Seasons Greetings

Christmas Home Tours

Follow the link over to Boo Mamas for a tour of others Holiday decor.

This is the extent of our holiday decor. We are not very festive this year. It's a prelit so we didn't have to do a lot of work there. We didn't even hang ornaments. These are our Christmas cards. I usually hang the cards on our living room wall, but the wall is gone and I didn't know what to do with them. So now they are hanging on our tree.

the making of a new bathroom

I'm so behind on everything.

Here is a quick update on what has been going on.

Removing the walls in the kids bedroom. The first wall to go down was the one between the bedroom and the kitchen.

Removing the carpet and tacking strip. Cole is a pro at this. She had a lot of practice at Grandma Janes. Moe sleeping through the construction.
Seriously, Ed was sawing 15 feet from the bed and he didn't even flinch.

She loves to copy what her daddy is doing. Here they are putting up the new walls.


It's starting to look like a bathroom. That's the super duper extra large handicapped shower, for my sister and a large closet.

This is our new pantry and the doorway to the new bathroom. As you can see I was so excited I didn't wait for the pantry to be painted before I started moving the food into it. Hell, I didn't even wait for the last shelf to be put in. Not even the trim and the doors. Really I had no choice the tiny closet we had in the hallway was next on the demo list.

Laying the new tile.

The new toilet with a little lesson on plumbing.

Removing the chimney. See those blocks there. They weigh a frickin ton. Ed says they are only 60 lbs. My a**. My kids are 35 lbs each. I can pick them both up with bairly a struggle. I had a tough time with these. Could be because I had to carry them down the stairs from the attic too. This picture is of Ed struggling to remove the flue from inside the block. He's in the basement and I'm in the hallway closet upstairs.

Now my hallway closet has a hole down to the basement. The chimney is gone. Well not really gone it's on my front lawn. I think I'll hang some holiday lights on the pile.

Oh Nuts

"Honey come here let me brush your hair!"

"OK, Mommy you gotta get acorns out?"

"Acorns??"

"Yep acorns - nuts!" " You get nuts out!"

I laughed so hard, I peed my pants. (just a little)

Santa claus is coming to town

We had a nice little visit from Santa. He came into town yesterday by train on his way to the North Pole they said. I think he needs to check his gps again because the train was heading south.

Chrismas Traditions

These are the Christmas Traditions that I hope to keep for our family.

First we let the kids pick out their own wrapping paper, most likely from the dollar store. We won't need tags because they will know what presents are theirs by the wrapping.

We leave the wrapping paper out on Saint Nicholas Day Dec 5th - 6th for Santa’s helpers to pick up. That way mommy has more time to wrap the presents :) One of Santa’s helpers leaves a small candy or toy in the kids shoes.

Christmas Eve we go to a family member’s house or to drive around looking at lights. One of Santa’s helper stops by and leaves Christmas pjs for everyone.

I have felt drawstring bags with the kids names on them, that I plan to use every year for their PJs. I would like to make my own one day after our house is a little more settled.

We change into our Christmas PJs take pictures and read T’was the Night before Christmas

Before bed we leave out snacks for Santa and his reindeer. -cookies and milk for Santa - we sprinkle oatmeal with sugar outside for the reindeer.

There is always an apple or orange in the toe of the stocking. This is something my mother always did. The stocking will always have a new ornament for the kids with the year on it, as well as some small trinkets and stuff. I think my mother even gave us new tooth brushes in our stockings

I do have a Christmas pickle- I bought it because I heard it was a German tradition, for the first child to find the pickle gets an extra present. Now that I am finding out that it is not really a German tradition, I think I'm going to pass on this one. After all - it's a pickle! I think I will start to do this up a little differently. I have a silver bell that was my grandmothers. It is always the last ornament I put on the tree. Since this one has more meaning for me. I think we will change this one to whoever finds the silver bell first, gets to open the first present.

I would like to add an advent calendar with small ornaments for the kids to hang on their own mini tree. This will have to wait until the house is finished and the kids finally have their own bedrooms.

always watch what you say

Uncle Ray hard at work Uncle Ray spent the day yesterday helping with our foundation. So, he asks if we are going to get another dog soon. My first response was a loud-"NO!" I just can't go through that again. Then I started to revise my statement. I think my exact words were "Well, if a dog came into our life. I might consider it, but I'm not going out looking for one." "I think we'll just have goldfish!"

