Remodel Update
Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday!
Lots going on at our house...starting with a new roof because it rained and ours leaked. I soooooo would have liked to have spent that money on something fun (eg new carpet), but my husband is all about being responsible and that's a good thing...
Here is our living room/dining room breifly put back together (LOVE LOVE LOVE our new floors, they make the house feel so airy and clean and beautiful vs the dirty white carpet):
And the stairs which were carpet before:
Someday we will reupholster the dining room chairs something colorful:
Wood still in the dining room...destined for the laundry room floor at some point...
And here's the exciting part...this is totally my husband's vision but it's going to be the coolest thing ever. We have a 2-story wall in our living room (that our upstairs family room looks out over too) and we're doing these textured tiles and then a design that my art-director friend put together for us is going to be painted onto it. The tiles were initially tricky to get to stick to the wall (they are very thin and light cardboard), but once the guys helping us figured it out, it's gone fast.
Living room is torn up again...so excited about this wall but also can't wait to get our house back to normal. This is it as far as house projects for a while...going to have to save up before we can do any more... :)
XOXO
Truck Safari
Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!
I'm all about doing cheap/no-cost things with the kids.
Like right now, they're really into trucks...and there's some road construction not far from our house...so I thought it might be fun to drive over and check it out.
I got a nice hot cup of tea and we spent the whole morning there, parked on the side of the road, kids standing up in the passenger seat for optimal viewing.
It was right along I-25 too, so in addition to the road construction trucks, there were tons of trucks that drove by--semis and cement trucks and car carriers, gas trucks, even a couple of ambulances.
So grateful that I can spend a weekday morning like this...
XO
Farm Tour
Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!
The Mom's group I'm part of arranged for an organic farm tour, south of town, and the kids and I were soooooooo excited to go.
When I heard there were going to be baby pigs, I was sure that's what the kids were going to like the most.
I was wrong.
The tiny ladybugs on the beet leaves...that's what thrilled them. (With the truck that takes the produce up to ABQ a close second. And feeding the grown-up pigs handfuls of fresh spinach third.)
I would have never even seen the ladybugs if the kids hadn't pointed them out.
One of the best parts of having children...tiny parts of the world being pointed out to you as the magic that they are...
XOXO
P.S. My husband saw this post and asked why I went on a farm tour with the kids and the only picture from it is of the delivery truck? The answer is, have you ever tried keeping two 2-year-olds under control when set loose on a farm?!? It was all I could do to keep them from stepping on the lettuce and climbing into the pen with the chickens...no bandwith for pictures, unfortunately...they would have been nice to have...
Little Cloud Park
One of the cool things we've discovered recently is a little park in the foothills, about 15 minutes from our house called Little Cloud Park. Our little routine there looks like this:
First, we go play on the bunny statue:
Then, we run back to the playground equiptment and play: (The only negative--this isn't the safest playground structure for little kids...close supervision is needed.)
Then: picnic lunch on a cute kid-sized picnic table:
Some other great things about this park are that it's fenced, it's nice and big, there are grass and trees and the mountains right there...so pretty. Also the three times we've gone we've pretty much had the place to ourselves.
There are also little BBQ grills so I think it will be fun when the weather gets warmer to go as a family and do a cookout.
Happy Thursday!
XOXO
Living Room Remodel: Week 1
So we bought this 1960s house when we moved to ABQ that essentially hadn't been changed since it was built.
We did a remodel on my mother-in-law's space when we first moved in to make it nice for her, but haven't done anything with our space. We've been saving up money 'til we can pay cash. We're going to do the remodel in stages, the first being the living room/dining room, the upstairs family room which we call the "Daddy Lounge," and the hallways.
We're taking out the white carpet (which is impossible to keep clean with kids and dogs), putting in hardwood floors, redoing some of the lighting, the big huge wall in the living room we're going to turn into a work of art per my husband's vision, new pillows and accessories, family photos on the wall, reupholstering the dining room chairs, new windows that don't leak cold air in the winter like crazy. Furniture stays the same, but we're hoping to bring a lot of color and personality into our space.
Here are some before pictures, as well as some showing the tear-out of the carpet and installation of the wood floor (windows got installed too). Next will be lighting and staining of the floors and some finish work. The huge wall will come after that. Followed by the little stuff (pillows, etc.). Our plan is to get these rooms totally done before moving on. At some point when funds allow we want to do our bedroom/bath, the guest and kid's rooms, outside, and probably last the kitchen. One step at a time.
I am SO EXCITED to be making this house into a true home. And actually, it's good that we needed to wait, because living here close to a year has given us a very good sense of what we like and don't like and what we feel we need. We didn't know when we first moved in...
