Christmas Part Deux

Part two of our Christmas tour ended in Norton Kansas. Where we met the lovely Henry David. He is such a cutie!! I see a lot of the Becker in him. He looks a lot like his grandpa Becker! All of the cousins were together as the Brown kids made the trip as well.

I'm sure Henry was wondering what all the rucus was but he handled it well! Mom loved her quilt that I finally got finished for her. She took a wonderful picture of her and all her babies on it!

Now that the holidays are over I need to get this house back under control. You can't see the living room table and the laundry is going to take a whole weekend to get done. So if you are wondering what I am doing the next couple of days you will know.

Resolutions/Projects for 2010:

Don't buy anymore yarn (Jan-March)!! I can't go a whole year ;-)

Cook at home more!

Kitchen Renovation

Potty Train D

Get Organized

Finish all of my knitting projects that are started:

Simple Cardigan

Wicked Sweater

Cable Guy Sweater

Caterpillar

I think that is enough for one year!!!!

A Very Merry Meerpohl Christmas

We are not quite done with Christmas yet but if I don't update now I'm afraid I'll forget precious details. I think I'll make this entire post precious details. hmmmmm

1.) You are never too young to play Santa. D passed out presents to the entire Meerpohl clan regardless of who the present was for or if it was already in someones pile!

2.)Christmas does not impress Baby Dominic. He was asleep about 2 minutes into opening gifts.

3.)Getting caught in the middle of a nerf gun fight is actually quite fun!

4.)Carson can tell you that you can never get too many KU Shirts!!

5.)It is worth getting stuck in the snow to get a 75% off prelit Christmas tree! Just ask Kelly!!

6.) The most interesting part of a Christmas present to a toddler is always the box!

7.) Jenny's favorite color may not be green but that is our favorite color for her!

8.) Booze is always a welcome gift!

9.)A Blizzard will always guarantee the birth of a baby! Yeah Henry David 8lbs 12ozs!!

10.)I got everything on my Christmas list! Next year I'm asking for a hairless cat!!! Yeah!!!

Happy Birthday Kelly!!

The head of the manor (he can have the title for the day :-) is celebrating his birthday today! We already ate BBQ for his bday earlier in the week and I think he is going out with friends on Saturday. He is pretty easy to please!! D almost said happy birthday today but instead he just waved bye bye as his daddy left for work. We take what we can get!

Getting ready for Christmas around here. The lights are up outside (THANK YOU KELLY) and we also added an inflatable Santa to our decor. Kelly hates those things so I know he must really love me to put one in the yard. LOL

I have been trying to remember to take a picture at night to show everyone but so far I have been to tired and cold to venture back out at night with the camera once I'm inside.

D has not tried to pull over the Christmas tree and I am very proud of him for that. I'm anxious to see how he will be once we put presents under it.

That's about all for now. I will include some of D's sexy lumber jack pictures! He is just the best lumberjack EVER! I'm biased...

Let it Snow!

Last night we finally got some of the white stuff! I know a lot of people don't appreciate the snow but I can't get into the holiday spirit without it. Kelly rushed around last night and got the lights finished as well as our new inflatable Santa. He is great!

Yesterday D visited my office as I needed to take in a gift card for our department's gift to the foster children for Christmas. I had kept forgetting so I went and got it and then dropped it off on my day off. D liked meeting everyone and got to play on the phone! He was a character.

I hope today D and I don't go stir crazy but I don't plan on getting out today for any reason.

Did do some Christmas shopping yesterday but it was just the beginning so I need to get busy on that.

Hope everyone is staying dry and warm today!!!

Thanks for Everything

I can't seem to find my camera. This should not come as a shock to most of you! I had some cute pictures of Daryl looking at his new potty but alas they will have to wait till later.
Daryl is not using his potty yet just checking it out. I'm waiting till all three of us can have some quality days ahead of us to start the potty training process. Should be fun!
The manor will be packing up and going north for Thanksgiving. Hopefully we will have a relaxing day of just being with family.
Then Momma Korf and Cadence will be coming for the weekend. I'm so excited to see both of them! We will have lots of play time and D time. I even bought some liver and onions for Momma Korf's favorite meal. Kel says he will find something else to eat! LOL
Happy Thanksgiving to all!! Lots of Love from the Manor!!

