5 on Friday

1. We had a great Christmas with the Larson and Thorson group! Ellie loved opening presents, and is still asking where Santa and Baby Jesus are.

2. We are finally back in the beer brewing business! After a hiatus due to the pregnancy and move, we have two beers in the primary and two more lined up to brew once the primary is available.

3. Ellie and I had a nice visit with Aunt Megan, Cousin Liam and Baxter on Wednesday--- minus Ellie stepping on Liam and being put in time-out twice. We are hoping New Year's Eve goes a little better.

4. I spent my day off yesterday having various groups of people in and out of the house doing repairs--- the house is almost complete!

5. Now we just wait for the new furniture to arrive in the next couple of weeks.

Christmas Card

Hearts And Home Christmas Card

Turn your favorite photos into your favorite Christmas cards!

View the entire collection of cards.

5 on Friday

1. Biggest news of the week--- Ellie is getting a new aunt and cousin! Nick's brother, Jamie, proposed to his girlfriend, Jill last Friday night. We are excited to have Jill and her little 3-year old boy, Bodey, join the family. Ellie already asks when Bodey can come over so we know they will fit in perfectly. Congrats Jamie, Jill, Hunter, Garrett and Bodey!

2. We had Christmas with my family last weekend. Although she didn't make it through the entire Cousin Camp-Out, Ellie had a lot of fun playing with her cousins. My 10-year old niece, Sammy, even let Ellie play with her DSi! Ellie, like her daddy, it a total techie and thought it was great. My fear is she will want one for Christmas next year (or a iPad, eReader or laptop that actually works).

3. Ellie has started taking naps without diapers! Knock on wood, she has been dry thus far.

4. She still likes to take her diaper off at night-time. I know she isn't ready to go all night without a diaper given how wet the diaper is in the morning and am struggling with how to keep the diaper on. We tried duct-tape, which really upset her so we will not be doing that anymore. I thought about putting her PJs on backwards, but then I think about how uncomfortable that must be and cannot bring myself to do it. Right now we are going with her getting a M&M each morning if she leaves her diaper on the night before. Yes, I am resorting to bribes/rewards.

5. Ellie got a shopping cart from my parents for Christmas. She loves to put Elmo in the cart and drive him around. My guess is the next time we go to the store we are going to have a hard time putting her in the cart, as she will most likely want to drive it instead.

5 on Friday

1. Someone in our house has started taking of her PJ bottoms and diaper before falling asleep at night. This does not make her Mommy and Daddy happy when they find her sleeping in a wet spot.

2. That same someone has started going without a diaper during nap-time at day-care!

3. Last Saturday we made the trip to Willey, Iowa for Christmas with the extended Greving side of the family. Ellie went without a nap and you could tell by the end of the trip. She feel asleep within minutes of starting our drive home.

4. I had today off of work. It was nice to be able to get a few things done before the business weekend.

5. Nick started a workout program at one of the facilities here in Waukee. His class starts at 6AM 6 days a week. He is not a morning person and I am very proud of him for getting up each day and working out.

Baking

Ellie and Mommy had baking morning the other week. Then had a baking evening a few days later. Ellie LOVED to 'help' in any way she could. As you can see by the bottom pictures, she was a very good 'taste tester'. I think that was her favorite part.

Waukee WinterFest

The other week we went to Waukee's Winterfest with our friends, the Beltman Family. It was a little cold outside waiting in line for Santa- but was still really fun. Ellie was only a little afraid of this Santa. I think it helped that her friend, Sophia, talked to Santa first. It was neat going to our first town gathering now that we officially live in Waukee.

Ellie and Daddy hanging out waiting for Santa.
The line is slowly moving... lots of people to visit Santa.

Ellie did not want to sit on Santa's lap, but was OK sitting on Mommy's.

Ellie's Birthday

A week after moving in we hosted a small birthday party for Ellie. Nothing big or extravagant, but Ellie enjoyed having a day all about her.

