Growing with the Gilmores

In Honor of the 14th

2012-02-10T16:34:00.000-08:00

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Brian and I met the Saturday after the 4th of July 2005.

oh college apartment...

favorite college bar.... these were the days

2. How did you meet? {What’s your “love” story?}

We had a mutual friend Jeff who was GIRL CRAZY (and exactly like Ty Pennington from Extreme Home Makeover) who would always ask me where my girlfriends were. I always responded with "Where are your tall boy friends?" and he always responded with "I have the perfect guy for you!" Jeff tried to get us together a few times earlier that summer at different parties and such but it never worked out that we both went. Finally one random day just the two of them were hanging out and he called to ask what I was doing that night. I happened to have had 3 invites that night, a party with highschool friends, a party with a college roommate, or meeting this mystery boy. I decided I really wanted to meet this mystery guy that Jeff thought was perfect for me. My friend Kate was nice enough to come along. As soon as I saw Brian my first thought was "oh he's cute! He's kind of perfect looking actually." Then 5 minutes later I was already thinking about how the following summer I wouldnt be able to stay down at school in my apartment like I had hoped because I would be wanting to come back to hang out with this guy. Seriously, I was already planning my life a year from then over a guy I just met. I just knew... and we have been together ever since.

Oh Niagra Falls.... This picture will always crack me up!

3. If married, how long have you been married? If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

We were married June 21st 2008, almost 3 years after meeting.

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We were married in the same church that Brian's parents, aunt and uncle, cousin, and sister were married in. The overall wedding was on the bigger side with the reception at a hotel. Brian's one request for the wedding was that the reception was at a hotel. It was the most fun night ever. Even though it cost my parents probably more than they wanted, they loved every minute as well and admit they would pay for it all again in a heart beat.... BUT that was the only wedding for me! Im sure my sister someday will have an awesome wedding!

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

I most call him Brian, husband, Mister, hubby bubby... and Brian calls me Kim, Kimmy, Rimmie, and a wide range of other random names. The one thing I learned about Brian after we got married and lived together full time was that he talks/sings randomly and constantly. Its kind of like terrets. Its so random the things he comes up with. I really wonder what is going on in his head sometimes.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

I love that he takes such good care of me and our family. I truely believe that supporting us is his goal in life. I love that when I drop something or do anything that makes a loud noise he immediately yells to make sure I am ok when I am in the other room. It really is the little things with Brian that make me know how much he cares. And most of all I just love the way we are together. All of it.. I feel like we just mesh so well. We are the perfect partners to take on this life together.

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

We were headed to a sunset dinner at a local winery for our 2 year anniversary. I had been expecting him to propose soon since we had been ring shopping and talked about getting married the following summer. Dinner was great, we had someone take our picture who then asked how long we were married, but the proposal never came. After he got me drunk he told me "I am not proposing here. You should know I would not do it in public. But I promise to do it sometime in the next 6 weeks." I at some point had promised him that when he proposed I would buy him an x-box bc he always complained that he wanted one but had to save his money for a ring... so in my drunkeness he got me to say Ok to stopping by Game Stop on the way home to buy him his xbox since he promised to propose soon. So we did.... and when we got back to his house I walked into the house to find flowers, champaign, and the ring. Drunk me just kept saying "Where did this come from!? Its magic!" He actually had a good friend come over while we were gone and set it up... It was pretty perfect.

See! Drunk!

me proposing to Brian.

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day, or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

He used to be a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy.... but of course since we are out of the honeymoon stage now its a "We will go to dinner." Its find by me.

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

If we had the opportunity for a sunset dinner on the beach, then yes! We would both like that every now and then. (Remember our anniversary/proposal was a sunset dinner at a winery) But usually we are 100% happy with a movie at home. Sadly we have had gift cards to the movie theatre for over a year because we prefer to just hang out at home.

10. Tell us one thing you’d like to do with your significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

For our 5 year wedding anniversary we definitately want to try to go on a second honeymoon. I am thinking mexico or domican republic! I CANNOT WAIT!

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine’s Day.

According to Brian... "just dinner" but I have no idea when we will actually go.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine’s day?

No... we have a few big purchases coming up so money will be saved for those...

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Having respect for eachother and our relationship.

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Our kids are the greatest representation of our love

Can We Quickly Get Past This Stage??

2012-02-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Leah has been terrible two-ing it up lately!

Driving to Brian’s parents’ house yesterday, I think she asked us “Where are we going?” 100 times during the 15 minute drive… that may or not be an exaggeration. We told her “Grandma and Papa’s house” repeatedly… but eventually we started to ignore her since she was ignoring our answer.

While sitting on the couch last night with me, her with a coloring book and pen…

Leah: “I want to color this.” (pointing to the couch)

Me: “No!”

Leah: “I want to color this,” (pointing to the pillow)

Me: “No! We only color on paper!”

Leah: “Mommy I want to color things!”

She tries to test every boundary possible.

Usually when I tell her no and try to remove her from whatever situation, she either:

1. Throws herself on the floor, face down, crying

2. Tries to hit, pinch, or bite me.

So off to time out she goes….

Our time outs are usually putting her in a bedroom (not her room), on the bed, and closing the door for 2 minutes.

Usually we find her still on the bed, still whimpering a bit.

I ask her if she is ready to be a good girl and ask for her to tell me sorry if she tried to abuse me.

The sweet little girl usually takes over and she nods yes, whispers sorry, and hugs me to pick her up.

Time outs usually go pretty well for us. She usually changes her behavior after giving her some time to calm down.

But yesterday morning we had 5 time outs within 4 hours of her waking up!

The time outs were just not working too great…

I question if the time outs even work.

But what else is there to do?

How do you punish a 2 year old?

I cannot bring myself to spank… and can barely even slap her hand.

How can I smack her hand for something while I am putting her in time out for hitting me?

I feel like it’s a completely mixed signal.

Don’t hit mommy… but mommy can hit you?

This age is exhausting mentally and physically…

I just keep trying to remind myself THIS IS JUST A PHASE.

*** I wrote this earlier... when I picked her up from daycare I was informed she bit a friend for no reason at all. Her friend was trying to climb the steps and go past her and Leah bit him/her!! She is definitely going thru some sort of phase right now...

Obvious now

2012-01-30T17:39:00.001-08:00

The today was the day that a stranger at work finally asked about the pregnancy.

Yep, no longer the question of "fat or pregnant"

Right!?!

A Little Confused

2012-01-25T11:51:00.000-08:00

Last night while potty training...

Leah decides she no longer wants to sit on the toilet. She lifts the seat, and stands in front of it.

Leah: I do it like this.
Me: No!! That is how boys do it! You are a girl! We sit!
Leah: No. I do it like this.

Me to Brian: Uhhhh I think Leah might be watching the boys at school a little too much!

House Tour Part 3 - Let's be real

2012-01-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

It took me forever to get pictures because I had to take them at night....

But at night is when we are home.... when the 2 year old tornado, who can destroy a room in record time is home.

So let's be real... the house is never clean at night.

Ok, Ok... the house is pretty much never perfect.

I am a working mom who also studies 10+ hrs a week on a low side.

I am not a perfectionist.

I do not have OCD.

We live in this house.

And this is how the upstairs looks...

Very lived in.

The loft... The toy room....
I have big plans for this place in my head.... but again that takes lots of Moolah. I would love to paint one of the walls in chalk board paint, get a fun rug, colorful wall decor, more storage... someday.

This would be baby #2's future room.

When we moved all baby items were just thrown into this room... then Leah will go in there randomly and play with the toys.

Just looking in there gives me anxiety. Im dreading sitting down and going thru it all and organizing it, and really getting it prepared for this baby who will be here in a little over 4 months! EEKS!

The kid's bathroom. I love that it has a separate door for the toilet and shower. I can definitely see 2 girls (assuming this baby is a girl and they are 2 years apart in school) getting ready for school, or homecoming, or prom, at these sinks in the future. It will be here before we know it...

Leah's room.

Its huge. I think its about the size of our old master bedroom.

Right now she does not have much furniture.... we transitioned her to a big girl bed by first doing a mattress on the floor. She has moved up to the mattress and box springs, and will soon move on to the actual bed. She also has a bookshelf and desk that is waiting to be painted white someday. I hope for warmer weather, but then I will be majorly pregnant, and then have a new baby.... someday.

This is Leah's closet. Its HUGE! I am standing in a far corner of it which also has some shelf space.

Each of the bedrooms in this house have HUGE walk in closets. Its one of the reasons we loved this floor plan. It will be great as the kids get older.

And look... there's her bed!

More of Leah's room.. and of course Leah jumping on her bed.

I am not sure if I have ever mentioned but my child is a jumper! She jumps and hops all over the place! Constantly!

A view of the loft when we walk out of Leah's room...

And the guest bedroom...

This is where Brian and I will probably be taking turns sleeping once the baby gets here. Having a master bedroom downstairs and a new baby upstairs was one negative to this house, but we know we will love it that way once we get past these baby stages.

And for a few random pictures of the house that I did not put up with the downstairs...

Kitchen looking into the family room.

And yes, that is Leah on the counter.... Look at all that hair! I finally scheduled her first hair cut for mid February.

From the love seat... looking down our long entry way. It really is LONG!

Yesterday a girl scout rang the door bell while I was sitting here. As I got up to walk to the door, she continued to put her little face in the window and watch me the whole time. It was slightly awkward. You almost feel like you need to run to the door when someone rings the bell.

So there you have it... The house we love.

Its crazy to think that even a brand new house there is so much more we want to do to it.

I look forward to comparing these pictures to next year, 5 years, 10 years, 30 years from now.

The evolution of our home...

House Tour - Part 2

2012-01-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to take some pictures at night.....

Here is the rest of the downstairs...

Just a fraction of our long entry way.... I hope to get a small table to put under the mirror in the future.

Master bedroom.
Of course the kitty is sleeping on the clean clothes on the bed....

The only wall decor have up is our wedding photo.... I wanted to put a large mirror on the wall with the light switch, but the darn light switch is right in the middle!!!!! UGG.

Master bath.... closet at the back, toilet room to the right.
I love our bathroom, but my one complaint is that its so big, it never gets hot and steamy during a shower so its freezing when you get out! I miss having a nice warm bathroom to keep me warm in the mornings.

To DO:

I want to do some tiling around the bathtub. Remember I love tile, and when Leah takes a bath in there (its like a swimming pool for her) she gets water all over the wall!

The sinks. I also want to do a little tiling here around the sink...

The family room and breakfast room. We love the windows.

From above..... desperately needing wall decor.

In General.... our house needs some major C-O-L-O-R!! We will get there.... stuff is expensive!! I am anxious to see what the house looks like a year from now...

Project 1 Complete

2012-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

The problem I always have when it comes to anything is I create a picture in my head of exactly what I want.... clothing and house decor mostly... and then I shop and shop and shop and never find anything that is exactly what I want, or in my price range.

From the time we started building this house I knew I wanted a big sunburst silver mirror in the entryway, across from the office. I looked forever for the perfect one but they were always too small, too crazy, or over a hundred dollars, something I was not willing to spend.

On MLK Day, while I was enjoying some shopping, I found the PERFECT mirror at Garden Ridge.... but it was Black.... but only 59.99!

I guess I was feeling courageous because I actually had the thought "I can buy it and spray paint it silver!" For some reason I never had the fear of "What if I waste 60 dollars!?"

So bought it I did... and some spray paint... and home I went to get to work!

It took Brian 6 days to finally put it up for me... but I couldn't be more in love... with Brian or the Mirror.

What's a Pregnant Girl to do....

2012-01-22T12:10:00.000-08:00

.... when your husband takes you into a liquor store.

I wondered.

Lets be honest... Everytime I get the chance to drink now, I become terrified of the possible hangover the next morning.

Taking care of a crazy, energetic child while hungover is NEVER fun.

Drinking just is not worth it anymore...

I did not think I had been out of the drinking scene too long...

I graduated from college 5 years ago this May.

I am still in my twenties....

But I guess motherhood has removed me from the drinking world more than I thought.

There is a whole new world of flavored Vodka's out there!!!

In my early years I was a big fan of Vanilla Vodka and root beer (Root beer float)... or Vanilla Vodka and orange soda (Orange-sicle).

But oh the fun that could be had with these....

Cake, Tropical Punch, Cherry Lemonade, Cotton Candy, Marshmallow

Uh, this one kind of grosses me out....

I told Brian I want this as my present for giving birth!

I wonder if my sister, the college kid, knows about these....

My little princess

2012-01-21T11:35:00.001-08:00

Just like Big Sis

2012-01-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

Remember when it took us 3 tries to find out Leah was a girl....

Today was the day for our anatomy scan ultra sound.

I thought there was no chance that we would have problems finding out with our second pregnancy.

But I guess baby 2 is more like their sister than we think....

Baby's legs were stretched out and glued together.

The ultrasound tech tried a few little pokes and pushes to get the baby to move.

Move the baby did...

It crossed its legs.

It was like the baby was saying "Yep, not doing it!"

I have stubborn children.

