Well...

I know, it's been two weeks! But it has a been crazy two weeks. We are still working on our bathrooms and FINALLY the plumbing has been fixed. Although now the floor is ripped up in one bathroom and a whole in the wall in the other bathroom. We have had 3 people come over to look at the situation and give us quotes. Unfortunately most of them aren't available for another couple weeks...and so we sit with partial use of the bathrooms. We've also tried, unsuccessfully, multiple times to shop for new tile but the kids spend the entire time running through the store, hiding in/around/behind the tile that we end up leaving before any decisions are made.

The tub is working again.This bathroom has also gained a shower!

And we are saying good-bye to this pink/peach tile. I know you're thinking
it's just a little too beautiful to destroy ;)



Let's see what else...we are rolling into October enjoying some fantastic weather. Craig played softball in Oconomowoc yesterday and dare I say, I got a little sun! It seems like we are always running errands and trying to tie up any loose ends that have been left over from summer.

Last week, Drew came down with a fever for a day and a half followed with a cough for a day and a half. And with twins, it's  "wash, rinse, repeat" syndrome so Kelsey started her fever as Drew was finishing his cough. We made it through with no big issues.

The kids personalities are so interesting lately. Kelsey is such a sweet, sensitive, polite, talkative girl who spins around the living room telling us she's a princess. Drew is a loud, jumping, dirt-finder who loves anything with wheels that moves. He's definitely not as polite but sensitive to feelings especially when others are sad or sick. The sitter's grandson came home from school with a migraine and Drew told me every day for a week that Jimmy was sick...and then all better!

Some silly kids. Go figure Drew was actually trying to irritate Kelsey by pushing her
off the bench.

Diva all dressed up to run errands with mom. Her hair is so pretty
and healthy since I cut about 2 inches off the back.

It's A....

BOY! My brother and sister-in-law are having a sweet little baby boy. We are so excited - let the spoiling begin! We are already talking about the baby shower, picking a day to help them register, and happily handing down as much of our baby things as they will take:-)  The time will go fast now with all the holidays coming up.

These silly kids got to wear their "if you mustache..." shirts one
more time. And Auntie Tara got them hooked on walking on the treadmill!

Bath Time and Harleys

We have lived in Milwaukee for 10 years now and have not had too many problems getting in, out, or around the city during festivals, Brewer games, holidays, and so on. BUT...there is nothing like a motorcycle party that makes you want to hole up inside your home till the coast is clear! The 105th anniversary was mild and we moved the weekend of the 100th, which was a major bash but we were busy unpacking and setting up our first place together. This year, 110, forced some of our second shift staff at work to be late, as the interstates were moving at a crawl and any destination has to be well thought out, trying to avoid highways and staying on city streets (which I personally avoid and prefer the interstate). While it is awesome to see all the camaraderie and people visiting from all over the world, the news stations are reporting on it to death! It's so bad that one reporter asked a couple from Germany "How do you say Harley Davidson in German?" Umm, it's a brand, a unique name like anyone else's name, is said the SAME WAY IN ANY LANGUAGE! I'll get off my soapbox, but they are ruining a special thing in this city and I'm going to have to stop watching the news till at least Tuesday.

We have a new bath arrangement...

...two kids that FIT in the kitchen sink! About a week ago Craig told me the laundry downstairs was wet, suspected that it was from the shower. Then the next bath after that, I ran downstairs to start a load of laundry as Craig was getting the kids out of the tub, and water was dripping from the ceiling! So we called a plumber and of course the first thing he says is, "No more baths." We aren't even sure where the leak is:( We may be remodeling our upstairs bathrooms a lot sooner than we thought.

Best Gift

The best anniversary gift...

...beautiful flowers from Craig and these two sweet kids! Three years ago yesterday I was experiencing uncomfortable embryo implantation symptoms, as we were celebrating 5 years of marriage. Even though I tried not to get  my hopes up of a positive pregnancy test, I knew something was different. I'm so happy to share my anniversary with the beginning moments of my kids' life.

Leaves Already

As if we don't deal with enough leaves when fall actually arrives, this is currently going on in the front of our garage!

And these are the trees along side the driveway that look been and healthy so it is a mystery as to where the dead leaves are falling from. 

Craig is playing softball today. The kids and I have taken 2 walks and played on the playground. Now I'm ready for them to take a nap (and maybe me too). Tonight I'm going out with some girlfriends and tomorrow we are going to Chicago for an anniversary lunch. Trying to get everything in before the school year starts!

"What the Heck?"

A phrase from Kelsey, heard quite a bit around here lately. And she will repeat it, two or three times in a row. I don't think she knows what she's saying...she doesn't really look to get a reaction from us but when we tell her to stop is when she will say it again and again. She's our sassy pants - also likes to say "No!" to pretty much everything I say to her. Awesome. Can't wait til she's older! ;)

Drew likes to drink milk. Good, great, super! He doesn't ask for juice, rarely asks even for water. Well, sometimes too much of a good thing becomes a bad thing. The excess dairy gave him diarrhea, like 4-5+ times a day. So he would get a sore butt and even say, "Mom, I poot...butt hurt." Poor buddy. I decided to try a "milk alternative" and bought almond milk. It claims to have more calcium than milk and it has less sugar. I was worried he would notice a taste difference but he seems to be loving it. We don't totally limit his cow milk intake, he drinks it at the sitter or if we are away from home. But we've seen an improvement in his bowel activity so I suppose we will keep this up for now.

And these are the new floors. Not bad for 75 year old wood. So far we love them...we think we may put on another coat of finish though. Now if I could just snap my fingers and have the walls repainted, hang the new curtains, buy some couches....ah, I'm dreamin'. Hopefully by the end of the year - no pressure!

Pardon Our Dust

We are finishing our floors! But I think this is only the beginning of the dust - we haven't even sanded them yet! I didn't say "refinishing" because the wood under the carpet was never stained or poly-ed. So we started Friday night and have pulled up all the carpet, padding, tack strips, and staples in order to move on the next stage (and probably dirtiest), sanding. There are some old stains that we hope will just come out after a couple passes with the sander. The kids were totally freaked out Saturday morning when they saw half the main floor was missing carpet. It's going to require a little coordination and patience to keep the kids entertained away from the living/dinning room, but our carpet needed TO GO! I'll spare all the details of the carpet stains but it made spent 6 years with a dog and 2.5 with babies/toddlers. I hope we are 90% finished with the floors in a week (and more photos to follow)!

These are the steps to the basement which need to be finished first!

Silly kids eating breakfast this morning and watching cartoons