walls

2011-10-16T12:37:00.010-04:00

The Foyer

Looking from the foyer to the master bedroom

Looking from the office to the Master Bedroom

Looking from the Master Bedroom through the Great Room and to the Kitchen

Looking from the Master Bedroom to the Office

The fireplace will be in this corner of the Great Room

Looking at the Foyer from the Great Room

The window in the Dining Room

Looking from the Doorwalls in the Kitchen towards the front of the house. The laundry room is on the right and the pantry and 1/2 bath are on the left.

The doorwall in the kitchen.

The Garage

October 10, 2011 - Interior Walls

2011-10-16T12:36:00.000-04:00

October 9, 2011 - More Walls!

2011-10-16T12:30:00.001-04:00

October 6, 2011 - We have a few walls!

2011-10-16T12:28:00.003-04:00

October 5, 2011 - We have a first floor!

2011-10-16T12:27:00.002-04:00

We have some walls!

2011-10-04T17:09:00.003-04:00

The Porta Potty is in!

2011-10-04T17:04:00.002-04:00

Last week the basement was poured and then it sat so it could cure. When we stopped by on Sunday, October 2, 2011 there was a porta potty and beams laying on the ground.

When I stopped by yesterday after school the beams were up and some walls were built.

Footers

2011-09-16T08:05:00.004-04:00

The footers were poured on Tuesday, September 13th. They're supposed to pour the basement today.

Holes and Polka Dots

2011-09-10T11:55:00.004-04:00

We finally have a SOLD sign! The builders have gotten some things done this week. They cleared the lot on Tuesday, the plumbing inspector came on Wednesday and they dug on Thursday and Friday. Since we will have a walk out basement there are a lot of piles of dirt at the front of the house and the hole isn't very deep. It was raining while we were taking pictures, so I took a picture of Dave and his polka dot umbrella.

These next pictures are from Thursday, September 8, 2011.

These next pictures are from Friday, September 10, 2011.

The First Day of School and The Lot Has Been Cleared!

2011-09-06T21:07:00.005-04:00

First and second grade! I can't believe it!

The first day of school was totally awesome according to Madison. She said she met lots of nice kids, there's only one sort of cute boy in her class and the teacher noticed how nice and quiet she was in the hallways.

Evidently Gabe's memory takes after his mothers because he doesn't remember anything that happened at school today. He said he enjoyed recess, but can't remember who/if anyone he played with. He also doesn't remember what he had for lunch today even though when I opened his lunch box every single thing I packed (which was quite a bit) was gone.

I worried about them all day long, but thankfully it was for no reason. They both continue to surprise and impress us in all different kinds of situations.

On our way home from school we stopped by our lot. There was a big bull dozer and it was all cleared off and staked. Tomorrow and Thursday they're supposed to dig the basement and on Friday they're supposed to pour the basement. It's supposed to rain this week, so hopefully it doesn't put them behind too much.

It's Official!

2011-08-27T19:44:00.005-04:00

On August 15th we closed on our piece of property and the building part is beginning. Here's a picture of the property from back in May when we made the decision to put an offer on it.
Today, I drove by and now it looks like this.
Last Wednesday, August 24th, we picked out our siding color, trim color and shingle color. Here's what we chose.

Twilight Grey Shingles

Slate Siding and White Trim and GuttersIt's starting to get exciting!

Madison's 1st Ice Show

2011-05-15T09:54:00.001-04:00

Daddy Daughter Date Night Picture

2011-02-15T13:45:00.003-05:00

Daddy Daughter Dance 2011

2011-02-13T19:41:00.007-05:00

Madison had been so excited about this dance for a long time and it sounded like they had lots of fun. They ate dinner at the dance, they danced together and Madison danced with some of her friends, and she got a flower. Here are some pictures from the day.

Madison was set on a messy bun, so after looking on youtube for a while we found a more elegant messy bun style that was pretty easy to do and it actually stayed in until the end of the dance.

A New Dress for Madison

2011-01-22T15:59:00.004-05:00

Madison needed a new dress. She is going with her daddy to the Daddy Daughter Dance the weekend before Valentine's Day this year and there is also going to be a Spring Dance at school.

We made a big deal of the dress getting event. We all huddled in the dressing room while Madison tried on about ten different dresses.

Of course, I tried to lead her towards the dress I liked best on the hanger, but that rarely ever works anymore. Anyways, dresses never look the same on your person as they do on the hanger.

This dress isn't one that I picked, but I think she looks fabulous and both her daddy and I think she picked extremely well. This girl's got style!

Party Treats

2011-01-20T17:19:00.003-05:00

Every year at "Meet Your Teacher" night at school the kids get to choose a party to bring treats to. This year Madison chose the Holiday party, so we took melting snowman cookies.Out of all the parties available, Gabe, of course, chose the 100th day of school party, which is tomorrow. We decided to do 100th day of school cupcakes. I think they turned out pretty cute.

