Day 195: New Years Eve

On our first, married, New Years Eve, we had a pretty typical day.  Eric left for work in the morning and I scrambled to put the new nightstands in our bedroom.  It was pretty easy to move the bookshelf out from my side of the bed and carry the nightstand over.  But there wasn't enough space on Eric's side of the bed...so I had to move a 300 pound dresser just a few inches to the right.  Once those were in place, I spent most of the day in bed, playing the Sims 3!

Sadly, I left my phone at Steven and Leslie's house yesterday, and didn't figure it out until it was too late to go get it today. 

After Eric got out of work, I picked him up and we headed to babysit for a friend of mine, Chris Minor, from church camp and other youth events.  Because we were babysitting, we bought a bottle of sparkling white grape juice to ring in the New Year!  Lucky for us, Chris got us a bottle of champagne because he felt bad that we were babysitting on our first married New Years.  We had that first, so we would be fine for driving home afterward, and enjoyed watching some cheezy game show (Minute to Win It) and Anchorman.  Right around midnight we tuned in to the "live" New York event with Dick Clark and Carson Daly.  The kids slept through it all and we had a really good time!

Beautiful! 

They don't match, but they work great! 

We're definitely not dressed up, but we had a great end to 2010!

Grape juice toast at midnight!

A midnight kiss <3

Day 194: Let the Good Times Roll

Christmas break is awesome because Eric and I have gotten to spend multiple days together!  Usually when he has a day off we just get the evening together, because it only happens on weekdays.  We woke up early to watch Jack, the kiddo I nanny for over the summer.  We brought Frisco with us and left him at Papa's house during the day so we could let him out and go play with him while we were in Olathe.  Eric and I are really impressed with Jack's progress - he is able to make the /n/ sound and is much more clear when he says "thank you".  Plus, he's just an incredibly happy guy! 

Our friend Rob works at the Palazzo 16, so we took Alison, Zach, and Jack to see Tangled for super cheap!  We did a little shopping and then went to Mom and Alan's house and played with Andrew for awhile before taking Jack home.  We also got massages and a sauna treatment while we were in Olathe - a Groupon gift from Mom, thanks!

Later that evening we went out to Steven and Leslie's apartment in Kansas City.  All of us went out to Taco Bueno for dinner and saw one of the giant spotlights in the parking lot with a sign next to it that said something to the effect of "huge furniture discount sale!"  We fell in love as soon as we walked in the doors - a nice looking night stand that is actually tall enough for our super tall bed, for $29 each!  Not wanting to impulse buy, we walked around to see what else they had and found that everything else in the store averaged a price of $300+.  So we snatched up two of their nightstands and hauled them back to the apartment before we had dinner.  One fit in the trunk (with the lid open), and one took up 3/4 of the backseat (so Eric and I squished into the last 1/4). 

We had a really good time at dinner, caught up on a lot of overdue conversation and jokes ("how d'ya like me now, bitch!").  When we got back to the apartment we spent the night playing all sorts of good PS3 Move games, most notably one that turns the TV screen into a paint pad and you can draw all sorts of things on it - all while the background is the video image of you standing in front of the TV.  We were planning on spending the night, but we really just wanted to sleep in a comfy bed instead of a couch.  So at around 2:30 am, we drove back to Olathe to pick up Frisco and got back to Eudora around 4am. 

Silly boys!

Day 193: Work, Play, and Cleaning

Today has to have been the most productive day of Christmas break yet!  For Eric - he actually was scheduled for 40 hours, which is rare.  So he spent his day working a long shift.  I spent my day working on various neglected chores like dishes, laundry, and vacuuming.  But really, the chores didn't take all that long and were spaced out between bits of various games.

I'm loving "Just Dance 2"  it's fun to listen to music, dance, and get some exercise in!

Day 192: A Whole Day Together

Between my birthday, Christmas, and good budgeting, we've ended up with a bit of extra money that we plan on using to get a few things for ourselves before throwing the rest of it at our debt snowball.  I started it off by getting a few necklaces off of Etsy and a bedside lamp and Eric got some motorcycle sunglasses with interchangeable lenses.  We also got a Furminator for Addy and Operation Flashpoint for Eric off of eBay for $15 each.

