For Dad August 29, 2010

Ok, dad, I’m doing my blog.

Mostly we’ve been doing a lot of hanging out at the park and I’ve joined a mom’s group so we have playdates.

He mostly plays by himself near the other kids.  I think he’s just so excited to play with their toys.

“These toys are cool, why don’t I have toys like these?”

“Because mom and dad are lame-o’s”

“That’s what I thought”

I’ve also been to a few Mom’s night out get together’s.  This is so nice for me to be able to talk to other women and make friends.  Although I find myself to be reverting back to my younger days of being shy and unsure of myself.  This makes me very uncomfortable.  I worked hard to break that, I sure as hell don’t want to go back.

I’m sure most of it comes from the fact that I spend my days with a 2 year old who thinks my weird faces and strange noises are funny and entertaining.  I’m finding that adults don’t think it near as funny to get a raspberry to the armpit.

Their loss really.

This doesn't feel right!

Water play on a hot day!

Why is it so HOT?

Fletch and I also took a trip down to Colorado Springs with Marie and Steve.

They took me thrifting.  I found some awesome stuff.

It is my dream to drive down by myself and thrift all day maybe stay the night in a hotel and then come home to my family with lots of awesome treasures.

One day.

Sharing a cone at G'pa Steve's fave ice cream place.

1st sucker....Enjoyed the magic of it sticking to his face then he did actually eating it.

Now for some random bits of Fletcher cuteness.

Saying Cheeeeeessseee

Daddy...sit down

His main facial expression while watchin "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"

Apt. porch swimming

Just enough water to soak a diaper and cool off.

"Boys only....No girls Allowed" Fort time with dad.

35 July 29, 2010

That’s how old I am this year.

35

I thought I wouldn’t care for it, but it’s ok.  True I’ve only been 35 for 4 days, but it’s been ok.

I loved turning 30.  I don’t know why, but I did.  I was about 30lbs lighter and I had shorter dark hair.

I hadn’t yet met Devin and I was living with Mel.

*30*

Now I’m 35.

I’m married and I’ve got a 2 year old.

I made a list when Fletcher was about 6 or so months old of things I would like to do before or during my 35th year.

Here, let me share them with you.

Get fit…..not yet

Cool hair….working on it, almost there, I just need a hair cut.

Cool clothes….I like most of my clothes, just depends on the day.

Go Dancing More…..not yet

Sew more…..Yes, I have been doing that…which will help with the cool clothes.

Learn to build or make thing with tools…..not yet because we don’t have tools, yet

Cake decorating….I’ve done some, I don’t love it as much as I thought I would, but I do like to make cupcakes and donuts.

Learn Belly Dancing…..I’ve got a dvd, I just haven’t done it yet.

Get nosed pierced….not yet

Get Sleeve tattoo….not yet

Get Pregnant?…..not yet, but this one has a question mark because I didn’t know if I want to have another baby, still not sure.

11 things on my list and a lot undone.  But I’ve still got this year, and we’ll have some open money to do some of these things, like my tattoo and going dancing more.  Thank you Devin’s job for the raise.

*35* almost...15 days early.

July July 25, 2010

So here’s what happened in July.

I went to Kansas for 10 days over the 4th and for Fletcher’s 2nd Birthday.

I had a great time and got to spend time with some friends without feeling rushed.

Our fireworks on the 4th got rained out, but we still had a good time with a house full, and when I say full I mean it, house full of people.  There had to have been at least 30 people in the house out at the farm waiting for the rain to stop.  Some of the guys were so desperate to light stuff on fire that they would go out in-between down pours to light off a few.

Fletcher turned 2.  I can hardly believe it but it’s true.  My sweet little baby is now a sweet little toddler.

We had a good time partying it up out at the farm.

Birthday boy with his birthday cupcakes.

He loves his Woody doll.

Cool tricycle Grandpa Ray fixed up with it's awesomeness.

Customized

Playing with Zip

Almost petting the horses.

Sharing popcorn at the movies with Grandma Mary.

Swimming with Grandma Marie.

Heading home from Kansas. Older and wiser.

A lot of the birthday pictures did not turn out, they were really blurry.  There were some really cute ones from blowing out the candles that just didn’t turn out.  Oh well, we lived it and it was fun.  Next time we’ll know better to check the setting on the camera to make sure we get the best pictures we can.

I hope ya’all had a happy July, I know we Mack’s did.

Where did it go? June 24, 2010

The time.

Where did it go, and why did it go so fast.

Did I use that time wisely?

Will I remember enough as the years keep going by?

My little baby (who was never really little, when you’re talkin baby size. 10 lb. 11.5 oz, 23 inches long) will be two next month.

4 days old

I don’t understand why you don’t get to have them stay small and dependent longer.

