Up It Goes!

I'll admit it. When I first saw the boxes of lumber and hardware totaling over 700 pounds, and the 84-step assembly guide, I thought we'd have to call in the professionals who would build the new swingset for us "for a small fee."

 

Matt and his dad had their doubts too, but they did it! This project has been the main event at our house for the past four weekends. The swingset that was here when we moved in last year was fine—if by fine you mean an eye sore and a death trap. The paint was chipped off, it had some sort of algae growing on it, it visibly leaned to one side, and swayed as one swung. It was time for an upgrade.

My dad helped on it too when my parents were in town for Labor Day weekend, and as you see, Kate was a very enthusiastic helper. She did little tasks as the men asked, and came in to get them snacks and drinks of water. (Who knew grown men needed goldfish and grapes five times a day? :)

 

This thing is fancy, I'm telling you. It has bay windows, a picnic table, and a little porch awning—not to mention the swings, slide, rock wall, and monkey bars.

The instructions said it could be built in 8-12 hours with one person and a helper. Ha! There's no counting the hours the guys put in on this, and it definitely required three people to get the roof in place!

Pictures like this are a time capsule. I hope the girls will look back and say, "wow, so that's what I looked like when Daddy and Opa built the swingset."

Claire enjoyed cruising back and forth on the slide as it waited to be attached.

Finally, Kate got to climb up...

... and slide down!

 

They still have to put in some soft groundcover, but the girls are already enjoying their new swingset.

All that hard work will be rewarded in smiles, laughter, and hugs for many years to come!

I'm a Minivan Mama

Well, the transformation into suburban mom is complete: I now drive a minivan.

Meet Ari. He is a Hyundai Entourage. (I'm not actually a fan of the show, "Entourage," but I do love Jeremy Piven, and it just seemed to fit.) Ari is big. And our garage is small. I just barely got him in there this evening after a family post-dinner ice cream run (so everybody else could enjoy a test drive as well) but I'll get the knack for it.

It's a 2008, from Carmax, and I really like it. It's very spacious, and such a smooth drive. Creamy, like butter. Odd adjectives for a car, I guess, but that's literally what comes to mind when I press either the gas or the brake. Very nice.

Looking at this picture, I am saying to myself, "what have I done?" But as Matt pointed out, the time was right to trade in my Elantra (second Hyundai in a row—I've been happy) and we'd have to take the plunge sometime. Sometime soon, in fact. Things were pretty tight with two car seats in a four-door, mid-size sedan, and the time will come when we need room for more than just two car seats.

No, I'm not pregnant. A third biological child will come at some point, we hope.

But for now, we have a different announcement. One I'd been drafting in another, more spiritual and dramatic blog post, but better I just say it here. Matt and I are in the process of being approved as foster parents! We look forward to hosting children who need a temporary home, probably before the end of the calendar year. More on how we came to this decision and other thoughts about it will come in the other post, whenever I finish it.

Besides new cars and new kids, another new addition is being added to our happy home: a new swingset! Matt and his dad (and my dad, when he was here last weekend) have been constructing this delightful piece of equipment in our backyard. It's quite a project. I can't count the hours they've put into this already. It will be fabulous, though, and the kids will really enjoy it.

And while the men were working on the Great Swingset Project of 2012 (and before and after getting my car) I crafted this little number to celebrate the coming of fall! Yippee!! I'm kind of a stickler for observing seasons and won't pull out the rest of my fall decorations until the autumnal equinox, but since my front door and kitchen table decorations were still my Eastery things I'd had up all spring and summer, it was time.

Plus, it was only in the mid-70s in Nashville today. A regular cold snap after the hellish heat we'd been having. Hope it's nice where you live. Fall will be here soon!

Lunch Break Rundown

I haven't blogged much lately, so I thought I'd take a few minutes while I eat lunch to give a quick rundown of what we've been up to lately.

• I crossed August off the calendar yesterday and had a mini nervous breakdown. The year is two-thirds over, my baby is rapidly approaching one year old, and while I didn't mind turning 31 in July, I'm suddenly feeling like life is just racing by. I'm recognizing my own mortality, or something.
• Claire is ten months old as of Sept. 1, and marked the occasion by starting to walk with the help of the little push-cart Kate used as she was learning to walk. Claire also pushes chairs around the kitchen for support. Those first unassisted steps probably aren't too far off!

