recall, fall, prime & whine

  First, let me update you on my neighbor.  The biggest shocker...he was actually only about 5 years older than Dave & I...around 32.  Which is just crazy because he honestly looked over forty.  We're all assuming that he committed suicide, because there hasn't been anything in the news yet.  But no one has come over to his house (siblings, family, friends) so we're still not sure what will happen with the home.

  Second, our crib was recalled!  I feel it was a little late, since Alex used this one too, and we got it when he was around 1 year...so that 2 1/2 years later.   But, we got a brand new free crib :)  It's pretty, and it converts into a big kid bed, so we're excited for that.  Now we have an extra crib with no screws (you have to send those back to receive a voucher).  Does anyone know a good woodworking project that's not that hard...maybe a bench?

Third, our fence blew down.  I'm guessing it's about 25 years old because the posts were completely rotted through, and our neighbor didn't even think they were cemented in.  So Dave and our nice nice nice nice nice neighbor worked on it and fixed it in a weekend.  It's strong and hopefully will last another 25 years because we like having our junky side yard hidden :0
  I've finally finished my painting project.  It was the living room up the stairs to the hallway (because it's all one wall) and it took me, oh..., maybe 5 months :)  I have a friend that would always make fun of me when she came over, so it was her inspiration.  The picture isn't all that excited, but I had to have something to document my success right?
 And last, my parents are in Hawaii for about a month and I'm watching their dog (he's not pictured here).  But, another family I usually dog-sit for is gone for 2 weeks so I have a veritable dog watching business on my hands!  I can finally put in our monthly budget that my income is more than just the pennies and quarters I find on the sidewalks (because those absolutely count!)
OH, here's a post script...you gotta have one picture of a kid :)

hodge-podge

  I just have a few tidbits for you all.  First, this is my new craft (not the pillow, just the branch) It's called needle felting, and you take raw wool and kind of tangle it up onto the pillow. (or whatever fabric you want to use)  It looks like embroidery but takes no thread.  It's a really cool, crazy that it works craft.

  Second, Lydia and Alex on their pirate ship.  Pretty much everything is a pirate ship for Alex, and Lydia loves to be included (note her expression).  They also really love this blanket...I found it in the closet from Dave's college days.
  And last, I didn't take a picture because you shouldn't of this kind of stuff.  But, our next door neighbor died yesterday somehow and they put the the crime scene tape up and had the CSI taking pictures until late last night.  He wasn't old, maybe 45, and lived alone...so we're not sure what happened.  But I am a little more cautious about letting my kids play in the yard without me and things like that.  I've seen many CSI and cop-related shows, and I didn't realize that all the CSI people actually do drive big black SUVs that are unmarked.  Why?  I still have no clue.

Summertime

  I guess I forgot the obligatory "What I did July 4th" post, so here's my summary.  We had a BBQ, watched fireworks and got to bed late..it was great!

  On another note, this is my sunflower :)  It's the very first time I've grown something from a little seed and it worked out!  I love it, it's huge (they're dwarf sunflowers) and I'm very proud.  Now I just need the rest of my yard to look like this pot...hmmm.
  Because it's summertime we got the slip 'n slide out, yahoo!!  I did slide and flew right off the end, it's for little kids, so there are no pictures of me doing it.  But the kids LOVED it.  And grandma even got everyone involved in a huge waterfight at the end, the Rozeskis were there too.

   OH, and a quick story.  We got a fish about 5 months ago and Alex has never named it.  I thought he'd be really into it but he doesn't care at all.  Anyway, he was feeding it the other day and I asked him what it's name was.  Alex said something like "compassiovisiondafiter"  or something like that, but then he said "but I just call him FISH". hahaha

Alex

 Warrior Alex!  I wanted to post a few short stories about Alex lately, and this was a pretty current picture of his normal warrior stance.  Right now Dave and Al are "camping" in our backyard.  Alex goes to bed around 8:30 at it is still really light outside, so I think they'll stay up late playing in the tent, or Dave will be really bored in about 10 minutes (hope he got a book).  

