In this season of New Year's resolutions, personal improvement and self-mastery I would like to personally admit that I love elastic waist band pants. Yes, only at certain season, but this is one of them. I also love chocolate and naps during the day (I bet I could nap more than Madi if it weren't for the guilt). Many of you are thinking, "how dare Kristen remind me how great naps are, I need to be on my elliptical" and to that I say... I have no remorse. I just love naps. I too should be on an elliptical, but my goals are different than yours. You are probably making some goal about losing weight, or eating better, right? Well, I should too. But I'm not. My goal is to gain weight. And eventually lose it. So that you don't think I am anti-ambition or anti-new years resolutions, I too will publicly make one:
In 2010 I will gain weight. I will gain weight until May. In mid-May I will lose approximately 8 pounds (hopefully a lot more, but let's be conservative). By October I intend to weigh what I weighed in October of 2009. I think that is fair, ambitious for me, but I need goals.
So why would anybody be dumb enough to admit liking elastic waist band pants and planning to gain weight...well, you probably know by now. I'm pregnant. Yep, number 2 is in the oven. Half baked in fact. When I am at the other computer and not delirious because I am so tired I will post a picture and tell you the gender, but I think you deserve a little suspense.
Congratulations to all of you who have real resolutions, I do have some more serious ones too, I just needed to let you all know about the impending bundle of joy. I've been trying to think of a cleaver or cute way to announce, but as you see, I've given up. I'll just blog-ramble until the truth is out. Check back later for an ultrasound picture update...until then I will be sleeping.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Thursday, December 3, 2009
What do your kids do first thing in the morning?
Well, ours started a new routine today. Madi started her day off by putting on her princess life jacket and playing Mario Kart. I noticed it was really quiet and wondered what kind of mess she must be making but when I found her in the living room happily driving the Mario Kart demo I was relieved. I'm not a video game type of person, but boy was her dad proud!
And yes, I still know I never wrote update part two...sorry. Maybe I'll get to it some time, maybe not. I hate writing updates, so maybe I'm better off just writing random posts without thought for accurate history.
And yes, I still know I never wrote update part two...sorry. Maybe I'll get to it some time, maybe not. I hate writing updates, so maybe I'm better off just writing random posts without thought for accurate history.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
We're ALIVE!!!
What a blog slacker (me)!!! Sorry I have been so terrible, I used to use the move-job hunt-settle excuse, but I'm tired of excuses. So, this will be the first of an update series:
We made it!! We are in Washington now and having a fabulous time.
We enjoyed many days of beautiful weather when we first arrived and spent a lot of time outside. It's been a great combo of work and play. Some of our fair weather highlights include an evening walk on Alki beach. I LOVE it there. Unfortunately we can't get there during low tide, but we enjoyed sunset and beauty anyway. (Don't mind the sloppy collage, I just didn't want to put a million individual pictures on here.)
We've also enjoyed some outside work. First we took on the flower bed... just trim and split some plants, weed and add some nutrient rich soil. Then we thought we get some old dead roots out of the grass from a tree we cut down years ago. What a feat! Next (and remember I haven't posted for over a month, we're not ambitious or strong enough to do these every day) we dethached the lawn, followed by aerating, adding in some compost, and then reseeding. We're still working on the reseeding, but hopefully we'll see some new life in the next week.
But, back to the fun. I don't want you to think we're productive all the time. We've also enjoyed an afternoon drive to Bremerton which is always a favorite because we can ride the ferry home. It was all planned thinking Madi would really enjoy the ferry boat, but of course that's precisely when she fell asleep, right before we boarded the ferry. Oh well, I'm a kid and I don't think I'll ever get sick of ferries. It was a beautiful afternoon and there were TONS of sailboats on the water. I also love seeing Seattle from the water as you pull in on the boat.
We've also begun preparing for the rainy season which now seems to be upon us and I bought Madi a tunnel and fort system. She loves her playhouse, especially when she has company.
We're having a great time and keeping very busy here with the padres. Madi loves having more playmates (especially my parents dog, Joey) and taking more trips to the park (for her and Joey).
Sorry, but I'm all blogged out for the day. I refuse to proofread...so excuse my language :o) But, stay tuned for another update including my job, Kevin's school and standardized test status, and a few more fun things. Thanks to all those who diligently check our blog and sorry it has been so out of date for so long.
(And special thanks to the Neals who finally motivated a new post :o) Miss you guys!)
I'll try to post again soon, and I'll work on taking more pictures. (The truth is that I take plenty of pictures, I just take bad pictures that aren't worth posting...And when we play at home Madi looks like a neglected child you'd see on a commercial asking for money. It isn't that she never wears real clothes, it's just that she usually doesn't get dressed until after noon :o) Ooops. Anyway, happy October...I miss you all and can't wait for your updates!
We made it!! We are in Washington now and having a fabulous time.
We enjoyed many days of beautiful weather when we first arrived and spent a lot of time outside. It's been a great combo of work and play. Some of our fair weather highlights include an evening walk on Alki beach. I LOVE it there. Unfortunately we can't get there during low tide, but we enjoyed sunset and beauty anyway. (Don't mind the sloppy collage, I just didn't want to put a million individual pictures on here.)