We spent the day out in Lawrence, window shopping and grabbing lunch at Subway.  Then we headed home and relaxed - Eric playing Fallout New Vegas and me playing The Sims 3!

I made Garlic & Herb Fettuccine for dinner, and Addy wanted a bite. 

Day 191: Are All The Animals Getting Along?

Nothing terribly special happened with Eric and I today, so I thought I would update on our animal situation.  Well, they're all still alive!  I wouldn't stretch the truth by any imagination and say they're all getting along, but it doesn't seem like anyone is unhappy!

Mystic doesn't care about any of the animals.  She usually sleeps on top of the guest bed or on the back of the couch.  Addy spends most of her time cuddled inside of the cat tree - hiding from the other animals, but happy to be asleep.  The birds have only caught glimpses of the other animals while our bedroom door is open.  They're actually pretty quiet and don't require much upkeep.  Frisco is either a terror running and jumping through the house, or sleeping so quietly that you can't find him.  Finally, Moonshine spends more time sprawled out on the carpet than hiding under the bed.  She will rub against our feet and meow at us, but growls and hisses if we try to pet her.  We figure that we'll stop pressing it, as she likes to play with the string and lazer pointer with us, so we don't want to keep trying to pet her and get her upset or scared again.

I put this on her - but she really likes playing with the strings!

She was chasing the lazer pointer.

Day 190: A Visit to Warsaw

I was planning on skipping church this morning because I was tired of driving around and didn't want to drive the 40 minutes to and from church.  But then I remembered that I had signed up as Andrew's designated babysitter on Sunday's.  I found out that Mom and Alan were going down to Warsaw to see Grampa Ed and Grandma Judy, so Andrew and I decided to join them!

Andrew had a good time playing with some new and different toys, and all of the grown ups got to talk for most of the day.  The highlight was obviously going to ...Warsaw's Mexican Restaurant...  I also got to take Lego Harry Potter back to Walmart (I got 2 for Christmas) and traded it out for Just Dance 2.  Unfortunately, Eric had to miss the fun because of work.  *sings* "It's not unusual..."

Andrew and I napping on the drive down to Warsaw.

Nana feeding Andrew lunch - he's such a big boy and can just sit in a chair!

Great Grandma Judy put the stacker rings on his arms.

We enjoyed a nice massage in the chair.

And this is what happens when you try to take your own hat off!

Day 189: Christmas!

We slept on the couches at Mom and Alan's house and left for breakfast at Paul & Deb's house in the morning.  Deb made her famous french toast and homemade syrup for us, followed by the traditional stockings and "I don't want this/I want more of this, want to trade?".  We gave Shannon a water filtering pitcher, Brian a mini waterproof keychain lighter, and Jen a frog statue and frog charm.  Eric got a thermal shirt, we got the SNL Board Game, Lego Harry Potter for Wii, a giant skillet and lid, and Fallout New Vegas.  Woo!

Then we left to take Frisco on a walk and go to my family's Christmas.  Ashley traded me some Wenberg (Pilsbury) cinnamon rolls for some of Deb's french toast.  Then Alison came over and we gave her and Rob the makings for Mexican Chicken Casserole, and a pack of markers for Zach.  Alan woke up from his post-24-hour-shift-nap and Sarah arrived, then the Wenberg festivities began!  We also did stockings, with new embroidered stockings that Ashley found and Mom bought.  There we got a light up PS3 controller, KU shirt, some liquor, and a "First Christmas Together" ornament.  Eric's favorite gift of all was a stocking stuffer... orange silly putty.

This was all followed by our fourth Christmas in the past 24 hours - dinner at Victor and Jennifer's.  We had a really good time talking to some family that we don't get to see often.  Overall, we successfully went to 4 Christmases without any fighting over where we were going, and had a good time with family at all of them!  The best part was Christmas #5, going home and cuddling with our kitties.

Merry Christmas again! 

Brian & Jen (Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of Shannon and Cody or Paul and Deb, oops!) 

