September 2012
September seemed to come and go so quickly....
On August 26th, we officially moved into the house. That was followed by a solid week of unpacking and trying to make it livable. We had stuff EVERYWHERE and just sifting through the piles of boxes to find necessities was a big task. Lucky Pete got to go to work every day and not wake up to the chaos (haha)! As things stand now, the rooms are functional, but certainly not decorated by any means. We've got quite a list of projects going and squeeze them into our schedule whenever we can. The biggest thing was finishing painting our entertainment center. It's a great piece I found on Craigslist, but I wanted to paint it mustard yellow. Yes...I said mustard yellow. That art class I took last quarter really taught me about complimentary colors. Anyhow, it looks fantastic, if I do say so myself!
Pete also replaced the small deck at the back of the house and I got it stained - looks great....and it's strong! We did a lot of pressure washing (which is SUPER fun!) and have started working on some other furniture projects. We also have walls to paint throughout the entire house. I think when we are finally done (or to a good stopping point), we won't ever want to pick up a paint brush again!
What better way to kick off life in a new home than a party? Okay....it wasn't a housewarming, it was Piper's birthday party. But, we had a ton of people here! I think my list of people for the party came to something over 60 and almost 40! The weather was beautiful, the food was great (pulled pork...mmmmmm), and little Piper was completely overwhelmed by the day. We did a Sesame Street theme and Piper got to be Abby Cadabby...complete with tutu and all. We made fruit skewers, had several types of salad, and lots of delicious snacks. We even had a bowl of fish crackers to symbolize Dorothy (Elmo's pet goldfish). We had found the perfect little Oscar the Grouch trash can at IKEA to use for garbage outside. I made pinwheels to line the path to the backyard, multi-colored streamers hanging, and little signs for the different tables. I made cookie monster cupcakes (courtesy of Pinterest), we had kettle corn from Erin and Jerod, and gummy worms to symbolize Slimey (Oscar's pet worm). Needless to say, the theme was quite obvious.
September was also full of doctor's appointments, including my favorite appt (Dr Stephen Cassidy, Ophthalmologist) and Piper's 2-year check-up. Now, I only include the eye appt because I basically have the best doctor in the world. We spend more time laughing during the appt than actually doing the exam. And, this time Piper got to come with me. We were almost done and Piper saw one of the rubbery fake eyes on the table so he turns to me and says "watch this" as he holds the eye ball up to his own eye and showed Piper that it was "his" eye. Then, he acts like he pops the eye out of his head, it goes rolling across the floor! Piper is watching this whole thing with a look on her face like "uh, what just happened!" He looks at Piper and says "excuse me, can you pick that up for me" and proceeds to act like he is popping it back into his eye socket. I thought she was going to flip out! We laughed and laughed.
Piper's 2-year check up was good, but more brief than past appointments. She didn't need any shots (YAY!) and this time they weighed her on a standing scale and measured her against the wall....guess she's not a baby anymore. The doctor was impressed with how smart she is and says she's right on track. As she gets more settled in our new home, we need to work on potty training and at least moving away from the bottle, if not the binky. Darn...the bottle is going to be a tough one! She now takes to asking for a bottle when she's upset. I know we've waited tooooo long.
On September 15th we attended the Crone-Bigoney wedding. Katie is a long time friend of mine and this wedding was a long-time coming. She was a stunning bride, the day was beautiful, and everything came together just perfectly. As I type this they are laying on a beach in the Maldives....jealous! LOL
I started my second quarter at Lake WA Tech on the 24th. Another full quarter, but possibly a slightly easier one than last quarter. I have one online only class (Art) and two hybrid courses (Flash and MMDP). With a hybrid course I only have to go to class once a week and the rest is online. But, this time my classes are at night since Pete has to work and his parents aren't close by any more. Going to class at night is definitely a challenge especially since that means we don't eat dinner together and I miss the whole night-time routine with Piper. Of course, depending on the day and her attitude, that could be a good thing. Pete has had an interesting time with her the nights I'm not here. He says now that he doesn't know how I do it all day. LOL! Sometimes I ask myself that very same question.
I also joined the YMCA this month in an attempt to get my weight and cholesterol under control. But, of course there is another motive to joining...Pipes needs both some time away from me AND time playing with other kids. Of course, that motive has its challenges....like when she gets so upset while in the playroom that the staff has to page me to come back and get her (*sigh*). While a 20-30 minute workout is short of my hour-goal, I guess it's better than nothing. I've only been a few times so far.
September was wrapped up with a birthday party at Erin and Jerod's - little Ally was turning 6! Looking back, I can't believe that she was only a little younger than Piper when I first met her. Time flies by so quickly!
That wraps things up for now....on to October! I can't believe it's already October.
What better way to kick off life in a new home than a party? Okay....it wasn't a housewarming, it was Piper's birthday party. But, we had a ton of people here! I think my list of people for the party came to something over 60 and almost 40! The weather was beautiful, the food was great (pulled pork...mmmmmm), and little Piper was completely overwhelmed by the day. We did a Sesame Street theme and Piper got to be Abby Cadabby...complete with tutu and all. We made fruit skewers, had several types of salad, and lots of delicious snacks. We even had a bowl of fish crackers to symbolize Dorothy (Elmo's pet goldfish). We had found the perfect little Oscar the Grouch trash can at IKEA to use for garbage outside. I made pinwheels to line the path to the backyard, multi-colored streamers hanging, and little signs for the different tables. I made cookie monster cupcakes (courtesy of Pinterest), we had kettle corn from Erin and Jerod, and gummy worms to symbolize Slimey (Oscar's pet worm). Needless to say, the theme was quite obvious.
Piper's 2-year check up was good, but more brief than past appointments. She didn't need any shots (YAY!) and this time they weighed her on a standing scale and measured her against the wall....guess she's not a baby anymore. The doctor was impressed with how smart she is and says she's right on track. As she gets more settled in our new home, we need to work on potty training and at least moving away from the bottle, if not the binky. Darn...the bottle is going to be a tough one! She now takes to asking for a bottle when she's upset. I know we've waited tooooo long.
On September 15th we attended the Crone-Bigoney wedding. Katie is a long time friend of mine and this wedding was a long-time coming. She was a stunning bride, the day was beautiful, and everything came together just perfectly. As I type this they are laying on a beach in the Maldives....jealous! LOL
I also joined the YMCA this month in an attempt to get my weight and cholesterol under control. But, of course there is another motive to joining...Pipes needs both some time away from me AND time playing with other kids. Of course, that motive has its challenges....like when she gets so upset while in the playroom that the staff has to page me to come back and get her (*sigh*). While a 20-30 minute workout is short of my hour-goal, I guess it's better than nothing. I've only been a few times so far.
September was wrapped up with a birthday party at Erin and Jerod's - little Ally was turning 6! Looking back, I can't believe that she was only a little younger than Piper when I first met her. Time flies by so quickly!
That wraps things up for now....on to October! I can't believe it's already October.