My Kinda’ Town…Fishers is… June 27, 2007

I guess Sinatra actually sang about Chicago being “My Kinda Town” — and for quite some time it was my kinda town too….but not anymore.  Brad and I went back to Chicago this past weekend to clean out our stuff before we close on our condo.  Talk about bittersweet!  It was definitely sad to be empyting our first home…in our first town together.  SO many memories in Chicago!  We reminisced of riding our bikes to the lake, staying out late, partying WAY to hard, and still going to work the next day…walking to shops, parks, restaurants, the zoo…people watching, enjoying the gorgeous gardens, celebrating the holidays in our teeny tiny little condo….being pregnant for the first time, being on bed rest for the first time, having my water break on the couch for the first time!!  (Ok too much detail.)  Anyway, many memories came rushing back.  We enjoyed our last night at one of original favorite bars while drinking some Fat Tire beer.  But we had no doubt that we are SO HAPPY to have moved on. 

I can’t imagine living in 1200 sq. feet with 4 people, a dog, and a cat.  I can’t imagine having a one car garage that is 200 feet from the front door.  I can’t imagine trying to park the car on the streets of Chicago when the OTHER car is already parked in the tiny one car garage!  I can’t imagine walking the dog down the stairs, down the street, picking up poo in a Jewel-Osco bag, chucking the Jewel-Osco bag in the alley dumpster, walking back down the street, and back up the stairs….3 or 4 times a day.  (Lovin’ the fenced in back yard.)  I can’t imagine paying $5.99 for my favorite Simply Orange OJ when I can buy it here for $3!!  (I still remember the first time we shopped for groceries in Fishers and I literally yelled to Brad across the grocery that “Hey!! The orange juice is only THREE DOLLARS!”  Brad was so embarrased.)

It was definitely a weekend filled with strange emotions.  I mean really, who wants to “sell” their memories?  And I feel that that is exactly what we are doing by selling our condo…but really, who can afford to keep them??  Or really…who can afford to hold onto their first house just to keep it their first house?  I guess that’s why we have our memories. 

But it will always be weird to not live in the city. 

Pretty funny that when we moved into our condo, a nice couple with a toddler was moving out and to the suburbs.  Guess that’s how life happens!  Easy or not.

And again…without a doubt….I love our life, our home, and where we are now — geographically, physically, spritually, and familialy (that’s not a word, but you catch my drift.)

And so, another chapter begins….again!!!

Chicago, Bob Barker, and All That Jazz June 22, 2007

We’re headed to Chicago tonight to get the rest of our junk….since we’ll be gone, I would like to leave this video for you to reflect upon.

Update… June 22, 2007

I would like to say the evening in the big boy bed was uneventful.  And it would have been except for the DOORBELL ringing at 12:30 am! 

Brad and I went to bed around 11pm.  Sound asleep.  Sleeping…sleeping….DING DONG….. WOOF WOOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What the….yes, our doorbell rang at 12:30 am last nite!!  I jumped out of bed to grab the dog so he didn’t wake the little ones up.   But I was scared sh*tless so I was hiding behind our stairs trying to whisper yell to get him to come to me!  If you haven’t been to our house, you can’t answer the front door w/out everyone knowing you are answering the front door.  Its’ all glass…and no way of hiding if you are home or not (not real good when the Jehovah’s witnesses pop in or if the doorbell rings in the middle of the night).

I was FREAKING out and told Brad to call 911…because this is what sane people do when the doorbell rings in the middle of the night, right??  Ok, so I’ve watched too much Law and Order…but what if Brad (yes, Brad, not ME) answers the door and gets shot or something?!?!  You never know….

So I got Albert  quieted down and was holding his trap shut…the doorbell rang AGAIN!!  I asked Brad where the phone was…of course not in our bedroom where it should be.  I told him to run to the kitchen (past the badguys) and get the phone!  So as any good husband would…he did.  When he got back to the room….DING DONG!!  You have to be kidding me!!

So, he called 911.  And what do you say??  “Someone just rang my doorbell!”

 Hardly the emergency they were thinking of!  They confirmed our address and the 911 operator said, “Oh, that’s my guys!  Your garage door was open.”

Seriously?  The police were ringing our doorbell at midnight because our garage door was open.  I guess that’s excellent.  Great to be in a “neighborhood watch” area.  But seriously…coulda saved me a heart attack.

 We seriously had to split a brewski to go back to sleep.

I watch toooooooooooooo much tv.

