Finally caught up - time to get working!

I haven't been caught up on blogging in SO long. It seems that every time I turned around this year we had been on another trip that would take me 4 months to blog about. Well life has finally slowed down and I can blog about things that aren't just journal entries for our posterity. My topic this time - remodeling.

We are going to do a little remodeling before the baby is here. And since we have decicded to contract most of it out, it might actually happen. Aaron's goal is to have both the kitchen and downstairs bathroom finished (both are mostly done now) and then remodel the upstairs bathroom. I also want to have the moldings and casings replaced, house painted and doors and hardware changed. (Yes I am nesting.) I know I wont get everything on my wish list, but we are working with some guys in our neighborhood to get the projects started and it feels really nice.

Just as a sneak peak - here is what I want to do with the moldings and casings. Tell me what you think!

Potty Training

Those probably ought to be swear words. My mother in law, the ex police officer, says that if you are going to be an abusive parent, it is bound to rear its head during potty training. (OK that may not be exactly what she said but I bet she would agree at least mostly.) Having failed at my first potty training attempt months ago, I know what sets parents off. At least for me, it was the first time I couldn't just do something we needed to get done. I had to depend on Braden to do it - highlighting my lack of control over his life. (I realize I never had control - but until then I thought I had a little more that I do.)

Now, 3 weeks after Braden decided to try potty training again, the thing that gave me the most grief in the past is the thing making this so sweet. Watching your child succeed on his own - without your control - is awesome. We are almost accident free and he can do almost everything by himself. I could only be happier if he had a littl better aim and/or if my bathroom weren't CARPETED... but hey - you can't have everything, right?

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Well at least I hope so. We went in for our official ultrasound and were told they were 100 percent sure I am having a girl. (The report it self only said "probably" but I am guessing they never come out in the report with a definitive answer just in case.)

Years ago I dreamed that my first child would be a straight haired blond boy. And later I dreamed my second child would be a curly blond little girl with very bright blue eyes like Aaron. Braden fits the bill for the first dream, but I think the odds are against me being right two dreams in a row. I do enjoy wondering what she will be like. Will she be blond or brown haired? (Yes, Sarah - it is wierd being brown haired with bond babies). Will she be as energetic as Braden? I hear baby girls tend to be calmer. I could get used to that.

When my sister-in-law, Kim, is pregnant, she just can't wait to get the baby out and hold it in her arms. I am not sure I feel quite the same zeal. I remember the sleepless nights - feeling like I had been run over by a truck and not getting the chance to heal. But still, I am getting pretty excited. Only a little more than 4 months left.

Photo Shoot

A neighbor of mine is launching her photography career and invited us to come for a photo shoot at her house last weekend. Braden actually really enjoyed it although he kept looking away from the camera when he smiled making this quite a challenge for Claudia. Here are some of my favoriates:

You can view more of Claudia's work at www.flickr.com/photos/perpetualmemories

Walking With Dinosaurs Live

A few blogs ago I mentioned how much Braden likes dinosaurs, right? As it turns out, he gets it from his daddy. When Aaron saw that the "Walking with Dinosaurs" show was coming to the Energy Solutions Arena (can't we just call it the Delta Center???) he started mentioning it every few weeks. As the show dates approached the mentions became more frequent. But even the week before we still hadn't decided to purchase tickets. That was with Aaton's Aunt Kathy called to ask if we were going because she wanted to come, too. How can I resist and entire Dinosaur family? We got the best seats we could at that point (wihtout having to mortgage the house) and loved it. The main reason I hadn't been sure about going (other than the price) was that I thought it might scare Braden. But at intermission when Aaron went for popcorn, Braden wouldn't leave his seat because he was afraid he might miss a second of the performance. (As it turned out, the land mass rocks moved several times during intermission which he felt was WELL worth him having stayed behind with me.)

New year's Eve - Zoo Lights

Aaron has wanted to see the Hogle Zoo Lights for years now (well since Braden was born) but we were finally brave enough to try this New Year's Eve. After meeting the Christensens for dinner at Tucci's, the three of us bundled up to see the spectabcle. Although they close down most of the zoo and just light certain areas, it was really fun and well worth our time, money and cold noses. I loved the trees with individually lit branches. Braden liked the moving light shows - especially the one of a bear chasing a skunk and getting sprayed. I think Aaron liked it all. We topped it off with a fun Zoo Lights mug filled with the creamiest hot chocolate I have ever had. What a nice night! Did we make it to midnight? No way. We don't even try anymore :).