Good check-up

Gabe had a great 2-yr check up. He's 39.5 inches tall and 34 lbs! So he's in the 100th percentile for height and 94th for weight. He's done all the 2 yr milestones and was chattin' it up with all the ladies, impressing them by saying "doctor", "nurse" and "clerk". He was really good while the nurse took his pulse and even peed in their potty for me! I guess a 2-yr milestone is being able to copy a vertical line...that was the only one i wasn't sure he could do. So the nurse showed him how to draw one with a pen and he copied it no sweat. I was so excited! My little performer.

Day 14- A TV show your currently addicted to.

Right now I'm addicted to American Idol. I usually don't watch this show...but randomly I've been watching this season. Michael pretends to not like it..but he watches too. We have our fav guy...Scotty McCreery. He has a very josh turner-esqe voice...which is impressive considering he's 16. He seems to have the most talent on the show this year. We're not very impressed with any of the others and I'm kinda sick of how the judges kiss up to the other lack-luster competitors. As soon as scotty is eliminated (which would stink) i'm done watching. Here's his audition. You should enjoy his voice..Nulkie says it's like "sipping johnny walker blue label". Smooth & delicious.
 We also like Grey's Anatomy. And Nulkie loves Top Shot. Other than that were not big TV watchers. And without DVR i don't think I'd watch much at all. I just loveeeeeee fast forwarding through all the commercials. Or in the case of American Idol...the singers i can't stand! 

Day 13 - Your favorite musician and why?

I'm skipping day 12 becasue it doesnt really apply to me. I live on post..not in a town. So i don't feel like finding a pic for you.
Currently Josh Turner is my fav musician. I know, i know...i used to loathe country and now here i am claiming it's my fave. Ah, how the tables have turned. But you can't really be married to Michael Nulk and not have country grow on you...it's the only music he listens to! Anyhow, i digress. Josh Turner has the most smooth, deep, sensual, relaxing voice out there. Seriously i think he's mega-talented. And he writes the majority of his own music. And he seems like a great guy--doesn't let the fame get to him...this happens to be his wife in the music video which makes me respect him even more. He doesn't drink or party..seems like a cool dude. So enjoy his crooning...he could sing to me anytime. I'm dying to see him in concert!

Camping in the family room

What happens when Michael receives his REI dividend (cash back) pluse a 20% off coupon?

 

He bought this family "car-camping" tent...it's a 5-person...so it can fit 2 adults, 2 babies and 2 dogs. Naturally he had to open up the entire thing and check it out. Gabe "helped" and thought the tent was his very own play place. He wasn't too pleased when the tent went bye bye. He's naked from the waist down still in our potty training ventures. 

Looks pretty fun. Nulkie wanted to camp this weekend...but it's rainy/icy and too cold. These march temperature shifts are a pain! I'm sure we'll be camping before April is over! In other news, i made these for dinner. It's no secret I'm not the biggest Mexican-food fan. I can't stand spicy, nor do I  like beans or green chile or most salsas (breaks my poor new mexican hubby's heart). SO you can imagine that since those are the main ingredients to every mexican meal...not really my preference. But this recipe was easy and pretty tasty (i negated the chili powder)-even to my very irish/german taste buds. Nulkie approved and we had a whole bunch left over to freeze for his lunches! Good stuff.

And for the most exciting news....we found out we'll be moving to Ft. Carson for our next assignment! I woke up to Michael playing Rocky Mountain High by John Denver...so i think he's pretty excited! Were a little shocked we were given that coveted post...we didn't think we'd get it! So surprise, surprise when we checked his green pages list and saw his future assignment posted was Ft. Carson. I think Nulkie almost fell out of his chair! SO lots of surprises this month...baby girl nulk...moving west in the fall! Craziness!

Hiking...Day 10 - A photo of your favorite place to eat /Day 11 - What's in your makeup bag?

We had a nice lil' hike this afternoon. We saw 56 turtles, 0 crocodiles and 8 elephants who can climb trees (I'll let you decide what is true and false in that statement). Gabe decided we saw 8 elephants so we did. And they also poop in the potty (hey whatever gets him excited about it).  In potty-training news, he got me with an accident yesterday but is really catching on. He stayed dry the whole hike and peed and pooped when we got home! I'm sure some of you are thinking, TMI...too bad. When you're potty-training you'll completely understand. He's starting to tell us when he needs to go and he just started peeing standing up on his stool. It's totally awesome! Don't judge the cleanliness of my toilet because Gabe's aim isn't always spectacular..but he's trying and we are sooo so pleased.

