Arizona bound!

so... we're about 99% sure we're heading to arizona on may 11th (we're still waiting on the "official" details from shawn's company - say a prayer we get them tomorrow!)... we have that date because it's the date we're closing on our house! we sold it in about a month, without a realtor, and for 15% more than we paid two years ago! we're pretty proud of all the work we've done and feel very blessed that we will get back what we've invested into it in this market!

so... on to more exciting stuff!

we went out to phoenix to visit (shawn's first time - he loved it!) and find a place to live... we will be living here until we find a house.... which hopefully will be in the next seven months!

we did a little sight-seeing, but mainly drove around different parts of town to get a feel for where we might want to buy a house. shawn also spent a day at his new office and met some of his new coworkers. when i picked him up, he was like a giddy school-boy... we're very excited about the move!

shawn was only there for the weekend... we stayed in this funky hotel (very reasonable) in scottsdale.

and then i headed down to agritopia to spend a few days with my friend jill from college... our girls had so much fun together! i'm so excited to be able to see them more often and to let the girls "grow up together"

i drove back yesterday and today and came home to a mess! shawn started "packing" - it looks like the house exploded! we have so much to do before may 11th! shawn did sell his truck today (even made some money on it!) and we've sold some of our furniture... we're having a moving sale next weekend (may 1st - 3rd)... so come by and take a look... we may have something you just can't live without! and tell your friends too! 1815 salem st 75061

ok... i'm off to watch a couple of episodes of lost! i'll try to get some pics of the little darling up soon, but life's pretty crazy right now!

a-town

So... We went to Austin for my 30th and kai's 1st birthday. I realize
I am over a month late in posting this, but I've been trying to go
through some 300 pictures that I took that weekend and edit some good
ones. I'm still learning how to use my new camera... So it's taken me
a while to sit down and play with them on photoshop. But you guys
aren't all that interested in all that, are you? Here's what we did...
With some pictures in case you are one of those "I don't read unless I
have pictures" kinds folk (shawn).


2.19.09

Started the trip off with a bang... stopping in pflugerville to visit cousin melissa! she was so gracious to let us stay with her and even slept on her sleeper sofa so we could have the comfy bed!


2.20.09 - suzy's 30th birthday!

melissa left early to head to oklahoma to be with her dad... so we didn't get to visit long... but we did stop by her store - which is the nicest wally world i've ever been in - and shawn picked up my cake while i got a really decent pedicure!


after the morning's errands, we met up with kari and rob to head down to lockhart, texas... home of the country's best bbq and filming local for one of my all time favorite movies, waiting for guffman!
the bbq places there are not typical restaurants... you enter through a soot-covered hallway and go through a smoky room where you buy your meat by the pound...




then you go into the actual restaurant and order your sides and drinks and dig in... no forks on premises!


we filled up on yummy meat, white bread and iced tea and walked around downtown for a bit... it's like most small-town downtown squares in texas... not much to see or do.

we headed back to a-town (about 15 minutes north) and checked into our home-away-from-home that we found on this awesome site... www.homeaway.com... we split the very reasonable rent with our friends, the anderson's and my buddy tyna who flew in on a whim from phoenix.... so it was great!






friday night, we went to the original chuy's on barton springs for my birthday dinner!





with full tummies, we headed back to the house to rest up for a busy day on saturday!

2.21.09 - kai's 1st birthday!

we woke up and headed up the street to juan in a million's... yummy cheap breakfast tacos!

and then headed out to visit catherine on the farm! they had six-day old piglets which kai thoroughly enjoyed with an excited "eeeee" the whole time we were here. we also visited the chicken coop and toured the veggies that were planted!







after the farm, we headed back to downtown and hit up so-co for some fun window-shopping and of course, more yummy food! we visited hey cupcake! to get kai's birthday "cake" and grubbed on some yummy pizza!


saturday night, we took it easy and lounged around the house with some wine and good
conversation (after the babes went to sleep!)


sunday morning we woke up and packed up and cleaned up... we stopped by zilker park for the mini-train ride before we ate our last austin meal at huts and headed back to the plex!






it was an awesome trip and i am so thankful for good friends that ventured out with us and made my thirtieth and kai's first so memorable!

our little monkey's birthday party coming soon!

our house, is a very, very, very fine house!

