Our Little Family

Go Check it out!

2012-02-10T14:26:00.001-08:00

I know it has been forever since I posted to my blog but this is a special post! I want YOU to go check out Being Frugal and Making it Work. She has a great blog and you can enter to win Monster Jam tickets! http://www.beingfrugalandmakingitwork.com/2012/01/monster-jam-spokane-arena-giveaway-5.html

Time to Help Myself

2010-05-15T20:54:00.001-07:00

So, I thought I would blog about this since I don't have many blog followers and could get it off my chest. Well, Anthony and I have been having some problems lately, bigger then normal. We both have things we want to work on. I for one, need to start working on not being lazy.

I know that quite a few of our arguments stem from silly things like laundry not being done, the house being a mess... etc. I HATE cleaning. Not to mention that even when I set my mind to start doing it on a regular basis and getting into a routine, I look at everything and get overwhelmed. This of course, leaves me not wanting to do a darn thing.

I come from a family of people who clean like crazy and seem to actually enjoy it. What on earth happened to me? I have, for as long as I can remember, been a messy person. I always try to clean my house before anyone comes over. Afterall, I grew up in a clean house and nobody ever came over to a messy place. In fact, even though our house seemed to always be clean, we put in extra effort to make it sprakle before guests would come over.

Why can I not be like that? I absolutely despise cleaning but also do not like a messy house. Like a I said, the problem I run into is getting to square one (a spotless, fully clean house) to keep it up from there. Although, my house has been 100% clean a few times and it has never stayed for long. I try to blame our house itself for my problems. For instance, our laundry room isn't so much a room as a space just big enough for a stacked washer and dryer tucked away in the back corner of my bathroom (like it's own little dungeon). Who on earth wants to spend their days back in that tiny corner doing laundry? NOT ME! I also like to blame my SEVERE lack of storage space in my house for my cluttered counters, corners, tables, etc. I have also never been a fan of dishes and I am even less of a fan of doing dishes when we LACK a dishwasher!!!

Alright. The point of this post was for me to own up to my biggest shortcoming. I have now done that. I also felt the need to show you exactly what my house looks like right this second. I now feel that I have admitted to the problem. It is now just a matter of taking the steps to fix it. My dilemma, where to start? Where to get the motivation to start and keep it up? Why can't I just program my brain to clean?

Yet Another Appointment :)

2010-05-03T20:21:00.000-07:00

So, I have another ultrasound tomorrow. I am excited to get a good view of our little one as well as hear that strong steady heartbeat! I am so happy to not be plagued with morning sickness 24/7 as I was with Aidan. It hits me every few days for a few hours then goes away when I head to bed :) I do not know how I would have coped with being sick 24/7 and going to school and chasing Aidan... I give a BIG pat on the back to those poor friends of mine who survived terrible sickness with their pregnancies and their toddlers!

However, this pregnancy is leaving me with the most awful taste in my mouth. As our friend Tracy put it, it tastes like POISON!!!! I have done some research and it seems to be related to an improper Ph balance in my mouth. It does seem that eating some sort of fruit helps to alleviate the problem. I learned very quickly that brushing your teeth, only makes it worse! (Don't worry, I'm still brushing my teeth).

So, I have seriously lacked any connection in pregnancy symptoms with both of my pregnancies. My greatly optimistic ARNP, Sarah, says that perhaps this means I am carrying a girl. Along with a few other friends. Did you notice a difference between pregnancies with different genders?

On another note, I am sort of freaking out. Aidan is going through this fabulous stage of MAJOR defiance and it is driving me up a wall. I am beginning to wonder if I will even have the patience to deal with a nearly 3 year old and infant at the same time. (Insert kind, reassuring thoughts/words here). I am hoping that this is completely normal. Kind of like cold feet before a wedding? I mean, I do still have almost 8 months to go, Aidan will get better soon, right? At some point my hormones will even out after the new baby. Oh boy!

One last thing, family. I am thoroughly freaked out by the fact that I am fairly sure I will have a huge lack in help from our family after the new baby is born (not because they don't want to, of course). I have heard from friends who recently had their 2nd child that their family was of great assistance the first week or two with two children in the house. Well, my sister is the only person who lives in town. My mom lives near Seattle (and a baby due in December means snow on the pass). My fabulous step mom lives in California and I think even if she wanted to be here, she just couldn't pull it off. There isn't a single grandparent of mine who I would want here to help with a new baby. As for Anthony's family, I'm sure his mom would come for a day or two but I don't see much more then that. Maybe I should bite the bullet in the next couple months and actually discuss this with them!

Then again, plenty of woman don't have any help and do just fine! I really think it is all of these hormones getting to me and making me fret over silly things! I just feel like having a second child is a new realm of motherhood, almost equal to being a first time mom!

First Ultrasound

2010-04-23T22:23:00.000-07:00

Baby is right in the middle

Baby is in the upper right
Baby is in the upper right

So, today was my first ultrasound! What an exciting day. However, nothing is more uncomfortable then being completely naked under a gown and sheet and waiting 5 whole minutes for the doctor to come in! 5 minutes is by no means very long but when you're naked and nervous yet excited about your ultrasound, you get to sweating. You know, in places you probably shouldn't be sweating, especially since you know you're naked because the doctor is going to check you out. LOL! Oh boy, the joys of OB/GYN visits!

So, as far as my ultrasound goes. Originally, I should be a little over 8 weeks, based on my LMP. Well, we couldn't get a very good view of baby today. The glimpses we caught of him/her allowed for some measurements and put me at 6weeks and 6 days. Basically, I have to go back May 4th for another ultrasound to get a better view of a bigger baby and we'll decided on a real due date then! We were able to get a heartbeat, which is great not quite at 7 weeks!!! Sorry the pictures aren't too great... beggers can't be choosers!

Sleep!

2010-04-23T22:17:00.001-07:00

So, getting Aidan to sleep has always been quite a battle. He goes down at 7 but doesn't go to sleep until 8. Now that he is in his toddler bed he spends that hour roaming his room playing. He has practically nothing in his room and certainly no toys but you know kids, they find a way to entertain themselves. I am now wondering if maybe 8 needs to be his bedtime rather then 7? Maybe he would go right to sleep rather then "play". I am debating on trying to put him to bed at 8 tomorrow night and see if he does any better, not to mention solve my frustration of hearing him roaming his bedroom. Any ideas?

First Doctor's Appointment

2010-04-17T20:14:00.001-07:00

So, my first appointment was Thursday and went well. So far, our due date is December 1st! I'm excited for a winter baby to dress up in warm and snuggly outfits! YAY!

My doctor and I had a chat about weight gain during pregnancy. As long as I am eating HEALTHY calories, I could not gain a pound and be just fine. My limit is 10 pounds, as in my own personal limit. There is no reason if I start exercising, like I should have been FOREVER ago, and eating right that I have to gain a single pound (because if I wasn't prego, I would be losing it). Anyways, I am really hoping that after setting that goal I can keep up with it!