We've also enjoyed some outside work. First we took on the flower bed... just trim and split some plants, weed and add some nutrient rich soil. Then we thought we get some old dead roots out of the grass from a tree we cut down years ago. What a feat! Next (and remember I haven't posted for over a month, we're not ambitious or strong enough to do these every day) we dethached the lawn, followed by aerating, adding in some compost, and then reseeding. We're still working on the reseeding, but hopefully we'll see some new life in the next week.But, back to the fun. I don't want you to think we're productive all the time. We've also enjoyed an afternoon drive to Bremerton which is always a favorite because we can ride the ferry home. It was all planned thinking Madi would really enjoy the ferry boat, but of course that's precisely when she fell asleep, right before we boarded the ferry. Oh well, I'm a kid and I don't think I'll ever get sick of ferries. It was a beautiful afternoon and there were TONS of sailboats on the water. I also love seeing Seattle from the water as you pull in on the boat.
We've also begun preparing for the rainy season which now seems to be upon us and I bought Madi a tunnel and fort system. She loves her playhouse, especially when she has company.
Sorry, but I'm all blogged out for the day. I refuse to proofread...so excuse my language :o) But, stay tuned for another update including my job, Kevin's school and standardized test status, and a few more fun things. Thanks to all those who diligently check our blog and sorry it has been so out of date for so long.
(And special thanks to the Neals who finally motivated a new post :o) Miss you guys!)
I'll try to post again soon, and I'll work on taking more pictures. (The truth is that I take plenty of pictures, I just take bad pictures that aren't worth posting...And when we play at home Madi looks like a neglected child you'd see on a commercial asking for money. It isn't that she never wears real clothes, it's just that she usually doesn't get dressed until after noon :o) Ooops. Anyway, happy October...I miss you all and can't wait for your updates!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
How Does Packing Make You Feel?
About 3 weeks ago, this was my attitude...
We were making plans for our next adventure.
The next week, reality set in and the work was daunting...
I wanted to hide from it all.
But this week, I have gained new insight and have a new outlook...
(I didn't say it was a positive outlook.)While I am stressed and sick of packing, we have a ton of support and so many people have offered help. I just wish I knew how to have people help. The problem is that I'm not just throwing things in boxes. I am trying to get rid of stuff we don't need as we go. And I have to separate things based on when we will need them.
And just to add to my mess and stress, I CAN'T FIND MY PACKING TAPE!!! What's a girl to do?!?!
And just to add to my mess and stress, I CAN'T FIND MY PACKING TAPE!!! What's a girl to do?!?!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
So much fun, so few pictures
We have had a fun couple of weeks around here with three major highlights. The unfortunate part is that we didn't take any pictures so we have a couple we have stolen from family, but none of our own...sorry, lots of words to come.
#1 The usual Skeen/McDonald Potholes tradition was sorely missed this summer, but a wonderful weekend was enjoyed in its place. My family got together (all except poor Brian who had to work) and went to Cascade. We rented a monstrous house so that everyone could have a bed and thoroughly enjoyed new-age camping. (If anyone one ever needs a place near Boise for a family reunion let me know so I can put you in touch with our friends who own this house near the lake that sleeps 22.) We enjoyed skiing in the rain and shine (and dark), wakeboarding, tubing, and a lot of socializing. Our family was joined by our wonderful Grandma J, Aunt Judy and her kiddos and Aunt Robyn and Uncle Dave as well as the faithful McDonald representatives Heather and Shayne. We had a lot of fun in beautiful Cascade...it was so green and lush and the lake was huge. I especially enjoyed the bike ride along the lake and every moment on the boat. Kevin and I tubed together and somehow evaded death or injury yet again. I also skied and Kevin wakeboarded. Madi LOVED riding in the boat, especially when we went over bumps. It was so fun to be watching Jenni and her amazing cuts or Andrew doing flips and hear Madi singing in the background. We also especially enjoyed the hot springs and playing in the sand. All in all it was an awesome trip. Huge thanks to the Padres who make amazing family get togethers happen.
#2 The day after we got home from Cascade, we turned around and went to McCall (30 minutes past Cascade) for the Miller family reunion. We camped at Ponderosa State Park and partied with the Millers. We had tons of fun during daylight hours enjoying chatting with the siblings, riding bikes with the kids, a nature walk all together and swimming in the chilly lake. The nighttime hours were not as great, but we really enjoyed the days :o) Madi was a terror at night. She would go to sleep and then wake up in the middle of the night and just scream. Waking up in the night is not a big deal if you go back to sleep, but she woke up and screamed forever. She woke up the whole camp and many neighbors and could not be consoled. In an effort to let others sleep our family ran to the truck to at least muffle the noise and ended up spending the night there. The second night she did the same thing. Fortunately the day time really was a lot of fun so it made up for the terrible nights, but I sure felt bad for everyone that Madi woke up. The trip was cut short by a day due to continued passing of the flu from family to family, but we made up for it with more fun back in Boise. We had dinner and lawn games and Papa and Tutu's Wednesday night and more fun on Thursday.