Anyway, here is a "before" of the living room:
And the dining room:
Dining room looking into the kitchen:
Living room looking into the entry hall...the dark tiles are staying, they are one of my favorite things aobut the house:
Hallway where we plan to put family pictures as part of this project:
Stairs up to the Daddy Lounge:
Track lighting that is going away...my husband and I found the coolest lights antiquing that are going to go here...
Here's the carpet coming out of the dining room:
And living room:
The floor had to be flattened, was very uneven:
And hardwood going in:
Here's the Daddy Lounge...we pulled up the carpet to discover there were already beautiful hardwoods up here:
And hardwoods complete in the living room/dining room:
Can't wait to show you all how this project progresses!
XOXO
Two Full Weeks With Daddy
We've had my husband with us all through the holidays...so hard having him go back to work! Saturday, one of the last days of this stretch of time off, found us at the duck pond (officially the Rio Grande Nature Center State Park), one of my--and the kid's--favorite places in ABQ.
More ducks than I've ever seen, maybe 100, plus some geese, plus the wind was blowing the browned leaves into the pond like enormous flutters of snow. And warm--high 50s--such warm days here our first winter in ABQ...
Happy Monday!
XOXO
Thanksgiving Week
Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!
Thanksgiving week was full of light and love, friends and family with my husband and mother-in-law (neither of whom made it into these pictures...my husband was feeling anti-camera and my mother-in-law had just had eye surgery), my parents, my dear friends from Santa Barbara days Jason and Danielle (and their dog Lucy, who they got during the short time they lived with me in the Cota house before moving to Seattle...Lucy is the coolest dog in the world and an old friend of Dexter's...so glad they got to see each other.)
One morning we went to the zoo, early, our first time there. We pretty much had the place to ourselves...
Fruit cup is a holiday tradition in my family...everyone helps to cut up grapefruit and oranges, grapes and pineapple. The twins helped too, Luke reaching for ingredients Danielle was putting together for dinner so there ended up being tomatoes and chicken in there (which my mom thankfully took out). There was also continual taste testing on the part of both of the twins.
Thanksgiving day there was lots of football with Grammy and Grandpa. The kids walked around saying "Football! Kick! Throw!" Grandpa also found pictures of peacocks on the web...with Luke especially, since seeing them at the zoo there has been a peacock obsession...
We went to one of the parks close to our house before the meal. Beautiful, mild day. Good to get some fresh air.
The sweater Zo is wearing is one my grandmother made one of my cousins...my aunt and uncle don't have any girl grandchildren and sent me several of their girls' sweaters when the twins were born. Means SO much to me to have those...
Jason and Danielle and Lucy had to leave on Friday. We were so sad to see them go...
\
Grandpa (whom the kids this trip started calling "Pa-Pa"...after he left they would wander around the house saying "Pa-Pa" over and over). Anyway, Grandpa cut Luke's hair while he was here. Luke's so chill about it...
One night, we went to the River of Lights at the Botanic Gardens. Beautiful. Kids loved it. We even found a peacock for Luke. :)
And lots and lots of hikes...there's this place we go back in the National Forest that is pretty much deserted every time. We made it to the end of one of the trails for the first time. And we found this:
There were a couple more hikes with my mom and dad and the dogs just outside of town.
Dexter is doing so well with his cancer, by the way...still hiking like a champ...so grateful for every day I get to have with him.
We're in full swing for Xmas these days. My husband and I got ALL our shopping done over the weekend (so proud of us)! And our fake white "disco tree" up (goes perfectly in the Daddy Lounge, which is what we call our upstairs TV room.) We're traveling to my brother's for the holidays, so trying to keep things somewhat simple around here. But I'm so glad it's the holiday season. Love this time of year.
XOXO
The Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta Was AMAZING
Hi Everyone! Happy Tuesday!
A couple weeks ago was the 10-day Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. This is our first year in the city, and I wasn't really sure what to expect.
Our first time out was Wednesday morning, early. I expected the balloons to be cool, but it was so much more than I thought. Pictures don't really do it justice...there are so many balloons that launch over a couple hours and you get to be right there...I mean, you can reach out and touch the balloons. The cold air and the hiss of the fires that go on and off filling the balloons with hot air and the warmth from that fire when you get near, how everyone near claps and cheers when a balloon leaves the ground...t was one of those times I was happy to be alive, to be part of what was happening...where there was just this delight in the world and that's not something I feel very often (aside from in relation to my kids, where that wonder is there every day).
