L & L

I'm stealing a great post idea from my friend, Jen's, blog. Loves and Loathes are a quick way to list what's tickling your fancy or getting under your skin at the moment...here's my list:

Loves:
--That Emerson is doing a great job staying dry in her big girl undies!
--That the upstairs is turning out so well, and the construction is almost done!
--That my job is going well, and I absolutely LOVE what I'm doing now.
--That Keith is challenged in his work, and is taking on new initiatives which interest him.
--That Fall, my favorite season, is in full swing & the color is fantastic right now.
--That Amos responded so nicely to a course of prednisone...poor kitty had a nasty rash.
--That we made $330 at our yard sale last weekend, and donated what was left to the local PTA Trift Store....love clearing out stuff!
--That I finally found a decent pair of jeans (at Coldwater Creek...check out the city jeans, gals!).
--That Em is sleeping through the night again after being sick for 2 weeks.
-- That Em gets to go trick-or-treating with her cousin, Abby this year (dressed as a ballerina, so she says).
--That our little stray outside cat is warming up to us, and is friendly now.

Loathes:
--That the construction has taken so long, and the house has been a pit for over a month now.
--That the construction went seriously over budget.
--That Em hasn't yet mastered the fine art of pooping in the potty.
--That Emerson is now the oldest in her class, and seems to be regressing a bit in behavior & language (lots of baby-talk going on).
--That I've been coughing for two weeks.
--That I haven't run since August, and feel like a slug.
--That we haven't been able to sell the Saturn, and the Honda is in the shop due to a wayward tree.
--That I haven't scrapped the first page of Em's life! Am thinking of going digital, because Stampin' Up has a new digi package that looks usable!

Updates

We've been the house of sickness for the past two weeks. I took Em to the pediatrician on Monday when I heard wheezing and she was running a fever of 102. Seems we have the reactive airway again, and our old friend, the nebulizer, has come out to play once more. She's on amoxicillin, and seems to be doing better, but the cough is lingering. I had the same cough, and then developed flu-like symptoms on Wednesday at work. By the time I got home, there wasn't a spot on my body that wasn't aching. I went to bed at 7pm and slept 12 hours...woke up to help Keith get Emmy ready for school, then slept another 5 hours. Between Emmy and I, I only made it to work one day this week! Good grief! Keith has mild cold symptoms, and so far, has managed to stay fairly healthy.

We headed out this morning to a local kid's store to do a Halloween craft project, and then visited the Durham police dept who were set up outside. Em got an ID card made, complete with vitals, photo and fingerprint. She's so proud of it, and gave the officer a high five when they were done.

Em got school pictures done last week, and the proofs are in. Let's just say that they aren't the most flattering shots of Em, and I doubt we'll be ordering any of these beauties! She seems to think if she sticks her little bucky teeth out onto her lip, that constitutes a smile. So attractive! The other poses included a mistrusting frown, and a hammy, head-tilt fake smile. Wow...that photographer really gets the kids to act/look natural!

We're still trying to finish up the remodeling...waiting for new stair parts to come in (new newels, balusters and railings). There are several minor things that need finished up, and I don't think the contractor plans to come over to do them until the stairs are here. Ugh. We are painting the bathroom, and it looks fabulous! We should be using it this week for the first time. The new wood floors look so nice!

I've signed Emerson up for a free tumbling/dance class at the Little Gym in early November. We'll see if she likes it enough to pursue signing up for more. I'm looking forward to seeing how she does!

Not a good way to start the day

Keith got a new car not too long ago. Unfortunately, a big, dead tree decided to come down for a closer look. Can't believe we didn't hear the commotion in the middle of the night. I found this scene when I went out to feed the cat in the morning. Ugh! Car is in the shop with around $9000 in repairs being done....not enough to total the car, since we'd only had it 7 weeks.

Just a Typical Day in the Neighborhood

Pumpkin Patch

We visited a local pumpkin patch recently, and were really impressed by the fun things to do at this family farm! Hill Ridge Farm was a great place to spend the afternoon. We took a train ride, fed the farm animals & fish, jumped on the inflatables, snacked on fresh kettle corn, played in a "silo" of dried corn, and took a hayride through the woods to find our perfect pumpkins. Emmy wore herself out, and is still talking about it 2 weeks later!

Happy Anniversary!

Six years ago today (okay,tomorrow...10/12), Keith and I got married in a cute little mansion in the woods, surrounded by October color. We've had lots of laughs, tears, joys & sorrows in that time. Life is definitely better with this guy by my side. Happy Anniversary, honey....love you!