The view from our apartment

So now that you have seen the inside of our apartment, we thought we would show you the view from the balcony and what is right around our apartment.

This is the view looking directly down from our 7th floor balcony. Levels 2, 3, and 4 of the complex are for parking (the first level is the lobby with the doorman and all, the workout room and storage units). Then the apartments start on the 5th floor and we are the 7th.
For those of you who know me, yes my stomach gets a little wheezy when I look straight down...

This is the view from the balcony looking to the west.
This is what sits directly across from the complex. These are about 4 million dollar homes according to the lady we are renting the apartment from!!!! WOW! So yes they are all single family homes. A little bit different than what you think of as a single family home in the west!
This is a close up of one of the homes.
This is another one of the homes that we have seen people out of the porch. They have a little girl, that maybe one day we will meet.
This is the view looking east towards downtown. Michigan ave is 1 mile away...which takes about 15 minutes to walk to...

This is the night time view. It really is a pretty view and does NOT get dark here...too many city lights.
This is a few blocks to the west from our place. There is a little grassy area that we took Kambria to and let her run around. There are not many "parks" downtown and she needed some place to just run. There is an iron fence that guards her from the river. This is looking north up the river. Kambria is doing leg swings which you can't see.
So this is the view from the park to our apartment. So you can see how close it really is.
And the zoomed in version...

Finally here in Chicago!!

So we left for Chicago on Thursday April 17th around 9am and drove and drove until 8pm (which is 9pm in Iowa) when we stopped for the night in Carroll, Iowa to spend some time with our friends Nate and Sarah and Hannah!! We spent until Monday morning with them. Hannah and Kambria are 3 weeks apart, and they loved playing with each other...of course as long as they got to throw their fits when the other one had their toy!!! but all in all it was a fun time to spend some time with them again and of course play Ticket to Ride!!!

Here is Nate with Hannah and Kambria one the ONLY sunny day we had there!

So on Monday April 21st we left Carroll and drove another 7 hours to Chicago! We drove into Chicago about 4:30pm. And that was even with the traffic, which is HORRENDOUS!!! Bryan will be doing the majority of the driving I can already tell!

So the next bunch of pictures is a brief walk through of our little, but VERY expensive apartment in downtown Chicago. Where we come from you could buy a very nice 3-4 bedroom home for the $300,000 that would buy you this 1 bedroom condo. They have only been open since November, but there are only a few condos left so you better hurry. We are literally about one mile from Northwestern Chicago Campus!

This starts the tour...

This is the view you would get when you first walk in the door...to the left is the bedroom and to the right is the living room.

Before you get to the bedroom, there is a bathroom on your left...one thing that is nice about the counter is that it sits a little higher and has double sinks. So no fighting over the sink! ;o) With Bryan taking a picture of the big mirror...
This is the jetted tub which we are excited to use, but Bryan went to try it out and gross stuff came out of the jets, I don't think it has ever been used yet and there is dust and stuff clearing from the jets. So we have run it a couple of times and it is getting better. So one day soon one of us will get to try it. Who knows I might even learn to like baths again!
So next to the bathroom is the laundry closet...not room, but closet. It does a small load of laundry, but I am grateful that I do not have to go to a laundry mat but can do it in the comfort of my our apartment!!
This is the bedroom. We are looking in from the doorway and you can see that it is small, but very do-able. Once again, Kambria gets to sleep in the pack-n-play. But she does very well in it! For this we are grateful!!! It was a worry and there was no need to worry because she sleeps well in it! The bed is a "king" size bed...which turns out that they have two twin bed pushed together each having their own set of sheets on them with a king size comforter. It is a little different, but I like the room we have to sleep in! And it makes having Kambria in bed with us a lot easier too. (which has only been once so far. cross your fingers)This is the view sitting on the bed looking out into the apartment. The walk in closet is on the left. This is the walk in closet. Which Bryan and I have decided that we both LOVE!! Walk in's are GREAT!!


So going out of the bedroom into the living room. This is the entertainment system. Yes it is a flat screen tv, with basic cable, which will probably spoil us when we have to go back to our 27 inch tv...but it is fun for now!