Daryl likes his new winter hat that his mom made for him! He won't normally wear it with his PJs but he wanted to try it on as soon as it was done!

Not much new going on. Just trying to stay on top of household things as the holidays approach. Can't wait for some Turkey and time off next week!

I'm excited to put out our Christmas decorations and take a Christmas picture by the tree to send to everyone.

Have a great day!

First Snow

Daryl was awake to see the first flurries of Winter. He loves to look out his window and today was no different. I'm just glad for once I could find my camera in time! :)

I've ticked some of my to do projects off the list. As I type I've finished the curtains and the quilt top. I'm also very close to finishing two hats and a sweater that probably will need some adjustments.

But since I'm on such a roll with my projects I have neglected my blog and its readers. I'm sure you all want to know the same thing. What has D been up to!!!

D has several new tricks. He entertains himself now by turning circles until he falls down. He will occasionally woof like a dog and meow like a cat. But the most lasting impression of what he has been doing is probably him marking on the floor. He didn't mark with a crayon or a pen, he prefers a permanent Sharpie! Looks like we got a Picasso on our hands!

Update

Not too long ago I had cleaned out all the knitting projects. Finished Kelly's slippers, Daryl's sweater, a neck warmer for my secret sister.
And yet again a bunch of Unfinished object (UFOs) have take over my knitting bag!! I have a hat for a birthday swap that just needs a flower, A toy caterpillar that is missing half of it's body, my incredibly small sweater, and a hat for a wee one. I don't know why starting things is so enchanting to me but I just can't help but cast projects on. But for some reason half way thru I loose interest. And then we get the situation we have now.
But it's not all b/c of knitting. I also start sewing projects and its really hard to finish them too. But this week I did knock out some curtains that I have had the fabric for three years, and I'm ready to knock out a quilt that also has passed the one year mark since I started it.
So for the rest of this week, NOTHING NEW!! And that is good motivation because I found a dress I want to make and I really want to cast on several new projects. Here is the list of things I need to clean up first.
1.) Kid Hat
2.) Half done caterpillar
3.) Lady Hat
4.) Quilt

OK So I'm going to go get started!

Halloween

D got to trick or treat on Saturday and had a lot of fun. He did really good not fussing with his costume. His cousins were also there and we had a Hippie and a Chick. What a great bunch of costumes. Since I had Saturday off of work I'm working every day this week. I'm glad to be close to half done! Yeah!!

And my sister in law is coming up this Sunday so I'm excited to see her baby bump and visit. I'm so glad D will have so many cousins close to his age.

I've got to get ready to go to work now. This couch sucks me in once I'm sitting on it!!!

Learning new things

D has been learning a lot lately. He can now take off his own pants and diaper! He can walk all over the place. He can open all of the drawers and cabinets. He can open the back screen door! He can throw acorns and best of all he can peel stickers off of their backs. See picture!

What will we be in for next!!

Halloween Party!

On Saturday Daryl had his Halloween party at his Daycare. He wore his scary spider costume and hung out with Hannah Montana, Dorthy from OZ, and Scooby Doo! He also made an egg carton pumpkin and had sandwiches and nachos. He had a good time and slept really good in the afternoon.

D is also getting around really well now that he will keep his shoes on! He had been walking all over the house and bringing us things from all different rooms. We have had to keep the doors around the house shut and put things up a little higher than D can reach.

Today was my first day at home now that I have started my four day work week schedule. D and I went to the store in the morning and in the afternoon went to the library. We had a blast. He even took two really good naps for me. I think this will work out well for our family. But we will see what Kelly thinks when he had Daryl solo on Saturday.