  In all reality they'll probably last till 9 when they come inside to fall asleep in bed :)

  So, stories.  Alex is really into giving me hearts and saying he loves me... which I love.  Tonight I told him to stand up straight so I could get him dressed, instead he was hugging me.  When I told him again he said "but mom, I HEART you!"  Isn't that a tween saying?

   Also, in San Diego whenever we would see a black man in a service position, like bus driver, security, trash man, he would say loudly  "Thank you NORVILLE!"  Alex has a loud voice that is quite clear, so the man would always either smile or laugh or act like they were ignoring him.  He kept saying "Look mom, here comes Norville!"  Now, I don't know why, but for some reason Alex thinks that all black men in service positions are named Norville.  It was kind of embarassing but mostly Dave and I were just confused as to where he got this.  Crazy kid.

  Also, Dave told him he was cute and Alex finished with "as cute as can be!"  Too many grandparents around this one :)

San Diego!

If any of you have been around Alex the last couple of months, he probably told you about going to SAN DIEGO!  We told him a little too early, but the day finally came and we were off!

The first day we drove up to Liz and Ethan's church had saw their little girl Madeline Rae get blessed.  She is adorable (sorry the picture is far away) and it was SOOO fun, and completely surreal to see Liz again.  We lived together for my whole college experience, except the one semester I was married.  She is still the best hostess even with a newborn and her and Ethan have one cute little girl!
The rest of the trip was filled with SeaWorld, Wild Animal Park, the Zoo and of course beaches.  This top picture is after the dolphin show at seaworld, if you look at the hair and our shirts you'll see that we're totally soaked!  WE were in the "wet zone"  The below picture is Al feeding the Lorikeets...his highlight.
And the beach!  Does anyone know how to get fine sand out of swimsuits, blankets, towels, and hair?  I don't!  Lydia rolled in the sand like it was her favorite blanket..she even kissed it and licked it, YUCK!  And Alex enjoyed the water a little more, but got his fill of sand in the mouth and every other place.  I'm sad to say that I wasn't able to recreate his "perfect" sandcastle the whole trip...maybe papa can do that with him when he's older :)

We had lots of fun, happy to be back, and not too sunburnt.  Good trip

gymnastics

Alex had a gymnastics class this spring, and they ended with a little show for all the parents and grandparents.  I forgot to invite all the grandparents (oops!) so this blog is for you!

           Balance beam kicks, and flipping on Alex's favorite thing, the monkey bars!

Above is an action shot of Alex doing a summersault.  This took him about 6 weeks to learn, so Dave and I were cheering really loud here :)
And he got a ribbon and stamps on his score sheet...that made him proud too.
About a week earlier Alex told me that he didn't like gymnastics and we even left a little early before stickers and stamps (that's a big deal).  So we probably won't be doing it again any time soon.  I was amazed by how some little girls could do flips and jumps with little to no effort.  Alex would try and try and could hardly pull himself up on the monkey bars...I think he's got genetics against him on being a gymnastics star :)

Utah

          We started this weekend with Jaynie's graduation from CU Denver nursing school.  It was full of stormy weather and excitement when the chairs would blow over (it was outside).  So the kids paid attention for longer than expected.  Then, when the weather got too bad, they moved it inside and we decided to leave before actually seeing Jaynie get her diploma.  I heard she still got it.

  Then we drove to Utah and got in around 12:30 am.  Why such crazy hours?  Because we wanted to spend as much time as possible with Weston Mauger...our new little nephew :)

Adorable isn't he?  He was blessed on Sunday and we actually managed to get an OK picture of the whole family with their eyes open.  Which is a feat for the Mauger side.
Then on Memorial Day, before driving home, we took a quick trip to the grand metropolis of Tooele to visit a couple old roomies.  Here are me, Anne, and Jenn...we lived together my junior year (Jenn is sure it was our sophmore year, but she just took longer in school :)  And Jenn's little baby Maddy.
Then we drove back home and got in around midnight.  Our kids did great, the weather was terrible and we loved seeing everyone.