Enjoying her lasagna birthday dinner.

Getting ready to blow out her candle on top of her birthday cakeball. She requested to wear the hat, as that is what Elmo is wearing in the picture on her shirt.
The cakeballs were pretty much the extent of decorating we did (and Elmo balloons I guess). I was just glad we had plates to eat off of and places for people to sit.
The silly 2-year old waiting to open her gifts.
Ellie enjoying her very own little kid Camelback water-backpack. Now she can quit borrowing Daddy's when she wants a drink.

Halloween

Like I said in the 5 on Friday post, I finally got my pictures updated--- from as far back as June. Here are pictures from Trick-or-Treat night in Ankeny and Ellie's day-care Halloween Parade.

Ellie and her day-care friends waiting patiently after their parade through the atrium at FBL.Ellie and Liam with Grandpa and Grandma.

Mike the "Tourist" getting ready to pass out candy to the kids.

5 on Friday

1. Ellie and I had baking day/morning last Saturday. Her favorite part is "taste testing." She was a big mess when it was all said and done.

2. Last Friday night we went to Winterfest in Waukee. It was cold standing in-line waiting for Santa, but we had a good time!

3. Last night we had Ellie's Christmas Program at day-care. It was very cute. Nick took a video of it, but the size may be too big to post.

4. We ordered new furniture for our new house this week as well! It will arrive in mid-January and mid-April. We are very excited for Ellie to get her big girl bed and get the transition started before the new baby arrives.

5. I finally got around to updating our Shutterfly ShareSite the other day. Pictures from as far as June of this year! It is amazing how fast Ellie has grown and how much she has changed. Time really does fly.

5 on Friday

1. The house is decorated for Christmas. Although not a whole ton since not everything from the old house fits in the new house and I cannot find what I want in the stores for additional decoration. It will be a work in progress for a few years as we figure out our needs and style.

2. The presents are wrapped and under the tree--- now we can just sit back and enjoy the holiday season.

3. Ellie is doing a good job with the Christmas tree. We haven't had to move a single ornament out of her reach!

4. Last night we were invited to a Christmas Party thrown by my friend, Rich, and his financial advising company. What a surprise when we saw my brother and his two kids there as well! It was a fun time and VERY kid friendly--- balloon animals, kid-type food (in addition to adult food), Santa (complete with pictures) and a storyteller! Ellie is not a fan of Santa, but she LOVES her balloon doggy.

5. Our pillars are up on the house (although they still need to be painted). And the bar cabinet doors are supposed to be installed tomorrow. Now if only the boxes would unpack themselves and we could find the furniture we want at the price we want!

5 on Friday

1. I had the whole week off! Although there was not much 'vacation' aspect of it, I got a lot done!

2. Including all of our Christmas shopping! Nick and I spent Tuesday shopping. He is a very good shopping partner and lists from others make it SO much easier.

3. Last Sunday my mom, sister and I made a day trip to IKEA in MN! It was a successful trip (with a van load of purchases) and a lot of fun. Thanks, Mom!

4. Ellie's new thing is having friends over to her house. She asks for them all the time! Last Saturday her friends Gracie and Lucie came over, Tuesday night Sophia and Baby (Collin), and yesterday Ruby (and Izzy, Ally and Sammy) stopped by. I told her today was just Mommy, Daddy and Ellie--- she looked a little disappointed. Mommy and Daddy must not be enough fun for her.

5. Yesterday we enjoyed Thanksgiving at my mom and dad's house. 32 of us total! Ellie has a blast playing with her cousins. So much so she skipped nap. This meant she slept in this morning. Good thing we were done with our shopping and didn't need to be anywhere at 7AM (or midnight or 10PM last night).