Shellsburg Winter Dance

2010-12-10T19:51:00.003-05:00

Madison and Gabe had their Winter Dance tonight. They both had a great time. Maddie danced and played with Isaiah the entire time.

Gabe danced with Leo for a while.

They ate corn dogs, Cheetos and cookies for dinner. Gabe actually ate a corn dog.

Gabe slow danced with Darby for a while. They had lots of parents taking their picture. There were probably 3 "couples" dancing in the entire gym and 2 of the "couples" were Gabe and Darby and Madison and Isaiah.

They came home and got undressed to get their pajamas on and I had to make them get their clothes back on to get this picture.

Santa Knows Everything!

2010-12-06T18:20:00.000-05:00

Santa has emailed each of the kids a special video.

They are pretty cool.

Click here to see Madison's video:
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/cQIKy60cqjAnsWbRBsnnrQ

Click here to see Gabe's video:
http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/watch/3SNx63W8KKnk4nO0RlY6uA

Advent 2010

2010-12-06T14:03:00.004-05:00

We are doing our Advent Calendar again this year. Last year I made one, but we had a hard time with the boxes falling off. My mom and I found this new one at Michaels after Christmas last year. It is working very nicely. I kept the same paper idea circles as last year and we keep some Christmas candy in a little treasure box above the nutcrackers instead of actually in the advent calendar.

The Santa in the picture in the Advent Calendar is Dave's Great Great Uncle (I may be wrong, but he's in that vicinity). His name is Charles Howard and he was the first Santa in the Macy's Day Parade.

So far we have unwrapped one book, wrote letters to Santa and
decorated the kids' bedroom trees.

The one with the purple star is Madison's and the one with the red star is Gabe's.

We have decorated our big tree and the rest of the house.Gabe has notified his Nana that he wants in on the Christmas Nutcracker tradition and has requested one that plays music. Good luck with that one, Nana!

We made a gingerbread village this year. We thought it would be easier to make smaller houses and then each one of us would decorate one. The kit came with five houses. As we were putting the houses together we remembered from last year how hard it was to keep the houses together. We ended up only making three of the five.Madison decorated the candy shop,Gabe and Dave decorated the Chalet,and I decorated the toy shop.The point of our Advent Calendar is to spend time as a family everyday while counting down the days until Christmas. We have really enjoyed the time we have spent together so far and look forward to the other activities we have planned later in the month.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T11:50:00.001-05:00

(Originally posted November 21, 2007)

My grandma (dad's mom) passed away this past June. About a week after she died my parents received a package full of old family pictures that my grandma had sent to a distant cousin of hers that is into genealogy. He has a website with my entire family line. While looking at it I realized that I am a descendant of William Bradford. He is my great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandfather (I think that is enough greats).
William Bradford came over on the "Mayflower" and was the second person to sign the compact of government before they landed. John Carver was the first to be elected as governor and when he died in 1621 William Bradford was elected in his place. He and his assistants negotiated with the Wampanoag and other Native groups and according to Wikipedia, "Bradford is credited as the first to proclaim what popular American culture now views as the first Thanksgiving."I think this will make a pretty cool history project for Maddie and Gabe when they get bigger.

On a side note (also from Wikipedia):

Other noteable descendants of William Bradford (besides myself, of course):

The Baldwin Brothers (Alec, Daniel, William and Stephen): American Actors
Julia Child: American entrepreneur and chef of French and French-influenced cuisine
Frank Nelson Doubleday: American publisher
Clint Eastwood: American film actor, producer and director
Christopher Reeve: American film actor, political activist

Miss Madison Got a Haircut

2010-11-10T09:13:00.002-05:00

At first it was supposed to just be a trim. Straight across, that is it. After I trimmed it she wanted it layered. I tried to comply and it didn't work out so great, so yesterday after school I took her to the salon and she got a real haircut. She loves it and she got a lot of her curls back, which I love.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T12:20:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures of Dave's pumpkin he carved for a contest at work. We hope you have a Happy Halloween. We have plans to ride a hay rack ride around our neighborhood with some friends while the kids run door to door for candy.

Check out what Gabe wants for Christmas

2010-10-26T20:11:00.002-04:00

Pumpkin Carving 2010

2010-10-25T20:05:00.003-04:00

This year was so much fun carving pumpkins. The kids had their own ideas and were really excited about drawing on their pumpkin. We gave them both a washable marker and let them go to town, then Dave cut out their shapes. I am really impressed with how well they both did.

Gabe was the first one done with his drawing. He talked as he drew..."two triangle eyes, a square nose and a smile with two teeth." It was so cute!

Here is Madison drawing her vampire pumpkin. She did such a great job.

