So, we've talked to our realtor and she made some suggestions as to what needs to be done to the condo before we can put it on the market:
1.) Paint the ceiling of my bathroom
2.) Paint the bedroom door and the hall bathroom door that we never got around to
3.) Paint the hallway
4.) Stretch the carpet
5.) Finish/paint the kitchen cabinets
6.) Hang closet doors in the spare room and on the linen closet in the hallway
7.) Paint the front door and foyer area
So, that's what we've been up to this week. Kirch is slow and his fall season doesn't start until Monday, so he's been home painting the hallway. I started on the doors and the bathroom ceiling the other night, and now we just have to finish those tasks up this weekend. Then we'll have the closet doors, the front foyer, the carpets, and the kitchen cabinets to do. The carpets are being taken care of by the front office (after 2005's plumbing issues). We can do the cabinets (which I'm SO not looking forward to), but we'll have to get someone in to hang closet doors. We're hoping to have this all done in another month to 6 weeks so we can list by late fall. Our next step will be apartment hunting...
Enough about us, on to our daughter! So, Tuesday night Quinn played out on our back deck for a while while Kirch and I hung out with her. She loves throwing balls around and is constantly saying, "Ball!" After a bath and before we headed into her bedroom for the evening, Kirch and she were playing on the living room floor. He was on his back with his knees propped up and Quinn was straddling his waist. She then proceeded to lift up his shirt, smack his belly and say "Ball!" We were cracking up! And of course, both of us were saying, "well yes, it's kind of a ball!" I wished we could've gotten it on video - it truly was priceless.
We have got a jam-packed weekend lined up - it's Labor Day already! And tomorrow is September! I'll have plenty of pictures to post when all is said and done.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
As the Summer Winds Down...
I can't believe we're almost into September already. This weekend is Labor Day Weekend - how did that happen? It seems like just yesterday we were making preliminary plans to head to Atlantic Beach. Now, vacation is over and kids are heading back to school, and we are heading into football season and sweater weather. Where does time go? And it's so cliche, I know, but it's the truth that time does pass quicker as you get older.
My baby is almost 18 months old - that's twice as old as how long I was pregnant with her! There are some days when I really miss being pregnant - even with as crappy as I felt for almost 5 months. It was absolutely worth it, that's for sure, but there are some days when I yearn for the feel of her kicking me or just my big old belly with life growing inside of me. When you get right down to brass tacks, it's still a wonder how we can create life and nurture it and harvest it. Amazing.
Ok, nostalgia aside - here's what's been going on!
Quinn's first week at her new daycare was great. She started to warm up to Tiana, Chrissy and the children by around the end of the week. After the separation anxiety (pretty much after we closed the door), she'd jump right into playing with the other kids, eat like a horse (which is her speciality), and take naps with no problems. Yesterday when I dropped her off, she didn't cry at all. Just walked herself over to Chrissy and got ready for breakfast. Around lunchtime, I got a call from Tiana, confirming that Quinn is definitely getting very comfortable at her new daycare - she threw her first all out fit... squealing, throwing herself on the floor, spinning around - the works. All because she could see her lunch but they didn't get her to the table and feed her fast enough! Yes, yes, my daughter is such a scrawny little thing - waiting for 5 minutes while her lunch cools down might just cause her to whither away. And she has the patience of, well... her father. But after her mini-meltdown, she was fed and then was happy as a lark. Go figure.
On Sunday Kirch, Quinn and I met up with Scott and Eric, and Jeff and Natalie at the Renaissance Fair. Despite the oppressive humidity, we had a really good time. The kids played in the playground, we walked around, ate lunch, and took some pictures. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday morning.
Quinn is a sponge now. She's saying words faster than we can keep up with anymore. And now she's telling us what things are. For instance, now she points to my nose and says, "noooo!" Or to my eye and say, "eye!" Yesterday she was in my closet with me and pointed to a shoe and said, well - you know :-) It's so great, listening to her communicate with us (up, down, etc.) - granted the communication is limited. But still! And she's reading US stories now, in her own Quinn-language. It's priceless... take a look!
Before we know it, the girl will be speaking in sentences, then paragraphs. Slow down - no need to grow up so damn fast!
