Halloween – Just About

Halloween is just about the corner and while I was originally being a little bit of a grinch about the holiday, I broke down and bought Brooke a costume today. (Wasn’t going to because, well, she’s just a few days shy of 2 and we weren’t planning to take her trick or treating. But, daycare is having a Halloween party and tonight Justin took her to a guys and kids night and all the other kids were dressing up. So, I just can’t let Brooke be left out so I bought her some wings and a fluffy skirt. I told her she was a fairy, but she is insisting on butterfly.) If I can get a good picture of her in the outfit I’ll be sure to post it.

I’m taking in a relaxing evening tonight. Justin & Brooke are at guys and kids night (Don’t even ask me what they do there. I think it’s just drink beer, eat pizza and watch the kids play.) So, I’ve been doing a little laundry, getting the house ready for the weekend and sitting on my buns watching Thursday night TV (SWEEET!). 

Since Halloween is just around the corner, that also means that B’s birthday is just around the corner, too. We are having her 2nd birthday party this weekend. And, everyone we’ve invited says they are coming. Unfortunately Uncle Ryan won’t be able to make it, but we just want him to get over his illness. It’s going to be a full house with people upstairs and downstairs, but it will be good. Next weekend, we might do just a family celebration for her actual birthday and go back to the waterpark at Canad Inns like we did last year.

No sign of baby for me, yet. I’ll be 38 weeks tomorrow. I’m not pushing it; I’m just a little tired of being pregnant. I know the last couple weeks will be here before I know it, but the wait is awful. (I feel like I’m waiting for Christmas to hurry up and get here.) Life will be crazy once baby is born, so I know I should enjoy the time we have right now. But, if you’ve been pregnant and waiting for baby to come, you know what I mean.

I’ll post pics of B in her costume and of her birthday party. Until then, here are a few of my faves from this month.

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Living Room Update

When we moved in, the living room was stark white. Then, we decided to paint. Never put me in charge of paint colors. I picked grey and darker grey. After living with it for a couple years, we decided for another change. So, we headed back to the paint section and picked out a soft green for two walls (left the other two the light grey). Justin did this painting after we installed one of the new windows (now all that's left is the picture window).

Then, in August, we made the spontaneous decision to get a new couch and loveseat. (Originally, I just wanted a rocker/recliner. Now, I've got a full size reclining couch and a rocking/reclining love seat). And, finally, after Labor Day, we made the split decision to put carpet down in the living room. I was nervous about covering the beautiful hardwood floors and that it would make it look smaller. But, personally, I think the carpet makes it look bigger. Cody loves lounging on it. Justin was sprawled out on it after work. And, Brooke's first words about it were, "That's nice." If she approves it, it must be good right?

There's still a lot of hardwood left in our house. The entry way, hall, and all three bedrooms. Plus, if new owners want, they can pull up the carpet and have beautifully, already finished floors right underneath.

Here are a few pics of before carpet and after carpet.

Before

All the furniture is jammed into Kylie's room, the dining room and hallway.

After

This was the first look we got when we came in the door.

After

And finally, with all of the furniture moved back in.

Potty training

I just about forgot...We've spent a lot of time since August working on potty training with Brooke. It's been going really well and our little angel is nearly trained (just a diaper at nap and bedtime). The first two weeks were tough, but all of our hard work (and her hard work) has totally paid off. Now, she very few accidents. We couldn't be happier with her!

But, we aren't free and clear of diapers. I think I need to start stocking up with baby 2 right around the corner ;-).

Fall has arrived

Reader beware. This post is pretty choppy. My mom and I were talking today and she said some family members said they liked reading my blog. Well, I finally realized I haven't updated since about July. So, if there are people out there who actually read this, my sincerest apologies. My life with a toddler has gotten so busy, I honestly don't know what happened to summer. (And, now I think I'm going to be able to handle another one in 6 short weeks? Who do I think I am? God bless Grandma Burckhard and Grandma Esther. With 13 and 7 kids, respectively, I don't know how you managed. Sometimes we try to tell Cody that he's in charge, but he just sighs, looks for a sunny place on the floor and curls up for a nap. What a life.). So, again, I'm sorry for how choppy this post is, but I'll try to give some run down of life as we know it.