We all had a lot of fun carving pumpkins this year. This is the first year that it was totally a team effort and the kids were able to really help us.

We also put Mr. Potato Head parts in a few of our pumpkins. From left to right, Madison's girlie potato head pumpkin, my potato head pumpkin, Gabe's Jack-O-Lantern.

From left to right, Dave's Jack-O-Lantern that he hasn't carved yet (it's for work), Gabe's potato head pumpkin, Madison's Vampire Jack-O-Lantern.

Carving pumpkins this year was so much fun!

Halloween Carnival - Super Girl and Buzz Lightyear

2010-10-24T18:50:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the Halloween Carnival at Madison's elementary school. She went as Super Girl and Gabe went as Buzz Lightyear. They had a ball at the carnival.

Madison had a sewing lesson this morning and did an excellent job. I couldn't believe how well she sewed a straight line and did pivots. She's a natural!

October

2010-10-14T21:21:00.005-04:00

Gabe is recovering from Mono. This is what he looked like for 4-5 days last week.

On Tuesday we went on a field trip with Gabe's class to the Pumpkin Farm. He stayed home from school in order to rest up, but he was still tired and ready to go home by the end.

This is Big Bird. Madison is scared to death of Big Bird. Last year Big Bird got out of his cage and got lost in the corn field. We saw it on the news and Maddie was so worried about him.

Here are some of the boys in Gabe's class. I told them to hold their indian corn up and, of course, Gabe held his in front of his face.

This is Gabe's class. There are 22 students.

This is Adelle. She seemed to really like Gabe.

We had conferences yesterday and had some time between, so we went to the pumpkin farm and took some pictures.

Here are a few videos from the past week.

Madison ice skating

Gabe sings some funny songs.

I put my hand upon my hip - then I dip, you dip, we dip.

You change your mind like a girl changes clothes.

Teeth and Hockey

2010-09-28T17:14:00.002-04:00

Here's a picture of Maddie with both of her teeth gone. She was so excited to call her family and let them know the good news.

Here's Gabe in all of his hockey gear. He starts practices next Wednesday.

Happy Birthday to my Baby Boy!

2010-08-23T14:50:00.006-04:00

Well, he's not a baby anymore. I can't believe Gabe is 5 already! Time flies when you're having fun. Here are some pictures from this weekend.Here's a couple of pictures of Gabe opening some of his presents.

Gabe thanking Daddy for his presents.
Of course, Maddie got a little something (fake nails)too.
Gabe with his birthday cake I made him.

Gabe is now officially a Kindergartener!

2010-08-19T12:55:00.003-04:00

Gabe and I went to meet his Kindergarten teacher on Tuesday.
Here he is in front of the school sign.

Here he is in front of his classroom.
That's his teacher sitting with another student inside the classroom.

While we were waiting he took a picture of my feet.

That night Gabe got a hair cut. Now he looks like a little man.

Here is Gabe by the front door this morning - his first official day of Kindergarten.
He was very proud of his new shoes.

Here he is in front of the garage.

Now he's going out to meet the bus/van.

And finally, he's on the bus.
After he got on the bus I dropped Maddie off at school and sped to Gabe's school to see if I could get there before his bus dropped him off. I just wanted to see what time he actually got to school and how the bus ride went. I never even got out of the car. A few minutes after I pulled into the school the van pulled in. I watched as he jumped out of the bus down to the ground with a big smile on his face and walked into the school. I hope his day goes well.

Maddie's First Day of First Grade

2010-08-17T10:55:00.003-04:00

I can't believe Maddie is now officially a 1st grader! She is getting so big so fast! She was so excited to go to school this morning. I am so glad she enjoys it.

Here's a picture of Maddie after she got her loot from the Tooth Fairy...

and here she is by the front door...

and here she is in front of the school sign...

and here she is with her friend, Isaiah.

Gabe was happy to go play on the playground with his friend, Noah.

The Tooth Fairy is Coming To Town Tonight

2010-08-16T22:14:00.006-04:00

Madison lost her 1st tooth tonight. All day long she kept telling me she wanted to be a snaggle tooth for the first day of school. We put her to bed at 8:00, since school starts tomorrow, and a little while later she comes into our bedroom begging her dad to pull her tooth off. She has been wiggling this thing for a long time now. He tried not once, not twice, but three times to pull it out, but it wouldn't budge so we sent her back to bed. Not even three minutes later she comes running in screaming, "It came out! It came out!" She was SOOOO excited! Check out my little snaggle tooth below.And here's the tooth she lost.Don't you think her tooth pillow is cool?This is what the tooth fairy will be bringing her tonight. I can't wait to see her reaction in the morning.

Look What We Picked From Our Garden Today

2010-07-25T18:52:00.006-04:00

These are just a few shots I took of our yard.

