chillin katelyn style

Today Katelyn and I went to the grocery store with my mom.  We went to HEB because they have the best deals.  But HEB overwhelms me.  It is so big and there are so many people and the carts are twice the size of a normal cart and it just stresses me out there.  It is like Walmart on a Saturday any time you go there.  It is that crazy all the time.

Anyway, we got home from shopping and my mom watched Katelyn in the car while I made a few trips to get the groceries up the three flights of stairs to our apartment.  Finally, I got Kate upstairs as well and collapsed on the couch.  The shopping trip had the unfortunate timing of taking place during Katelyn's afternoon nap and although, she was being very sweet and patient, it was obvious that she was so very tired.

So I put her in the saucer and set up my computer so that she could watch Wonder Pets.  She rarely watches TV but we were both just so exhausted that we just needed it.  I could barely put away the refrigerated groceries before I plopped back down on the couch next to her to watch the singing guinea pig, duck, and really annoying turtle save the world, one animal at a time.  That's how tired I was.

(Singing animals are way worse than talking ones.)

So, I am sitting there staring at the computer screen watching the Wonder Pets save the itsy bitsy spider from the rain with an umbrella.  I wonder how an umbrella would help a spider who I presume needs all eight legs to successfully crawl up a spout.  As I am contemplating this, I look up to see Katelyn just chilling with a beverage.

Reclined in her saucer, arms resting comfortably, with her bottle propped on her belly.

And that is how tired we were after grocery shopping.

home sweet home

Last night a cold front rolled into town and brought Christmas decorations with it!

I am in love with my cute little candy cane tree!!!

I forgot to mention that our little family moved into a place of our own last weekend.  I meant to take pictures of the whole move in process.  I really did.  But we quickly moved in on a Friday night after D and my dad got home from work and it felt like we were moving in the dead of night and everyone just wanted to hurry up and get it done.  The next morning, we woke up to find that poor Kate had vomited in her crib and she ran a fever for the rest of the day.  While cleaning up a pool of vomit felt like a milestone moment in the glamors of motherhood, I chose not to immortalize it with a photo.  I'm sure you can appreciate that.

So anyway, now that I am done with the excuses and sob story, here are some pictures of our brand new apartment, complete with decked halls and everything!

 

This is our living room and dining area.  It looks small from this angle but for the three of us, it feels like the perfect space.

 

 This is the table my family sat around when I was growing up.  It was handed down to my family from my grandparents.  It's the same table my mom ate at!

Here is a view of our kitchen.  We had granite counter tops and all brand new appliances.  They make me feel so fancy.

I have always wanted a kitchen island.  One of my wildest dreams has come true.

The singing and dancing pig is on loan from my mom.  My mom and grandma both have extensive collections of animatronic Christmas decorations and Katelyn loves them!  Whenever she wants them to sing for her, she yells at them and we turn them on.  Now she thinks that any stuffed animal that has a face will sing and dance for her.

Katelyn's Korner.  I know that tiny little picture frame looks ridiculous but it's a work in progress.  That picture isn't even Katelyn; it just came with the frame.

 Here is our little desk area and until I get some different pictures developed, memorial of our wedding day.  You can also see our diplomas proudly on display, next to D's new textbook, Battlefield.

And finally, here is the new bedspread I got for my birthday.  D would argue that we have too many pillows but I love them.  More pillows is more better.

We love our new apartment.  It is starting to feel like home.  It is perfect for our little family and we can't wait to start making memories here.

Of course, this post wouldn't be complete without a huge thanks to both D's parents and mine who opened their homes to us for the past year, free of rent.  We have loved the time spent with family, especially with baby Katelyn and moving out has been bittersweet.  We are so blessed to have such supportive families.

i'm so glad when daddy comes home

 With D at work all day, Katelyn had I miss him.  One of the best parts of the day is when D walks through the door.  Baby Kate saves all of the biggest smiles for him.

haulin oats

 We are packed a ready to go!  When we picked up our little U Haul trailer, I seriously doubted we could fit even half of our stuff.  I was so worried about it but D and his mom and brothers were able to pack it all in.  It was like a U Haul jigsaw puzzle!

all of our stuff ready to be packed

pausing for a shoot out

packed like sardines

ready to go

trashing the couch

When we planned to move we decided it would not be worth it to pack all of our furniture, especially the couch.  D and I had been living with hand me downs and free stuff from DI since our wedding.  It would have been expensive to transport all of that junk and I was excited at the thought of buying new furniture someday.  We tried to sell of give away most of our stuff but the couch was just too hammered and old to sell or even carry up the stairs.  Instead, D, with the help of Jack, Dallas, and Dallin demolished the couch.

billy reuben

While we were in the hospital, Katelyn came down with jaundice.  Luckily it was completely normal and just a sign of too much bilirubin in her blood.  In the hospital, she had to sleep under blue bili lights to help her liver break it down.  The lights were like a baby little tanning bed but K did not like being unswaddled.

