Apartment Before and After

Some of you may know that we have an apartment in our basement. We originally lived down there renting from some people named Marlo and Lindsey. He got transferred with his work and decided to put their house up for sale. My parents were looking around for an income property, at the time, and bought it from them. J and I moved upstairs and became the managers. My parents then sold it to us about a year and a half later. (P was born on the 26th and we closed on the house on the 31st. I highly recommend NOT purchasing a house at the same time as having a baby. Major stress!)

So, we've owned the house for a little over four years. J and I have done a few things to fix up the apartment. The bathroom originally just has a shower. Unfortunately, it started leaking and we had to replace it. I insisted on installing a bathtub because I figured we could appeal to more potential tenants. We've ended up replacing a water heater that is located in the basement and replacing a furnace down there too. Those were completely unexpected but had to be done.

Anyway, our old tenant gave her notice in the middle of October. I immediately started looking for some new tenants. (This time of year is a terrible time to find tenants. It's cold, the holidays are near, and the university is already in session.) I managed to find someone quite quickly and they decided they wanted to move in. She and her husband have four boys and were worried that they'd trash the carpet in the living/dining room. She suggested installing some plank self adhesive vinyl flooring. We went together to The Home Depot, priced it out, and shared the cost in the flooring. We'll be prorating the amount she paid out of their rent slowly. Anyway, it was a great opportunity. They came over a few days later and helped us lay down the new floor. It went down pretty quickly and looks great! Here are some pictures:

Dining Area Before

Tiny Kitchen Before

Living Room Before

Living Room After!!

Dining Area After!!

Tiny Kitchen After!!

Don't mind the shop vac. I was tired and too lazy to move it! ;-)

We are really pleased with how it turned out. Now, one day when we get lots of extra money (HA! Yeah right!) we will be expanding the tiny kitchen. J has the plans made already for what to do. 

One day, one day .........

How Cute Is That?!

P's preschool teacher wrote to me on Facebook last night and I just have to share! Here is what she wrote:

I don't know if you looked in P's backpack, but he had such a sweet answer to my what are you thankful for question! When he said my Father in Heaven, the little girl next to him was like, "Your father's in Heaven? Is he dead? My Dad's in Idaho not Heaven." Poor P was so confused. Finally he said, "my Dad is in Idaho, my Father is in Heaven" :)

Isn't that so sweet?! I love this kid! J and I have worried about whether or not we've been teaching him enough and if he was grasping the concept of God and everything. As soon as I read this, I immediately got J's attention and shared it. It made us feel good to realize that some of what we are trying to teach him is getting into that noggin' of his! Love that boy!

100 Truths

I saw this on someone's blog and liked the idea. I really got to know her better. Maybe you can get to know me better. 


100 truths:

1. Last beverage: Diet Dr. Pepper
2. Last phone call: The hubby
3. Last text message: Our new tenant (we have a basement apartment) wondering if she could start moving stuff in.
4. Last song you heard: PBS Cat In The Hat theme song.
5. Last time you cried: Today. We didn't get something that I was hoping to get.

HAVE YOU EVER:
6. Got back with someone you've broken up with: Nope
7. Been cheated on: Not to my knowledge.
8. Kissed someone & regretted it: No, thankfully.
9. Lost someone special: Yes
10. Been depressed: Yes. I suffered with postpartum depression after both boys were born.
11. Been drunk and threw up: Never.