Playing Catch Up

2010-06-11T11:17:00.004-04:00

This is what we gave our teachers this year for an end of year gift. Inside the cellophane is a package of graham crackers, a bag of marshmallows, 2 Hershey bars and a card with a gift card inside. The card said, "Having you as a teacher isn't exactly roughin' it. You did a smokein' great job this year with our class. Being your student has been a real treat. I'll miss you s'more than you know." The kids really liked giving them and the teachers seemed to really like them too.

Maddie as a Hawaiian girl.
Maddie before her first t-ball game.
Here is a picture of Gabe on his last day of 4 year preschool! He's a Kindergartener now!

Here is a picture of Maddie on her last day of Kindergarten!

Madison receiving an award for not getting in trouble on the playground for the entire year.
This is what Gabe did during the awards ceremony. That baby is one of Maddie's freind's little sister and she just climbed in his lap.
This is everyone who didn't get in trouble on the playground.
Here's Maddie with her award.

If it's not one, then it's the other

2010-05-25T09:14:00.001-04:00

I think Gabe has got strep throat now. When he woke up this morning he said he can't hear out of his left ear and his "froat" hurts. We're off to the doctors office for the second time in a week.

Hospital Visits

2010-05-23T12:09:00.002-04:00

Friday, Madison stayed home from school because she didn't feel good. She had a stomach ache and threw up.

I took her to the doctors and they sent us for blood work, x-rays of her stomach and a strep test. An hour later they called us and told us to go back to the hospital for an ultra sound. They thought she might have appendicitis. Everything ended up coming back negative and they told us to keep an eye on her, but they thought everything was fine.

Then, on Saturday, her birthday, we had ice skating lessons, vision therapy, fabric shopping to make some doll clothes on her new sewing machine, Red Robins, and the children's museum.

When we got home we got 4 messages from the doctors office to call them for some other test results. Turns out she has strep throat.

She will be on antibiotics for 24 hours tonight at 6 pm and will be going to t-ball practice. Fun!

Maddie's New Bed

2010-04-15T19:41:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago I was looking at Pottery Barn Teen and fell in love with this loft bed, but with a price tag of $1800.00 it was out of our price range.

I've been reading a blog called Knock Off Wood and she inspired me to try my hand at woodworking. I went to Lowe's and bought all of the wood by myself and when I got home Dave showed me how to use his miter saw and power drill.

It took me about 3 weeks to finish, but I think it turned out great and both kids love it. Gabe has already asked for his own.

Homemade McDonald's Chicken Nuggets

2010-04-15T09:50:00.003-04:00

We have been watching Jaime Oliver's Food Revolution on Friday nights. On the second episode when he showed how to make chicken nuggets I was so totally and utterly grossed out I thought my family and I would never eat another chicken nugget again.

Not eating chicken nuggets is a huge deal for us because Gabe eats very few things. Basically he eats chicken nuggets, french fries, cheese and crackers, grilled cheese, macaroni and cheese, waffles or cereal for every meal. We can get a few fruits and couple of vegetables in, but that is it.

We make him try one or two bites of what we are eating at every meal, but it's a big ordeal and he ends up gagging and spitting the food in the garbage. Then we make him something from the above list.

Since chicken nuggets are the only meat Gabe will eat I was thinking I should try and make my own. I searched the internet and found a recipe at For the Love of Food and made them last night.

I'm happy to report they were a huge hit. They were pretty easy to make. I wasn't real crazy about putting the chicken in the food processor, but that is the texture that Gabe likes and at least I know it is real chicken.

Gabe Can Ride a Two-Wheeler!!!

2010-04-04T15:30:00.002-04:00

I walked outside and Dave said, "You just missed it!" Evidently, Dave put him on the bike and he rode it. None of the running around behind him like we had to do with Madison. I got some on video though.

Gabe

2010-03-24T19:34:00.004-04:00

This afternoon I walked out of my bedroom and Gabe was sitting inside a laundry basket with another one over top of him. I stopped and tried to be super quiet so he would keep doing what he was doing.

He took the top laundry basket off his head, took a step out and said, "I'm a baby chick! Chick chick, chick chick!" Then he jumped back in the laundry basket, pulled the other basket over top of him again and said, "I better get back in my egg so I can cool off."

Then after dinner I overheard him and Madison playing. Madison said, "You be the papa bear." and Gabe said, "I'm not the papa bear. I'm Goldilocks!"

***Sorry there aren't any pictures - my camera is broken***

Maddie's Pirate Costume

2010-02-07T20:48:00.002-05:00

We're going on a Disney cruise in a couple of weeks and there is a pirate party one night. Gabe already had a costume, so I had to figure out what Maddie was going to wear. This is what we came up with:

Gabe's Totally Rad Dance Moves

2010-01-27T15:23:00.001-05:00

Gabe was playing in the living room and I saw him bending over again and again. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Dance moves". I asked him what kind of dance moves and he said, "Shoulders, knees and toes".

