Treasure Among Trash

So yesterday my friend, Jenn and I decided to have a last minute garage sale...and I mean really last minute. Since my neighborhood was having one and the signs on the main street were already up, I thought why not take advantage of it and join in. She was up the night before gathering her stuff and I brought up my boxes of miscellaneous items the morning of. We were labeling them as we set up and actually had to run next door to borrow a couple of folding tables. I told you it was last minute! Unfortunately we didn't get as much traffic through as I was hoping for, but it was still fun to just sit and hang out. I was able to sell the extra set of the car seat/stroller that we owned (long story of why we have two) which was how this whole garage sale got started in the first place. So I was pretty happy about that!

Right before we were about to call it quits, my neighbor walked over to see if there was anything worth her while. As she was looking through, she saw my nativity scene set and mentioned something about "Do you realized how much this is worth?" but then proceeded not to tell me. Anyway, she ended up walking away with it for $10 but really got our curiosities going. Jenn came inside and looked up the artist on the internet and guess what? The whole set was worth like $150!!! I was like "You gotta be kidding me?!?" It was a total "Antique Road Show" moment, except I found out about it afterwards. The ironic thing about it was that I almost put it on Ebay or Craiglist since I thought the pieces were really nice but just never got around to it. I figured that a garage sale would be a good way to get rid of it. Well, I got rid of it alright...oh well!

Just For Laughs

"I will not cuddle!"
Remembered what I said about a strong-willed child?

Stick with What You Know

So I don't know why I do this all the time, but I like to try new recipe on other people. I guess it doesn't matter as much when the dish didn't turn out and you know the people...like new dessert at small group. But when it's a get-together with people you don't really know, that could be somewhat embarrassing! Anyways, so yesterday I decided to try this easy Blender Jello Salad recipe I found for the mom's group "Salad Picnic" I'm going to. It called for a can of pears and lime jello which I didn't have so I decided to use frozen strawberries and strawberry jello instead. Well, I found out that it's not a good idea to try something new for the first time and also try to substitute ingredients either. The finished product ended up looking like a bowl of Pepto mush! Yuck! No one's gonna want to eat that even if it tasted decent. So in the midst of my contemplation of whether or not to still bring it, Brian quickly said "I wouldn't if I were you 'cause it looks pretty gross." Gee, thanks! So there I was at Hy-Vee at 11 pm last night, instead of in bed. Don't think I've ever done a late night grocery shopping since college! Anyway, I ended up throwing together this yummy Broccoli Salad (that I've made before) when I got up this morning and will be bringing that instead. At least I know it'll be a hit! As for the Pepto Salad? I guess we'll have to eat it ourselves...or serve it at small group. Just kidding! =0)

Discovery of the Week

Once Ethan hit 6 months, it was as if a whole new world opened up for him. All of a sudden, he seemed to notice everything and I mean EVERYTHING! He sees the birds, the squirrels and the rabbits. He is mesmerized by the noise of the lawn mower. He is constantly looking for Kaika and likes watching him play. He even enjoys playing by himself for a longer period of time now. But best of all, he had discovered how to maneuver by using his hands and feet to steer himself around in a circle to get to his toys. It has been really fun to watch and interact with him! There seemed to be more of a content-ness and less of the complaining, back arching thing to him, which has been really nice!!! My little boy is growing up *sniff* *sniff*

Growing Garden

I've always wanted to have a little garden of fresh veggies, but I didn't really know how so I've never tried planting anything. But after talking to my friend, Jenn and hearing her success with tomatoes last year, I decided to give it a shot myself. I bought two cherry tomato plants, one red peppers, one green peppers and one sweet basil which have finally been planted in the ground (after sitting in the driveway for almost 3 weeks). I wish I could take the credit for it, but I can't because Brian actually did it. I guess he got tired of looking at them so he just decided to do it himself. I was actually planning on planting them this weekend, but with this horrendous cold I didn't want to over do it with digging and being in the hot sun. It isn't an excuse, I promise!

Anyway, I was cooking this pasta dish tonight that called for 1/2 cup of fresh basil and well what do you know, we have some right behind the garage! Not only was it fun to go into my "mini" garden to get some, but it also tasted really fresh and yummy!!! Well, hopefully the rest of the plants will take off and produce lots and lots of crop for us this summer despite the fact that I don't have a "green thumb" and have killed many plants in the past.

To Us - Cheers!

Friday was our 5th year anniversary and it was full of surprises! Every year I would get all hyped up about it and have all these unspoken expectations. But this year, I'm fighting another cold and just couldn't get into it even though I knew Brian was up to something.

