holy Mole sauce.

Is it just me, or have the holidays wiped anyone else out this year.  I try very hard to be organized and start our Christmas shopping early, but for some reason this year I could not get it together.  It might have something to do with this little 4 lb yoga instructor in my belly. 

I have a feeling this won't be the last Christmas that we're running around like chickens trying to wrap everything up at the last moment.  But I am excited that it will be our last as a family of 2 (+Gustopher).

In any case...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

to all my friends and family!

How 'bout them Pokes!

Muppets

My sister, brother-in-law, nephew and I went and saw the Muppets Movie over the holiday.  LURVED it.  April and I were big Muppet fans in the 80's and there are so many awesome memories that pop up in this movie. 

Ohhh Kermie.

More Thanksgiving Pics

I am thankful for the camera that is always around my sister's neck.  Or else, I'd never have any photos.

Conner leading the dog parade.  Gussy loves going back to his birth place.

H loved the wrapping paper more than the gifts.

James took Granny for a joy ride in the pasture. 

Unclie getting some practice.

A Hack Attack?!

When James and I got married, it was weird for me to give him all my passwords and logins.  Now today, I'm pretty sure there's not a single login or password he couldn't hack.  I'm going to have to start getting creative.  But thank you for the bday shout, it makes me feel special.

Today I am 28 weeks on my 29th birthday with 1 wild and crazy gal! 
(If you'd prefer the more limber 17 year old version, please see photo below.)

My day started off fantastic!  Decaf Starbucks in bed, a beautiful birthstone necklace from my baby daddy, a high pitched song from the cutest 4 year old I know and the gray streak in my hair even looked a little less old-ladyish.

The past few weeks have been a bit of an eye-opener for me, I had an "Aha!" moment, if you will.  A few things have been put into perspective and others thrown out the window.  And sometimes it takes a good swift kick in the butt from life and a few tears to get you to the right place.  As funny as this may sound to you, the realization that I am about to be a mother slapped me in the face.  I'm about to be someones biggest role model, teacher and provider.  And if I want to raise a daughter that is not only strong, but equally compassionate, I need to show her what it's all about. 
A few weeks ago someone told me that my priorities have changed and I need to make a decision as to what I really want in life. 
I think by the size of my belly, I've made it clear.
It's not going to be easy, but I've got a kick-ass sidekick, Texas Ranger and I think it's going to be a pretty magical year. 
Bring it on 29.

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Hack Attack!


Dear Blogosphere,


James here, finally trying out this newfangled blog thing, with or without Katie’s permission.

I can’t imagine a better time to try it than now! It’s Katie’s Birfday! Not just any birthday, but a golden birthday, 29 on the 29th.


So, if you haven’t already, send her some love, wish her a happy birthday, send her lots of presents and make sure she is having fun. (Please reference attached image)

Gus, Sug and I love you dearly,
James
Go Pokes, Beat OU

Thanksgiving

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. 

I got to hang out with this turkey... so it wasn't too bad at all.

Lynn, Texas Ranger Part II

The Ranger came home with a bag full of pepper spray last night and new safety laws are being inforced in the Lynn household.  He also saw some cops walking in the front yard last night and pumped his fist in the air and chanted "Let's Get Vigilant!"

Next thing you know, he's going to be sitting on the front porch all night in his Birkenstocks, cardigan and a shot gun.

Sug's boyfriends don't stand a chance.

Lynn, Texas Ranger

Last week our car was broken into at our home and our personal laptop was stolen.  I know, I know... who leaves a laptop in a car when you live in downtown Dallas?  Well, as stupid as my thought process sounds now; I had it in there to keep it from being stolen from the million of people that were in and out of our house last week working on our kitchen.  The stolen laptop was just the icing on the cake to a very, very stressful week.

So late last night as James was walking Gus he noticed two gentlemen who seemed a little suspicious and walking without any real direction.  Being the brave vigilante that he is - he followed them for a while as they weaved up and down the streets of the neighborhood.  At one point he was able to jump into his crime-fighting Mini and stalk them by car.  Long story short, he called the cops and they were able to locate the men; finding many little treasures on them that did not belong.  Too bad one of them wasn't carrying my Sony Vaio. 

Great job James... keeping our neighborhood safe, one dog walk at a time.

Kitchen Update

Just a couple of blurry photos to show we are on the downhill swing of things.  Cabinets are completed, most appliances installed and countertops come next week.

Now it's clean-up time... and no more strangers in my house all day.

Privacy

The other day I was trying to find the start time for a wedding we are attending this weekend and my first thought was to look it up online.  I thought... maybe it's on facebook or they have a website?  No.  It's on the invitation, which is the only place it should be.  It made me slow down and realize that some things are sacred, private and better off shared with a small crowd of supporters and lovers. 

4 Years

Hey Toots,

   Remember when we did this?  Yah, me neither.  But I heard it was awesome, in our typical quirky non-graceful way.  Would I do it again?  In a heart beat.

Love,

Kit & Sug

Ps... they never said it would be easy, but it's nice having you in my corner.

Sleepy Time Surprises

Sug now has multiple places to lay her head and they all came as quite a surprise.  I received an email a few weeks ago saying the crib was on back order and would not arrive until mid-December, only to have it delivered on Friday.  And last week my mom helped me put together Sug's baby registry and by Thursday our first gift, the pack-n-play (thanks Mom and Dad!) was on our front porch!

 The surprises continue... I totally forgot that James had the day off yesterday, so it was an even lovelier surprise to come home to find both the new crib and playard had been fully assembled!