When I was pregnant with Aidan, I was sick from sun up to sun down, absolutely miserable!!! This time around, I only have mild nausea in the evenings. My doctor's optimistic suggestion, perhaps the difference is a sign of a baby girl! I can only hope so!!! Of course, we will be happy with any baby, most especially a healthy one, but that won't stop me from hoping for a little princess!!!

Next Friday, ultrasound day to determine my actual due date. It two weeks from my expected period to get a positive test which points to my ovulation being off. This means, I am anywhere from 5-7 weeks. So, we will see on Friday!!!

One more thing, if I am pointing to my body parts and asking Aidan to name them, can you guess what he says when I point to my tummy? "BABY!!!!" It's too cute!

Getting Ahead of Myself

2010-04-14T18:25:00.001-07:00

I think I am getting way too far ahead of myself! I am only about 7 weeks along but stressing about who is going to watch Aidan when the new baby is born! We seriously lack family in town and aren't close to too many people. I'm pretty sure my mom is coming out but that's in December and the pass probably won't be clear. That means she'll have to fly, which means she has to SCHEDULE her trip and can't come out on a whim. Oh man, I can't believe I am already worrying about these things. LOL! I really hope we don't have to rely on a babysitter! ICK! Well, I guess there's about 8 months to think about it!

Terrible, Terrible blogger here...

2010-04-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

I know that I am terrible at blogging. I think the first step would be to simply keep ONE blog, not a few of them. So, as of now, Aidan's blog will still be posted but all blogging concerning our family will be seen here.

Speaking of family, we will be adding a new addition to it in December! I am one super, duper, very happy Mommy! We have decided to hold off telling everyone until we hit that fabulous 12 week mark. However, I could not contain my excitement and had to share it on my blog! Hence the reason I have not mentioned it on facebook. I must say, it has been killing me. Anyways, I have my first appointment on Thursday!

HELP!

2009-12-16T21:06:00.000-08:00

So, I am making cookies friday with my mom in town. We are mostly doing this for Aidan. I am not actually making the cookies... Pillsbury made the dough and I'm slicing it and baking it. Anyways, the point of this cookie experience was really for Aidan to put sprinkles on cookies. I bought some cake frosting but my mom has informed me that won't harden on the cookies. So, I am in need of a cookie frosting recipe (not a glaze but actual frosting) that will dry! I found some online but they all had egg whites or milk in them and I can't imagine those keeping well at room temp. Ugh.

Signed,
Unexperienced Baker

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T08:14:00.001-08:00

I think a lot of people simply enjoy this day as a day out of work without a second thought to those who have fought and are still fighting for our country! I have a dad and mom who were both in the military (albeit for very short periods of time), extended family that served and an uncle who is still serving, as well as a little cousin who just enlisted in the marines! I also have numerous friends with husbands who are active military. Being a young woman living near Fort Lewis... I met my fair share of great young men who were serving our country.

One inparticular was this great guy named Donald McCune. In fact, Donnie and I went out a few times and 1 week before he was deployed to Iraq he decided that he should seal the deal and ask me to be his "girl friend" before he left. What girl would be crazy enough to turn that down? Communicating through email, IM and a phone call was hard. It down right sucked as a matter of fact.

On August 6th, 3 months after his deployment, I opened up an email from one Donald R McCune. The email went on to explain that Donnie had died the day before in Germany. Apparently his vehicle had hit an IED (improvised explosive device). Donnie was airlifted to a hospital in Germany. While his mother was in flight to see him Donnie passed away at the age of 20. I remember screaming while reading the email, it seemed to be the only things my body would allow me to do. I had kept hearing in the news about our soliders who had died but it never seemed very real until this moment.

No matter how "tough" you are, hearing a 21 gun salute and seeing those boots with a gun and helmet propped up will bring you to tears. I can't imagaine how many families have gone through this experience and I would never wish it on everyone.

That is my story about why Veteran's Day is important to me. I would like to thank all of our current and past military. They do a wonderful job at keeping our country safe. I also want to be sure to thank the family members of all military.... without you, they couldn't do what they do!

Pictures

2009-10-08T11:52:00.000-07:00

We took our family pictures on the 26th of September. I expected them back ten days afterwards, well, that was yesterday. I am a little cranky because I want to see them SO bad!!!!! However, I totally understand that Taraka had to leave town for the day due to her sister having her baby. To make it up to me, she is giving me a couple free prints and even sent over her favorite photo from the shoot. I posted it on Facebook this morning without realizing that maybe I shouldn't have, seeing that it has yet to be edited (note the green spot in the photo). I feel now like I gave her some negative advertising. Well, I figured the best way to correct that was to post a blog about the situation and , of course, share the picture I have.

I'm Terrible

2009-09-18T07:57:00.000-07:00

At keeping up my blogs!!!! Sorry guys :( I thought I would share how excited I am about school though! I start Monday and will be one step closer to being a medical assistant! WooHoo! I have been waiting and waiting for my financial aid to come. I have had plans with my left over money for awhile now. Getting our cat declawed, taking family photos, not to mention buying my books for school and paying Aidan's daycare. I was so stressed about whether or not it would come before school, guess that's all figured out now. YAY!

New Blog

2009-09-16T18:51:00.000-07:00

Ya, I know, I'm terrible at keeping these ones up, why would I start another... well, go read my first post and find out!

www.50poundsfornow.blogspot.com

FREE?!?!?!

2009-09-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

I am into bargain hunting... big time! Every once in awhile I find some good stuff I can actually use. Well, today my friend Kim has been putting stuff for FREE on kashless.org.... a pretty cool site! Anyways, not knowing it, I was responding to all of this neat stuff she had. Well, I quickly figured out it was her and gave her a call. Too bad I missed out on a few things but what a great friend for setting aside what I wanted! She's probably tired of me sending her emails today saying "oooohhh, I want that" but hey, I enjoy this bargain hunting way too much to not take first dibs on things from someone I actually know! Which means, I know where it's been, which is kind of nice! I can't wait to meet up and grab the stuff from her (and let our kids play of course). Now if only I could decide what to get rid of in my house to make room for more "junk" (as Anthony calls it). This way, I won't end up on his s*** list for bringing more "junk" into the house! HEHE!

"One mans trash is another mans treasure"

Ecstatic... and frustrated!

2009-09-02T13:45:00.001-07:00

I know it's been forever since I blogged but I thought I would take a moment to share my joy with everyone. Mostly, Anthony's job....

This is Anthony's third season with his employer. For the last two seasons their current forman has said he is leaving at the end of the season. Well, this year, they really thought it was going to happen. Anthony has worked so hard on learning eveything possible at work, taking the lead with things and working on himself in general to prove that he was fit for the job. Almost a month ago his boss had a chat with him telling him that if he would work on his customer relations, and relationship with his coworkers the job was his. A week or so after that he got a dollar an hour pay raise.... that's quit a raise for him.