Anyway, Brian took off early from work and came home with 5 red roses symbolizing the 5 years we've been married. Aww, I love sentimental stuff like that =0) He also arranged for his parents to come watch Ethan for the night so we could go out and celebrate. I was instructed to get all decked out and be ready by 6 pm sharp. I jokingly said something about feeling like we're going to prom and next thing I saw was...a limo parked outside our house! I couldn't believe it, what a TOTAL SURPRISE!!! Definitely wasn't expecting that! We rode along the Mississippi River on the way to dinner and I couldn't help but be giddy the whole ride. We ended up wining and dining at Red Crow Grille, which Brian knew I've been wanting to go for a long time now. My hubby surely outdid himself this year 'cause it was the most wonderful anniversary night!!!

A special shout out to John and Krissy: Happy 5 years to you guys too!!!

Mamma Wisdom of the Week

You know, for a while there I was feeling discouraged with Ethan and his eating. He started out all interested with food but now just doesn't seemed to care for any of it. How do I know? Well, he would scrunch his face as if it was the grossest thing he had ever tasted and spit it out. I read that you're supposed to make eating fun for him and not to push it. The book said that babies have on and off days as far as eating so to take a break from it for a few days and try again. So that's what I did. I went back to square one and tried the rice cereal again and surprisingly, he seemed to like it better than the first time around. I guess we'll just stick with this for a while.

Anyway, I think I was pushing too many food too fast and he wasn't quite ready for all the different tastes and textures. Thought I was helping the lil' guy out with some yummy flavor, but apparently he preferred the bland stuff at least right now anyway.

A Change Will Do You Good

Most of the time, I don't really like changes. In fact, I dread them. But sometimes they can be a good thing...like a new living room arrangement. Let's just say it took a lot of convincing to get my engineering husband to finally give in and help me. When we first bought the furniture a few years back, Brian drew up the pieces (to scale) and arranged them on this "CAD" computer program before they were even delivered. He swore there was only one way they were all going to work. So that's how we had them. But now that this has been the main room that Ethan and I hung out in, I desperately needed a change of view!

Well, last night we both must have been in one of those moods. We started out installing the pull backs for the curtains, which I thought was all we were going to do. But then Brian wanted to move the dining room table around. So I helped him wiht that. We ended up in the living room and somehow rearranging that too! Wow, that was a lot of heavy lifting...more than neither one of us wanted to do. But now that it's done, I love it!!! Definitely has a nice "Feng Shui" to it - the pieces worked so much more harmonious together! (Not that we're into the Feng Shui stuff or anything). It really opened up the room but at the same time, still give it the intimate feeling. I guess Brian said that he still preferred what we had previously, but he didn't mind it and I guess could live with it...for a while. Oh whatever! I eventually made him admit to me that I was right. And how sometimes you just have to physically move things around in order to see it visually instead of only on paper (or in this case the computer).




I had to include this pic to go with the "change": a new duvet for our bedroom. My attempt at the Pottery Barn look =0)

Stuff in My Closet

Last night I was in a really weird, solemn mood. But instead of moping around the house all night, I decided to do what I've been putting off for a long time: clean my closet. I started the project out super ambitious and determined to get it done. But as I brought out piles and piles of clothes and throwing them on the bed, I realized why I've avoided this for so long. The sight of it was overwhelming and it wasn't as if I could quit half way and leave all that mess on the bed. I mean we're going to need to sleep on it so I have to get it done.

Anyway, it's such a pain to have to do the summer/winter clothes transition every year but at the same time, seeing my long forgotten tank tops, capris and summer dresses got me all excited for warmer weather. Of course I also found a bunch of clothes that I haven't worn in like 2 years. I was debating whether or not to keep them since I might wear them again. But you know what they said about how if you haven't worn something for that long, just give it away because most likely you won't wear them again. It's so true, but they are still hard to part with. Then there were these cute clothes that used to fit me BK (before kid) and now they don't. People said oh hang on to them because you'll eventually be able to fit into them again. Ah, who are these people? My hips and thighs expanded from child birth and have refused to fit into any of my dress pants even now. That was depressing!!! Come to think of it, I wonder if I would even fit into any of the summer stuff that I brought out...I guess we'll see. Along with that ever since I had Ethan, I've been leaning more towards the conservative side of clothing. Not that I was ever wearing anything provocative, but now I find shorts or even dresses that are above the knees uncomfortable to wear and hard to move in, especially while trying to take care of an infant. So that being all said and done, I really won't have much left for this summer! I guess I just might have to go on a shopping spree for a whole new wardrobe!!!

On the Menu

Food: Apple juice in a sippy cup
Reactions: Really liked it! Something new to drink other than his formula. Now we just hope he'll eventually like his food too!