Then I swear, something like a half hour later this little guy waltzes into our back yard and bumps right into him. Thank God he was only around for a little while before his owner showed up. But, isn't he cute??? Now I'm trying to think up something clever to say about a bag of $100 showing up on my door step or like winning the lottery or something. You know that is never going to happen!

Daddies little helpers

CRW_1032, originally uploaded by patteykoch.

Our new bathroom is really under way. We picked up the tile for the floor yesterday. The kids love to "help" daddy.

another attempt at holiday photos

Why our Christmas cards have not gone out yet, and why they may never get out.

New address

We are moving! Our blog is moving, not us personally. The new address is a little more straightforward. It will be thekochfamilyblog.com It will take about three days to move. Until then you can still reach us here.

Berries

CRW_0964b, originally uploaded by patteykoch.

I just thought I would share this photo. I took it Monday at Grandma Janes house.

Superheros

I really don't like commercials. It's one of the reasons when we do watch TV it's usually PBS. Except when daddy is home. He likes to sit and relax in front of the TV. Anyway last night the kids and I were sitting on the couch snuggling, when this commercial with a little girl came on. I don't even know what it was about. I was too busy sniffing Moes hair. I just love that clean baby smell. It's like a drug. It really is!

So any way back to the commercial. It was a little girl singing the praises of mothers. She said something like "All mothers are superheros, they just are!"

That's when Moe looks at me and whispers "superhero" -Ahhhh!

I know he was probably just repeating what he heard, but I can dream any way right?

fun family foto

Bobbie, Russ, Dylan & DeanI took this photo when we went to Mi. Don't they look dashing in their suits. The boy were baptized the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Dean (on the right) is my new god son :)

At the end of my rope

Before

Well, technically Uncle Ray and I where at the end of a rope. A rope to guide this beautiful tree down and away from his pool. OK, so as we are standing there pulling to guide this tree, I'm thinking -I know I weigh a ton, but can my weight really change the direction of this tree? If this thing really wants to take out his pool, there is no way we are going to be able to stop it.

AfterNow part of that tree is in our block collection. As well as some scrap pieces of 2x4's from our new bathroom.

Why my son may never eat cookies again

"Mama bird."
"Mama bird is coming out."
Oh, great not another bird in the house. I thought we plugged all the holes. Though our house is like swiss cheese at the moment there are holes everywhere. Now they are both screaming "Mama birds coming out." So, I look around to see what they are screaming at. Nicole standing on a chair at the counter. Oh, it's OK it's just the egg I set out in a bowl to make cookies. Nicole cracked it open. "Mama bird." they both scream jumping up and down.

Why I did this I don't know. It could be, because I'm all about the facts. So, I go into the whole story about this being an egg from a hen. The mommy hen lays the eggs.... You know the story.
Anyway we get busy making cookies with each of the kids are back to fighting over whose going to do what.

You know sometimes there is nothing better than nice warm chocolate chip cookie right out of the oven. I give each of them a cookie. In which Cole quickly devourers hers and Moe's is still sitting in front of him. He looks at me and then back at the cookie. Very quietly he whispers "baby bird" and runs away.

I got Elfed

I got an email from Aunt Nancy and thought it was so great I had to do one myself. Just look at Moes face. I smile every time I see it. Click on the picture below to see us dance and then go elf yourselves.

Kissing Cousins

Cole and Dean

This is the conversation I woke to this morning...

Nicole;

"Moe, Nigel gone."

"Nigel in the ground"

"Nigel, Harley up in the clouds"

Michael;

"Build blocks!"

Nicole;

"No, build block Moe." -As if to say I'm trying to have a meaningful conversation here and all you can think about is toys

Sir Nigel

It was the day before Easter 10 years ago. Ed and I were walking through the Route 18 Flea Market just for something to do. We stopped by the ANIMAL RESCUE FORCE Where my niece just rescued a dog a few weeks before.

There he was just sitting in his cage, he didn't make a sound. In all the ciaos of other dogs and cats begging for attention he just sat quietly watching with these huge sad eyes.