LIST THREE FAVORITE COLORS:
12. Blue
13. Green
14. Red

THIS YEAR HAVE YOU: (2010)

15. Made a new friend: Yes, a few!
16. Fallen out of love: No way!
17. Laughed until you cried: Yes
18. Met someone who changed you: Yes, I've made some great friends
19. Found out who your true friends were: Yes, but not in a negative way.
20. Found out someone was talking about you: Kind of. I try to not let it bother me but it usually does bother me for a while.
21. Kissed anyone on your Facebook friends list: Yes, my hubby!
22. How many people on your friends list do you know in real life: Probably about 3/4
23. How many kids do you want? I'd love to have another but with the postpartum depression history, we don't think it is a good idea. We've thought about adoption.
24. Do you have any pets: No, a fact that J and P both are sad about. 
25. Do you want to change your name: Nope. I like it and it is pretty original.
26. What did you do for your last birthday: Had dinner with family
27. What time did you wake up? Well, J's alarm clock started ringing about 6am. He kept hitting the snooze for quite a while so I didn't really sleep much after that.
28. What were you doing at midnight last night? Sleeping!
29. Name something you CANNOT wait for: Our date to Harry Potter. My mom offered to watch the boys on Monday evening so that J and I can go!
30. Last time you saw your mother: Monday. E and I go over to her house and hang out while P goes to preschool.
31. What is one thing you wish you could change about your life: I would make it so that we could be financially secure and not have to worry about money (or lack of it) all the time.
33. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: Yes, I went to school with a Tom.
34. Who is getting on your nerves now? P and E take their turns. 
35. Most visited websites: Facebook and the blogs that I follow.
36. What's your real name: I'm only gonna say K
37. Nicknames: Mommy, sweetie, 
38. Relationship Status: Happily Married.
39. Zodiac sign: Gemini
40. Male or female: Female, last time I checked.
41. Primary School: Chubbuck Elementary
42. Middle School: Hawthorne Junior High
43. High school: Highland Senior High School
44. Hair color: Brown
45. Long or short: Short!
46. Height: 5' 4"
47. Do you have a crush on someone? Yeah, my hubby!
48: What do you like about yourself? The fact that I'm not as shy anymore. I am more willing to step out of my comfort zone and talk to people.
49. Piercings: Had my ears pierced but I let them grow back together. I'm not very girly and I only wear my wedding ring. I'm not much into jewelery.
50. Tattoos: nope, I'll stick with stretch marks as the only marks on my body.
51. Righty or lefty: righty

FIRSTS:

52. First surgery: C-section to have P
53. First piercing: Ear, when I was, like, 17 or something.
54. First best friend: A girl named Melanie in kindergarten.
55. First sport you joined: Softball when I was 9 or 10
56. First vacation: We didn't really take "vacations" as a kid. Our first REAL vacation was to NYC when I was  a senior in high school. It was awesome!
58. First pet: Buddy. He was a gray, Miniature Schnauzer. I got him for my 10th birthday.

RIGHT NOW:

59. Eating: Nothing. Nothing at the moment. I ate Mac and Cheese with the boys for lunch
60. Drinking: Nothing. Just finished a Diet Dr. Pepper
61. I'm about to: get E up from his nap.
62. Listening to: Between the Lions theme song on PBS
63. Waiting for: J to get home from work.

YOUR FUTURE:

64. Want kids?: I love to have one more but I don't know if it will happen.
65. Get married?: Hopefully I won't have to do it ever again. I'm content with the marriage I have now!
66. Career: Mother, Cashier at Shopko
67. Lips or eyes: Not exactly sure what this mean. I like J's lips because they are big and kissable. 
68. Hugs or kisses: both
69. Shorter or taller: I'm kind of short.
70. Older or Younger: Eh?! What does that mean? If I could stay younger, then YES
71. Romantic or spontaneous: I'm not very spontaneous but I'm not much of a romantic either! Man, I'm lame ....
72. Nice stomach or nice arms: I like nice stomach but it isn't necessary. J has really nice, large arms!
73. Sensitive or loud: I love a sensitive type!
74. Hook-up or relationship: Relationship 

HAVE YOU EVER:

76. Kissed a stranger: No
77. Drank hard liquor: Never
78. Lost glasses/contacts: No, hopefully I never do.
79. Sex on first date: Heck no! I believe in saving sex for after marriage.
80. Broken someone's heart: I don't know if I really broke his heart but I know I hurt his feelings at least. What can I say, I decided to just tell him how it was and not waste his time.
82. Been arrested: no
83. Turned someone down: Yes.
84. Cried when someone died: Yes.
85. Fallen for a friend: Not really. I had the hots for J before I even had a chance to get to know him. He was so cute!