Well, last week, the forman informed everyone he wasn't leaving. Anthony didn't take it to well and was pretty upset. He felt like he had put all that work in for nothing. After explaining to him that someday his turn will come he felt a little better. Well, last week, Anthony got another dollar an hour raise. Yup, that's two dollars in a month! Very exciting for us. On top of it, there's some word that Anthony might be going salaried next year, getting paid holidays and paid vacation.

What a big step! Like I told him, his work wasn't for nothing. And forman position aside, everything is going well for him! I am so proud of where he's come in these 2 and a half years! (this is the point where he says "thanks mom"... LOL... do I really sound like his mom?)

On another note, I am getting very frustrated with my school. I turned in my financial aid paperwork in MAY, before the June 16th deadline. Well, school starts on September 21 and I have yet to hear from them. I am able to check my status online and it simply says "all required documents have been received" as opposed to "an award letter was sent on _______". UGH! Last quarter my letter was sent a month an a half before school started. So, I've tried calling. There message states that because they have been very busy, the whole month of August and 1st week of September they are only available in person for GENERAL questions and to drop paperwork off. It also says that if you haven't received any word from them by September 4th to call them them and they will be available on the 7th and that if you didn't make the June 16th deadline, please pay your tuition by September 9th. HELLO!!! September 7th is a holiday, which means I only have the 8th to call (and actually get ahold of someone) and then drop my classes if my financial aid isn't coming through. I can in no way shape or form afford tuition, books and childcare for the next quarter without my financial aid!!!!!!! UGH!!!

Great Deal

2009-08-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Expecting? Go to uddercovers.com, select your cover and enter cousin2 in the promo box. It gets you a cover for FREE! You just have to pay the $8.95 shipping!

Lost in the Sea of Parenting

2009-07-29T17:17:00.001-07:00

Yup, that's right. I am lost.... and even feel like I might be drowning. With my experience as a preschool teacher (toddler age, 1-2) and being the oldest of my family, I thought I would have better control of things. I always envisioned having the "perfect child". One that doesn't talk back, one that picks up his toys, that can play quietly by himself or happily with others. HA! That dream is coming to a hault and I am lost on what to do.

For starters, discipline. I thought I had this planned before. Well, I guess not. I'm not much into spanking, unless it has been well deserved and my child is of the appropriate age. 16 months is not that age. Not for my child anyways. Aidan has been expressing his anger in ways that are getting on my nerves.

His favorite is to pick up whatever is closest and throw it when he is angry. Today, I wouldn't let him play with my camera. Instantly, he picked up the remote and my flip flop and chuked them both. This throwing things is on my last nerve. I stuck him in time out, for the first time. I explained that we do not throw things when we are mad. He SCREAMED the whole time. No biggie, I didn't expect him to enjoy it. He also continued to scream for a full 5 minutes afterwards.

I am beginning to wonder if he's ready for timeout. If not, then what else do I do? I am feeling SO incredibly lost on this. There are certain things I feel strongly that need to be nipped in the bud... NOW. Like this throwing things when he's angry. I just don't know if time out is the answer or what the answer might be if it isn't time out!

Moving on... structure. My child does not have much. I really hate to admit it but he pretty much does what he wants, when he wants. ALL of his toys are at his disposal, and they are all over my house 90% of the time. I have yet to teach him to pick up (which I always said I would start doing around 1). On top of that, how do I expect him to pick up the number of toys he has?

I see pictures of my friends kiddos and they are always playing with one toy at a time, whether it be their stacking cups or their blocks... etc. I don't know how to make the transition from unstructered chaos to a neat and orderly place where playtime is structured.

I am feeling totally lost. I feel like every expectation I had for the type of parent I was going to be and the child I was going to raise have gone down the drain. Now, here I am, lost in the sea of parenting.

Flashback

2009-06-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

So, my mom just sent me a picture from about 5 years ago.

Help Find a Cure

2009-06-03T09:53:00.001-07:00

I just found out that my 46 year old Aunt has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. This cancer has spread throughout her body and she is told will soon claim her life. Her father, my grandfather, passed away due to cancer 2 years ago. His wife, my grandmother, was diagnosed with breast cancer years ago and has since recovered. My other grandmother was also diagnosed with breast cancer and is now in remission.

This most recent diagnosis of terminal cancer in my family has made me stop to take a look at my life. I know I need to make some changes towards a healthier lifestyle so I can be around to see my own grandbabies! One of the ways to do this is to participate in cancer events or even donate towards their cures!

This being said, please check out my Mom's new website for Breast Buddies! Feel free to sign the guest book or even visit their team page and make a donation! Thank you!

New Contest Entry!

2009-04-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

I just entered Jaidean's photography giveaway! She's giving away gift cards for her work! I would be so THRILLED to have her take Aidan's 18 month photos! Or maybe even some family ones ;) She does in credible work and well, I've really only been able to afford Sears portraits... so anyways, go check otu her blog and take a look at her work! http://jaideanbakerphotography.com/blog/

New Job?

2009-04-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

So, I was given a "tip" that Anthony's Mom's husband is in charge of hiring 600 new people at Hanford, they were just given a 1 million dollar bailout that is supposed to go to maing new jobs. For those of you who don't know, Hanford is down in Tri-Cities and is run by the government. It's a nuclear waste site... something like that. Anyways, the job I am looking at starts at $60,000 a year not to mention benefits, retirement, 401k and things along those lines. That is most certainly nothing to scoff at. In fact, it really intrigues me. I could help provide our family with what we need AND what we WANT. The drawback.... to move down there and take this job means giving up staying at home. Not that I was staying at home anyways (starting school and then working later). However, with a nursing job, I could leave when it was time to have another child, stay home for a year again then easily find a new job. Working at Hanford... I'm pretty sure my job wouldn't still be around if I wanted to take a year off. It seems that Anthony is happy with just one child (for now anyways). What happened to him wanting 5? I mean, I really only wanted 2, maybe 3. Either way, none of those numbers are ONE!

Now I feel stuck. Do I apply for the job and the opportunity to make things better for my family? Or do I act selfish and do what makes me happy? AAHHH!

One more plus to the job... living in Tri Cities means Anthony's family is there. Which means we would have family around. People to visit with, a sense of "family" and of course... maybe a sitter every once in ahile for a night out.

Oh boy, I feel stuck.

WOW!

2009-03-25T22:02:00.000-07:00

Go check out my friend Linda's totally awesome Money Saving blog! She is such a neat woman and has some really great ideas, savings and GIVEAWAYS!

Money Saving Monthly

Southwestern "Spaghetti"

2009-03-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite meal and I thought I would share.. it truly is yummy! I call it Southwestern "Spaghetti". Once again... YUMMY! I must warn you, this recipe makes a LOT of food! It serves us 2 dinners plus lunch for Anthony. We're also only a family of 2.5... it might not be as much food for a bigger family. Anyways, on with the meal...