And if you were lucky enough to be sleeping last night…fortunately we are rich and have cameras outside our house.  You can click on the link below and witness everything that happened at the Kronland house last nite.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yVBB2upbVys

Quick change… June 21, 2007

Just wanted you all to know I had to delete my biz name from the blog bc it was being picked up on google!  So, if any of you want the link to my site (as I’ll call the “baby biz” from here on out) you’ll have to dig!  (If you don’t already have it bookmarked as you should!) 

Shhhhhh!!!! Jimmy…I mean Jackson Buffett is sleeping! June 21, 2007

So we’re trying to transition to a “big boy” bed.  Maybe this should have been done a few months ago when Jackson started jumping ever so NOT gracefully out of his crib.  Well, come on people.  I was 7 months pregnant and VERY tired and NOT about to deal with a toddler NOT sleeping in a big boy bed.  So, we opted for the “tent” to keep him from jumping out.  Actually, this has worked quite well because Jackson has not wanted to sleep in his toddler bed.  Now, there have been the occasional “naps” and one actual COMPLETE nights sleep in the toddler bed (a complete fluke I’m sure)…but other than this, there has been no interest.  And I  don’t feel like fighting him.

Well, today he wanted to take a nap in his “big boy bed.”  Needless to say, there was no nap, BUT he stayed in his bed (or at least his room) and rested.  Fine.

 Tonight he decided he wants to sleep in his toddler bed.  After Brad read him stories, sang him songs (which is usually something to the tune of Bruce Springsteen), and put him down….I was listening in on the baby monitor.  It does take him a while to quiet down…and has since he was a few months old.  (Sawyer, on the other hand, is crashed out cold before his head hits the mattress.)  So after 15 minutes of listening to him rambling on saying silly things like, “Is it five o’clock somewhere??  It’s almost five o’clock somewhere.  It is five o’clock somewhere….” I decided to go in a check on him. 

Sure enough, he was still tucked in his bed with froggy and monkey.  He didn’t say a WORD to me!!  I told him it was time to quiet down now…time to sleep now….not a word from him.  Finally I whispered, “Are you sleeping?”  (knowing that he wasn’t because he was looking at me. )  He whispered, “yes.”  And not another peep.  Until I left the room…then back to more quotes from Jimmy Buffett and other favorites in our house!  I’ll say it again — what a goofball!

Wish us luck tonight…it may be a long one!

What’s up with Tex? June 18, 2007

Well, Jackson and Sawyer have just lost the rest of their cousins to Texas.  What’s going on here?  Yes, cousin Ali (and TC & Rachel) moved to Houston in January.  Just recently, the other cousins moved to the Dallas area!  Humph!  I’ve never been to Texas so I don’t know the attraction to the state….but now we have many, many reasons to go!

 Before the second gang left, we had a little “get together” at our house.  I’m posting a pic of the little ones…..Jackson, Sawyer, Tyler, Bailey, and Drew.  That was a fun shot to try to get!    Fortunately Grandma is quite talented when it comes to silly sounds, so they were smiling….just not all looking at the camera (because they were looking at Grandma!!) And of course, my flash didn’t go off so I tried to correct it on the computer. 

We miss all you southern cousins (and brothers and sisters) and can’t wait to visit….although we may wait until summer is over!  (Not that it’s any hotter there than  is has been here!)

     

This is a pic of Tyler and Sawyer….I like to call it “The Toothless Cousins.”

This Just In June 12, 2007

I haven’t written much the past few days because the big three (Jackson, Sawyer, and myself) are all suffering from a horrible cold.  Unfortunately,  I was the one that started it all!  Probably got something from that pig……kidding.

Anyway, just wanted everyone to know that my baby biz has just sent out its first press release.  You can read the entire story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2007/06/prweb532342.htm  and tell all of your childbearing, gift buying, boutique owning, stylish friends!

Thanks for helping me get the word out!

 

Manners…. June 4, 2007

We have been working on manners around here…which is quite fun with a toddler!  I must say that Jackson is a polite kid and does pretty well with this.  Lately we’ve been working on the ol’ “Can I, Mommy? Can I? Can I?” 

We are also sticklers for “asking nicely” to try and avoid whining.  Well, Jackson struck me by surprise today!  He was going outside to play with Brad…I said, “Oh!  That sounds like fun!  Can I go too?” 

Jackson quickly responded, “Ask nicely, Mommy!”

Whoa.  Busted!  “May I go outside with you, please?”  (As we have taught him to phrase his questions nicely.)

“Yes you may!” he said!

 Sometimes things backfire!