Thanksgiving Extra: On Tuesday Ellie slept in... we didn't wake her up because we didn't have to go anywhere at a certain time and could drop her off at day-care whenever. We learned that letting her sleep in on day-care days is not a good thing, as she opted to not take a nap and instead throw books at the other kids that were sleeping--- thus waking them up. Let's just say it was not a good day at day-care.

5 on Friday

1. We celebrated Ellie's 2nd birthday on Sunday! It is crazy how fast they grow up.

2. We found out Ellie was going to have a baby sister. She is getting very good at saying, "little sister."

3. We had water in the basement... of our brand new house... not fun. Turns out when they installed the bar cabinets they punctured a water pipe or something. At least we don't have to pay to get it fixed and the damage is not too bad.

4. Ellie has been very clingy lately. She always wants to be held or on someones lap. And lots of tears when she doesn't get her way. I guess this comes with the age--- or so the Dr. said.

5. Ellie had her 2-year well-visit on Monday. She is doing great for her age--- even ahead developmentally (and in size!) And her iron levels are normal! Which means we don't HAVE to go back to the Dr. for a whole year and she can stop taking her iron supplements.

It's a...

... GIRL! Ellie is going to have a little sister. When we asked her before we found out if she wanted a baby brother or a baby sister she would almost always say baby brother. I think this was because the two newest babies she knows are both boys. She is now saying that she is going to have a baby sister. Although she also still says that she is the baby...

Happy 2nd Birthday, Eleanor!

Dear Ellie,

I can hardly believe two years have passed since you officially joined our family! You have grown up so much in those past two years. I feel like if I blink I will miss something new with you.

According to Dr. Jay, you are right on track or slightly ahead developmentally. You can put together lots of two and three word sentences, even forming a four word sentence every once in a while. You talk about yourself in third person almost all of the time. You love Elmo, coloring and reading. You know your surroundings and after spending over a month in a hotel, are glad to be back in a ‘home’ with your own belongings. You started potty training (because you were interested, not because Mommy and Daddy were in a hurry to have it done) and have mastered it except for during nap-time and night-time. Day-care thinks you will be ready to go diaper-free at nap-time really soon. You love M&M’s and earn them any chance you can get. You are not a picky eater, but have your days. You are starting to get a little more afraid of loud sounds and are not sure you like the doorbell at the new house. You love to play “run” (aka hide-n-seek) with Mommy and Daddy any chance you get. You also go bye-bye and outside any chance whenever possible. Talking about your friends at day-care and outside of day-care occurs daily. Outside of Mommy and Daddy, Aunt Megan is probably your favorite person. You don’t have to be the center of attention, but you enjoy being around other people and would rather play with other people around than by yourself. You have an independent side that is starting to show. Daddy says you get this from Mommy, but Mommy thinks it comes from both of us. You love to brush your teeth and take bathes. You are not really into the TV, unless Elmo or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is on--- and even then it only keeps your attention for a few minutes. You love to sing songs (or have them sung to you) and to dance around. You have many ‘faces’ and expressions that you share with people. You are not hard to read in that aspect. You are still an easy child, although I am sure we will have some rougher moments in the next two years as you establish your independence and test your boundaries more and more. Thank you for coming into my life and letting me be your Mommy. It means more than you will ever know. Love you!

Mommy

5 on Friday

1. We have a new house! And actually get to live there! We had rescheduled closing for Tuesday, but late Friday afternoon we were able to get it changed to Monday morning (Thanks, Jess!). What a beautiful day to move, much better than Tuesday or Wednesday. With the help of my mom, dad and Two Men & A Truck (or 2 men, 1 woman and a truck as we had) we got it all moved in before 4PM that afternoon. Ellie's room was set up before she was picked up at day-care and the kitchen was done before the end of the night. I was very happy with the progress we made the first day.

2. Nick and I were back to work the next day, and have been doing a few boxes each night. We now have both upstairs bathrooms done (as much as they will be for the time being) and our closet done. Now, if we could only find the feet to our bed-frame we could have our bedroom done. Until then we are sleeping on the floor, which is still an upgrade from the hotel beds.