So this is what you see as the living room when you are standing in the kitchen. This is the couch and chair...And Kambria sitting on the stylish zebra chair grinning for the camera!!!This is out the living room door on the balcony. Kambria is doing her leg swings for you...And this is looking from the balcony into the living room/ kitchen.This is on your immediate right when you very first walk in the door...the kitchen! With nice stainless steel appliances and dark cherry wood cabinets. The stove/oven are gas which Bryan likes, but I have to get used to. and this is the fridge. So that is the basic tour of our little abode we are living in while here in the big city of Chicago.

Good news...

So I know it has been a while since I last wrote. I sometimes forget to write about things, or my life is just so boring that i have nothing new to say.

Well the past two days have not been too boring so I thought I would write. I received information back from my doctors office that I do NOT have gestational diabetes!!! YEAH!!! I did have it with Kambria and it was NOT fun to have to regulate your diet as much as I did. So i have been paranoid that I would have it again and even told my doctor to just assume that I would have it. Well I took the test on Friday and they said to call the doctors on Monday to find out the results. Well they were that I had a level of 104 and they do not worry unless it is at a level of 135!!! I started to ask questions and my doctor said, do not ask unless you want to have the 3 hour test! So I stopped asking questions. So i am MORE than thrilled that I do not have gestational diabetes,..although they did say they would test me again on my next doctors appointment in June. (since I am on "vacation" in Chicago)

On another note, Kambria went and had her eyes checked and "fixed" today. We went to the children's eye physician and they did a dye test in her eyes. It was basically an eye drop that you could see in blue light if it made her eyes turn a fluorescent yellow or not. Well her eyes did not drain and so they went ahead with the procedure of putting a metal tube down her tear ducts and hopefully removing whatever blockage there was...however the doctor did say that it just felt tight and that she might have to have tear duct tubes put in her eyes. But we are to watch her for a couple of weeks and see how it goes. So for today she has some bloody tears and a little bit of a bloody nose which I guess is normal. The poor thing!!!

Btu I do have to say that the doctor was a little reluctant to so the operation since she was getting older and was afraid that she was too big and strong and would get out of the papoose thing they strapped her in. But afterwards (I sat outside rather than watch her cry) they said that she did not even try to get out of the holds. She just cried which is TOTALLY normal for a baby to do. Bryan stayed in the room with her, but I could not stand to see her strapped down. So I came back into the room when they were done.

So that is the excited news from us...We will have to write more once we get into Chicago. We start the trip on Thursday and will spend some time with our good friends Nate and Sarah in Iowa for a couple of days and then finish in Chicago next Monday. So you should ear from us next week!!!

I am a "how-to" mother!

While I do not agree with EVERYTHING that is said, I do have to agree that I run a tight household and my kid is VERY independent!!!

If you want to try the test click here.


Your type is: estj —The “How-To” Mother
“We’re the mothers you like to carpool with. Not only are we on time, we organize the driving schedule for everyone.”
--Organized and comfortable being in charge, the ESTJ mother knows “how to” get things done, make things happen, and accomplish much on behalf of her children. Whether she is encouraging them to get involved in organized activities or talking with them about their personal concerns, children of the ESTJ mother learn “how to” succeed in life.
--Upbeat and matter-of-fact, the ESTJ mother is intent on her children having the best. She puts her skills and talents to work to this end, from planning trips that supplement their studies to raising funds for new playground equipment. She is happiest when her efforts produce concrete results — children who try out for teams, participate in academic competitions, or are leaders among their peers.
--The ESTJ mother runs a tight household. She is apt to have predictable expectations, consistent routines, standard procedures, and well-defined boundaries, all of which help her children feel protected and secure.

Answers...

So I was tagged by Sarah and so here are my answers for all to see. I hope you enjoy...

Where did you go on your first date? Officially, we went bowling with Merritt and Nick, but we really walked around downtown on a cold Decembers night and he bought me a steamer which I had not ever had before...by the way a steamer is hot flavored milk.

How long have you been together? together 4 1/2 years

Who eats more? DEFINITELY Bryan, but I can eat a "good" meal every once in a while.

Who said I love you first? Bryan did, the same night he first kissed me, which happened about a month after we were dating.

Who is taller? Bryan

Who sings better? Bryan on that one, although I am not too bad myself...just not "quite" as good.

Who does the laundry? Well, usually me but Bryan starts it every once in a while and then I usually have to ask to have him help me put it away after a couple of days...

