the work in progress

these are a few pictures of some of the house work we did. my mom stripped the yucky wallpaper from one of the bathrooms and to our surprise, the walls underneath were lime green! chris painted our front door, too, so now it's gray and not pink anymore. cole loves playing with the "bubbles" as he calls them. we kept all of the bubble wrap we used to move, so i think we have enough now to wrap around our entire house a few times!

unloading the truck

well, these pictures are from about a month ago, but nonetheless, you can see chris and a few friends and family getting ready to unload the truck full of our boxes from vienna. the day we moved in was a very long day, and we had a lot of work still ahead of us, but it was a great, great day! we've finally unpacked almost every box and are slowly putting things in new homes.

A Few Photos!

Well, Chris's mom, Judy, so kindly sent us some photos from their visit last week, so here you go! Cole loves his new room, and as you can see we're giving the big boy bed a whirl. Here's the short version of the story...
We had a babysitter about 2 weeks ago. Chris and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 5th anniversary. Yay! Anyway, when we got home, Jade, our babysitter who I've known since she was born, told us that she was nervous that the ground below where Cole was sleeping was really hard and that he may jump out. I was puzzled, because up until then Cole been sleeping in his crib. I dismissed the conversation and told her not to worry because he's never tried to jump out of his bed before. Later, we were laying in bed almost asleep when I knew I had to just check on Cole to see if Jade had in fact put him in the twin bed in his room. So I tiptoed to Cole's room, opened the creaky door, and sure enough, he was sound asleep in his twin bed that I hadn't planned on trying for another month or two. We decided to just leave him there until the morning and see what would happen. Just like normal, Cole woke up around 8 when we walked into his room. The first thing he said was "nice night." There you have it, folks. Our first foray into the big boy bed world. I immediately drove to Target that morning and bought a safety rail for Cole's bed because I can't tell you how many times I woke up that first night waiting for a huge THUD from Cole smacking the floor in the middle of a sound sleep. Scary!

Pregnant Too!

So tonight Chris and I were talking, and I was asking him to stop by the store (on his way home from the drugstore) to pick up something, ANYTHING, with Oreos in it. Ice cream was what I was hoping he could read across my forehead. Anyway, he said to me, "You're just pregnant. I'm pregnant, too. I'm giving birth to a new life. I think I'm about 8 months along."

Enough said. No family needs 2 pregnant people in the house at once! This transition back to life in America is crazy. Every possible thing in our lives is up in the air right now (okay, maybe not EVERY little thing, but still...) except that we do know where we will be sleeping each night. That's a relief. Home sweet pillow.

Updates...

Well, we have a new computer on the way to our house! Yahoo! That means you'll be seeing photos very soon of what our life has been like lately. We have managed in the midst of this transition to take a few pictures to remember it by later. Whew.

Now for a few updates...

1. I had another ultrasound last week of our little boy, and the cyst they had seen a couple months ago is GONE! We are so thankful! This little boy is quite the active one, too! I'll make sure to post a photo of my ever growing stomach soon.

2. Chris is still on the job search. He has had a couple promising interivews, and we are waiting to hear back. He has also had his fair share of ding letters, too. We are doing our best to be hopeful as Chris works hard making contacts, sending out resumes, and praying A LOT.

3. Cole is 18 months old now, almost 19. He's CRAZY! He sings Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star with me, and he is learning how to say words with me in books as we read. I am constantly SHOCKED. One of our favorite things to do is sit on the bench on our front porch after Cole's nap and have a snack while we wait for the mailman to deliver our mail. The mail delivery people walk in our neighborhood, so it makes their day when Cole spots them down the street and yells, "Mailman! HI!" Wow, we are so blessed with such an amazing kid. We're really starting to look forward to Blank Frank #2's arrival in a couple months.

4. Our house is shaping up SO nicely! We have new landscaping, and we finally have unpacked every box. We're waiting on new interior doors and windows that are coming this week, then we'll be free of workmen for a VERY LONG TIME! We don't have anything hung on the walls yet, and we don't have every cabinet Cole-proofed..uggg...but we're getting there. Stay tuned for photos!

5. Cole and I baked pumpkin, star, and moon shaped cookies last weekend. I LOVE to bake, so doing this made me feel like we're really home. We were able to share the cookies with our neighbors who have been so helpful to us, too, which was great.

