The Wisconsin O'Brien's

First Day of School

2011-02-01T07:03:00.000-08:00

Months ago, Kylie started talking to Steve and I about going to school. She would talk about riding the bus, and getting a backpack, and going to school and seeing her friends. She would tell me how I would miss her, but that I would be okay. She would bring this up over and over. Kylie wants to go to school, etc.... After she kept bringing up school, I decided to check into a school setting that might be good to try. I found that the local Montessori school had a toddler program. Steve and I took Kylie for a tour of the school, and she met her class, and it was decided that starting in February Kylie would begin attending. She was so happy! She will be going on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30am until 11:30am. Kylie helped me order her backpack, we even got her name put on the back in white letters.

Last night she helped me pack her backpack with all of the required items - diapers and wipes, crayons, watercolor paint, glue and kids scissors. First thing when Kylie got up she asked if today she was going to school. I was a little concerned that her school might not be open, we got quite a lot of snow last night. I called, and they were, so we got her ready. Of course she wanted to head out about 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time, but we used that time to take a couple of pictures..

Ready to head out of the door. Is her enthusiasm obvious?

When we pulled onto the street that her school is located on, she asked me - "Mom, is this where Kylie's school is?". I told her yes, then she replied "Yay Mom, I love it!". As I dropped her off, I started to wonder - where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday she was a baby, and now I am dropping her off at school. Time really does pass by so quickly.

At school, dropping off her backpack and coat before heading to class

Four Months Doctor's Appointment

2011-01-24T08:56:00.001-08:00

Kara had her four month doctor's appointment today, a couple of weeks ahead of schedule. She had ear infections two weeks ago, so the doctor wanted to have a follow up appointment today, and went ahead and did the four month appointment at the same time. Her stats are as follows:

Height: 23 inches (20th percentile)
Weight: 10 pounds, 8.5 ounces (5th percentile)
Length for Age: 20th percentile
Head Circumference: 15.35 inches

Kara is in a 3 hour cycle. She gets fed, is awake for an hour to an hour and a half, she goes down for a nap, then wakes up in about an hour to an hour and a half, and is fed. We do this cycle throughout the day. She goes down around 7 or 8 at night, wakes up around 1am and 4am to eat. Then by 6:30 or 7 she is awake for the day. I wish she took longer naps, and didn't wake during the night but since she doesn't eat a lot still, she has to wake up more frequently. She will start on cereal twice a day now, in hopes that will help her put on more weight.

At this stage of life Kara -
* Likes to play on the floor under her little "jungle". She will swat at her animals for over an hour, talking away to them.
* She enjoys Daddy carrying her around in her Baby Bjorn when he gets home.
* Smiles when I get her out of her crib in the morning.
* Makes a poopy diaper every other day.
* Likes to suck on her binky when going down for a nap. The doctor says that by six months I will need to end this habit...which will be sad for me..
* Has very little hair on her head, which I am guessing will continue to be the case until she's around 2 years old, just like Kylie
* Giggles if I tickle her tummy
* Still has some cradle cap, which I work on removing all of the time, but it takes its time in disappearing.

I love this little gal to pieces, I really do. She is so laid back. Her personality is coming out more, which is fun to watch. I'm so grateful that she is happy and healthy and strong.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-17T13:58:00.000-08:00

This Christmas we had a special treat, family came to stay with us! We had so much fun! Steve's brother Ben and his wife Suz came, as well as Steve's sister Betsy. We had a lot of fun playing around the house, going out to eat, and just enjoying each other's company.

Kylie really enjoyed sledding with Aunt Suz and Uncle Ben.

Hanging out with Aunt Betsy on Kylie's bunk beds.

On Christmas Eve, we headed down to Sarah and Danny's house to meet up with the rest of the family. We spent the next couple of days eating delicious food, playing games and sledding.

While there are many things we are grateful for at Christmas time, we are especially grateful for our girls.

Merry Christmas!

Five Year Anniversary

2011-01-17T11:06:00.000-08:00

On December 23rd Steve and I celebrated our five year wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe that we have been married five years. I still remember the day we got married so well. I remember that I couldn't stop smiling, I was so happy. I also felt like it wasn't real in some aspects, that it was too good to be true. I had always wanted to be married, but there were so many times in my life, I just wasn't sure if that dream would ever be realized. What a blessing that Steve came along; and he still makes things that seemed like a dream, become reality. My cup runneth over. Love that guy!

Lasik Surgery

2011-01-17T09:11:00.000-08:00

On Friday Steve had Lasik Surgery on his eyes. He was so excited to have this surgery, and let's face it, I was too. No more waking me up in the middle of the night to find out what time it was. No more fiddling for his glasses first thing in the morning. No more contacts that itch and bother his eyes.

He decided to have the surgery at an eye center in Rockford, IL. The surgeon there actually participated in the original FDA study on Laser Vision Correction, and Steve had a colleague that highly recommended the facility. So, we headed down on Friday, dropped the kids off at Steve's sister's house (who conveniently lives in Rockford), and had his initial consultation. He found out that his eyes were the right thickness for the surgery, and set up the surgery time for that afternoon at 1pm. The surgery lasted about ten minutes all in all, but we were at the doctor's office most of the afternoon, with recovery and such. Steve was in a bit of pain after the surgery, his eyes were burning. After a few good hours of sleep, they felt better. The following morning his eyes felt significantly better, no pain at all, and by the time of his 8am follow up visit, his vision is now 20/20.

He is so glad he did the surgery, and I am tickled pink that eye glasses, contact lenses, contact lense solution and his vision headaches are in the past. What a way to start 2011!

The New Bedroom Downstairs

2010-12-15T07:24:00.000-08:00

When we moved into our new home, Steve and I decided it would be nice to add a fourth bedroom downstairs, in the unfinished part of our basement. It wasn't high on the priority list, though. We had other improvements that were more important. At the end of June of this year, those improvements had been completed, and we made the decision to move forward with adding the new bedroom downstairs.

Since I was pregnant, I couldn't really help much with this project. Steve drew out the floorplan of the new room, and got to work framing, insulating and sheetrocking (along with Danny's help). He also wired the new room, and did all the ductwork, so the room is heated and cooled. A contractor completed the mudding and texturing of the walls. A fresh coat of paint and new carpet finished the project. Of course, this provided me an excellent opportunity to go shopping to decorate the new room. Below is the finished product. It was completed about two weeks before Kara came, which was perfect timing so when family came to visit after her birth, they had a new room to stay in. I am so proud of my handy husband!

Two Months Old

2010-12-13T16:24:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday Kara Grace was two months old. I really cannot even believe how quickly the time has flown by since her birth. She has grown up so much, so quickly.