3. Ellie LOVES, LOVES, LOVES her new house. We are so happy about that and the transition has been very easy (after being in a hotel for a month plus). She does call it "Grandpa's House," although I think that is because the only other garage she has driven into has been at my parent's house and they were the first people she saw when she came home the first day. At day-care she has been talking about "Ellie's House" to all of her friends and teachers. She loves her room, but loves the basement more. We had neighbors stop over Monday night and Ellie was very proud showing the older kids her house and all of her toys.

4. We also had family pictures taken on Sunday downtown. We cannot wait to see how they turned out.

5. We ended up switching hotels Friday, good decision as Ellie liked the second hotel much more than the first. And the pool was warmer so we could actually swim. The Beltman Family came over Friday night for swim/play time. Watching Ellie scream when she saw Sophia and Brad was priceless. Saturday night Megan, Mike and Liam joined us for a swim (although Liam didn't swim). Ellie had a great time then too and enjoyed getting to go out for frozen yogurt after dinner.

Bonus: what a crazy week! Wonderful, busy, crazy. And the fun doesn't end. Today we find out the gender of Baby #2!

5 on Friday

1. Yes, since I have time to write this it means we did not move into the new house as planned. No counter-tops equals no moving in.

2. We are now hoping to move in on Tuesday. Let's hope this actually happens.

3. Of course we didn't find out about the delay until AFTER we had spent the lunch hour shopping for and buying curtains rods for the windows and liner for the cabinets. No big deal, we need them anyway--- but I would rather not have to store them in our car or in the hotel until the time comes. Oh well, we will work around it.

4. Ellie had a great time trick-or-treating at day-care. She still does not understand what she is doing, but she likes to be in her monkey costume.

5. Helping hand out candy was a little bit more difficult as Ellie got REALLY scared the first time she heard the doorbell, the dog bark and people dressed in scary costumes at the door. After that she was a little more hesitant, but still wanted to help. Thanks to Mike and Megan for letting us hang out with them Sunday night!

Occupancy

I was getting our bills ready for the builder yesterday and noticed that a few days ago the hotel stopped charging us the "occupancy sales tax" and "state occupancy tax." I thought that was odd and wanted to make sure the bill was correct, so I called the hotel to verify. Sure enough, after living in a hotel for so many consecutive days you establish residency there. We are official residents of the hotel. Never thought that would happen.

As my co-worker put it: I can cross that off my bucket list. Too bad it was never on there in the first place, and is something I hope to never experience again.

We are still scheduled to close on the new house tomorrow and will be waiting around for the certificate of occupancy to arrive (crossing our fingers that occurs tomorrow as well). Wish us luck!

The Hunger Games Series

Despite having cable TV at the hotel, it is very boring. So I started reading "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins. I had my name on the reserve list at the library, but of course it came up during moving time so I never got the book. Since I didn't want to wait another 2 months until my name came up again I broke down and purchased a paper back copy of it.

What a good book! Not one I would read over and over again like Harry Potter or Twilight, but still very good. There are three books in the series: "The Hunger Games," "Catching Fire," and "Mockingjay."

*I have to admit, I put the book on my reserve list without knowing anything about it. My sister recommended the series to me and I took her word for it. Then I purchased the book, also not knowing anything about it... until Nick asked what it was about so I read the back cover description. At which point I wasn't so sure I wanted to read it. But I did and I am so happy that I did. It is a very good book and even better series.

I highly recommended it to anyone looking for a quick read.

5 on Friday

1. 1 week until we are in our new house! Can you tell we are all very excited? Closing got pushed to the 4th now, we will not be happy if it gets pushed back again (another weekend in the hotel).