• We got back from our beach vacation three-and-a-half months ago, and we're still pining away for it. Matt and I have always loved city-vacations and never considered ourselves beach people, but it just really hit the spot. 
• Kate mentions "our becation" every time we're buying yogurt at the grocery because we usually buy Kroger-brand yogurt, but since we stocked our condo kitchen at a Winn-Dixie, we bought Yoplait, or as Kate calls it, "the upside-down yogurt" (the base of the cup being wider than the mouth). She points out the difference every time.
• We had some good family fun times in August, going to the Williamson County Fair when my dad was in town a few weeks ago. There was a great interactive farm experience for kids, where they collected pretend produce, wool, milk, fish, and other farm products in a basket at all the different stations, then "sold" it at a farmer's market for a pretend dollar that they could "spend" on a treat at the end. So cute, and very educational—especially since we had just gone to the Nashville farmer's market a few weeks before. 

  

• We also went to the Treehouses exhibit at Cheekwood (a historic home and botanical garden in Nashville). They were very creative and fun to walk through. Each was inspired by a book. Our favorite was The Rainbow Fish, covered with CD and DVD "scales"! 

  

• I've been making these collage images on PicMonkey.com, a free photoediting site I discovered after Picnik shut down. I use it all the time, especially for work, since I don't have Photoshop here. (The funky sizing in the upper left of my fair collage is due to the image, not PicMonkey.)
• I get a lot of review copies of Christian books. Some get reviewed on Ministry Matters, and some I read myself. A couple I'm really excited about lately are Embracing Obscurity, an anonymously-written counterpoint to our cultural obsession with celebrity and self-promotion, and The Fantasy Fallacy, billed as a Christian response to the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon but really more focused on the psychology behind our sexual thoughts. Quite fascinating. 
• My parents came to visit for Labor Day weekend. My dad helped Matt and his dad with the building of our new swingset, and my mom and I watched Steel Magnolias. I always cry when Shelby cries in the beauty shop and when Sally Field cries in the cemetery. Last week, I caught Stepmom on TV and bawled over and over again. Kate kept putting her hands on either side of my face and saying, "don't cry, Mommy!" I was a wreck. I think it's that mortality thing again.
• Speaking of which, I got a call from a colleague earlier today who said a 31-year-old Jessica Kelley (with the "EY") just came up on her prayer concerns list and she wanted to check if it was me. The poor girl is having open-heart surgery today! It's not me; I'm alive and well, just going a little crazy!

Kate's Big Sister Tips

Kate's friend Becca became a big sister today. (Hooray for Nancy, John, and FULL TERM, SEVEN POUND baby James!) We are sooo excited for our dear friends.

When I picked Kate up from school today and told her that Becca's baby brother had been born, she said, "We should call Miss Nancy!"

To congratulate her, I guess?

"We should call Nancy to tell her that Becca's baby brother was born!"

I think she knows that, Kate, given she got cut open to get him out. But in any case, I tried to interview Kate about the ins and outs of being a big sister. Kate was much more interested in using a tape measure to measure her arms, Claire's wrists, and my behind (thanks, Kate) so I got some random answers like, "um, vacation Bible school?"

Here are the tips we did glean:

What should Becca do to be a really good big sister?
"Play with him. And with me. Claire can play with Becca's brother and Becca can play with me!"

What should she do when the baby is crying?
"She should say, 'Baby, don't cry!' And giggle with him."

When the baby starts crawling around and getting into her stuff, what should she do?
"She should say, 'No, brother!' and take it out of his hand."

What's the best part about being a big sister?
"Getting my pencil box."

No, that's not a gift she got when Claire was born; it was an item we picked up on the way home today to hold the many markers we've accumulated. What can I say? She's three and she lives in the moment.

If we quizzed Kate about the day to day realities of being a big sister, her response might have included tips on hitting, pushing, and body slamming younger siblings. And a fun game where Kate runs to one side of the room so Claire will chase her in her most determined crawl—then when Claire is halfway there, she runs back to the other side of the room, leaving Claire perplexed but good naturedly doing an about face to follow Big Sister again. 