Some of the things I love about this little gal:
-Goes to bed between 9:30 and 10:30, wakes up between 2 and 4 for a feeding, then back to sleep until 5 or 6
-Will sleep pretty much anywhere for her naps, though her bed is the least preferred spot to sleep (we are working on this one...)
-Smiles and coos now
-Very patient with Kylie, as her big sister gives her lots of attention
-Laid back personality
-Snuggly little thing she is
We will forever be grateful for this little girl coming into our lives. I am addicted to kissing and loving on her, and when she wakes up from her naps, I feel like I missed spending time with her while she was sleeping. This Christmas season, as I am pondering all of our blessings, Kara Grace is at the top of the list (along with Kylie, of course). We love you Kara!

Six Week Stats

2010-11-23T11:30:00.000-08:00

On Friday, November 19th, our Kara Grace was six week's old. Today she went to the doctor for her checkup. Below are her stats.

Weight: 7 lbs. 9 ozs. - < 5th percentile
Length: 51 cm. - 5th percentile
Head Circumference: 36 in. - 5th percentile

Kara has become a very happy, mellow infant, who just a few days ago started smiling at Mommy. Yay!! She likes to hang out in her nap nappy when she's awake, and if she gets fussy a pacifier is usually all it takes to soothe her. She sleeps from 10pm or so until between 5am and 7am, depending on the day. She wakes up every 3 hours during the night to feed. It seems like no matter what time she eats, she sleeps from 8am to 10am and from 2pm to 4pm. That said, some days are totally different than her normal schedule. For instance, last night she almost woke up every hour....sadly....

As time goes on I am sure Kara's personality will come out more, which I can't wait for. So far, I am relishing our snuggle moments, her sweet smile, and serene nature. She is our little jewel.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-18T06:41:00.001-08:00

This year for Halloween Kylie was a dalmation (Spot) and Kara went as herself. She had a costume, but it was too small...When I planned for her costume, I didn't know she would be so small... Here we are before we left for the Trunk or Treat at church

Kylie as Spot. Kylie won second place in the costume contest at the Trunk or Treat.

Introducing Kara Grace O'Brien

2010-11-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

On the morning of October 8, 2010, we left for the hospital at 4:45am so that we could be at the hospital (West Allis Memorial) at 5:30am. I didn't sleep much the night before, a little anxious for what lied ahead, combined with the uncomfortableness of pregnancy. Mom had arrived from North Carolina the day before, so she was able to come with Steve and I to the hospital. Kylie stayed at home with her Aunt Sarah and Uncle Danny, and cousins Jackson and Parker. Here I am in the triage room, before the process got started.

At 7:54am our baby Kara Grace was born. She weighed 5 lbs. 12 oz's. We were surprised with her petite size, but she is just perfect!

She is a joy to have, and gets lots of kisses and hugs from Big Sister Kylie. Kylie loves to hold Kara and is such a loving sister. She has impressed us with her capacity to embrace Kara, and we can't imagine our lives without these two girls.

Future Baker

2010-02-17T14:02:00.001-08:00

I left Kylie unoccupied for what I thought was just a second, and I come in the kitchen to find that she had decided to go exploring in the pantry. She had obviously taken handfuls of flour and tossed it all around her, on her clothes, and for some reason, on her cheeks. She was a little too busy to notice I was standing there, but when she saw the flash...

She gave me a big grin...

I think she definitely knows her way around the kitchen.. And did I mention this is the second time she has done this...

Snow Day

2010-02-17T13:56:00.000-08:00

Last Monday night, around midnight, it started snowing. The next day it snowed all day. We got about a foot and a half of snow, which meant Steve got to leave work early on Tuesday around 3pm, so that he could get home safely in the daylight. After he got home, he tied a rope to Kylie's snow tube, and pulled her around the yard, much to her delight. Below are a few pictures of the event

Christmas 2009

2010-01-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, we traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to be with Tamara's family. We were there for a little over a week, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We arrived on Saturday afternoon, and began our week of relaxation. It was so nice to be able to go to church with family, and have a little help with Kylie during Sacrament Meeting. She is so active these days, she keeps us busy.

On Wednesday, December 23rd, we took Kylie to the Charlotte Nature Museum. This museum focuses on nature-based learning, in a fun atmosphere.

Kylie got to see a snake up close

and an owl

There is also a butterfly exhibit at the Nature Mesuem. To our delight, as soon as we entered the exhibit, a butterfly landed on Kylie. We coached her to hold still, and just watch the butterfly. She did such a good job.

It landed on her shoulder

And then came in for a closer look

We also got to see a turle eat his lunch

The museum put on a puppet show that was about 15 minutes long (which is perfect) on bears hibernating during the winter. It incorporated Christmas and Santa into the show, which was pretty creative if you ask me.

The bear decided to wake up during the winter so he wouldn't miss Christmas (this was upon the advice of his friend Beaver).

Later on that afternoon, Steve and I snuck away for an overnight trip to celebrate our four year wedding anniversary. Dad and Mom watched Kylie for us, which we greatly appreciated. We stayed at the Westin Hotel, in downtown Charlotte (which locals refer to as Uptown). Upon checking in, we were informed that we had been upgraded to the Presidential Suite. As we went to our room, we had to take pictures, since we figured we would never stay in such a nice suite again.

To explain, when you walked in the marble foyer upon entering our rooms, there was a room to the left, which was the bedroom. It had views of downtown Charlotte, which was beautiful if you opened all of the curtains.

To the right of the entry was an entertaining room, with sofas and a big screen. This made Steve very happy. Which made me happy.

The bathroom attached to the bedroom had a wonderful jacuzzi tub, which was like heaven.

The bedroom

The bathroom

Entertaining Room

We walked to dinner that night, our restaurant (Ruth's Chris Steakhouse) was only about 10 minutes away from our hotel. We went by an outdoor ice skating rink, and got to watch people skating for a few minutes, that was so fun. We had a momentous anniversary, and I can't believe four years has went by so fast.

This Christmas, Kylie really got into opening gifts. She opened her own gifts and everyone else's too. Here are a few pictures:

Enjoying the fire with Aunt Julie Anna

On Saturday we went to Ray's Splash Planet, which is a kid-geared water park. Kylie wasn't really into going down the slides, but she enjoyed playing around as long as someone was holding her.

Having fun with Dad

and Mom

and Grandma Rosie

Saturday night Ben and Susannah came up from Columbia to hang out. We went on a double date, to a restaurant called Firebirds. Delicious! Before we left, Kylie enjoyed playing around with Uncle Ben a lot.

We truly had a Merry Christmas

Snow Adventures

2009-12-12T09:53:00.001-08:00

This past week we had a snow storm, and got about 10" of snow. On Saturday Steve took Kylie out to play in it. This is the first time that Kylie has really been able to experience a lot of snow, since last year she was only about six months old or so when it was winter. She enjoyed exploring the snow on the back deck while I blew up the sledding tube (I guess that's what you call it) inside.