Iowa Weather Sucks!

2010-01-20T09:22:00.003-05:00

No school today...again! We're going to have an ice storm starting at 8:30 a.m. and it will continue through tomorrow at 6:00 a.m. I'm pretty sure Dave made it to work ok this morning, although I'm assuming at this point that no news is good news. The roads are supposed to be pretty bad tonight though.

I had grand plans to go to Waterloo for a massage and a shopping trip today. This is the second time I've had to reschedule my massage due to school cancellation/inclement weather.

Madison's Christmas Eve Video Email to Santa

2009-12-24T11:53:00.002-05:00

Madison had the idea to email Santa a video with a personal message from her. Here it is...

Christmas Eve at Our House

2009-12-24T10:58:00.003-05:00

Skirts

2009-12-24T10:54:00.002-05:00

One of Gabe's teachers asked if I could make some skirts for her daughters. She provided the fabric. There were three sets of two total, but I only took pictures of two of the three different styles. The other set of skirts were made with Christmas fabric.

Advent Calendar: Day 12

2009-12-12T17:13:00.005-05:00

A visit to see Santa Claus. Maddie was all excited and told Santa she wanted Zhu Zhu Pets and the Jumbo Chixo's set. Gabe, on the other hand, hid behind a chair. I had to force him to sit for the picture. After that, he was out of there as fast as can be. The picture turned out pretty good, but Santa looks a little wonky.

Blizzardville

2009-12-09T18:12:00.002-05:00

That is where we are right now.

Yesterday at 3:15 Gabe started screaming that his right ear hurt. I called the doctors office fast because it had been snowing for about an hour and a half already and it was just supposed to get worse. Their last appointment of the day was at 3:45. It takes us 20 minutes to get there on a good day. I told them we'd be there.

I bundled both kids up and got them in the car in record time. It was a scary drive, and Gabe screamed the whole way there, through the appointment and then finally settled down after I put some drops in his ear to numb the pain. The doctors said he has the beginning of an ear infection. It must have been pretty painful for him though. It even pulled him away from the computer.

The picture below is out the dining room window looking towards our front door. This was earlier today and it is higher now.
The next picture is out our doorwall to our screened in porch. The wind is wildly blowing. It is so fine you can barely see it.
The next picture is out our back windows.
We were a little surprised to see that there aren't snow plows here, like in Michigan. A tractor plowed our cul-de-sac. Gabe had a ball watching it out the front window.
Dave is out plowing our driveway right now. He's been out there quite a while. At one point when I looked out the snow was higher than the top of our snow blower.

Advent Calendar: Day 6

2009-12-06T15:43:00.001-05:00

Today's Advent Calendar Activity was to make a gingerbread house. The kids had lots of fun decorating it and even more fun eating the left over candy.

Letters To Santa

2009-12-03T19:58:00.003-05:00

Our Advent activity for today was to write letters to Santa (Yesterday it was to read a Christmas book together. We really enjoyed Olive, The Other Reindeer.) Did you know Santa's address is #1 Rudolph Lane, The North Pole. We're going to put it in the mailbox tomorrow.

Maddie's reads: Dear Santa, I've been a good girl. Please bring me Zhu Zhu pets. "Heart" Madison

Gabe wrote his own name. I only helped him with the e. He did the rest on his own.

Our New Advent Calendar

2009-12-01T19:31:00.003-05:00

Today is December 1st. The first day we get to use our new advent calendar. I scoured the stores looking for a nativity advent calendar, but couldn't find anything that was in our budget. So I made one that fits our family perfectly, for now.

Every day we open a box and there is a small treat (think 2 very small gum balls or chocolate coins) and an activity to do as a family. Today's activity was setting up and decorating the mini trees in their bedrooms. When they were itty bitty babies my friend Pam gave them each a mini Christmas trees with lights and each year she has added an ornament or a tree skirt. They are very cute.

Some of our other advent activities include taking a drive to see Christmas lights, reading Christmas books, making a gingerbread house, baking Christmas cookies, drinking hot cocoa and watching a Christmas movie, etc. We are definitely getting into the Christmas spirit over here in Iowa.

The kids are loving it. They begged to open the first box today, but they had to wait until Dave got home from work. Then as soon as they were done chewing their gum and decorating their trees they were ready to open another box. I think they were a little disappointed that they couldn't open another one until tomorrow.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T08:39:00.004-05:00

Maddie is thankful for her family, friends, the whole world, rainbows and God.

Gabe is thankful for dinner.

Dave is thankful for a healthy and loving family, and for having the opportunity to remain employed in this bad economy.

