Good times!

Woo hoo summer!

Hello All! I hope that you are all enjoying your early summer! As is now our tradition, Jen and I humbly apologize for the serious lack of postings. Considering all that has gone on since our antics in January and February, this might be a long one. So buckle up and prepare yourselves for a magic carpet ride.... er.... something.

Last week was just about as busy as every week. Jen and I need a life coach or something; we keep talking about relaxing- but we find ourselves most in sync with the world when are upgrading, moving, talking, laughing and chasing (Audrey that is).

Early on, Jen and I found ourselves breathing a sigh of relief. Our master bathroom plans have finally come in and cue drumroll.... it looks amazing! For those of you who are currently fans of the DIY network, in the fall you may get a little dose of the goings on in the household bathroom (whether you want to know or not). 2 months ago Jen and I saw a little article in the variety section of the Star Tribune- the DIY was in Minneapolis and looking for bathrooms to upgrade. We jokingly emailed...and ended up meeting with the producer two weeks later. So filming happens early on in June and the episode is planned to air in early fall. The preparation for filming has been...interesting. Since there are other bathrooms that are undergoing construction all the time, we won't hear from the producer or designer for weeks....and then they email us 10 times in the same day to make a bunch of decisions. It has gone surprisingly smoothly, with the exception that the initial bathroom design had Jen near tears. That ultra modern European design.... now looks less modern European. I'm sure Jen would have good description words for it, but from a guys perpective I can give you a brief summary of its more defining features. A round bathroom with flowers on it, a chandalier, a sound system with an ipod docking station, and (fingers crossed) the ultimate shower with digital temp settings and music oriented changing water color stream. We're trying to figure out if a flat screen might fit.

Amongst other more miniscule house upgrades in comparison. I got the garden tilled and a nicer border around it. I'm typing from one of our guest bedrooms as Jen diligently paints. The fan would be completely up if we weren't missing the last screw to add on the light fixture component. I'll be cheerily contacting the Auberville 5 Minute Fan tomorrow to get that sent over. 5 Minute Fan assembly my ass. I nearly lopped off my left testicle trying to assemble the damn thing.

In regards to the little animal that wanders my hallsways. Apparently she talks. A lot. The more popular phrases provided by little Miss Audrey include "Big Poopy", "Stinky Poopy", "I'm running", "Crazy Audrey", and "Uno, dos, tres". Last night she decided that instead of being tickled it would be just as fun to chase down her Grandma Mimi and Grandpa Joe ("Papa") and tickle them instead. We have perfected hide and go seek. I think one of her most amusing moments is when she stands in the middle of a room with her eyes covered. She seems to think I can see her then... I guess I can give her a little slack- she's only 20 months old. Audrey has worked in the garden but hasn't been brave enough to touch the worms yet. She loves her turtle sandbox and give it a kiss before jumping in. She loves her squeaker shoes that only accentuate her love of jumping and running. While most days are filled with music of some sort, her Saturday mornings are spent in music class with Tera and other kiddos. She loves her music classes and even more so singing on her own- whether its in the car, in her crib, or while reading her books. It's not unusual for her to break into a song of her own or start mimicking the words that Mommy is singing. Her personal family favorites are "Cheer Cheer for Old Notre Dame", "10 little monkeys", "The itsy bitsy spider", "Row Row your boat", "Old Mcdonald", "May there always be sunshine". When Jen starts singing to her, Audrey frequently asks her to continue.

The summer promises to be filled with lots of firepit action and grilling. I hope that this posting finds you all well! Much love! Audramatic, Jen, and Ryan