The snow can be hard to walk in.

At the top of the hill in our back yard, ready to go.
She insisted on going by herself, such a brave little gal.

Whee!!

At the bottom of the hill, waiting for Daddy to come pull her back up again.

That $20 tube was money well spent!

Snow Bunny

2009-12-04T06:26:00.000-08:00

Last night we got our first snow (or dusting rather) of the 2009/2010 Winter season. When Kylie got up this morning she was ready first thing to head outside. We got her suited up to go out, and I couldn't help myself, the camera had to come out too.

All geared up and ready to go.

Seriously Mom, why all the photos??

Okay, okay, one more...

Isn't snow fun?

And interesting...

Our slide has snow on it

Happy Winter!!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

This Halloween was extra special, because we now have a real neighborhood for Kylie to go Trick-or-Treating in. The Trick-or-Treat time also provided us an opportunity to meet more of our neighbors. Everyone seems really friendly. Kylie was a butterfly this year.

Here she is, getting ready to go. She was pretty excited.

Steve took her Trick-or-Treating, so that I could stay back and answer the door.

She definitely liked all of her candy. She kept saying "candy, candy" after she got home. We gave her a few Smarties and she was in heaven.

Happy Halloween!

Apple Picking

2009-10-03T19:21:00.001-07:00

Today Steve and I decided to take a break from packing and go pick some apples. Barthel's Fruit Farm, which is located about 20 minutes away, has u-pick Honey Crisps, which are a favorite variety of ours. So after Kylie woke up from her morning nap, we loaded up the car to head to the apple farm. As you can see, Kylie was really excited for the experience... (see below)

Once we got out of the car and she woke up, she kept saying "apples, apples!" She really loves apples. We let her have one that Dad picked for her. She really liked it.

It was only after we got home that we realized she had eaten three apples, two at Barthel's, and one on the way home. Apples are good for brain development, right?

We plan on making picking apples a family tradition.

Love the Socks

2009-09-14T10:15:00.001-07:00

Last week when Kylie and I were packing for the move, I opened a box I had saved that had shipping peanuts in it. Kylie was sifting through the peanuts, and found an unopened gift. I looked at the shipping label on the box, and it was a gift to me from my parents, in April 2006. How I overlooked the little gift, I have no idea. I let Kylie unwrap it, and among some other items, were these socks. I guess she thought they were hers, and almost every day since she has worn them. With everything. Apparently she's a bigger Hello Kitty fan than I realized....

Our First Home

2009-09-02T16:17:00.000-07:00

After a lot of hunting and praying, our offer was accepted on the little house in Jackson that we had our eye on. We close on October 15th. I am feeling excited, a little aprehensive since we're never spent this much money before. Mostly, I feel like we are starting a new chapter in our lives, which I have looked forward to for a long time. Steve and I have been in apartments since the day we were married. It was time! Here are a few pictures.

Kitchen

Dining Room

Living Room

Master Bedroom

Master Bath

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

Basement Back Deck and Yard

Wisconsin State Fair

2009-08-18T07:41:00.001-07:00

This weekend marked one of the highlights of my summer - going to the Wisconsin State Fair. As far as I am concerned, Wisconsin has one of the best state fairs in the nation. Bold, I know, but true. I have been looking forward to going all summer, so was I delighted to find out that family would be coming to this joyous event with us? Yes! Sarah, Danny, Jackson and Baby Parker were all in attendance, and it was a blast. The kids did exceptionally well, which means we all had fun.

A treat only to be had at the fair is their famous State Fair Cream Puffs. They are as big as a hamburger, loaded with cream. I only ate half...promise.. Kylie really enjoyed the cream puffs.

We got to see cows and horses, goats and pigs. What could be better? Did I mention I got up close and personal with Bessie? Where else can you do that?

I will miss you animals, cream puffs, deep fried food and As Seen On TV products. Until next year....

Like Father Like Daughter

2009-08-13T08:33:00.001-07:00

This morning after Kylie got up she went over to the television and kept pointing to it saying "on, on". I tried to tell her that we weren't watching t.v. right now. She became frustrated, so I put her on my lap so that we could discuss this. I told her that I knew she wanted to watch t.v. right now (intending to follow that up with, "but we'll watch it later".) Before I could finish my sentence she interrupted me with "I need, I need". I had to laugh. I guess it's in her DNA to have the "need" for tv...

15 Month Stats

2009-08-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Head Circumference: 46 cm (50th percentile)
Length for Age: 32" tall (90th percentile)
Weight for Age: 22.6 pounds (45th percentile)
Weight for Length: 25th percentile

A little info on the 15 month old:

Activities: Kylie loves to run, collect rocks and sticks and overall being outside. She enjoys watching Sesame Street, but Mom limits her tv time more than she would like. She also enjoys helping Mom unload the dishwasher, wrestling with Dad, and making us smile and laugh with all of her funny anticts.

Eating: Kylie loves fruit. She eats a banana every morning, along with yogurt and toast. She also likes hot dogs, cheese, cereal and desserts (wonder if she gets that from Mom?).

Sleep Schedule: Still taking an hour nap at 9am and 2pm. Goes to bed at 7:30 and wakes up at 6.30. This makes her parents very happy.

We love you Kylie!

Family Vacation in North Carolina

2009-08-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

Last week was spent in North Carolina, hanging out with family, and doing some pretty fun activities. We...

Got to play with the cousins. This was a real treat, since Kylie doesn't get to play with other kids that much, and to play with her cousins was EVEN BETTER!! They played hide and go seek, threw the ball around, ran around the yard a ton...they just had a blast. We miss you already Lilly and Trevor! (We miss Neal and Dani too, of course)

Boogied down to some live music (see Kylie doing her signature move of booty out and shake it dance). There is an outdoor shopping center a few minutes away from Grandma Rosie and Grampy's house that has live music in the center of their lawn on Friday and Saturday nights. We went twice, Kylie liked it so much. We enjoyed relaxing on our camp chairs while she wore herself out...

Played at the local playground. I love that Kylie fearlessly slides down the slides like a big girl. This playground was really cool because it had these shade covers high over the equipment so that hot Carolina sun didn't burn our skin and make us too hot. What a blessing!

Had fun running through the cylinder tunnels at the playground. Isn't it fun to peek out?

Went to a drive thru zoo called the Lazy 5 Ranch. It's about 45 minutes north of town. You pay a fee to drive through, and can purchase a bucket of feed for $3.50 to feed the animals, which we did. The zoo has all kinds of animals (you can see deer behind us) that you can see and feed. I fed most of them right out of my hand. We fed a zebra, camels, a giraffe, cow, pig, emu, etc. I was impressed with how sweet the animals were, especially the deer. They were so gentle. More pictures below.