I start with browning a pound of ground turkey (you could also use ground beef or simply shred some cooked chicken). After draining the meat I add a large (29 oz) can of plain tomato sauce, 1 can of italian diced tomatos, 1 can of drained and rinsed black beans, 1 can of corn (no salt added), 1 chopped green bell pepper, chopped olives and 1.5 cups of salsa. You could also subsitute any of those for FRESH or FROZEN veggies. I also season to taste (I like to add chopped garlic, onion powder, garlic powder and a little italian seasoning).

Simmer this for about an hour and then toss with some cooked macaroni noodles. This meal is so delish! Let me know if you try it, we love it in our house. Aidan even gobbles it up!

New Computer

2009-03-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

YAY! We got a new computer! Ours completely crashed yesterday. It's not actually a new computer, but new to us! I'm so excited. The only drawback is that it is a desktop and we previously had a laptop, I kind of miss the convenience of sitting in the LazyBoy and watching TV while being on the computer. Oh well. It is nice, I can't complain.

FYI

2009-03-03T20:50:00.000-08:00

I am partially without our computer for about a week. Our power cord went out and now my laptop not charged :( I ordered a new one on Ebay, 2-5 business days AFTER the seller ships it)Anyway so I am borrowing my neighbors POS laptop. It is incredibly screwed up and hardly runs. It runs well enough for me to use facebook and blogger. I can't check my email!!!! On MY laptop, Spokane Mothers is automatically signed in. Well, I don't remember my username (I know my password, just no username) which means I can't use it! UGH! At least I have Facebook!

All Done!

2009-03-02T23:03:00.000-08:00

I finished our blogs! YAY! Scrapblog was having some issues so I wasn't able to do our headers... well... they're all done!

Under Construction

2009-03-02T00:40:00.001-08:00

Please excuse my appearance of my blogs while I fix them! I am having some issues with scrapblog right now, so I don't know when it will look pretty again!

GIVEAWAY!

2009-03-01T15:10:00.000-08:00

So, a friend of ours from our playdate group is hooked on blogging. She does a tremendous job of keeping everyone up to date and has some pretty neat installments on her blog. She has a "What's for Dinner Wednesday" where she shares yummy recipes.. that one is one of my favortie posts! Also, her little son is so adorable and amazes me with all of his mischief! He is a smart kiddo.

Anyways... She is doing a giveaway! This week it is a ring sling! It is SO cute! So... go check it out!

http://thecococafe.blogspot.com/

Did I forget to mention she also is co-creator of our playdate group!?!?

Wedding Plans

2009-02-25T18:50:00.001-08:00

Well... our wedding plans have changed. We are postponing our wedding and do not yet have another date set. We have a few reasons for this. For starters, it is important to me that my father be there and he will not make it up to Spokane this year. Secondly, it is not financially smart to get married right now. I am still covered by my Dad's medical and dental insurance until I am 24 (or married). So, that would be a big expense for us as well as throwing in the cost of our wedding. Reason number three, I am starting school in April and getting married will affect my financial aid! Sorry to change plans, but right now it is not a very smart decision for our family! We still make great parents and are a wonderful couple... married or not!

Our Trip!

2009-02-25T15:14:00.000-08:00

We are home! We had a fantastic time! It was great to see my family and Aidan enjoyed re-meeting everyone! He enjoyed crawling all over their house. He learned how to climb up and down the stairs and how to crawl... the real way! LOL! He also figured out how to actually wave "bye-bye". He learned how to make "air kisses", noise and all! He started saying Mama and spent the whole week growling. LOL!

It was a blast to watch him play with his uncles, they absolutely enjoyed him! My brother Ryan nearly broke his ankle while we were there. Come to find out, he has a class 3 sprain. The doctor told him he would have been better off if he had broken his ankle and even offered to break it for him so he could simply set it, cast it, and be on his way. Anthony went fishing for 2 days while we were there and enjoyed it! He even brought home a bass one night and let Aidan touch it... he thought it was cool!

I took too many pictures! I am going to save myself some time and simply load them onto facebook. I will have some more coming as soon as I get the rest that my step mom took. I will post a couple from our trip to the beach.

My little brother Levi turned 7 on Sunday so we also had a little celebration for Aidan since they won't make it up here next month. We lit a candle on a cupcake and sang Happy Birthday to Aidan. He devoured the cupcake! He literally shoved his face in it!

College

2009-02-12T14:51:00.000-08:00

For those of you who don't know, I will be starting college in April! I am going to get my degree in Nursing. I start my pre requisites in April. I took my placement test today which determines my placement in Math and English. It was made up of a writing, reading and math test. I took this same test 4 years ago. My scores are as follows: Math: Old score- 38, New score- 30; Reading: Old score- 97, New score- 99; Writing: Old score- 96, New score: 84. Over all, not bad. I don't think I did too bad for being out of school for 4 years, my reading score improved!

These scores mean I get to start English at college level (English 101) and I get to start math at college level too but a slower pace. I need to start with Math 91 then Math 92 rather then taking Math 96. It's the same book just split into halves. Math 91 and Math 92 equal Math 96.

I get to register for classes March 2 and my award letter for financial aid was mailed out today. This letter will tell me how much money I will be receiving this quarter. YAY! I am going to take my math online this quarter and my first biology lab class and I think I will also take Psychology 101. That is normally scheduled for 2nd quarter but because I am meeting my math requirement in two classes (2 quarters) I think I will take on one of my second quarter classes this quarter so I am not too overloaded!

I am so darn excited to be starting... it feels like I am starting a whole new chapter in my life. I seem to have started a few over the last couple years: Moving to Spokane, meeting Anthony, having Aidan and now school!

ROAD TRIP!

2009-02-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, that's right... ROAD TRIP! We are heading to California, two weeks from tonight! We are piling ourselves and our stuff in our NEW car at 8 pm and driving straight through to beautiful Crescent City, CA. We are going to visit my dad, step mom, brother Ryan and brother Levi. I am SO excited. Anthony not so much. He is concerned about something happening to our car. We put in a new timing belt and had the water pump replaced yesterday, Anthony is installing new brake pads this weekend and we gave it a fresh oil change. So, other then some unforseen thing happening (like a blown tire or a rock breaking something) we should be fine. He's just concerned that we don't have the money for large repairs and he doesn't want to be stranded. He will be one grumpy man if something happens! Wish us some safe driving!

Senior Pics

2009-01-26T14:10:00.001-08:00

So, my mom finally scanned my senior photos! Here are a couple of them!

Wedding Dress

2009-01-23T23:03:00.001-08:00

So, I start with a personal trainer on Wednesday. We're meeting twice a week. My goal is 40 pounds by our wedding in June. I have been looking at wedding dress and have it narrowed down to 2. I would like YOUR opinion! Just take a minute to let me know, dress 1 or 2. There is a front and back photo for each dress. Thank you!