2. Last Sunday Ellie and I went to the Iowa Orchard pumpkin patch and picked out a pumpkin. Nick was helping out at a bike race so he was unable to join us. Ellie and I also took a hayrack ride and she got to play in the corn box and go down the slides. It was nothing too special, but good for a kid her size.

3. That same night we had our annual pumpkin carving night with Mike, Megan and Liam. We only did 2 pumpkins this year (one for Ellie and one for Liam). With two little ones, it was much easier than everyone doing their own pumpkin. Nick and Mike were in charge of the pumpkin carving. They did a great job.

4. Ellie learned a new 'trick' this week--- climbing out of her crib onto the bed at the hotel. The new house cannot be ready soon enough! This is not a trick we were excited about, even though I laughed when I found her sitting on the bed.

5. Ellie had her first visit to the dentist this week. She was a ROCK STAR! She opened her mouth for the dental hygienist AND Dr. Matt. Dr. Matt said she was looking great and right on track. Ellie was very excited for her new toothbrush and was brushing her teeth on her way out of the building.

*If we close as scheduled, there will not be a 5 on Friday post next week. However, I do promise lots of pictures of the new house once we are moved in.

New House

I am finally feeling better, and getting more and more excited about the new house. Although closing keeps getting pushed back, they are making progress. I realized I haven't posted much for pictures of the new house--- so here are a few. Nick is more of the picture taker, so I only have a few of them available to me right now.

The lockers:
Having lockers was one of Nick's requests. I agree with him that they will be great for getting the kids ready to head out during the winter months. It has since been stained a dark brown color to match the kitchen. Now I just have to find some cute baskets to put in the cubbies to hold shoes and winter gear!

The outside of the house with the siding on it:
It is hard to pick out siding because you never know how the colors will look together and on the actual house. We drove around and around looking for color combinations that we liked (originally we wanted something OTHER than tan). In the end, we put three colors together we thought would look good and went with it. I wish the shakes (the brown color) were a little darker. Nick wishes they were a little lighter. Once the outside lighting was added it really brought the colors together (sorry-- no pictures with the lights at this time). According to the sample photo, the official front door should be dark brown wood. You cannot really tell in the picture, but the front door is taller than a normal front door, we call it the Brad Door after one of our taller friends, Brad. It is different--- so of course Nick loves it because he loves anything that is different than the norm (I like it as well).

The walkway to the front door:
We left the quarter circle as dirt and will put some plants and rocks in there next spring. It is actually a lot bigger area then I was thinking it was going to be. We are happy with the stone on the front of the house. Also one of the choices that you don't know how it will look until it is up. We have two pillars that will be put in on the front porch. It will make the porch look smaller, but I think it will add to the design of the house.

We went out to the house today to get the mail and see how progress was coming. This is what we found:
Cabinets! So much space to fill with fun kitchen tools. Now all those bins of kitchen supplies that were in the basement at the last house will finally have a home. And anything without a home will be donated to Goodwill (my agreement with Nick). The picture is a little dark--- it was taken with my camera phone. I love the under cabinet lighting, our Realtor recommended we do that and I think it was a good choice. The island will have the sink and the dishwasher, along with a eating place for a few chairs. Makes me want the next week to go by really, really fast as I cannot wait to get into a REAL kitchen again!

We hope to be moving in a week from tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that we do not get pushed back again, as the hotel is getting old for all of us and another weekend is not desired.

Iowa Orchard

This is my favorite picture from Ellie and my trip to the Iowa Orchard pumpkin patch last weekend.

5 on Friday

1. Nick went to the Primus concert last Saturday night, so Ellie and I went and spent the night up in Ames. It was nice to get out of the hotel for a while and Ellie enjoyed spending time with Grandma and Grandpa (especially Grandpa and his toys!).

2. I started having ligament spasms in my lower abdomen last Friday and they are still going on. The Dr. said it is normal and nothing to worry about (just another fun part of pregnancy). They recommend minimal activity and laying around as much as possible (pretty much any time I am not at work). It really hurts and I have almost been in tears a few times. However, I would take this pain over the constant nausea feeling any day.