Luckily the tech was unable to get any pictures of the baby's feet so we get to have another ultrasound and another chance to find out if we will be welcoming a baby boy or a baby girl.

I originally thought I did not want to know.

But now that I feel the baby, I need to give it a name.

And I need to know for preparation reasons!

If I know its a girl, I can search thru the buckets and containers of baby clothes we have to see if anything will work for a baby girl in June.

If its a boy I need to get shopping.

I know I can always buy neutral... but where is the fun in that!?

And for a little stats... because you know me...

Baby is weighting in at 13 oz. (70th percentile) Heart rate of 167.

Leah, at the 20 week ultrasound came in at 15 oz (90th percentile)

This time around I have only gained 10 lbs (WHOOOHOOO!!!) while last pregnancy I was over 15 lbs at this time. It looks like carrying a 35 lb 2 year old around, up and down steps, can help keep the weight off!

Until March 1st....

Whoa time flies

2012-01-18T07:24:00.000-08:00

1/2 way done with this pregnancy already!

Definitely pregnant.... and I feel like alot more than 20 weeks....

You know the first time you blow up a balloon, it goes a little slow and is hard to stretch.... but each time afterwards its super easy.... I read that pregnancy is that way. The first time takes a while to show, but afterwards you can quickly stretch and grow out there. I feel like I can proof this point.

Anywho... its been a while ...

I started on my FAP modules rather than my next exam. This way I have my job for the next 18 months for sure, and no fear of losing it if I do horribly on my next exam! Im having a little bit of a problem since its not the same sort of studying... its alot of reading. Its nice that its different but I actually miss exam studying! I am also having a hard time making myself do it since I know I have so long to get it done... but my goal is to get thru the first 5 before the baby arrives.... I need to stay on track!

Leah.... her imagination is out of control lately! She LOVES to dress up in her princess dresses and then slow dance with me. I think its all because of Beauty and the Beast. She loves when Belle finally puts on her princess dress and dances with the beast.

She loves to change her babies diapers. The things she says to them cracks me up! "You're icky, I change you." She has a little changing table set up on top of her box of diapers too. Its adorable.

I have also caught her having a dinner party with her dolls at her little table. She even put a blanket down as a table cloth, cooks up a meal in her kitchen, and tells her dolls "eat, eat".

I wish I had pictures of her adorable-ness, but everytime I take the camera out she yells at me and comes running at me. Hopefully this phase passes soon! I miss the "Cheese!", big goofy smile phase!

Her memory has been amazing me too lately. We usually get home about an hr and a half before Brian in the evenings. Leah usually asks to go ride her bike in the basement and I usually respond "When daddy gets home he will take you downstairs to ride your bike." This gives me time to finish up dinner.   As soon as Brian walks in the door she asks him to go ride her bike.    Then this weekend Leah woke up at 615 in the morning and wanted to take the recycling out to the garage.   Of course its FREEZING out and I say "when daddy gets up." At 8 am when Brian came out of the bedroom Leah freaked out, ran to the recycle stuff, and yelled at Brian to help her.

Then last night when I brought her home from daycare she picked up the book "Green Eggs and Ham." Its a book that usually hangs out in the car and we have not read together very much.   She opens it up, without me even saying anything about the name of the book, and just starts "reading" and saying "Ham ham, me no like-y ham". She seriously amazes me!

We are working a little more on potty training. She has gone a few more times at daycare, and her sheet usually says "PA" (potty attempt). At home she loves to sit on the toilet and use up all of the toilet paper.   I have stopped putting her in jeans so that she can freely take her pants on and off herself for when she does want to try and go.... But I feel like we are at a stand still. I dont think she is fully ready yet, but definitely getting closer! Anytime I ask her "Will you use the potty today?!" she always responds "No diapers!" The past few nights though she has woken up a few times a night. As soon as she gets up she tells me she went to the bathroom and needs a new diaper. I am curious is she knows she went and wakes up, or if she wakes up bc she needs to go and then goes once she gets up and out of bed. .... We will get there.

The Things Leah Says

2012-01-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

Because we are entering the age of awesome sayings... I must document!

At 8 am Saturday morning (Brian got up with Leah at 6:30 while I slept in. It was AMAZING!)
Leah: 2 cookies?
Me: No, not now.
Leah: 10 minutes?

Sunday morning while still in our PJs....
Leah: We go shopping.
Leah a few minutes later: We go to Target.
Leah a few more minutes later: We have a party.... for me.... with cake!
Me: Oh really?

Sunday afternoon, Leah fell asleep in the car (after refusing to take a nap all day) on our way to Kirklands. I had just parked the car and was opening up her door to pull her out.
Me: Ok Leah, time to get up! Lets go shopping
Leah half asleep: No shopping. Drive around more mommy.

And a conversation with my sister because sometimes she says the funniest things and what are big sisters supposed to do!?
Background: We were at lunch and she was telling me about the new boy in her life..... oh the life of a 20 year old....
Me: So what is he going to school for?
Jessica: Radio-ology
Me: [blank stare].... Uhhhhh you mean Radiology?
Jessica: No. RADIO- OLOGY
Me: No, I think its RADIOLOGY! Like x-rays and ultrasounds and stuff?
Jessica: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh no wonder he laughed at me when I said it.

Good Day!!

2012-01-06T07:24:00.001-08:00

I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

while I wait for my 12 million rows of data....

2012-01-05T12:06:00.001-08:00

· Leah used the potty yesterday at daycare!! This morning I told her that if she used it again that maybe we could go get a treat after school. Her response “No potty! Diapers!” … 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

· Last night I dreamt that we had our ultrasound. The baby was a girl with LOTS of hair… so much hair that the baby already had pigtails. … maybe this is the result of me actually considering getting Leah’s hair cut for the first time…

· I mentioned wanting to get Leah into some sort of activity. I looked into swim lessons and am rethinking it. Reason 1: Brian is about to start tax season so that means I would be the one taking her… I am not really looking forward to getting into a swimsuit right about now. Reason 2: They are EXPENSIVE! Like 12.75 per ½ hr class! (sidenote: Brian thought this was very reasonable. I was shocked!) Reason 3: I talked to a friend who I knew had taken her little girl to the class (little as in less than a year) and she said it’s mostly to get them introduced to the water and they sing a lot of songs. Singing songs, yes Leah would like. But introduction to water? My child already loves it. Put some floaties on her arms and she is trying to jump in the deep in all by herself. She has no fear of the water. I think I decided that Leah just needs to be taken to the indoor pool to enjoy playing thru-out the winter. For the same price of a ½ hr class we can go for a few hrs and just let her play. I might even consider pulling out my maternity swimsuit and take her in the evenings after work while we wait for Brian to come home…

· I find out about my exam TOMORROW and I am so anxious! Honestly I am anxious to start studying again…. Yes. I know. I am crazy. I just kind of hate the free time at work and would much rather be sitting and studying!

· Leah can officially ride her tricycle by herself! The other night she did 3 full laps around the basement with very minimal crashing into things. She understands needing to steer but sometimes it’s a little too late. Brian and I were so freaking proud of her! We just kept cheering her on and telling her how proud we were and how she was such a big girl. It’s awesome watching her accomplish something new!

· Im starting to feel baby movement. It makes me happy and so much more excited to find out the gender. I feel the need to name this baby and give them more of an identity. Feeling them makes it seem so much more real. 2 more weeks…

· I have a cold and it stinks…. No meds when pregnant…. Uggg. Some Nyquil would be awesome!

2012 Goals

2012-01-02T13:03:00.000-08:00

I really enjoy writing out my goals for the new year and looking back at them in December...

But I have been having a hard time thinking of some good goals this year.

Maybe its a good thing...

I feel settled and happy in life... not wanting/needing more?

Im just not really sure...

I will just go with some of the obvious...

Welcome a happy and healthy baby into your family and live to learn as a family of four.
Pass atleast 1 more exam...
Become more settled in the house.... whether its finishing the basement, new projects, more decorating, or even finishing the baby's room! (That is kind of a must).
A new car for me would be nice.
I really want to get Leah involved in a activity... swim lessons or dance probably.

Those shouldn't be too hard now huh?

Here's to 2012 being a fantastic, stress free year!

The House's To Do

2011-12-31T06:48:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting around to adding a few new house pictures...but all these pictures make me do is realize what we still need to do....

I'll be taking you on this house tour in spurts... mostly because the whole house is not very clean and the lighting is bad right now and we do not have many blinds or curtains to close over the windows and close out the sun.... so sometime at night I will take some more...

Now lets get started....

Ah kitchen.... my love... Its HUGE. I have tons of space left to fill in the cabinets and drawers...

To Do:

See how there is only 1 bar stool? I bought 2 but never noticed until we moved here and I had already built that one that the other one was actually a different color! Remember I got these as a steal from Target, but because its built I cant return it... unless I take it apart... ugg. And they are sold out of additional ones in Black. Annoying. I have found them elsewhere, but twice as much... I cant decided if I want to just pay for another or try to hunt around and find completely different ones for the same price.
Backsplash. I want little tiles... and add in some color... but still keep it light... any ideas?
That half wall below the bar where the stools will be kept... it is getting lots of scuffs from Leah and her little feet on the wall... my cousins wife gave me the great idea of painting it a darker color that I can tie into the backsplash that might hide the scuffs a little more... and our house needs more color in general! Any ideas on color!?!?

This would be the office... also known as current junk room. That doorway heads to our butler's pantry that currently houses our mini fridge and wine fridge, the pantry, and the kitchen. See that desk though... my dad found it on craigslist for FREE!! Its a super nice desk that would have been atleast 1000 bucks! Awesome deal! My dad is king of Craigslists deals. Anyways... back to the room... It is the first room you see when you walk in the front door so we definitely want to make it nice!

To Do:

We were thinking of doing a built in shelves on the back wall.... only about 4 feet tall of so... added storage, would look awesome.... I thought about the whole wall in shelving but Brian pointed out that we wouldnt be able to reach it all.....and I think just half would give us a counter top sort of to work with, and ability to hang stuff on the wall above.
I would also love to do a board and batten to the rest of the room.... I have always loved it and WILL put it in!
I have a set of picture frames to be hung on the right side.... could be a quick fix to the room.
And Oh yeah! We need to finish going thru these last boxes!

half bath....

The mirror in here was my splurge when we moved in... its a pearl mosaic mirror from Peir One. I love it. Brian hated it... and hated it even more when it was time to put it up... its HEAVY but I love it. However... this room is really long and skinny.... and I just feel like it needs something else. I picked up those flowers the other day at Garden Ridge... but when I put them up they seem itty bitty... maybe another to make it look like a larger peice?

Mud room.... Yep those are boxes that need to be collapses and taken to the recycling bin...

To Do:

Mostly Brian just needs to finally hang that bulletin board on the wall already!! Its been 2 months sir!
I have a few other ideas to hang on the walls in this area... Brian really wants a marker board so we can write each other notes... and I was thinking maybe hooks to hang keys and such....
Once the thing gets hung... i want to get a fun lamp that we can turn on when we leave so when we come home its not pitch black when we walk in and we have to find the light switch...

Laundry room obviously....

To Do:

Cabinets over the washer and dryer to hide all that junk...
Backsplash around the sink. I kind of love backsplashes. I love tile...
Some shelving on the other wall that you cant see... with a bar to hand clothes and such...

Well there you have it.... half of the first floor... And already lots still to do... Luckily Brian wants to do most of these things as well... but we will see what gets done when.... he is all about beginning to finish the basement this summer so we will be fighting over the money!

I should be getting a nice bonus in the spring and should be able to do some of these things with it.... I just cannot decide what to do first!!!

Any ideas are welcome!!!

Stay tuned for more!

Let's Review

2011-12-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

Yep, its that time of the year...

I cannot even remember what I intended to do this year... but lets go back to THIS post... and cut and paste below...

Career Goals:

· Get established and comfortable in my new job. I hate feeling so unsure that I am doing things correctly, and needing to rely on others so much. I look forward to working efficiently and knowing that I am doing things correctly! I think I can check this one off! I actually have moments where I know what I am doing! I even have had meetings with people in other company's and told them they were wrong and I was right! ha! Gotta love that!

· Find the perfect work/life balance… hopefully start working from home 2 days a week. Definitely got this one down too. I usually work from home 2 days a week and it makes a HUGE difference in this momma's life. I dont always feel like my weekends are filled with cleaning and laundry. I can actually enjoy my free time with my family.

· Pass 1 exam and receive credit for VEE – Finance. This is totally attainable. I am not setting myself up for failure. I do however hope it means passing MLC because I will have MFE already behind me… but either is acceptable. I passed MFE AND received credit for VEE - Finance!! I find out in 1 week if I passed MLC... there is a slight chance I even passed it! Keep your fingers crossed... but if not, I am totally checking it off the list in May!

