July in Review

It's August?  Seriously?

What happened to July?

Here is a wordless recap of our "fly by July".  Enjoy!
(click on photos to make larger) 

 

 

-------------------Ely-----------------

more to come....

Thank you Officer

Yesterday Sloane and I took a visit to the Clive Police Department for a car seat check and a nice chat with Lt. John. 

Despite the fact that she wasn't quite as much in awe of him as I would have liked her to be I do think she was listening.  He told her to pretend her buckle was a "hot potato" so now when we get in the car she always tells me, "no touch, hot. hot. hot" :)

The number of times she's unbuckled herself has decreased since visiting but I'm banking on a replacement clip (which Lt. John recommended) will keep her in for good! 

I'd love to elaborate more but we've got a jam packed weekend ahead with lots left to do! 

It's hard to believe that 2 years ago today I was waiting in Winterset for John to pick me up so we could go to the hospital and have a baby!  Tomorrow Sloane's two!?!  Can you believe it?

She seems so grown up!  As John would say, "she's like a mini human."  (I think he means adult)  :)

I'm Calling the Police!

I knew this day would come.... I just thought if I didn't talk about it then it wouldn't happen right.  It did.  It's begun....

Sloane can and WILL unbuckle her own car seat.  Uggggghhhhhh.

So far I've tried yelling...which is kinda forced and I think she knows that.  I'm not "mad", I'm concerned for her safety so yelling doesn't really fit the crime. I would do it if it worked but it's not working. 

We've both tried pulling the car over (which will continue to do every time until we figure out a way to solve it).

I've tried "slapping" her hands.  She laughs at me which then makes me want to pop her cheek but of course I wouldn't do.

I've looked and looked online for something to cover the buckle (it's the one that goes across the chest) and I can't find anything!  Yes, I know about safety pins, zip ties, etc but I've also read that those can keep the car seat straps from functioning properly in the event of a crash and it's additional equipment that a EMT (GOD FORBID) needs to remove.

Sooooo before I go turning her car seat into a straight jacket we're going to take a trip to the police station.  I'm partly going in for a car seat check but I've also requested that a man in uniform has a little "chit chat" with Sloane.

I know these two things about Sloane.... she loves police cars and she always seems to behave better for strangers then her own loving, caring, sit with you in time out for 15 minutes without losing their cool until you say your sorry parents.

Pray this works.

Stay tuned to find out what happens..... 

shake it baby!

As Sloane would say, "Ohhhh Man!" What a weekend!  I hope this finds everyone recovering from a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend.  John, Sloane and I celebrated by watching fireworks on Capitol Hill Friday night.  We were a little leery of letting Sloane stay up so late but I think it's safe to say she enjoyed it. 

I think she stole my moves... :) 

(the sway and clap...a tutorial)

(the clap and jump) 

Before and Afters!

As some of you may know John and I were inspired by close friends of ours to enroll in Financial Peace University.  FPU is a 13 week class designed by Dave Ramsey (our new best friend) to help get you and your spouse on the right track to reach your financial goals.  Needless to say, in order to reach our goals (like buy a loft in some big city when we retire for me and a log cabin on a lake for John) we needed to spend less and save more.  Ok, Ok... I need to spend less. :)

Sooooo.....  with a little creativity and a helpful husband/toddler I came up with these two room makeovers using supplies we already had!  And, I have to say- I'm so very proud and impressed with my interior design innovations and handy work.

Here is the bathroom before....

 We didn't buy the house with torn wallpaper and broken towel bars but it was U.G.L.Y!

 My little helper!

I had to throw this in here because...well... this is our life.  Work a little, 

find her naked on the window sill, then work some more :)

 Bathroom AFTER!

 Mudroom before....

 

Mudroom AFTER!  

 













Ahhhhhh....much better!

And now I have three days, few plans and a husband to help!  What to tackle next?!?

Hope everyone has a happy and safe 4th! 

Happy Father's Day!

I have a riddle for you today...

Cooks and cleans, doesn't hesitate to change diapers or give baths.  

Gentle enough to sing a song at bedtime but tough enough to put you in time-out.  

Who am I???

JOHN!

That's right everyone....he does it all and he's all mine (and Sloane's).  John works hard all day long and doesn't even blink an eye when he comes home to a messy house, crying child and a stressed wife.  He can take it all in stride with a smile on his face.  Yes, it's kinda annoying at times (he is rarely in a "bad mood" because it's a "choice".  I wish I had that skill...). Sloane and I are so thankful to have him in our lives. 

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my Dad (and a HAPPY BIRTHDAY today as well).  If he had a dollar every time I threw a softball in his face when I got frustrated he'd be RICH.  :)  But his patience and encouragement have provided support when I needed it the most- even if I didn't "want to hear it".  Thanks Dad!  Love you!  

When I asked John what he admired about his dad he replied without hesitation, "He leads by example."  and I agree.  The day before our wedding the whole wedding party arrive at the reception site to decorate so there would be less to do the following day.  Well, the idea was great but I forgot half of the decorations.  Typical bridezilla...  I threw a fit, cried and was convinced the day was ruined (dramatic, I know).  I'll never forget Ernie-calm, cool and collected as usual hugged me and reassured me that it's going to be fine.  He was right.   

Happy Father's Day to all the great dad's out there.  Thank you dads!   

 

John's Half Ironman

He did it!  John officially completed one of the most difficult endurance races around- the half ironman!  On Saturday at 7:36am John entered the (cold) water to begin the race.  Six and half hours later...he finished!

For those of you who aren't familiar with triathlons and/or ironman races the half ironman distance consists of a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike and 13.1 mile run.  Yes, done one right after another. 

Even in cold water and chilly morning temps John got off to a great start with the swim.  The water temp was 66 degrees.  The typical YMCA pool? 84 degrees.  No.thank.you!  At just under 50 minutes he exited the water ripping off his wetsuit, goggles and cap as he ran into the transition area.  The bike leg was made up of two 23 mile loops with one 10 mile out and back at the end.  Despite a wrong turn (made by many other riders) that cost him a little time he came off the bike and into the run with a smile!  The run, as you can imagine, was a challenge but John pushed through the fatigue and pain to the finish.

**I think it's important to note that there were aprox. 260 individuals registered for this race and 30 of them did not finish.

Aside from a nice sunburn and a bum knee he's recovering well.  (Not that John would tell me if he wasn't!) While he says he's not interested in competing in this lengthy of a triathlon again I think he will.  Give him some time for the sunburn to fade, knee to recover and he'll be back for round two :) 

Thanks to everyone (grandmas, grandpas, friends, family...) who have supported John and our family while he completed his training.  It took a lot of discipline and dedication to complete this and I know many of you have helped watch Sloane, provided encouragement, etc to make this possible.

More pictures of John will be available shortly at http://minnefotamoments.com/cgi-bin/store/imageFolio.cgi (click on Liberty Triathlon 2011)