Why Do I Still Have Boxes All Over My House and Why Aren't They Empty Yet??

Hello family, friends, and those who are secretly stalking us. Welcome back. Thanks for sticking with us/checking in.

I had some time today to post earlier but to be honest, there was nothing really new or interesting to share. So this post should be brief.

First, we'll start with Luke:
He finished his first official week of school today feeling some mixed emotions. He is really enjoying his new job! Still going through some of the challenges of being a new teacher and everything that goes with it. Next week should be easier because they are actually singing. It's hard to get yourself in trouble for talking when you are busy singing! :) In time, things will get easier. :)

Now for my day...
Uneventful. I spent the whole day at home with Kylie. Now, you would think being home all day, by myself, with no car and no TV, I would be the most productive person in the world! Not the case. I keep looking at the rest of these boxes and bins thinking that if I stare at them hard enough they'll magically unpack themselves. Well I am here to tell you that that is not the case. They are still fully packed and strewn all over my house. (Ok, I'm being dramatic. They are all jammed up against the one wall of my living room.) Either way, they probably shouldn't be there anymore.
So what the heck am I doing all day then? Well I'll tell you.

This morning I woke up at 8:30...which is late for me these days but I think cause I went to bed at 2am, I needed the extra sleep. Anyway, I got up at 8:30, let the dog out and then made banana bread. No kidding. I can prove it too.

Mmmmm... Told ya so!

I also learned (along with Lynne) what a pastry blender is. Turns out, I don't have one. So I used a fork. That's what crated the lovely topping on my banana breads. Yum!
I then rearranged my spice rack with the new turntable I bought with Wendy yesterday. I can also prove this.

Mmmmmm.... Organization...

Then I paid and mailed all our scary home ownership repair bills and played with the dog. Oh yeah! And before all this I took the dog on a 45 minute walk. (And for the record, I REALLY need to remember to bring my inhaler on these walks. Between the 85-90 degree weather, the steep hills and the humidity, I feel like a 90 year old smoker with emphysema. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm nuts wheezing all over the neighborhood.)
And that was pretty much my day. I was going to make spaghetti sauce but apparently you need ingredients to make different foods and I didn't have what I needed. Oh well... it's on the to do list for tomorrow.

Oh yeah! We also (and by we, I really mean Luke) attacked the front of our house today with a set of hedge clippers. I took a few pictures of the during, but none of the after as we found hidden wasps nests and after Luke sprayed them and pissed them all off, I stayed in the nice, safe, inside. But I'll make sure to take some pictures of the outside as it is a HUGE difference. You can actually see our house! (And it's also kinda funny because our house is kind of a tan color so when we drove back from Aaron's softball game and drove up to the house, it looked naked. Literally. It was kinda funny.) Anyway, here is Luke hard at work:

We have a window! Who knew?!

After all this fun, we took a family outing to watch Aaron play softball. (They won) We took Kylie on her first trip with us and I got to meet some of Luke and Aaron's high school students. Nice girls. :)

Oh! Another exciting think I forgot to mention yesterday... I don't know how! Look what I bought!!!

I have always wanted one of these chairs and I finally got one! (Pier One was having a sale...) I am so happy! 

Kyles thinks it's hers.

And that pretty much sums up our day...uneventful, semi-unproductive but some good news...
My Kylie update!
It was a big day for little Kylie. NO ACCIDENTS IN THE HOUSE!!!! I know I usually text these kind of things to my family, but I didn't want to jinx the morning cause as soon as I got excited that she went outside yesterday, she went in the house. Today, we have had 0 accidents! Everything was done outside! (And I'm really getting good at my potty outside song and dance. My neighbors must think I'm NUTS!)
Also, I got Kylie growling today while playing with her rope. I should probably not encourage her to growl, but I feel like she is feeling more confident to assert herself a little more. I take it as a good sign. She even pounced at me randomly and barked! It's this funny sound cause it's little and squeaky, but it also sounds like she means business! Nothing aggressive, just having fun. Here is a little morning fun video. Ignore me giggling...

So all in all she had a good day. She slept by my feet for at least  hours while I paid bills and such, and even got to Skype with Mom then with Mom, Dad and Grandma! Lucky girl!
But it all wasn't fun and games for Kylie today, I'm afraid. We had a traumatic evening after the softball game...

Dun-dun-dunnnn....We had a bath. Yes, we once smelled like a sock, now we smell like expensive dog shampoo. (It actually had the word 'spa' in the title. You know it's fancy.) She may like to swim, but not so much taking a bath. However, it was necessary as she had dirt on her from laying in the grass and dirt as well as playing on the baseball field bleachers, and she smelled. I like to cuddle... I did not enjoy what I was smelling as of today. So now she's clean and pretty again! (I will say, though, that she managed to escape the tub twice all full of soap, and when she was allowed to leave the bathroom after being toweled off, she HAULED BUTT around the kitchen and around the kitchen and slid across the living room and around the kitchen again. It took the two of us to catch her to put her damp little self back in her crate for bed! And they said baths were soothing... yeah right!) I don't know who this dog was tearing around my house, but I was glad to see she wasn't so timid! Go Kylie! (She's sleeping now... I can't imagine why...)

Wow. This post was longer than I thought. A sign for me to go to bed. I just find that by sharing my day I still feel somewhat connected to everyone back home. (And it's easier than repeating myself over and over...) Thanks for reading and I'll leave you with one last little Kylie-ism to make you smile.

Sweet dreams and goodnight.
So much love from me, Lucas and Kylie :)