So, we've finally done it! We installed our egress window into our basement!
It has been a long-time desire of mine to increase the living space of our home and since we finished our basement two years ago, we decided to get this one last project in before the ground freezes, this year.
Rob took Friday off to dig our 4 foot hole and prepare for knocking out the block that lined our basement. Friday evening, we ended up installing the window and window frame. I was a little scared that someone or something would be able to get into the well or even into our home, while we were all snoring away. I guess a little faith helped me sleep! ; )
Saturday, we drug ourselves out of bed and got back to work. We dedicated our entire day and night to this project... We did take a little break for lunch and a trip to Fleet Farm, for our egress cover. Sunday we ended up framing up the window, inside and out. COMPLETE!
Here is a little fact about us - home improvement projects usually create hostile arguments which includes each of us being very frustrated. Probably because we are both convinced that we know better or more than the other. (he just hasn't accepted the truth yet! : ) BUT, I am proud to say that this particular project went incredibly smooth and we worked super well together! Overall, I was really impressed with our progress and felt so darn proud of my handy-man!
Now, we are able to extend my business(es) into the basement. We have plans to do some arranging for daycare and setting up some backdrops for my photo sessions. If you are thinking of doing an egress - it is really a simple gig. I'd suggest saving yourselves loads of dinero and do it yourself for about a $1,000.
So a little story we find amusing!
We did some shopping and when unpacking our bags i asked Miss. Helpful to bring the body wash into the bathroom.
To my amazement, she picked it up and hauled it towards the bathroom.
I was like, "Rob, our little girl is such a good listener" and I beamed with joy.....
Until a loud.......KERPLUNK! and an "uh-oh!"
I looked at him and he looked at me and we knew exactly what had just happened....
This weekend Rob set out with his pals and bro to do their annual pheasant hunting. This year was a little different for me, as I usually wake up with him, give him lots of smooches and hugs at 3 a.m., but the eve of his departure I took some ladies up on going out and had myself a blast.... I was really exhausted by the time 3 rolled around and found myself more interested in the pillow than Rob taking off. I am sure he didn't mind too much because I usually run down all of the safety measures he should take on his way out there and demanding texts when they hit their destination. This year I just yelled down stairs and insisted that he remember to wear his seatbelt when traveling. Call me the mother HEN. : )
Anyway, spending Friday with my ladies was, as always, fun and more time with my Hillary Fri. Sat. and Sunday was WONDERFUL! She of course is the apple of our (olivia and I's) eyes and thank God for a pal like her. Saturday she headed off to work and I picked up Miss O. from grandma's. When we got home, I was still pretty tired from the choppy nights sleep so we snuzzled into my big warm bed for a nice mid-morning nap. About lunch time I woke up to my very sweet babe running her hands thru my hair and giving me kisses all over my face! At that moment I realized more than ever how much I love my darling Olivia! We got up and ate a little lunch, which seemed to have made us both very tired, again! SO.... after the dishes, we crawled the stairs again to our fluffy bed and slept for another 3 hours! OMG! By the time we got up, it was 5 and we had made dinner plans for 6! We rushed to clean ourselves up and, just in time, made it to eat with Hillary!
Can I just say that Don Pablos is the perfect dinner after an all day nap! MMMMM
After dinner, we headed to Best Buy for a little shopping and back to our place for another girls night with movies. Well, the three of us were so tired that we didn't even start a movie. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Sunday we woke up to a very upset Olivia who had a 101.3 temp. It was apparent that she had what I had last week, when I thought it was strep (negative). We loaded her up with tyl. and IBP all day and went about our activities. I felt bad not taking it easy with her, but I had a photo session at Loring Park and Starbucks called both mine and Hillary's name! Daddy got home and we rested some more. He was really awesome at taking over crabby cakes as soon as he walked in and I so appreciated that! We are looking forward to our upcoming BUSY week and hope we are able to squeeze in a few extra naps next weekend, too!Have a great week!
Introducing my new Cannon Speedlite 580EX!