Proud to be a Mamma

Not only was it Mother's Day, but it was also Ethan's 6 month b-day
This is my first year as a mamma on Mother's Day which was extra special but also weird at the same time. Weird in a sense of realizing again that I'm actually a mom. Apparently it hasn't sunken in 100% yet. Maybe it will in another 6 months or so =0)

Anyway, my morning started out with getting to sleep in, followed by a surprise breakfast-in-bed. (That was really nice since we never do breakfast-in-bed). Then after church, we had a little picnic by the river which didn't last very long since it was super windy. And since I hate being cold, I ate as fast as I could and said, "Well that was nice but let's go!" Before heading home, we strolled through an art fair nearby and I ended up making a Mother's Day purchase!

"Duckies" - my new contemporary art piece
Side note: I don't remember exactly where I've heard this before and probably won't get it completely right...but it was something along the line of how your child isn't really yours and that he/she is ultimately God's. However, he (Ethan) is given to me to be care for while we're here on Earth and what a privilege that truly is. That reminder from the Lord that day gave me some new perspectives about being a mom.

Tulip Time

We finally made it to Pella this year for their annual tulip festival. Somehow Brian and I talked about it every year but never made it a priority to go until now. That night I was so excited about it to the point where I couldn't fall asleep until like 2 am...don't ask me why. Let's just say I was ready for a nap by the time we left the house the next morning. Luckily, the crowd in Pella energized me as we watched the parade and saw lots and lots of tulips. Of course the day wouldn't be complete without having some "Dutch letter" pastries. Brian wanted to do a test taste so he decided to buy 7 from 3 different bakeries. I guess they were pretty good, but not as good as Brian hyped them up to be. Anyway, we all left there exhausted but had a great time at this Dutch festivities!




Tulips, tulips everywhere! I was really tempted to pluck one but apparently, you can get a hefty fine or even get thrown in jail for it. Yikes!
Our failed attempt to get a family picture...Ethan: "Is it time for me to eat yet?"
Zac and Jenn enjoying the day with us
Honorary Tulip Time Queens =0)
p.s. So Brian rediscovered that he's partial Dutch, which makes Ethan 1/4th Thai, 1/4th Filipino, 1/8th Dutch, 1/8th German, 1/8th English and 1/8th Czech. That's quite the combo!

Take Time

...to paint my toenails.

They have long been neglected that I can't even remember when I painted them last. Hmm, maybe right before Ethan was born? I know, that's pretty bad. Anyway, finally got it on my to do list and got them done. Copperglaze Platinum. I must say just like a good hair cut, a nice pedicure can make a woman feel FABULOUS! I can't stop looking at my toes =0)

Mamma Wisdom of the Week

I finally figured out the smoothest transition to get a sleeping boy out of the car seat and into his crib! Took a while, but I finally got it! So I would carry the car seat into the house and straight to Ethan's room. Holding my breathe on the way and hoping Kaika doesn't do his loud, violent shake (which usually wakes Ethan up). I would set the car seat down right next to the crib, gently unbuckle him and slowly slip off the straps. He usually would stir a little and then wakes up in confusion while I lift him up and out of it. I would put him on his tummy right away as he searches for his thumb. Then I would hurry out of his room as he drifts back into lala nap land...without crying. Yay what an accomplishment!!!

Discovery of the Week

Saying "Ahh" as loud and as wide-open mouth as he can. It's as if he rediscovered his voice again and tested it to see what different noises he can come up with. Every once in a while he'll throw in a roll of the tongue and a few screechies. He did that yesterday while we were at Target (out of the blue, with no warnings) and I pretty much sped up my shopping. Didn't want people to think I'm one of those moms who casually strolls through the store, with not a care in the world while their kids scream at the top of their lungs.

On the Menu

Food: Rice cereal and sweet potatoes
Reactions: not quite interested in food anymore, prefers his thumb at dinner time instead. I guess we'll have to try again in a few days.

Just For Laughs

Lounging in the "big" boy's chair
I will chew on anything and everything I can get my hands on!!!
How this is comfortable is beyond me

Mowing Fairy

These past few days were much better than the previous. I'm sure the fact that I'm starting to feel better helped, too! Anyway yesterday, I left the house (the first time in like a week) to run errands, buy some plants and flowers and even went to the church softball game. Brian is not playing in it this year, but I thought it'll be nice to get out and socialized. Luckily a friend of mine was there to help entertain Ethan 'cause usually that's his crankiest time of the day. Thanks Jenn, Ethan really had fun! He came home and went to bed tired, but a happy lil' guy. You know, sometimes I think he likes seeing new faces other than mine since I'm sure he gets tired of looking at me all day, everyday.