I think that's it for updates right now. I promise to post pictures very soon. Thanks for hanging in there with us!

Yo.

it's been a while since we've blogged - well, maybe it's just me. My legit excuse is we moved back to the US. We're in our house now, but no computer yet. and no job yet. HOpefully both of those will come soon.

too much to talk about, so I won't even try :) yet

Movin' on in...

So yes, we have officially moved into our new house in Bloomington! Yahoo! We have been here about two weeks, and have still to accomplish a few major tasks...one being purchasing a computer. Hence, limited blog posting and email. We'll be online at home pretty soon.
We have spent the past two weeks doing various projects to make our house more like home including painting the entire inside, installing new kitchen and bathroom hardware, cleaning, and hiring plumbers and electricians (again!) to get our bathrooms in working order. We do have our furniture up and ready now, and Cole's room is the best looking room in the house. He's having a blast playing with all of his "new" toys, meaning the toys he had in Vienna that we packed in May that he hasn't seen in a while. It's really like Christmas to open each box! He often acts like he recognizes something and is very attentive to books he remembers. It's very fun to watch him play now with toys that he really didn't totally get a few months ago. A lot of development happened between 15 and 18 months...the time that our stuff was on a container.
So we're having a good time, and working hard, too. Chris had a great job interview last Friday that we're waiting and hoping to hear back about sometime this week or early next week. He would be running the finances for the Center for Curriculum Development of Central Asian Languages at Indiana University. It's a great fit for him, and the interview went really well. The best part about it is that the building he would be working in on campus is the CLOSEST possible building to our house. It's a 10 minute walk. Wow! What a blessing if they offer this job to Chris! We have noticed, though, how thankful we have been that he hasn't had a job until now. He's been making lots of house projects happen that I could not have done without him around, and he's been really helpful with Cole, too.
We have been to ECC, our home church, a few times now, too, which has been wonderful! We have loved seeing familiar faces and just being in a place where we understand everything and are familiar with most things. Cole has had a little bit of a rough time adjusting to being away from mom & dad for the whole service (last week I was called back to his room 3 times!), but thankfully the caregivers have been so gracious and loving to us and him. Just part of the adjustment. We can walk to church from our house, too. It's about a 15 minute walk. There are some restaurants, a Border's, and the pet store within walking distance, too. It's similar to Vienna as much as it can be anyway! Cole and I have already visited the pet store. His favorite were the bunnies! He laughed out loud when they jumped around their cages.
Okay, that's it for now. We won't be online at home for another week or two, so if you need us please call! We will be slow with email and blogging until then.

Colts Kickoff Day

Yesterday was a BIG day in Indianapolis! The Indianapolis Colts kicked off the 2007 season with a home win against the New Orleans Saints. The game was at home, and thousands of people spent the day downtown and enjoyed the festivities and free concerts by Kelly Clarkson, Faith Hill, and John Mellencamp (a native Hoosier!). Colts stories filled the newspapers and TV stations all day, too. After being in Vienna for three years, completely away from all aspects of sports hype, this was really fun for us to observe and be a part of. I never understood how the NFL goes to such great lengths to celebrate the Superbowl Champion team months after the Superbowl is over.
Well, we didn't go downtown, but we did celebrate here at my parents' house. Cole played in the dryer (while it was off, of course), he introduced Raggedy Andy (mine from when I was little) to the couch and TV, and played the drum on the coffee table with my dad, Chris, and our friend Don Summerlin. What a way to cheer on the Colts! We had a yummy spaghetti dinner before the game and wore Colts shirts, too. My mom made homemade meatballs!
It was such a good day. And, best of all, Chris made AMAZING progress on our hardwood floors, and he only has one more coat of polyurethane to put on and then the floors will be finished. Yahoo! Move in day is getting closer and closer. We'll post pictures very soon.

Cole's First Haircut

My mom and I took Cole to DLLowry Salon today to get his very first haircut! He did great! He sat up like a big boy in the chair, drank his juice, and he said "haircut!" over and over. I think he liked looking in the big mirrors and playing with Lincoln's (the haircut guy) brush, too. After the haircut we had lunch at Chick-Fil-A, and then home for an afternoon nap. We kept Cole's first lock of hair, too. Maybe he'll be thankful someday later?