3. Laying around with an almost 2 year old--- not easy. But Daddy has been helping out and chasing Ellie a little extra.

4. The St. Louis Cardinals are in the World Series. Ellie and I are very excited. She only get to watch the national anthem and part of the first inning before bed--- but she loves it, claps during the singing and gets a little upset when they go to commercial. She is getting very good at saying, "Go Cardinals!"

5. The house is coming alone and we are set to close on November 2nd. Cross your fingers that it does not get delayed again. I don't know how much more hotel life we can handle.

Bonus 6 and maybe too much information--- Ellie has pooped in the potty a couple times at day-care this week! We are SO proud!!!!!!!! She is loving her M&Ms during the Cardinal game as a reward for her accomplishments.

5 on Friday

1. Ellie loved having her friends, Gracie and Lucie, come visit on Saturday. It was so neat to see her interact with the girls.

2. I started reading The Hunger Games on Sunday. Finished it on Tuesday. I highly recommend it.

3. Go Cardinals!

4. We are working on getting Ellie to tell her day-care teachers that she has to go potty, instead of doing her little potty dance. Yesterday she did really well.

5. Ellie enjoyed going to Mike and Megan's on Sunday. I told her we would go after her nap, she tried to get away with a 5 minute nap and woke up saying "Me-Me house?"

5 on Friday

1. We are officially in the hotel, with our belongings in PODS somewhere in Des Moines.

2. The pool water is a little cold, so we haven't been swimming much (besides Nick who has enjoyed the hot tub multiple times). We did go swimming last night with our friends, the Beltman Family, and Ellie LOVED it! Ellie was still talking about "Phia" this morning.

3. The 'good' night last night was a welcome change to the previous night's 'bad' night. Ellie was not a fan of the hotel room Wednesday night. Poor little girl!

4. Ellie does like going to get breakfast each morning! She runs down to the lobby and knows exactly where to go. Then she carries a juice and her food back with her like a little grown-up.

5. Ellie also gets to watch Mickey's Clubhouse (or something like that) each morning and she loves that. We don't have cable, so it is a little treat. Not fun is that cable does not have Sesame Street--- she has asked for Elmo a few times already.

5 on Friday

We interrupt the regularly schedule "5 on Friday" post to MOVE.

If you are bored, in the DM area, and want to move boxes, beds, couches and whatever else is in our house--- come on over. Beer and pizza will be served around dinner time.

Next up: our new temporary residence-

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/dsmur-towneplace-suites-des-moines-urbandale/

Let the fun begin.

Ellie's Message

So 'tomorrow' means three days from now in a "moving in a week, totally overwhelmed pregnant ladies" mind.

5 on Friday

1. The packing continues. Ellie likes to 'help' by holding the box while Mommy puts the tape on it. I tried to get her to put the hangers in the box when I was done with them. Instead she just played with them on the floor and tried to try on my shoes.

2. It has been a busy week at work. I am the co-chair of our company's United Way Campaign and this week was our big kick-off week. We had a Leadership Event on Tuesday and a Carnival on Wednesday. I am exhausted!

3. There is siding on the new house! One step closer to it being done in October. I have yet to see it, but Nick said it looks good. You never know how the colors are going to look when they are actually on the house.

4. We move in 1 week. While we are really excited about the move, it has happened so fast. We will miss the lake in the back of the house, but enjoy the extra space inside the house.

5. And there is so much else going on in our lives. But more on that tomorrow...

Emptying the Kitchen

If is official, we are moving.

We started packing this weekend.

Since we are moving into a extended stay hotel and not the actual house like originally planned, our packing was adjusted some... it now included emptying out the kitchen, deep freeze and fridge as much as possible (we were planning on just moving everything to the new house and not worrying and reducing as much).