Who pays the bills? We each have things we are "responsible" for remembering to pay...so I would say both of us

Who mows the lawn? When we get a lawn, that will be Bryan's job...we have already discussed this one ;o)

Who cooks dinner? I do currently twice a week with my family, but when we are on our own I usually do with his help and suggestions.

Who drives when you are together? He does, unless he is really tired or does not want to drive.

Who is more stubborn? Um, probably me. Bryan is stubborn on certain things,but I think I am more overall stubborn.

Whose parents do you see the most? Mine definitely right now since we live with them ;o)

Who kissed who first? He kissed me same night he told me I love you.

Who proposed? He did one early morning and something about wanting to wake up to "this" together every morning. Aw sweet huh?

Who is more sensitive? DEFINITELY me on this one...I am the cry baby, except when it comes to animals he is more sensitive.

Who has more friends? I would say I keep in touch with friends better.

Who has more siblings? Technically we have the same. But I grew up with 5 and he grew up with 4

Who wears the pants in the family? Well, I would say the both of us do...but I like to think I am in charge. ;o)

Our big news!!!

So after spending 3 hours at the doctors office on tuesday we did the "full" ultrasound and found our our little bundle of joy is BOY!!!! that is right! Now we will have one of each flavor as my parents put it!!

We are excited to start looking at boy's names....which is kind of hard, since we like unusal but simple names. I have told my family, as I will tell all, that I will accept any name suggestions...but it is up to me and Bryan to name it, so no hurt feelings if we use a name you did not come up with or one you don't like!!! ;o) You just better like our little boy!!!!

now lets just hope that he is a little more calmer than Kambria!!~

Look closely at the writing on the picture to tell what it is...I also go back fro another ultrasound in two weeks due to the fact that he would not cooperate in letting them see his heart function enough, so we get to do it all over again! But he has a 3 vessel umbilical cord, which Kambria only had a 2, 3 is normal...and no visual problems with his kidneys!!!! YEAH, this pregnancy HAS been a LOT easier!!!!

Easter weekend Celebration

So we went up to Fort Collins to visit with Bryan's sister Lisa and her family. They came over for Easter and it was a nice excuse to go to fort Collins to see them. Of course we like seeing grandma and grandpa too! We even took our bikes and bike trailer up there and had a nice ride! Although my butt bone sure did hurt after that!

The rest of the time we played games, ate and watched the girls play together. Kambria even started to boss Madalyn around a little, which was cute for a while. She can say her name...almost. It sounds like nadalyn, but the Lyn part is what you can really understand.

We even had them do an Easter egg hunt in the living room. I will have to get the pictures from grandma MaryEllen since Bryan was video recording it.

All in all it was a great weekend! We had lots of fun!

Kambria with her "eggs"
Madalyn and Kambria got matching spring dresses. so we tried to get some photos of them, but we were not too successful in keeping their attention from the eggs.

Kambria's pretty Easter dress Grandma gave her. And the hat was from Nonnie.
Reading books with "pa-pa"
And Grandma...
Bath time for the girls. Their hair was pre-wash styled!!
AHH...hugs!

Grandma and pa-pa with their girls!

a new friend

So my sister is living with our stake presidents cousin Mr Garbett in SLC. My parents had never met the mother and she was coming into town to visit our stake president, so my parents took Mrs Garbett and their daughter and the sake president and his wife out to dinner. Well, the stake president was watching his granddaughter, so we got to watch her when they all went out to dinner to the cheesecake factory. Her name is Reese and she is 16 months old. Reese definitely has more hair, but Kambria is getting there and the barrette makes her look more like a girl! Kambria and her played together pretty well, until Kambria accidentally poked her eye with a book. Thought I would show you how cute they were together! It was a fun night.

Kambria is learning how to actually smile for ther camera when we tell her to...

I want some warmer weather!

So while we have waited for some warmer weather, we have shown Kambria how to play with

Play-Doh. I do have to still watch her when we play because she likes to still put it in her mouth! YUCK!