Playin' in the Shower

Living in Projectland

It seems like we're living in a wierd world called Projectland these days. Life isn't really normal, but full of neverending projects. But then again, we're in the process of creating a new normal since moving back from Vienna. We had planned to move into our house next weekend, assuming the floors would be dry from refinishing, the appliances delivered and hooked up, and the walls painted.
On the contrary! Chris has been in Bloomington since Saturday morning undertaking the huge project of refinishing our hardwood floors. We knew it would be a bear, but we didn't realize how BIG of a bear. This one is a grizzly. A mad one. The process is long and tedious, and once you start, there's no going back. Living in Projectland is quite unpredictable, so we're pushing everything back one week.
The good news is that the appliances ARE coming tomorrow, and the Insight man IS coming to install our internet and TV hookups. Next project: Buy a computer. We sold ours in Vienna.
Life in Projectland continues...
Yesterday Cole and I went to Lowe's to buy replacement floor register vents for our house, since ours are disgusting. That's an understatement. Come to find out, since our house is so old, replacements are extinct. So my new plan is to clean up our old vents and spray them with Rustoleum in a brown hammered color to match our floors and call it good.
And still very little painting has been finished, and our kitchen cabinets are without hardware so far. Holes need to be drilled and the wood needs to be cleaned.
I'm learning that being pregnant AND having Cole around are very good things, yet when we're trying to get a house ready to live in, those things pose significant disadvantages. I cannot do much. I have been painting with a mask, though, and when Cole is not around I can sweep up dust and garbage, clean, and organize for the start of the next big project. Hmm.
So my biggest lesson so far is that I just need more patience in this process. Patience for the unpredictability of house renovating. Life in Projectland seems demanding, yes, but exciting, too. I cannot wait to live in our project house!

One more thing...Chris is looking pretty hard for a job right now, too. It would be fabulous if he had never ending time and energy to work on our house, send out resumes, and make phone calls. Alas, Chris is tired. If you think to pray for his job search, we would LOVE that. Thank you!

Consumer Reports

Chris recently signed up for a year subscription to Consumer Reports Magazine. His reasoning is that in the next year we are planning to make some major purchases, and hopefully with the help of the experts we can save some money and glean some useful advice.
Well, we purchased all of our appliances last week at a Sears Scratch n' Dent Warehouse in Indianapolis. We ended up saving over $500 thanks to Consumer Reports. Chris did a lot of research before we shopped, too, so we walked in knowing the exact models we wanted. He research repair history, baking performance (for me!), and lots of other categories. The applicances at these places often are perfect, too, except for a tiny scratch on the back or some leftover sticker glue that's easily removable. Ten points for Consumer Reports!
We just received the October issue in the mail yesterday. I've only read the first couple pages, and I've learned about the best stainless steel cleaners, how to make good choices about sweetners, and that the Easy Bake Oven is being recalled because kids are being easily burned. What will be next?
Now, is it just me, or is this magazine a disguise for a SHOPPING magazine? I mean, really, folks. Every article has to do with buying something from chocolate to vitamins to cleaners to cars and lawnmowers. For a new homeowner like me, it's loaded with great money and time saving tips. Don't you want a subscription?

Moving Right Along

We spent today down at our house in Bloomington. We painted our bedroom! In reality it's a khaki color even though in the picture it looks yellowish. It's finally starting to feel like we may live there in the near future. The ceilings are now drywall instead of tongue and groove, and the elecrical work is almost finished. We still need to get our front porch fixed, hardwood floors sanded and polyurethaned, and finish painting. Our new appliances come in a week, and this week our moving van from California arrives. It's all moving so fast, but it's exciting! Above you see the before and after pictures of our bedroom. Fun!

Indy Zoo

We took a break from house renovations and appliance shopping and went to the Indianapolis Zoo today. Chris made it back from Vienna safely a few days ago, and now we're enjoying some much missed family time!
We saw an elephant get a bath, sleeping lions, and some HUGE bears up close. We also saw some white rhinos sleeping and some sharks in the Oceans exhibit. We could have spent more time at the Indy Zoo, so we may need to plan another trip soon.

It's another Frank BOY!

Yes, that's right. The Franks are having another boy! The only glitch is that the doctor found a long-named (I'm not sure the exact name!) cyst in the baby's brain on the ultrasound today. She said not to worry because these most often go away through the rest of the pregnancy, but just in case I get to have another ultrasound to check on it in 2 months. It's always great to see pictures of our growing baby, so that's the good news.

