My Ali-Girl

This seems like a record number of posts for me in one sitting--but it was bothering me that in every other picture I just posted Allison was obstructed in some way. So here she is, all alone, her own darling 2 1/2 year-old self. My Ali-gator, Ali-cat, Ali-girl. It's funny because when we named her, I expected to just call her Ali. But, every time I try to do it, I add on something for another syllable. It's been hard to just say Ali for some reason. (Same with "Jake")

The other morning she was telling me about her dream--the same old dream of her playing in Nursery with Camille. But she added in the funniest conclusion this time: she said that in the dream "...we were playing with toys. That was my focus." I love her ever-expanding vocabulary and descriptions. She's just an entertaining chatterbox.

Where's Gideon?

Gideon is 7 months now and has been scooting around since 5 1/2 months. He has fully mastered the "army crawl" and is all over the place. His favorite place: under the kitchen chairs. He'll attempt to climb up over the bottom rungs (whatever they're called) and cries for help as he gets stuck mid-maneuver every time. Get him down and place him across the room and he's back under the chairs in no time.

Preschool Kid!

Jacob started preschool a few weeks ago! It has been awesome for him. I wasn't sure if we'd end up doing preschool for him, but I feel like he needs this experience. It's good for him to get away from Mom and enjoy a different setting with new friends and teachers. It really has been a blessing for Allison as well. I have enjoyed my "alone" (with Gideon) time with her as the big girl.

What a big kid!

So, I'm seeing a terrible thing coming my way, even from a few weeks into preschool... Jacob & I were supposed to make a poster of an assigned letter. Did I let Jacob cut out 'K' pictures from magazines and paste them on?? I just couldn't do it. We did discuss 'K' words and these are the word ideas we came up with. But I just had to think about it for days, sketch it out, get on my computer and design it properly in order to make it work for me. Jacob & the class loved it, but I really am going to have to discipline myself to not overstep my bounds as the years of homework and projects quickly approach!

Check!

When we first set eyes on this condo, our very first impression was that the carpet in the eating area had to go! We've lived here for almost a year (wow, time flies!) and I did not see one day that something was not spilled on the carpet under the table. With 3 little kids I can hardly blame anyone. And so, installing new flooring has been on the To-Do List since moving in. And now--check--it's done!! But, as with any do-it-yourself project, the theme was more like a snowball effect...

While waiting for this project to happen, I decided I wanted to paint before we put in the new floor. This was my first painting job EVER! And, of course, after painting the walls, I realized I needed to paint the baseboards. I also really, really wanted to paint the cupboards, but then determined there's no way I am going to take that on in the near future!


Look, but don't look very hard at the carpet!! In the end, I pretty much gave up trying to clean it up. Sad, but true.

This next picture is of the prepped floor, but I wanted to highlight the "secret message" we left in the far corner (Jacob loves knowing there's something secret under the floor!) The kids were supposed to do one handprint each, but of course they got carried away. We only have 3 kids, but Tom thinks this is a sign that we're supposed to have 6 kids while in this place. YEAH RIGHT!!

The process of preparing the floor was pretty hilarious, looking back. We started early Labor Day weekend. I noticed Tom was acting a little sluggish as he went about working. He went to lie down and ended up throwing up all over the bed. Lovely. So that Saturday was out. Then on Monday, when using a razor blade to pull up the vinyl, he slashed his knee and had to leave to get stitches! I did take a picture, but I'll spare us all. Poor Tom.

The hero of the day!! (Well, actually of the 2 weeks that it ended up taking to finish the whole thing.)

I love my engineer husband! He was so meticulous about all of his measurements and cutting and he did a beautiful job.

And then came the extra bonus :) So, when we were moving out of our old apartment, we ended up--for better or worse--with this lovely beast. We've always said we would buy a new one, but hadn't made the effort. Well, after moving this practically solid piece of steel around and realizing that it was leaking, etc. we decided to take the plunge. And oh did it feel so great when the electric company came to pick it up, paying us $50, leaking all the way!

(No, the yellow paint color really isn't this annoying...it's just the lighting in the picture!)

The moment you've all been waiting for...the final product!! It is the GREATEST THING EVER!! So far, whenever there's been a big spill, we REJOICE that we have a new floor and we GLADLY WIPE it up! (Notice I said "so far;" next week the cleaning might not be as joyous.)

And, I will point out one of my clever ideas because I'm so proud I thought of it: I couldn't figure out how to paint the kitchen, but not the front room. They're essentially one big room. So, I found some trim/baseboard material and Tom fit it in vertically and I think it turned out great as a divider. Now we have an official "dining room," so to speak. Does that mean we just added a new room?? Maybe our home value will go up...???

On Your Mark

We have a new fun family activity: The Moorpark College Track! We discovered it a couple of months ago and it's only a minute away from our home. The kids run around and around and love it! Gideon rides happily around in his stroller. These pictures are from a Family Home Evening activity (Jacob's choice).

Allison is so cute with her curls bouncing behind her. She can run for a pretty long time and then she likes to sit and rest.

This particular night, Jacob ran about 8 laps without stopping! He was pushing the stroller half the time. I kept offering to take it, but he confessed that it made it easier for him to run. He said, "I just found out I'm not as strong as I thought I was. I have to push the stroller to be able to run." I was impressed he could even steer it! We could hardly get him to stop when it was getting dark.

On different running occasions, we have gotten a lot of comments from other runners and even the track coach, saying he's a "future track star." Jacob beams and reminds me throughout the week that he needs to go running to get his exercise to train for the Olympics.

Keeping Busy

When I stopped working out of the home as a graphic designer, I assumed I would continue to pursue and work on jobs from home. Three kids later, I find that it is so hard to find the time!! I really enjoy having a fun project come my way, but boy is it tough to find a moment to really sit down and tackle it. It's good for me though: it keeps my creative wheels turning and my skills from getting too rusty.

Anyway... I just finished the above logo project. I thought it might be fun to share it and other, more recent logos I have created...
Above is for a "green" paint company

Next is for a toy distribution website:


This is for a remote controlled airplane named Shrike that can land and film its surroundings with a small camera and then fly away: (Note: this was a contest entry and may not be chosen as the official icon)

And finally, for fancy burp cloth packaging:


I am very grateful that I am able to do some work from home because it enriches me and it's also nice to have a little extra spending money!