Pretty view of the Big Piney. Michael kindly told Gabe to watch me climbing and see Mommy's "big hiney". Such a sweet man.

Baby bump at 5 months. I look small here but I do finally feel like I'm "popping". I look bigger in the other pic of me. I suspect this little lady is actually measuring normal-sized, as opposed to Gabe who always measured ahead of his due date. We have our big ultrasound tomorrow and were pumped to see "baby sister". Hopefully it re-confirms that baby is indeed a girl!

All the fam. Winsty has the mange again. Lame. But doggies were very happy on the hike. they even took a little dip in the stream.

 Day 10- Favorite Place to eat: These are my two faves of all time. Take me to either one sans Gabe and i'll be happy. I haven't been to cheesecake since before Gabe. I love eating out..even though i do enjoy cooking..it's nice being served and having no cleanup :) The selection of fine dining around Ft. Leonard wood leaves much to be desired. I'm excited to move somewhere else where Michael & I can hit up a fave restaurant on our rare date nights. My fave fast-food joint is Chic-fil-a (which also is not here)..esp the one in ABQ..it had a toddler play-place. Totally win/win!

Day 11- What's in your make-up bag? I don't have a very exciting make-up bag. Frankly i don't wear a lot of it day to day. If i do put some on it's usually concealer, eye liner and mascara. And I'm obsessed with lip gloss and tinted lip balm. I like some mary kay and clinique. But usually I go for what's cheap at the drug store!

 

A song to match your mood & Day 9 - A photo of the item you last purchased.

Hmm...well i personally don't know any potty-training songs...so this one is all that came to mind. The hallelujah chorus. Why? Because for the last 2.5 days Gabe has been peeing/pooping in the potty with no accidents!!!! Can I get an AMEN???  And we JUST started on Friday. So basically he's awesome and I'm a super proud mama.. I'm also amazed at his progress and success rate. We do take him hourly to the potty- but he's begun to pee on demand when asked! That kid will do anything for a fruit snack. So needless to say, the Nulk household is HIGHLY pleased right now!

   In case any of you are interested, we've been doing the 3-day bare bottom method. I found that pull-ups were a joke and i couldn't catch him in underwear. So nakey's been free as a bird all weekend and loves it. Friday morning we had about 4 accidents and since then nothing. He's begun holding it between trips to the potty and even made it through church and a picnic afterward with no accidents. I read this article for tips. We've modified this method slightly--i don't do a "potty dance" when he goes...he gets a fruit snack. Also i don't plan on having him naked from the waist down for the next 3 months. Maybe the next week..but he seems to do fine as long as we stay on top of taking him to the bathroom. So we'll see. I know there will be more accidents..but considering he's only 2, i think he's doing awesome. Michael & i are determined to get this kiddo trained...no turning back now!

Day 9- Recent purchases: 

These shorts were on sale at old navy and only the most comfortable thing ever. Fabulous purchase.

The nightgown is also quite comfy. And the incredible hulk t-shirt was an obvious must buy for Gabe. He loves it!. So online shopping has been good to me this past week!

Day 7 - Your Favorite Photo from your Wedding..and gabe's new bed!

These are my top three...for now! I love all our wedding pics so it's hard for me to boil it down to one absolute fave. It was such an awesome day...Michael & i always wish we could have another big party with all the same people, food (cake) and music again! Even though it was a 6 hr reception...it went way too fast!

Gabers update-- I mentioned the new bed (well mattress) and his new bedding finally arrived. I really really wanted to stay in the same lime green, turquoise and blue color theme that his nursery was so i searched the internet for the closest match to all his stuff (i.e. the curtains, the name letters we painted, his baskets and blankets). This is what i found. Not quite as cute as his crib bedding (no turtles or starfish on it), but still pretty cute nonetheless. I opted for cheap white and lime green sheets from walmart rather than the sheets that matched (they were totally overpriced). Gabe was all excited when i put the quilt on his bed and kept saying "fish, fish, fish".

 All his stuffed animal "friends" can fit on his new bed. If even one is missing he asks for it specifically. Tiger is still his favorite and he keeps chewing off the tail. gross.