I am thankful for having an awesome husband and smart, beautiful kids, a wonderful and loving family and great friends.Here's a copy of my usual Thanksgiving post.

Veteran's Day Assembly

2009-11-22T15:38:00.007-05:00

On 11/11/09 we attended a Veteran's Day Assembly at the Vinton/Shellsburg Middle School. Madison's class sang a couple of songs. It was a very nice assembly and at the end Madison remembered that her Grandpa and Papa are veterans and wanted to make sure they were thanked for serving our country. Here is some video of her class (and the rest of the Kindergarten classes) singing.

In the first movie, Maddie is behind the kid in the black coat. You can actually see her a little bit later on in the video.

I Skipped Right Over Dave's Birthday

2009-11-22T15:24:00.005-05:00

He turned the big 4-0 this year and we celebrated a lot.
Gabe sang...

Maddie sang...

We all sang, several times. We had a great time celebrating with everyone!

Sleep Over Update

2009-11-22T15:21:00.002-05:00

Maddie and Kinzley had a great time! They made forts and watched movies and stayed up until midnight.

This is what I've been up to lately...

2009-11-22T15:09:00.004-05:00

A very good friend of mine had a baby girl recently, so I thought it would be fun to make her a gift. Christina, if you're reading this, stop now. I've been working on this for a long time. I had most of it done before Baby Elizabeth was here, but I had a few things to finish up. Her parents wouldn't tell us what her name was going to be, so I had to wait to make her a t-shirt.

Our First Sleep Over

2009-11-12T19:14:00.002-05:00

Maddie is having her first slumber party tonight and I don't think I've ever seen anyone as excited as her. I'll post more about it tomorrow, but right now we're off to girl scouts.

Halloween's Past

2009-10-29T09:02:00.004-04:00

As I was going through some old pictures I came across these. Look how little they were when they were Tinkerbell and Peter Pan. They get so big so fast.

Halloween 2007

Maddie, 3 & Gabe, 2

Halloween 2008
Maddie, 4Halloween 2008
Gabe, 3
Halloween 2009
Maddie, 5 & Gabe, 4

Halloween Treats

2009-10-29T08:39:00.003-04:00

I signed up to bring Halloween treats for Gabe and Maddie's Halloween party at school. Gabe's is today, so yesterday I made these:

EyeballsWitches Hats

Unfortunately, Dave and I were woken up at 3:00 this morning by a sick child. Yup, Gabe has what Maddie had. Maddie only had her fever for 8 hours, so cross your fingers that Gabe's doesn't last too long either.

It's Almost Halloween

2009-10-26T15:33:00.001-04:00

Only 5 more days...

Gabe is definitely ready.

New Coats

2009-10-09T17:29:00.003-04:00

The kids' new winter coats came in the mail today. They love them and couldn't wait to try them on. Now I just have to find hats, gloves and boots to match.
ETA: I didn't notice the reflective band around the bottom of their coats until I looked at the picture. It's so thin you don't even notice it until you flash a camera (or lights) at it. I guess they'll be safe if they're ever out at night.

A Reason To Celebrate!!!

2009-10-08T13:54:00.001-04:00

Gabe no longer qualifies for speech therapy!!! That is the coolest thing ever!!! Go Gabe!!!

Bloomsbury Farm

2009-10-04T15:49:00.006-04:00

Most of you know yesterday was my birthday. Usually we go to the cider mill for my birthday. Iowa doesn't have the apple orchards like Michigan does, so we ended up going to Bloomsbury Farm and we had a blast!

There was a jumping pillow,

photo opportunities,

a petting farm,
more photo opportunities,bikes for the kids to ride,a tractor train,a giant slide,a corn box
(something I've never seen before, but it was both Maddie and Gabe's favorite)more photo opportunities,lots of tire swings,pumpkins,more photo opportunities,and pig races.

The Apple Song

2009-10-04T10:41:00.003-04:00

Gabe has been singing this song all week.

One little apple hanging in a tree,
teasing Mr. Slinky Worm, can't eat me.

Along came Mr. Slinky Worm, quiet as can be,
and CRUNCH!

***If you want to be able to view the video then email me and I will add you to my YouTube friends.***

Shellsburg is Flooding!!!

2009-08-27T22:10:00.000-04:00

I forgot...

2009-08-27T14:14:00.002-04:00

...to post this video of Gabe blowing out his candles.

Iowa is Flooding

2009-08-27T14:01:00.002-04:00

Lunch

2009-08-21T17:02:00.002-04:00

I realize I have posted more in the last 9 hours than I did in the entire last month. Bear with me, there is a lot going on today. A lot of information to share - two first days of school and a birthday.