Family Goals:

· Put our house on the market and hope it sells sometime in 2011. We are OK if it takes a while… more time to save… but we are ready to begin the move to Rockwood School District! (I won't say Fenton… in case we end up in Wildwood or something… and I am OK with that too.) Ha! This was the drama of 2011. House went on the market in Feb. We received an offer May 31st. Mid July they began construction on our new house. The end of July it fell thru because they couldn't get a loan. (stupid economy). We considered renting. Beginning of September my parents offer to buy it from us. End of September its theirs and we pay my parents rent for 6 weeks. End of October we moved into the Rockwood School District, although not Fenton, we are 100% happy! My parents are now renting out our old house and happy as well. Funny how things work out in the end!

· Grow even more as a family and enjoy every second as a family of 3! Get more active; enjoy all the FREE and amazing activities St. Louis has to offer, like the Zoo, Science Center, Magic House, Grants Farm, Bike trails, baseball games… Leah will be older and ready to have some fun!! Well we definitely enjoyed our life as a family this year. Life with a toddler if definitely alot more fun than life with an infant. We did hit up the zoo, grants farm, the bike trails (though not enough) Leah's first Cardinals game, and the pool alot.... we hope to make it to the Magic House here in the next few weeks... and now that we live across the highway from a major amusement park (seriously, we can see roller coasters and such from our house) we plan on getting season passes and going for a few hours a week once it opens!

· Baby # 2! … and that is all I am going to say about that…. Ideally (you know we have this planned out) baby #2 will not be born until 2012 though… Check, Baby 2 will be here in about 22 weeks! OMG! Things went almost exactly as planned... Leah and baby will be about 2 years, 6 months, and 2 weeks apart. ha! I told you we are planners.

Personal:

· Find a real hobby. Maybe photography if I ever get my fancy camera. Or learn to sew? Just become more crafty in general… Yep, didnt happen.... instead I spent the past few months without a camera in general. I just got a new point n shoot for christmas (thanks in-laws) but I think I have gotten out of the habit of taking pictures all the time. Oh and my brother was just gifted an amazing camera out of the blue from his in-laws this Christmas... yes, I am a little jealous... I dont feel horribly bad for not finding a hobbie... I still consider studying a hobby of mine and I had a pretty successful year in my exams....

· Find time to do new hobby. ... I've learned to manage my time better when it comes to studying....

· Not get so stressed out… easier said than done….I think I have done better this year! When I took my last exam in Nov, I did not freak out nearly as badly as I have in the past!

Overall I think 2011 in meeting my goals was pretty successful. There were a few bumps in the road... the house drama, losing my Aunt and learning to live without her and my Grandma in my life... 2011 has been pretty good.

And I know 2012 will be amazing! Looking forward to it...

Most wonderful time of the year

2011-12-27T17:12:00.001-08:00

It was all pretty fabulous!

I couldn't have asked for more!

Differences

2011-12-20T09:43:00.000-08:00

This pregnancy is just so different.

Its not a bad pregnancy by any way, but its definitely not rainbows and butterflies.

I do not feel the happy, glow, of an expectant mom.

I AM happy and excited about this pregnancy.

I cant wait to meet our little one.

I cant wait to see how our life of 4 revolves.

I cant wait to see how Leah steps into her role of Big Sister.

I cant wait to have a 10 lbs baby to carry up and down the stairs rather than my 34 lbs toddler who requests "hold me like baby mommy".

I feel like our new house needs our new baby to get here so it can really feel like home.

But I FEEL so tired and gloomy and grumpy and crabby.

My hormones are out of control.

I feel cranky and irritated all the time.

I have zero patients.

I know its just the crazy effects of pregnancy.

I don't want to be this way...

I hope a switch will change.

I hope these hormones settle a bit.

I want to enjoy these last 5 months as a family of 3 and a slightly less stressful life.

Maybe once I start feeling this baby move my mood will pick up some...

Until then, don't take any attitude I might give you personal.... ITS THE BABY!

Growing

2011-12-16T06:23:00.001-08:00

Last night my body ached.

I was nervous that the rest of this pregnancy would feel like this.

I commented to Brian about how rough 2nd pregnancy was feeling.

But this morning I am feeling much better!

And I look much bigger.

Baby must have has a growth spurt and I was doing some major stretching.

B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L

2011-12-06T14:17:00.001-08:00

Is this not the most gorgeous picture of the prettiest little girl? I could look at it forever.

Love her SO. MUCH.

This is going fast!

2011-12-06T04:44:00.001-08:00

Time is just getting away from me...

Not to mention it is the busiest time of the year...

And all my free time I have been addicted to reading the Hunger Games. SO GOOD.

Binkie update... Leah has been binkie free for 2.5 weeks! ... she still will talk about her binkie though and how it broke and she said bye bye to it. Its kind of adorable.

I'm already 14 weeks... A little comparison...

With Leah...

This time around.... in the same shirt of course!

I am definitely feeling much rounder... last time I had a much more toned stomach to begin with... this time Im much flabbier.

I think all signs are pointing to me being gigantic this pregnancy...

A Brother or a Sister

2011-11-30T14:04:00.001-08:00

Peoples first comment once I say I am pregnant is "Do you want a boy!?"

Sure, a boy would be very nice!

A boy would give some balance in life.

A boy would give Brian someone more likely to play video games and someone Brian can pass his HUGE stash of baseball cards too and maybe care about them.

But a girl would be really nice as well.

Not that I already have all the clothes, because they will be in completely different seasons and I doubt I would get the chance to reuse much at all...

But nice because I would love to give Leah a sister.

I love having a sister. I love the girl time that my mom and sister are able to have.

I want Leah to experience the same.

I think the one negative in my sister and I's relationship is that we are 7 years apart. Alot of the time I mother her more than be there as her friend.

Leah and this baby will only be 2.5 years apart, 2 years in school... I hope that they will be the best of friends for life!

I think a girl, and a friendship for life, would be an amazing gift to give Leah.

***

At my first appointment the heart rate as 180. I thought for sure a girl. But yesterday the heart rate has dropped to the 160s...

My morning sickness has not been anywhere near what is was with Leah....

What do you think I am having?

T-W-O

2011-11-22T06:33:00.001-08:00

Last Friday my baby girl became a BIG (seriously big, I will get to that later) two year old.

Her days of babyhood are long gone.

She has entered this toddler stage head on and is everything you think of a two year old.

She talks up a storm. 4-5 word sentences. Brian actually got her to say "Daddy you are my favorite person" the other day. It made his year.

You can call her Miss Independent. She must try to dress herself, wash her own hands, diaper herself, feed herself, buckle herself into the car, close the doors. She often says "I can do it." and "No help." And once she has accomplished whatever it is she wanted to do she declares "I did it!".

We have said good bye to the crib and binkie as well. She currently rests on a single twin mattress on the floor. In a few weeks I think we will move it up to an actual bed when we are sure she will not be falling off. At first she would wake up so proud of herself for sleeping in her bed, proclaiming "I sleepy in my bed!"

Saying good bye to the binkie is our newest accomplishment. I cut the tips and gave them to her. She declared they were broken and willingly threw them in the trashcan saying good bye to them. She has been doing great since. One rough night of sleep, but last night she almost slept thru the night.. I say almost because she actually woke up, I went in to check on her and she kicked me out! She quickly went back to sleep on her own. Seriously, can we say BIG GIRL!?

Her 2 year old check up assured us that Leah is in fact a big, healthy growing girl.

37.5 inches tall (99.66th percentile)
33 lbs 11 oz (97.80th percentile)

My little giant! Out of 1000 two year olds, only 34 of them would be taller than Leah!

We have been anxious to see how tall Leah would be at 2 years old. We had heard of the myth that your 2 year old height, times 2, is your adult height. I asked the doctor if she saw it to hold true and she said no, it rarely holds true. She agreed that Leah will be tall, that is obvious, but we are both unsure if she will be 6'3! I am sort of glad because I am not sure I would want her to be 6'3! We dont want her teased... 5'11 or 6 foot we welcome though.

We also discussed with her doctor how coordinated Leah is. The doctor even declared that she will be our athlete. Can we say Brian and I's dream come true? ha!

Whether that comes true or not, we are sure that whatever she becomes she will be AMAZING.

And now a few pictures of the birthday girl...

Out to get ice cream. Being spoiled by her Grandma and Grandma G. (Leah calls her Grandpas "Grandma", and then she giggles. She knows they are "Grandpa" but refuses to call them that. Her little joke I guess.)

Opening all her presents all by herself.

Her birthday cupcake. A little unsure of the candles and the singing.

Mommy had to help blow out the candle.

She is now cupcake obsessed and asks for one ALL THE TIME

Look What I Did!

2011-11-16T13:41:00.001-08:00

For like a year I have been wanting to re-cover our kitchen chairs.

I finally did it today and I am bummed I waited so long!

It was super easy and only cost me 35 dollars... that included the cost of staple gun which I now love and want to staple everything in site!

I picked this dark fabric because I hoped it wouldn't look so horribly stained and dirty so fast (We took Leah out of the high chair but she now drops everything onto her chair)... but now that I know that it was so easy and cheap I am excited to choose more fun and pretty patterns in the future!!

Cha-Cha-Changes

2011-11-14T04:41:00.001-08:00

Starting to look pregnant...

A bit more round than I was with Miss Leah... I guess this is what 2nd pregnancy does to ya...

Starting to feel a bit better...

More energy!

Much less morning sickness...

I can see 2nd trimester on the horizon!

Thoughts that need out of my head...

2011-11-07T15:43:00.000-08:00

*** I am hoping that if I write this then I can get back to studying because my test is in like 15 hrs....

I love it when people who have known me since I was little call me "Kimmy". Friends, friends parents, my dad... I just checked my voicemail and the first thing I heard was "Hey Kimmy" from my dad... it made me almost want to cry (pregnant remember) because Yes, I still am his little girl named Kimmy Kozlen.
I love getting Tostadas from Taco Bell because its what my dad and I used to always get. I do not know of a single person other than us that ever orders them... So good! Try it! I also love to get Chilli Cheese Burritos because they remind my of my brother.
I think I am just in a very sentimental mood...
I have been sleeping very heavily lately... There are railroad tracks close to this house. The sound of the trains have never woken us up, its more like a gentle rumble when they pass. I had a sound machine once (my brother bought it for me for Christmas one year... I wish I still had it!) and it had a train on it. There is also the static/white noise of the baby monitor all night that seems to knock me out. We never really had to use a baby monitor before but because the master bedroom is downstairs and Leah is upstairs its needed... except I end up in such a deep sleep I dont always hear her stirring until she is standing at her door screaming for me to let her out...
Yes, my almost 2 year old still will not always sleep thru the night. When we moved we moved her to a regular bed... or really just her twin mattress on the floor, as 8 inches to fall off is not so bad until she learns to stop rolling all over the place like a crazy person... and we are in the adjustment period still. Usually when she wakes up she gives me some sort of commentary as to why "I fell. I fell." or "I dont see any binks".
I wish I could just go to sleep right now... but I must take another practice exam...

Just a week late...

2011-11-07T05:31:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to throw some Halloween pictures up before my thoughts become clouded with baby brain...

Our new neighborhood is A-W-E-S-O-M-E for trick-or-treating! Everyone was sitting out in the drive ways with their fire pits and a group of friends enjoying the night. There were kids Leah's age all over the place! I do not remember ever seeing so many kids out on Halloween, all around the same age. My sister-n-law brought over her family and we got to enjoy the night together! The night made me even happier with our move to Eureka! (I promise to put pictures up once we get more settled... hopefully by next weekend. We still have boxes everywhere, curtains to be hung, and decor to be put out...)

Leah LOVED trick or treating. She went up to everyone, said "Trick Treat" and would grab for a handful of candy. I often had to pull her away and remind her that we only get 1 piece. She asks for her candy daily... and we luckily are almost done with it... besides the 3 musketeers and M & Ms I put in the freezer... yum!

My sister also came over and brought Leah a Halloween goodie bag which included bubbles. Leah tried for almost an hour to blow the bubbles but never blew a single one! She was so darn cute trying though! I dont think she even noticed that nothing was happening. She just knew you were supposed to dip the stick and blow!

Leah insisted on putting her coat on when it was time to head out. She actually made me take her costume off and put her coat on... I had to bring the costume with us and as we came up to the first house she let me put it back on her. I was nervous for a second...

Fun Facts

2011-11-06T17:58:00.000-08:00

I have been part of 4 weddings.

Wedding 1:

Our wedding

Wedding 2:

Maid of Honor in my sister-n-laws wedding

Fun fact about wedding 2:

2 weeks before the wedding I hosted the bachelorette party. We had ALOT of fun. So much fun that I happen to think that Monday morning when I threw up, I was suffering from a 2 day hang over. Little did I know that Friday I would take a pregnancy test and it would be POSITIVE! At the wedding I was about 6 weeks pregnant.

Wedding 3:

33 weeks pregnant in my brother's wedding. I did not par-take in the bachelorette party because they went Floating. Getting in a dirty river and drinking tons are 2 things that do not go along with being in your third trimester.

Wedding 4:

Maid of Honor in my best friends wedding a few weeks ago.