 Doesn't that little impish smile remind you of Michael? He's sliding off the bed on his belly.

 See the quilt follows my color scheme pretty well. A little more white than i'd prefer...but hopefully i'll be able to bleach out any stains so that's good.

 

Preparing to jump off! Letters still match pretty well! 

Day 6 - Create a list of your top 5 previous blog posts.

1. Thursday, November 13, 2008

30 Week Ultrasound

This is my first ultrasound post ever--so the first pics of lil' Gabe on the blog. I love how you can see his chubby cheeks! 

2. Saturday, February 7, 2009

Welcome Gabriel Michael Nulk

This one doesn't need much explanation: First pics of lil' Gabe out in the world!  It was fun to finally blog about Gabe arriving..not anticipating! New baby pics are way more fun than preggo pics :)

3. Tuesday, February 2, 2010

BEST DAY EVER!!!

This one clearly needs no explanation either- Michael finally came back from Iraq..it marked the end of our first deployment and man was that day sweet. I love to look back at the pics from his welcome home ceremony! Certainly puts everything in perspective. 

4.Saturday, February 6, 2010

PTSD- Post Traumatic Spending Disorder

I just love this post because Gabe & Michael look like twins AND its the first new car(okay truck) we've ever had! Michael was in love with it from the second he sat down in the driver seat. We've had some awesome trips in that truck...20,000 miles of them to be exact...and he's only a year old!  

 5. Tuesday, March 8, 2011

I might be wanting some of these....

Baby girl announcement! I never did announce the gender for Gabe...everyone already knew it was a boy by the time i began blogging. It was fun to tell everyone "girl" this time...especially since we were so sure it must be boy #2!  Now we have to figure out a feminine name we agree on...but it's a great problem to have :)

Day 5 - A photo of yourself two years ago.

 

This is Gabe & I in Texas in March  '09...i made it through this month alone until my mom came back! We were only about  6 weeks into the deployment and time seemed to be passing soooo slowly. Luckily i had this lil' cutie to keep me company :)

                       He's about 8 weeks old here! Such a cute lil chunker!

Day 4 - Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

 

I think this is my fav pic of Michael right now. He just looks so happy and proud of being a daddy! He was such a big help to me after Gabe was born...it goes without saying that he's my best freind! 

This is one of our all-time fav pics of us. It was 500th night at West Point and we had such a great weekend! I could pick out a bunch more i love...from our wedding, R & R, Micheal's re-deployment ceremony..but I'm tired and Gabe is finally down for a nap! So time to go relax!

Day 3 - Your idea of the perfect date.

There's one specific ingredient to a perfect date for me...no gave!! I love'im but not when eating out or trying to watch a movie. Other than that I'm pretty easy to please...dinner somewhere...a movie...just Michael & I..sounds like heaven. When my parents visited we went out to dinner and a movie alone. It felt so quiet at dinner...i think we just stared at each other for the first few minutes soaking up the fact that we didn't have to deal with a screaming toddler! In fact there was another family there with the screaming baby...but it wasn't us that time! Totally awesome!

If money was no object..i'd take one of those helicopter-to a private island-with picnic-and pristine beach like on the bachelor! Abc should sponsor a show for married couples whoare actually making it and send them on exciting dates. Just sayin' i'd sign Micheal & I up for sure!

In new Nulk news- Gabe is now sleeping in a twin bed! We broke down the crib and stored it away in Gabe's closet for "baby sister" as Gabe calls her. We also organzied his toys...filling a box up with rattles, teethers, and various soft toys also for "baby sister". Michael is designing a bed to build for Gabe, so currently he's just on a mattress on the floor. He was a little scared last night, but overall did great. I found him this morning sitting on the mattress holding court with his stuffed animals happy as a clam. The crib is pretty gouged up from Gabe so i think were going to paint it chocolate brown or white. What's your vote? I think we'll paint the changing table/dresser to match and get Gabe bigger one. Or Nulkie will build something. Gotta love having a handy hubby! It's fun to re-purpose things and watch Gabe move on to new stages. He looked SO SMALL in the twin bed! And he never looks small! It was precious with his little body all curled up at the top of the bed.

Day 2 - Tell us about your job.