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:

86. Yourself: Generally speaking...
88. Love at first sight: Not really. Lust at first sight, or instant connection, yes.
89. Heaven: definitely!
90. Santa Claus: Of course!
91. Kiss on the first date: No. Kisses mean love to me. I think it takes some time to get to that point. Maybe I'm a prude, who know. 
92. Angels: Yes

ANSWER TRUTHFULLY:

94. Had more than 1 girlfriend/boyfriend at a time: Nope. I am intensely loyal.
95. Did you sing today?: I'm sure that I sang along to the songs in the car.
96. Ever cheated on somebody: no. (see 94)
97. If you could go back in time, how far would you go?: I'd go back to when J and I first got married and tell us not to worry so much. Oh, and save more money. We were kind of spend happy when we had money and no kids. 
98. The moment you would choose to relive? I'd love to relive the first months of live with my boys IF the postpartum depression could be taken away.
99. Are you afraid of falling in love?: No.
100. Are you afraid of posting this as 100 truths?: Nope!

My Parental Units, Us and Random Shots (Family Pictures October 2010)

MAKE SURE YOU KEEP LOOKING. THERE ARE 5 SEPARATE POSTS TODAY WITH LOTS OF PICTURES!

Our Little Family (Family Pictures October 2010)

J and K (Family Pictures October 2010

Mr. P (Family Pictures October 2010)

Mr. E (Family Pictures October 2010)

Dancing and Noggins

I didn't really have anything to post today but I wanted to share this video. It was taken about a month and a half ago and I love it. E loves to dance and has quite the little groove. I just had to share. There is also a funny moment that makes me giggle every time!

I know some people have been concerned about the size of our children's heads. Yes, they are huge. (Thanks heavens I had c-sections!) We figure that these cute, large noggins are just full of extra brain power and smarts. :-)  They totally get their large brains .... and heads from their mother. ;-)

Kind of a funny story. I learned that a couple people at church didn't know our names. They just knew we were the parents of that kid (P) with the big head. At first, I'll admit that I was a little miffed but then I had to realize and accept that, yes, he does have a big head. I find it funny now.

Halloween Comparison

P in 2007 (Just turned 15 months)

E in 2010 (4 days shy of 16 months old)

Baseball, Hair, and First Words

 On Sundays, we go to my parents house for dinner. I know, sweet, isn't it?! I love my parents to bits and love to spend time with them ... and get fed too. ;-)  We usually hang out for a while after the meal. The boys settled down on the floor and were watching Game 4 of the World Series with their Grampy. The second I grabbed the camera, E started moving.

Relaxing on his big brother. E can be cuddly, when he wants to be.

Cute bum!

Afterward, we went home and I had J give P a haircut. I talked J into leaving a mohawk for just a couple of minutes so I could take a picture. P didn't understand what was going on at first.

Why are you taking my picture? This hair is making me itch!

He finally realized he had a mohawk!

Last pic. We immediately sat him down for the final buzz and cut it off. He wasn't happy when he realized it was gone. I don't mind a fauxhawk on occasion but I'm not willing to let my kid have a real one!

After baths, I went to put the boys in their matching Halloween jammies. I could not find E's shirt to save my life! I searched high and low to no avail. So, here they are in matching bottoms.

I was trying to get P to say cheese and prompted him. E immediately said, "CHEEE!" Hence, the excited/surprised look on J's face! It was so cute!

We are counting "Chee!" as E's first word because I don't believe that "No" should count. ;-)

I think E finally realized that when the camera comes out it is time to smile

I love these three so much!