I’m sure it has something to do with lack of sleep and brain function for the mammas and the daddies.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited for all the big steps he takes, and seeing him become more and more independent. (98% of me is excited, 2%  wishes he’d stay needing me to sustain life for the rest of his life.)  It just seems like he became a big boy so fast.

Yes I know that one day I’ll have to cut those apron strings and it’s my job to prepare him for the big wide world.  But for now, you just shut your mouth about it.  I can’t hear you….LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!!!

Because it goes by so fast, I’m doing my best to pay attention to everything and hoping and hoping I remember most of it as the years go by.

Fletcher is:

Amazing

Funny

Loving

Smart

Silly

He loves to sing

He loves to name everything in the room when he first wakes up and he likes to do it loudly.

He talks to the TV when we watch movies and tv shows.  (he gets that from me)

He’s challenging

He’s full of passion

He’s strong

He has huge feet

Smiling eyes

My life is so much better than I ever imagined it could be, and it’s all because of him.

I believe that I’m the luckiest mama that ever lived.

2 days old

2 years old......almost

Dreams June 22, 2010

Like most people, I’ve got some dreams. Big dreams, little dreams….life dreams.

For the past few years I’ve had the same two dreams.

One is to sew, sew things for babies, mostly blankets.  Mostly larger sized blankets.  This came about because Fletcher was a long baby and ALL of the blankets we got from the store were too small after the first week.  And it was next to impossible to find blankets that didn’t have sports or race cars on them.  Because if it doesn’t have a big football on it saying “Daddy’s little Champ”  how will you know he’s a boy.

Plus things for girls are not that much better.  If boys must have sports then girls must all be princesses.

So I thought I could make a better blanket, so I set out to do just that.  Only I’m a big fat scaredy cat who is afraid to try to sell her wears for fear the public will hate them, or wonder where she gets off charging so much for a baby blanket.

That brings me to my next dream.

Dream #2

I want to have a donut shop, or I guess more accurately a donut, cookie and cupcake shop.  And I want to deliver them to people.

People having parties, or businesses having meetings, or just anyone having meetings.  Book clubs, girl scouts, boys play Dungeons and Dragons, you get the picture.

But what if not enough people like what I make.

What if I’m just another person wanting to jump on the “cupcake popularity that’s sweeping the nation” bandwagon.

And so what if I am, as long as my sweets are good, and I bring happiness to the people that eat them.

So far I’ve made cookies, cupcakes and donuts for the people at Devin’s work, and they’ve all gotten very good reviews with requests for more.  If fact, one of the managers at the store wants to do a trade with me.  I hook him up with some Goodie baskets and he’ll give me the box set of Lost.  That’s a pretty sweet deal. (no pun intended)

Maybe it’s the beginning of something?

Maybe I’ll only ever do tradesies with people, but isn’t that what they use to do in the olden days.

Maybe with some good word of mouth people will pay me for them someday.  Who knows.

It’s not a dream…but Devin and I had this great idea for a bar, and once we started talking about it and brainstorming some ideas for it, well, I just go so excited.

I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s a really good idea for a bar, and if I told you and you ran with it and it was successful then I would be sad….and mad…at you.

If we ever write up a business plan and go after investors, then I’ll tell you.  I promise.

A change…..will do you good. June 18, 2010

This is what I did last night.

I started with Brown hair.

Step 1. lighten up hair

I used what we in the hair biz would call a soap cap.

I used hair bleach and shampoo to rub out the old color in my hair.

This can be hard on your hair, but I did it anyway.

Step 2....lighen up hair even more

Here is my end result.

Now I'm a fiery Copper head.

Devin has been trying to get me to go red for as long as I’ve known  him.  He picked out the color, and he really loves it on me.   It’s really really bright and not natural looking at all.  It’s a little out of my “35 year old Keri” comfort zone, but that’s good cause I think I was getting boring.  Now I feel rock star and spunky again.  It may have just been the change I was desperately needing in my life.  Now I just need to get that sleeve tattoo I’ve been wanting.  It’s all coming together.

PS…please pay no attention to the tooth paste splatters on the mirror, like me, I’d like you to pretend that my house is always spotless and I am the perfect house wife and mom.  Kisses.

Sewing and stuff June 14, 2010

So lately I’ve been getting my sew on…and some cooking too.  Most of my sewing has been for the home, little home improvement type things.  Like finally redoing the unattractive foot stool I got about two years ago.

Before

After

I also whipped up a screen to cover up the cheap shelf we got for the dvd’s.  It was supposed to keep Fletch out of the dvds…..it doesn’t.

Now you see em!

Now you don't.

Recovered some ugly pillows.

Came with our couch.

Thrifted

Nice

I loved how this one turned out.