 Domestic Goddess. That's my title. Or wife, mother and dog-walker extraordinaire.  Toughest/best job in the world! Michael & I are blessed that I can stay home with Gabe and it doesn't stretch our finances. We are pretty conservative in our values of child-rearing and always planned on me staying home with the kids if possible. I had no idea what i was in for being a mom, but it's awesome! Totally exhausting and super-challenging BUT totally rewarding. I can't imagine leaving him with someone else full-time;  I'd really miss the little guy. It's funny, i know i complain about how much work it is...and there are time i definitely need a break, but i wouldn't trade being home with Gabe! The days i feel like a mommy police officer- saying no to everying, constanty correcting- those are hard days. Yet Gabe will completely redeem himself a second later. I learn so much from him too! It's amazing how much he grows and changes daily. He's sweet, funny, affectionate, smart, ornery, and rambunctious all rolled into one HUGE 2 yr old!

I'm still learning my role of being a wife (and a mom) daily. I LOVE being married! I have a great, supportive hubby whose patient with me when i forgot/lost motivation to make dinner or haven't  put away the heaping pile of laundry for days! Sure the mundane tasks of cleaning get old...but I do find satisfaction in having a nice cozy home for Michael to come relax it. It's not always (never) spotless and my dinners can be pretty basic--but its our little refuge wherever we are in the world!

 But seriously, who would want to miss out on this? I took these pics yesterday at the park. It was high 60s, sunny and glorious! Gabe had a blast with daddy going down the "big slides" and swinging.

Love these two. Can't wait to add a lil' gal to the mix! We have a whole lotta love in this family, you couldn't pay me to trade this job!

Day 1 - A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

I'm going to blog about yesterday..i didn't get to write last night so oh well. Yesterday was a great day! Gabe & I  took an early morning walk because the weather was gorgeous! Then we met a friend at the Waynesville Park for some sunshine and slides. Gabe had a blast exploring the new place,  attempting to climb everything and pounding it with his friend Marcus. We arrived home around noon only to find Michael had the rest of the day off! So we all ate lunch together and then Gabe went down for a nap. Well it became a family nap because all 3 of us slept for 3 hours! It was delicious. After we woke up we hung out with Gabe a bit and then got ready for the ECCC dining out. This is a picture of me ready for the dinner. I'm 19 weeks here.Not as big a bump with Gabe...maybe this girl will be smaller? Sorry no pics of Gabe, but you can enjoy the pics of us!

The formal was pretty fun. It was just up the road at the Pershing Club on post. We enjoyed cocktails ( i had a shirley temple) and a nice dinner. Actually the rolls were better than the rest of the food, but that's okay. Then some friends came over and played the wii for awhile. So all in all it was a great day! Now I must sign off--time to go bed shopping for Cheeky! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Blog challenge

I found this list on someones blog and totally copied it. I know i've been pretty lax on blog entries recently...so for all you readers out there (prob about 10 of you) i'm going to try to do this! I'll start with the first entry tommorow...but i may get to it this afternoon!

30 (or 31) Day Blog Challenge:
Day 1 - A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 - Tell us about your job.
Day 3 - Your idea of the perfect date.
Day 4 - Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 - A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 - Create a list of your top 5 previous blog posts. 
Day 7 - Your Favorite Photo from your Wedding. 
Day 8 - A song to match your mood.
Day 9 - A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 - A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 - What's in your makeup bag?
Day 12 - A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 - Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 - A TV show you're currently addicted to.
Day 15 - Something you don't leave the house without.
Day 16 - A fond childhood memory. 
Day 17 - A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 - Share a quote that you love, and why. 
Day 19 - Your favorite place to travel.
Day 20 - The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 - A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 - Your favorite flavor of ice cream.
Day 23 - 15 facts about you.
Day 24 - A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 - Your 5 favorite shops.
Day 26 - Top 5 items in your closet.
Day 27 - A picture of you last year and now and how you have changed since then?
Day 28 - Tell us about your spouse.  
Day 29 - Ten books on your book shelf. 
Day 30 - Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 31 - A photograph of yourself today plus three good things that happened to you today.

I might be wanting some of these....

 

...because were having a baby girl! We had a surprise ultra-sound today and the gender was pretty obvious to the doctor. We were so sure it was a boy that we had a name chosen and bunk beds we like! So it was quite a fun surprise to see a little girl on the screen. Can't wait to have some purple around!