The Carstens: 7 Quick Takes Friday

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I'm feeling a little burned out on blog posting after my crazy long posts about our Taiwan trip. I'm not joking when I say each post took hours to create by the time I'd written what I wanted to say, found the pictures I wanted to post, resorted the pictures as they never get uploaded in the order they're supposed to, added descriptions to each picture, spell and grammar checked the post, and then finally clicked the Publish button. So I thought I'd go back to an old 'friend' and actually link-up to the 7 Quick Takes Friday posts to help me jump back into normal blogging. I had to go back to November before I found my last Quick Takes. Eesh. I think I need to focus on this one a bit more. :-)

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We are currently updating our backyard. Yep, another house project. Thankfully this one doesn't require moving out or last minute craziness. A few months ago we had a nasty windstorm (103 mph winds were recorded) which caused damage to our fence. Nate was able to rig up a short-term solution by installing two brace posts to hold the fence up, but when he went out one Saturday morning to actually repair the fence he found that over half of the wood had rotted and was just another windstorm away from causing more expensive damage to our neighbor's fence. After hemming and hawing we finally decided that we would replace that section of fencing with vinyl instead of wood. Our backyard will look a little wonky with one side being wood painted white, the back side being Version A of vinyl, and the other side being Version B of vinyl (because of course the current style of vinyl we have is no longer available) but I think they'll match close enough that it won't be a big eyesore. Plus, I'm just excited to have a fence back so I can let Abby run around in the backyard with one eye and ear on her instead of two.

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Nate's parents have a tire swing at their house in Portland and Abby loved it so much that we decided to put one up at our house, too, instead of buying an expensive swing set. Les Schwab gave us the tire for free (from their bad tire pile) and we were able to purchase other needed supplies from Lowe's for around $20. Not too shabby for what we paid, I think!

Abby checking out her new tire swing. You can also see a small spot of where our fence is missing. Nate put up mesh to be a small deterrent from unauthorized entry to or exits from our yard, which has been very helpful. Still not used to neighbors being able to see us though as many Saturday mornings I walk out in my pink, fuzzy bathrobe before remembering that more eyes can see me now.

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In other Abby news...she's learned to pedal on her bike!

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Am I the only one that gets really confused when you hear your own voice? I just listened to the video above to make sure it was the one where she actually pedaled the bike herself and I feel like some other person inhabited my body for a few seconds and talked instead of me. It's like a chain-smoking, red-necked, stereotypical sorority/valley girl (and since I was a sorority girl I can say this) came forth from deep inside. Now I'm wondering if I sound like this all the time or just when I'm talking to Abby. And is she going to think I'm a moron because I sound like this or will my two diplomas (Bachelors and Masters) convince her otherwise?

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We went to Kadlec's Kid Safe Saturday last weekend where they turn a portion of the hospital's parking lot into a fun "learn about safety" zone for kids. There was a bicycle course, free helmet fittings, fire trucks, police cars, boats, pamphlets for various "safe but fun" activities like swimming lessons, boat safety course, etc. All three of us had fun exploring the different vehicles, eating the free popcorn, and getting lots of free pens and crayons. The best part, in my opinion, was checking out the MedVac helicopter. It was so tiny! I had a preconceived notion, from all the TV shows I've seen with medical helicopters, that it would be nice and big like other helicopters you see. But this one had room enough for two pilots, a nurse, and then the patient on the bed. Equipment was tacked to the walls and not a wall space was spared from being useful. I'm very happy we got to check it out, but even happier that we've never had need of one!

She was SO excited when she was told it was okay to touch things!

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And finally, we installed Nate's Christmas present from this past Christmas. A bike carrier for his bike so that he can take Abby riding. Previously we had a carrier behind the bike that she rode in, but since it was attached to my bike it made for some very slow bike trips. Having Nate carry Abby means we actually can go at a decent speed! It took her a little bit of time to get used to get used to being put into the seat (the seat sits at an angle when the bike is resting on its kickstand) but took to riding like a champ. She holds onto the back of Nate's shirt and peeks around to see all she wants to see. I'm looking forward to some free Saturday mornings or evenings for a fun bike ride along the river. Maybe Rosie's ice cream afterwards!