I'm comforted by the notion that while big siblings may push little siblings around, they also defend them like none other if anyone else dares pick on the little sib. As an only child, I found this frustrating and hypocritical when I tried to join friends in the teasing of their little siblings, only to be rebuked. But seeing my own kids (and being assured by Matt, who has a little brother of his own) I know it's just the way of sibling love.

Congrats, Big Sister Becca, and welcome Sweet Baby James. Kate and Claire can't wait to meet you!

Timidly Trendy

Does anyone else feel like Pinterest gives irresistible, pregnancy-like nesting urges to totally non-pregnant women?

That's how I've been feeling lately. For the first few months I was on Pinterest, I just dabbled with it and didn't bother with it too much, beyond party-planning ideas for Kate's birthday back in January. Lately, I've gotten more into it, though, pinning gift ideas as we head toward Christmas, making a few boards for work and contests, and most recently, adding to my "house" board, with ideas for things I'd love to do with our home—in particular, a shelving unit for our mud room and an accent wall in the guest room or somewhere else. (Redoing our kitchen is my big wanna-do, but that is a much bigger investment than these other ideas!)

Anyway, I've been in a nesty mood lately, and I've been intrigued by this whole chevron trend. Have you noticed this? Chevron patterns are everywhere right now, it seems—in home decor, clothing, even some gorgeous scrapbook albums I saw the other day. I've never been big on following trends. I wait to see if they "last" before jumping on board. And something so bold as this chevron thing is sure to fizzle out quickly. But it's pretty cool looking, and while I wouldn't try it for an accent wall inside my house, I thought I'd give it a go for spicing up our garage a bit!

Yes, our garage. A utilitarian space that barely seems deserving of a makeover, and yet, for that very reason, seemed to be a fitting canvas for some trendy-patterned-accent-wall fun. So this has been my project for the last few days, in what spare time I can muster. (I'm not above putting a baby gate at the back door so my kids can play in the mud room while I climb a ladder in flip flops just outside.)

It's not even a whole wall, obviously, just the area right around the door, but adds some interest that I can enjoy every day as I pull into the garage after a long day at work.

What sort of crafty things or home improvements have you been making lately?

My NEW Baby Essentials

About this time three years ago, I blogged about my Nine Baby Essentials. Since every pregnancy, baby, and mothering experience is different, I thought I'd update that list now that I've gotten a "second opinion" with Claire.

Some items that were "essential" with Kate are completely not with Claire. The "Soothing Center" that worked so well with Kate doesn't do a thing for Claire. It's set up in the corner of our bedroom, but Claire has been in it a total of about four times. We try now and again (and she did fall asleep for maybe 20 minutes in it once) but despite all its awesome features designed to mimic mother's arms, scent, and sound, Claire will not be fooled. Nothing against the swing—it just goes to show how something can be a miracle product for one child and not another.

Other things from that original list are still must-haves:

Diapers.com

I have used this site hundreds of times, and just get more thrilled with it all the time. They offer free shipping on orders over $49 (my usual order of a case of Pampers and a box of Huggies wipes refills is about $75) and the shipping is fast—always two days. That $49 can include things from their partner sites Soap.com (household items), YoYo.com (toys), Wag.com (pet supplies), etc., so you can get pretty much anything. I've returned things twice, and it is extremely easy and free, and I've contacted customer service a couple times and always been delighted. I'm not a paid spokesperson (though I'd love to be!) but you can use my referral code JKELLEY to get $10 off your first order.

Bumpyname Labels

Stickers and labels gross me out, so I love these rubbery bands that can go around bottles and sippy cups. I've been so mad that day cares have lost one of Kate's and one of Claire's, but I'm thinking I'll order another set (they come in sets of four) with just a generic "Kelley Family" and our phone number, or something, since we can always use extras! I like giving them as gifts too, since they're unique and (in my mind) so much preferable to sticker-labels. 

Pampers and my Medela pump are also still baby essentials in my book, but there are some new additions as well. 