Fun Fact:

I did not drink too much at the bachelorette party because I feared being completely hung over the next day. Priorities definitely change when you have a kid to take care of the next day. However, I did have a few beers and a few shots and did enjoy myself... The following Wednesday I was feeling a bit off. I headed to the dollar store and bought a pregnancy test and what do you know!?

Fun Fact: I texted this picture to Brian when I found out with the words "Call me as soon as you get this!" Well 10 minutes later he never called... I called him... he thought I had sent him a picture of a wii controller and obviously saw no need to call me about it immediately.

How strange is it that both times I have been a Maid of Honor I find out I am pregnant the week following the bachelorette party? Ha!

I am currently 9 weeks. Due June 8th, but will have a c-section sometime during the week before.

So far this pregnancy seems a bit rougher than before. I think it might just be the fact that I have a toddler to take care of and cannot go to be at 7 o'clock at night or take naps freely thru-out the day. I definitely am looking forward to getting thru this first trimester.

I have been having a whole range of emotions when it comes to having a second baby. I definitely look forward to blogging them all out...

Stay tuned.

Home Sweet Home

2011-10-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

We are moved in.

We are exhausted.

The house is a WRECK.

Hopefully we can get it all under control and settled in in the next few days.

I can study.

Get thru my exam.

And give this blog a little TLC.

Surviving

2011-10-25T06:23:00.000-07:00

I have been a horrible blogger lately.

I am just trying to get thru these next 2 weeks.

We move Friday... as in 3 more nights in this house!!!

I am beginning to get a little sad.

We will have to say good bye to the house where Brian proposed, we built a foundation to our marriage and life, we brought our baby girl home and became parents...

There are definitely a lot of memories here.

My exam is 2 weeks from today.

I have not been into the office in a week and a half, and will not be returning until Nov 9th.

I am just trying to juggle life right now.

And the icing on the cake is a very important doctor appointment next week which I have been waiting over a month for....

I just need to survive 14 more days....

I'm So Proud of My Girl!!

2011-10-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

After bath tonight Leah was interested in sitting on her potty....

I let her sit naked... using up all my toilet paper while I put away clean clothes and cleaned the kitchen. They only thing I was expecting was for Leah to use up the rest of the toilet paper...

About 20 minutes after Leah decided to come to the family room because she was out of toilet paper and wanted to attempt to put on her own diaper....
Ok whatever.... Im super tired and cranky today so whatever entertainers her...

After attempting to put her diaper for 5 minutes she tells me "I potty."

I told her she can go back and sit on the potty if she wants and off she ran.

After a few minutes I go to check on her and shes standing in the bathroom looking at her potty slightly confused.

She peed IN THE POTTY!!!!!

I cheered and squealed... and then felt bad that she didn't have any toilet paper left.

I grabbed a new roll for her and gave her some.... but then she wanted to clean up her pee with the toilet paper... blah!!! We will have to work on that one...

I am not going to start pushing the potty training right now...

I secretly am hoping we can really get it going when she starts at her new daycare. When I went to visit they talked and talked about how awesome their 2 year old teacher was at getting them all potty trained and I am definitely hoping Leah jumps right in with wanting to work on it as well!

Until we get there I am just going to sit back and continue to be amazed at how she is growing right before my eyes!

Its starting...

2011-10-06T14:15:00.000-07:00

Had my first panic attack of the exam season today....

I freaked out when I realized that my exam is a little over 4 weeks away and I am no where near ready...

I have reviewing to do.

SOA problems to do.

Practice exams to do.

And I need to move before then!

There is so much to pack.

And so much to clean.

And so much on my mind.

I'm overwhelmed.

And freaking out.

I still have a month and 2 days to go.

I hope I can keep this all in control...

Once the panic attack hit I went into super speed.

I cleaned the kitchen.

I washed some dishes.

I vacuumed.

I did some laundry.

I started studying.

I may have even told myself that if I study for 2 hrs I will give myself a break to scrub/mop the floors.

I feel like "I MUST KEEP GOING! I MUST DO IT ALLLLL."

As much as panic attacks ... make me crazy and feel like I am about to explode, I must say they make me pretty darn productive!

Maybe I need to have a few more in the next month.

According to Leah

2011-10-02T12:35:00.001-07:00

Counting to 10 = 1...2...3...6...9...10!! And then you clap!
Love her!

1 month & 1 day

2011-09-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

Until moving day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OMG! I am so excited!

Look we have flooring!!!

master bath

And next comes more flooring and my kitchen cabinets!!!!!!!!!!!

I cant wait to see it next!

Home Free

2011-09-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

I just wrote out my first rent check.

As of 4:45 this afternoon we are officially debt free, our house is finally sold, and we have my parents as landlords!

That's right, my parents bought our house.

When our previous buyer fell thru and we were considering renting it out ourselves, my parents made us an offer we couldn't refuse.

My dad has always been interested in rental property. Him and my Uncle are currently renting out my grandmother's old house. The idea of a rental check coming in monthly once he retires seems pretty tempting.

But I know my parents did not do this strictly as a "I want rental property" kind of thing, I know my parents were worried about us. We could have rented it out on our own, and possibly had everything work out perfectly down the road. But we are not in the greatest point in our lives to take on that sort of risk. What if we had to pay 2 house payments, with 2 kids in daycare down the road? There is so much stress that comes with rental property when its property you don't owe out right.

My amazing father made the comment after he made us our offer that "I know finances are the biggest problems for marriages and I do not want the stress of 2 mortgages to do anything to your relationship." Hearing him say that means so much. Its like he was telling me "I am proud of your life choices, and your family." Even at 27 I still strive to make my parents proud.

So in return of my parents buying our house, I have promised to put them in a good home and take extra good care of them when they are older. Luckily, I was already planning on doing that...

This situation has also made me realize that I want to make sure we can do the same for our children some day. We need to continue to be responsible with our money and actions and plan for the future.

And right now the future is looking pretty amazing!

Ta-Da

2011-09-17T19:16:00.001-07:00

Best 50 dollar chair ever!!

Unplanned shopping

2011-09-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

Today we spent WAY more money than we planned....

We thought we would stop by a local appliance store to check out possible fridges, washers, and dryers... checking them out was the plan... we walked out with a fridge, washer and dryer being purchased...

We had an idea of the type of fridge we wanted... and werent expecting to get anything fancy on the washer and dryer... But when the sales guy asked if we wanted him to price out the fridge we wanted WITH front loader washer and dryers we were not expecting him to come back 1,000 dollars less than what we were thinking....

We were sold!

Then I went to Target and had about the most successful shopping trip EVER!

We are putting in our own mirros in the bathrooms in the new house... i kind of hate the sheet of mirrors.... so I have been on a mission to find the perfect size, shape, design.... and finally got Brian to agree to the mirrors for the master bathroom and the kids bathroom, which were on sale for 37 dollars a peice at Target.   We were in need of 4 and were never expecting to get all 4 at the same store, but the Target by our house actually had 4!! I was so happy to not have to run around to multiple Targets to get matching mirrors.

Then as I was walking down the end of the isles towards the check out I spotted 2 large boxes on the clearence rack... and I realized they were swivel bar stools....excatly what we were wanting.... But they were black.... but then I remembered that our counter tops are back and brown.... they could be PERFECT!   I frantically seearched for a price tag! I noticed there was an address on them... someone ordered them online and returned them... was something wrong with them? Broke? I spotted the price tag... 50 dollars... originally 99.99!   100 dollars off for 2!? I asked if I could take them home, put them together and bring them back if something was wrong... Target said OK! But they are probably fine... if they were returned for something bad, they wouldnt put them back to be sold, but they were only marked down alot because they are online only items and they just want to sell them fast.   Well they were definitely sold fast to this lady!!

To top off my awesome shopping day I picked up a comforter set for our new spare bedroom/bed. (Brother we can still have your spare bed right!?) Yeah, it was orginally 80 dollars, on clearance for 20! I am awesome!

We definitely spent alot more than we planned today... but I think we saved ALOT on items we were going to be buying down the road anyways!

And OMG... I am currently finding myself at 8 pm on a Saturday with BOTH Brian and Leah asleep!!! You would have thought I drugged them because this would never ever happen!   I guess power shopping wears them out!... so off I go to put together a bar stool!! I love putting together furniture and I am too anxious to see how these things turn out!!

I will definitely let you know how it goes!

2011-09-15T04:43:00.000-07:00

I know my posts are currently few and far between…

I have written up a few drafts but just cannot find the words to finish them.

I currently feel like my head is spinning… so you will have to accept a few sentences on a variety of topics…

My exam is 8 weeks 7 weeks, 5 days away. At times I feel like “I could pass this sitting” and other times its more like “There is no freaking way!” but I must continue to try… 21 study hours per week is needed to get an acceptable 250 study hrs for this exam.   That is still far less than the recommended study time but pretty good for me.    … But let me tell you… its hard to fit in 21 hrs per week when I am already working 40 hrs per week (Ok its less, bc I do get to study at work… but still!) and a mom 168 hrs a week.   Right now I am eat, sleep, life contingencies!

The house will be finished by the last week of October at the latest!!! OMG this is like the most exciting news in the whole wide world… to Brian and I! but then it hits me that OMG… I have to move BEFORE I take my next exam? So not only am I studying 21 hrs a week, working 40 hrs a week, a mom 168 hrs a week, but I need to pack up my house and move 45 minutes away as well?!

I can do it… Breathe…

I am already dreaming about Tornados….. I dream about tornadoes frequently when I feel like my life is spinning out of control…. And I am definitely starting to feel that way…. but in a kind of good way. I feel like my stress is all good stress... a job I love, a new house, lots of family activities...

But lets review:

7 weekends until Exam.

Within those 7 weeks I need to:
·         Throw a bridal shower
·         Host a bachelorette party
·         Attend a weekend wedding in WI
·         Attend a first birthday party for my niece
·         Take Leah to the pumpkin patch for some fall family fun time… seriously it is a MUST
·         Be the maid of honor in a wedding …. Oh yeah I still need to get my dress altered
·         Attend a baby shower
·         Pack up my house
·         MOVE
·         And study for 160 more hrs.
·         Oh and work
·         Halloween… hello!? What should Leah be!?
·         And maybe start thinking about Leah’s 2nd birthday party…. Because OMG she turns 2 years old in about 9 weeks!!

It is all good stress…. But AH! And once its over… it’s the holidays… and then exam time again.

I cannot wait till I am a fellow and I do not need to study and I can actually enjoy life… and hobbies… and relax.

5 more years....

Twenty Seven

2011-09-05T17:01:00.000-07:00

I still feel the same as I felt last year as I turn 26.....

But it has been a pretty great birthday.

The weather was AMAZING.

We hit up Grants Farm with my sister-n-laws family.

Then had a BBQ at my parents with both my family and Brian's family... together! I am so lucky that our familys get along and we can spend time all together! It really makes life easier! :)

I received multiple giftcards to HomeGoods, Peir One, and Target to buy some fun stuff for the new house.... I cannot wait to get shopping!!!

Heres the back of the house, taken this weekend. They started on the siding!! This week they are supposed to start working on the installation and dry wall! Can. Not. Wait. To. Go. Back. Next. Week!

26 was a bit of a rough year... Losing my Grandma, then Aunt, and all this house drama... Something tells me 27 will be AMAZING!

How Do Parents Survive?!

2011-09-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

These Terrible (Almost) Twos are HARD!

Tonight Leah threw tantrim because she was trying to dress herself and could not figure out why she could not move when she had2 legs in one pant leg of her PJ pants... or when putting her shirt on with hergs going thru the neck whole first does not work very well. She seriously ended up on the floor, kicking and screaming because she could not dress herself.

Then she asked for a banana, I peeled one and gave it to her... and immediately threw it on the floor! She went for a time out.... calmed down and asked for another one 2 minutes later. I first gave it to her, and when she could not peel it herself I asked if she wanted help. She nodded yes and gave the banana back to me. I peeled it and handed her the fruit.... and then she threw it back at me!!!!!

Back to time out she went.... which is in her crib.... we still have not figured out how to keep her in one spot besides the crib.... and she passed out... im sure from pure exhaustion of these crazy tantrims she has been throwing.

She wears me out!!!

When do we get past this "I want to be independent" stage... because it cannot come soon enough!

TG3DW

2011-09-02T09:08:00.001-07:00

This week has pretty much been miserable!

Sunday Brian left for a business trip to Pittsburg.

Monday I got Leah up and to daycare, got to work, and my computer CRASHED! The IT guy came by to see it and all he said was "Oh this is not good." And took my computer away…

Tuesday I usually work from home, but because I currently did not have a computer to remote into I had to head to the office. I was given a new computer but pretty much lost everything! They didn't even load back all the programs or access I previously had… so annoying!

On Tuesdays Brian's parents were kind of enough to take Leah to the zoo rather than her having to spend the day at daycare. Supposedly they had a fabulous time… until she fell on her butt, screamed bloody murder, wouldn't sleep, and broke out in a fever!

Isn't it a law of physics that when a parent goes out of town a child gets sick?

Wednesday morning started off with a trip to the Doctor. Infected bug bite on her butt. Yep, that's right…. Antibiotics were given and back to daycare for Leah since her fever was not the result of anything contagious… and she was acting a lot better.