Love these pictures below of my kids, too...some of my favorite ever, with the early morning light and the wonder on their faces...
These three bees were my favorite...they all launched together, too, looked like they were holding hands as they ascended...
And off the subject a little bit...I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but somebody told me once that spots like those in the pictures below are spirits trying to make themselves visible. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical (non-paranormal) technical reason for why these spots appear, but I love it when my pictures have them...like the two in the pictures below...I like to think my brother Luke and our baby Hunter were there with us that morning...
The other time we went was Friday evening, with my parents.
In the mornings they launch the balloons, in the evenings, they have "glows," where the balloons stay on the ground but inflate and light up.
Here's "Spider Pig" ("Spider Ham,") inflated and you can see how the balloons light up (they light on and off with the fire, not constant) as the sky gets dark:
And right in front of us a balloon team came in and unfurled the balloon...we had no idea what it would be as it lay on the ground and then started to inflate...
The next thing we knew, this guy was towering over us:
The bees going up at the glow...
Our two days there were a good introduction. Next year I want to:
- Go again to the Special Shapes launch (which we did on the Wednesday) but get there EARLY...like 5:30 AM-ish to watch the test balloons ascend in the dark and experience more of the morning. A thermos of hot coffee would also be nice
- And I would love to do another evening glow, but we can get there later than we did this time, and it would be nice to pack a picnic, and also to plan to stay for the fireworks...
Bottom line: the Balloon Fiesta is SO COOL. If it's something you've thought about doing, do it. It far exceeded my expectations and I can't wait to go again.
XOXO
Pumpkin Patch
We all went to the pumpkin patch up in Corrales a little while ago. Corrales is a super cute little village just north of ABQ. There were pumpkins (of course) and a petting zoo and a corn maze and a tractor to sit on and a hay ride. It was a beautiful sunny warm afternoon--oh how I love fall.
Everyone had a great time, except for when the cow mooed. Even from a distance the kids were scared...
Bubs with his Grandma...he sure loves his Grandma...
There was also this great sandbox-like thing ringed with hay bales and filled with corn that the kids could have played in for hours. We were picking corn kernels out of stuff for a week. :)
The pumpkins are looking great on our dining room table, and will be so cool to carve at the pumpkin party/carving contest we are going to this weekend.
Hope everyone has a great Tuesday!
Sandia Mountain Tram
Hello Everyone! Happy Wednesday!
First of all, thank you all so much for all your kind words on Monday about my sadness over my brother, and also all the congrats surrounding our baby news. Means a lot.
I am feeling emotionally better than earlier in the week. And for those of you who have asked if I am maybe having twins, my first beta with the twins was in the 600s, vs 161 this time. And we only transferred one embryo. I know none of that is a guarantee, but, oh, man, we are not prepared for twins. I don't think it's twins. First ultrasound is on the 13th...stay tuned...
Anyway, today I wanted to share some pictures from a couple weekends ago (I'm still so behind on my blog...am determined to get caught up this week!) when my mom was here and the kids and the grandmas and I went up the tram on Sandia Mountain. It's about a 20 minute ride each way, amazing views:
At the top you can see all of Albuquerque off to one side, and on the back side is a small ski area, and Santa Fe off in the distance:
We figured it would be fun for the kids to play in the rocks and dirt some before heading back down. That's the kind of thing kids really care about, right? :)
Such a fun way to spend a sunny Sunday afternoon!
XOXO
Hi!
Hey Everyone! Happy Thursday!
Wow, I miss blogging (and reading blogs)...looking forward to being able to work it regularly into my days again! For now, a little stream-of-conscious sharing...
All's well down here in ABQ. Slowly getting unpacked...finally got around to unpacking most of my office today...it's not done, but it's starting to feel like mine vs a messy room with tons of boxes stacked everywhere. Amazing what some books on bookshelves will do!
My mother-in-law is gone for the week in Vegas, so it's just me around here from 6:30 AM to 5 PM...love having the kids all day...I work like mad during their naps and then my husband takes over when he gets home so I can finish the work I need to finish. This isn't really tenable long-term, but it's been fun having so much time with the kids.
On an unrelated note, I think I found a housecleaner, which is going to really help with my feeling that everything's kind of out of control around here.
And the FET...it's going well, but I have to say it's kind of lonely on the internet doing fertility procedures when you already have kids. It's true the stakes aren't as high as they are for those who don't yet have kids...I feel like everything's going to be great whether this works out or not...but still, taking all these drugs is hard and being in limbo is hard and not being able to do stuff is hard (no tea in the mornings, glass of wine in the evenings, no hot yoga or hiking as of Saturday when I start the patches...nothing that makes you sweat. No baths either which I'm particularly sad about.) Also, I feel like I JUST got back into shape from my pregnancy, back to the point where everything fit and I felt like I looked good...and I've already gained weight with the fertility drugs, but trying not to stress about it because I know I'll lose it no problem when the time is right.
