Happy Birthday to Me!

Our countertops arrived on my birthday. Woo Hoo! I am so happy to have a kitchen and I'm sure Aaron is happy to have some real food too. Here are some pics of the new kitchen and our living room now that we are rid of the makeshift kitchen that was taking up half of our living room. As you can see, I am still working on painting the living room. The bay window has paper and painting tape on it still, waiting for another coat of paint. The last picture is a rockin' picture of Penelope's outfit today. She insisted on putting bloomers over her pajama pants. Totally stylin'.

Big Girl

So, I finally got around to painting Penelope's room, which meant that we could set up her twin bed with her new bedding, etc. As we were setting up the bed we were debating whether we should continue to have her sleep in the crib and get used to having the bed in the room or whether we should just make the switch. Well, she was having so much fun on the bed once we got it set up that we went ahead and took the crib down and put it away until it will be needed for the new babe. So, bedtime came around and Aaron and I were kind of nervous that we were going to have a bad night, but to our total surprise we put her to bed like we would normally do when she slept in the crib and she didn't make another sound. Out like a light. I couldn't believe it. It was the easiest transition we have ever made. Nothing like the night we made her sleep in the crib or when we got rid of the bottles. Easy! She did end up falling out of bed the first night at around 2 am, but she went right back to bed once we checked on her. (The bed is only 1 foot off of the ground thankfully.) Anyway, I am so proud of my big girl.

Pudding. . .

Kids are the best! Aaron and I just laughed and laughed at this video. Probably only funny to us, but I had to post it anyway.

Kitchen remodel

We are so incredibly close to being done with our kitchen and I am so thrilled with the way it is turning out. I just like to go in there and stand and stare. The pictures do not do it justice nor do the before pictures show how absolutely cramped the kitchen was before. I don't have any pictures of the kitchen before Aaron started pulling out the cabinets that were over the island. The stove top was on the island and above it was, of course, a vent hood. A vent hood that was so low that it came to my chin. I don't know how anyone could have cooked there. Anyway, my wonderful husband did the demo and repairs while I was away and then when I got back we fixed the walls, put in tile and installed the cabinets. Someday, if you would like a good laugh, you should ask about the geyser we created in the kitchen during cabinet install.

The first two pictures are the kitchen before. (Of course, Aaron had already removed the worst part of the kitchen). The third picture is of our makeshift kitchen that is still encamped in our living room and then the last ones are of the remodel before paint and countertops, etc. We should be getting our countertops on the 23rd or so and I have to paint and things, so I will post some more pictures later.

My Hero

Roni commented on Aaron being a hero and so I thought I would post an article that I think she was talking about.


Sweetgrass Rescue(07/18/2008) The United States Border Patrol has maintained a legacy of honor and achievement spanning 84 years and multiple generations of agents. This legacy is sustained and moved forward by the current generation of Border Patrol agents who so frequently make immense contributions to the public good. The actions of Sweetgrass, Montana Border Patrol agents on June 20, 2008 serve as a case in point. At approximately 10:30 a.m., the Sweetgrass station received a request for assistance from the Toole County Sheriff’s Department (TCSD) concerning a hiker who had suffered an apparent heat attack while hiking in the rugged Sweetgrass Hills. The hiker contacted the TCSD and advised that he was lost, had suffered a heart attack, and was stranded. Immediately after receiving the call, Sweetgrass Border Patrol agents Curtis Logan, Leon Peterson, Jerry Benge, Aaron Heaton and Lead Border patrol Agent Obadiah Rouse responded to the area and began to search for the hiker on foot. Supervisory Border Patrol Agents John M. Miller and Mike Nice responded from the Sweetgrass Station on ATVs. Within 25 minutes of receiving the call, SBPAs Miller and Nice were on scene and accessed the rugged terrain on their ATVs. Shortly after, they located the injured hiker on a steep butte and observed that he was suffering the obvious signs of a heart attack. SBPAs Miller and Nice immediately rendered first aid, stabilized the subject, returned to the staging area to pick up EMS personnel and transported them back up to the injured subject. Upon their arrival, EMS personnel began treating the subject and called for a Life Flight helicopter. While awaiting the arrival of the Life Flight, agents once again drove their ATVs back to the staging area, retrieved additional life saving equipment, and returned to the scene. Although the Life Flight arrived shortly after, it was unable to land in the immediate area due to rough terrain. Ultimately, the helicopter landed over 200 yards away, which amounted to a 30 to 45 minute hike on foot. The agents managed to use the ATVs to bring the subject to the Life Flight helicopter, where he was air lifted to a hospital in Great Falls, Montana. It was later confirmed that the subject had a heart attack and he immediately underwent surgery to relieve major heart blockage. There is little doubt that the actions of these Sweetgrass Border Patrol agents saved the injured hiker’s life. Thankfully, the victim is expected to make a full recovery based in large part on the actions of Sweetgrass Border Patrol agents. If not for their quick response, knowledge of the area, and dedication to duty the outcome would have likely been tragic.