Super-UpdateTron 3000!

Things have been busy, to say the least, in the last three months. That's my excuse for why I haven't updated anything, and I'm sticking to it! And now, for the longest blog entry in history, because I don't really feel like splitting it up into events. Hey, I've got a 5-month-old sitting here. A little laziness is permitted for the sake of my sanity. Ha!

Well, we made the move from New Mexico to Colorado Springs shortly after my last post. The movers came and packed us up, which was wonderful, and they moved our stuff a couple days later. We slept on the air mattress for a couple nights. I was worried that Maya would freak out from sleeping in a new house, on the floor, in a strange, empty room. My fears were unfounded, though, because she did great! I did make sure the floor was thoroughly covered because the previous tenants left the carpet completely disgusting!

Since moving, we have done an insane amount of home improvement. We ripped out and replaced 1700 square feet of carpet, put down 800 square feet of wood floors, painted the kitchen, living room, master bedroom, and guest bedroom (and still have a ton more to paint!), we've re-seeded and revived the front lawn, put new frosted glass up in the kitchen cabinets, got all new energy-star appliances to replace the 25-year-old ones that were in the kitchen, repaired the sub-floor in the kitchen from where their skanky old dishwasher leaked, took out a wall in the living room, and a plethora of other little projects like patching things, painting the chimney, replacing light fixtures, fixing small leaks, putting up closet shelving, etc. Our efforts are paying off, and the house is really coming together. I wish I had about three kid-free days to finish painting Maya's room, the basement, the second guest bedroom (or as we've been calling it, "the shit room"...sorry Grammy!), the guest bathroom, the dining room, and the front room & entryway. A magic wand would be really nice right about now!

I only have a couple "after pictures, so I'll get my camera and take more, and post them in my next blog update.

Ciera came out for her annual one-month summer shopping spree! That's pretty much what it's turned in to. She has so few things because her Dad doesn't work, and therefore has no money. She's a growing girl, and half the stuff she got last year doesn't fit her anymore, or got stained. So, I gave her a chore list, she helped with home repairs where she could, and she did lots of babysitting so Pete and I could get projects done around the house and go out on hot dates.








She ended up earning a good $200 over the course of the month, and we went crazy at the thrift store. She got about 20 shirts and 10 pants. We went on half price day! She also got a new (refurbished) phone with a keypad, got her hair cut and styled at the Toni & Guy beauty school, and went to the mall and got some hot shoes for school, and some running shoes for track. She got her brothers each a giant bag of candy from the sweet shop in the mall. It was pretty much every 13-year-old's dream come true! The best part of her trip was when her Dad said it was OK for her to dye her hair a wacky color. She decided on hot pink streaks, which actually turned out looking pretty awesome if I do say so myself. I'm did it myself, and it turned out looking awesome!






We also went to the zoo, the Air Force Academy to watch fireworks, and a big carnival where we got to pet a monkey and a baby tiger who was visiting from the local zoo (for a mere $20). Hey, it supported the zoo, and we got to hold a tiger! It was a fun and busy month!












Melanie came out for a visit for three days earlier this week. We didn't really do anything special, but it was nice to just hang out, catch up, play with the kids, and not fix or clean anything for three days! We cruised the mall, ate gross food, and took a lovely trip to the new Ikea in Denver. It was heavenly having another adult body around to hold kids, and even better because it was Melanie! We stayed up late chit-chatting and playing pool in the basement, and I made her watch my saved YouTube videos (my favorite torture). Ahhh, adult conversation. How sweet it is!


The most recent development around the Ristig household is that we (really it was just me) decided that we'd go on the South Beach Diet. I haven't dropped any weight since about two weeks after Wyatt was born, which means I'm 12 pounds heavier than I was after I had Maya. I tried the Zone for two weeks, and didn't lose a single pound! I tortured myself for nothing. After I went off the Zone diet and went back to my old, gross eating habits, my weight stayed exactly the same. I was so mad! Well I've re-grouped, and I think South Beach will work. My mom said it works for her, and we're pretty much built exactly the same. Pete has reluctantly, but kindly, obliged to do the diet with me for the sake of my sanity. He even made me a South Beach friendly breakfast this morning. What a guy!

Wyatt got his first tooth on the 25th of July. Once again, I don't have photographic evidence. It'll have to wait until another day. Sorry.

I've also signed up for a knitting class, as well as a local meetup group called "Knitwits and Hooker" of all things! Ha! We'll see if I meet anyone interesting. With a name like that, how could I not!?!

And now, a bunch of cute pictures of the kids. Enjoy!









And us kids!

RIP Peanut Ristig

Our sweet doggie, Peanut, was not doing so well. Her heart disease issues were returning, and her medication was just not doing the trick anymore. Her belly filled with fluid again, and she was just so uncomfortable. We decided to do the right thing (even if it was the difficult thing) and had her put down. It was really sad, but she died very peacefully while being told what a good girl she was. We had her cremated, and her ashes were sprinkled in the Sandia Mountains.

Rest in peace Peanut! We loved you. You were the best behaved doggie we've ever had. Good girl!

A Pictoral April Update

Adventures in Colorado Springs! We went to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on one of our three trips to Colorado Springs. The giraffe exhibit there is so cool! You get to feed the giraffes, and can pet them and everything! I knew the horns on their heads were horns, but for some reason I always imagined they'd feel somewhat squishy, like they were surrounded by fat. Not the case. They were quite horn-y! We went on the last day in the morning, and then drive home to Albuquerque. Both the kids were wiped, and Maya slept a big chunk of the way home, which was heavenly!










Back home! Wyatt being happy in his swing. What a handsome devil!


Having fun with Daddy while waiting for our breakfast at the Church Street Cafe back patio.



Weekend hiking trip to the Bosque! We hit up the Rio Grande Nature Center a couple miles from our house here in Albuquerque. The weather was perfect!

We're Moving to Colorado Springs!

Life this past month has been insane, to say the least! Time for another catch-up on the good ol' blog!

Pete's work wanted to know if he'd be interested in relocating to either Colorado Springs, or Herndon, VA. After getting their ducks in a row, it was decided that Colorado Springs it was! So, three house-hunting trips, two realtors, and a partridge in a pear tree later, we have a house and will be moving on May 16th!

Most of the homes we were looking at had really small kitchens, and were in pretty good neighborhoods. When we saw the home we ended up picking, it was kind of a no-brainer. It was crazy, though, because the next house we looked at was great, too! We were up all night trying to figure out which to choose, doing a points system rating chart, and being generally nervous about making the wrong choice. Well, the universe chose for us, because the other house went under contract. And, I am soooo glad it did! The house we got has 2400 square feet, five bedrooms, three baths, and a ginormous kitchen! It also has an RV pad, and a really cool deck out back. On top of that, it is in the nicest neighborhood I can ever hope to live in!




It's funny, because the neighborhood reminds me a bit of the house I lived in at 9th ave and Northern in Phoenix. I realized that the address there was 8140. The address at the new house is 4180! It was destiny. :)

Pete and I have so many ideas for fixing the place up. We are ripping out all the yucky old carpet, and putting down a combination of carpet and bamboo. we're getting all new appliances, and will most likely change the color of the exterior of the house. Our brains are on overdrive, in a good way!

Free Make-up!

My cousin Molly is doing a give-away on her cute blog, MoreThanHeels.com! I want to win the $25 gift card, so I'm posting here for another chance to win. Plus, her blog has all kinds of nifty, girly tips, recipes, and whatnot so I have no problem passing it along to friends! Check it out!