She Doesn't Lie

As we were getting ready for bed tonight, I asked Fiona if I could take out her pigtails. She told me, "No. I look beautiful." Her dad and I agreed!

Doubling the Size of Our House

I'm tired. Not pregnancy tired (although there is definitely some of that ... hello 3rd trimester). But work as hard as you can after bedtime tired. And I have the easy jobs. Mike is really the guy who has been doing the lion's share of the manual labor. I've got a keeper in that one!

But we are getting really close to putting together the family space in the basement that we've always dreamed of. We never really used the basement when Matthew lived here - not because he didn't want us to. But you do want to let a guy feel like he has some privacy. So we just tossed old, mismatched furniture down there and called it good. Then when Fiona arrived and kicked the guest bed out of the nursery, it ended up pushed against one end of the long family room. A guest bed - but zero privacy. Not ideal.

Since Matthew moved out, we've painted and recarpeted his old room and made it a bedroom/office. We're still working on some of the final touches, but it is fully functional for visitors. Hooray!

Last weekend, Mike and Brad moved said old, mismatched furniture out the basement (hello Craigslist!) so that the new sectional could be delivered. We LOVE it and Fiona totally approves! We also got a new entertainment center and Mike got permission to buy a new flat screen TV. He came home with one bigger than what I remember agreeing to - but he stayed within budget so I don't care!

The Craigslist app on Mike's phone has thus far proven useful in Operation: Get Rid of the Crap We Don't Want Anymore and Is Taking Up Space In Our Garage. However, he has also found some good outside toys for Buggy - so it's cost us more than it has made us. I'm holding out hope we can break even as the pile of stuff in the garage continues to disappear.

Here are a couple pictures of the new space. Next on the list is really working on the back end of the family room - which will be the toy area for the kids. But we do have a few toys in there and Fiona thoroughly enjoys playing downstairs. So while we technically haven't doubled the size of our house, it sure feels that way to everyone!

Ready for visitors

New sectional (imagine me saying as I take this,
"Buggy, do not color on the new couch")

Start of the toy room

Nothing to do with the basement, but I love the CHEESE face

Wordless Wednesday: Nursing Home Ride

Riding in Great Grandpa's chair with cousin Spencer

Mama's Day

What a beautiful day outside! And so far, we have had a simply wonderful day as a family too. Fiona surprised me with a small flower pot that she had painted at day care and a beautiful necklace that she also made. Another gift - she has graduated to the table. I can't decide if I'm so proud of her or so sad that she is such a big girl!

Breakfast at the table!!

Mama and Buggy

Mama and both babies (plus the butt of the other kid of the house)

Weekend Adventures

We've been busy the last couple weekends - and have some fun pictures to prove it. I'm "sure" I brought the camera along to capture all these memories (ahem!), but Mike's phone is always so much handier. So please forgive the quality of the pictures.

Two weekends ago, we headed over to MOA to visit the aquarium. Fiona LOVES fish! And the aquarium in the mall is so cool. You actually walk through the shark tank. She did not like all the other people (like her parents, she's not wild about crowds), but thought all the marine life was awesome. We parked on the wrong end of the mall, so had to walk through the amusement park. Conveniently, in the middle of the amusement park is a marker where home plate used to be at the old Metropolitan Stadium. So we took a pic of Fiona "sliding" into home.

Look Grandpa - I'm safe!

A girl can never have too many accessories!

Last weekend, we headed to L-ville on Saturday to a giant kids stuff sale at their hockey arena. When Mike pulled Fiona out of the car, she shrieked "new toys." While we didn't find the outside picnic table we were hoping for, we scored a few bigger toys that have delighted her world!

New car. She can't quite reach the floor yet,
so Mike hears a lot of "Daddy push"

New coloring desk (perfect for shorter toddlers) and Potato Head family

Our Active Bug

Here are a couple fun videos of Fiona in action. She truly enjoys life and it is so fun to watch her engage in the world!

In this video, she is working on her somersault skills. She loves to do them,
but hasn't quite figured out how to do it with her own power. She did
convince her dad to do one (I was not allowed to video it), and thought I should too.

We promised her that I would do it when I am not pregnant!

And in this one, she just discovered that her toy from her Happy Meal
played music. We love the video, but think she looks 1 going on 13! 
You also get to see a fun part where she spots her dad taping her!

A to Z: Something about Me

I saw this on a friend's blog. It looked like fun. So here's a post about me:

A. Age: 25 (or 25 + 6 ...)
B. Bed size: Queen. But I only have a sliver of it because Mike likes to spread out and Yogi does too.
C. Chore that you hate: Folding laundry. It just never ends.
D. Dogs: Yogi. A 5-year-old golden retriever with a golden heart.
E. Essential start to your day: a shower. And a hug and kiss from Mike and Fiona.
F. Favorite color: Really depends on the day. There is a lot of pink in our world right now!
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5’6”
I. Instruments you play: piano, clarinet, a bit of percussion, bells
J. Job title: marketing communications lead
K. Kids: 2 – Fiona and Baby 2.0 [… mike, yogi …]
L. Live: in the Twin Cities suburbs
M. Mother’s name: Shirley
N. Nicknames: Sar (I know, it’s super creative), Fannie
O. Overnight hospital stays: childbirth
P. Pet peeves: people wasting my time and slow drivers (because they waste my time)
Q. Quote from a movie: "He chose … poorly” (from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
R. Right or left handed: Right handed
S. Siblings: 1 amazing sister, 1 amazing sister-in-law
U. Underwear: Um, yes. Gross!
V. Vegetable you hate: Brussel sprouts. And when I’m pregnant, lettuce (it’s bizarre but true)
W. What makes you run late: negotiations with a head-strong toddler and my own inclination to multi-task
X. X-Rays you’ve had: dental, finger (broken … hockey)
Y. Yummy food that you make: banana cream pie (apparently my specialty), caramel rolls, white chicken chili … I really love to cook!
Z. Zoo animal: NOT the birds. I like the lynx at the MN Zoo. 

Wordless Wednesday: Allergy Goobers

The eyes are still stunning!