Maddie is home now. As soon as they both got home they ate the rest of their lunches. The first thing Maddie said was, "Mommy, did you know that in the cafeteria there is a little window and they give you food on a little tray and you take it to your table and eat it. Then when you're done you throw it in the garbage. I threw my spoon away, but they got it out." She said she tried to tell the teacher that she had her lunch in her locker, but she just couldn't tell her. It was so funny listening to her talk about the cool little food window. She said she had cake, a taco and corn.

From what she has told me it sounds like she had a great time and absolutely loved it.

Let's Get This Party Started!!!

2009-08-21T15:21:00.004-04:00

Gabe and I are ready for his party to begin.

Spiderman Cake...

Check!

Presents...Check!

Delicious Cookie Bouquets from Nana and Grandpa and Aunt Phyllis and Uncle John...Double Check!

Now we just have to go get Maddie from school and wait for Daddy to get home from work. Then the plan is to head over to Chuck E. Cheese, where a kid can be a kid, and have tons of birthday fun!

First Day of School in Iowa

2009-08-21T11:57:00.003-04:00

Gabe outside his (and Maddie's - their classes are next door to eachother) classroom

Maddie and MikaylaMaddie lining up after the whistle was blownIn line with all the other kidsMaddie's lockerWaiting for the teacher to take them to classWalking down the hall to get a drink - her classroom is to the left

It's My Babys Birthday!

2009-08-21T07:21:00.006-04:00

8.22.078.21.088.13.09

Something's happened!
It happened to me!
Yesterday, I was only three.
But when today came through the door,
suddenly, I turned to FOUR!

Gabe is 4 today! Yeah!!! He also starts preschool today. We have a busy day and he woke up early this morning crying. Poor little thing.

One More Sleep Before Kindergarten

2009-08-20T21:10:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited kindergarten is here,
I know it will be a great year.

I'm a big kid now and I'm on my way,
To walk to school for my very first day.

My teachers are there waiting for me,
Right at the door is where they will be.

I'll make lots of friends and have some fun,
And before you know it, the day will be done.

I cannot believe my baby is going to go to Kindergarten tomorrow. She is so excited! I'm a little sad, but I know she will do great!!!

Maddie's Art Smock

2009-08-19T20:52:00.004-04:00

I think it turned out cute and it really didn't take that long to make. I used a nightgown pattern I already had. I even embroidered her name on the back and those flowers are my first attempt at appliques.

Question

2009-08-19T14:04:00.001-04:00

Can anyone else see the movie of Maddie jumping in the pool below?

Summer Swimming

2009-08-17T22:43:00.007-04:00

The kids have been swimming a lot in our pool this summer, but they both really surprised me when we were on vacation and were swimming without life jackets.

Summer Fun List

2009-07-26T10:20:00.002-04:00

During dinner last night Madison and I made up a Summer Fun List. We only have about a little less than 4 weeks until school starts, so we have to pack a lot of stuff in.

Go to McDonald's Play Place (we finally found one that isn't too far away)
Catch Fireflies
Go skinny dipping (this was Maddie's idea)
Go to the fair (we will probably go today)
Go the the farmer's market
Go to the beach
Go to the toy store
Go golfing
Paint the sunset
Play with shaving cream
Go for a walk
Go for a bike ride
Go to a sprinkler park (Cedar Rapids has a bunch of free ones)
Play flashlight tag
Camp out
Have a lemonade stand
Make a beautiful bouquet
Have a bon fire with s'mores

Our Dining Room

2009-07-25T13:03:00.004-04:00

We bought a buffet off Craig's List and I painted blue. Then I went to Good Will and bought some Lamps. I'm really liking it. I just need something for the table and I'm thinking of doing a white plate wall to the right of the window.

Yeah!!! My new couch is here!!!

2009-06-30T11:15:00.002-04:00

Here are some pictures. I love it!!!

Dialogue Over Dinner

2009-06-18T12:49:00.009-04:00

Madison: "Mommy, how do we get chicken to eat?"
Me: "We cook it."
Madison: "No, I mean how do we get it so we can cook it?"
Me: "We buy it at the store."
Madison: "Mom, do you know how we get eggs?"
Me: "How?"
Madison: "First, a chicken lays an egg and when the daddy doesn't plant the seed then we get to eat it."
Me: "Who told you that?"
Madison: "Nana"***

***Nana says she did not tell her this.

Since we have moved to Iowa, where there is a Tyson Fresh Meats facility, we have been more exposed to what really happens before we buy our meat at the store. I mean, I had an idea, but didn't really want to know the details and tried not to think about it.

Since we can't drive to our nearest "bigger" town (which is about 15-20 minutes away) without passing at least a cow farm and a pig farm (we see a lot of animals, but I'm not sure if they are just raising cows or pigs for meat) it is extremely difficult not to think about it on a daily basis. Yesterday, we were driving on the highway and saw a semi load of live turkeys in tiny, open cages blowing in the wind. Very similar to the picture below.Picture courtesy of www.ecoble.com.