My baby is almost 18 months old - that's twice as old as how long I was pregnant with her! There are some days when I really miss being pregnant - even with as crappy as I felt for almost 5 months. It was absolutely worth it, that's for sure, but there are some days when I yearn for the feel of her kicking me or just my big old belly with life growing inside of me. When you get right down to brass tacks, it's still a wonder how we can create life and nurture it and harvest it. Amazing.
Ok, nostalgia aside - here's what's been going on!
Quinn's first week at her new daycare was great. She started to warm up to Tiana, Chrissy and the children by around the end of the week. After the separation anxiety (pretty much after we closed the door), she'd jump right into playing with the other kids, eat like a horse (which is her speciality), and take naps with no problems. Yesterday when I dropped her off, she didn't cry at all. Just walked herself over to Chrissy and got ready for breakfast. Around lunchtime, I got a call from Tiana, confirming that Quinn is definitely getting very comfortable at her new daycare - she threw her first all out fit... squealing, throwing herself on the floor, spinning around - the works. All because she could see her lunch but they didn't get her to the table and feed her fast enough! Yes, yes, my daughter is such a scrawny little thing - waiting for 5 minutes while her lunch cools down might just cause her to whither away. And she has the patience of, well... her father. But after her mini-meltdown, she was fed and then was happy as a lark. Go figure.
On Sunday Kirch, Quinn and I met up with Scott and Eric, and Jeff and Natalie at the Renaissance Fair. Despite the oppressive humidity, we had a really good time. The kids played in the playground, we walked around, ate lunch, and took some pictures. It was a nice way to spend a Sunday morning.
Quinn is a sponge now. She's saying words faster than we can keep up with anymore. And now she's telling us what things are. For instance, now she points to my nose and says, "noooo!" Or to my eye and say, "eye!" Yesterday she was in my closet with me and pointed to a shoe and said, well - you know :-) It's so great, listening to her communicate with us (up, down, etc.) - granted the communication is limited. But still! And she's reading US stories now, in her own Quinn-language. It's priceless... take a look!
Before we know it, the girl will be speaking in sentences, then paragraphs. Slow down - no need to grow up so damn fast!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Our Future Home, Our Wonderful Vacation!
Boy, did we pack a lot into 10 days in North Carolina! Let's see, I'll start from the beginning...
Wednesday afternoon, the 8th of August, we left for Durham, NC to see our friends Mark and Sara. Despite the weather reaching unseasonably record temps of 105 and over, the Wards showed us a very good time. They took us to downtown Durham, where we ate dinner at a place called Tyler's Tavern (they had Terrapin beer!), showed us around Duke University, and ordered in some awesome Southern BBQ. During the days Kirch, Quinn and I researched different tennis facilities, neighborhoods, and apartment complexes. We both agreed of all the areas we saw (northern Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill...), we liked Durham, right where Mark and Sara lived the best. We've even found a townhouse complex we'd like to rent from to get us down there, and it's conveniently across the street from the Wards' neighborhood!
It's a definite - we love it down there. We're moving forward with our relocation plan - our next step is to talk to our realtor about getting our condo on the market. Then we will start aggressively looking for jobs in the Raleigh/Durham area... we are really looking forward to a new start!
After Mark and Sara showed us around Duke Saturday morning, we headed to Atlantic Beach for our week-long vacation with the Kircher family. Our condos were very nice - all overlooking the beach. There was lots of visiting taking place at any given time. Our place seemed to be "the place" since we were sort of obligated to put Quinn down at a reasonable hour every evening! So it wasn't a surprise when some or all of the Beaver Boys would show up, Mike, Bill, Teresa, Mom, etc... Whoever wanted to was always welcome at the Quinn-Kircher place, as Mike dubbed us! We spent several hours on the beach every day through Wednesday (Thursday and Friday being WAAAAY too windy to make it even worth it), took Quinn to the NC Aquarium, went out lots for lunches and dinners, and just relaxed... as much as you can with a 17-month-old! Rachel came to the rescue for us for one afternoon so Kirch and I could go out for several hours on our own. We went to Fort Macon State Park (which was soooo cool, by the way!), then out to lunch at Raps in Moorehead City (which the Kastbergs recommended), then did a bit of souvenir shopping. The weather was great all week - on the hot side, but nothing like what it was in Durham the week before!