Then today, I decided to take on a new task: mowing. I remembered a Mowing 101 lesson that Brian gave two summers ago and how I was supposed to be the "back up" mower. Don't know what happened to that ;0) Well now that I'm home with some time, I thought I would try it again. I figured this will be a great way to serve Brian and one less thing for him to worry about when he gets home from work. Anyway, before getting started I had to scope out the neighbors and made sure no one was outside. Call me paranoid but I guess I didn't want anyone watching, especially when I'm not 100% sure what I was doing. I looked around, saw that I was good to go. So I filled the mower with gas, primed it and started it. Not too bad. But once I got going, I realized "Wow, this is hard!!!" I mean you really have to put your back into it! We don't have any big hills or anything, but those small inclines sure made it a work out =0) Now I remembered why I quit after only 10 minutes of it last time...Brian made it looked too easy. Well don't know if there's such a thing as mowing taboos, but I'm sure I must have broken a few. Oh well. When it comes down to it, the lawn is mowed! I'll figure out the logistics and lines next time. Right now, I'm gonna need a long nap!

p.s. I felt such a sense of accomplishment as I go outside (a few dozen times) to look at our nicely mowed lawn. Not too bad for a first timer!

On Being a Mom

You know after almost 6 months of being a mom, I thought that I would have this down...gone were the days where I'm in tears when Brian gets home. But was I wrong! There are still days (like today) where I feel super overwhelmed. Days where I feel doubtful and question my abilities as a mom. Days where my patience are tested and I have to ask the Lord for strength over and over again. I wonder how other moms do it? How does my mom do it? This is no doubt the hardest task I've ever been given. And the truth is some days I don't want to do it. Will we ever have another kid? I'm sure we will. But right now that's just too much to even think about. Let's hope I have infant-amnesia like I do with my labour or else Ethan won't have another brother or sister =0) But of course I also live for those one-of-a-kind giggles & gurgles, nonstop jabbering and wide, open mouth smiles. Anyway, I probably need to just stop thinking, shower and go to bed and try to get better soon. I guess I can't help it when my emotions run high and I'm just...drained. Oh well, "After all, tomorrow is another day!"

Super Man

MAD PROPS FOR MY HUBBY!!!

Brian has been AMAZING this weekend while I was sick!!! He was up at the crack of dawn feeding Ethan and entertaining him between naps. He also made sure he remembered to pamper me because that's my love need when I don't feel well =0) He did some work from home and took breaks to play with Kaika. After all that, he still had time to pull weeds, mow the lawn, trim the trees, wash the dishes, vacuum and make meals. What a guy! Time like this just made me have a greater appreciation for him and all that he had done. How blessed I am to have such a serving husband. He did so much around the house that I started to actually feel guilty for not being able to help out (even though I know I was supposed to be resting). Like yesterday I woke up from my nap and heard him vacuuming the stairs, which hasn't been done in months. Instantly I felt guilty as if he had discovered that I don't have time to do everything while taking care of an infant. So I tried to explain myself and how it was on my to do list, etc. Anyway, I must have kept doing that to him a few dozen times because finally Brian told me not to worry about it and that it wasn't a big deal.

Well, it's gonna be tough roughing it on my own again (when he goes back to work tomorrow) now that I've been spoiled!

On the Menu

Food: Rice cereal and carrots.
Reactions: Different texture...not quite sure yet.

Daddy's Turn

It's Brian. Mamma's down for the count, so I thought I would make a guest entry in Kay's blog.

Thursday afternoon Kay called me at work sounding like death asking me if I could leave early to take care of Ethan. She came down with a nasty flu/cold...hopefully not the swine flu! I took the day off Friday since Kay wasn't getting any better. It was my turn to get a taste of what Kay does all day.

Up at 6am we started the cycle; eating, playing, sleeping, eating, playing, sleeping... Ethan can get kind of loud when he's in his happy jabbering mood, so we took a trip to the library to give Kay some peace and quite. We got to the library and I realized that I left one crucial thing at the house...

The diaper bag! (rookie mistake)
Thankfully I fed him and changed him before we left. It didn't turn out to be a big deal...but that could have been devastating :)

We came home to continue with the cycle of baby life. I snuck in a few hours of work during Ethan's naps. This I regretted by afternoon time, because I was exhausted and wishing I had listened to the "sleep when baby sleeps" advice everyone always gives.

With Mamma sick and Daddy taking care of Ethan all day, Kaika seemed extremely bored and frustrated that nobody was paying attention to him. To silence the boxer whining Kaika, Ethan, and I took a trip to the office to drop a few things off. Kaika enjoyed the trip there with his jowls flopping in the wind while his head was out the window, and Ethan seemed to enjoy a change of scenery.

It was quite a day. I think I held my own, but boy do I have a deeper respect for Kay's mamma skills. I have a pretty stressful job, but this mamma thing is hard work too!