Getting comfy on the couch. 

Oh look!  I did get one with Shannon & Cody!   

Sarah & Andrew at the Wenberg Christmas. 

Zach and his markers. 

Andrew with Uncle Eric's mini bottle of booze, still sealed of course! 

Andrew really loved all of the Nerf darts flying around! 

The Wenberg Family - 2010 

The Wenberg-Green Nerf War 

Look!  Mom and Alan were at Christmas too! 

Andrew fed himself lunch in his new booster seat.  He really loved the fork and spoon, but this picture was just too funny!

Day 188: Christmas Eve

Eric still had work today, so I stayed home and did some chores...some of which may or may not have included the Wii...  I actually made sure that all of our gifts were wrapped and sorted by which Christmas party they were going to, and made our Captain Crunch/Marshmallow/Peanut/Almond Bark treats.

After Eric got home, we loaded up the car with food, gifts, clothes, and Frisco.  Frisco got dropped off at Papa's house so he would be close enough for us to let him out frequently while we were visiting family over the next day and a half.  Then we headed out to the Van Booven family Christmas.  Attendees included Ken & Karen, Granny & Tony, Paul & Deb, Brian & Jen, Shannon & Cody, Scott & Diann, Alex, Rebecca, and Stephanie.  We had a really good dinner and got some cool gifts - including scrapbook paper, a poker set, frames, a shirt, a Christmas decoration, wine, and a gift card.  Thanks everyone!

We gave all of the family there a print of the photo that includes all of the Van Booven family, which was taken at our wedding.  We also gave Deb the wedding scrapbook that we've been working on for since Mother's Day last year.  Eric managed to NOT share the cold that's been tormenting him for the past day or two.  Success!

Then we left for the St. Thomas 10 pm "Midnight" Mass.  It started off with a lot of carols played and sang by some talented individuals.  Mom, Kris, and Ashley were there with us, and they brought Andrew.  He wasn't as impressed with the music and Mom, Kris, and Andrew ended up leaving early.

Merry Christmas from The Green's!

Grandma & Grampa Van Booven opening their gifts.

Day 187: Happy Birthday to Andrew!

Today is our nephew's  first birthday!  The "What? I have a nephew?!" anniversary is January 31st, and the anniversary of first meeting him is February 20th, but we are happy to have known him for these past 10 months!  For anyone unsure of what I'm talking about, here is a good story for you.

On January 31st last year, I checked my Facebook page while Eric and I were helping Eric's parents move some furniture.  I received a friend request from Carrie-Ann Scannapieco and found that the only friend we had in common was my brother.  I only add people on my page who I am actually friends with, but some people like to "collect" as many Facebook friends as they can.  I sent her a message saying something along the lines of "Just because you know my brother doesn't mean I'll add you to my list, I only add people I actually know".  I received a pretty immediate reply saying "I'm really sorry, I just thought you would like to see some pictures of your nephew".
 
I immediately felt bad for being rude about it, and had a nice long conversation with this really sweet woman.  I had to sit down and thought I just might be sick, because I had just been informed that my brother had a son.  A son who was 5 weeks old.  This is when we first found out about Andrew Michael Scannapieco!  I called Ashley, who didn't answer; then I called Molly and talked to her about it for awhile.  I informed some close family members by phone and Ashley and I both posted about this adventure on Facebook.  Meanwhile...Mom and Alan are in Mexico...and find out about their grandson via our Facebook status updates!

Eric and I got him a birthday card with a $2 bill - we're taking on Great Grampa John's tradition of giving the same number of $2 bills as your age for each birthday.  Don't get too excited though, this is just for nieces, nephews, and kids of ours! 

Mom got him a panda bear Pillow Pet. 

And we paid bills tonight and got to color more in on our debt thermometer!  We're still on track for getting my car paid off in February! 

How many couples do you know who love paying bills this much?!

Day 186: Happy Birthday to Me!

Last night, Eric said he was going to give me my birthday present at midnight and we both forgot until 12:40.  He went out to his car and brought me my first present - a Jayhawk $1,000,000,000 bill!  ...made of chocolate!  Then I got... a Jayhawks Snuggie!  I played some Dr. Mario while wearing it and realized that my back was cold, haha.

