What's on My Mind Monday

 As usual, I'm linking up over here this morning:

 I.  Crossfit is tearing me up, in good and bad ways. 

• The good: I wore my old (as in high school, but don't tell anyone that I'm wearing ten year old clothes) jeans to church on Sunday.  They were buttoned up and everything!  Not that I would ever go to church with unbuttoned pants.  Especially not if I was five months pregnant and not mentally prepared for the elastic pants thing.  No, definitely not me.  (Don't worry, Mom.  If  someone else, who was not me, ever decided to go to church with their pants unbuttoned, I'm sure they would have worn a belt.  You totally wouldn't have been able to tell that my I mean that random, not me, other person's pants weren't buttoned.)
• The bad: Wednesday's workout made my bottom (we've been working on replacing the other "b" word now that we've got a little copycat-in-the-making in the house) sore.  I was so sore on Thursday night that as I crawled into bed, I whispered (we really need a house with carpeting/insulated interior walls/a split floor plan) "Ow!  I sat on it."  Patrick didn't even need to ask what "it" was.

II. Madison got to play with her friend, Audrey, in the church foyer yesterday.  I think it's funny how different their personalities are: Audrey had this HUGE grin on her face the whole time (I'm pretty sure she's consistently the happiest baby I've ever seen), while Madison was alternately frowning in concentration/very slightly smirking.  Patrick and I were concerned that she would "love on" (slap) Audrey's face, like she always does with us, Bella, and the baby in the mirror.  There were a few close calls, but we managed to catch her pudgy little hand at the last second each time. 

III.  I am so in love with her little face.  I can't believe that one day she's going to ask me for makeup.  Can you imagine covering those beautiful little eyelashes in black goop?  I wonder how long I'll be able to get by with buying her clear mascara.  If the peas in lieu of green beans substitution I tried the other day is any indication, it'll probably mean a second trip to the store the same day.

IV.  Speaking of makeup, I had a dream last night that while walking through Walmart, I discovered that all this time I had been shopping in the "expensive" Covergirl aisle.  In dream Walmart, two aisles down, there's another selection of the same Covergirl products for way less money.  I guess it was more of a nightmare than a dream.

Have you ever changed your vocabulary?  Worn ten-year-old jeans proudly?  Would you ever go to church with unbuttoned pants?  Yeah, me neither.  I mean, who does that?  : )

-Kelli

What's on My Mind Monday

Linking up over here!

I.  2012 New Years Resolutions:

• Physical: Run five miles in under fifty minutes/run a 5k in under 25 minutes/run a 6.5 min mile/run a quarter mile in 1:05.  (That last one has me a little worried)
• Financial: GET A NEW HOUSE without compromising our financial situation.  We've been working out the logistics of this move for about a week (which in real estate time is about a minute), but we're really excited about it!  I'll be posting more about our financial goals sometime soon.
• Spiritual: First of all, let me say that I know our relationship with God is supposed to be a natural outpouring of our love for Him, not an item to be checked off a list.  However, there are times when the only way a conversation will happen is if you make yourself do it.  That's why a daily quiet time is one of my goals this year.  And from past experiences, I know that forcing myself to do it for a few weeks (maybe even a few months) will lead to me looking forward to that time.
• Relational: Be a better friend!!!  With Madison, it's easy to get distracted for days at a time and forget everything else.  For example, Ana, as I was typing this, I remembered that I never replied to your text last year.  Sorry, there was a diaper Event (trust me, it's capitalized for a reason) and I didn't remember 'til now.
• And more.  That really aren't any of your business.  And I mean that in the nicest way possible  : )

II.   Madison has a cough.  And she slept through the night for the first time in two and a half weeks last night.  Although I'm pretty sure the two are not connected.

III.  Patrick and I both got new running shoes!  Madison's health permitting, we're going to hit the trails with them for the first time today.  While trying them on, I jogged around Academy excitedly screaming things like, "No wonder my knees were hurting!  Is this what it's supposed to feel like?!"  In retrospect, I probably could have been a bit more discreet.  In my defense, these are the first new running shoes I've gotten since the fall of '08.  And I run A LOT.  I was more than a little excited.

IV.  Our Christmas tree has been prepped for burial.  And by burial, I mean taking full advantage of the lifted burn ban.  A new tradition?

V.  Our TV decided not to turn on yesterday.  We've got a Christian (!) television repair company coming out to look at it today.  We're really hoping it's a cheap fix, because while we are not above living without television until after we've got a new place, it sure is nice to have a mindless way to wind down at the end of the day.