I used all fabric that I already had on hand and some old sheets that I thrifted.  It’s been a lot of fun and I really love sewing, it makes me feel really good inside.  It’s definitely  good for my soul.  But I know I should be sewing for Sweet Monkey Snugs, and finishing my projects for the babies.  I think I’m afraid that if I finish them and put them out there to sell, no one will buy them.  Just because I like them doesn’t mean other people will.  Yes, yes, I know, you never know until you try, but that fear is really getting the better of me.

But aside from that I’ve got lots of projects lined up.  Bags, skirts, shorts for Fletch and a little roll up picnic rug for Fletch and us.  So when I get some more of those finished, I’ll show em to ya.

Oh, I also painted and mounted my coffee cup holder.  I love how good it looks with my colorful mugs.

I love it.

I’ve done some more thrifting and I’ve found some good stuff.  Money’s been tight, so most of it I’ve left behind for someone else to treasure, but a few things I just couldn’t do without.   My faves are the sugar bowl that was meant to be mine and the cute little plate that jumped out and said, “put your sewing pins in me”.  So I did.

My little lovelies!

Not only have I been sewing but I’ve been expanding my horizens in the kitchen.  Making things I never thought I would make.

I made a homemade chicken pot pie, it was so yummy.  Today I’m actually making homemade dinner rolls.  I’m very excited/nervous about it.  I’ve been making tons of chocolate chip cookies for Devin to take to work.  They think he’s the luckiest guy ever.  Which he is, but so am I.  And my fave thing that I’ve made are the donuts, the yummy soft and beautiful donuts.  Devin also took them to work and has since had many requests for me to make more.

The kitchen was covered in donuts. I think that is what heaven will be for me.

Isn't she beautiful?

And of course I could leave you without a picture of Fletcher.

Bubbles!

New haircut! May 23, 2010

Hi y’all!!!

Long and wild hair.

Short and sassy.

Can little boys have sassy hair?  He seems sassy with it, so we’ll go with it.

I love love love love this picture.

Fletcher is having new developments everyday, it’s hard to keep up with him.

My favorite new thing is that he’s singing more.  It use to be maybe a word or two, but now he’s getting more into it.

He’s dancing, which is pretty new.  Just today we took Devin’s lunch to him at work, while we were waiting for him to be free, Fletch pulled me all over the media area.  They have a couple of different areas set up with Rock Band, and some mild metal was playing, to which Fletch started head banging.  I kid you not. I was hilarious and adorable all wrapped up in one.

This leads us into the next Fletcher development….the fierce screaming tantrum.

Which he also had while we were taking Devin his lunch.

THAT BOY IS LOUD.

But mostly he’s funny and sweet and super loving.  He’s also big on giving hugs.  And when I’m really really lucky I get the face grabbing eskimo kiss “I love you”  It’s my most treasured thing in all the world.

I also treasure these moments.

Super Fletcher!

He just started really using he's easel as an easel.

A week in KS May 1, 2010

I know I know…I’ve been a bad blogger.  I’m sorry.

I spent last weekend and part of the week in Kansas.  It was great to see my family, and Fletch had the best time ever with his cousins, who I think he loves more then Bert & Ernie…..which is a lot.

Singing to Bert on our way to Kansas.

My parents also came down from Iowa last weekend.  I’m glad, cause I know they were as excited to see Fletch as he was to see them.  Of course I didn’t hardly take any pictures, even though I say I’m going to, I always forget.  The next time we see them will be in July for Fletcher’s big 2 birthday.

I got to spend too brief amount of time with a few of my friends and it was great to see them and I miss them so much.  I haven’t made any new friends out here yet, so it was great to chat it up.

I would have liked to have spent more one on one time with my sister, we’ll have to plan a sister’s weekend and meet up somewhere and just do it up.

I miss Lawrence, but it was really good to come home.  I didn’t think I would call Colorado home so quickly, but I like it here.  It feels like the right place for me and my family.  But that doesn’t mean I won’t be making plenty of trips back to Kansas.

Cheeseball!

Here, I'll help you.

Don't worry Lily, I'll help you too.

I love those guys.

YEA, lets wrangle some chickens.

Oh Noah, you are so funny.

Park ‘N’ Stuff April 15, 2010

Fletcher has been doing well here in Colorado.  We’ve been to the park a few times, but most days it’s still just a little to nippy out for that.  At least for me it is.  But the trees are FINALLY starting to turn green, which I desperately needed.  With the green “springing” forth my need to be outside is growing, so there will probably be many more days at the park for us.  I really want to get a season pass to the zoo, we would go all the ding dang time.

Taking one stair at a time is soooo last year.

The love of a freshly found stick.

Twins

Come on Dad....keep up.