I was hoping to just head home and work from the recliner, but when I tried to log on it said some silly stuff about my access being denied! So 30 miles into work I went…. Annoyed.

Thursday was an improvement… but it brought me to the realization that Leah is a Barney addict. We watched the same episode 3 times in a row… and then she cried bloody murder when I turned it off and made her go to bed. Yes, I let Leah watch Barney 3 times in a row… I was/am exhausted from the week… she may have also drawn on the couch… but Brian finally came home right in time for bed time.

Friday is here!! But it has not started off the best…. I woke up feeling like I was hit by a truck…. And puked…. No, I am not pregnant… I don't think…. I definitely am not feeling great. I desperately want to head home and crawl into bed! I am still experiencing computer issues and cannot even progress on my work because I am still waiting for IT to get my computer to speed… Hopefully I will find the will power to study soon!

Thank. Goodness. for a 3. Day. Weekend.

Oh and my birthday Monday…. Is it wrong that all I want for my birthday is some alone time where I can just sleep and shop all by myself?! … Because it sounds really amazing right now.

Reality

2011-08-27T13:48:00.000-07:00

The house is coming along quickly.

Only 2.5 more months until move in time.

Every weekend I am becoming more and more anxious to go see the house. Its a 45 minute drive from where we currently live so once a week is about all we can do...If it was closer I would probably be there every other day!

I think the next steps are dry walling, but then comes all the fun stuff! Flooring, cabinets, lighting, Oh my!

We have decided on a plan of action to get us to this house.... now we just need to get the ball rolling. I will save the details of our plan for another post.... just know we have AMAZING people in our lives.

I cant wait to get moved in and settled. I feel like the past year our lives have been put on hold hoping we could make this happen and now we are so close to the end. I am ready to start relaxing and making this house our forever home. The home we will hopefully bring more children home too and watch them grow as Eureka Wildcats!

I. Can. Not. Wait!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-24T13:47:00.001-07:00

Leah's first Cardinals game

21 Months

2011-08-20T05:14:00.000-07:00

2 years old is right around the corner. I can barely believe it.

Leah's baby qualities are quickly fading as the little girl, with a big personality, is appearing.

Just looking at Leah, the long legs and long hair have taken over. The only physical evidence of her babyhood is her diapers and chubby cheeks.

The other day someone again commented on how she looks like a real life cabbage patch kid. I have already proven this theory.

People frequently ask her questions, expecting a response... "What is your name?" "How old are you?" Easy question for someone maybe a little older...When she doesnt respond I have to let people know that "She's only a year and a half." .... but now I guess I can say "Shes almost 2.".... Or "She's not yet 2".

Other Leah facts:

She is wearing size 2T clothing, but even some 3T. She is currently in size 9 shoes.
She has finally discovered the TV and LOVES to watch Barney and Elmo. I dont think Brian and I will ever get to watch regular TV ever again.
She is still going to sleep at 9 pm and its exhausting for Brian and I... We have been trying to get it back to 8 but its a real struggle.
She can drink out of a regular cup like a big girl! ... but it still makes me nervous. Its also a struggle with her to keep the lid on her cups.
She fights us to get dressed in the morning or put on PJs, yet she seems to have a new obsession with her clothes where she likes to fold them and try to put them on herself. She still hasnt completely realized that shirts go over your head and not on your legs. As for pants, she can get her legs in the holes, but cant pull them all the way up.
She fights us to get in the bathtub... but once she is in she is in it, it lasts for atleast 30-45 minutes. She thinks its a pool and just swims around.
Getting in the carseat is another struggle as she wants to do all the buckling herself. Its OK if we are not in a hurry bc I can sit and work with her until she gets everything buckled, but in the mornings when we are in a hurry, its a fight.

So have you noticed how many times I said things are a fight or struggle? She is definitely testing her boundaries with us. Many of these things lead to tantrums.... which I am just getting used to at the moment... I know I have plenty of them ahead of me with this strong willed little girl!

I Don't Think We Can Let It Go..

2011-08-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

I know I said I would stop talking about the house situation but I just cannot. It is something MAJOR going on in our life right now and I need to vent.

Every time we have been out to see the new house we realize even more how we need to do everything in our ability to get this house.

I know we say we will be OK staying in this house... but I know we will feel like we lost a loved one... like we are giving up on a dream... just waiting for something to happen. I dont want to live the next 5 years feeling like that.

This is OUR house....

Main entry way

From left to right: breakfast area with doors to the future deck, family room, and the master bedroom.

Looking back down the entry way to the front door and loft area upstairs.

From the back... there are 2 extra windows that we were not aware of so it makes the house even more amazing and hard to let go...

We currently are looking into renting... We are very risk adverse people, but we might just be willing to take on this risk. Its scary to think of all the horrible things that could go wrong, but at the same time it could work out amazingly at the same time...

We hope to figure things out this week.... If we want to rent we should get moving on it as soon as possible...

I am trying to remember a few new quotes...

Progress always involves risks. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first. ~Frederick B. Wilcox

This nation was built by men who took risks - pioneers who were not afraid of the wilderness, business men who were not afraid of failure, scientists who were not afraid of the truth, thinkers who were not afraid of progress, dreamers who were not afraid of action. ~Brooks Atkinson

“If you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything.”

They know us!

2011-08-09T16:30:00.000-07:00

Leah and I stopped by Target tonight to pick up a few things.

Leah was recognized in the store by an employee.

I know Leah is probably the most adorable little girl anyone has ever seen, but to be honest it was all because of these new shoes....

The light up and are pretty awesome.

And yes, it was our 2nd visit to Target in 72 hrs...

Our Target is getting groceries in October. I seriously will have no reason what so ever to go anywhere else ever again!! ... but I think my average time in the store might double.... oh well, its my happy place. ... and Leah's too!

Scratchy throat and runny nose in 100 degree heat?!

2011-08-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah it sucks!

I think its a mix of little sleep, stress, and Leah's new daycare germs that has me feeling so crappy...

Id love to write more but Miss Leah does not go to sleep before 9 pm anymore and sleep really has priority over quality writing...

Good Night!

Whatever Will Be Will Be

2011-08-05T16:59:00.000-07:00

First order of business.... a house update.

The couple who came by Sunday told us Wednesday that they are really interested, thought it is priced great, but it is a little more than they hoped to spend. We decided to have our Realtor tell them what our bottom line is... (about 5% less than the current price) They came back with the comment that its still outside of their possible loan range, but "she will try to put her boyfriend on the loan to see if they can get more money".

We stopped holding our breath right there. No one should buy a house together unless they are married, especially a house that is outside their means. I know we just want our house sold, but I don't want to see our house in foreclosure down the road...

Where are all the normal, happy little families, with stable finances, that want to buy our house!? I am beginning to realize that our family is not that norm...

R-O-L-L-E-R-C-O-A-S-T-E-R!

We had another showing today, and tomorrow we are meeting with our builder to talk about things...

My new life motto is "whatever will be will be". I need to just sit back and let things happen...

Of course that is easier said than done... Neither Brian or I are sleeping well at night. I know our stress level is at an all time high.... and neither Brian or I handle stress well.

I just cant wait till this is all over!

Now I promise to no longer write about house stuff until we have something more concrete occur.... and I will get back to writing about my baby girl and mothering an almost 2 year old!

Update

2011-08-01T16:47:00.001-07:00

The family yesterday is looking at some other houses before they make a final decision.

Our house is still at the top of their list!

Hopefully we hear something soon!!!

I totally suck at this waiting thing!

I want off!

2011-08-01T08:47:00.001-07:00

Going with the “moving is an emotional rollercoaster”, we are currently stuck midway heading down a big steep hill.

Let me explain….

Yesterday morning we were just riding along…. The house is back on the market, we only had 1 showing all week, we were becoming more and more OK with the fact that we would be staying in the house. Brian even made the comment that we could each have $1500 for Christmas to do whatever we wanted to do to the house. Brian of course was only thinking about a new projector, but my mind was beginning to think of all the marvelous ways I could spend $1500! Knocking down the half wall, new light fixture in the kitchen, new curtains, lots of fun new décor, … I was SO excited! I was all over Pinterest looking for ideas!

We had an open house scheduled for 2-4. We did the usual cleaning, then left, heading over to my parents to get a few items, like my crockpot and spices so I could make some fun new recipes I found on that awesome site, Pinterest. We left my parents house at 2:45 and Brian received a phone call from our agent.

Agent: “A couple just came thru that loved the house. As they were leaving they told me they were going to head to their agents office and write a contract tonight!”

All of a sudden Brian and I found ourselves flying down the hill of excitement as images of moving to Eureka crept back into our heads. The house has only been on the market for a week! Could we really get an offer so soon!?

At 4 oclock we returned home to chat with our realtor. The showing went great. 5 couples came by and everyone had great comments on the house. That is the best open house we have ever had.

As I was trying to wrangle Leah and get her back into the house and out of the heat, a car pulled up. The women in the front asked:

“This couple really wanted to come and see the house again. We tried to call Marsha (our realtor) but we couldn’t get an answer. Would it be OK if we came in now to see it? You don’t need to leave.”

It was the couple we heard about!! … and so we let them in.

They are a couple relocating from Chicago for the wife’s job. Relocating! – That means they need to move quickly! They have a young teenage boy, who we are sure loves the basement and projector, and the wife is pregnant. She loves that we already have a baby room! We got this in the bag right!?

Wrong…

They left after about 20 minutes…. And we realized that we think we also saw them at the house around the corner… the same house that looks IDENTICAL to ours from the outside, has the same layout, and is a foreclosure…. 40,000 less than our house! This other house does not have the upgrades that we have, appliances, or the finished basement… is that worth 40,000 to them!?

We did not hear anything last night…. And nothing yet today….

I feel so stuck. Last night we were on cloud 9… checking our email and phones constantly….

Did they go with the other house!? Are they just thinking it over?

I HATE THIS!

I cant take the highs and lows… the waiting…

I want to get off this rollercoaster!

I didn't die.

2011-07-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

I made it!

It only took me 13 minutes.... walking for about 2 minutes of it.... so I'd say its a little over a mile.

Not much... but its 13 minutes more than I did yesterday.... I can manage 15 minutes away while Brian watches Leah...

Now the recovery.... boy did that heat index of 110 make me sweat!!

Why am I not?

2011-07-27T13:29:00.000-07:00

Uh, running that is....

Quite a few people I know recently have picked up running.... they talk about how great it makes them feel and I honestly am getting kind of jealous. Yes, jealous of their running. Crazy huh!?

I miss the feeling of being strong... lately I am just feeling flabby and blah. I used to always feel proud of my size, yet its slipping...

I think I have been giving myself the excuse of "I dont have time"to work out... but I started to think about it.... I work from home atleast twice a week. I have this new hair cut that is pretty much wash and go. I dont need much time to just get out there and run.... why not atleast try it in the mornings that I am working from home, and maybe once on the weekend?

I know it will make me feel better all around.... feel better physically... feel better emotionally as I have the time to think quietly about whatever is stressing me out. Enjoy a little me time...

As soon as I finish this I am lacing up my tennies and headed out the door. I am going to run (maybe walk alittle, and try not to get hit by a car!) over to Leah's new daycare where I need to pick up some paperwork before she begins Monday. I need to go and I am currently carless (finally took it in after it didnt start the other day while parked in my moms driveway. Perfect place to break down I must say! It needed something with the starter and new tires....) so I have no excuse.

... well except there is a heat advisory outside...

Im still going I promise!

Hopefully I survive and still think this is a good idea!

Only a Month Late

2011-07-26T15:27:00.000-07:00

Vacation was great! I aboslutely loved spending a whole week with Brian and Leah (and alot of other family).

Ill just let the pictures do the talking...

Good bye condo.... hope to see you again in the future!

Acceptance

2011-07-23T17:38:00.000-07:00

I was completely heart broken when we first heard the news that our buyer fell thru.

After a lot of talking, moving back into the house, and buying a few new things for the house I am 100% OK with whatever is in store for us.

Thursday night Brian and I finally had the chance to really talk about what we felt and what we wanted to do. We realized that if we have to stay in St. Charles, in this house, we will be OK... great even. We have always been saving, saving, saving for the future, but for once we might be able to enjoy our money a bit. Currently we can easily afford this house. We decided to put Leah in the new daycare for a variety of reasons (I am saving it for another post) but it will truly allow us to save AND have some fun for once! If we are still here at Christmas we plan to do a bit of work to the house that we have always wanted to do as a gift to ourselves. Knock down a half wall? New floors? Larger baseboards? Plus I can get a NEW car next summer! Whoohooo!! I am thinking a Traverse?

The weirdest thing is Thursday night when we came back to the house from my parents, I actually felt really good about it.... like I was back home. I was excited. I was happy. I was feeling great about our future.

Then Friday morning we had to head out to the new house for our pre-construction meeting, ya know in case someone does come along in the next few months and wants to buy our house and we do move..... and seeing the foundation.... going over our dream house, I was almost back to my original position of "I really really want to move!"