Dad and Mom, Julie Anna, Neal, Dani, Lilly and Trevor - we love you guys! Thank you for having us as guests, and showing us such a good time.

Strawberry Picking

2009-06-30T12:20:00.000-07:00

Every year, one of my favorite things to do is to pick strawberries. Growing up we would go to Holden Brothers Produce, plastic tubs in hand, and fill them up with fresh strawberries. I'm sure I ate a few before they made it to the tub. It was a tradition.

One of the things I have looked forward to is taking Kylie to pick strawberries for the first time. Since strawberry picking season in Wisconsin is almost up, I decided this morning to make haste to the strawberry patch, and see if I could pick enough to make some homemade jam, and save a few for putting on top of pound cake. It was a good plan, execution was a little lacking.

Taking a 13 month old who wants to walk ALL OVER THE PLACE to pick strawberries is only a good idea if Dad is coming too. I learned this the hard way. As Kylie and I made our way to the appointed row, she decided she'd rather visit with the other kids that were picking strawberries a few rows over. Before I knew it, she had walked over a few rows of strawberries to make it to her new "friends", and had taken a few falls in the strawberries along the way. Therefore, she had strawberry juice all over her bum, pants, and shoes. I ran to grab her before she got too far, picked her up, which proceeded to transfer the strawberry goo to my favorite jeans. What was supposed to be a wonderful, picturesque opportunity is now disasterous. I managed to feed her some goldfish while I grabbed as many strawberries as possible, and made my way to the car. Little one kicking and screaming the whole time. (I love that she's fiesty!!) Note to self: go on a day that Steve can come too. I did manage to take a couple pictures before the outfit was "decorated".

Despite the poor planning on my part, I'm glad that we got to go get our strawberries. They are beautiful and delicious, and I think despite her times of frustration, Kylie had fun. This experience taught me that I still have SO MUCH to learn as a parent, and I'm grateful that I have my little buddy Kylie with me to share in my successes and failures (such as today....)

Father's Day

2009-06-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

This Father's Day, Kylie and I decided to surprise Steve with new pictures for his desk at work. The pictures he had on his desk were from when Kylie was two months old, and she looks so different now. So we hatched a plan. On Tuesday nights Steve has an activity with the youth at church (young men), so Kylie and I could get dolled up and sneak away for the photo session, and he wouldn't know about it. Our friend Kara, a professional photographer (you can see more of Kara's photography here), met Kylie and I underneath the overpass (doesn't that sound so mysterious??) in downtown Wauwatosa, and took some great shots of Kylie and I. Some of my favorites are below:

We picked out a collage frame, put our pictures in it, and presented it to Steve. He was pretty surprised, and I was quite pleased that I was finally able to get a gift for Steve that he didn't guess ahead of time. He always seems to figure out my surprises!

We hope Steve had a great Father's Day. He's such a dedicated Dad and thoughtful husband. We love you Steve!

P.S. A big thanks goes to Kara, for capturing our moments on film, and for being patient with us!

Kickstarting the Fitness

2009-06-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

Running lately has been a challenge. I have my jogging stoller, that I love, but the weather has been cold and rainy lately, making running outdoors a little on the difficult side. I can't run indoors in our gym, because the treadmill is a little too interesting to someone who crawls all over the place now. What to do?

First things first, I needed new running shoes. So I picked up these beauties, and even got them on sale. The friendly sales guy gave me $5 off the purchase price (why he did that is a mystery to me, but I'll take it), and then I used my $10 off coupon from my entertainment book, and these babies were just the right price.

Next, I got a deal on a family membership at the Y. Three months for the whole family, only $177 dollars. Who could pass that up? Now I have zero excuses for not exercising, and I'm well on my way to running Crazy Legs next year. Hopefully..

After a Long Nap

2009-06-05T09:05:00.001-07:00

Someone had some crazy hair (see the sides?). I love it. And I love that she is actually getting more hair now...

New This and That

2009-05-17T13:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went out and bought an outside rug for a new frequently visited spot - the balcony. Since the air is warmer, the flowers are in bloom, and the birds are chirping, it is a great place to be. Notice the plastic lattice that Steve put up, to keep someone from sticking their head through the bars. She loves her new outside space. Nana O'Brien - notice she has on her new pink pants. They are perfect!

Kylie also loves her new dress that Grandma Rosie crocheted for her, for her 1st Birthday. It is very soft and snugly. She enjoyed wearing it to church today.

Kylie's One Year Stats

2009-05-11T12:40:00.000-07:00

Today was Kylie's one year checkup, which meant more dreaded immunizations. She was a real sport during the examination. We found out that her belly button is closed more than before, so this is less of a concern. She is ready to convert to Vitamin D milk from formula (this makes the budget happy). And she can eat pretty much anything, as long as it is the appropriate size to prevent choking (this also makes the budget happy). All in all, a clean bill of health.

Her one year stats are:

Weight: 22 lbs., five ounces (70th percentile)
Length: 2 feet, six inches (90th percentile)
Head Circumference: 18.11 inches (75th percentile)

One wierd thing - the pediatrician said to cut raisins into pieces, to prevent choking. Who does that?!

Mother's Day Surprise

2009-05-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

We went down to Sarah and Danny's for Kylie's birthday on Friday night, and spent the night. On Saturday morning, early, we got up for Steve's gift to me for Mother's Day - a weekend away. Sarah and Danny watched Kylie for the weekend, and we got to sneak away to Nauvoo, IL for a little rest and relaxation. It was wonderful. Our first trip together since Kylie's birth was just what we needed, time to focus on us. We have decided that we should get away once a year, just the two of us.

Steve had confessed this past Saturday that he had planned this trip - I guess he couldn't keep the secret anymore. What a great surprise! He had even made reservations at a cabin in Nauvoo, that was so quaint and secluded. I loved it!

When we got to Nauvoo on Saturday, it was about midday and we ate lunch in downtown Nauvoo at a restaurant called Emma's Pantry. Delicious! We then went on a carriage ride through the woods of Nauvoo and listened to accounts of the Pioneer people who lived in the area in Joseph Smith's time. It was a touching experience, and I am grateful that this ride could be part of our trip. We also visited the temple, which was uplifting. The rest of the time was spent relaxing and reading. (Steve watched movies, while I read or slept....). Sunday morning we got to sleep in, since church didn't start until 10am. You can imagine how long it has been since we were able to sleep in....That was fabulous!!

Thank you Steve, for all of your work to make this trip happen. And thank you to Sarah and Danny for watching Kylie. You guys are so good to us!

Outside our little cabin in the woods

Happy Birthday Kylie

2009-05-10T16:45:00.000-07:00

March 8th was Kylie's birthday, I can't believe that she is one year old already. We went down to Sarah and Danny's to have Kylie's party, and she had a great time. She enjoyed her presents from everyone. Then she had her cake. This was my favorite part. Her cake was a stawberry torte, and she loved it. She tried to put the whole piece in her mouth all at the same time.