Quinn advanced by leaps and bounds when we were down South - she picked up several words, some of which being, "cheese" (as in "say cheese!... " cheeeeeeee!), "hot", "no" ("no, no, no!"), and "uh oh". She just loved the ocean - ran right up to the waves with absolutely no fear. We were very busy down at the beach, keeping a hawk eye on her at all times! She is getting cuddlier now, too. She likes to sit on the couch with us and read books - OH! ...and she definitely has her own baby babble! She "read" one of her books to us and it was one of the funniest things Kirch and I have ever witnessed! Quinn was a great vacationer, a darn good traveler, and we just had a blast with her all week. I really look forward to our family vacations as she grows older...
Wednesday afternoon, the 8th of August, we left for Durham, NC to see our friends Mark and Sara. Despite the weather reaching unseasonably record temps of 105 and over, the Wards showed us a very good time. They took us to downtown Durham, where we ate dinner at a place called Tyler's Tavern (they had Terrapin beer!), showed us around Duke University, and ordered in some awesome Southern BBQ. During the days Kirch, Quinn and I researched different tennis facilities, neighborhoods, and apartment complexes. We both agreed of all the areas we saw (northern Raleigh, Cary, Chapel Hill...), we liked Durham, right where Mark and Sara lived the best. We've even found a townhouse complex we'd like to rent from to get us down there, and it's conveniently across the street from the Wards' neighborhood!
It's a definite - we love it down there. We're moving forward with our relocation plan - our next step is to talk to our realtor about getting our condo on the market. Then we will start aggressively looking for jobs in the Raleigh/Durham area... we are really looking forward to a new start!
After Mark and Sara showed us around Duke Saturday morning, we headed to Atlantic Beach for our week-long vacation with the Kircher family. Our condos were very nice - all overlooking the beach. There was lots of visiting taking place at any given time. Our place seemed to be "the place" since we were sort of obligated to put Quinn down at a reasonable hour every evening! So it wasn't a surprise when some or all of the Beaver Boys would show up, Mike, Bill, Teresa, Mom, etc... Whoever wanted to was always welcome at the Quinn-Kircher place, as Mike dubbed us! We spent several hours on the beach every day through Wednesday (Thursday and Friday being WAAAAY too windy to make it even worth it), took Quinn to the NC Aquarium, went out lots for lunches and dinners, and just relaxed... as much as you can with a 17-month-old! Rachel came to the rescue for us for one afternoon so Kirch and I could go out for several hours on our own. We went to Fort Macon State Park (which was soooo cool, by the way!), then out to lunch at Raps in Moorehead City (which the Kastbergs recommended), then did a bit of souvenir shopping. The weather was great all week - on the hot side, but nothing like what it was in Durham the week before!
Quinn advanced by leaps and bounds when we were down South - she picked up several words, some of which being, "cheese" (as in "say cheese!... " cheeeeeeee!), "hot", "no" ("no, no, no!"), and "uh oh". She just loved the ocean - ran right up to the waves with absolutely no fear. We were very busy down at the beach, keeping a hawk eye on her at all times! She is getting cuddlier now, too. She likes to sit on the couch with us and read books - OH! ...and she definitely has her own baby babble! She "read" one of her books to us and it was one of the funniest things Kirch and I have ever witnessed! Quinn was a great vacationer, a darn good traveler, and we just had a blast with her all week. I really look forward to our family vacations as she grows older...
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
South Bound!
This will be my last post until we get back from.... VACATION! Yay! It has finally arrived. We are all in such a need of a break - especially Kirch and me! We are heading down to Durham, NC tonight to visit Flash and Sara for a couple of days. Then on Saturday morning we'll head to Atlantic Beach to meet up with the rest of the Kircher siblings, Mom K, and Aunt Terry and Uncle Bob. I will be taking tons of pictures and video, and will post some A/V material upon my return!
It is official: Kirch called me this morning to tell me that Quinn can now climb up on our furniture. A whole new dynamic has just been thrown into the mix! And I thought it couldn't get worse than her walking! Now we have to worry about her falling off the couch! They weren't kidding when they said parenting is an awesome responsibility... on so many levels!
I didn't make the final cut for the Kaiser job :-( They decided to promote from within, which I sort of expected. But I got great feedback from Lois in HR, and she is going to keep my resume on file for future openings. Back to the drawing board...