Have a great week everyone!

A Great Fall Day

When I got D from the sitter today we just had to play outside! After all who knows when cold will be here for good. With D walking around good I let him explore a little on his own on the back patio. He had fun sweeping the leaves off of the chairs and yelling at Vinny!

I started my new job today. I mostly did paperwork but I think it is going to be a good fit. Can't wait to jump in tomorrow with my co workers and learn the job. But everyone seemed really nice and no one laughed at my car so that is a good start!

Hope everyone had good weather like us!

Birthdays and Babies!!

Last weekend we went to a birthday party for our nephew and he was very happy with the golf game we gave him. It was picked out by Kelly in the drive to make all Meerpohls golfers!!

Yesterday we finally got to meet baby Dominic D's newest cousin. I finished his Layette in the car on the way to seem him! Thank goodness it takes and hour to get there or I may have not had time to weave in all the ends.

Dominic was very quiet and content when we visited. He had just ate so he was all snuggly and sleepy. D had a great time playing with Dominic's toys and was not all the impressed that a new baby just lays there and does not play! In a year they will both be running around causing trouble I'm sure!

On Monday I join the working world again. I'm nervous and excited but about all READY to be back at work. My regular schedule will be Wednesday thru Saturday so I will get to stay home with D on Monday and Tuesday. I am SUPER excited about that and already planning all the fun stuff we can do on those days.

Now we are preparing for Halloween and D is going to be a spider! A Very Scary and Cute Spider!!

It feels like October

It is cold and wet and definitely October. This picture is D's tribute to the fad of stuffing your pants in your boots! He decided to do it with his Jammy pants and his socks. He thinks he is a model!

Kel has been busy with work this past couple of weeks making appearances on the local news and attending bill signings at the Capitol building. He is rubbing elbows with the upper tier of the Weatherization elite! LOL

I have been swapping all the summer clothes with the winter clothes and continuing to try and declutter. This would be easier if "someone" would take the clutter from the garage to Goodwill. This "someone" might have a truck... :-)

D is walking around and enjoying his new found freedom. Although if he gets to going to fast he still falls. But that does not phase him and he is off again. He has been enjoying chocolate chip cookies this week and will forgive his mom for almost anything for a piece of cookies.

This morning I was having the epic struggle of trying to get D not to throw his food on the floor. I've heard Kel tell D "No" more than a dozen times with no big reaction from D. This morning I tell him "No" and he gets a sad lip, cries, and get this when Kelly enters the room and asks "What's the matter?" D points at me still crying!!! I am SOOO mean!!! :)

PS-A cookie fixed the whole ordeal!

Visiting Dad

Today D and I went on a little field trip. We visited Kel at his office. D had fun getting into Dad's desk and trying to help him type. Before we went there we got a cookie at Starbucks for him. In the video you can see what happens when I try and take it away from him. We had a good day!

Cleaning

I have been using some of my extra time really cleaning the house. I moved the couches yesterday and swept under them. I found some hair ties, toys, cheerios, and a spider! Except for the toys all was thrown in the trash!

Got the big front part of the house done yesterday so today I'll tackle the bathrooms and D's room. I'll save my room and the craft room for another day!! I need Kel to take some stuff to Goodwill as I declutter. I can put the stuff aside but for some reason I can't drop it off. I'm pretty attached to my clutter!!

After thinking yesterday that my little boy must have been switched at the hospital (he likes green beans more than applesauce) he proved he was ours again by eating anything his dad would let him from the Chinese restaurant. He loved it all. So now I've figured out he must be Kelly's but not real sure who is mom is yet! LOL! This picture is from Asa's wedding this summer. We were facing the sun so we are a little squinty!

Have a good week everyone!!

Reading, Knitting, and Waiting

Waiting for what you may ask. That I'm not sure but I know that something good is coming and I will be ready when it is here! :)

Not to much new around the manor. D had his one year appointment on Monday and he got FIVE shots and was a real trooper. He was not so chipper the rest of the day but I couldn't blame him. I couldn't even watch as he was getting the shots and I think my heart hurt as much as his chubby little legs did.