So... today was baking day! Chili, cornbread muffin, zucchini muffins and apple crisp! Most of the items taken from our cupboards or fridge/freezer. Ellie loves to help bake, so it was a lot of fun.

It also works out perfectly that Ellie's day-care starts their annual food pantry drive tomorrow. Ellie may single handedly win her class the ice cream and movie party that goes to the class with the most items. At the very least she is giving them a good start (and helping get rid of some items in our cupboards that we will not use in the next two weeks).

Now back to the packing.

5 on Friday

1. Our first week of potty training has gone great! Yes, we had accidents. But overall Ellie is a champ and catching on very quickly. Yesterday she made it the whole day at day-care without any accidents! She had one #2 accident with Daddy at home that night. Going #2 in the potty is going to be our challenge.

2. Last night I joined my aunt at an A Muse Studio Open House (card-making supplies). Oh what great ideas! I think I am motivated to start my arts and crafts again (it has been 9 months!). Unfortunately....

3. ... the card-making will have to wait a little while longer. We have a house to pack-up since we have to be out of it in 2 weeks. I think we may start packing this weekend--- we just have to find boxes.

4. Once we get the house packed up we will be moving... to a hotel... we found out yesterday that our house will not be ready for our September 30th closing. Our builder has offered to put us up someplace until the house is done (2 weeks to a month). Instead of unpacking in an apartment for 2 weeks I think we are going to move into an extended stay suite hotel. Not ideal, but we will make do. I told Nick, "When we go to move into our new house Ellie is going to be used to sleeping in the same room as us, having a indoor pool to swim in each night, and a hot breakfast each morning. Do you think she will be disappointed?"

5. Ellie and I survived our 4 days alone (and it sounds like Nick had fun on his bike get-away). Thanks to Megan and Liam (and Mike and Baxter) for letting us hang out with them on Saturday. On the way home I asked Ellie who she played with that day. She responded, "Ba-ter." I guess the puppy is all that matters to her.

5 on Friday

1. Last weekend we made the trip to West Bend to join in the Yoch Farm Centennial Celebration! It was great seeing cousins that I hadn't seen since our wedding (or before). And all their little kids (some that came after the wedding).

2. Ellie decided last weekend was a good weekend to start potty training her Mommy and Daddy. I am serious when I say her training us, because she goes in the potty like a champ--- we just have to notice when she goes into the bathroom so we can help her out with the diaper/underwear.

3. Ellie and I are on our own this weekend, as Nick is off on his annual biking trip. I have designated this weekend our "potty training weekend". This week I picked up big girl underwear (unfortunately I could not find Elmo underwear like I was hoping to), Play-Doh, treats (for both Mommy and Ellie), and a new pad of Color Wonder Paper since Ellie loves to draw (but is not a fan of coloring in pictures--- she like to be creative on a blank canvas). I have a ton of stickers, so I am sure those will come out this weekend as well. I still need to pick up a step stool, as I am already tired of holding her up to wash her hands every 20 minutes. The kid loves to wash her hands. Sometimes I think she goes potty just so she can wash her hands! Last week Ellie went Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night (after day-care until bedtime) without any accidents. Tuesday of this week was accident free, then we had a little accident on Wednesday because she was sitting on the chair and I didn't get her down quick enough. She even went #2 a couple of times. Knock on wood- but I think she is ready to potty train (and we are now ready as well).

4. Ellie has started calling me "Mom." Not sure where she gets it, but I am not a fan.

5. No, we have not started packing up the house for the move at the end of the month. People keep asking. I am in no hurry to do so. Maybe we will start next week. It will get done.

Go Hawks!

5 on Friday

1. Ellie and Daddy spent Tuesday night flying paper airplanes. It was pretty cute to watch.

2. Our house is not a fan of teething. Lots of tears during the night and not a lot of sleeping. Poor baby girl... and Mommy... and Daddy.

