Friday was such a nice night hanging out with my dear sisters and extended family. The reason for the get-together? Gmom and Gpop's 60th wedding anniversary! So we all schlepped the 7 grandkids to mom and dad's where the babysitter was waiting. The kids had a nice time, and although I complained initially about having to leave Kira behind, I think she had a good time hanging out with the kids and she absolutely loved petting Christy and Christian's little yorkie Lilly.

Sigh. Wish they all lived closer and we could hang out more often but I am thankful that we had a great night together none-the-less!

Our basement

So I decided to start the seemingly endless project of cleaning the basement in preparation for painting the floor. Tom and I had talked about painting the floor and we both knew that the floor would need a good cleaning before painting it. That being said, I decided now was as good a time as any to get started since Grandpop was done working on the boiler which has, up to this point, been generating a lot of dirt (see our new little red boiler on the left of this picture!). Grandmom W came over yesterday to help me get started. She has always been a great cleaner...she helped me in cleaning lots of things in our house before we moved in so I knew she would be a good one to ask for directions as to the best way to go about cleaning this sooty concrete floor! So, we decided it would be best to work on small areas as to not track new dirt on freshly cleaned spots...

First, we vacuumed this section, then we got two buckets, one to wring out the mop and one bucket to rinse the mop in when we done with the area. She had me wet down small 2'x2' areas at a time, sprayed it with bleach and mop it up. Then keep spraying and mopping this one small area until my mop wrung out almost clear water. Only then could I move onto the next small section. I worked this way during Kira's morning nap, then again last night. So this small section is sufficiently clean but it may also need to be primed with a special kind of primer before we paint it. I am going to the paint store today to talk to the guy about it.

Why am I smiling??? I actually kind of like doing stuff like this, haven't been able to do as much with Kira so I am enjoying getting my hands "dirty" again. And it will be so nice when it's done b/c I'll be able to take pleasure in my hard work! :-)

The beach...ah!!!!!

Things have been getting pretty busy lately, in-between playdates, doing my coupon runs, organizing the house and visiting with family, I was afforded the opportunity to spend some time at my in-laws beach house the past two weekends in a row. To say I love the beach would be an understatement. There is something so relaxing about the beach. Thankfully, our daughter loves it too and since she just started walking only a few weeks ago, she is even more enthralled with the beach!

I know, I know, it's been a while since I posted but I just haven't been able to find the time recently and all of a sudden it has been a month since I last posted...GAH! I thought I should post some pics of Kira's room, since I haven't included that in our pic updates of the house, I really am happy with how it turned out. And yes, I do like green!

Hanging out in the living room! If anyone has some ideas for where I can find a cheap area rug, let me know! I am taking my time now though fixing up and "beautifying" the rest of the house, we are pretty much out of money right now so we have to wait a while now til we can save up some more money to finish the basement. But at least the top floor is done! These pics are from a party I had at our house for Kira's birthday with my side of the family a couple weeks back. Both my sisters and their families, my parents and Gparents were there that day, I think it was 18 people in my small house...crazy but fun!

Another pic of the bathroom, all decorated now. I think the bathroom and Kira's room are my favorite rooms. I do not fancy myself a very creative decorator but I actually really like how these two rooms turned out in particular!

The birthday party

There is a little known secret about me that I do not share with many people...shhhhh...keep it to yourself...I DO NOT like hosting parties at my house! It makes me anxious, sweaty, and in general, a nervous wreck for the duration of the party. That is why I had been putting off planning a party for Kira's birthday, the idea seemed so overwhelming, I just didn't know where to begin. If it were for me, I probably never would have done this...but it wasn't. It was for Kira. So I gritted my teeth and kept telling myself that it was going to be okay and that I was doing all this for her.

And, as it turned out, it really wasn't as bad as I had imagined in my head. All week, I thought and thought about the party, writing lists and cleaning little nooks and crannies of my house in preparation for the big day. When Saturday rolled around, I set Tom to work (putting the valances up in the living room, mowing the lawn, cleaning and organizing the basement) while I made brownies, vaccuumed the house and found more things that needed to be cleaned. I must have been pretty nervous that morning though, I changed my shirt 3 times before people showed up for the party at 3PM, I was sweating so much from anxiety I guess. But I shouldn't have been so nervous, by 1PM, everything was done in the house. And no matter how hard I looked for something that needed to be cleaned, there really wasn't any more to do, the house was honestly (If I do say so myself) immaculate. So I lay down on the couch for a little to rest while Kira took a nap. At 2:30PM, Kristina, Tom's sister, showed up with party decorations and helped me get things set up. Right around that time, Tom's grandparents (his Mom's parents) showed up. They only stayed an hour because they had to be somewhere that afternoon and almost as soon as they had left, Tom's other grandparents along with his stepmom and her 2 kids showed up so it really worked out wonderfully.

Around 4PM, we put a candle on Kira's carrot cake and sang "Happy Birthday." Then everyone gathered in the living room to eat cake and watch Kira/Mommy open her presents. She got some more cardboard books, clothes and a little miniature grocery cart with fake food and condiments. By 4:30PM, the party was winding down and everyone said there goodbyes and were on there way. And with that, it was over. All that silly worrying over a little party that actually went fine and everyone had good time.

Yesterday in church, our Pastor was preaching on Isaiah 40. At verse 11, the scripture tells us that "He will feed his flock like a shepherd, he will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, [and] will gently lead those that have their young." In one of his illustrations in reference to this passage, our pastor was talking about how having kids isn't just about helping them grow, it is also to help US to grow as parents. This is so true. Without Kira, I wouldn't have really had to face this fear and throw a party. But I felt it was important to do for her so I did it and grew though it. Isaiah 40:11 is a comforting thought to me that the Lord is gently leading us and carrying us in his arms because I can understand it now in relation to how I feel about Kira.

She's 1!!!

I probably should have posted this on her birthday but time just slips by these days...What a joy Kira has been this past year. I thank God every day for her, she is truly a blessing

Got her 1 year pics done at Sears since they offered me a free sitting fee and free 10x13....I guess they thought I was going to buy a package from them. Maybe I would have but the cheapest deal they had was $99! Yikes! You can look at them here...

http://www.SearsPhotos.com/ViewSharedAlbum.aspx?ShareID=a7d3a16e-55c0-404b-988a-91809d2db53c

Things we take for granted

Definitely took hot water for granted until we went without it for almost a month! After almost 8 weeks of waiting, waiting, waiting, we got hot water installed today and we are up and running!