Happy Monday!  Oh yeah, and happy new year!  I know I'm a day late, but with it being a leap year, we've still got 365 days to go.  So yesterday didn't count, right?
-Kelli

Park Day

Yesterday, Madison and her cousin (or second cousin once removed or something like that) had an impromptu play date.  Ainslee is about two months older than Madison, and she is just the sweetest baby ever. You know, except tied with Madison.

We all met at a local park.  We started with nap time, during which we(my mom, my aunt, and I, each pushing a stroller) walked about three and a half miles.  Some nap, right?!  I'm not sure Madison ever realized that she had dozed...she woke up playing with her rattle.

After nap time was over, the babies took turns looking at each other for awhile.  It was very exciting.

Madi's cousin Mason brought his so-new-she-doesn't-have-a-name-yet puppy along.  Madison was not impressed.

You call that a dog?

The whole "play date" was very calm and uneventful, but Madison was happier afterward than I've ever seen her.  I think she had a really good time!  Her smiles were so big and so contagious that my cheeks still hurt.  I think raising Madison has given me stronger smiling muscles.  It's physically easier to smile now than before we had her.  Isn't that crazy?

-Kelli

What's on My Mind Monday

Linking up over here!

I.  It's amazing how much a twenty-week old changes in one week.  Since last Monday, she went from an average of four wake-ups per night to about one and a half (excluding Saturday night, more on that later).  She also started actually eating her rice cereal, as opposed to swirling it around in her mouth before spitting it all back out.  Oh yeah, and she can sit by herself now, for about five minutes (after which it's usually nap time, because she wears herself out!)

II.  Trying to fit attending a send-off party, having an overnight guest, baby dedication, Madison's first restaurant experience, Christmas pictures, a five mile walk hike, a week's worth of schoolwork(Pat's), and a call-out from work (also Pat) into one two-day weekend was probably the worst idea I've ever had.  Madison's sleep schedule agrees.

 III.  Madison's "Uncle" John ships out for the Air Force tomorrow.  We had to say "bye" last night.  It'll only be a couple of months before we see him again, but I'm pretty sure the longest Pat's gone without seeing him before now was, like, a week.  And they had withdrawals then.  Now seeking a brutally honest, painfully generous, loyal-to-a-fault friend for Pat.  All applicants must come equipped with at least fifty never-heard-before swear-replacing phrases that in some way reference spherical toys.  Training in Brazilian jiu jitsu a plus.   The patience and long-suffering required to deal with us is a must.  Now that I put it that way, I'm pretty sure we won't be replacing John Ballard any time soon. 

IV.  I missed most of yesterday's game, but I'm still proud of my Texans!  I know it was just the Buc's and everything, but 37-9?  Without Andre Johnson?  I hate to jinx anything, but at this point I think it's pretty safe to say I'll get to watch more than sixteen games this season, if you know what I mean.  : )


Happy Monday!
-Kelli

(Death)Trap(door)

 As I mentioned before, we had some friends over for labor day.  As they were heading out, one of them tripped on this unruly piece of trim:

 I had an immediate vision of him tumbling headlong down the steps and crushing his skull on the concrete below.  It wasn't pretty.  Thankfully, that was just my vision.  John caught his step just fine and was none the worse for the wear.  After they left, I couldn't shake off the bad feeling from such a near miss, so I decided to tackle the problem then and there!

This is a picture of the door before.  Can you see that piece of trim sticking out into the doorway (bottom left)?

You'll also notice the peeling paint by the doorknob and the chips along the bottom of the door.  The paint will be fixed when I pick a new color and paint it (duh), and the chips will be covered by a kick-plate.

It's actually a part of molding that used to hold a screen door.  See the useless hinges?

I've known since we bought the house that we would eventually need to address the problem, but I was afraid to remove it; I was worried we would find something we didn't want to know about behind the trim, like termites, rotten wood, or something really gross (I tried to come up with something creative here, but all I could come up with was "like one of Charlie Sheen's girlfriends", which I'm really not understanding, myself.  It's strange how differently your brain functions after having a baby).

 So before I started demo in earnest, I took a peek behind the (vinyl? aluminum?) trim to see what we had going on back there.  It looked like good wood to me, so I ripped that sucker off:

 There were actually two layers of trim.  One was a flat piece to cover the wide area, and one was a thin corner piece that used to house the screen door.  I attacked the corner piece first, and it came off without a hitch.  For some reason, the wood behind that piece was painted yellow.  Either that, or they used some sort of adhesive to attach the trim, and over time it lost its stickiness and turned this color.  Honestly, I have no idea why it's yellow.  I probably don't want to know.

