Happy Halloween!

Kolbe Turned 3!

He's not a baby anymore!!

We had Kolbe's birthday party on Sunday morning, and it lasted through lunch. Gattitown was a pretty good place to have it. Price was reasonable, food was good, and they had a TRAIN (which was the whole reason we had it there). The room was a little small, but we were really only in there to eat and visit some. The adults had to buy their own buffet which I felt kind of bad about.

After we ate, the kids rode the train and played games.

We saved Kolbe's presents until last night to open (his actual birthday), and he really understood it this year. Loved the presents, and was able to tell people he is 3 and hold up the right amount of fingers. It was really a big step in understanding between 2 and 3.

Now he will be a little angel every single day since he's out of the terrible 2's, right?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/houseofmuellers/sets/72157602800473226/

Where Do the Years Go?

Welcome to 7 years ago, when Keith and I bought our first digital camera, and when I was 24.

Not that I would want to trade my world right now for anything, but, sometimes it's nice to reminisce about the years before kids, and what life was like without sleepless night, runny noses and noise....

I look at this picture and think about those years, right out of college, full-time job, traveling... and the big worries were work, where to eat for dinner and what the plans were for the weekend. The apartment was small, but we loved it. So much potential and so much time on our hands (not that we knew it then).

Our decisions involved us, and only us. If we made a bad financial move, it was ours. If we got sick, it was us. If we went outside, there were just 2.

What a drastically different world.

If I make a decision now, my first thought is how will it effect my kids. Am I making the right choices for them? Am I taking care of them to meet their needs? Am I responsible and knowledgeble enough to be there for them? Am I leaving the store without forgetting one of them? ;) And that goes on top of the now compounded responsibility at work, maintaining a household, family, friends, taking care of myself and any ounce of personal alone time left. Bottom line is, I am not the only one I am accountable for now, and it's often a scary thought.

Long gone are the days of sleeping until noon, painting my nails while reading a magazine, and waiting for my next pay raise so I can buy clothes. Those are replaced with waking up at 3am to the 3 year old beside me, clipping my fingernails while giving kids a bath, and looking towards the next raise to contribute money into a 529 plan.

The next picture that our digital camera takes now includes 4 shapes, instead of 2, but I wouldn't change a thing.

What is It?

A fake brain for Halloween? A meteor? A painted piece of art?

Unfortunately, it was the dinner I attempted to make last night.

I started dinner a little early because I knew it would just be me and the boys, and I wanted to head out afterwards to the store, so I put some noodles on the stove, and went outside, reminding myself and Kolbe to come inside in 5 minutes to get it off the stove.

So, we go outside and the neighbor is out there with her son. They come over and start talking. We're talking about Halloween, about the school district her son goes to, about her husband's job, about what kinds of things she needs to get done this weekend before he leaves to go out of town.....is it sounding like this is a less than 5 minutes conversation?

Needless to say, I came inside to this (only after Kolbe opened the front door and I stunk up the whole neighborhood with the smell of burning!)

P.S. We didn't eat it.

Just Add This One to the List

We were in Target last night, and Kolbe stumbled over his feet and landed right on one of the hooks that holds product on the aisle. It started bleeding right away, and Kolbe was really upset for about 45 seconds until he saw a toy and got distracted.

Ouch.

What to Do With Money?

Maybe I should just make things out of it, because this whole financial planning stuff it tough.

I guess there are worse "boats" to be in...get it, get it, but after sitting down with a financial planner tonight, it sure is a lot to think about, and who's to say what are the best choices for you and your family.

Roth IRAS, mutual funds, 529 savings, whole life insurance as opposed to term, debt repayment.....BRAIN FREEZE!

I do feel like it's therapeutic to sit down with someone (who we trust) who doesn't know Keith and I personally, and get advice and information. We meet again in 2 weeks and I feel we have already made some progress. It's very rewarding to see the good decisions so far, and exciting now that we have two incomes. We still have a long way to go to meet some goals though.

I guess we'll see in 30 years how our decisions pan out!

Modern Day Picasso?

Maybe I'm biased, but I think that we may have an artist on our hands here. Kolbe drew this on the patio on Saturday. He originally drew the outline and the feet, and he said they were feet, so then I asked him to draw eyes and a mouth....and he did!!

I'm so proud of him! Like I said, maybe it's just me, but I think this is pretty darn good for a 2-year old!

*Autographs available upon request

Losing....

So this morning, I am actually ahead of schedule for work, ready to go, lunch packed, headed out the door, and realize... I have no keys. I look everywhere. In the kitchen, clothes from yesterday, under the couch, anywhere a 3-year old would place them. Nowhere. I decide to call Keith's parents, and yes, for the second time in the last 3 months they are at his parents house....an hour and half away.

I have 6 meetings today and cannot miss work. I end up calling my grandfather and luckily he has time to come and get me and drive me to the office.