We've been fortunate enough to spend a lot of time outside this summer (which is probably why I haven't spent much time on the computer). Either my parents came for a visit from Minot, or I made a couple trips back to the Magic City. We also had Justin's 10-year high school reunion (along with a couple bachelor parties the Justin attended). Other than that, we made sure to spend time with the Hecht side of the family, too (Katie, Ryan, Austin and Ethan Anderson as well as Grandma Patti & Grandpa Mike). Last but not least, we've rounded out September (and the start of October) with 4 weddings. They were all a blast! Unfortunately we had to miss my cousin Nathan's wedding in Minot because I was a personal attendant for my friend's wedding in GF. We sure wish we could have made them all. Here are a couple shots from August through September.

One of Brooke's favorite past-times this summer was riding her four-wheeler she got at Christmas. She's still learning how to steer. But, when push comes to shove, she just gets off, drags it to a new spot, and hops on for another ride until she needs to "turn" again.

She loves eating tomatoes. She eats them just like an apple. This has got to be a tomato from Grandpa Kenny's garden (her favorite).

Grandma Wendy & Grandpa Kenny came over Labor Day weekend for a visit. For his birthday, Grandpa Kenny got lemon meringue pie (from the store. No, I didn't have a chance to whip it up. But, I'll take the credit. It was delicious.). Brooke insisted on sharing Grandpa Kenny's with him. Things always taste better off of someone else's plate, right?

Our little daredevil now likes to be pushed high enough that she can flip her head back and watch you from behind. She totally has her dad in her 100%. I'm too much of a nervous nelly for this.

We also had our nephew, Ethan Anderson's, baptism over Labor Day weekend. He did so well during church. Brooke on the other hand, bless her heart, had so much "enthusiasm" for the service that we had to take turns with her out in the lunch room area so she could run off some steam. (Again Grandma's how in the world did you do it?)

Belly Shots

(I don't know the last time, if ever, that I've posted these, so I figured I'd update with a few of the newest belly shots we have. I've definitely grown quite a bit. Justin and I are making bets on just how big this baby will be. Another 9 pounder like Brooke? I'm not going to doubt it.)

26 weeks

29 weeks

34 weeks

Getting Ready for Baby

This weekend, we finally had a few spare moments to get more of the baby's room ready. From our house projects this summer, Justin already painted the bedroom (along with the living room) and installed a new window (along with one in the living room, one in the dining room, and one in our room). All that was left were the odds and ends. After we got the crib put back together, we had to fill it with nearly everything from the living room because we are getting ready for carpet in that space. (Bye-bye hardwood. Hello soft, plushy, warm, comfortable carpet. I know, I know. The hardwood is what sold me on this house in the first place. But, at least we can tell new home buyers that there is beautiful hardwood under the carpet that doesn't even need to be refinished. They just have to pull back the carpet and viola!) The last few pics are Justin and Brooke pitching in to get baby's room ready to rock.

Brooke helping out by attempting to put the fitted sheet on the crib mattress. (Don't worry kiddo, I have troubles with those darn fitted sheets, too.)

Justin putting the finishing touches on the crib. (Cat's out of the bag if you've noticed. We've decided to name our newborn Kylie. Six more weeks till we see her pretty face. Hopefully she'll fit the name we've picked.)

And, last but not least, Brooke's new and improved big-girl room. We picked up her new full size bed today and got it all made up (hot pink of course). She had a tough time falling asleep tonight (I think because of how big the bed was). But after about 15 minutes she was sawing logs.

So, that's it. That's what's been going on. Doesn't seem like a ton, but it sure takes the wind out of me. And, tomorrow, it's back to work. Next weekend, we've made some time to take Brooke's pictures at Target and my mom will be back in town for a quick visit. We've also got to figure out plans for Grandma Patti's birthday. Then, Brooke's 2-year birthday will be right around the corner. Last but not least, it's Kylie's arrival. I wonder if Justin will be able to handle all three of his girls with November birthdays.....

With that, remember to enjoy life one moment at a time.