Here, There, and Everywhere

I’ve debated whether or not I should post so many photos of Liam on this so-called “house” blog.  It wouldn’t be so bad if I was actually posting about projects here or there, but that really hasn’t been happening (although a few minor ones are in the works).  Lately this blog has either been *hearing crickets* or babybabybaby.  And I’ve decided that I’m okay with it.  This is the easiest way for me to update our family in Indiana on Liam’s latest (Facebook overwhelms me, so I stick to the blog), plus it keeps me on my toes with taking/uploading/organizing our pictures—which I would otherwise procrastinate on and end up with a gigantic mess on my hands.  And ultimately, I’ve realized that this is our blog, so we’re going to post about whatever the heck feels right to us—be it projects or personal moments.  If I sound like I’m ranting, it’s probably because I’ve been feeling a tiny bit guilty for rarely updating the blog.  This is obviously my own issue, so don’t feel bad.  The day that blogging feels like a chore or something that “has to get done,” it’s gotta go.  For now, I’ll post when I can and about whatever subject happens to be on my mind.  If you’re still reading, thanks for sticking around!  And if not, well, I suppose this little chronology of our life is more for us anyway.  Okay, now on to the good stuff.

It turns out that three month old babies are full of fun and constantly changing!  Sometimes that’s hard for me.  I like life to be somewhat predictable (how boring, right?!), so learning to go with the flow can be challenging.  Fortunately, I really like Liam.  A lot.  Way more than I thought I would ever like a baby (looks like today is full of confessions).  Here’s what we’ve been up to…

 

Trying out the Bumbo…not the most successful, but I’m gearing up to try again.

Lots of looking out the window, especially with Daddy.  We are very up-to-date on the neighborhood happenings. 

Playing peek-a-boo—this is still a work in progress.  He’s loving “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” though…

Liam cheered us on from the sidelines—all bundled up—while we played kickball at our friend’s birthday party.  He got pretty excited when Matt kicked a homerun.  : ) 

There’s been a bit of grasping going on, too!

Lately he’s been super curious and observant, so Liam loved our day trip to Eleven Mile Canyon.  It was fun taking him into the mountains!

There have been many more smiles and even some bubble blowing.  Looks like drooling is right around the corner… I told Liam he looks like a wrinkled old man in some of these photos! 

We also checked out the Colorado State Fair on Dollar Day.  While the food was sadly disappointing (no elephant ears or fried cheese!), the rodeo ended up being a good time.  I mean, how can you go wrong with cowboys named things like Dusty Dan?

And of course, we’ve been hanging out on a blanket in the backyard almost every day as we soak in the last few weeks of summer.  The squirrels, birds, and trees could keep Liam entertained for hours on end!

I do put Liam in clothes—sometimes.  Why make extra laundry when it’s so warm out?  And who doesn’t love a nearly naked baby?  (Sorry, Mom!) 

Here’s hoping you all have a great Labor Day weekend!  We’ll be hitting up a minor league baseball game and the hot-air balloon festival, but overall, we plan to take it easy.  Cheers!

Summer Lovin’

Summer has been so great.  It seems like this year we’ve especially enjoyed life’s simple pleasures…

Lazing around in the mornings…

Strolling to the local drive-in to enjoy sweet treats with friends (that’s Liam’s buddy in the picture)…

Relaxing by the pool with family (although the Broadmoor pool is definitely in a class of its own and likely shouldn’t be referred to as “simple”)…

Sunning on the porch…

Hanging out in our pajamas with Dad…

Volunteering at our church’s annual Run for Rwanda 5K (it was a little chilly, so we bundled up—Liam was a champ and slept through most of the craziness)…

Catching glimpses of our little guy’s first smiles…

Wish we could push pause and make every day summer! 

Let the Games Begin!

In the spirit of the Olympic games, check out the athletes’ London digs…

I, for one, was glad to hear that they’re accommodating gangly legs with longer beds.  Haha.  The article is worth reading if only for a few interesting facts to satiate any Olympic cravings you might be having. 

And for those who love a good trip down memory lane, be sure to visit my bro’s post.  It’s a tear jerker—at least for dorks like me.  Poor Liam…he has to hang out with an Olympic-crazed mother all day!  Oh, and it turns out Kristi Yamaguchi (I’m pretty sure this dates me…) is in Colorado Springs this weekend for an Olympic kick-off party.  After all, we are home to the Olympic Training Center, which is only a few blocks from our house.  There will be dancing in the street of Tejon tonight!

Go Team USA!!

Our Narnia Lamp Post

You’ve heard me mention it before.  We have a Narniaesque lamp post that just begs for Mr. Tumnus to pop over for a chat.  Where is a good faun when you need one these days?  Alas, I doubt he’ll be popping by anytime soon, but just in case the situation ever arises, I thought it high time our little lamp post got a good sprucing up. 

My original cry of “take it out take it out take it out” never came to pass, because when Matt and my dad checked out the wiring, they found that it connects to our detached garage wiring—meaning if we dug up the post and buried the wires, it would eliminate our garage electricity.  So no go.  While I strongly disliked the witch hat effect from day one, I got really fed up when it became a headless lamp post due to an overly ambitious game of bocce ball.  Witches, headless horsemen lamp posts, mystical fauns…things were getting creepy! 

Thankfully, Matt was able to order a new topper for our post through Lowe’s.  (Why this took us months to do, I’m not sure…)  Still, I felt like the matte black paint job could use an update, as several parts of the post were beginning to rust or flake.  After doing a smidge of research online (can googling really be called research?), I did a light sanding of the post using 80 and then 120 grit paper, wiped it down with a degreasing agent (laundry detergent works well, and it’s already on hand), spray primed, and then spray painted using Rustoleum’s oil rubbed bronze.  By the way, consider this a plug for Rustoleum!  I am disappointed every time I use another brand of spray paint, but Rustoleum has yet to let me down.  I highly recommend it!  Home Depot carries the best selection of colors and seems to beat all other prices. 

Here’s our post looking all country church in its white primer…

And while it was difficult to capture the true color, here she is in her chic coat of oil rubbed bronze—ready for a night on the town backyard.

I’m very pleased with the final result and feel like it really gave our backyard a boost.  And I love that it only took a few cans of spray paint, so we didn’t shell out too much cash for a post that I have a less than stellar relationship with…but if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, right? 

Thus ends the tale of our lamp post.  For the record, I think this was the first DIY project I’ve tackled since Liam’s birth.  It feels good, but it definitely took some planning, as I had to work on it during his naps.  Let’s just say that I’m learning to complete tasks in smaller chunks.  I’ve found that setting small daily goals for myself is a great way to accomplish things without overwhelming myself.  I feel productive and enjoy the creative outlet, but it leaves ample time in my day to hang with Liam. 

For those of you still reading who want more than lamp posts for eye candy, here ya go.  *WARNING—PHOTO OVERLOAD!  I had a hard time choosing…clearly this is my first child…*

We started using cloth diapers last week and it’s going well so far!  Call me biased, but aren’t those colorful diaper covers cute?  Hmmm…might be worth writing a post about cloth dipes someday.  If you’re interested in learning more about cloth dipes, leave me a comment.  Cheers!