It didn't work but she sure did enjoy it.

Some of my favorite things Kylie does:

Says "Hi" to most everyone she sees
Sticks her tongue out when she is concentrating - Grampy and I do this too.
Loves the outdoors. Even when she was a baby I could take her outside and she would stop crying. Now she likes to spend hours out on the balcony listening to birds and looking at the flowers.
She likes to get dirty. Cleaning those black hands from digging in dirt is a regular occurence.
She is happy most all of the time, and smiles a lot too.
She likes to be held. I always wanted a snuggly baby. I got one :-)
Fierce independence and determination- likes to do things herself. I have no idea where this trait came from.
Wakes up with a smile.

Happy Birthday Kylie!

One Year Ago Today - Kylie's Birth Story

2009-05-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

One year ago today at 4pm I reported to West Allis Memorial to start the process of bringing Kylie into the world. I had to be induced, because my heart rate had been gradually increasing, and the doctor decided that it was time to induce. It was Wednesday, and Mom flew in that morning to help me with my little adventure. We went out to eat for lunch, I remember how good that food tasted. Anyway, Steve got off work early, and we all went to the hospital to have them give me the pill that softens your cervix. Everything was looking good that night, I slept well, but was a little nervous once I woke up.

At about 7 o'clock that morning they started the Petocin, and my contractions began. I practiced my breathing, and the time seemed to pass slowly. I watched the clock as I watched the monitors and breathed, and endured the checks to see if I was progressing. I wasn't, and about 10 o'clock they increased the Petocin. I kept breathing, changing positions, sat on my birthing ball, trying to get through the contractions. After another check around 2pm they increased the Petocin again, to try and get the labor to progress. Kylie's heart rate was being monitored, and after laboring for most of the day the nurses were starting to get worried. My contractions were strong, but I just wasn't making any progress. About 4 o'clock I was only dialated to 3.5. I was so disappointed, all of that work, for what felt like nothing. At around 5:30 my doctor came in and gave me the bad news. Kylie was showing signs of stress, and I clearly wasn't making any progress. It was time to do a c-section. Once the decision was made, it was a frantic time. More nurses came into the room, they gave Steve clothes to change into. We asked for a moment of privacy in all of the commotion, so that we could say a prayer. It was the one time I let myself cry. I felt of sense of peace about the situation after the prayer, and then the nurses came in to wheel me into the operating room. I was still having tons of contractions on the way to the OR, which was bittersweet. When I first got into the operating room, a spinal block needed to be placed. I was told to hold the hands of this resident doctor, I felt really bad for him. His hands were all sweaty, and he was really nervous. I asked to hold Steve's hands instead (I had some nerve, I blame it on being in labor all day). They wouldn't let me, so I wasn't happy about that, but once the block was placed the pain went away. I was surprised at how quickly the c-section went, it only felt like a few minutes passed by. Steve stayed at my head the whole time, and said the sweetest most encouraging words. He probably doesn't remember what he said, but I do, and I hope I never forget those words. All of the sudden (at 5:53pm) I heard Kylie cry, and Steve told me to look to my right, and there she was, laying on the little table, being cleaned up and examined. I remember that she looked just like what I thought she would. It was hard not being able to hold her immediately, but Steve got to, so that was just as good. She weighted 7 pounds, 12 ounces. She was pretty puffy from me being on fluids for so long.

Once I was in recovery I got to hold her and look at her, and feel her soft little face, and fingers and toes. One of the most tender moments of my life. I was grateful that they let Steve be in recovery with me too, it was so nice to have him there with me through everything.

We are so incredibly grateful for our gift of Kylie. She continues to keep me smiling, and bring joy to our days. We love you Kylie!

Happy Easter - One Week Late...

2009-04-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

We went to Michigan to visit Steve's family for Easter, and it was a nice little vacation. We were there Friday through Sunday. Kylie got to play with her cousin Jackson (who will be two years old in August), which she really enjoyed. Kylie loves Jackson. They had an Easter Egg hunt together, played the keyboard together, and just enjoyed each other's company. Steve and I are grateful for our thoughtful and loving family, who were patient with Kylie as she attempted to disassemble anything she could get her hands on. Below is a picture of Kylie in her Easter dress.

Much to our delight, Jackson taught Kylie how to walk. She can't do it on her own, we have to hold her hands, but she tries so hard! We thought it would be good to get something that she could push along, to help her legs get strength, and get her used to walking more. This past Saturday we went to Toys R Us and got Kylie a shopping cart, and some plastic produce. She loves her cart, even though it's a little big for her. You probably can't tell, but she has the produce in the cart, and her kitty in the baby seat.

Baby or Bunny?

2009-03-27T06:46:00.000-07:00

Kylie loves carrots. She doesn't get to eat them in the baby-food form, because her stomach is sensitive to them. So she gets to knaw on the big carrots, just for fun. This morning she was enjoying her carrot a lot, and we had to take a few pictures.

Ready for the Pool!

2009-03-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend Steve's best friend from college, Michael, and his family were in town, so we met them in Gurney Mills, IL on Saturday afternoon to have dinner. Before that, Steve and I decided to take advantage of the warm weather (it was in the 50's and sunny), and headed down to Pleasant Prairie to do a little outlet shopping. I had some coupons for the Carter's store, and it was a good excuse to get outside and visit the other shops.

We had a great time poking around the store's. We both fell in love with this swimsuit we saw in Gymboree, and just HAD to buy it for Kylie. Now she's ready for her first pool visit, and we cannot wait. Taking her to the pool has been something I've been looking forward to since the day she was born. Anyway, we got in the car after our shopping adventure and realized that we hadn't purchased anything for ourselves. I guess that's what it's like being a parent now....We wouldn't change it for the world.

Roadtrip! kinda...

2009-03-13T15:07:00.000-07:00

This past week Steve had to travel to New York for work. This the first time that he was away for more than one night, and I decided that Kylie and I being alone in this apartment at night just would NOT do. So I high-tailed it down to Rockford, to stay with Sarah (Steve's sister), Danny and their eighteen month old son Jackson. Lucky for me, Kylie slept the whole time on our little roadtrip down to Rockford, and all the way back. Perfect!

We had a blast. Kylie enjoyed hanging out with Jackson, and playing with his toys. Jackson really does have the best toys. So much more fun than Kylie's Little People barn that lost its charm months ago, or her gum ball machine that plays music as it spits out its balls filled with rings and lollipops. We loved Sarah and Danny's big basement that is childproofed, where babies can roam free. Kylie loved having Jackson around to play with, so much that she didn't want to take her naps during the day. I think she didn't want to miss out on the action. It was nice for me to have some adult interaction, the days passed by so quick.