In the morning I made red and blue birthday pancakes before Eric had to leave for work.  Then I spent to afternoon with Mom, Alan, and Ashley.  I got an awesome Jayhawk baby blanket from Ashley - blue satin on one side and red fleece on the other side.  We all went out for lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, where I lost my right hand puzzle ring for the second time this week.  When it gets cold out, my fingers get smaller and it just falls off without me noticing.  Luckily, I found it in my pocket.

So now I'm 25 - a quarter of a century old!  But I'm proud of what I've done in this time and know I will have accomplished so much more by the time I've doubled this age!

We're rich! 

Yea!  Pancake birthday cake! 

 It's hard to see - but the two pink and blue pancakes say "Jessica" and "25"

Out to lunch with the family!

Day 185: Couch Potatoes

Today we spent most of the day on the couch!  Steven and Leslie got Lego Harry Potter for us.  We started playing it on Sunday, but didn't get far because I wanted to go to bed.  Today we learned the Wingardium Leviosa and Lumos spells and learned how to fly on brooms.

When Eric went to work I played New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Dr. Mario.  I have made it through Level 8-3 and have over half of the star coins and movies collected.

After Eric got home we watched Semi-Pro before getting on with our gaming.  It wasn't a terrible movie, but we've definitely seen better.

Also, updating on the animals.  We've got the pair of birds living in our bedroom, our cats and Papa's dog get the main part of the house, and our step-kitty, Moonshine, is in the office.  Moonshine has actually started to spend some time out from under the bed, so it looks like she is settling in alright.

Moonshine hanging out.

Day 184: Six Months Later

I can't believe we've been married for six months already!  But I must say, we're both glad to be through with the wedding planning!  We were even blessed with a whole day together - which is rare because I work week days and Eric works and goes to school nearly every day of the week.  The day started off by waking up at 6:45 am to drive out to Olathe to babysit my cousins, Emma and Zayne.  I had fun playing Just Dance 2 and Sing It with Emma while Eric played Lego Harry Potter.  Zayne got home from a sleepover later in the morning and we all went out for lunch at Wendy's and to see "Mastermind" at the Palazzo 16 Theater.  When we got back home, I played New Super Mario Bros. Wii with Zayne while Emma watched Eric play some more Lego Harry Potter.

We almost took a nap when we got home, but ended up hanging around the house playing Wii & PS3 until we left to go to Lawrence for the date portion of the night.  We finished up our last Christmas shopping and went to dinner at Peking Taste.  Mmm, Chinese food!  Then we toured the Christmas light displays of Lawrence.  Zachary Stoltenberg set up a display that is timed to 20 minutes of Christmas music, and the KU Rock Chalk Chant.  It was really fun driving through the neighborhoods of Lawrence and listening to Christmas music!

This neighborhood has lights strewn in geometric patterns and the lights go over the street too.

Zachary Stoltenberg's Christmas light display.  So very cool - check out his videos: http://www.youtube.com/user/zstoltenberg

This is the other house in Lawrence that times their light show to music.  

Mass. St. lights up beautifully at Christmas!

Day 183: Our Menagarie

We have been serious about earning some extra money this holiday season.  I've been working on getting some more of our storage items up for sale on Craigslist, and I've really been utilizing Craigslist to promote ads for babysitting and pet sitting over the holiday break.  I have picked up 3 babysitting jobs and pet sitting for a guy's 2 parakeets, a woman's cat, and my grandpa's dog, Frisco.  All of these add up to nearly $500 of extra money to throw at our debt snowball!

Also, my mom and I went to Shannon's Premier Jewelery party, along with Deb, Grandma Karen, Mary, and one of Shannon's friends.  Andrew tagged along and got to take a nap among Shannon's stuffed animal collection.

This is "Blue" and "Green"

Moonshine likes to stay under the bed.

Frisco got caught on the couch!  He loves his stuffed bear.

Addy keeping an eye on things from above.

Mystic checking out Moonshine's water.