Lydia's Birthday

  Lydia turned 1 year on the 15th (thursday)  I failed to post anything because we somehow totally forgot to take any pictures of her at her actual birthday party :)  We got video, and I know some of my family got pictures, so we'll be good.   Now that she's a little older we're starting to see her personality.  Mom and Dad say she's Kendra's child, which is good because Dave's parents always say that Alex is Dave's child.  So, now we both get what's coming to us :)

    Lydia has no fear.  She'll climb, try new things, and talk to anyone who will listen and smile.  She's is EXTREMELY social, only acting shy for a moment to flirt.  She'll eat anything!  Even sidewalk chalk, rocks, dirt, and tree buds that fell on the ground.  (Don't judge me!  She's fast!)  She also is sure that she can not just walk but she can run, jump, swing, and kick.  Her confidence is astounding!  She's slowly getting more hair, which is mostly just exciting for me.  And, like Alex, she loves being the center of attention :)

You've done well, my young grasshopper

Dave finished our bathroom!!!  Sorry we don't have a before picture, but here is the final product!  Picture a blue toilet and sink, an old metal window, a mildew covered old glass shower door, a smaller shower where the base is uneven so there's always a pool of water in the shower, and huge water stains on the linoleum (sp?), that dripped through the floor onto our TV downstairs....yuck!  Was that a good enough picture for you?

  The biggest thing is that we didn't actually hire anyone to do this!  Dave did it with lots of help and advice from Gary and Ed...but I'm very impressed.  I now call him master craftsman :)

Pictures!

            Alex found that Lydia sometimes has some good ideas...this was her house until he moved in.  She looks OK with it though :)

           It's beautiful here in Colorado, we even got a little sunburnt.  This is in our backyard.

   This last picture is really only for Jen, although everyone can look :)  She wanted to see a picture of the living room after I finished all the walls and the couch and piano bench.  There ya go Jen!  

Lydia Walks

Yup, the title is true! Enjoy! The end is precious :)

Tagged, yet again :)

Rules

1. post rules

2. answer questions

3. tag 5 people

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?

    I just started work at Arvada Vision Clinic, was driving an awesome little blue Ford ranger, and was teasing one of my friends that they had a crush on that dorky band guy named Dave Mauger.  We were also getting ready to go on the church trek.

2. 5 things on your to do list today

      Go to gymnastics for Alex

      Visit Grandma

       tape and mud the bathroom (we're tiling)

       Sign Alex up for preschool

       Clean clean clean

3.  Snacks I enjoy

      cereal

      brownies

      pretzels & apples

4.  What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire

     We would buy a villa in Italy and live there every summer, inviting friends and family to stay with us when they were able.  And we'd also travel the world.

5.  3 bad habits

     playing with my hair

     picking at sweets until they're completely gone

     taking on too much

6.  5 places I've lived

      this is hard, I'm pretty limited (don't laugh!)

   14825 W. 49th Ave Golden, Colorado

   5179 Arbutus st., ARvada, Colorado

    Helman halls, provo, utah

    Campus plaza, provo, utah

    Villa Rose, provo, utah

7.  5 jobs I've had

     Construction clean-upper (that's the technical name)

     File Clerk

     Opthalmologist technician

     Waitress

      Medical Coder

8.  5 things people don't know about me

     I don't own any white socks

     I sleep in flannel pajamas year round (lucky Dave eh?)

     I don't wear makeup, except mascara

     I completely idolize my brother and sister

     I'm not afraid to try anything, ever.

I tag...Erica Wilkinson, Catherine Hatch, Michelle Talley, Ellen Alleman, and Ann Marie Nebecker

new old couch

  I went a little crazy this week and decided to reupholster one of our old couches (actually Gary and Jaynie's old couch)  I don't know how old they are, but they're still in great shape underneath the old fabric.  And I even found a couple of Michelle's old toys in there.  It was pink, so I'm hoping that's not Dave or Steves'

So, at the top is the old couch, then below is what the internet guides call the pull out your hair and scream stage :), also known as the "what have I done"  or, "what have YOU done " in Dave's case
And here's the final product!  Yea, the wall is different, when I started putting on the new fabric I had to switch the whole room around...it's very Zen now  :)
If anyone else wants to try this, it is SOOOOO easy! Just takes time.  You just take off the fabric slowly and keep it in it's original form and it's your pattern for later.  I barely needed a sewing machine, just a staple gun!