Being in a house made it harder for me to come back home to our apartment.....but anyway...

Tuesday night Sarah and I went out to do a little shopping and Danny watched the kids. They made some video's, which are adorable. Check them out.

Wednesday night Steve got home, bearing gifts. He brought me back a little box of chocolates from Mario Batali's restaurant Del Posto (he had dinner there on Tuesday night) and cookies from the bakery next door to his hotel. Does he love me or what? The chocolates were delicious, and the cookies were one of my favorite kinds - snickerdoodles.

To conclude, I have decided that from now on when Steve is gone, I will reside at Sarah and Danny's. It's just too sweet to have them so close, and Sarah always goes on chocolate runs with me. What could be better!

Demonstration

2009-03-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

How to go up the steps:

How to go down the steps:

I had to post these, because they were just too funny. Five days ago, she started crawling. Two days later, she figured out how to go up and down the steps. She continues to impress us. And yes, I am very consumed with my little one. It's true.

Woman on the Move

2009-02-25T18:55:00.000-08:00

Last Friday night, at the ripe age of 9.5 months, our little gal crawled across the floor for the first time. Yay! This was a HUGE relief! A relief you may ask? Let me explain. Whenever I go out, people always ask me how old Kylie is (I'm sure this is a common question of anyone with kids, but I'm new to having a child, so this line of questioning is new to me). They would then go on to say something like, "Oh, so she's crawling now I'm sure. Is she walking yet?". I would then respond that she isn't crawling yet..blah..blah..blah. So anyway, I wasn't worried, because I knew that our princess would crawl when she was good and ready, and it just wasn't time yet.

Friday Steve went to a conference for work, so he wore this name badge around his neck for the conference, and was wearing it when he got home. This was a colorful badge, and was quite interesting to Kylie, because when Steve got home he laid it on the floor beside him and went to play with Kylie. She took note of it (she loves accessories), and then proceeded to crawl across the floor to it. We moved it, she followed, crawling still. We couldn't believe it. This was not the army crawl either, oh no. On all fours, she made her way to the other side of the room. So she was waiting until she had the crawl perfected before she unveiled her moves. I get it. Anyway, I looked at her going across the floor, and ran into the other room. Steve follows behind. "Are you crying?" he says. OF COURSE I AM CRYING! My baby has just reached a milestone, proving that she is no longer a baby. And yes, I will cry at all of the significant milestones. It's what I do. I love this little gal, she just impresses me all the time.

Last night Steve was away, and Kylie and I were hanging out. It was around 7pm, and I was getting her ready for bed. I took her little outfit off, and was about to put her in her sleeper, and she started hamming it up. She loves playing around in her onesie. So I got out the video camera. The best part of the video is at the end, she crawled for the camera. The video is a little long….

Goodbye Facebook

2009-02-23T05:58:00.000-08:00

In my desire to make the most of the time that I spend here at home, I have discovered that there is one thing that I tend to spend a bit of time on, that has little return. Facebook. It's not an intentional time waster, I go on it to see what's going on with my friends, and 30 minutes later I find myself looking at pictures, going from one link to the next, engrossed in someone else's business...Does this define addiction? Maybe...

So to all my Facebook pals, I will miss you. Hopefully we can find other ways to keep in touch. Like this blog, that I need to spend more time on...

Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

I love Valentine's Day! It's a good excuse to tell the one you love sweet nothings, and it's a guaranteed good meal out..perfect!!

This year was a little different than in years past, because this year, we have Kylie; so no more long dinners at very expensive restaurants, eating food we don't know how to pronounce. We're on a budget now, and are lucky enough to have family near, who were kind enough to watch Kylie. We had a gift certificate to PF Changs, which covered the full cost of our lettuce wraps, Changs Spicy Chicken, Orange Peel Beef, and my favorite...The Great Wall of Chocolate dessert. It was sooo nice to be able to have a dinner with Steve, just he and I. Sometimes I forget to savor the moment, so I really tried to do that last night. I did miss our little lady. For a second....okay maybe longer than a second...anyway...

While we were waiting for our appetizer to come, the manager came over and offered to take our picture. This sounded nice right? A picture to take home to remind us of our romantic night out?? He tells me that I have to hold this big red teddy bear, not sure why..Anyway, I was a little wierded out (see picture below..) by the teddy bear, but went along. The picture didn't turn out so bad, and since it was the only picture we took that night, it will have to do..

Another First..Courtesy of the Bathing Beauty

2009-02-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Today marks another first for Kylie and I. I hesitate to blog about such topics as the one I am about to write about, but this blog is about my life, and well, I'll just leave it at that.

I decided to give Kylie a bath before we make our Friday trip to Target, which for us, is the highlight of our day. She loves a bath, and would stay in it until the water turns frigid. Today, during her bath, nature called. I notice this, because all of a sudden, I see something little and green, about the size of a pea, float to the surface of the bathwater. She is not at all freaked out by this and reaches to grab it (In my rush to teach her about being a lady, I guess I omitted the "don't poop in the bath lesson"). I realize the second I see it, this is no pea, but a serious #2, and spring into action. I yank her out of that little blue tub, empty all the water out, and get to disinfecting that thing like nobody's business. This is apparently a pretty funny thing to watch, as she laughs at me over and over. Glad that was funny to her, it was pretty gross to me. I'm sure I'll look back on this and laugh. Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to tell her, it just isn't polite to do work anywhere outside of the toilet. Enough said...

Trip to North Carolina

2009-02-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

Last week Kylie and I headed to North Carolina for a few days to visit family. I have a grandfather whose health continues to decline, and I wanted to spend some time with him. I also wanted to have a chance to tell him that I loved him, while he was still alive. (wiping a tear...) So Kylie and I decided to take a direct flight to Charlotte where my parents live, and then drive to Wilmington to see the grandparents.

The weather in North Carolina is always better than the weather in Wisconsin (or at least that's how it feels..). This time, not so much. The first night we were there Kylie woke up at about midnight screaming, and when I went into her bedroom to get her, I see the ground covered in snow. I was in shock. It never snows there. Just my luck... Every day it seemed to warm up a little more, so by the time Saturday rolled around and I was getting on the plane to come back, it was around 55 degrees. Which was the same temperature it was in Milwaukee when I got home.

Kylie and I really enjoyed spending time with family. We miss them so much. Below are a few pictures of the fun:

Kylie and Grampy horsing around. Notice the firm grasp she has on his hair. One of her favorite moves.

Kylie with Grandma Rosie

Happy Birthday Steve!

2009-02-10T08:13:00.001-08:00

Today our proud Papa is 30 years old. He is a little sad about this age, but I tried to tell him that 30 is young...I should know...I thought of writing all of these mushy things that I love about Steve, and how great a husband/friend/Dad he is, but he doesn't really go for things like that. So I will just say this: He is the most compassionate, patient, understanding, forgiving person that I know, and what is even better is that I get to spend eternity with him by my side. My life is blessed because of him. Love you Babe!