Dress 1

Dress 2
(excuse the words, this was copied from the internet)

Family Visit

2009-01-23T21:31:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with Jackie and Lisa! The little puppy is so darn cute. She weighs less then a pound and Aidan was having a blast with her! She was trying to be fierce and play with Aidan and he grabbed a hand full of her hair and lifted her straight off the floor. They were too cute! We also met Lisa's boyfriend Matt, he is a pretty cool guy. We all headed to Tomato Street for dinner and ate for free! Matt had ordered a prochiuto wrap WITHOUT the honey mustard dressing, our waitress even joked about putting honey mustard dressing on his salad instead. Anyways, it came with the dressing and Lisa and Jackie's dinners were cold. So, they comped our meal. It was nice. We also had a babysitter come over last night. She was great and we really like her! Well, I am rambling, so I am headed off to bed.

10 on Tuesday!

2009-01-20T21:15:00.000-08:00

It's Ten on Tuesday time again!

1. Aidan has figured out how to pull himself up! YAY! Maybe not YAY! This means he will be cruising soon and shortly after that, walking. I am excited but I knwo what it means. It's funny, with kids you want so bad for them to learn new things, but once they do, you wish they didn't know how!

2. Aidan Baidan has a cold.. again. I feel like I must be doing something wrong, he always seems to get colds! I went and bought a humidifier tonight... hopefully it will give us BOTH a better night sleep!

3. I am so ready to quit my job. Our boss has unreal expectations of us and it drives me nuts. To top that off, if we don't meet her expectations, rather then confronting us about it, she talks about us to our coworkers! She totally feeds off of her employess gossipy nature and it drives me NUTS! It's pretty bad when she comes and tells me all of the clothes behind the counter need to be hung and put out because she doesn't want to hear Sam (an employee with senority who practically runs the store, does payroll and such) yell at her all day tomorrow about it! HELLO! YOU are the OWNER, why does an EMPLOYEE yell at you about things? Why can't I hang and put out the clothes because YOU want me to, not because YOU don't want to be yelled at by your subordinate! UGH!

4. Jackie (Anthony's mom) and Lisa (Anthony's sister) are coming on Thursday to stay the night with us. Lisa lives in Montana and Jackie in Tri-Cities. They are using our house as a meeting point because Jackie purchased the puppy Lisa wanted and they are meeting up so Lisa can get it!

5. Aidan is moving into size 12 clothes. I hate that inbetween stage where most of one size is too small and most of the other is too big! 12 months fit great AROUND but are too long. UGH! On the other hand, it is fun to pull a new wardrobe out for him!

6. While switching wardrobes I got rid of some of his clothes that are too small (I save the really nice ones and donate the rest). Anyways, my favorite charity is across town, so I figured I would simply post them on Craigslist for free. Well, we met a lady with a heart breaking story. She is 45 with two mostly grown children already. She has had her tubes tied for 15 years now and was engaged to be married to her new fiance. Well, he died last week of some disease while doing missionary work out of the country. This might sound a little cheesy and made up, but you really should have seen the tears pour down this lady's face as she told me about him. Well, their son is due in 2 months and now as she tries to pick up the pieces after his death she is also playing catch up and trying to prepare for the baby. Needless to say, I threw in a little more then those clothes. I has an extra papasan chair and a cradle that I gave to her as well.

7. Anthony got his HAIR CUT!!!!! YAY! It was getting so long. He looks superb!

8. Our taxes should be back between Thursday and Wednesday.... ONE STEP CLOSER TO OUR CAR!

9. We saw "My Best Friends Girl" last night, It has Kate Hudson, Dane Cook, Jason Biggs and Alec Baldwin. Very good romantic comedy. These kind of movies are perfect for us. It has the comedy for Anthony and the romance for me!

10. Aidan is teething and those top teeth are trying so hard to come through! We have been up between 5 and 6 times a night for the last week. I am tired, worn out and grouchy. So is Aidan. I am getting nervous that because this has gone on this long Aidan won't resume his great sleep schedule when the cut through. I hope he does, I would like full nights of sleep again! Perhaps, Anthony will just learn how to get up with him!

Basketball Night

2009-01-19T08:42:00.000-08:00

So, Daddy had a double header Friday and Aidan Baidan and I made it to the first game. Anthony was much more agressive and actually scored seven points. He made the first points of the game with a 3 pointer! YAY! It was nice to see him come out of his shell at the game. Not that Anthony is ever really in a shell, he just needed to step it up when playing basketball. Here are a few photos from the game. Mommy needs to improve her sports photography skills!

Here's Daddy and Aidan at half time...

He shoots, he scores!

Nice Rebound!

Here he is passing the ball.

Here he is on defense!

TAXES!

2009-01-16T16:11:00.000-08:00

YAY! I am one happy Mommy! Anthony just left to go file his taxes... I smell a new car in a week!

Aidan Baidan

2009-01-13T09:22:00.000-08:00

Juat an FYI for any of our "followers", Aidan Baidan has his own blog at www.aidanbaidan.blogspot.com.

Ten on Tuesday

2009-01-13T09:06:00.000-08:00

1. Aidan was up 4 times last night! I think he might be getting his teeth in. Maybe. I am a tired Mommy and a grouchy Daddy just left for work!

2. I have a found a neat website called flylady.net that is wonderful! She has an entire plan for getting your house in order, cleaned and decluttered! I will be starting her program this week, as soon as I go buy myself a timer. She focuses on creating good habits and FLY stands for Finally Loving Yourself.. a terrific concept!

3. Aidan has an appointment at the doctor this morning. I forgot to schedule his follow up for his ear infection 3 weeks ago (so my appt should have been a week ago) plus, he has had a cough that has been around for at least 3 weeks and he is sounding a little wheezy.

4. I have not gotten my car yet. We have decided to wait until our taxes are back so we can get a discount by paying cash upfront. I cannot help but look at cars though and have 3 right now I really would like to go check out. However, I realize it is pointless when they probably won;t even be around when we have the money!

5. We have been having a great discussion on our Mommy and Me boards about the modern day woman's expectations of her husband. This great discussion has given me some wonderful insight on relationships, more specifically, mine and Anthony's. I am eager to take this new insight along with my new cleaning and organizing routine and smooth out the bumps here at home. Hopefully making both Anthony and I happier people. Afterall, a good relationship is one that it is always evolving, changing and one that is WORKED on!

6. Aidan said "Mama" last night. He said it one more time and is now back to syaing "Dada". UGH!

7. Anthony finally moved his weight set inside the house from the garage and is eager to start using it again.

8. I am not looking forward to going to work tomorrow after last weeks event. BLEGH!

9. Our son has found the little door stopper behind his bedroom door that goes "BOING". It is my secret weapon to get Anthony out of bed in the morning! Our bed is right on the other side of that wall! HEHE!