 Next I pried off the wide trim.  I was left with a mostly intact door frame, albeit a chipped, holey, two-toned one:

 The next item on my agenda is to fill the holes with trim, scrape and sand the trim, then prime and paint.  All that holds me back is picking a color scheme!  I'm still working on that.  Pat sweetly told me we could have whatever color roof I want, even if it does make our light bill go up a little.  I very much appreciated that, but now I have one more variable to consider!  For someone who has a difficult time deciding which tank top to wear in the morning, it's a little overwhelming. 

Have you fixed any safety hazards in your house lately?  Does your postpartum brain find any phrase containing "Charlie Sheen" to be hilarious?  Do you stare at your tank tops for five minutes before picking one out to wear?

-Kelli

Ready for a Good Laugh?

I hope you are, because I decided to share with you guys how I'm doing with my goals.  And it ain't pretty. 

Goals for 6.22.12 (Madison's first birthday)
-Have 15 meals that work for our family- We're at five.  That's two more than we had last month.  Last month we had ten months to add twelve meals.  We added two in a month, so we're ahead of schedule!!  Yay for me.
-Throw a birthday party for Madison at our house without crying the night before because I'm mortified for anyone to see the house as-is and feel proud to show what we have done with it.- In the last month, I've added a side table to Madi's room, finished painting the dining room table, hung some art on Madi's wall, and torn our bathroom and our front door trim (more on that later) apart.  At this rate, I'll never have it done in time.  It's time to get my bottom (I'm trying to make this word part of my vocabulary; I'm not a fan of Madison saying "butt" anytime soon) in gear!
-Get dressed every day(you just think I'm exaggerating)- Moving on...
-Look in the mirror EVERY time I leave the house and/or have company. (I figure if I'm gonna submit everyone else to the view, I ought to at least get a taste myself)- This one made me laugh out loud.  Here's a shot of the only mirror in our house.  It has been here for two weeks.  I could pass myself on the street and never know it.  You know, if I could be in two places at once.

Sad side note: this picture was taken two weeks ago.  Half of that laundry is still on the bed.  The other half only moved off of the bed because we used it!

 -Bake Madison's birthday (cup)cake(s)- No progress.  I should probably at least learn how to turn on the oven soon...
-DIY something fun to give friends & fam for Christmas...Being cheap shouldn't equal being a scrooge!- We actually are kind of excited about this one, but since friends & family (are the only ones who) read this mamma-jamma, I can't share anything with you until after the fact.  Sorry!
-Find a way to serve God while being a good wife and mother.  Whoa, I don't know if I've ever called myself a "mother" before.  Crazy! - My plan of attack on this one was to work on the "while being a good wife and mother" before adding in the serving God part.  Lately I've been thinking I should rethink my strategy; I'll probably fail at being a good wife and mother anytime I put that ahead of God's will for me.  Hmmm.
-Be a good friend.  Answer the phone.  Maybe even initiate conversations, sometimes!  Listen.  Help.- Ouch.  Some of you know how badly I'm doing with this one.  You know who you are.  Thank you for putting up with me! 
-To live by Philippians 4:8-"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."- I think I've done pretty well on this, only because Madison is #1 on my mind most of the time.  And she is pure, lovely, and excellent, if I do say so myself.  She also most definitely makes me think about how worthy of praise our God is.

Tell me what you think!  Are you working on any goals right now?  Have you ever gone two weeks without looking at yourself in a mirror (other than the one on the car visor)?  Do you feel like giving me some baking lessons?  For free?  Does your folded laundry ever hang out for weeks just because you hate that final step of putting it where it belongs?  What words (other than the ones that require asterisks to spell) are off limits for your kids?

-Kelli

Welcome, Friend!

Well, the plan today was to post about a side table, but who really cares about side tables anyway?  The plan changed when Madison's new friend was born this morning.  We've been busy getting ready to go meet her!  Now we just have to wait for CVS to print this off for us:

Isn't she sweet?  I would be her friend for sure!  Now we're off to meet Ms. Audrey Anne!

-Kelli

Happy Labor Day!