He had me laughing/crying when we got home as he was pulling the band aids off of his legs and trying to eat them. He tries to eat everything: paper, yarn, stuffed animals, and leaves! You would think he was starving but trust me he is not!

Hope everyone out there is doing well. Enjoy some pics of Daryl STANDING in his car. He is a little dare devil for sure!

NEWSFLASH

Daryl has two molars! He has been crying but his parents couldn't be more proud! :)

The only thing that is constant is Change!

Lots of changes at the Manor these days but we are just going with the flow and loving our little guy to pieces! Doesn't he still make a great pumpkin. I know I shouldn't play dress up with him but sometimes I just can't help it!!!

I'm just waiting to make the big announcement that Daryl is walking but he is just not cooperating. He will every once in awhile take one step then fall down and continue to crawl to his destination. One thing he does very well is walk on his knees! It really cracks me up b/c I would think that would be so much harder than walking on your feet. Looks like my little one already wants to reinvent the wheel.

Went west again this weekend. We celebrated Grandpa Bob's 75th birthday and saw a lot of cousins and aunts and uncles that I had not seen in probably eight years! It was a blast and D had a lot of fun being a little ham for all of the adults. He probably gets that from his mom. :-)

On the knitting front my Juliet sleeveless cardigan is done. But after trying to justify all day that it doesn't need blocked, I'm going to block it. Try and get to that later today and then when it dries I will post some pictures. Still got a baby project on the needles and started my very first cable project on Saturday. It is a coffee sleeve that I can just keep in my pure instead of using the cardboard ones all the time at the coffee shops. I will post pics of that too when it is done. when I was starting it I knew it was just b/c I was putting off the dozen or so hats I have planned to knit for Christmas. I will get back to that list by the end of the week. I already have all the yarn so no excuses!!!

Take care everyone and have a great week! I know we will :-)

Labor Day Weekend (No labor done!)

Since Kel and I picked this weekend to get married two years ago it has always been a busy one for us. 2009 was no exception. We started early Saturday morning with the first KU tailgate of the football season! Daryl took his wagon and had a great time with everyone feeding him! It was so great to see all of our football time friends. I don't know why we don't all get together at any other time of the year!

We hurried back to Topeka so Daryl could go to Grandma and Grandpa's for the night. His parents had a date for their anniversary. It was splendid and we finished our date by strolling the rose garden where two short years ago we got married. I even made Kel stand in front of some flowers and take a picture for good measure.

Sunday we had a big family dinner and a baby shower for Aunt Jen. It was a great chance for us to hand out our thank you cards from D's b-day bash! D also got to play with his cousins and give BIG kisses to his favorite cousin Amber!

Today we headed west to Salina to see my sister and meet her new boyfriend. He was very nice and she was really happy. For both of those things I'm thankful. Salina's yarn shop was closed so that was a little sad but we had a good visit anyway!! Daryl liked playing in the bin of stuffed animals at Sam's!

On the knitting front I'm a good hour from finishing my Juliet sweater and a good week from finishing a baby gift. But I need to cast on another baby gift (got the yarn need the needles) and another hat!! I'll post pics of knitting as I finish it!

It's Done

Some of you already know this but I have decided that my legacy to my son will be the one sweater I knit him every year for his birthday. I know that from ages 9 to about 21 this will be not so popular. But before then and after then I imagine he will know that the hours I spend on his sweater were filled with loving thoughts and lots of hard work.

He will come to realize that there is no gift more special than the gift of your mother's time.

He will figure out that I spent about nine months finding the perfect pattern, nothing too girly but at the same time not boring. Then I spent another month in search of the perfect yarn. A nice color that is soft and not scratchy, but will still hold up to the way boys are. The last two months were spent knitting after he went to bed and on my lunch break at work.