Well, we're gone for 10 days, so I'll post when we get back!
It is official: Kirch called me this morning to tell me that Quinn can now climb up on our furniture. A whole new dynamic has just been thrown into the mix! And I thought it couldn't get worse than her walking! Now we have to worry about her falling off the couch! They weren't kidding when they said parenting is an awesome responsibility... on so many levels!
I didn't make the final cut for the Kaiser job :-( They decided to promote from within, which I sort of expected. But I got great feedback from Lois in HR, and she is going to keep my resume on file for future openings. Back to the drawing board...
Well, we're gone for 10 days, so I'll post when we get back!
Monday, August 6, 2007
A Consistent Inconsistency
It has been hit-or-miss with the pacifier lately. It seems that some nights Quinn doesn't need it to drift off to sleep and other nights she will not even consider calming down without it! But I guess this is still a step in the right direction... She went to sleep last night without it, but wouldn't take a nap without having it :-) Kirch and I have also concluded that she seems to be more inclined to need it when he puts her down, and less interested in it when I have nighttime duties... why is this? What is the difference? Anyway, why should we care? She's slowly weaning off of it, and that is the most important part. We have 2 days until we leave for NC, so I'm hoping she won't need it until we are at Flash & Sara's Wednesday night...
Here are a couple of photos from when Jenn & Josh watched Quinn a couple of weeks ago. She kept them laughing all night, and with good reason! Check these out!
Here are a couple of photos from when Jenn & Josh watched Quinn a couple of weeks ago. She kept them laughing all night, and with good reason! Check these out!
This bench is the perfect for me, isn't it, Kitty?
Staying cool in my very own cooler - now that's the way to go!
This weekend was busy and wonderful. On Saturday Quinn and I went to the River Falls pool for a couple of hours while Kirch worked. After he was finished, Kirch came over to visit with us for a while. Man, Q just loves the water! She's a very brave little girl, too! I lost track of how many times she lost her balance in the water and went under. She didn't care - every time I'd pick her up and try to get her to shallower water, she'd just squirm loose and want do walk around on her own. I guess she's just prepping for all of the time we're going to spend in the water down in Atlantic Beach next week!
Ahhh, THIS is nice!
How much fun is THIS???
Sunday we met the Kastbergs at the Germantown Splash Park and had a blast! I must admit, it was the 1st day all summer where I wished it would've been hotter! We arrived at 10am and it was about 80ish - which is great - but the humidity had dropped significantly from Saturday's near-100 sticky weather, and it was a bit overcast, so when the breeze picked up, we were actually cold! And since the splash park has no standing water, the spray was harsh if you didn't see it coming! But what a great concept - lots of fountains for everyone to play in. We definitely want to go back again before the summer is over!
Kathy, Meredith, Daddy & Me!
Mom, let me down - I wanna run around in the fountain!
My interview went really well on Friday. I'm hoping to make the final cut, and to have an interview with the President set up when I get back from vacation. I'm trying not to get over-excited about it, but Kaiser definitely seems like a great place to work, with lots of wonderful benefits and opportunities for it's employees. We'll see! We got so lucky with daycare, should I dare hope for this to work out too? Fingers crossed!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Fast Forward to the First Day of Kindergarten...
Holy cow - I snapped this picture of Quinn the other day and then when I looked at it, it made me think of what she will look like on her first day of school! The outfit is so reminiscent of a private school uniform, I couldn't help but make the connection! I'm definitely glad we have a few years before our baby goes off to school!
Where's my lunchbox, Mommy?
We have plans with the Kastbergs this Sunday to go to Germantown Waterpark. It's supposed to be a brutally hot weekend yet again, so the splasing in the water should be just what everyone needs to keep cool. I will post some pictures next week when I get them up online.
I have an interview today at Kiaser Permanente (well, a division of Kiaser) for an Executive Assistant, and I'm pretty excited about it. I'm not holding my breath, but I did research the fact that KP is in the Raleigh, NC area, so that would make it a bit easier to relocate if/when the time comes for that. We can't wait to go see Flash and Sara next week and have them show us around. They are going to be an invaluable resource to us, while we make this journey and this life-altering decision on whether or not to move down there. They are expecting a baby in January of next year, which is great news! Can't wait to meet the little Ward!
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