Up and down.

Back and forth.

Today we moved some furniture back to "stage" the house. Monday the house is back, ready for showings, and an open house next weekend has already been scheduled. It felt great to move back, re-organize my kitchen, rearrange furniture... like we were moving into a new place. We bought a new,smaller, 230 dollar, kitchen table to better fit our kitchen area. (Our previous table was awesome, but way too big for the space). Brian also finally bought his old man, leather recliner. The changes are exciting. The house feels new and great. We feel revived....

I honestly have NO IDEA what I really want anymore.

I know I do really want this whole moving process to be over though. The one thing I dread about staying is the fact that we still will go thru this all again. We really want to move before Leah starts Kindergarten. But if we have to wait 3-4 more years, hopefully I will have my designation by then (really I will almost have too... otherwise I will have a new job) and I will be making about 60% more than I am now so maybe we can afford an even more fabulous house? Or a house in Fenton rather than Eureka.... because we all know my heart is really in Fenton.

So where will we be spending the holidays? Only time will tell.... I am just riding the roller coaster that is the real estate market. It could be an interesting next few months.

N-K-O-T-B-S-B!

2011-07-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

It was totally the best concert ever!! I cant not explain the amazing-ness of it! Maybe the was the fact that it was 2 groups I loved when I was younger.... singing all their old, favorite songs,.... or the very handsome fellows.... or our awesome seats?... But OMG it was the best night I have had in a long time!

Me and my BFF Ashley. I think she is more like my sister than anything else. Always there. 2 hrs in between us and busy lifes but the second we are together its like we are 14 again!

My Shoester from GLEE!!!!!

I was within 5 feet of Nick... and then Jordan.... and then inches from Howie. I almost touched him but then i tripped over my chair.... I should of just let myself wipe out because then maybe he would helped me up..... see totally reverting to my 14 year old self! Its funny how I went right back to that point in my life!

And a few videos.... Our seats where 7 rows from the circle in the middle.... awesome!

I am in the bottom corner at the beginning of this video! ha!

AWESOME!! Totally going everytime they come to town in the future!! Its 100% worth the money!

Mini Freak Out In 5...4...3...2...

2011-07-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

The new deadline for the loan commitment came and went yesterday without good news....

Not only was our buyer unable to get his financing, he showed another sign of not being able to get it anytime in the near future.

We made the miserable, depressing, aggravating decision to put the house back on the market.

We will still allow the buyer to have the house if he ever gets finances taken care of, but until then we will hope for a new buyer who already has all his ducks in order.

I was very upset when I heard the news yesterday, but was able to quickly to forget about it by having an amazing night with my BFF and 9 handsome hunks who go by the name of NKOTBSB. I will post about it soon... like how we were in the 7th row and I reverted back to my 14 year old self. Best night in a long time... . but Ashley had to leave today and the stress of life quickly hit me head on...

We have to move back!?

We have to make our house look civilized so that someone wants to say "Yes, I want to live here too!" This means moving some furniture back... but how much? Keeping the house clean again. Having showings and open houses?!

Do we try to get back to normal? Or do we continue on the hope that we will be moving soon?

What about Leah's daycare? My mom is going back to work in 2 weeks.... Does Goddard still have an opening for her?

And what about that house we are building? And the pre-construction meeting on Friday?

Oh and I think my camera might have finally died last night.... yeah.... at the beginning of the concert, where I was 7th row..... I guess I didnt really need 80 pictures of the guys.... but buying a new camera?

And my car needs new tires, and is maybe leaking something.... when can I find time to get that fixed?

And for some good kind of stress, my BFF Ashley asked me to be her matron of honor! .... but the wedding is in 3 months! Showers, bachelorette party, speech planning.... GO!

I am already freaking out... and beginning to feel that crazy anxiety because I need to just control something... anything....Mini melt down might be near.

I was able to semi figure out the problem of daycare though.... I called Goddard and they have any opening for Leah!!! She can start back Aug 1st or later if we want..... It will be nice to get a little normalcy back into our life... BUT.... while I was waiting to hear about Leah's spot I called another daycare... Their price is half of what we usually pay.... part of me wants to maybe send her there in hopes it is only for a little while and we can save some money for the new house since the plan of staying at my parents and saving money while the house is being built is kind of shot... But what if we dont sell our house and Leah is stuck at this little daycare and missing her chance to become awesome at Goddard?!

There is some major decision making that needs to be done in the Gilmore household.... Hopefully I no one finds me curled up in a corner, waving my white flag, wanting to give up.... because at the the moment that is really what I want do.

Change of Venues

2011-07-17T13:17:00.000-07:00

Friday came and went with Brian and I a ball of nerves. We both checked our emails constantly, checked our phones.... Finally at 8pm we received the request for an extension.... till Tuesday.

Part of me wonders why just 4 more days?! Why not just say till the end of next week? The thought of going thru the same rollercoasters again makes me sick. Asking till Friday I think would give a little more cushion...

I was so bummed yesterday about not getting to move I could barely stand being in the house. When I was at home, I was mad. I was grumpy. I had to get out. We went to the park, visited Brian's grandmother, did a little shopping, went to dinner...

This morning we packed up some of our stuff and moved to my parent's. They are out of town for the week, and with our schedules this week it was just easier to be at my parents. (The first non-relative will be babysitting Leah Wednesday. I am kind of super nervous about it!)

I really hope we wont be going back to our house.... I hope last night was our last night in St. Charles... I think if we have to head back to that house I will do the big ugly cry the whole drive there...

If we do not hear that our buyer has loan commitment Tuesday we plan to put it back on the market, but allow the current buyer to have it if he ever gets his stuff together... We keep hearing that all transactions are having problems with loan commitments. Its just a sign of the times. So who knows if the next buyer will be any better..

Friday also brought the news that they finally began construction on the new house. We are about to head out to see our hole. Part of me doesnt even want to see it until after Tuesday. I dont want to get my hopes up even more... I hope so much that it will get to be our future home!!

So everyone think happy thoughts come Tuesday. I already know it will be a good day. A fabulous time will be had with my best friend of 23 years at the NKTOBSB concert!! Lets hope we also get to celebrate some good news!

Anxiety

2011-07-14T11:52:00.000-07:00

I know I am over due on a post regarding vacation…. I need to do it before the memories begin to escape me… I also probably need to make a post to just discuss how awesome Leah is right now…

But I am just WAY TOO stressed out right now to even calm down enough to think about anything beyond our house situation.

Tomorrow should have been our closing date…. But here we are, still in our house, waiting to hear if we will even get to close.

We are getting uncomfortably close to our next deadline… the loan commitment date of our buyer. We have yet to hear good news… or the request to push the date back even further.

I think the wait, the stress, the living without furniture, is starting to wear on Brian and I. We are both losing hope.

I am unsure of what exactly Brian and I want to hear since the likely hood of hearing that our buyer is ready to close and we are progressing in this process is very small.

Do we want this buyer to just give up? Give us the chance to put our house back on the market and hope for the best?

Do we want the request to wait it out a few more weeks? A few more weeks has to do the trick right!? We could be out of here atleast by Aug… Right?

And all while we sit and wait… we have been slowly progressing on building ~~our~~ the house. We have picked out the lighting, the faucets, the appliances, the siding, the roof, the shutter colors, the paint colors… but will it be ours?! We have the pre-construction meeting next Friday… depending on our news this week, there may be no need for us to even show up.

In the middle of everything that does not seem to be going our way, I can’t help but to want to find some positivity. I am an optimistic person by nature. I like to see the good in things, but this has knocked me down a bit. … They were supposed to have started building~~our~~ the new house 3 weeks ago…. But here we are… and the digging has yet to begin… maybe this is how it is all supposed to be going. Maybe the house will begin construction when we know we are safely out of this one. Maybe everything will just fall into place.

I truly believe things happen for a reason… maybe this is all just going according to someone else’s plan?

**** Update: I wrote this yesterday but for some reason it did not post.... We did hear an update, with some promising news, but we still do not want to get our hopes up.

I Dont Know About This...

2011-07-08T13:20:00.001-07:00

I started studying for my next exam... Life Contingencies.

Sounds exciting huh?

No... its just depressing!!

The first problem I came to included finding the "Probability that an infant will die before age X".

And then there was the "Probability that a 1 year old will die before the age of 3."

The mother in me just wants to cry.....

But the "nerd" in me, (the exact word that my mentor at work used) "needs to power thru and realize its just a math problem".

This exam might be hard for a whole new reason!

The best decision I have made...lately

2011-07-06T07:42:00.001-07:00

I have contemplated it FOREVER. Last night I finally did it!

And I am SOOOOO glad I did!

I have never had hair this short, but always envied everyone who did.

I was feeling brave. I was feeling confident. I went for it!

And I am not sure I will ever grow it back!

It is an adjutment, and I even do a double take when I look in the mirror, but it feels amazing!

It took me 2 minutes to do it this morning.... a little air from the dryer, a few swipes of the straightener in the front, and a little styling cream... and I have a put together look! No ponys here!!

I always love having a style to my hair.... I hate when it just hangs.... or when I get in the rut that is the pony....

This cut keeps me from any of that! Its pretty much the same thing as a pony... i just dont have the little numb in the back! ....Plus I get the fun of wearing adorable headbands (I bought a rhinestone one last night... I LOVE it!) and little clips.

And bring on 2 kids, being a wife, a house keeper, working, and studying... I can still look cute, without being sleep deprived!!

Project Move Part.... I have no idea

2011-07-03T17:04:00.000-07:00

I am stressed out the wazooo with this house stuff.

We seemed to have hit a little bump in the road.

We should be closing on our current house July 14th... it has been pushed back 2 weeks.

Our buyer seemed to have a little issue... with the IRS.... which is preventing him from getting a loan committment until its taken care of. We are told its small... it will be taken care of. They promised him they would get his release letter to him by the 14th...

But what if its all a lie? What if we have to wait months more? What if he has to pay thousands of dollars, and in the end, cant buy our house?

Yes, I would be extremely disappointed... but add in the fact that we have already moved 75% of our stuff out of this house, we have taken Leah out of daycare, we have a new house that is about to begin construction... We wont have the scare of 2 house payments because they will sell our house as an inventory home if something happens, but this is our dream house and we dont want to some day drive past it thinking "That was supposed to be ours...."

We are worried.

This is all such a roller coaster....

We had everything planned out so perfectly...

When we first received the contract on our house I was talking with my wise, older brother about our plans for this move. He replied "Of mice and men". I had no idea what he was talking about.... then he kindly told me, "the best laid plans often go awry."

Serisouly... does that not sound like a wise older brother? Who says things like that?

And why does he have to be right!?!

4th times the Charm!

2011-07-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

We are back from the vacation. It was marvelous. I will blog about it soon, and share the bijillion pictures I took of my baby girl, when I locate my camera.

But first I have to share...

Friday, the last night of the trip, I got the most amazing news....

I FINALLY PASSED MY EXAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes. This news deserves the big, bold font.

You can see for yourself here. .... 59318.... right on the first page! :) I love looking at it.

I was loosing hope that I could pass another exam. I had not had any luck since having Leah. I was frustrated. I was stressed. But fear no more, I PASSED!

I can not explain how excited I am to move on in this process. ... To start learning new material!

I am one step closer to becoming a Fellow. (FYI, I cant wait to be able to call myself this, and then giggle!) Only 1 class, 2 exams, 1 set of modules, and 1 professional conference until I am an associate. And 2 additional exams, and 5 more modules until I am a fellow! ... that is if I choose the Group & Health track, which I think I will at the moment.

I will be there before we know it....

Wordless wednesday

2011-06-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Kim G

I Believe...

2011-06-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

Linking up with

...moving stinks.... but will be 100% worth it down the road.

...Leah might just be ready to be a big sister. She frequently pretends I am the baby and feeds me, gives me her sippy cup, and her binkie. She will be an awesome big sis!

...Leah might be even more ready for potty training! She frequently says "I poo-poo." but when you check her diaper she is clean.... 5 minutes later she goes. She knows she needs to go... we just need to get her a potty so we can start putting her on it when she is telling us this! Last night she told me while she was in the bathtub. That definitely meant it was time to get out!

...vacation is so needed! I cant wait to spend a week where I dont have to think about work, or the house, or anything really.... Is it time to leave yet?

...I will cry when it comes time to say our final good bye to this house. The tears are already forming just thinking about it. There are such good memories here... and great neighbors. It will be hard to leave.

...I have a water baby.... or should I say water toddler! This is definitely not the picture of a baby! She love to jump in from the side of the pool. Rebel.

My sister with Leah. I think this is about the cutest picture E-V-E-R!

...as sad as I am to leave this house, I am super excited to live with my parents again! I cant wait for the girl time with my mom and sister, breakfast with my dad, and just being in my old town!

...it is going to be a good week!

Apologies

2011-06-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

I know I have again become a bad blogger....

Life is just hectic lately!

Moving consumes your life!

The house is a wreck, we currently are living with only our beds, dressers, TVs, and washing & dryer.