After we left the hospital, K had her bilirubin levels checked again and she needed more time under the lights at home.  She really was unhappy with the whole situation but the first night we were able to make her feel a little more secure by rigging the bili light bed with bananas and a bag of bagels.  It was pretty funny looking but it helped Baby K sleep that night.

One of the most misleading aspects of the jaundice was that it made Baby K sleep through the night.  I had to set alarms to wake her up to feed.  Everywhere we took K she slept in her carseat and never made a peep.  She slept almost every hour of the day.  It was really easy to take care of such a sleepy baby but kind of alarming that she was never awake. Things have changed...

We had to take Baby K to the hospital every day to make sure she was getting better.  Poor K had to get blood drawn every time.  I hate getting my blood tested but babies have their blood drawn from their heels which somehow seems more painful.  Finally, After a few days of phototherapy, she she was all better and didn't need any more bili lights.  We were so glad to be done with the lights but not as happy as Katelyn.

changes

It's time to take some advice from David Bowie. Okay, I'll be honest. I'm not really sure what the lyrics of this song means but I'm pretty certain that neither does David Bowie. But I like it and I'm going to go with the inevitability of change as the overarching theme of the song.

I've historically dealt with major (but also minor) changes in my life very poorly. I am a creature of habit and a chronic control seeker. I am also lazy. Change almost always represents the need to readjust my thinking, emotions, and expectations. I have to learn to operate differently under my new circumstances. It makes me anxious and uncomfortable.

Unfortunately for me, change is everywhere. Change is in life, in nature, even food in the fridge changes if you leave it long enough. So, I have had to just deal with it.

Don't get me wrong; I completely realize that this is a major fault I have to work on. I know already. Trust me, it is an aspect of my personality currently under construction.

Also, please know that this isn't just some neurotic need to control my life. (Well, sometimes it is a little bit.) Even the changes I order in my life cause some distress.

The past few months have been filled with anxiety inducing changes for me. A new school year, a change of address, a move for my parents, the turn of a quarter century for me, and well ... the impending addition to our family ... have just had me a bit on the worrisome side.

So changes big. I have thought about blogging many times over the past month and a half but I just needed some thoughts to myself for a bit. As with all of the other changes in my life, I have needed my own time to process and think. And as with the other times, I always realize that the change is good. I remember that it keeps my life from getting stale, broadens my horizons, and teaches me new lessons.

As for the lentil ... this little life form taking over my body for the next while ... well, he/she already has me terrified of eating the wrong thing, forgetting my vitamins, or just not being enough. But as for the change, I am already in love beyond repair.

work and food

D and I recently moved. Well, we moved a while ago. I mean, a few weeks ago. Actually, what I mean to say is that we moved over a month ago but still haven't finished cleaning out our old apartment.

There, I said it.

But you really can't blame me because we had to pay for the month of September as part of our contract. And moving is hard. And for some reason, the thought of cleaning behind the washer and dryer was just overwhelming.

So every Saturday D and I planned on driving down to finish the cleaning. We had the best of intentions. But we would wake up and our bed just felt so comfortable and my favorite cooking shows were on tv and well, we just didn't want to.

Well, today was our last Saturday before we absolutely had to be out so we had no choice.

But trust me, I didn't want to. I'm ashamed to say it but I called a maid service just to see. We also considered not cleaning and missing out on our deposit. But in the end, we knew what we had to do.

Luckily, it was easy to bribe Jack and Lauren into helping us. Help cleaning the apartment in return for taking them out to dinner seemed like a fair trade. So today, we cleaned.

I think for everyone, at some point in your childhood you realize just a little bit how easy you've had it. One summer, as you sit on the couch watching cartoons and watch your dad leave to work for the day, you figure it out. You don't have to do all the crappy things adults do.

But by the time you've figured out how delightfully simple your life has been, the clock strikes midnight and you take the next step up the ladder of adulthood. In just a few short years, summer greets you with a minimum wage job at Burger King, a grease stained polo three sizes too large, and a cap that says "Have it Your Way" on the back.

I'll admit, I only worked a three hour shift at a time, which compared to the ten to twelve hour days I put in now seems miniscule. Trust me though, to the sixteen year old version of myself it came as a shock.