Changing the subject again...my husband has a 3-day weekend starting tomorrow and I feel like we are going to be able to do so much to make this house feel like our home. I'm really loving our house, and what I've experienced of this city so far, which honestly isn't much between twins and unpacking and working. Can't wait for that first weekend where we can just have fun! It's been a long time since I've had a weekend like that.
I'm going to do a lot of picture posts next week (time in Colorado with my mom and dad, our trip down here, moving in, the kid's first birthday), and then I'll be feeling caught up in this space too, which will be great. That's kind of what I feel like I'm trying to do everywhere right now...get caught up and organized and settled. But the end is in sight! :)
Hope everyone has a great weekend!
XOXO
Overwhelmed (Plus Taking a Little Break)
Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday!
Feeling seriously overwhelmed over here. Isn't moving supposed to be one of the most stressful things ever? It's not just me, right? My dogs are doing weird stuff (ie peeing on the white carpet), my babies are doing weird stuff (ie not sleeping on schedule like they normally do, getting sick, screaming with teething pain, poor Luke), I am on these awful fertility drugs (Lupron, I hate you), my husband wants to get unpacked and organized as fast as possible, which I appreciate and love about him, but can't we just order pizza and lay on the couch and watch TV tonight, please? I am exhausted. Plus, one week off work...not enough.
Anyway, there are a lot of really good things happening around here too, of course...my babies are the cutest things ever, I love being back with my husband, my mother-in-law is helping hugely, I love our new home, I went on the most amazing hike yesterday and felt so much better about everything (must make more time to do stuff like that).
And, in an effort to keep my sanity, I'm going to take a little break from this space, probably a week plus or minus while I get things to a bit more normalcy, you know?
I thought this move would be easier...
And an FET at the same time...don't do it...
XOXO
Last Week, in Bullet Format
Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!
Sorry to be totally MIA last week...don't know why I thought I could blog...such a crazy week and it went by so fast! I have a million pictures and stories etc. to share but for now a birthday shot and some bullets:
- Gorgeous drive with my mom and the kids from Colorado to ABQ, with an overnight in Farmington, NM
- Got access to the house a day early (Wednesday), which was great
- The house was absolutely filthy
- All our stuff arrived Friday...we are about half unpacked
- Kids had a great birthday Friday, too, although Luke got very sick and ended up in urgent care Friday night (he's fine now)
- My dad found a GORGEOUS place to go hiking with the dogs...excited about that
- So glad to be reunited with my husband!
- I am over-the-top emotional with this FET going on and all the artificial hormones etc...I hate this process...I cry every day for no reason
- I already miss my parents terribly...it's hard
- I haven't slept much at all for a week
So, good and bad, you know? That's life...
More later in the week...
XOXO
FET, Buying a House, Moving, the Twins' First Birthday...Yeah, There's a Lot Going On...
Hi Everyone! Happy Monday!
Had a nice weekend in Albuquerque with my husband...headed home tomorrow...I miss the kids soooooooo much, but it's hard to complain when my husband has been separated from them so much longer than just my few days.
We've had so much fun together, though, my husband and I...nothing crazy just going to the movies (we saw Warm Bodies...too cute), out for dinners, to a few of the local breweries and we've gotten ready for the twins' birthday (which is next week, OMG), and purchased a few items for the house from local antique stores, we've gotten some really great deals.
And...we really are going to be going ahead with the FET we've been talking about...we've been pretty sure but now it's actually happening...got all the papers notarized Friday and I have a call into the nurse to get my meds and calendar set up. And it's possible our new insurance is going to pay for all or part of the procedure...that would be so amazing...we've paid for everything up to this point and to have some insurance coverage would be a huge deal...
I need to figure out the doctor situation in ABQ too so I know where to go to get my blood drawn etc...going to try and do that today. We're moving down next week, close a week from Wednesday, will be in the house for Luke and Zoey's birthday...everything's coming together but also happening so fast. Deep breath...it's all going to be good...
XOXO
A Little Adventure: Prop Plane to ABQ
Hi Everyone! Happy Thursday!