This was old news for him. He had been passed over for the last month, I was told. The ARF got him from a pound in Brooklyn. They were told he had picked up walking the streets. My heart was breaking I wanted to take him home right them and there. I stayed so long watching him the place was closing. "Tomorrow is Easter" the man said, "Why don't you go home and think about it." "We are closed, so he can't go anywhere."

So, that's what I did. I had searched the petfinders web site and found a picture of him. I printed it out, and put it in my wallet. I think I showed everyone Nigels picture. "Want to see a picture of my new dog?" Just like a proud new momma. My mind was made up!

I showed up before they even opened. I was not going to let anyone else adopt him. I waited, and waited. Where was he? All the cages were full had he still did not show up. I asked every volunteer. Nobody knew who he was or who his foster parent was. So, I waited and waited. Someone finally took pity on me and call the woman who ran the ARF to see if he went to another adoption site. So, once again I waited. It seemed like forever, that I sat and worried. "But - but- I was told he couldn't go anywhere." I repeated. After a total of four and a half hours this fuzzy little fur ball waltzed through the door. I cried like a little baby. His foster mom was sick and couldn't come in, so they sent someone to her house to pick him up for me. This picture was taken Thanksgiving morning.

Today we will be burying my little Sir Nigel fuzzy butt. I'm still having a hard time believing he's gone. Once again I'm crying like a little baby over this little fur ball.

OMG What a Trip

We got home from Michigan yesterday at 2:30AM. Nigel threw up on me 3 times. The poor dog is so car sick. He was just recovering from the trip out there when we throw him back into the car for 16 hours to head back home. So, anyway I climbed the stairs to the house praying for a shower or even just some blessed sleep, I see the front door is wide open.
Who cares if someone was in the house who is going to mess with a sleep deprived woman covered in dog vomit. I marched up and slammed open the door. OMG!! My blood pressure went through the roof. The house was down right horrific. There was stuff thrown everywhere. The floor was covered with,with crap. That's the only way to describe it.
After my vision cleared I looked at the stuff closer. Oh, shoot! It's was worse than I thought. No one broke in. This was how we left the house. Oh Crap- Crap- Crap!!!

A Little Visitor

The second wren to get into our house this week. This time I made sure I took a picture before opening the door to let her out. I wanted to look it up to find out what kind of wren it was. I knew if I didn't have a picture I would never be able to remember the markings. So, she is a Carolina Wren. I'm guessing she was looking for a warm place to hang out.

I went 125 days without a stove and survived

Everyone in our house is getting over being sick. At least I hope we are. It seems like we just keep giving back to each other. We spent last weekend and this past Saturday helping Aunt Nancy get her mothers house ready to sell. It was nice easy, mindless work compared to the work Ed makes me do around here. I'll take painting and pulling up carpeting over hauling concrete any day. I wish I had brought my camera with me. Cole and Moe really got into the painting. They did a pretty good job too. I was pleasantly surprised, that they got more on the walls then their clothes.
On our Home front, we finally put up some of the kitchen cabinets and I was able to unpack a few of the storage containers we have been living out of. We are still missing cabinets and Ed is going to do some built in shelves for me.
We also bought a new (new for us) stove for our 15th Anniversary present to each other. Ed ran the gas lines the other day and I now have a stove. :) I went 125 days without a stove or a grill and survived. There are so many things available today that it wasn't that hard. A little annoying and inconvenient maybe but not hard. Now all I need it a kitchen sink and I'll be the happiest mommy in all the lands. And - and - and, if I get my dishwasher hooked up, I think I would be down right deliriously, over the world ecstatic.

Trick or Treat

Well, I got Moe's superman costume on him for a whole 2 seconds before he started screaming "OFF Mommeeeeeeeee OFF". The closest I could get to putting a costume on him a spider man tee shirt. I should have let him go as Cinderella, but Cole picked out the dress first.

We met Grandma over at St Rose for the kids parade. Daddy got off of work early and met us over at the school. We headed into town for a nice lunch together. Moe was in desperate need of a nap so we went home and he slept through the rest of Halloween. We never did make it out trick of treating.

Although we did have more trick or treaters this year than we have ever had, in the ten years we've been in this house. A grand total of three.