Double Umbrella Stroller

I just plain don't like dealing with a big stroller. Umbrella strollers are the way to go, in my book, and so long as they have a 5-point harness, even little babies can ride in them. Kate still likes to ride when we go to the zoo or whatnot (though she's getting a little big for that—we may need to cut her off soon), so we got a double umbrella stroller when Claire was born. It fits through doorways and is so much lighter than a big stroller, especially a double big stroller, like a sit-and-stand. Once Claire can be trusted to sit without climbing out or falling over, we'll probably take the wagon, but for now, the stroller is great!

Sleep Sheep

We had the Cloud b Sleep Sheep with Kate too, and I think we turned it on every night, but since Kate loved her paci so much, any other bedtime rituals were ancillary. Claire is a much lighter sleeper (at least when first going to sleep) and will suddenly be wide awake if anyone so much as stage-whispers while I'm nursing her to sleep. So, I turn on the Sleep Sheep immediately upon laying her down, if not right when I start nursing, to soothe her and block out any voices or sister-noises while she settles into a deep sleep. There is also an adorable giraffe, dolphin, and other animals in this line, plus the Twilight Turtle constellation nightlight that Kate now has and loves. 

Swaddle Me Wrap

I'm a stickler for sleep safety—no bumpers or blankets here!—and the Swaddle Me wrap is a safe way to keep baby cozy at night, since it can't be kicked off and become a suffocation hazard like regular receiving blankets. (The Halo Sleep Sack is also a safe option, but it's loose around the legs, not binding like a swaddle.) As I said, Claire needs more bedtime comfort in the absence of a paci, and swaddling in the Swaddle Me really helped her for the first seven months or so, until she outgrew the large size. They come in organic cotton and all sorts of cute patterns now, too. 

Squeezy Blocks

Not an "essential," I guess, but every baby needs toys, and these are my favorite. I got these for Kate when she was about 9 months old, and I've been loving them with Claire too. It was the Parents magazine-brand when I got them, but that brand seems to be sold as just "B" now. In any case, they are such classic toys (which I love) but rubbery so they are easy for tiny hands to hold and won't hurt if baby falls on them or bangs herself with them. Plus, they are designed very cute, each with a number, that number of symbols (stars, dots, etc.) on the opposite side and that number of animals going around it. (#1 is a snake, since that's the only animal that would stretch around all four sides!) Kate still plays with these too, as we build towers and put the numbers in order. 

So those are a few of my faves. 

What baby gear could you just not do without?

Bye Bye Olympics!

I let Kate stay up a little late tonight to watch some of the Olympics closing ceremony. She asked me, "are we gonna cry, Mommy?" We didn't, but we definitely were sad to say bye-bye to the London games. It's been a fun two weeks.

We kicked off the fun with our party for the opening ceremonies (pre-party post here). Matt was out of town, but we had a fun, girly night with Nancy and Becca, eating British food and doing Olympic crafts.

The girls dressed in their gymnastics leotards,

 Had a little tea party,

 And did some 'nastics on the couch.

 We did some Olympic rings art using paint and styrofoam cups.

And we made Olympic torches, which the girls decided made better weapons than symbols of spirit and unity. Kate continues to call it "my fire."

 Kate enjoyed the ring art so much, we were doing it again in our pajamas the following morning,

 and we started a mantle display with the art we'd created in just the first 14 hours after the opening ceremonies!

Over the course of the past two weeks, we've added a lot of coloring pages of flags, runners, gymnasts, footballers, and more, and Kate is sporting a very blingy gold medal, which she "wins" over and over again by standing up on a platform (her ring-toss base), hearing me sing the Olympic anthem (which I never remember, and usually do "Pomp and Circumstance" or the Star Wars theme instead) and give her the medal and a flower. 

We've had a great time watching gymnastics, swimming, beach volleyball, track, and "race walking." Kate has learned that some people are born without feet (the South African "blade runner"), and that all the different countries have different flags and anthems. It's been a lot of fun. It's hard to believe that when the winter Olympics come around, Kate will be turning five (and Claire will be two) and the next time we have summer Olympics, Kate will be SEVEN, Claire will be pushing five, and we'll probably have another toddler running around here! 

Go world!