So my dad found this flight from Grand Junction to ABQ and vice versa...this guy is flying radiopharmaceuticals from Sandia where my husband works to St. Mary's which is a regional medical center for Western Colorado. Recently he (the guy) figured he may as well take some passengers along when he's flying back and forth. It's the same price as a commercial flight, but here's how it goes:
If you're flight departure time is 9:45 you show up at 9:45. You park right out front and there's a cushy lounge to hang out in.
You meet the pilot and hop into the plane (no security). You're the only passenger. He tells you there are oxygen masks in the back and if you land somewhere that is "not a runway" and you can't get out the door you came in, there's another way out of the aircraft (at this point he vaguely gestures towards the other way). He asks if you're scared of flying and you say no.
You put on headphones so you can hear the interactions between your plane/others and air traffic control. Also so you can talk to the pilot.
The the only signs of habitation the whole trip are Telluride and Purgatory (Durango ski mountain) and some houses near a lake in the desert.
Coming into ABQ is bumpy for a few minutes, but no big deal. Another cushy lounge on the other side and my husband to pick me up at the curb...hour and fifteen minutes, no connections, no airport craziness...it was the absolute best. Can't wait to do it again!
In other news, everything's working out with the house we wanted in ABQ. We close in two weeks...so excited! Down for the weekend to tie up some loose ends and spend some time with my husband.
See y'all on Monday. Thanks for spending some time here this week.
XOXO
Adventures in House Hunting
Hi Everyone! I'm back! Hope everyone had a great week last week...as you know we were in Albuquerque house hunting, and look what we found:
Not the classic adobe with a view of the mountains I was dreaming of (turns out, that's out of our price range), but I'm soooooooo excited nonetheless. There are some hoops that must be jumped through, but fingers crossed this is going to be ours. Throughout the house hunt this was known as the "60's Fab" house...it's like Mad Men crossed with Palm Springs (we're going to have a pool!), with a little bit of Mexico sprinkled in. These are just crappy iPhone photos, and of course somebody's else's stuff, but we have plans to make this place oh-so-very-cool. It felt like our home from the second we walked in.
In other news:
- ABQ is cool (I'd never really been), I can definitely see us enjoying ourselves there
- It's all about red or green chile...I like both so I've been taught to order my food "Christmas" (hee hee)
- The more we learn about my husband's new job, the cooler it sounds
- The grandmas watched the babies (and I missed them TERRIBLY)...they (the babies) sprouted teeth while we were gone and the world is now their personal jungle gym and they say "Da!" when their daddy walks into the room (they've been saying "Ma-ma" for some time but I'm still not convinced it's meant specifically for me)
- And my brother's (now mine) dog Dexter had his eye removed in surgery today...long story but he is doing well and that's all that matters
AND...tomorrow is my last day in this (our Colorado) house...I'm feeling kind of sad when there's a second to think about it. Packing starts Wednesday...my husband's headed to ABQ Saturday...me and the kids and the dogs are decamping to my parents, probably until about mid-March. I hate being away from my husband but love love love spending time with my parents, so looking forward to that.
It's chaos around here, but a good, excited, my-husband-is-taking-care-of-almost-everything kind of chaos.
Cross your fingers for us and the house...it's not a done deal (long story I'll tell when it's over).
XOXO
Big Changes Are Afoot...
Hi Everyone! Happy Wednesday!
Guess what?!? My husband has a new job! And a really, really, really good job, too...so proud of him. In the end it was totally worth taking our time/being picky (his first job interview was November of 2011, although he wasn't really looking until June of last year).
Anyway...a great salary.
A really good/high level job title, higher than he was expecting.
And we are going to have GOOD health insurance! (Having to deal with your own insurance is one of the hardest parts of freelancing.)
And he has THREE WEEKS paid vacation every year, PLUS the week between Christmas and New Years off, which is huge!
Oh, and he has every other Friday off too.
It's with Sandia National Labs, which means we are moving to...
ALBUQUERQUE!
As I was mentioning yesterday, I am determined to make it good, to love it and love our life there.
I'm already psyched about:
- Mexican food (it's different in New Mexico than elsewhere, and oh so good...)
- Hiking and snowboarding close by
- It's not too far from my family in Colorado, we'll be able to see them easily
- Cool New Mexico weekend trips like Santa Fe. Taos. Roswell (that's one my husband is excited about). The Lightning Field
- A city with shopping and arts, live music and good restaurants
- I also love the Albuquerque aesthetic--adobe houses, the American Indian and Spanish influences...
- Etc.
New Mexico's called The Land of Enchantment, so it's gotta be cool, right?
We're going to be down there by February. Lots of logistical stuff to deal with. One step at a time...
XOXO
Image credit: BugsyandSprite.