2 years old!

I know I just posted, but I really couldn't resist! This past weekend we had Easter/Jude's birthday and it was so much fun:) Here are some pictures that capture the highlights. Boy am I glad I have tomorrow off. I need a day to recover from the celebrating/sweets eating!

Happy Easter. He is Risen!!!

Jude finding an egg.

Jude not cooperating for the cousin photo.

On the swing with Aunt Alissa pushing "higher!"

Cousin Ashtyn helping with the presents.

Jude digging into the cake.
But first he was much more interested in all the cars! Thanks Aunt Minette and Uncle Mitch. This gift was perfect:)
Cake with the cars.

Words on the wall for baby girl's room. Putting this up was tougher than I thought it would be!

Kid's Rooms

The last time I posted I neglected to include any of the new kid's rooms. This past week we became officially done with our remodeling projects. All the woodwork in, the carpet in, the paint on, and the furniture moved!!!

To top it off Jude has spent three nights and two naps in his "bog boy" double bed. We got a cute frog/turtle comforter and striped sheets and a bed rail. The first night he did AWESOME. Just like putting him down in the crib. He wanted a book and a song and some milk and toys, and that was it. He never got out and went right to sleep. Never heard a word out of him until the next morning when he was at the baby gate in his doorway (don't quite trust him yet...) yelling for us. Wednesday night went almost as well, however, Gil did awaken to a cry at 4:30am (how he ever heard him and not me is something I will never know!). Jude had managed to fall out at the bottom of the bed somehow. I was worried he wouldn't get back in, but he did and after a few minutes was zonked out again. Last night was again a fall-free night, so hoping for more of those! I am just amazed at how easy the transition was. Now if we can only get it to go so well for taking away the binky and potty training!!!

Also, FYI, Monday will be 4 weeks left and counting until the end of school/due date!!!

This is the new downstairs closet. It is so nice to have more storage! Also, Gil built a new shelving unit in the basement and that has really helped too!

This is the new banister. The downstairs part was open before. It looks so nice!

Jude's "new" bed. This was actually taken while he was sleeping in it on the first night.

Close up of the first night of sleep in the bed.
Finished paint, doors, and furniture for baby girl.
Grandma let me use her sewing machine yesterday (mom's is being a pain) and I got the entire thing quilted! Now for the binding and that is it!!!
I used "straight" lines and a pale teal color of thread. Kinda wishing I had used the brighter color though.
Here is the back side. I really like this fabric!

And here it is hanging on the crib. I'm thinking I have just enough material left to make a curtain.

craigslist

I decided to start off this post with a picture of Jude. I feel like I've been negligent about taking pictures of him lately and even worse about putting them on the blog. This one is again in the bath (his most photogenic place!) while Gil was washing his hair. I think I'm putting my foot down about the haircut soon!

So, my recent love affair with craigslist has ended (well really it's just begun!) in some pretty exciting new (to us) buys! Here are some pics of the purchases. But the first two are things we now have posted to sell (on the Sioux City site). We'll see if the selling goes as well as the buying!

Futon for sale!!! No room in our inn.

Dryer for sale...now that our washer conked and we bought a new set of sweet front-loaders!

Gil's dresser. Oh so much more room! I don't have to cram like crazy!
My dresser. How fun to have a mirror and all these drawers!
Our headboard that doesn't quite match, but we like it anyway!

Aside from the HORRIBLY HORRIFIC wind that we drove my parents pick up home in last Sunday with the back FULL of all our new (to us) stuff, it has been a good experience! (Oh, and I also won't mention the tiny little fact that Jude managed to lock himself in the pickup with the keys last Sunday before we left....I'll just say it turned out fine!!!)

THIS weekend has been eventful as well, as I assume most of our weekends will be until baby comes. Just so many last minute things to do and get ready for:) This weekend's were all fun, mostly. Saturday morning, after sleeping in until nearly nine am (thanks Jude!!!), I spent my time beginning to quilt my quilt. I have been putting this off for some time in utter fear that I will somehow manage to destroy the entire thing. But after deciding on straight lines that meander and are not all equal (less stress!) across the entire thing, and after deciding on the more neutral color of teal thread, and after finally getting the dumb machine to sew properly, I have officially made six stitches through all three layers of the quilt!!! Fingers crossed....