We are busy planning our new houses.... We picked out flooring!

For the entry way, mud room, powder room, kitchen, and breakfast room

Bathroom tile

And then I have become addicted to this new site called Pinterest. Yeah, it couldn't have entered my life at a more perfect time. I have become obsessed with looking at house pictures, finding inspiration for the kitchen, family room, powder room, loft, bedrooms..... its awesome! ... and horrible at the same time because I am seriously obsessed! Click HERE to check out what I have been aspiring too!

We leave for V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N in just a few days so hopefully I will update later with some fabulous pictures of my little water baby enjoying the beach!!

Lists, Lists, Lists

2011-06-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

A have a bijillion lists running thru my head right now.

What to pack for Florida...

What to pack and what needs to be done for the first big move that is scheduled for this weekend...

Projects I would like to accomplish...painting the rest of Leahs furnitre, random DIY projects I have been eyeing...

Things we need to buy for the new house....

Oh things we need to pick out still for the new house...

My head just hurts and sleep has been lacking as a result of all these thoughts flying thru my head 24/7....

We just need to get thru the next few weeks!

Project Move Part 3.... or 4....

2011-06-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

Papers are signed...

Lot is choosen....

Everything is falling into place to begin building out Montego by the end of the month!! (OMG!!!!)

The view from the front... sadly other houses will be built in there... but I am sure the hill of trees will be GOREGOUS in the fall!

And some pictures from the model.... We have many of the same upgrades as the model so it should look pretty similar! We just LOVE it!!

There is a super long entry way.... the dinning room/office is to the right when you walk in the door, then a powder room, and to the left is the laundry room, mud room area and garage, and then stairs to the basement.

from the stairs

I love how open it is... yet still closed off. The master bedrom is right around the corner, sharing a wall with the great room.

The upstairs loft. We are getting a half wall here to close it off a little bit. We plan to use it as playroom and I am sure we will be needing that halfwall to hide some of the ~~junk~~ toys! Upstairs there is also 3 bedrooms, each with a walk in closet, and 1 large bathroom, with double sinks, and a door seperating the sinks and toilet/shower. I think it is a perfect bathroom for future kids to share.

My kitchen! ... but no island..... but I think I might go with the same cabinets... Brian and I both really like these.

Masterbath!! Toilet room to the left, and walk in closet to the back. I kind of love how the closet is at the back of the bathroom.

The great room from above.

View from the kitchen. Love the windows!

No sunroom for us, but a traditional deck instead.

We absolutely love it! It is the perfect mix of what Brian and I both viewed as our dream home! I cannot wait to have it built and to fill it with our favorite things!!!

She melts my heart

2011-06-09T12:42:00.001-07:00

Kim G

The Waiting Game

2011-06-06T10:28:00.001-07:00

We put in a contract to build this weekend.... We are waiting to hear back.

We have the inspection of our current house this week. Its probably the one thing that could keep our house from being sold. (Our house is not old by any means, and Brian bought the house only 4.5 years ago. It should not have anything majorly wrong with it... its just nerve racking).... We are waiting to hear how that goes before we start the serious packing.

I have no patience.

This is driving me crazy!!!

I just want to get a move on every thing!!

Mini Freak Out!

2011-06-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

Offer to build a house has been made....

Awaiting acceptance....

We totally low-balled them and are expecting to counter, and maybe have to cut out some of our options......

Yeah... did you know you could negotiate new construction?? I had no idea....

We find out Monday....

Until then.... We NEED to start packing!

Inspection is Thursday... we wanted to get thru that first.... but then I just realized....

Weekend of June 11th (next weekend) - Float trip (For you non MO folks... its a camp trip where you float down a river in a canoe or raft during the day...Totally not my thing... I am doing it mainly to please my husband who has been bugging me to go on one for years)

Weekend of June 18th - PACKING! ... along with celebrating Father's day and playing in a coed Softball game.

Weekend of June 26th - BEACH!

Weekend of July 2 - Leaving the beach..... :(

Weekend of July 9 - MOVING!

OMG!

Do you see how only ONE weekend in there says "Packing"?!?!?!?!

And somewhere in there we also need to pick out all options/details for the house so that it can begin being built early July!

Yeah.... freaking out!

Off to bed so we can hopefully do some power packing tomorrow!

... that is if I can sleep....

The anxiety filled person in me is telling me I need to start packing RIGHT THIS INSTANT!

But I will try to control it...

A pretty picture

2011-06-04T06:47:00.001-07:00

Kim G

Project Move Has Progressed!

2011-06-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

We accepted an offer on our house today!!

Or should I say we received an offer, countered, and then the Buyer accepted within 1.5 hrs of us sending the counter!

I'm ecstatic! I have spent all day dreaming of our new home.

But then I drove home from work and slowly started feeling a little sad...

I will only have a few more weeks of making this drive...

Leah only has a few more weeks of daycare... I LOVE her daycare....

As much as I say I want to move out of St. Charles, it really is a nice place to live. I doubt we will ever spend much time here again in the future...

When I got home and took Leah outside to play I thought about all the time spent sitting on our front porch, watching the cars drive by, watching Leah play...

I'll miss my little kitchen.... the place where Brian proposed...

I will miss this little house that we have made our home.... where we have made so many memories, where we became a family.

Im honestly sad.

And then I look around and become overwhelmed....By all the STUFF we have... that needs to be moved! Moved not just once, but twice! To my parents, then to our future home...

There is so much to do in the next 6 weeks! .... and 1 of those weeks is spent in FL....

5 weeks to pack up our life... and move on....

Im kind of freaking out!

Change is hard.

We are living so comfortably right now... shaking it all up, living out of suitcases at my parents for a few months, spending SOOOOO much money on a larger mortgage.... Its scary!

But its awesome!

Life is about to get 10 times more hectic.... and exciting!

And will be 100% worth it when we move into our dream home!

Its official!

2011-05-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

ITS SUMMER TIME!!

Leah's new favorite hat.... its so silly looking its cute! She loved it and didnt take it off for hours!

And does she not resemble the Strawberry Short Cake doll?

Me in my Mom's swimsuit... no really! My mom's suit! I did not bring one, and decided that I wanted to get in the water with Leah, so my mom gave me one of hers.... I hope I can still fit in this size when Im 57! ... Oh yeah, I have her sun glasses on too! ha!

What's more summery than Watermlon?... and yes, she loves it too!

Yard golf!

Corn on the Cob LOVER

and ending the day with Ice Cream!

It will be an awesome summer with this little one!

My flag is waving

2011-05-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

I did it.

I caved.

I pulled out my white flag.

Mission Break the Binkie was a fail....

Friday went great! Brian's parents watched her, and kept it away from her. Friday night she took a little while to go down, but finally did... woke up once or twice (I am honestly too tired to remember) but was up early Saturday morning.

Saturday started off pretty well.... as best as it can at 5:15 am on a Saturday. It quickly began to head south when we realized that she would not nap!

Laying with her, cradling her, carrying her, walking her, more milk, crying it out, Brian even tried driving her around for a while, and still nothing! She was getting more and more tired as the day went on... and more and more crabby... and Mommy was doing the same!

Around 11:45 we were informed of a showing from 1-3. Great for attempting to sell a house, not so great when you have to take a tired and crabby girl out of the house (cleaning it before we go) for the next few hours!

We drove around for a while, where she FINALLY caught about 15 minutes of sleep.... and then we took her into the model home of the house we want to build. As we sat in the family room, contemplating how we would want to arrange our furniture, Leah decided to get in a fight with the coffee table. Things didnt end well, and Leah came out with a blood nose! I saw her go down, and then saw the horrible, silent scream where you know they are REALLY hurt. We grabbed her, made sure she was semi OK, and ran out of there!

We headed back home where we thought for sure we could get a late nap in..... Nope, still didnt happen!

To keep her busy we headed outside to play and BBQ dinner. By the time dinner came around she was only wanting to sit in my lap, eyes barely opened, talking and singing to herself.... She was tired drunk!! Brian and I had never seen her this ridiculous!

From this point on, (6 pm) Leah repeatedly would fall asleep, wake up, act completely slap happy, and pass out again. This continued until 12:50 am where I finally caved...

I was SOOOOOOOOOO tired. Leah was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tired. And she just could not stay asleep! She would lay down crying, pretending to suck on her imaginary binkie, even to a point where it sounded like she was grinding her teeth. She was so pitiful looking. She reminded me of a newborn baby, routing for food... I just had to give in.

Going cold turkey just didnt work......... Brian and I promised that we will be strict on the nap and bedtime ONLY for a few weeks and try again... Maybe I will be stronger that time... and Leah will be more ready. Maybe we will try the "cutting" technique?

I am upset and bummed about giving in..... but if you saw how miserable Leah was yesterday, you would have done it too.... Hopefully it will be easier next time....

Or atleast Ill keep thinking that....

Happy Birthday Brian!

2011-05-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

My hubby turned another year older this past Thursday....

My parents gave him the greatest card ever!

"Because you're are such a wonderful son-in-law... we would be honored to share our family fortune with you."

"Unfortunately, your wife already spent it all while she was growing up. Happy Birthday anyway!"

F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N

2011-05-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

I am beginning to see why Toddlerhood can be so difficult.

Leah is really at an awesome age, but at the same time she has me struggling to keep my patience.

She has found her desire to be independent.

She needs her hands wiped off… she has to do it. Her face cleaned? She can do it. Nose wiped… her. (And then she has to wipe yours) Throw her diaper away… she has too. She wants to close the doors, open the doors… put on her shoes, put on her clothes, do her own hair…. The list goes on.

Except she cant fully do any of these things yet… But if I try to help, or clean her more, put her shoes on her, dress her…. SCREAMING persists.

My patience are continually being tested lately.

And lets add in the fact that Leah has begun speaking more… but not enough for us to fully understand her. It causes frustration on both ends when we cant understand what she is wanting. I always end up listing everything under the moon, watching her shake her head no, because I cannot make sense of what she is pointing too and trying to mumble…

Oh and might I add... Leah has become a biter.... 2 reports now, 2 days in a row... of Leah biting her friends.... When I hear the news, I dont know what to do... what do I say? "Im sorry?" ... tell her "We dont hurt our friends." ... She just doesnt know what to do with her own frustrations....

And this weekend I have committed to taking away the binkie…………………………………………………………. Please help me! I am about to add to my frustration level!

The other day we FINALLY met the family across the street who we knew had a little girl around Leah’s age. (We are not horrible neighbors… its been winter, we never seemed to be outside at the same time…. But we both agreed that we had wanted to meet for like a year!) We thought the little girl was younger than Leah as she looked much smaller, and walked a little less confidently… they thought Leah was older, as she had much more hair and just seemed bigger…. Turns out, Avery is 2 months older…. And immediately they RAN off playing. Leah has always been more advanced in the motor skills/physical area…. Not a talker. Avery is the opposite… a TALKER… but not as graceful on her feet. It was very evident as Leah ran circles around her, down the street; thru the yards… my child is a RUNNER! I seriously spent the whole time chatting with Stacie, saying a few words… RUNNING to chase Leah down…. And trying to remember where I was in conversation. I am so excited that Leah now has a new friend in the neighborhood! It was seriously ADORABLE seeing how the immediately started looking at rocks together, throwing them into the street, running, then crawling after each other, and fighting over their cars. Plus Stacie seemed super nice, and I look forward to getting to know her as well!

Back to the frustrations ….and the Binkie….

As Avery and Leah played, and Stacie and I got to know each other, Scott, Stacie’s husband pulled into the street. The first comment he made to Leah was “What’s in your mouth?!” Not the greatest first impression at all… and I know that he thought Leah was older than his 20 month little girl… I would have thought the same thing…. (thought, key word)…. But it just made me realize that yes, she is 18 months and its time to kick the habit!

I figure this weekend will be better than any… a 3 day weekend…. Time to keep her super busy and distracted…. WE HAVE TO DO THIS!

Hopefully you don’t find me curled in the corner, waving the white flag……..

I am a MOM! I can handle this! ...

I must, or I might never survive the teenage years!

Play Ball!

2011-05-24T05:58:00.000-07:00

As our time outside is increasing...I am trying to find ways to entertain Leah without getting anything too big (playhouse or swingset) while we try to sell our house. Once we do move, a playset will be our first purchase.... but until then.....

I did pick up the Little Tikes T-ball set.

Leah immediately picked up the balls and bats, and was intersted in playing.

She doesn't always use 2 hands.... or hit the ball..... but she is loving it, and its a start!

I love this one! I am sure we can compare it to her future softball pictures! Too cute!

And the box says its for 1.5 years and up...

And a few videos.... because I think its just too cute and it will be fun to look back on someday! (I am slightly embarassed by how we are already coaching her as I say "two hands!") oh well.... Brian and I were both brought up this way, and I think team sports and being coachable teaches life long lessons!

I love how proud she looks after hitting the ball that last time!

Donkeys! Not Monkeys!

2011-05-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the zoo!!

And I have to say I think we picked the perfect day! We arrived right after the park opened, it was still overcast, with a chance of storms (it never actually rained and the day was BEAUTIFUL).