Can you find the baby?

He loved the snowglobe, the music, and the train going around the base of it!

Day 182: Food, KU, & Parties

Today was quite eventful!  In the morning, Eric and I went over to Eudora Baptist Church to pick up our food from the Angel Food Ministries.  It is a program that provides boxes of food at reduced rates - all you have to do is order online or through a church that hosts the program.  It is available across the country and we stuffed our freezer with at least 2 weeks worth of food for $31.  They've got something like 8-10 boxes that you can choose from, check it out here - http://www.angelfoodministries.com/menus/menu_2011-01_en.asp.

Then there's the KU Basketball game...ahem...  In the last minute of the game we were down by 2, and then shot a 3 pointer for a 1 point lead!  It was incredibly stressful, but we won!

Then Eric headed to work and I went to Olathe for Andrew's 1st Birthday Party, and my 25th.  At the combined "Jessica & Andrew Birthday Bash" was Mom, Kris, Sarah, Andrew, Ashley, Paul, Deb, Shannon, Sean, Deb, Emma, and Zayne.  I think that was it... Eric and Alan were working.  We had a sheet cake that was chocolate and vanilla - Andrew stuck his hand and sock in the frosting while we were getting pictures.  There was also a smash cake for Andrew, which was quite the experience!  He was hesitant to touch it, then lost balance and his hand went through the whole cake when he fell forward.  Then he got his foot in the frosting and wasn't sure what to do, so he just held his leg up in the air until he got tired.

Sarah fed him a bite of cake without frosting and he ended up gagging on that, haha!  Everyone dispersed and we ended up playing games with the remaining crowd.  Eric and I registered for Scattegories and this is the first time it's been played, but we had a good time!

After I left the Wenberg house, I met Eric at home and we got ready to have Steven and Leslie over.  They brought the makings for a fun Christmasy drink - hot chocolate, mint chocolate Bailey's, Chartreuse, whipped cream and cinnamon.  We also exchanged our gifts - Steven got a Juice-to-Alcohol fermentation kit, Leslie got a drinking bird (him/her/he/she) and jumbo Mad Libs book, I got a KU pin and wall hanging, Eric got Star Wars Force Unleashed, and S&L got Lego Harry Potter Years 1-4 for both of us!  I ended up giving Eric his present from me early - .  A Ducti wallet with red stripes, because he dropped his old and already worn wallet in the toilet a few weeks ago.

Then we played games all night.  Mad Libs, Scattegories, Taboo, and Apples to Apples.  It was really awesome to hang out with them again - we haven't seen that duo since October!

All of this food for $31!

[To the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot"] I'm a little Jayhawk, red and blue, I have a beak and yellow shoes, when I see my team play, hear me shout, "Rock Chalk Jayhawk, Go KU!"

I got to share a birthday cake with my nephew!  Mom even made my icing green :)

Andrew's little smash cake

The two of us before we blew out our candles!  

He wasn't so sure about the texture of the icing.

But he liked the little present that came on top of the cake!

Andrew accidentally got his foot in the icing, and wasn't sure what to do with his foot.

He tasted the icing,and wasn't terribly thrilled.

This is when he leaned forward, lost his balance, and put his whole hand through the middle of the cake.  He ended up having half of it stuck to his hand.

Kris helped him try a bite...still not digging it.

"Mom...Dad...can I be all done?  This is messy!"

Yay!  Bathtime!

Mom helped him open gifts.  He did a really good job tearing the paper off and then looking for the gifts inside!

Auntie Jess and Uncle Eric got him a trike that one of our neighbors was going to throw out.  It's a little loved, and too big for Andrew, but I'm sure he'll love it next year!  

He climbed all the way up the stairs with his Nana.

Mmmm, Christmasy drinks.

Leslie's drinking bird.

I made some of the Angel Food Ministries Mac & Cheese.  It came in frozen pouches that you boil...and I burned my arm because I was playing with the tongs near the boiling water.

Group picture!

Eric's Juila Roberts impression...

My Julia Roberts impression...

Addy avoided all of the crazy people in her house by sleeping on the guest bed.