Saturday afternoon Gil and I began painting the baby room. For some reason I have this disorder that possesses me to attempt to paint straight lines on all our so very un-straight and highly textured walls...at this point we have it "done" but it is drying and we haven't removed the tape so the verdict is still out! I will post pics soon:)

Another Saturday afternoon activity got accomplished since Jude decided to help out by taking one of his super long naps. I painted a shelf and letters that I am going to hang our daughters name with above her crib. It is so cute and I can't wait to post pictures of it as well!

Then today we got up even after nine am AND Jude took another super long nap (way to go sleepy head!). We went to church at Wayne in the morning and I spent the afternoon finishing up the painting. This included drawing "straight" lines all the way around, taping off two large stripes, and finally painting two coats.

I should've probably been doing some lesson planning today as well, but this other stuff was just too much fun. What is left you may be wondering? Well, we need to get the closets done and then go through them and ORGANIZE! We also are going to spend our Friday night date night shopping for a carpet remnant. Then there is this awesome word art I want to order for the wall. Plus the little things like ordering a few pink cloth diapers, getting a new changing pad cover that isn't blue, etc. All in all, a pretty productive weekend:)

Sick Day

After dropping off Jude at daycare myself this morning since Gil had an early day, getting to school on time, getting all prepped for the day, and after the bell rang during attendance, I get a phone call from the daycare. Jude threw up. Now what?! He has been doing this strange throw up thing for a while. One week he threw up on and off for almost a week. That was about three weeks ago now. Then again today. When I finally got sub plans prepared and had my mom coming in to sub for me, I went to pick him up. He was playing and acting fine. The ladies working promised me he had really thrown up less than an hour before! I believed them. He threw up again on the way home. Since then he has been watching "Cars." He seems find, but is a little subdued I guess. I just don't know why this throwing up thing keeps happening. Lactose? Upset stomach? A little bug? Wish I knew!

So I have a sick day without being sick. Not such a bad thing, but I only have 6 to use this semester and today is number 3. Plus the last day of school is May 20th and my due date is May 23...hope I make it!

I haven't posted for a while. Life I guess. We have been busy preparing for the new addition by rearranging furniture ownership. We bought ourselves a nice new queen size bed, along with some dressers and a headboard on craigslist (I am now completely obsessed with craigslist by the way. It is probably good that site is blocked at school!). So our bed and dressers will move (have already actually) to Jude's room and Jude's crib and dresser will move to the new baby's room. Jude is still sleeping in the crib though. Not sure how to go about that transition. So far he thinks the big bed is just for playing and jumping on. Plus there is always the problem of him not staying there, never getting to sleep, and of course falling off! Maybe we'll try it this weekend. Today Gil is picking up paint for the new nursery and some boards to finish the shelves he is building for storage in the basement. It will be nice to finally get everything out and put in place. We are still also waiting on our woodwork to get finished in the new room and closet.

In the midst of all of this, our washing machine took a turn for the worse. It doesn't shift cycles and doesn't spin correctly. So today I have a toddler throwing up and no working washing machine (not to mention the massive piles of laundry we have already been accumulating)! I did manage to find a good deal on a couple of front loaders on craigslist as well. We are hoping to go pick all of our new craigslist purchases in Omaha this weekend, but are leery of the predicted rain for Sunday. I just want to do laundry!!! I will have to post pics of all of our new rooms and purchases when we finally get things under control around here.

This past weekend Gil and I were able to take part in another Briar Cliff Antioch weekend. We had a great group of college students and had a lot of fun (despite the fact that I had to sleep on an air mattress while 7 months pregnant!). Jude got to be with my parents Friday and part of Saturday and with John and Carolyn the rest of Saturday and Sunday. He LOVES his nanas and popas and didn't miss us a bit (although I did miss him a little!). I love being able to share in Gil's job as campus minister at these retreats. It is also such a nice time to get away and do something completely different...not to mention focus on God!