We did have a very happy labor day.  Any day Daddy is home is a good day, but today was especially nice.  Since it was actually pretty cool out this morning, Pat, Madison, and I went to the park and jogged.  This was the first time we have jogged with Madison, other than just trying it out in front of the house.  She did really well; the vibrations and (light) jostling put her right to sleep.  As a matter of fact, when we got home, I was able to take her out of her car seat, put her in her sleep sack and into her crib, all without waking her at all.

Once she woke up (a full hour later), Pat played with her while I cleaned the house.  Pat and Madison ended up finishing the clean-up (Pat vacuumed while holding Madi in her carrier) while I finished getting myself ready (read: while I finally brushed my teeth for the day).

Our friends John and Andrew came over.  The plan was to eat some hot dogs, hang out, and play a few games of spades.  Believe it or not, everything went according to plan!!!!  That's right-Madison took 2 naps while they were here.  She was really only awake long enough to show them how cute she is, and then she went right back down!

Pat and I had such a good time being our old selves with our old friends.  Okay, only one of them is old(you know who you are, *cough-Andrew).  I'm very grateful for such a nice ending to a pretty great three-day weekend.  Oh, and BTW, Andrew and I kick B*TT at spades!!  I'm just sayin'. 

How was your weekend? 

-Kelli

Don't Get SMART With Me...

Actually, maybe do.  And if you don't know what I mean by SMART, check out this link.

Seeing as how I'm fairly new at this whole homemaker thing, I'm okay with admitting that I'm not very good at it yet.  I'm not okay with staying that way.  I want to become the kind of woman that I want Madison to want to become.  Phew!  Did I get that out right?  Anyway, there are a million or so things I don't know how to do at all, and about that many more that I'd like to do way better than I can now.

For instance, I'm a TERRIBLE cook.  Really.  We have about three dinners that we cycle through.  A typical night in our house sounds something like this:
 Kelli-"I'm hungry, what are you in the mood for?"
 Madison-"wa-ah"
 Pat-"I don't know, we had chicken nuggets and macaroni last night, do you want lasagna or baked sandwiches?"
So I'd kind of like to improve upon that.  What?  Oh, yeah, SMART.  Okay, I'd like to have fifteen dinners that I'm good at making for our family by Madison's first birthday.

Completing and decorating our house is probably at the top of my "wanna do" list.  Of course, that kind of depends on how much $ we're able to allocate to materials and how much time we're willing to give for projects.  With that in mind, I'm gonna make this goal a little more ART than SMART.  I'd like to have the house in a condition that doesn't embarrass me in time for Madison's first birthday party.  Shooting for the stars, I know. :)

It's also really important to me to show Madison that it's important to present herself well.  For anyone who knows me, it's pretty obvious why this would generate a goal.  For others, I guess a pic is gonna have to clue you in:

Happy side note: I just realized the blog is almost the same color as our living room/kitchen/dining.  Yay!

See the cute girl on the right?  Yeah, that's totally not me.  I'm the slob on the left with dirty stretched ankle socks and a top that majorly clashes with those almost could have been cute camo capris.    Yes, I'm quite pregnant in the picture, ergo some might be tempted to cut me a little slack.  But here's the thing.  I'm not pregnant anymore, but I do have an infant, so isn't that a good excuse?  And next I'll have a toddler.  And then, who knows-I might even be pregnant while caring for a toddler.  Do you see where I'm going yet?  (And I don't mean onto a show for TLC about me and my 37 children.)  No, what I'm trying, ever so eloquently, to say is this: I will could always have an excuse for my appearance.  But I don't want to!


Alright, already.  I can see that this is getting a bit lengthy, so I'll cut it short and just give you guys the breakdown.

Goals for 6.22.12 (Madison's first birthday)
-Have 15 meals that work for our family
-Throw a birthday party for Madison at our house without crying the night before because I'm mortified for anyone to see the house as-is and feel proud to show what we have done with it.
-Get dressed every day(you just think I'm exaggerating)
-Look in the mirror EVERY time I leave the house and/or have company. (I figure if I'm gonna submit everyone else to the view, I ought to at least get a taste myself)
-Bake Madison's birthday (cup)cake(s)
-DIY something fun to give friends & fam for Christmas...Being cheap shouldn't equal being a scrooge!
-Find a way to serve God while being a good wife and mother.  Whoa, I don't know if I've ever called myself a "mother" before.  Crazy!
-Be a good friend.  Answer the phone.  Maybe even initiate conversations, sometimes!  Listen.  Help.
-To live by Philippians 4:8-"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things."

Thanks for reading!
-Kelli