10. I am going to sign off so Aidan and I can get to Walmart for cold medicine for Mommy, diapers and a timer.

New Background

2009-01-11T20:07:00.000-08:00

Go check out this blog.. she has SUPER cute backgrounds!

http://simplychicblogs.blogspot.com/

Yesterday

2009-01-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

Work was eventful. As Ashlynn and I were closing the store last night a cop pulled into the parking lot. She joked with me that the cop was there to talk to me. Well, she walks back outside to bring in the strollers and the cop DOES walk up to her asking if everything is okay inside. He came in explaining that one of our customers had called saying that a guy with a gun had tried to rob her in the parking lot. We were baffled, we had seen nothing and heard nothing. There were three cops sitting in our parking lot trying to figure things out. We got back to closing and when I left, they even had the back road blocked off at both ends. WEIRD! Anthony insists I need to start carrying mace. Can you imagine if that guy had come INTO our store instead of trying to rob the lady in the parking lot?

On another note, Anthony had his first basketball game last night. He is playing basketball through church. While basketball is very obviously not his sport, he enjoys the exercise and is the fastest guy on the team. He has decided it can't hurt to shoot more often whether he makes it or not. You certainly can't make it if you don't shoot! Aidan enjoyed the first 5 minutes of the game, after that, he was cranky having to sit in my lap for near an hour. I think next week we'll only stay for the first half of the game.

Are you serious?

2009-01-07T09:31:00.000-08:00

So, since Aidan has been born, Anthony has been up with him, maybe 3 times. No big deal. However, he wakes me up last night at 2 am to ask how many ounces he needs to put in the bottle. I was shocked, not only had I not heard Aidan but Anthony did! So, I laid in bed awake waiting for Anthony to get back. He gets back in bed and I mentioned that I didn't even hear Aidan, I must have been sleeping hard. He tells me that he was watching TV in bed and heard Aidan. He then turned the TV off and pretended to be asleep!!!! When he realized I wasn't waking up he got up. ARE YOU SERIOUS!?!? Well, I guess at least he can admit it!

Ten on Tuesday

2009-01-06T11:15:00.000-08:00

So, I am going to give this a shot. I know a couple of people who do this as well. We'll see how long I keep it up. I might also try wordless Wednesday just to get myself blogging a little more.

1. Aidan has become quite the fit thrower. He throws them at nap time, he throws them when I walk away to get his bottle, when I suck out his nose and I'm sure there are other times. He has certainly learned how to turn on the tears!

2. Anthony has had 4 days off in three weeks. He has been working so hard moving snow! It's sad that the winter is his time with Aidan and he doesn't get to see him much with a work-at-night, sleep-during-the-day schedule.

3. With Anthony working, we have enough saved up to put down half of a new car, well, new to me!

4. I have not worked since the week before Christmas and I am dreading going back tomorrow. I got used to being home with my boys!

5. While I may have been stuck in the house for nearly three weeks (most of the time), my house is a disaster! Something about being indoors just zaps my energy to get anything done.

6. I found a fantastic present for my Dad's birthday Next week! YAY!

7. I am so close to getting rid of our kitten. He drives me nuts! He is the highest energy kitten I have EVER had! At the moment, he crawled under the couch to retrieve some bead garland from our Christmas decorations and is dragging it around the house like a puppy!

8. Grocery shopping is much needed in my house, so I am going out today. Wish me luck, I hope the store isn't as busy today as it was this weekend! I mean really, the snow has been around for three weeks, how long do they need to keep the Wal-Marts in Spokane closed?

9. We are starting our "healthy eating" kick this week. I hope it sticks. I am terrible about starting something like this and not following through. I really hope to drop some weight in time for our wedding in June!

10. Aidan is learning more and more by the day! His newest trick.. spitting his food out! I don't mean just pushing it out with his tongue... I mean SPITTING it!

WOW, ten things are harder then they seem. However, it really got me thinking about things. For instance, I am going to go make my grocery list!

WooHoo

2009-01-01T21:29:00.000-08:00

So, Anthony's Dad came into town today to visit and deliver our Christmas presents. We got one of those digital picture frames!!!! YAY! I just uploaded 114 photos to it that range from the hospital to now of Aidan. I'm SO stoked to have it! Now I have one for the house and a keychain version for on the go! Anthony also got some Carhart water repelant bib overalls. He LOVES them. He wore them to work tonight. We are planning on going to the car lot tomorrow to test drive my car. CROSS YOUR FINGERS that we make it there tomorrow. I hope Anthony is in the mood... I want my new car!

Car

2008-12-30T20:10:00.000-08:00

YAY! I sold my car! I'm so glad to have it out of my driveway. I am one step closer to my new car!!!! Just a few more nights of Anthony out plowing and we're good to go! So, BRING ON THE SNOW!

I'm excited!

2008-12-29T21:12:00.001-08:00

I got a digital picture keychain for Christmas! Thanks Mom! Now I can share pictures of Aidan! I am excited to have it at work. I always enjoy chatting with mom's (customers) about our kids. Well, I always get to see their's and now they can see mine! WooHoo!

Check This OUT!

2008-12-28T19:44:00.001-08:00

Check out this BLOG! FOr those of us on a budget this blog is fantastic. She keeps up-to-date on current deals at the grocery stores, combined with coupons she gives you the links to and ta-da! The most recent posting: $0.15 a can for Progresso soup!

http://www.frugalchicliving.blogspot.com/

Our Tree

2008-12-18T21:23:00.000-08:00

Our tree is finally COMPLETE! The bottom branches are bare because our darn kitten won't leave the tree alone and I am tired of waking up to ornaments all over my living room!

SNOW!

2008-12-18T10:13:00.001-08:00

We have 26 inches at the moment. last night at 11 we had only 12. It keeps coming! I thought I would share the pictures I took this morning. I also will be taking Aidan out to play later.. his first time in the snow! If you look at the pictures, my fence in the front yard is half buried!

Totally FREE prizes!!!!

2008-12-02T09:29:00.001-08:00

I just got 3 entries for a $100 Target gift card! Christmas shopping, here I come!

This is SO cool... check it out! If you choose to enter, please don't forget to add a comment referring me! simply say ref: Ashley Polk! Thanks guys!

http://www.giveawaytoday.blogspot.com/

Shopping!

2008-11-21T17:00:00.000-08:00

YAY! I got some shopping done today. I bought both of my little brother's gifts today as well as Anthony's birthday present. I was going to get him a new sweatshirt and pair of jeans but I went to Value Village and got a GREAT deal! I got four new shirts (3 t-shirts and 2 long sleeve) and two pairs of jeans (Abercrombie and GAP). I only spent $30.. what a GREAT deal! I know Anthony certainly doesn't care whether they're second hand or not. I am so stoked... I LOVE giving gifts! I have also decided on getting him some cologne and new jammies for Christmas! Everyone will get a pair of jammies, I will just be getting my own! LOL! That's that way things work....

2008-11-19T13:25:00.000-08:00

My mom sent me a few photos of myself, I think Aidan looks a lot like me! Although I have yet to get my hands on some pictures of Anthony as a baby! What do you think?

Family Pictures!