3. Aunt Megan and Liam stopped over on Sunday. Ellie got to touch the baby for the first time--- she is in love.

4. On Wednesday, Ellie and I went to the mall to grab some new Hawk and Cowboy 'game day' shirts. Since Ellie was such a good girl, we decided to play at the play-place there as well. She loved it. And since she didn't cry when we left, I told her we might be able to go back next week.

5. We had an electrical walk-through of our new house. It is crazy how many little decisions go into building a house. And most of them I don't really care about.

5 on Friday

1. Last Sunday we had the honor of celebrating our Godson's baptism into the Catholic Church. Liam had a great turnout for his special day and we had lots of fun.

2. Ellie has started in the next room up at day-care. She get to play outside 2 times a day and loves it! As a result, she has come home very tired lately an a little grumpy.

3. She has also started hitting more at home. And a few bites at home (none at school). We are working on this.

4. House decisions are pretty much done. Now we just wait for the builder to work on the house.

5. Liam (and Megan) sent Ellie (and me) a video over the phone the other night. She LOVED it and wanted to watch it over and over again. We tried to send one back, but Ellie was more concerned with being behind the camera so she could watch Liam's video again (and again and again) than being in front of the camera to make a video. She was very quick to point out the baby, book and Baxter in the video. She was a little concerned when Baxter left the screen.

5 on Friday

1. This week was filled with more house decisions. Design layout on Monday. Siding on Wednesday. Flooring yesterday... next week: appliances and lighting.

2. While 'building' a house should be a ton of fun, I just want it to be done. I think the thought of moving everything from one house to another house doesn't excite me. Lots to do within 6 weeks.

3. Tuesday we went to the Iowa State Fair. My mom's side of the family was awarded a Centennial Farm award which was very neat. We also ran into my Godfather, Joe, while at the Fair!

4. Ellie is getting her eye teeth in. It has not been fun.

5. We spent Saturday visiting both Grandparents in Ames. It was a fun day and we were exhausted by the time we got home.

5 on Friday

1. Last Saturday we got together with Nick’s extended family for a picnic in Ames. What fun it is to see all the little kids together! Thanks for organizing it, Emily!

2. The house went on the market last Friday. No pictures, just the data sheet. We got a call that someone wanted to look at it Saturday afternoon. We were very excited and it worked out perfectly since we were going to be in Ames (otherwise it would have been right in the middle of nap time). Saturday night our realtor called us. We had an offer!!!! We countered, thinking they would counter back. But no, they accepted! And pending the outcome of the inspection, we are set to close on September 30^th.

3. The house was on the market a day. We had spent the prior two months getting it ready, and the months before that studying. So we had not actually looked at houses, other than on-line. Guess what we did Sunday--- looked at houses. About 15 of them. With Ellie. Originally we were going to look at 5, so we figured it wouldn’t be a big deal to bring her. Then we kept looking. We came home and Nick said none of them would work because the yards were too small (valid reason but still stressful). The idea of moving into an apartment for a few months with an almost 2 year old did not sound like fun.

4. Nick went out with the realtor on Tuesday night and looked at another 15. Then Wednesday over lunch we looked at 5 houses that Nick had seen the night before and liked (with yards that would fit his requirements). When Nick was going through the houses with me Tuesday night he pointed to one of them and said that would be the one I liked the best. Sure enough, it was! We put an offer in yesterday and it was accepted! Here is our new house (no worries, they said it could be done by the end of September):

Waukee--- here we come!!!

5. In the meantime, we have been really busy at night with Ellie’s swimming lessons. While they are not as structured as I would like, it gets us to the pool and Ellie loves them! We are also able to take her down the big slide, which is something we would not normally be allowed to do. I am hoping to take some pictures tonight.

What a crazy, but exciting week! In recap: Ellie loves swimming lessons. We put out house on the market, and within 6 days we sold it and purchased a new one. That is a lot for me. Cross your fingers that everything goes well with the inspection.