What else? Well, I feel like we are going to be so busy that April is almost over before it begins! Every weekend is almost packed. That means baby will be here before we know it. For those of you who don't get to see me often, I can assure you I look very very pregnant. Hard to believe there could be 8 weeks left in there! She is a mover and a shaker and lets me know she is around! The quilt is still under construction. I have it pinned and am going to begin quilting the layers next week. I just hope I don't ruin it! I think I've also been getting into nesting mode because I found a few other crafts to put together and want to just go buy everything I'm going to need today. I have done a little online shopping this morning, but have so far refrained from any impulse buying!

I need to change our main picture on here because despite the recent snow falls we've had in March, the fairly warm weather allows it to melt away fast. Almost no snow right now!!! I have spring fever and want warm weather NOW!

Remodel

Here a few pictures of our very first remodeling project. It is small stuff, but still exciting!!!

This is the front bedroom (new baby girl room) BEFORE. Notice the very slanted false ceiling that takes up so much space.

After day 1 of work. YUCK!
This is the previous place of our dumb-waiter. It was cool, but not very useful. Now turning it into a closet for extra storage.

After day 2 of work on the closet.

Day 2

Day 3
Day 3
Day 4
Skip a few days...now textured and painted!

Closet painted.

Next steps are finishing the floor, shelves, doors, and woodwork. Plus we are getting a railing for the open side of our stairs! Can't wait til it's done and I can start painting and decorating the room (plus clean up all the dust once and for all!).

Cars...

Jude has recently had the opportunity to see the movie "Cars" a few times. I don't know what it is, but he LOVES them! He got a bunch of hotwheels for Christmas, so we have them all over the place. Plus he's had this "Cars" book for a long time. But now that he's seen the movie the toys and book have taken on a whole new meaning to him! Here he is reading "Cars" to himself.

In other news we (Jude and I and baby) are getting along well with Gil being gone (even though we miss him lots!). He left for Bay St. Louis, Mississippi last Thursday. Despite the drive through a blizzard and rain storm all in one day across Missouri, they made it safely to their destination. They are staying two miles from the gulf and have gone swimming a couple times. Their house is on stilts, which I think is so cool! They even took a day trip to New Orleans (during Mardi Gras!!!). But what they are really doing there is a Habitat for Humanity project. He says they work hard and after he calls me around 9pm he goes to bed at night!

Jude and I have kept busy. We went to my cousins Joelle and Dani's district final game last Friday (good luck at state tomorrow girlies!), stayed in CB with Gil's parents the next two nights, I got to hang out with my good friend Kelly on Saturday and Mitch and Minette Saturday night/Sunday. Then Monday night was my cousin Trenton's district game in Laurel (they lost by 5 in a great game), Tuesday night was MOPs, and tonight I went to the Pizza Hut in Wayne with mom and dad and a bunch of the Koester Klan. Grandma Mary Lou's 80th birthday celebration is coming up Saturday so we are getting a head start on the partying:)

Also, our remodeling projects are underway!!! Each day I come home from school to find new and exciting progress. I can finally picture my finished nursery! Pictures to come!

Well, it's off to dreamland for me tonight...

sweet emotion

The first pics here show a striking contrast. Thanks to the BEAUTIFUL weather of last week, our snow is almost gone. Look at the wonderful yard we now have uncovered!

This second picture is from last winter at about this time. See what I mean?! Gil is out walking by the same tree because our car is stuck in the drift right in front of our house. While we have had plenty of snow and cold temps this winter, and will probably still get more, I don't think anything can compare to the wrath of winter 2009/2010!!!
I didn't realize this picture was sideways, sorry! One of Jude's new favorite things is wearing big shoes! Oh, and the superman jammies are courtesy of my friend Alaina. Aren't they adorable?!
Here is what I have done on the quilt so far. The front is basically completed. I didn't take a close up of the mitered corners on the outside border. It's probably a good thing, because they look pretty good...as long as you don't look too close! Backing, batting, and binding is up next.
Here is a video of my new favorite trick of Jude's. He is so emotional!