Friday, Madi went to the Doctor for a checkup and the screaming mystery was solved...another ear infection. We don't like ear infections, but at least we have an explanation for the sleepless nights. We were also told that we need to fatten our babe up so now she is on the ice cream and peanut butter diet. At this appointment (15 mos) Madi was in the whopping 3rd percentile for weight and 51st for height. We just think she is petite, but we're doing our best to keep her tummy nice and full.
Highlight #3: The Mellings came to visit! The Mellings are dear friends who currently live in New York. Marielle and I grew up together and have been friends since before we can remember. We keep missing them since we don't always visit home at the same time so it was such a treat to see them here in Boise. They were on their way back to New York and made a one day stop in Boise (thank you!). We were so lucky get some time together. John and Janelle ended up staying very briefly, but we enjoyed a whole day with Marielle. Shayne and Heather (Marielle's sister) also came to play Sunday night and we kept them up way too late. We had so much fun and it was so refreshing to spend time with old friends. Thanks for coming Mellings!!!
Oh, and here is the reward for those of you who have endured reading this whole novel...the UPDATE:
We will be moving to Washington in a little over a week where Kevin will take classes and I will work part time. We were reluctant at first to move in with mom and dad (for their sake and our pride), but now were really excited and think it will be a really fun year. So now it's packing time and I better get back to work. We'll keep you posted with our next adventures.
#1 The usual Skeen/McDonald Potholes tradition was sorely missed this summer, but a wonderful weekend was enjoyed in its place. My family got together (all except poor Brian who had to work) and went to Cascade. We rented a monstrous house so that everyone could have a bed and thoroughly enjoyed new-age camping. (If anyone one ever needs a place near Boise for a family reunion let me know so I can put you in touch with our friends who own this house near the lake that sleeps 22.) We enjoyed skiing in the rain and shine (and dark), wakeboarding, tubing, and a lot of socializing. Our family was joined by our wonderful Grandma J, Aunt Judy and her kiddos and Aunt Robyn and Uncle Dave as well as the faithful McDonald representatives Heather and Shayne. We had a lot of fun in beautiful Cascade...it was so green and lush and the lake was huge. I especially enjoyed the bike ride along the lake and every moment on the boat. Kevin and I tubed together and somehow evaded death or injury yet again. I also skied and Kevin wakeboarded. Madi LOVED riding in the boat, especially when we went over bumps. It was so fun to be watching Jenni and her amazing cuts or Andrew doing flips and hear Madi singing in the background. We also especially enjoyed the hot springs and playing in the sand. All in all it was an awesome trip. Huge thanks to the Padres who make amazing family get togethers happen.
#2 The day after we got home from Cascade, we turned around and went to McCall (30 minutes past Cascade) for the Miller family reunion. We camped at Ponderosa State Park and partied with the Millers. We had tons of fun during daylight hours enjoying chatting with the siblings, riding bikes with the kids, a nature walk all together and swimming in the chilly lake. The nighttime hours were not as great, but we really enjoyed the days :o) Madi was a terror at night. She would go to sleep and then wake up in the middle of the night and just scream. Waking up in the night is not a big deal if you go back to sleep, but she woke up and screamed forever. She woke up the whole camp and many neighbors and could not be consoled. In an effort to let others sleep our family ran to the truck to at least muffle the noise and ended up spending the night there. The second night she did the same thing. Fortunately the day time really was a lot of fun so it made up for the terrible nights, but I sure felt bad for everyone that Madi woke up. The trip was cut short by a day due to continued passing of the flu from family to family, but we made up for it with more fun back in Boise. We had dinner and lawn games and Papa and Tutu's Wednesday night and more fun on Thursday.Friday, Madi went to the Doctor for a checkup and the screaming mystery was solved...another ear infection. We don't like ear infections, but at least we have an explanation for the sleepless nights. We were also told that we need to fatten our babe up so now she is on the ice cream and peanut butter diet. At this appointment (15 mos) Madi was in the whopping 3rd percentile for weight and 51st for height. We just think she is petite, but we're doing our best to keep her tummy nice and full.
Highlight #3: The Mellings came to visit! The Mellings are dear friends who currently live in New York. Marielle and I grew up together and have been friends since before we can remember. We keep missing them since we don't always visit home at the same time so it was such a treat to see them here in Boise. They were on their way back to New York and made a one day stop in Boise (thank you!). We were so lucky get some time together. John and Janelle ended up staying very briefly, but we enjoyed a whole day with Marielle. Shayne and Heather (Marielle's sister) also came to play Sunday night and we kept them up way too late. We had so much fun and it was so refreshing to spend time with old friends. Thanks for coming Mellings!!!
Oh, and here is the reward for those of you who have endured reading this whole novel...the UPDATE:
We will be moving to Washington in a little over a week where Kevin will take classes and I will work part time. We were reluctant at first to move in with mom and dad (for their sake and our pride), but now were really excited and think it will be a really fun year. So now it's packing time and I better get back to work. We'll keep you posted with our next adventures.
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