I think James was more intrigued with the play yard, as it had a lot more bells and whistles than the boring old crib.  He was also spouting out words like "bassinet" and "mobile" which I pretty sure was not a part of his vocabulary prior to reading the assembly instructions.

As I walked by Sug's room this morning and saw all her new beds.... it made me really excited and nervous.  Maybe more nervous than excited.  Maybe she'll just stay in my belly forever.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

This past weekend, my sister, mom and I met half-way in OKC to have a quick little girl's weekend sans kiddos and husbands.  It was nice hanging out with no plans or obligations.  But I must admit, the best part of the weekend was the earthquake.  We had just turned the heart wrenching OSU game off and were snuggled up in our hotel room when the earthquake hit.  It was my first earthquake and I'd have to say it was very exciting: a 5.6 on the scale, nothing to sneeze at.

I'm looking forward to our next 'girls weekend' and a new natural disaster.

Candace's Wedding

Last weekend we attended the wedding of the sweetest girl to ever live next to us.  She was an amazingly gorgeous bride and her personality and new husband are just icing on the cake.

I'm starting to look like a large beast and I'm only 6 months.  But we took photos since the scenery was so beautiful (the reception was on an amazing ranch) and we were both dressed up. 

What a handsome dad Sug has!

As you might notice... we are not and have never been a very photogenic couple.  Hopefully Sug won't hate us for the lack of photos of her parents.

 

Kitchen Progressss

And we are on our way.  Ceilings, plumbing, electrical, walls and floors are done.  Next up - cabinets.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - 7 YEARS!

Happy Birthday to my first baby.

And this is how he plans on celebrating...

Halloween Fun - Conner the Lego Man

How stinkin' cute is this guy?!  My brother-in-law is quite the craftsmen... those boys have it made when it comes to costumes, science projects and birthday cakes!

BABY ANIMALS

So we haven't done too much for Sug's room yet, which is starting to make me nervous as the clock is starting to tick. (One project at a time... right?  Kitchen first, then Sug's room next.)  We have purchased a crib, but it was on back order and won't arrive until November, so that's at least one thing....

BUT how purrrfect are these art photos I found?!  Hopefully Sug will share in my obsession with baby animal photos.  I think they will look cute above the non-existent crib.

Mighty Men (and Mom)

Did a little kitchen cleaning on Sunday. 

Remember the before?  These photos are from when we bought it and the kitchen was spotless.  After living in it, we found out the appliances were close to useless, cabinets inefficent, major leaks in the ceiling and a massive draft came in under the counters on the window side.

So we knew it would be a demo-project.

So as usual, my parents saved the day with their muscles and helped us out all Sunday.  Dad and James ninja-fied the interior as mom and I made a million trips to the dumpster.  Baby momma couldn't carry her weight as much as normal, but my mom stepped up and hauled a few extra loads in the name of her granddaughter.

Here's what we have at the moment. 

Can't wait to show you the after photos!

We're #4!

Yup, #4... OSU is ranked 4, wooohhooo.  People (James) are pretty excited about this around here and Saturdays can not come soon enough.

Last weekend we went to Austin to watch the Pokes tackle the Longhorns and came out victorious!  It was a warm game, Sug and I ended up leaving by the half.  But James managed to tough it out with a sunburn to prove it.

GO POKES!

If only he could talk

Gus has floppy ears and requires lots of ear cleaning; his only high maintenance quality.  But he HATES to have them cleaned.  I took this photo of him the other night refusing to come upstairs to the kitchen while the ear solution bottle was out.  He stayed in this crouching position for a good 30 minutes until I put the bottle up.  He's becoming quite the cantankerous old man. I can only imagine how stubborn and annoyed he will become when there is a baby interrupting his naps and safety gates impeding on his freedom.

Opossum Duty

Saturday morning as Gus and I were taking our morning stroll we spotted this creep sitting on top our neighbors patio wall.

This view is from our front door, after I screamed for James to come outside.  It was obvious that there was something wrong with him; as we had a few visitors walk past him over the course of a couple of hours and he never moved.

We have our fair share of feral cats running around, but wildlife is definitely lacking in our neighborhood. 

Project Close-Out

I officially had my first project close-out last week with my new company.  This property is on a fairly major university in upstate New York, and I am happy to hopefully never have to visit that town again.  It's cold there.

We started August 2010 and ended last week.  Our budget was minimal and it was a very piece-y project which makes it very tedious. 

Here are some before and after shots, my camera sucks really bad but hopefully you get the gist. 

BEFORE:

Exterior (duh)

Library Lounge Bar. 

Nothing horrible, but very dated and worn.

Library Lounge Bar

Library Lounge Bar

Guestroom Corridors

I want to kill the architect that thought a circular building this small was a great idea.

 Guestroom Corridor

Guestroom 

Notice the awesome headboard that makes you feel like your sleeping on a sofa sleeper.

Guestroom

AFTER:

New paint job gives a good impression that the hotel is getting snazzed up.

New Library Lounge Bar

I was able to really stretch my bones by re-upholstering a lot of seating that they already had and buying new shades for the old lamps.  It was cheap, but made a huge difference.  Of course carpet and walls are new and a few larger sofas were customized for the space.  (Can you believe they had those awesome metal side chairs in storage in their basement!?  New fabric and they were good to go!)

Library Lounge Bar

Library Lounge Bar.

 Guestroom Corridor

You can't tell but the carpet looked great, even in a round corridor. 

Guestroom Corridor

 Guestroom

We left the nightstands, desk and wallcovering but replaced most other items.  I think our small changes made a big difference. 

Guestroom

We just painted the mirror and it looked like a million bucks, for $24.

That's all folks, glad to have this one under my belt so I can move on to the next four.