so... some of you have heard the news that we are most likely relocating to phoenix in a couple of months! it is exciting and scary to think about... and nothing's official yet, so i hope we're not getting our hopes up in vain... but we've put the house on the market anyway. we scrambled like mad, and thanks to the habitat for humanity store, were able to put our finishing touches on updating the home before sunday... when we had our first showing!

here are some pics of the house in all it's glory:

our austin trip, kai's party and a trip to the arboretum coming soon!

so much to post, so little time!

so i have been dragging my feet big time on posting! so sorry! i officially have a toddler now, so i'm definitely not literally dragging my feet, rather, following her around all day long... so i'm pretty wiped out by the time she hits the hay... and we also rediscovered my nintendo ds, so i've succumbed to the video game gods more than i'd like to admit.

anyhoo... you probably want to know what's going on in the world of kai!

well, she flew through her first christmas with flying colors... and made out like a bandit! and believe it or not, we're gearing up for her 1st birthday, which is in less than 2 weeks! everyday she amazes us with new tricks, here's a list of what our little genius child can do:

• speak in tongues - we have no idea what she's saying, but she talks all day long
  
• walk backwards - and forwards and sideways and speedily and like a drum major
  
• climb - as long as it's no higher than a foot or so off the ground (she's a munchkin!)
  
• sit on a seat - as long as it's no higher than about 4 inches (again, she's a munchkin)
  
• squat - how i envy her agility
  
• bite - she hasn't bit us yet (thank goodness!) but she can bite off pieces of food with her silly front teeth
  
• itsy bitsy spider - one day she was playing with her fingers so i started singing it to her... now when i sing it, she automatically does the hand motions
  
• bathtime - we say the word, she does a beeline for the bathroom! (totally GT, i know)
  
• diaper - a couple of times, she's brought me a diaper and is, as a matter of fact, in need of a new one
  
• love lucy, or daddy, or mommy, or her dolly, or a stuffed animal - but especially lucy - she'll walk up to her and give her a big hug and say "awwww"
  
• waving bye-bye  - you know, the whole open/close fist thing they do
  
• feed the fishies - we say it, she goes to the tank
  
• sing - she doesn't quite have the range of mariah carey, but she's getting there
  
• dance - is anything cuter than a baby dancing, i think not
  
• play the recorder - ok, i know you think i'm crazy, but she does and i have video to prove it
  
• barks - she couldn't do a voice over for a dog, but she does copy lucy (especially if lucy's barking at the door to come inside)
  
• laundry - she is a pro at closing the dryer door, and also taking folded laundry out of the basket... we're working on putting it back in
  
• sweeping - she holds the dustpan for me... ok, not really, she usually grabs a fistful of dust but i tell her she's a good helper anyway
  
• type - or rather bang the keyboard.
  
• text - she totally texted annie the other day
  

do you think i should go ahead and test her? just kidding.

we haven't heard many intelligible words (although others swear they have)... here's a list of some words we think she knows.

• daddy - alot of times, no matter what she's saying it sounds like dada... of course shawn thinks she's always talking about him, but i know better
  
• dog - again, quite indistinguishable from dada... but she does use only one syllable
  
• cat - that one's a stretch... it actually sounds more like kitty
  
• fishie - which sounds more like shhhhishhhhhee
  
• mama - but she only says it when she's crying (awesome, i know)
  
• thank you - more like ehnk ew (and not very often!)
  
• hi - which is more like heh!
  

so i guess that's all for now... i'll try to be better at updating again. we're working on the back room that used to look like a garage and it's going to look awesome! i can't wait to post pics. also, we're heading to austin for mine and kai's actual birthdays, and of course her first birthday party is coming up... so there's lots to share in the coming weeks!

hope everyone is doing well! love to you all!

ps... if you didn't get a holiday card, don't hate... we grossly underestimated the number we would need, so i didn't get to send one to everyone i wanted to... we'll get you next year, promise!

here's a copy for your digital files:

enjoy our latest pics (by the way, if you skipped all the wordage, you really should go back and read it... funniest post yet, comic genius, will make your day):

piano time with dr. doe and addie

mommy finally finished (kinda) our stockings on christmas eve

mommy and kai on christmas eve

what a cool present!

ummmm, could you guys hurry up already?

mesmerizing...

T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

let's see if this is the right size...

go ahead and say it...  cutest baby ever! i know!