I've been super duper excited about my latest camera accessory and over the last month, I find I'm using it on just about every session I've had. "She's" been a really nice addition and I look forward to more indoor/studio sessions coming up.
I think I have decided to call her Stella. Now I realize it's goofy, but I find myself SO IN LOVE, I had to properly address her. The lighting in the photos are much more professional and I am looking forward to another upcoming class, of course with Natcam!Remember to check out my site at emilytheisenphotography.comFamily and Friends discounts are available! Feel free to set up your Holiday session!
Friday night, we packed up our little Miss and headed towards Nebraska for my cousin, Nellie's, wedding. We Traveled about 250 miles until we could no longer drive, which left us in a nice little town called Des Moines. We checked into The Country Inn and Suites (later to find out my aunt and uncle are pals with the owners). Olivia slept the whole way and when we got into the room, she was PUMPED UP! We giggled and jumped on our huge bed until she was sleepy again. The next morning we got up and I ate my weight at the continental b-fast. English muffins with jellies were so delicious and I just couldn't stop eating. Poor Rob had to dine on an orange. : ( After a hearty b-fast we headed back to the room to change into our swim suits but were too distracted by the fluffy white bed and had to take another nap. So, once we woke up, again, we packed up our things and headed to BW3's for lunch. Then, it was back on the road for a 3 hour trip to Lincoln. We arrived to our destination about 3:30 and felt like taking another nap.... But, it was time to prep for the wedding and get dressed. We hurried into our attire and to my dismay, I realized that might thick black tights were all the way in MN. My legs and outfit were in no shape for a tight-less evening, but I did what I had to do! The wedding was lovely and was held at the Grand Manse. It was an historic courthouse with lovely decor. The dance was also a hoot! A party is never dull when the Barry's are invited! ; ) We enjoyed our evening and called it a wrap about 10. Miss Olivia was exhausted and it was time for all of us to hit the sack.Sunday, we packed up, met my mom and step-dad for breakfast and headed back on our 6+ hour trip home. We had thought about stopping at the Omaha Zoo, but we were so tired and longing for our home. about 1/2 way home, we decided to stop and purchase a dual DVD player for our little princess. She slept most of the way and we were uncertain how she would handle the remaining portion of our trip. So, we bought the DVD players, Charlotte's Web (my favorite kids movie) and Smurfs per Rob's request. She danced and sang the entire show and even fell back asleep for a while.About 7:30ish, we finally hit home and were SO HAPPY TO BE HOME! Congratulations to Nellie and Adam, what a lovely wedding and the weather was astounding!
Olivia has started with a few new words and actions over the last week or two.
Here they are:
clapping and excitedly yelling YEAHHHHHHHH at just about everything she does
telling me NO WAY (boo)
saying Tip Toe while standing on them and Touchdown while throwing her arms in the air
making a drawn out mmmm-muh sound as she leans in to kiss
much more potty time! she is really mastering the actions of flushing, saying "bye bye", wiping, and setting up her little chair
This past weekend we were very busy but we did take a little time to celebrate Rob's 32nd birthday! My gosh, how the years have flown by. I remember spending his 26th birthday as freshly established couple. Here we are, years, tears and joys later.
About 4:00 on Saturday, Grandma Theisen came over to spent some time with our family. Unfortunately, I had to rush to a photo session right when she arrived, but a short hour later we packed up Miss. Olivia and headed to P.F. Changs for our 6:30 reservations.
We ate and laughed way too much but left a little extra room for the most delicious gluten-free chocolate cake.
Olivia and I attempted to find Vikings Tickets for Daddy's birthday, but since we know nothing about the game, we thought he'd be better off picking the actual game and seats. So, we offered our gift and he thought about it for a while... then decided he'd much rather go to a few TWINS PLAY-OFF games, instead! Way to go DADA!!!!! So, this year's gift wasn't exactly what I had planned, but we are so looking forward to the change!
Happy Birthday to the most wonderful father, husband & friend!
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