31

I turned 31, and it wasn't quite as exciting as 30.  This was the first birthday that just felt like a normal day- the only difference was the crazy amount of Facebook notifications.  Maybe because it was a Monday?  Maybe because I spent most of it at home with Nola?  I don't know, but it wasn't a bad day.

I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and took Nola with me.  She was excited to hear the heartbeat and it was the first time I've seen her excited about the baby being a boy.  Then we met some friends for lunch and Nola was awful.  She was dumping grapes into her water, sugar all over the table, and running around the restaurant.  It was frustrating but I know she was just bored and tired.  We got home and she was just about asleep when the doorbell rang.  It was a lady with a bouquet of balloons.  Nola went nuts and played with them for a while which gave me some time to relax.  We hit the pool in the afternoon and came back to a fun surprise- Robert had asked the neighbor to babysit so we could go out to dinner without Nola.  We drove to a favorite restaurant in a nearby town only to find out it was closed on Mondays, so we headed to a pizza place.  It was a good evening, it's always nice to have some time alone with my hubby- who gave me some very pretty earrings :)

We're not sure how to take selfies.

I think 31 will be a good year!

Summer To Do List

My Summer To Do Lists are never that successful.  In fact, you might notice that finishing the bathroom was on the list last year AND the year before :(

Let's take a look at what will probably (not) get accomplished in the next 9 weeks. 

1. START MY MASTERS

Why this might happen:  I'm starting my Master's in Curriculum & Instruction.  My co-worker and I are doing a co-hort program that will get us done in a year and a half.  I started classes at the beginning of June and I must say.... I forgot how to be a student.  Blah.

Why this might not happen:  It will.  I paid for it!

2. SWIM AND PLAY OUTSIDE

Why this might happen:  We have a new swing set and I got a pass for Nola and I to go to the pool.  We need to go 14 times to make the pass worth it and we've already been quite a few times.  We spend a lot of time on the swing set- I've already got a little bit of a tan :)

Why this might not happen:  Rain!  It's been raining a lot.  It needs to stop, and I think it should soon.

3.  PAINT
Why this might happen:  I've got a chest, table and rocking chair to paint.  I'm hoping to send Nola to Wichita for a week and use that time to paint.

Why this might not happen:  I'm just not in the mood.  I'm sure I'll get the itch to start painting again soon.


4.  BATHROOM
Why this might happen: It needs to get done.  We are approaching the 2 year anniversary of tearing it out.  That's just too much time.

Why this might not happen:  Robert had surgery on his leg and will be in a wheelchair all summer.  That's what stalled our progress last year and I'm sure it's not going to help this year.

5.  BLURB BOOK
Why this might happen: I've been working on our digital scrapbook for a while now.  I keep adding things so it's taking me a while to do it.  Maybe this will be the year we get to order it!

Why this might not happen: I think with all of the work I have to do for my classes, I'll be spending all of my computer time on that.

And that's it.  It's short this year, but that's ok.  I'm looking forward to a slow summer of hanging out with Nola and growing this baby boy!  

Birthday in KC

Last weekend was my mom's birthday.  My sister and I met her in Kansas City to celebrate!  The first thing we did was buy a selfie stick.  It sounds silly, but I've wanted one for a while- it's a great way to get everyone in the picture without asking a stranger to take it.  Unfortunately, the one we found didn't work with me phone so Sara got it.  It was harder to use than we expected.

The rest of the weekend was spent shopping, eating and laughing.  We also saw a movie in a very fancy theater.

Shopping for hats.

We has so much fun.  We decided it should be an annual thing.   Happy Birthday Mom!!!

SWING SET!!!!!

Gramcy and Boca came to town in April and got Nola her very own swing set.  

SHE WAS SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!!!

It got delivered (all 1200 pounds of it) a few weeks later and spent a few more weeks sitting in our driveway like this:

Nola would walk by it and sadly say, "my swing settttttt".  Weather, and the fact that the online reviews said installation took forever, kept us from installing it until Boca and Gramcy came to the rescue.  Rob and Boca spent 2 full days putting it together while the girls shopped :)

It's the perfect addition to our backyard and Nola LOVES it. 

We have one week of summer under our belts and about 100 hours logged on the swing set.

Thanks to two of our favorite men!!

Baker

Baker University is a small college in Baldwin Kansas.  My grandparents went there and my grandpa was on the board for a while.  Baker is also where my parents met!  My grandpa asked me to paint a Baker rocker for the president and a chair for himself.  They where fun to paint and I love the way the turned out!

If you are interested in getting something custom painted, visit www.swirlsandstripes.com for details and pricing. 

Variety Show and Mother's Day

Once again, I participated in the CHS Staff vs. Students Variety Show.  And for the first time in Variety Show history- STAFF WON!!

We won with a lip-sync number where we sang individually (I sang Ghost by Ella Henderson), then we sang as The Spice Girls.  There were only 4 of us so we had a stand-in. 

I also participated in the opening and closing dance numbers.  The following pictures were taken from the Columbus Telegram website- that's right, these bad boys made the paper.  

It was fun to win, but I'm not sure we deserved it.  The kids were talented and we just made fools of ourselves.  Oh well, at least we get to brag a little bit.

Sunday was Mother's Day and Rob brought me a bundt cake from a yummy cake place in Lincoln.   He also let me relax all day, which was nice.  

 Nola made this really cute card and flower for me at daycare.  

She told me, "Happy Mother's Day" about a hundred times during the day and a couple of time the next day.  That's right Nola, everyday is Mother's Day! 

Weekend in KC

We spent last weekend visiting family in Kansas City!  We got into town Friday afternoon, before our room was ready, so we hit the hotel pool.  Nola loves to swim and actually floated by herself- in her lifejacket.  Pretty exciting stuff for a 3 1/2 year old!  

We went to dinner with some friends on Friday night at our favorite restaurant.  They have a little girl who is about a year younger than Nola.  A year must make a difference because she behaved a lot better than our child.  Nola has been a little crazy ever since she turned 3 1/2.  She refuses to listen and likes to run away, which was really fun when you're in public.  The only time she was clam at dinner was after she ran out on the street and saw a street magician.  We stood and watched him do magic until Nola got upset because he hadn't asked her to be his assistant.  Sad day.  

On Saturday we hung out with my grandparents.  We had breakfast then headed to Deanna Rose Children's Farmstead.  The Farmstead is a huge place with animals and activities.  Nola ran around from one place to another and we just sort of followed her.  She got to ride a pony, pet a cow, milk a bucket, and feed a baby goat- and lots of other fun farm things! 

The best part was when she fed the goats.  She said she wanted to do it so we got her a bottle and walked through the gate.  The goats charged her, which I'm sure was terrifying, so I took the bottle with Nola's hand and stuck it into a goat's mouth then walked away.  Nola screamed the whole time she was feeding them and I just laughed because I'm a terrible person.  

We had dinner then Old Buddy, Nola and I took a walk around the lake near their apartment.  A woman with a cane passed us on the path then Nola found a stick and mimicd her.  It was pretty funny.

On Sunday we had brunch with more family- Grandma June, Pudge, Aunt Dawn and Courtney.  We laughed a lot a ate delicious food!  And Nola was crazy- did I mention she's been a handful lately?!?

The best part of the weekend was watching Nola fall in love with Old Buddy.  She wasn't sure about him when she was a baby but she sure likes him now!  She's been talking about him non-stop since we got back and it melts my heart.  We love you Old Buddy!