Is She Expecting You?

Look at this little corporate baby!

Audrey is so fun!!! She's been great playing by herself while Mommy gets work done. I've already found it to be so much easier than actually bringing her into an office environment. She's pretty mellow, and crawls all over the baby proofed/gated off living room looking for new toys. So far, her nap schedule has lined up perfectly with my teleconference schedule too!

Keep up the good work Audrey! Mommy has bills to pay!

love, kerry

Thank You!!!

I'm so happy that you're following my blog!

Thank you!!!

Judy text me about it yesterday, Mom mentioned it again today on the phone, and during our Skype session with Mato, Amy and Jason (which was so fun, by the way)- Amy mentioned it too!!!

I'm glad to hear that you're enjoy our family updates because I really enjoy posting them for you.

Have a great night! Miss you all!

love, kerry

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends...

And it's where ever it feels like it in HB!

Seriously. We've never seen anything like it! All we want to do is enjoy an evening walk around our neighborhood, look at the beach houses, pass through the parks, make our way Downtown and to the beach, and it's like we're running an obstacle course!

On the sidewalk,

Through the grass,

Bounce down the curb,

Sharp turn around the parked car,

Up the street,

Avoid pot holes,

Look for traffic,

Back up the curb,

Repeat.

Whew!

Perhaps we wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for Audrey, but pushing a stroller down streets where the sidewalks come and go as they please is a new challenge. I mean, as a responsible parent I try to avoid pushing her alongside passing cars...I'm doing the best I can.

Apparently HB doesn't have any city rules regarding sidewalks. It seems to be up to the homeowner to decide...If you want a sidewalk in front of your house, it's up to you to put it in yourself. I'd say it's about equal- houses with sidewalks, vs houses without.

Oh well. The walks are still wonderful obviously. Just a funny quirk about our new neighborhood.

Glad it reminded me of one of my favorite children's books though...Thanks to my Grandma for giving it to me for my birthday in 1992. I still have it, and can't wait to read the poems to Audrey when she gets older.

love, kerry

Happy Birthday Audrey!!!

Dear Audrey,

You're 10 Months Old today!!!!

How did that happen so fast???

I love you baby girl! You are a beauty, so fun to be around, so smart and funny...just perfect really.

Yesterday, you amazed me by tying a knot with the strap to my bathrobe. How did you do that? Next up- shoelaces! (First though, mommy needs to buy you some big girl shoes).

You're already a problem solver too. I watched you learn the difference between horizontal and vertical while you were playfully dropping toys into the kitchen from the other side of the baby gate. You thought it was so funny, and I was impressed.

Although things change so quickly, this month I'd say...

Your favorite foods: chicken, steak and puffs

Your favorite song: Patty Cake

Your favorite toy: scary doll with red cheeks that light up, or any book to chew on

Your favorite non-toy: Mommy's keys and Daddy's wallet (both will likely be another favorite when you turn 16)

Your favorite activity: looking at/talking to dogs

Your favorite word: Dada...could be Dad...could be Dog. I'm bitter. ;)

Some new discoveries & accomplishments this month:

Standing by yourself (only happened once, and lasted less than 30 seconds),

Drinking water from a sippy cup,

Moving to a new home,

Swimming in a pool,

Cruising and talking more and more...

You're the best little girl in the world, and I hope you have a great birthday!!!!

love, mommy

Let's Skype!!

Ok Mom and Judy...I set up an account on Skype today, and trust me- it was really easy!

Your turn!!!

I don't know how to use it exactly, but you can find me by either searching my name, or my profile name: Impetus_Kerry!

Looking forward to our Skype sessions soon!

love, kerry

Still Here, Promise...

I'm still committed to this blog! Internet should be established at our house tomorrow, and I promise to get back into regular postings...I probably don't need to tell you, but we are just soooo crazy busy right now! The house is coming together, but I'll be honest, it's a mess! It's more or less unpacked so that we can "live" but there's still so much organizing, setting up and (sadly) shopping to do. Good news- we bought a couch and it's going to be amazing. Bad news- we have to wait 8-10 weeks for it to be delivered. So, bar stools and patio seating it is!

Last night was the 4th of July, and John and I watched the fireworks from the beach. It was so fun, and surprisingly felt way less packed than Donner Lake on the 4th. The beach in Huntington is HUGE. In fact, it's the largest beach in Orange County. I heard there were 60,000 people in town, and on the beach last night, but it didn't feel too packed. We were really happy to live walking distance though. I couldn't imagine having to drive home after that craziness. Traffic hasn't been nearly as bad for John as we expected either. Today he went to the VA in Long Beach, and it took him 20 minutes door-to-door. UCI in Orange has been about 20-30 minutes each trip too. I think that's the best we could ask for, and again- we're so lucky to live on the beach! Our condo is super nice too. It's not huge- 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom- but everything is really updated, new stainless steel appliances, a cute backyard, a sweet pool across the street, large rooms...Right now, I feel like I live at a vacation resort...But, I guess we kinda do. We had a MAJOR pet odor issue the first few days, but it's already under control. Thank God.

Tonight we're going to dinner with some of the residents at UCI. The first official social gathering of the year, and I'm looking forward to meeting new people. I'll let you know how it goes...John seems to be really happy about choosing both Radiology, and UCI. I think it's going to be a good year. Whew!

Thanks again to our parents for all their help moving us in, unpacking, cleaning, watching Audrey, etc...I promise next time you'll have more of a vacation, and less work to do. ;)

love, kerry

WE. HAVE. ARRIVED.

Check this out.

Steve took this photo two nights ago on his phone.

This is a 10 minute walk from our new home...

Pretty nice, huh?

I'll have more time soon. Right now I'm slammed with-

unpacking,

setting-up our house,

cleaning,

laundry,

shopping for furniture,

setting up cable/internet/phone and other utilities,

fixing appliances,

shampooing carpets and deodorizing like crazy,

ETC...

oh yeah, and-

packing for Denver,

renting a car,

confirming hotel/flight,

ETC...

Stay tuned. But for now- we've arrived, and we're happy.

love, kerry

Happy Birthday Aleshia!!!

Dear Aleshia,

Happy belated birthday!!!! I'm sorry it's taken me so long to say Happy Birthday...Crazy week and I'm still without an internet connection!

I hope you had an amazing day, and lots of fun in San Diego! It's been so great having you in Reno these last few months, and I feel very lucky and grateful that you're there for Grandpa too. You are so much fun, and I love that you are an independent, confident woman who tells it like it is, and doesn't give a damn if someone has a problem with it. It must run in the family. ;) You are very compassionate too, and have been such a wonderful aunt to me (and great-aunt to Audrey). We'll miss you, but please come visit us in Huntington Beach soon!

love, kerry