It's Official - We Just Had Our First Temper Tantrum

2009-01-28T18:08:00.000-08:00

Life can be so very hard for our little eight month old. Two naps a day, eleven hours of sleep a night, having Mommy here to entertain all day, cute outfits fill the closet, diaper changed more frequently than any other baby I know....Life is so, so hard. Today, it just became too much. The volcano erupted. Sad, but true.

I thought we were having a good day. Kylie slept in, plenty of laughs all morning long, a decent mid-morning nap, then off to visiting teaching. Little fussy during our visit, but that is to be expected, when it is around lunch time, which it was. We get home, and that's when the trouble started. I took her out of her car seat, snuggled her a little, and then attempted to put her in her booster seat for her lunch of delicous peas mixed with oatmeal. Now, peas aren't exactly her favorite, but she normally eats them without incident. Not today...I sat her in her chair, strapped her in, and she immediately burst into tears. This has happened before, I usually ignore it, and get the feeding started. She normally as soon as the food hits her mouth, becomes cheerful again (she gets that from her mother...). Today when I fed her a spoonful of peas, she spit them back out all over my face and favorite green sweater. Fiesty little gal, I think in my head. She then takes her fists, pounds them on her little tray, while screaming and kicking. I decide to take her out and try to comfort her (all the books say you want to keep meal time as pleasant as possible), but she then screams louder and kicks me and pushes me away. That's when I knew, THIS WAS A TEMPER TANTRUM. She did that for about five minutes, until I distracted her with a book.

We eventually got over it, but I feel a little damaged. I feel like she turned on me. My sweet little happy gal, my pal, she let me have it today. I tried to play with her all afternoon to show her that everything is okay, but I'm a little sad. I knew the day would come when she would express herself this way. She's too much like me to be a sweet little flower, without opinions or a voice. I just didn't imagine it would come this quickly. But it did. I still love her just as much as before, but I have a new admiration for my Mom. I'm pretty sure I gave her a temper tantrum every day for at least the first 18 years of my life...Love you Mom!

Devan and Marie's Wedding

2009-01-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

Last week, Steve, Kylie and I had the pleasure of flying out to Utah to attend Marie (Steve's sister) and Devan's wedding in the Salt Lake temple. We had a great time visiting with family and enjoying the beauty of Utah. The highlight of the trip, though, was THE WEDDING!!

We flew out Wednesday morning, bright and early. This is a little trick we learned after our last stint of miserable flights - fly out in the morning, when the little gal is less fussy... Kylie did great on the flights, she slept a lot, and we arrived in Utah to sunny skies and snow covered mountains. Love it! We got to visit with my Aunt Martha (my mother's sister), Uncle Cary and their bunch, which was neat, because I don't get to see them that often. Then we ate at Cafe Rio (love that pulled pork), which Steve thoroughly enjoyed. That night the rest of the family arrived, and the fun began!

I forget how hectic weddings are, but they're so much more fun when everyone pitches in to get things accomplished, which the O'Brien's do a great job at. Speaking of the O'Brien's, we rented a condo by Thanksgiving Point that was LOVELY (five bedrooms, two fireplaces, big screen tv's, hot tub, pool table), and it was great for us all to be able to stay together. Kylie enjoyed all of the action. Thursday was spent in preparation for the wedding, Friday much the same. Friday night was the reception in Holden (ever heard of Holden, UT?? Tiny little town two hours south of SL), which Kylie endured semi-well. I was stressed out a little because of her crankly attitude, but we made it through. Saturday was the BIG day, and let me tell ya, it was special. We had a brunch with both families in the morning, and then headed over to the temple. Steve's Aunt Judy watched Kylie for us, and Steve and I got to attend the sealing. The Salt Lake Temple's beauty always takes my breath away, and to see Marie and Devan getting sealed there, well, I cried my eyes out. I took in every minute of being able to be with Steve in the temple, we don't get to do that much now that our princess arrived.

Sunday morning we flew back home, Kylie was great again, slept a lot. Now we're back to normal life, which is nice in and of itself.

Congratulations Marie and Devan!

Some picture of our trip:

At the reception

Me with my eyes closed

You Asked For It

2009-01-01T11:49:00.000-08:00

Dearest Fans,
You requested the Cold Oven Pound Cake recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
2 sticks butter (do not substitute margarine)
3 cups sugar
5 eggs
3 cups self-rising flour
1 cup milk
1 tsp. each of butter, almond, lemon and vanilla flavorings

Cream shortening, butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well. Blend in flavorings. Add flour alternately with milk. Pour into large, well greased and floured tube pan. Place in cold oven. Set oven at 325 degrees. Bake 1 and 1/2 hours WITHOUT OPENING OVEN. Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

This is the best pound cake I've ever eaten. It's my Mom's recipe, so I can't take any credit here. Enjoy!

Reminder to Whitney - pass along the chocolate chip cookie recipe!!

3 Years and Counting

2008-12-23T14:11:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, on this very day, Steve made me a happy woman. He agreed to spend eternity with me. I always said he was the "adventurous" type. In all honesty, without him I just wouldn't be the same. He makes me smile, and makes me laugh, and if there has been any improvement at all in anything about me over the past three years, I would say that it was because of his example that helped me along.

I knew early on that Steve was my soul mate. Things were just so natural with him. We were just in sync. I am happy to report, we still are. Marriage has never been hard. Having a baby was hard...But marriage never was. I can't imagine my life without Steve in it. He is perfect for me. I hope I can be as good a wife to him as he's been as a husband to me. Did I get that right? You know what I mean.

I love you Steve!

Goodbye to the Mazda

2008-12-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

Dearest Mazda,
Thank you for your many years of good service. You were Steve's first car. You took him back and forth to college. You escorted us on our first date. You took our new little baby Kylie home from the hospital. You had a good run. We have many fond memories of our experiences with you.

Last night you let us down. Your transmission failed you. You almost didn't make it home from downtown. It's okay, we forgive you. But it's time for you to go. Goodbye little Mazda, with your super-glued exterior and wood-pecker trunk sounds. There is a special place reserved for you in the scrap yard.

Love,
The O'Brien's

P.S. You have not been "replaced", we just needed a bigger car. Thank you to Big Daddy, for getting Mama a beautiful blue/green Honda Pilot, with all the extra's. And thank you Kohl's, for making this all possible.

It's a little late...Halloween Picture

2008-11-06T10:48:00.000-08:00

Steve, Kylie and I went to a Halloween party last Friday night and had a blast. One of our favorite parts was showing off our little Kitty. She is almost busting out of this costume (one can never consider Kylie to be malnourished..). I love it!