Kite festival

  We had a kite festival here in Arvada again this year.  This is by far my favorite festival because it's always beautiful weather and it's totally free!  (Dave is still rooting for the Italian festival).  We got to go with all the grandparents this year, which made it even more relaxing than sitting on the grass looking at kites in the air already is!
We kind of messed up and didn't actually bring a kite, so we went to the food booths to see if any smart minded business man had set up a kite booth.....no such luck.  (I know, next year it's mine!) But they did have a booth where little kids could make their own kite.  Alex's is a paper ladybug with bamboo skewers and a spool of thread.  It worked out alright, and Al thought it was amazing :)  Dave's trying to get it higher than himself in the picture above.

  And this is what sweet Lydia did the whole time :) Or, almost the whole time...was just look in the sky at the 30 or so kites.

A pokey Easter

Happy Easter!  The kids actually did have really cute easter outfits, but I never got a picture with them in....but here is the MAJOR hunt with the cousins.  Jason, Melissa and I (Kendra) hid around 130 eggs.

  

And then of course we had to dye 3 dozen more for sunday mornings' Easter bunny egg hunt (We go a tad overboard :)  Alex didn't understand why we put eggs into the dye and not our hands, so he didn't last long.

   And last, we are dog sitting this week and Alex is so in love with the dog that he tells perfect strangers at the store how we just bought a dog this week that will stay with us forever.  As you can see, this dog happily takes any form of torture Alex can dream up.  And Lydia is the perfect size for some serious face licks...lovely.

Backache

  We had a crazy Thursday here.  Early in the morning Lydia woke up and Dave went to get her.  At the top of the stairs Dave's feet slipped, he landed on the top stair and dropped Lydia, and they both went tumbling.   The whole fall I hear "bump, bump, bump" and  "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!  I'm sorry!"   At the bottom of the steps I found Lydia laying on her belly and Dave trying to pick her up.  I grabbed Lydia and Dave rolled onto his back asking about Lydia but barely able to breath because he was in pain.

    I took Lydia to the couch and checked for broken bones or bruises or blood and she was already smiling at me.  She was perfectly fine except for a tiny bump on her lower eyelid...you can kind of see the carpet burns here (our stairs are carpet)

   So, I go over to Dave, who is still on the floor and tell her she is alright and he is rolling on the floor in pain.  I ask him if he's OK and he all of a sudden stiffens and starts trembling and gets red in the face.  I start yelling his name and there's no response.  I'm crying and yelling and decide to call 911 and finally he looks up at me and asks me why I'm so sad.  He also says his back hurts.  Although Dave is still insisting he's fine I call 911 anyway and they take Lydia and Dave away in an ambulance, Dave on a huge backboard with neck braces and all.  Alex and I follow in the car.

   The whole time Alex was having a blast.  He drew pictures for Dave while he was on the floor, he kept telling me it would be OK, and he kept shouting "follow that ambulance!"

   So, after hours and many tests, we find that Dave has a compression fracture on his vertebrae (T12 for all you anatomy folks).  Lydia's perfectly fine, just a shiner on her left eye.  Dave is OK and would rather have pain than feel loopy on the drugs.  So, a day later we're all good and can even joke a little bit about how pathetic we are...now everyone in our family has had a hospital visit due to falling down those stairs.  Not a good record :) 

Happy daylight savings!!!

 Sorry about the title, I couldn't think of anything clever, and I am a little happy about the time change, it means my kiddos will now sleep in an hour later!  Until the sun comes up earlier again.

   I'm a target junkie, I'll admit it.  This chair was a pick-me-up present to myself after a hard day of potty training.   The kids love 'em.
    Who has the best snow hat????? LYDIA!  The best part is that she truly knows how awesome it looks!  What kid does this when you put an itchy hat on their head and it's 60 degrees outside??

  Al and Lydia with their beards.  We staged Alex's, because we had to get one picture of him in here right?  But Lydia did that on her own.  
  This one will make the grandparent's smile.  I'm going to have to buy a lock for the bathroom door or something, because as soon as she's a few inches taller, she'll be starting up the bath and climbing in all on her own!