He will know that every time someone asked me what I was making I told them about my beautiful son and not just the sweater.

So today I finished D's first birthday sweater and I think you can tell from the picture that he was pretty happy with it. In fact I think he loved it.

Birthday part deux

Sorry in advance for the lack of relevant pictures in this posting. My camera battery died at Daryl's second first birthday party. Try saying that ten times fast!

It was a grand event anyway. Daryl smashed into his cake again. Although this cake was not as pretty as the one that Heather made for him last week. We had to stoop to the level of the store bought cake this time around. :-)

Cousins Canyon, Cedar and Cadence were there to help D unwrap gifts and pull him in his new wagon. Usually the Brown kids cause Daryl to be a little nervous and scared but as he gets older he just lets them run around him and laughs.

It was nice to go back home. We made one trip to Dodge and went to church in Hanston. It is so great to see everyone when we go back!

On the knitting front Daryl's birthday sweater will only be about two weeks late. With any luck it should be done tonight. And at the risk of loosing all credibility as a knitter I don't think I'll block it! LOL

After that I need to hammer out a couple baby gifts (one is almost half done already) and then my world will be hats hats and more hats for awhile. Good think I LOVE knitting hats :-) I really do! I just have to fight the urge to not keep them all for myself.

Can't wait for that three day weekend coming up. I plan to fill it with lattes and knitting or knitting and lattes!

Quote of the day "I plan on living forever, so far so good." Saw this on ravelry today and it made me laugh out loud! It may replace the ultimate phrase I want on my tombstone. "I knew if I hung around here long enough something like this would happen!" IDK I think I like my ultimate phrase better. Readers of Meerpohl Manor you decide!

Hippos, Cars, and Cake!!

D's first birthday party went off without a hitch. It was a lovely day to be outside and most importantly we had enough food! It was great to see all of our Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents.

The main even at any birthday party is watching the little one have his first cake. D did not disappoint! He smashed that thing and just kept eating and eating. I was afraid he would be sick later but he never was. He must have a sweet tooth like his mom!!

He also got many wonderful presents. Some he is enjoying right now and some we will bring out when he is tired of the ones he is playing with. Most notably he likes to ride around in his new car with his new hippo. It's really cute!

Wow, A Year Already

I can't believe this week Daryl will be turning one. It has been a challenging and rewarding year! It feels like every parent says this but it must be true, I never knew I could love this much. He is the reason for everything that Kelly and I do now.

Another year will come and go all too fast but we will try and keep everyone updated on how we are doing. Thanks for everything everyone has helped us with this year, our friends and our family make our wonderful Manor possible.

Car Wash WOO WOO

Last weekend Kelly gave my new ride a bath! Thanks Honey!! Got a lot of around the house stuff done last weekend but I'm going to have to do LOTS MORE to get ready for D's birthday party. Super excited my little baby is going to be one. It has just gone tooo fast!!

Started my knitting Christmas list. I know it is only august but I'm a slow knitter and I need TIME! :-)

I did finish a hat for me today. It looks like leaves when it is worn and I never thought I could do something this advanced! Next thing you know I'll be whipping out Fair Isle sweaters! Or NOT!

Have a great week everyone. :-)

Busy Busy Week

With Dad gone all week for work the Manor is busy trying to get its to do list done. On the list

Send out the birthday Invitations

Finish D's Sweater

Clean out the Garage

I think that should be enough! Daryl made a snorting pig noise for the first time last night. Now that is his new game. When he is mad now he also scrunches up his face and blows out his nose like a bull getting ready to charge. We are not sure where he got that but Dad and I both agree he looks like his cousin Cedar.

Aunt Carly is also back in town this week. YEAH!! Look forward to visiting with her as much as possible!

The past two weeks have been busy, with Kelly being out of town last week to Indianapolis for training, then gone each day to Overland Park this week for more training. So Daryl and I have spent a lot of time together, and probably will for two more weeks, while Kelly finishes up training in Manhattan during that time.