I guess I'm a softie...

2008-11-04T09:54:00.000-08:00

The little Miss Kylie and I ventured out this morning to fulfill our civic duty, and cast our vote for the presidential candidate of our choice (who will remain nameless...). We were so proud of ourselves that we decided to celebrate with lunch at Noodles and Company. It's one of Kylie's favorite restaurants.

We placed our order, and sat down at a table beside a little family. This was strategic. I thought - since they had a little guy, he looked about 1.5 years old, they might not notice when Kylie does one of her famous wild bird calls (that's what I call that loud shrill sound she makes out of nowhere). Anyway, I was finishing up my meal when a sad event occurred at the table with the little family.

This blond haired blue eyed cutie was standing on his chair, playing around after his parents had finished their meal. He was bored. He lost his footing, fell off his chair, and on his way down to the floor smacked his head on the table. He burst into tears. So did I. I saw the whole thing. I wept. I put my head down so his parents (or anyone else for that matter) wouldn't see me. I felt his pain, I kid you not.

When I realized that I was crying too, it struck me. WHAT AM I DOING??? I guess life has made me soft. That may not be a bad thing. It is what it is.....

Too Cute

2008-10-29T07:20:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for always writing about Kylie, but after all, this is my blog, and she is my favorite hobby these days. Steve has a love for that digital camera that goes deep. Thank goodness it's not my job to be the family photographer. Check out some of our latest shots:

Kylie in her new dress from Grampie and Grandma Rosie.

Kylie and Daddy, going for one of her daily walks (her favorite part of the day). Note her new fleecie outfit to keep her warm. Thanks to Auntie Julie Anna for her new pink beanie that matches everything!

Alas, we have discovered why Kylie has been sleeping through the night lately (or we thought she has been sleeping). Turns out she's been out cattin' around town during the night. Broke into the Betty Brim Children's Museum recently. She got caught. Steve and I had to pick her up from the Clink. We saved the mug shot. Little stinker.

The Sweetest Thing

2008-10-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

As Kylie gets older, she keeps us laughing. Sometimes, we switch roles. A good game of Peek-a-Boo really cracks our little gal up. Take a look...

Our Newest Addition

2008-10-10T06:13:00.001-07:00

Baby #2, The Dyson

Alas, I have a new baby, one that I have been waiting for, dreaming of, for over a year. Steve finally broke down and gave in to my shameless begging for this fine machine. Really, I've had it for over a week and it's even sweeter than originally thought.

As reigning Queen of the O'Brien household, it is my duty to keep our sweet, little abode (aka two bedroom apartment) spic and span. Only the best instruments to aid me in this process will do. Our old vacuum cleaner did not live up to the job. I would vacuum over the same piece of string on the carpet over and over again. This leads to frustration, which lead to a hatred, developed over time, towards said vacuum cleaner. The final straw came about eight months ago, while attempting yet another disappointing vacuuming session, the filter flew out of the side of the canister, dumping the whole wretched contents all over our lovely cream carpet. Disgust! I shared my frustrations with Steve, who responds - can we hold off for a little while on this purchase? (No, we can't, I think, but since I'm such a GREAT wife, I answer "sure", only half meaning it..)

For the next eight months I toil over this carpet, with my less than par vacuum cleaner, plotting its demise. I even told Steve one time that I thought it smelled like it was going to catch fire (which it did), so that he would give in. He didn't....Another strategy would be necessary to get my dreamy Dyson.

The window of opportunity appeared last week when the Kohl's flyer came. I peeled back the sticker, and underneath, lied the letters 30% off. This never happens. We always get 15% off. My heart started to race. I did the calculations in my head. With the 30% off, and Steve's employee discount, my dream of Dyson ownership could be achieved at almost half off. Before I reveal my discovery of the coupon to Steve, I must research the options thoroughly. Which I did, lickety split. A little search on the internet yielded me the information needed to select which model was the one of my dreams, with options. Lovely. I test the waters. "Steve, we got a 30% off coupon on our Kohl's flyer today"...pause..."Wow, that's pretty good", he says. "Is there anything we need at Kohl's? Now would be a good time to buy it"...Ahaa...He's caught in the trap...."What about a new vacuum?" I ask. "How much?" His response....Now, this was the pivotal point of the conversation...I think, don't tell him how much, but go over my research. He loves research. He researches everything, smart guy that he is. After I tell him what great reviews I have found on the vacuum, I reveal the make, model and price. Then the clencher - "Hon, with your discount, we could almost get this thing half off!" He loves a sale. A good deal. Feeling like he made out like a bandit. He must have been feeling sorry for me, because he agreed to go look at it on Saturday, the next day.

So first thing, bright and early, I get Kylie and myself dressed and ready to go. I had to get to the store early, before he changed his mind. When I let him know the gals are ready to go, he looks at his watch (it's barely 9am). Now? He says..Well, anyway, around 2pm we made our way over. We gazed at my pick, went over the final cost, as well as the other models on display, to make sure our choice was sound. Finally, my dreams were achieved. We made the purchase. We brought it home in its pretty box, and laid it to rest on the dining room floor. My sweet husband lost focus, retiring to the couch to watch a little t.v. He'll put it together later, he says. Well, I always say - Never leave something to a man that you can do yourself. I decide to put this beauty together, no problem. I open the box, locate the instructions (yes, we women know that instructions are meant to be READ), and put that thing together like nobody's business. LOVE IT!!

To conclude, the Dyson lives up to the hype. That baby purrs all over our carpet, removing dust and grime in its wake. It takes no prisoners. Our carpet now looks brand new. Thank you Dyson, for helping this Queen clean up her empire, one vacuum at a time. Welcome to the family..

Thankful Thursday

2008-10-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those beautiful fall days, with a gentle breeze blowing, and it's the perfect temperature. Kylie is taking her nap, and I finally have a brief moment to reflect on "things". When I have these moments, which aren't many, that I get to take a break, my thoughts always go to how greatly my life has been blessed. I am so thankful for

Our Little Family

The last week of July Steve, Kylie and I loaded up the car and headed to Michigan (Petoskey) to spend a week with Steve's family. One night we took pictures at the lake, and this was one of my favorites. We had a great time that week, spending time with Steve's siblings and their families, as well as Steve's parents. We hope to do this summer family vacation every year!

My First Attempt

2008-08-25T15:12:00.001-07:00

Okay, I set this blog up a few weeks before Kylie was born, and I haven't thought much about it since. A lot has happened since May 8, 2008, when Kylie Ann O'Brien joined our family. Life will never be the same for Steve and I. It has been an exciting adventure having a little baby girl in the house. I have attached a video of Kylie doing her latest trick at tummy time, swimming in air. Enjoy! Hopefully my blogs in the future will be a little more interesting...