The other noteworthy thing about today is that when I asked Cole what he'd like for breakfast this morning he immediately said, "COOKIES!" I had to laugh out loud! Yesterday I gave him a chocolate JoeJoe cookie from Trader Joe's. It's like an Oreo with chocolate filling. He loved it! He threw a huge tantrum on the floor when I didn't give him another one. He sat their crying and mumbling "cookies!" over and over. The kid is a cookie monster!

Let's Paint!

Cole painted his first picture today. It was great fun AND great mess! He did surprisingly well for a little guy.

20 Week Cake

Cole and I decided to bake a Cinnamon Bundt Cake today after his nap. He helped me dump the ingredients in the bowl, and he helped me mix them up. The cake was a very yummy snack! I am 20 weeks pregnant today, too, which is halfway! This can serve as the 20 week belly shot for those of you wondering! It seemed appropriate to celebrate with a cake :).

Sunday @ Home

The lake my parents live on has a very low water level at this point in the summer, and contains some unexpected toxic algae, so my dad decided to pull the boat out before it gets stranded. So today we went on one last boat ride for the summer. We also helped my dad clean the boat in the driveway, and Cole decided to jump right in! He scrubbed, and then he dumped the soapy water all over himself. Figures! He also enjoyed his very own apple on the garage steps while watching the rest of us clean.

We all went down to our new house in Bloomington again yesterday, too. We tackled the backyard, and luckily this time no one came home with poison ivy. My dad had it pretty badly last week. We had a few guys come to help us this week, too. The backyard is now clear of bushes, some trees, weeds, and trash, and I really think by doing that we doubled the size of our yard! I am busy working our details with our contractor for getting the electrical, plumbing, and drywall work done in the next week or two, and then we can think about cleaning, painting and moving in! I'm learning to be persistent and patient at the same time during this process. Trying to handle all of this while Chris is in Vienna still is a big job for me, but it's been fun. I am so excited for Chris to get home on Saturday, though, so we can do this together!

Cole's new words so far today...knee, bottle, apple, sky, and share. This kid is a fireball and a new word maniac!

Wagon Surfing Take 2 & New Words

So last weekend on a walk, Cole wagon surfed again. This time, he toppled over onto the street, and you can see how the street ate up his face! Fortunately, it's much better now!
In other Cole news, he's saying what seems like a million new words every day. Some new ones include stool, boom, school, cat, picture, all gone, cool, two, dance, jump, turn it, off, on, and Andy (Raggedy Andy from when I was little). Chris has been gone for just over a week, and I already can't remember what Cole knew before Chris left and what he's learned since.
It's been in the high 90's here in Indianapolis the last few days, and with the humidity, we've been trying to find things to do that are inside. Today we visited Great Grandma Jean, "JEAN!" according to Cole. He loved the fish (shish) tank in her building, and the rocks on her coffee table. Grandma even let him climb up on the table and dance! He also used her electric vaccum sweeper all by himself. Wow, such a little boy, and SO much fun to watch.

A little T.L, and C

Today we spent the day in Bloomington at our new house! We are officially homeowners! The only bummer part is that Chris is in Vienna. My mom, dad, Cole, and I went down, though, to start attacking the yard. It's extremely overgrown and untended, probably for at least a few years. It's the epitome of a fixer-upper house. We're going to have a lot of interior work done soon, so today was outside day. We pulled weeds, chopped trees, cleaned out the trash in the house and especially the basement, and raked, raked, raked. I ripped up carpet, hosed out the crawl space under the porch that was filled with mud, dog poop, and trash, and took down old window shades. My parents were so helpful, and even though we all came home with scrapes and bruises, we had a great time. My dad even used a chainsaw! The people living in the house up until last week had a litter of pitbull puppies that they really didn't care for well at all, so they left remnants of that, old beach towels, rocks, books, and more all over the property. Unfortunately, we didn't do too much to the backyard (otherwise known as the Pit of Despair). That's next week's job. I think there is a garden and a sand box buried in bushes and overgrown weeds. Really, it is a jungle out there! The process is going to be fun, though, and since we don't have too much time pressure to move in and get going, we're ready for the challenge. HGTV, here we come! (I've been watching a lot of shows lately to get ideas and inspiration!) Above you see the house the first time we saw it, overgrown. You also see it today after we cleared out a whole lot of junk. Big progress in one day! Stay tuned for more photos.