2008-11-17T10:06:00.000-08:00

So, we went to Sears and had our family photos done yesterday. They turned out fairly well. It was either I liked how Anthony looked, or I liked how I looked. Never both. And of course, Aidan always looked fabulous! So, I went with the picture of Aidan on Anthony's shoulders because Anthony and Aidan look great. I prefered the other one, but Anthony wasn't smiling! Anyways, here ya go!

P.S.

They are editing out the shadow behind us!

Edit for Christmas List

2008-11-13T17:54:00.000-08:00

I just thought I would throw in there that we would also like a printer. Nothing fancy, it doesn't need to be photo quality. Just a standard printer!

Christmas Wishlists

2008-11-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

So, a couple moms I know have put their family wishlists on their blogs. I thought this was a great way to share them with family.

Aidan

Vtech V.Smile Baby System
Baby Einstein DVD (any of them)
Walker (the kind they stand up behind and push to learn how to walk)
Any other age appropriate toys (he will be 9 months old at Christmas)

Mom and Dad

George Forman Grill
Steam cleaner for our carpet
Toaster Oven (the kind that can bake, broil and toast)
Gcards for Walmart, Target or Old Navy

More Wedding

2008-11-06T18:23:00.000-08:00

Our wedding is coming together better everyday! We now have the church reserved and it sounds like my mom will be paying for our flowers. Anthony's cousin should be doing our photos (cross our fingers) and we have a place picked out for our reception. We are looking into a DJ or renting some equiptment and having a family member or friend do it for us. I am SO excited!

AAAHHH!

2008-11-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

Aidan is being so cranky today! He only ate HALF of what he normally does and has been wanting to sleep more then normal. I don't know what is wrong and I'm frustrated. For those of you who know me, you understand I have had my fair share of experience with children (prior to having my own) and now it seems that when it comes to my own I have no clue what I am doing! WHY? I get frustrated when I don't know what is wrong with him. I never had any problem when it was other people's children but now that it's my own, I feel clueless!

Wedding

2008-10-30T22:49:00.001-07:00

So, we are moving forward with our wedding plans! We are planning on getting married at the church out in Otis Orchards and then having the reception at Anthony's boss' house (in his backyard). We are going very relaxed with the reception and doing a big bbq basically. I think this will save us oodles of money and give us the ability to relax afterwards. We're getting married June 20th of next year.

Anthony keeps saying that the wedding is 8 months away.. why am I worrying about it now. Well, I am a planner for big events and enjoy it. Also, from what I've heard.. the earlier you plan things the easier it will be. I hope so. Is 8 months too far in advance for planning things? I've picked out invitations and our "save the date" cards. I've also picked my wedding dress.

I still have so many things to work on... like a budget! LOL! At least we chose a town to have it in already! I have other things to think about... but that will come. For now, I am working on the fun things!

YAY!

2008-10-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

I literally spent two hours working on my new header tonight. UGH! Everytime I get on scrapblog it runs SO slow and sometimes freezes up. FRUSTRATING! No other program does this on my computer so I don't understand the problem. Anyways, I finally finished it and I'm so proud of it! I tried showing Anthony and he doesn't care :( I guess I'm just super proud of myself and I'm bummed that nobody wants to see my work. Oh well... I hope you guys like it!

More pics from today!

2008-10-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

What a Wonderful Day!

2008-10-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

We went as a family out to the Harvest House in Greenbluff, a little farm town north of Spokane. We enjoyed some good food, yummy apple cider and some great fall weather! Great photo op... I went a little crazy :) They didn't have much of a selection of pumpkins so we headed to Otis Orchards and got a 32 pound pumpkin! It's huge! I'll post some pictures later this week when we carve it.

Kitty

2008-10-20T20:59:00.001-07:00

Kitty has been sneezing a little over 2 weeks now and it became concerning last night when he started bleeding out of his nose after sneezing! We had the vet come and take a look at him tonight... $75 later and all he did was give him a steroid shot and tell us to wait it out!!! UGH!!! On another note, Kitty has taken to sleeping between us at night and last night I found him like this when I went back to bed after feeding Aidan! Anthony had no idea!

What a week!

2008-10-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed myself at work this week. I really like the job. I am way better about spending (or not spending) money then I thought I was going to be. All Aidan got this week was a new bath seat, a winter coat, the matching sweats to a sweatshirt we already had and some cabinet locks. $15 isn't bad!

This week was Aidan's first time with sitter. Things went well, he really is a happy baby. I felt alot better about the whole situation then I thought I would be. I feel like I don't get enough time with him though, I get baout 4 hours of awake time with him a day. I used to spend ALL day with him :( I find myself rushing to pick him up after work. I hope this gets better. Maybe it will be a little easier when he is home with Daddy over the winter rather then with a sitter. We'll see... I'm sure things will be easier as time goes on.

My First Day at Work

2008-10-12T22:31:00.000-07:00

Saturday went well! I like most of the girls that work there. It is certainly the best job for me right now. It totally fits our schedule and while I'm not making much, it's enough to make ends meet for us! Saturday was a busy day in there. For those of you that are familiar with Other Mother's, I am not looking forward to the next quarter sale! However, I do get all quarter sale items for free. Anything cute I see I will have to grab... I'm sure I can find somebody from Mommy and Me who will fit into it! My favorite store has now become my place of work, I couldn't ask for much more in a job!

Anthony seemed to do fine watching Aidan while I was at work. Aidan just loves his time with Daddy. Tomorrow will be a different story when I leave him with Thi, our childcare provider! I'm gonna cry right now thinking about it. It was hard enough to leave him with Anthony for 4 hours, I can't imagine how tomorrow will go! Oh well, I will get over it soon.

Thanks Linda for asking how things went!

New Job

2008-10-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

So, I got a new job! I start on Saturday! I got a job at my favorite second hand store, Other Mothers. I am very excited, I absolutely love the store and it is the ideal job to make us a little extra cash and for me to be able to enjoy myself. I'll be working about 20 hours a week, just right. The other exciting thing is that I will generally start at noon which leaves me open to still attend Mommy and Me playdates with Aidan. I am SO thankful that Thi, a friend of ours, will be watching Aidan. That should only be short term though, Anthony is expecting to be laid off in November.

What a morning!

2008-10-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

So, I decided to not take the job. I am reluctant to go to work. Anthony heard me crying last night and talking to Aidan, which started a long discussion about our schedules and work and Aidan. We decided that 5:30 is WAY to early for both Aidan and I. To make that work Aidan would have to be in bed earlier which cuts Anthony's time with him since he already works 6 days a week!

Anyways, the morning started with me calling to tell Cathy I wasn't going to take the position. She got pissy with me. I don't like pissy people. I even offered to help her next week while she finds somebody to fill the position. She was still pissy. Oh well, I was nice about the whole thing. As Anthony points out... who wants to work for a lady with an attitude like that anyways!! Then I had to call Thi who was going to do our childcare and I felt SO bad telling her that I wasn't taking the job. It was already short notice for her anyways and now I canceled. I feel like a flake!