My Kitchen After Almost A Week

2009-06-12T22:29:00.005-04:00

Last Saturday night I sat on my neighbors deck, beer in hand, and decided I was going to paint my kitchen table and chairs. It took almost a week to get done and there were a few moments when I wasn't so sure if I should have started this project. I'm very happy with the end results though.

Before

After
(I still need to iron the curtains)

Dog Poop and Jam Sandwiches

2009-06-09T09:57:00.003-04:00

Maddie has a thing with dog poop. If there is even one turd on the ground she says, "Mom, there is dog poop everywhere!" She said this to me on Sunday while I was painting and asked if she could pick it up. Of course I said yes. She got Gabe to hold the plastic bag and she shoveled pile after pile of dog poop into the bag. I don't think Gabe was too thrilled with this, but he went along with it anyway.

This morning the kids came running happily (this is the key word) into my room. Maddie immediately wanted breakfast. I told her I would be in the kitchen in a few minutes. Not even five minutes later this is what I walked into.She made herself...

and Gabe...a jam sandwich (we're out of peanut butter) for breakfast.

Good Eaters!

2009-06-08T19:25:00.000-04:00

I've got some good eaters. Maddie just ate a 4 oz. steak and a bunch of corn for dinner and Gabe ate 7 chicken nuggets and some corn. They were hungry!!!

Dance Recitals and Two Wheelers

2009-06-07T09:53:00.005-04:00

Two things happened a week ago yesterday.

Maddie had her dance recital......and she learned how to ride a two wheeler.

Here she is now (this morning) riding her two wheeler. She is getting really good.

It's Bed Time

2009-05-24T22:06:00.003-04:00

I just told Gabe he had to go potty and get in bed and he said, "Want to sleep with Uncle John." This is where he is now.

Yeah!!! Uncle John is here!

2009-05-24T16:27:00.003-04:00

Last night we told Madison that Uncle John was coming today. She was so excited! She jumped up and down and said, "Yeah, Uncle John is coming!" Uncle John has been here for about 2 1/2 hours. Madison and Gabe both ran up to him and gave him great big hugs when he got here. Now, Madison is outside playing with "D" and this is where Gabe is.

They are watching the hockey game. Every time the guys yell Gabe says, "That is crazy!" or "Whoa Nelly!"

Maddie's Birthday

2009-05-23T10:31:00.004-04:00

In order to see the following videos you need to be a youtube friend of mine. Let me know if you want to be added to the list.

Happy Birthday Madison! We Love You!

2009-05-22T06:41:00.014-04:00

Five years ago today, at this exact moment, I had been in labor for 16 hours and 11 minutes (it's 6:41 AM EST) already, and still had 15 hours and 19 minutes to go before Madison arrived. May 22, 2004, 5 years ago, was a hot and muggy Saturday, the town of Hallam, Nebraska was mostly destroyed by the widest tornado on record, Michael Moore's movie Fahrenheit 9/11 was awarded the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and our baby girl was born, on the same day her Great Grandmother Haefner was born many years before.

I cannot believe she is 5 years old already. The time has flown by so fast. She is so kind, caring and compassionate. For her birthday we are going to the Children's Museum. I told her she could ask one friend to go, so she asked our neighbor "D". While we were laying in bed together last night she turned to me and said, "What about "S" ("D"'s little brother)?" I had already talked to his mom about this and she said he wouldn't mind if "D" went without him.

Maddie hasn't really gotten the concept of asking for what she wants for her birthday until now. She asked for a Topsy Turvy, the Touch and Brush, Aqua Globes, a Snuggie (she was watching quite a bit of TV there for a while before we moved), and a big blue iPod (she hasn't seen the really big one yet). Out of all of that we did end up getting her the blue iPod. Right now she is watching Barbie of Swan Lake on her Nano.

Gabe keeps saying, "Where Gabie's presents?"
I have a little something for him later (although, I didn't pay even half of what amazon is charging for it).

Into the city...

2009-05-13T18:21:00.002-04:00

I realize that our "city" isn't exactly huge or anything, but compared to our "town" it is. Today we went and checked everything out. We went to the good mall, Super Target, Super Walmart and to Portrait Innovations. It was definitely better than I thought it would be. Here are the pictures from our photo shoot today.

w

We Are Here!

2009-05-06T21:55:00.001-04:00

We are sitting on the screened in porch enjoying the quietness. I am exhausted.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love You Tomorrow!

2009-04-28T16:38:00.002-04:00

Yay Gabie!

2009-04-22T20:41:00.002-04:00

Tonight will be the 4th night in a row that Gabe has not worn a pull-up to bed. No accidents either. Good Job Gabie!

This will be hanging on the wall in Dave's office

2009-04-17T17:05:00.002-04:00