A Bed Fit for a Princess

When Casey and I found out I was pregnant, we immediately started to think of ways to tell our families. Since my dad is a self-made MASTER CRAFTSMAN I couldn't think of any better way to tell him he was months away from being a grandpa than to ask him if he could build us a crib. The look on his face was priceless and of course he accepted the challenge. I knew the finished product would be nothing less than perfect and it's something that can be passed down to our grandchildren's grandchildren and so on. Anyway, my dad finished it just in the nick of time - he brought it over three days before Mallory arrived!

Since my dad is going to be a grandpa for the second time in about two months from now, he's currently busy finishing a SECOND crib for my niece. Looking for a beautiful piece of furniture, but can't find quite what you're looking for? This man can build anything for the right price. *wink*

Stay tuned for updated pictures of the nursery - I didn't get around to hanging everything as Mallory showed up a week early.

Diapers, Sleepers, and Books - Oh My!

August was a busy month for us as we continued preparations for Baby Mallory. August 24th was our baby shower in Wisconsin thrown by my best friends, Penny and Amanda, my sister-in-law, Jill and my mom. It was a gorgeous day and the shower was at an outdoor pavilion. We got LOTS of great gifts including a closeline full of tiny baby clothes and blankets and our travel system to tote the little peanut around in.

Mallory and I with our wonderful gifts!

One of my FAVORITE gifts for her room!
Cute and yummy cake
To see pictures of our Illinois shower thrown by my two sister-in-laws, Megan and Shannon, click here. You can see all the fabulous and creative things they did and for us get a glimpse of Mallory's crib bedding made by her Meme.

End of Summer?

I do enjoy summer with all of it's festivities and outdoor activities, but fall is definitely my favorite time of year! The weather is turning cooler, the leaves are in the very beginning stages of changing colors...and what would fall be without football??

Casey and Claddagh show off their Ohio State Spirit (don't look at me, I just took the picture). Ohio State beat Ohio this afternoon 26-14.

With my due date 11 days away Casey is patiently waiting for Mallory with an Ohio State onesie in hand. I, however, am not waiting as patiently...I think this week is as good a time as any for her to make her debut. We'll see what she thinks.

Where did I put that other sock?

I'm sure you've heard of the "Dryer Phenomenon" - you KNOW you put in a PAIR of socks, but miraculously, only one of the two exists when you take the load of laundry out of the dryer.

Here at the Kane house we experience the "Buckeye Phenomenon" -
only it's really not as much a phenomenon as it is the result of a curious terrier.

He 'finds' something and runs off with it triumphantly

(or in this case, secretly) leaving us to wonder where we put said item.

With all the baby socks, clothes and toys we've been accumulating we have this challenge not only with socks, but toys that rattle

and generally anything that fits in his mouth.

And since he doesn't destroy them, it's hard to yell at him ...

Poor Mallory. It wouldn't surprise me if he stole the socks off her little feet.

Birthday & Baby Bellies

My grandpa's birthday was on Saturday

so we gathered to celebrate another great year.

Does he look 89 years old to you??

I have a hard time believing it myself.

He's excited to be a great-grandpa twice over before he hits 90!

Here's a picture of me with my brother's wife, Jill.

You'd never know she's 10 weeks behind me!

(Due dates: Sept. 17th & Nov. 28th)

That bump she's working on is my beautiful niece, Ember!

I can't wait to kiss her pretty little face!

Less than 5 weeks...and counting...

I've been feeling rather behind on the nursery. Slowly, but surely things are coming together. Last weekend I painted this old dresser... (while Casey and my dad installed our new screen door - delegation is the best kind of multi-tasking!)

There's nothing a couple hours, a Brewers game on the radio and a few coats of fresh paint can't cure.After some new hardware - courtesy of Home Depot - and fresh drawer liners we now have storage for tiny, tiny clothes and accessories. (The adorable lamp was a baby shower gift!)I bought and painted some pine rosettes instead of screwing the window treatment finials directly into the wall. Meme (Casey's mom) sewed baby bedding for our nephews, Kane and Braden (first borns), so she was kind enough to continue the trend for Mallory using fabric we picked out. These simple valances are reversible and fabulous! After a trip to Bed, Bath and Beyond with my mom yesterday...easy installation of cordless window shades complete the look.

We're only missing one component: a custom crib from Grandpa. :) Okay, on second thought, the baby might be a more important component. Less than 5 weeks!!

1971 to Present

We attended a luncheon celebrating (bittersweet as it is) my dad's retirement from the Army National Guard. While nothing can sum up over 36 years of military service, it's not for lack of trying ... it was a nice afternoon and here are some highlights.

He was presented with a tail rotor blade from a helicopter - as you can imagine, they're not all this shiny - this one was polished for hours and dressed up with his rank, a few different emblems, an engraved plaque and a clock.
He received a Certificate of Appreciation for his service from the State of Wisconsin followed by a Certificate of Meritorious Service with a letter, both signed by George W. Bush.
An American Flag that was recently flown over our state's capitol in honor of his service:"The Bucky Mug" given to all WI Military retirees. The saying goes: A dollar's worth of porcelain and a million dollar's worth of memories. After the room was called to attention, he was presented with the Meritorious Service Medal (the second in his career). ***His other military awards include the Army Commendation Medal, fourth award for the Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and the ninth award for the Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, among others.
A picture of the unit he served with during his two years on Active Duty in Madison.
Dave Hammen for President?

No, but he had a chance to mention and/or thank all of the individuals he's worked with through the years. When you stick around for as long as he has, you're bound to see lots of people come and go ... he even joked that he came with the building.

It's obvious my dad's had this job for MY entire life and after I thought about it, this picture is the easiest way for me to explain all the things he's accomplished in his career:

Seeing everything in one place is more than impressive, wouldn't you agree? Congratulations, Dad!

The incredible growing Mastiff

I'm amusing myself by finding things to post about ... humor me.

This is Claddagh on June 3rd at 10 weeks old - she weighed in at 24 lbs.

This is Claddagh today only 9 weeks later ... drum roll please ... she weighed in at 65 lbs!!! (And yes, Casey only owns one shirt.)

My doctor would definitely be concerned if I gained 40 lbs in 9 weeks, but she's right on target!

Shoo 'fly' shoo!

Notice anything unusual??




I have to say, Meg ... your dragonfly tattoo is cute, but up close and personal, dragonflies are not so cute. I didn't want to kill it, but I certainly couldn't let it roam around the house either. I had to 'catch' it in a towel to get it outside ... it reminded me a little of you and Sean trying to get the bat out of your bedroom, but with a much lower level of creepiness.

Adventures in Puppyville

When Buckeye goes outside (on his rope) he either comes back to the door or - most of the time - gets wrapped around a bush or a rock and starts barking as an indication that he's stuck and needs to be rescued.

Sidenote: he sometimes manages to REMOVE his collar by, not just slipping it over his head, but by biting the clip so it comes completely off ... Well, today when the barking started I went out to untangle him and this is what I found:

I couldn't help but laugh since he sat staring so innocently at me and quite honestly I was shocked and grateful that he hadn't run off.

While he loves his current OSU collar, we can't take the chance that this will happen again. Claddagh suggested he ask his Aunt Mo to personalize a NEW collar just like the one she has recently grown to love. Perhaps red with black lettering??

She looks so innocent here, doesn't she?? Don't be fooled, she too has an interest for mischief... big girl isn't allowed on the furniture.

I'm convinced they do things to make us laugh so we can't get mad at them. Kids do that too, don't they?? I guess we'll know soon enough ...