While Kelly was gone, I was able to get his slippers felted and they fit him really well. They are much more cool than his old ones that have holes in them. Kelly also came home with some baby alpaca yarn from Indianapolis and I'll be using it to make myself a hat!

Daryl and I had to make an unexpected trip out west to see grandma so we could attend a funeral. Although it was a sad time, it was still great to see all of the family. We got to ride out with aunt Gloria and uncle Maurice, so that made the trip a lot easier on us. It was great to spend time with them!


Grandma Rosie was able to get finished with Daryl's blanket. It's very cool and she put in soooooo much time to get it finished. As you can see, it definitely describes D well!!!!!

We're getting ready to prepare for Daryl's two (yes two) first birthday parties. One will be in Topeka and the other in Hanston. There wasn't any easy way to get everyone in one place all at one time. So we hope to see everyone in a few weeks, but until then, check back in at the Manor to see what we've been up to.

Two weekends ago D went and watched Uncle Asa get married to our new Aunt Diane. It was so fun to see all the Brown kids and other extended family. It was a beautiful wedding and a great party.

There have been some new things going on around the Manor. Kelly and I decided it was time to let go of our big car payment and we sold the Fit. We don't want to have any more car payments!!

D has just been growing so big!! He is jabbering a lot and standing up against everything. His favorite toys are still the remote and the keyboard. I'm having fun starting to plan his TWO birthday parties. He is going to have a local party and then one on the other side of Kansas with his Brown/Korf/Stiles family. :-)

On the Knitting scene I have finished a muffler for a knitting swap I'm doing on Ravelry. I'm working on D's birthday sweater. I have to sew Bec's top and I can mail that off. Lastly but not least I need to felt Kelly's slippers!!

I hope to do that while he is working so hard this week so he can get a little present. Hope the summer is going well for everyone it has been a laid back joy for us!

Happy Fourth of July

Happy Fourth everyone! As hard as D tried he did not stay up past nine. I'm going to post a video of his epic struggle. Sorry it is sideways for some reason I can't fix that!

Spent the Holiday north with more Meerpohls and had a good time eating and sharing and laughing. We even popped off about $2.50 worth of fireworks and the old adage is true. You get what you pay for :-). I hope everyone wakes up tomorrow with the same amount of fingers and toes they had on the 3rd of July.

Love you all. Oh yes and Daryl is not getting eaten by a hippo. That is his baby pool !

D's First Swim

Last weekend for Father's day the whole family headed north to celebrate with family. Courtesy of Aunt Nik and Uncle Bri we had a barbecue and watched a lot of the US open. After all it was father's choice on their special day! :-)

Once we had all waited an hour after we ate J/K we hit the pool. It was Daryl's first time in the pool and the water was so nice we did not get much of a reaction out of him. He looked very serious about the whole thing. But I think that he had a lot of fun!

Good times had by all.

Update!!

It has been awhile since my last snapshot of the manor. That is really only due to one reason...We haven't been here!!! :-)

I just love how laid back D is in our waterfall picture. He is thinking, "500 ft. waterfall, whatever..." :-)

We spent a lovely vacation in Oregon. It was a great time and we got to see the cutest wedding ever! Daryl also put his little paw in the Ocean for the very first time. But it was just his hand because it was a very chilly ocean! D is pulling himself up to everything and laughing and talking to us. We don't k now what he is saying but he is definitely expressing himself. Loudly!

Kelly and I have been keeping busy ourselves. Kelly is loving his new job and just comes home and can't stop talking about all the new stuff he is learning. He is also golfing almost weekly again and I know that helps him balance his work and family. I as always have knitting to balance me, and I have a lot of things on the needles. I'm really working hard to get Bec's top done and I also need to pound out a sweater for D.

Another thing I keep working on is going thru the house and trying to pare down some of our stuff. We will probably have a yard sale some time this summer. It has been a couple of years since we have had one so it is probably time!

With all of this fun stuff going on I will try and stay on top of my updates!