The animals were definitely out and lively!

It took Leah a little while to warm up... she is scared of big dogs... and big animals (A rhino totally looks like a dinosaur! I would be scared too!) and it took her a little while to realize that they could not get her... but she loved seeing them! We heard "More" over and over as she requested seeing more animals.

Best part of the day was when we walked by the donkeys and I said "Look Leah! Donkeys!" and she immediately put her hands in her arm pits and said "oooo ooo ooo". It took me a minute to realize what she was doing (we have never heard her say any monkey noises). "No! They are DONKEYS! Not MONKEYS!"

And now for the pictures....

I have to say there were pregnant ladies and happy little families of 4 all over the place! It did not help with my internal battle I am currently fighting of when to have baby #2. I hope to write about it soon... as our plan changes daily...and it really is starting to stress me out!

First Long Road Trip

2011-05-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we hit the road with my parents for Leah's first long road trip. We headed only 4 hours away to Joplin MO for my cousin's graduation.

It was the perfect test drive for our trip to Florida next month!

She did way better than I expected in a car.... Laptop for movies is a MUST!

Monster's Inc.... but we eventually turned it to Tangled, and watched it twice... good thing I love it as well!

Getting sleepy...

She also enjoys being read too... the same book... over and over.....

Oh and she "Mooooo"ed the whole trip. We saw our fair share of cows.... and horses.... who I guess to Leah, mooo as well.

At about the 4 hr mark (right when we were about to arrive) she would start fussing and trying to take her seat belt off.... Good knowledge to know as we head for a much longer trip soon.... Break time every 4 hours!

Her biggest problem of the trip was the hotel room stay. She did not like her pak n play and waking up to a place she did not know... so after her repeatdely waking up every 20 minutes, I just brought her into bed with myself.... something I do not support. Brian was in the other bed, and did not get much sleep either. He kept thinking Leah was going to roll off the bed, so he lined the floor with pillows, and woke to check on her constantly. I love when he gets all protective!

I think we might try Leah sleeping on a cot in FL... it may be horrible... or perfect. She will be in the same room with Brian and I... she might just end up in bed with us... but I really hope shes so exhausted from the sun and water everyday that she just passes out!

Stayed tuned!

The Stats are In...

2011-05-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

18 Months:

Height - 34.25 inches (98.22 percentile)
Weight - 28 lb 14 oz (94.68 percentile)
Head - 18.22 cm (75.49 percentile)

And yes, I really did get this precise of percentiles....I am beginning to like the new Dr.... who seems to also know and understand the Normal Distribution tables! My kind of lady!

Too cute

2011-05-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

I was unable to catch it when she was singing well.... but you can still get the idea.... and I think my mom and I forgetting the words to the song is funny too!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T17:49:00.000-07:00

New Born

6 Months

1 Year

18 Months

Toddler Summer... Im Ready For You!

2011-05-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

I am so excited for summer and envision lots of visits to the park, the zoo, the ballpark, anywhere fun....and in general, chasing around Miss Independent while trying to look like a cool and collected momma.

I thought a new, cross-body bag, would be the perfect accessory for a mom on the go this summer!

I wanted something fun, but not too small....

And found the perfect Fossil fit.

Aint she pretty!?

And I even got the matching wallet (which can easily tag along to the beach or pool)

And this adorable keychain (but in Blue and Pink)

I sort of splurged... but I have not bought a purse in years! (I am extremely spoiled by my mother who often randomly buys me fabulous purses, or gives me her handy down Fossil bags) I thought I was due the chance to buy a great new bag..... And give me 25% off if I spend 100 dollars.... SURE!

The catch was it was a pre-sale and I actually have to pick to pick up my purchases on Thursday... strange... but whatever!!

Ill be darn cute come Thursday!

This Summer will be AWESOME!

2011-05-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

I have introduced the Sprinkler.

Leat LOVES it!

I am so glad that she is not afraid of the water! She will run up to it, get sprayed in the face, run away laughing, and come back for me!

I cant wait to take her to those kiddie pools where there is the playground in the water. She will think its heaven on earth!

And then Floriday next month!! Cant you just imagine this picture, but the beach in the background, playing in the waves?!

She is going to L-O-V-E summer!

Busting out the bikes

2011-05-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

Its Spring time.

We are ready to come out of hybernation, and starting getting active.

A few weeks ago we took Leah for a bike ride.

She LOVED it.

Brian and I realized how our of shape we are.

We only made 1 trip around Creve Couer Lake... maybe some day we can do 2.

Thats the new goal.

Disappearing Baby. Where'd her body go!? Maybe this is how magicians do it?

Whoa!

2011-05-11T14:23:00.000-07:00

I just picked Leah up from daycare where she was visiting the older classroom in preparation to move up in the next few weeks...

There were kids drinking out of regular, grown up cups!

And TALKING about how everyone has a mom and dad!

My baby is not ready for this!!!

Momma is not really ready for this....

18 months next week...

Soon driving, off to college, and married...

Update

2011-05-09T18:30:00.001-07:00

Leah has an ear infection.... Poor thing!

Today was the worst day yet.... SOOOO sleepy all day.... just crying constantly, and wanting to be held....

Lets hope the meds kick in SOON!

I need my happy littler girl back!

Celebrating Motherhood

2011-05-08T16:46:00.000-07:00

My exam is Thursday.

This weekend was supposed to be filled with studying.

Yes, it is Mother's day weekend, but passing my exam is my number one priority at the moment... or so I thought.

At 10:45 Friday night, 20 minutes after I had went to bed, Leah woke up crying, burning up, with a fever of 102.4. She just wanted to be held, and I just wanted to take care of her. I brought her into Brian and I's bed, something I RARELY do. We have gotten rid of our rocker (we had a cheap one, the arms fell off, we threw it away. We plan to get a super nice lazy boy for the next baby) and the bed seemed like the only logical, comfortable place to comfort my sick baby.

Laying in the crowded bed... Brian, Leah, 2 cats, and me... Leah snuggled into my chest.... I realized THIS IS MOTHERHOOD.

Very little studying was done Saturday, but plenty of mothering took its place. Lots of cuddling, multiple doses of ibuprofen, continual nose wiping, encouraging her to eat or drink anything possible,even if she only ate fruit snacks and I ran out to get her a smoothie AND a slushie (she had about 5 sips total)..just taking care of my baby girl.

Saturday night was spent with more cuddling in bed, and trying to lower a fever of 103.7.

Leah is my priority, and I dont think I could feel anymore like a mom this Mother's Day weekend.

Being a mom is my number one priority, and the best job in the world.

*** if she spikes another fever tonight, we are headed to the Dr. first thing in the morning....

New Kicks

2011-05-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Leah's size 7s where giving her blisters on her big toes...

I new she needed new shoes. Maybe wides?

But I never imagined at almost 18 months she would be a size 8 extra wide!

Holy Monster feet!!

Just look how grown up these are!

Id totally wear them!

Only 23 dollars at stride rite too!!

I guess no more baby shoes for Leah!

Oh and for daycare she needs non-open toed sandals (no crocs).... they barely make closed toed sandals in size 8 extra wide.... I need to do some hunting!

Ideas?

A Real Life Fairy Tale

2011-04-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

I did not think I really cared about the royal wedding of William and Kate... I thought I was just interested in her dress...

But this morning, when I turned on the TV to see the dress, and instead I saw the horsemen, the horse drawn carriage, the prince in his uniform, and an amazingly beautiful bride.... I said to Leah "Look! A real life Princess!" and I knew it was a moment I wouldn't forget.

source

I realized that this is all just the perfect fairy tale. A part of history, and tradition, and exactly what you imagine a real life Disney princess wedding would be like.

It just makes me happy. Simple as that.

BRILLIANT!

2011-04-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight, while reading the book "On the Farm", without being promted, Leah:

Quacked like a duck while looking at the pictures of ducklings.
"Moo"ed at the Cow.
And sniffed the air when the line "He sniffs with his snout." was read.

GENIUS I tell you!!

I know this might be very normal for a 17 month old... but Brian and I were about the proudest parents ever!!

I LOVE watching her grow!

It might just be my new favorite holiday

2011-04-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

I LOVED Easter with Leah!

She is finally at an age that is fun with holidays! She absolutely loved hunting for eggs, especially after she realized there was candy inside!

At my parents, my mom hid the eggs 3 times.

The Easter Bunny hid eggs for her once.

And at Brian's parent's the eggs were hidden twice.

I honestly am not sure if she had more fun finding the eggs, or living off of jelly beans and peeps.

The Monday after Easter, the first thing she did when she woke up was look for her eggs and check for any candy. Smart kid.

Checking out what the Easter Bunny left... a Little People School Bus!

She might have found a ball during her hunt... and never put it down. My child is obsessed with balls.

LOVE HER!

Me: "Brian you look buff in this picture!"

Brian: "what are you talking about? I am buff!"

Holidays are so much more fun when you get to experience them thru a child's eyes! I cant wait till the next one!

Aftermath Anxiety

2011-04-25T04:29:00.000-07:00

While laying in bed, reviewing notecards, and just acting a little off all afternoon:

Brian: Starting to freak out?
Me: nods yes.
Brian: I guess I wont ever understand it. I never had test anxiety.
Me: Its not exam, its aftermath anxiety.

And I think that is EXACTLY it.

I am ready to take the test. I want to take the test. I LOVE taking tests.

My worry comes from the "What if I fail?... I have to tell everyone I failed. I have to look at this stupid material AGAIN. I have to be 6 months behind on my career goals AGAIN. That's 6 more months that I get to spend less time with my family...feeling like this!"

Its 2 and a half weeks till D-Day.

I think I am handling this exam better than I have in the past.... I feel like I am on the brink of a meltdown, but I feel like I am controlling it better this time around. I know to ask Brian for help on all other things. I know that if I just study a little more, I will feel better....I plan to call up a cleaning service to come do our house for me so that its one less thing to worry about.

This time around, I feel like I have things more under control.

Lets hope it helps!

X< 3 weeks to go

2011-04-22T05:31:00.000-07:00

My apologies for my posts being so few and far between....

My exam is now 2 weeks and 6 days away and I am in butt kicking mode!

I have my action plan.

I know what I still need to learn.

What I still need to memorize.

And I have 20 days to do it!

I would really like to never ever see this material again!!

For real this time!

So BRB...

One Seven

2011-04-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

The baby that Leah used to be seems to be disappearing and the little girl she will become is starting to shine.

At 17 months old Leah is becoming a little chatty cathy. The list of words that have escaped her mouth gets longer by the day. Throw in singing, trying to catch the cats, cleaning the house for me with the towels she pulled out of the kitchen drawers, patting the bed next to her to show me her desire to cuddle with her mommy, trying to pick up a spider she finds outside, tasting the plants, helping daddy push the lawn mower, grabbing her diaper and running to her room when she needs to be changed, grabbing her shoes and coat so she can go outside, helping to buckle herself in her car seat and knowing her shapes so that she can successfully play with her toys and make her parents think she is the smartest kid around… she is definitely growing up.

I even saw a glimpse of the teen she will become yesterday. In an attempting to teach Leah the best way to sled down the backyard hill (yes, in April and 75 degree weather! Leah thought it was the greatest thing ever! Mommy and Daddy had a lot of fun as well!) She got upset and stormed off; not wanting any help. I had flashbacks of being with my dad, working on my pitching, jump shot, or punts, getting an attitude, and storming off…. She is my child. It was exactly like what I remember doing growing up.

This weekend even marked her first time out… We stuck her in her crib and closed the door for a minute after she pinched Brian for getting upset. The crib was the only place we could put her where she wouldn’t run away… I am thinking about a time out chair… what do you think? Or other disciplinary suggestions? At first I said “You’re in time out for 2 minutes because we do not pinch.” But then quickly changed it to 1 minute as I walked out of the room… Aren’t you supposed to do whatever their age is?

I know we are about to enter a whole new world… disciplining, potty training, and learning boundaries… Oh my!

On your marks, Get ready,GO!

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

2011-04-11T04:41:00.000-07:00

Leah would happily live outside if she could.

As soon as we get home in the evenings and I open up the door to pull her out of the car she seems to realize "IM OUTSIDE!" and refuses to head in the house for atleast an hour.

On the weekends, we are outside by 8 am.

We basically come inside only to sleep, whether its a nap or bed... Even food seems to make its way outside to be consumed.

Today, as Brian and I sat in the lawn chairs, watching Leah run around the garage, I looked at him and said "I guess this will be our typical weekend for the next 4-5 months huh?" ...which sounds pretty wonderful to me...

I might actually get some color this year!!

Happiness

2011-04-10T17:36:00.000-07:00

This weekend has been absolutely wonderful.

Girl time at the winery.

Lots of sunshine.

QUALITY family time.

Breakfast out, playing outside, BBQing dinner, and then sitting around the kitchen table together.

And it was the last weekend of tax season!! Starting next week we get 2 whole days to spend as a family and life can almost get completely back to normal!

I hope next weekend is even better!