However, I have to say that we are TIRED of cold weather! We have had a taste of the warmer weather here the past couple of days and have been enjoying ourselves. Kambria LOVES to go outside and so the past 3 days, we have gone to a new park everyday! We are checking them out just in time for us to leave for a couple of months. But the parks vary so much in the quality of them that I am learning which ones I like and which ones I do NOT like very quickly. I have decided that I like the plastic playgrounds a WHOLE lot better than metal and/or wood ones. And I like wood chips for ground covering or recycled tires, NOT pea gravel of ANY sort!

excuses

So thee true reason that I did not blog so much over the holidays up until about February, was due to the fact that every time I sat down to say something I wanted to say that I did not have energy and that I was prego... so that is why I was a slacker! I know still an excuse, but I could not say anything about it, due to the fact that we did not have the insurance piece of the puzzle figured out and until we worked that out, we did not want to say anything. So we heard back on the insurance on Thursday February 28 and decided to say something to my family and Bryan's family on February 29...which I will always remember now since it was an odd day...other than that nothing exciting happening here.

I am just waiting for a doctors appointment sometime in the near future after they have verified our insurance and waiting for the time to move to Chicago to come. Yes, I am still going to go to Chicago, but I will have to come back near the end of may beginning of June so that I can have a doctors appointment and the rest is still up in the air. Bryan has started looking at different places to do his residency, and one of them is Colorado Springs. He has just started the search, so he is just talking through email to other people and where they have done their residencies and the quality of those places. I think both of us would like to stay in Colorado...since I have to have the baby here, but I still think somewhere else would be a fun time to have "our" family with just us again...we have had 18 months of our extended family and time with them has been great! But I think we both would like a fun adventure of just our family again. now I am just rambling...hopefully you will hear more of me now that I have energy again and can say things about the pregnancy!

Kambria's Big Announcment

Kambria had some exciting news to share with the family today. Although she didn't have a clue what all the excitment was about, she still wore her new shirt her mom and dad made her with a smile! I'm sure she will understand a bit more come August 13th... give or take a few.

18 months!! Wow

So yesterday Kambria got to spend the whole 2 ours in Nursery! YEAH!!! I got to actually listen to the lessons again. She did not even notice I was gone. i checked in on her through the window after the first hour, but she was having snack time and was doing great! I guess she realized I was gone the last 5 minutes of nursery when a parent came to get their child and I was not there to take Kambria...So she screamed for the last 5 minutes. But I was so proud of her!!!

And she is doing great with this potty thing. I have to say I feel like I am being potty trained more than her right now. In fact my mother watched her last night while I went to stake choir practice and she said that half way through her bottle of milk she looked very worried and took my mom's hand and led her to the bathroom so she could go potty and n top of that her diaper was dry! My mother was so impressed so I guess I am too!!! Such a big girl!

And I have to share her 18 month old pictures. Aren't they cute???

Big girl!! POTTY TIME!

So this is a little brag session. Kambria turns 18 months tomorrow and she has already gone pee- pee in the potty! I do have to say that some of this credit, ok most of it, has to go to my mother! She noticed that Kambria had shown interest in the potty and so she bought her a little "pooh" potty that has Winnie the Pooh on the back of it! And Kambria has gone potty in it already!!! she loves to sit on it and play in the water that we have for her to put her feet in...it helps her recognize that pee feeling... and so for now it is more of a game, but none the less it is a start! I am so proud of my little girl!

A slacker!

So I have been a blogging slacker for the past two months...and now I have people reminding me that I need to get back in the habit...Yes i know I need to if for none other reason than for me to have it for myself. And of course because you all want to know what is going on too right? I hope so.
So the past couple of months have thus far been pretty uneventful. We went through the holidays and Bryan's birthday and the super bowl and just kept trucking along.

Then before I know it it is already Valentine's day!!! So for valentine's day we have a tradition that Bryan and I started while we were dating...Fondue!
We have a couple of friends come over and we do a fondue dinner night. We do the cheese first, then the meat and then the dessert, which is of course the chocolate! The first year, Bryan set it up as a surprise with me and my roommate and her boyfriend Jason, who is now her husband too. The second year we decided to do it with Shelby and Travis. The third year was with my parents and sister, and this year we did it with our new friends Faun and Nephi.

So it was a lot of fun. As far as gifts go...we decided to get each other professional massages. So at some point we will go and have a massages for a half hour or so. Can't wait! So that is it for now. I will try to do better about the posting now! I promise!

And here is Kambria in her cute Valentine's outfit from my Aunt Melanie! how cute is she!!!