Recently, I have found that Saturday is not necessarily a day for relaxation and fun. Usually it is a day to get the yard work done, change the oil in the car, and deep clean the kitchen. On rare and unfortunate occasions, it is a day to clean out your stupid apartment.

But, if you are lucky you have good siblings to help for the low price of a dinner. If you are attentive, you will realize that with additional responsibility there is greater joy and accomplishment. And if you are wise, you will appreciate the simplicity of the current phase you're in.

I'm still working on that last one.

when penguins attack

I have a candy dish in my living room. It is a star shaped glass dish that once belonged to my mom. Years ago, I went through a phase of asking for anything that I liked or admired.

"I like your bracelet. Can I have it?"

It started as a joke but occasionally I was given what I asked for. So, I started asking for more things.

One object I was particularly fond of was this candy dish. For years, I would visit my parents and every time, I would point to the star candy dish and ask, "Can I have that?"

Finally, last Christmas my mom wrapped the dish and gave it to me.

Yesterday I bought bright red cinnamon bears for the candy dish. Apparently, D does not approve. Every time I walk through the living room I find the wooden penguins next to the candy dish staging some elaborate cinnamon bear massacre.

Point taken D.

i'm back and i brought fall with me

...and anyone who knows me well, knows that I like fall more than most people.

and by that I mean that I like fall more than most people like fall...
...but by that I also mean that I like fall more than I like most people.
Just Kidding.


Sort of.

I really do love the season and I don't really recognize the Autumnal Equinox as the start of Fall as most people do. To me, Autumn is a state of mind and heart and it begins as soon as I sense it.

I spend nearly all of August watching for the slight signs of Autumn that no one else recognizes. Sometimes, it's the beloved peach stand down University Avenue. Sometimes, it's the lighting of the "Y" for fall graduation. Often, it's just the fact that it's August. In any event, it will begin for me and I will know it and I will be happy.

This year, Fall hit me unexpectedly. I was standing in our little bathroom/mudroom diligently folding clothes on a beautiful Saturday morning. Usually, I relish in the weekend sleeping in privileges but this morning, I awoke at 7:30, alert and ready for the day. I stayed in bed until 8:00, surprised by the earliness of the day. I crept around the house, getting little chores done and priding myself that I was awake before 10:00 (or noon for that matter) until D roused from the bed. Standing at the dryer, folding freshly cleaned clothes, I asked him to take out the garbage. With the creaking of the front door came a wonderful, familiar scent.

crispy air

I sensed it and smiled. Autumn was here early. I couldn't help but put out my Fall wreath and pumpkin pillows. I dragged my sister to the dollar store to pick out an abundance of cinnamon candles to fill my home with the aroma of holiday. It is still September but the Robertson home is decked out for Halloween.

I can't explain what it is about the season that brings me so much joy but I am aware of its presence every morning and mourn its passing when December arrives. But every time the season leaves I simply look forward to the next.

Happy Fall!

nesting

With all the wedding plans in full swing, it's been a bit difficult to focus on anything else. But this weekend, we realized that we really needed to find a place to live. So, I spent hours Saturday coming up with a list of prospective apartments and started my search this morning basically from the moment I woke up. Which was interesting because I had class. My day started at eight when I called every number on my list only to find that no one was open that early. When I finally got through to someone, a mean lady answered and yelled at me that the office wasn't open yet. I'm not sure why she answered the phone if the office wasn't open. I was a little nervous to call the rest of the list but I did and discovered that every complex was full. I still had a few privately owned basement apartments to see. The first was a duplex which was somewhat scary. And I wasn't expecting much. It was just creepy. Then I went to a complex which was up the mountain at the base of the Y trail. At this place, the landlord began my tour by asking if I would be living alone. Then he wanted to see my ID for contact information. It was an odd experience. So finally after work, I checked online one last time to find an ad for a two bedroom basement apartment in Orem. I called the owners to schedule a time to come by and take a look. They said I could come over anytime. So I drove down, not expecting much, and was pleasantly surprised by a newly built house with a beautiful yard. The owners showed me the "basement" apartment which was actually above ground. It was perfect. The rooms were huge, the carpet was new, and the whole place was just beautiful. Then I found out that utilities were included in the monthly rent and the cost was less than we had originally planned for. It was perfect and I knew it; I just needed to get Dave's opinion. I couldn't wait. The minute he got home from work, we went back and he loved it. It's the perfect place for us and I'm so happy that we found such a great place. I can't wait to make it home! :)