Now I know I am getting up there in age, but I swear I do not remember putting them in the plastic bag that was left at Keith's parents house. There is no reason I would have put them in there, and I was actually planning on leaving them home just so that I didn't lose them. I really think Kolbe put them in there, but I can't be 100% sure on that.

I think I am losing my mind.

Fog?

Or are my windows just really dirty?

As I was trying to explain to Kolbe what fog was and how it got here, it made me realize I don't know that much about fog other than that it's moisture in the air.

Fog is a cloud in contact with the ground. Fog differs from other clouds only in that fog touches the surface of the Earth. The same cloud that is not fog on lower ground may be fog where it contacts higher ground such as hilltops or mountain ridges.

Fog forms when water vapor in the air at the surface begins to condense into liquid water. Fog normally occurs at a relative humidity of 100%. This can be achieved by either adding moisture to the air or dropping the ambient air temperature. Fog can form at lower humidities, and fog can sometimes not form with relative humidity at 100%

Little Clones

With mushy minds shaped by what we as humans call the TV?

They don't watch TV that often, but don't they look just alike when they do?

Also, when did Nickolas' head get that big?

Better Start Saving for Braces....

So, I think Nickolas has 9 teeth now, but I'm not quite sure. Maybe it should be considered 8.5, because he has 2 teeth on the bottom that are merged, and a tooth on the top that is split. Nevertheless, they're pretty messed up. The doctor said it will more than likely be fine in the meantime, no need to get baby braces just yet!

Even with these teeth, I think he's pretty darn cute!

House of Blues

Had a great time tonight with some old friends (and new). Clay, Sonia, Taylor and Wes!

Thanks for hanging out and showing me the Foundation Room (very nice but not $18 for one crab cake nice). It's always good to hang out outside of work, and to catch-up and reminisce about old times.

GoodBye, Billy...

Billy was put to sleep today.

His liver had failed. He had spent the last several weeks very lethargic, not eating and drinking enough, and in the last week his skin had started to turn yellow. I also noticed a big difference in his hair. It just looked like he had started to age a lot in a short amount of time.

Keith called me as I was driving home from work. He had taken Billy into the doctor on very short notice, and I was not expecting what he had to say. They were going to let him go.

I asked him I could get there and see him to say goodbye. He was such a good cat and friend. The worst he ever did was drink out of an occasional glass left out. Kolbe and Nickolas liked to watch him. He was always small, since he was the runt of the litter, and was a very friendly and likeable cat.

He definitely didn't get the attention he deserved once the boys got here, but he always had a good nature about him. He will be missed, and was very much loved. I hope he knows that...

GayLord Resort

We hung out with Hank on Friday night.

Dinner at the Riverwalk Café was wonderful, just like the last time we ate there. The atmosphere was perfect and it was a nice and relaxing evening.

It was actually a special thank you dinner to Oma and Opa for all the help they give us with the boys. I had such a special relationship with my grandparents growing up, that it means so much to me that they are so involved with Kolbe and Nickolas. They usually see them every week or so, and they are great with them. Not only are the boys learning and seeing wonderful traits, but I get to see small pieces of how Keith was raised. It really gives a lot of insight.

They are the best grandparents we could ask for.

Camping

Keith took Kolbe camping for the first time over the weekend at Tyler State Park. They had a great time, aside from it being very muggy. They had spaghetti for dinner, burned marshmallows and spent lots of time looking at bugs and going for walks.

Kolbe had a hard time falling asleep in the tent for the first time, but other than that, I think it was a good start to many more camping trips to come!

How Many Designers Does It Take...

To change a flat tire?

After lunch today, Susie's tire was flat, weird....so we all decided to stand around and contribute a little something and help her out.

Turns out it takes:

- 1 to get the spare tire
- 1 to lift the truck
- 1 to change the tire
- 1 to hold an umbrella
- 1 to sit in another running car
- 2 to takes pictures
- 4 to watch

And that's how many it take to change a tire!

The Big One

Yes-it is. With a big 3 in front of it! In 33 minutes I will be 31. Much older and wiser than the mere 30 that I am right now.

Thank you to everyone today who made my birthday a super special one. I am lucky to have such great people around me who take the time to celebrate my aging process. You guys are the best!

Rock in the Nose-Sounds Good

I get a call at noon today from Kolbe's daycare, and they tell me that he decided to put a rock up his nose and they can't get it out. I will have to come and get him and take him to the doctor to have it removed.

I get to the school, and he is sitting in the office, runs up to me and very proudly tells me he "put a rock in his nose". I was surprised to see it look like it was just sitting in there, but it was rather large and he said it hurt to touch. I guess I had just pictured it being a pebble that was way up there and that's why it wouldn't come out.

It didn't take too long for the doctor to take it out, and she said this happens all the time, but told Kolbe never to put anything in his nose again! Especially rocks!