Bathroom "Finishes"

I've been trying to add little touches here and there to help make certain rooms feel "finished." For me, that usually means artwork. Nothing major; just something that I know I'm going to want on the walls for good. I was able to find some pieces for the half-bath this weekend that made it feel finally done. Here are some pictures...

This is the first view as you walk in the door. The painting on the left is from the Bahamas when my parents lived there. I found the bird picture at Target.

You can't tell very well, but this picture on the right is a camel we found when we were in Dubai. We've had it for awhile now, but couldn't ever find the right frame to go with it.

So now it's done. It might sound weird, but I like walking into a room and knowing I wouldn't change anything else. I like knowing it's completely finished with all of the little embellishments, etc.

"Anything But Clothes" Party

When a girl in our Sunday School class invited everyone to an "Anything But Clothes" Party, I was a little worried. It's like a costume party, but you dress as a "thing" instead of a person. We used safety pins to attach a ton of Kroger plastic bags to Steve and I covered myself with baby blankets. It was definitely not our most attractive look, but we had fun!

We had to get Bella in on the fun, so we cut a hole in the bottom of a Target bag and let her join in. She did great! I kept an eye on her so she wouldn't try to chew on the bag.

Steve's 1st Day

Pray for Steve this week...he is starting at a new location with the bank. He will still be doing credit analysis, but this is for a group that does solely commercial loans. I think he's looking forward to the change, and I know he's excited about the shorter (much shorter) commute. His office is now a cubicle, so he's a little apprehensive about the lack of provacy, so I'm praying that it is a smooth transition for him.

This past weekend was extremely relaxing for us; we spent a lot of time at home with no plans. It was fabulous! Sunday was an interesting time with speakers from the Creation Institute. Check them out at www.creation.com.

Homemade Baby Food

I'm trying to experiment with some homemade baby food. For "dinner" I've tried carrots and green beans. My "breakfast" attempt was plain yogurt mixed with pureed apples. I'm definitely still in the experimenting stage. I tried the yogurt with Bellla this morning and it was way too tart for her. I'm going to go to the grocery store tomorrow and get some vanilla yogurt and bananas. Hopefully, the sweeter taste will help. It's been fun, though; I actually feel like I'm accomplishing something.

Another week, and January is almost done!

I can't believe January is almost done! When I was teaching, January and February were the months that dragged on the longest; with no break in sight until Spring Break in April. This year, everything is moving along so fast!

Steve is doing great in his classes. He took two quizzes last night and got A's in both of them. He chose to take these classes this semester to refresh his brain a little. One of the classes he seems to really enjoy and the other, seems to really bore him. At least he's getting good grades!

Bella had her 9 month check-up with the pediatrician on Monday. Her weight is finally starting to plateau - she weighs 21 lbs. and 6 oz. At her 6 month appointment, she weighed 20 lbs. already, so I'm glad it's slowing down. Her pediatrician said she is doing great and she can already do a lot of the "12 month" milestones.

The Week Is Done!

I survived the week on pain medications while watching babies. Thankfully, the babies survived, too. Here is a picture of Liam and Bella playing together...

Bella kept crawling up to Liam and taking the pacifier out of his mouth.

Luckily, he didn't seem to mind.

We're really looking forward to just being home this weekend. We have

no plans other than hanging out with friends. Monday, Steve doesn't have work, so he's coming with me to Bella's 9 month checkup. We'll see how much weight she's gained this time.

Dry Sockets and Finals

I broke down and called the oral surgeon this morning about my mouth. Three of the spots seemed to be healing just fine and not requiring any medication. One of my bottom teeth, though, was still causing some serious pain and was waking me up in the middle of the night. They had me come in this morning and told me I had a "dry socket". I always thought that meant I had something infected, but I guess it just meant that I had an exposed nerve or bone. He fixed it pretty easily and within an hour, I was much better. Hopefully that's the last of it.

Steve has his mid-term tonight. Pray! He's been really diligent about studying, and the professor is allowing them to use a formula sheet, so he should do an awesome job. He's so focused between work and school that it's nice to see him rewarded.