Aidan and I were going to the mall for a Mommy and Me meetup this morning so I woke him up at 10:15 and got him dressed in an adorable little outfit with a zip up sweatshirt and jeans and sneakers. No sooner do I stick him in his carseat and he PUKES all over his outfit! So, I take him out to change him. I change Aidan on our ottoman in front of the Lazy Boy. This morning I had my head turned while reaching for his sock.. and THUNK! he falls off! I felt terrible, my baby has never fallen from anything. I felt so irresponsible!!!

He's over it now and taking a good nap. I feel like I need one too! On a good note, I cam ehome and checked my email. In my inbox was an email that Anthony sent from his friend's phone saying "I love you". That made my day much better!

New Job

2008-09-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

I got a job today! I actually interviewed a couple weeks ago and was oltd I didn't have the job. Well, today she called and said things fell through with her other hire and asked if I could start Monday! The job is as the assistant teacher at her home preschool. I will be working from 6:30 to noon. This will be quite the schedule change for Aidan and I. A mom from our Mommy and Me group will be taking care of Aidan until Thanksgiving when Anthony will be laid off. I'm so worried about leaving Aidan. I know he will be in great hands but I can't believe I am leaving my baby for 25 hours a week!!!! I don't know how I will be able to deal with this. This is hard because Anthony doesn't seem to understand. OMGoodness!

Outnumbered

2008-09-30T14:45:00.001-07:00

I am feeling a little singled out. We now have three males in our house: Anthony, Aidan and Kitty! I got the cutest photo of them all playing on the floor last night. Kitty seems to be adjusting well. I wanted to wring his neck this morning when he decided to climb my back while I was sitting on the floor. I forgot how sharp kitty claws can be! Both Kitty and Aidan are very fascinated by eachother. Aidan likes to watch Kitty creep towards him and as soon as Kitty gets close enough, Aidan grabs for him and he runs off. It's CUTE! We're going to pick up his vaccines this weekend so he is up-to-date on his shots. On the 19th we are having him fixed... then we will be all set! We also need to go get a scratching post. Kitty likes using our ottoman right now and I'm afraid he will soon like my new couch!

My First Time

2008-09-28T19:53:00.000-07:00

So, Anthony usually just buzzes his hair... down to the scalp. I have been wanting him to get a haircut, a normal haircut. Tonight I did it myself! It looks pretty good for a first time. He also shaved his face, completely. This is the second time in over a year and a half he has been without his goatee! He looks like a completely new man!

New Addition

2008-09-28T18:23:00.001-07:00

We have a new addition to the family... a kitten! We adopted our little guy today. He's 8 weeks old and feisty! We decided to name him Kitty. We figured since we keep refering to him as Kitty with Aidan that we may as well name him that. He is so adorable! I haven't had a kitten since I was about 11. Anthony just adores cats. Aidan is loving him too. He is so fascinated by him. He got close enough for Aidan to grab on for a pitcure! I'm wondering if watching Kitty get around will encourage Aidan to crawl. We will see. I'm just so excited. He followed me all around the kitchen tonight while I was making dinner. You can see that he's pooped from running around his new home!

We Feel Icky!

2008-09-25T13:26:00.001-07:00

So, I made chicken nuggets last night for dinner. Shortly afterwards I felt nauseous. I laid in bed for 3 hours before vomiting and realizing I had a temp of 102. So, It's now nearly 1 am and I finally fall asleep. 4 o'clock rolls around and Anthony runs out the room... now he's vomiting with a 101 temp. 5:45 now and he calls his boss to tell him he won't be in. Back to the bathroom for both of us for another puke session... YUCK!!! I called poison control... he said it does sound like food poisoning. GREAT! I think we've pretty much ruled out stomach flu because a) nobody we know is sick b) Aidan isn't sick and c) we both got sick within hours of each other. We both still feel terrible. I still have a fever of 102.1 and Anthony is asleep. I feel so icky! To top it all off, I want some sleep too, but Aidan Baidan is being stubborn and won't take a nap right now!

Our Future Travels

2008-09-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

So, we have finalized our plans for Thanksgiving and will be visiting my mom. As much as I enjoy the holidays planning them becomes stressful. Anthony and I have no family in town which makes it difficult. I am a firm believer that holidays should be spent with family. Granted, we now have a family of our own but I still enjoy the holidays with our other family members. So, Thanksgiving at my mom's, and we might be spending Christmas in the Tri-Cities with Anthony's family... hopefully we will be in California come the end of February to see my family there too. It just gets so expensive to travel. To fly to my mother's we are spending $140 because we split the bill with her, to Tri-Cities we will be spending roughly $120 and to go to California we will spend about $464. OMGoodness, It is just so expensive to travel. We have no option though. It is hard for our families to make it out here to see us, so if we want to see them we have to suck it up.

WOW, I feel better after venting!

Pictures

2008-09-22T11:28:00.001-07:00

So, I took Aidan for his pictures this morning! They turned out great, it was hard to choose. I went of all places, to Wal-Mart. They are having a great deal until November... 30 photos for $4.99! The only issue we had with them was that they have these "rules" they have to follow about the number of poses and not taking any similar poses in the same session and so on. It was a little frustrating but how can I argue with a price of 4.99? They are cheaper then our little package at Sears for 9.99! You can go in for a special deal only every 30 days so I think we will go back next month to take some fall themed pictures. We took a few today but I liked his rubber ducky pictures better. So, keep your eye out for our new pictures in a couple of weeks!

Long Weekend

2008-09-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Ew, it's raining today. I feel like I live in Seattle again! Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the rain but I dislike the way the bottom of my pants are wet all day and how everytime we get in the car the windows fog up. Most of all, I dislike the awful drivers on the road when it's raining!

Aidan is getting bigger and bigger every day. Tomorrow he is going to be 6 months old. I can't believe my baby is half a year old! He seemed to reach so many milestones so fast and all of a sudden he's stopped. He's scooting around though and I figured just a few weeks until he was crawling but nothing yet. He prefers to roll as his mode of transportation. He eats alot these days. A couple tablespoons of cereal with a stage 2 jar of food! He also enjoys his sippy cups. Although I have learned to just put water in them. If I try to give him his formula in it he gets frustrated that he can't just chow down because he's not coordinated well enough to keep it in his mouth until it's gone.

Anthony worked yesterday but took today off so he could go to church. We have had the missionaries at our house like twice a week for the last couple of weeks. This got Anthony in the mood to go to church. I don't think he wants me to go with him because he knows I don't really want to go. I have tried asking him to go to this church out by us. It's a large christian church, very up-beat service, lots of extra curricular type activities, a nursery for Aidan. We'll see how that goes... I'll keep you updated!

That's all for now, I'm going to continue to work on this blog thing and figure it out!

Here we go!

2008-09-20T17:42:00.000-07:00

So, Mommy has found something new to get stuck on! I see so many families with cute blogs keeping everyone up to date and I thought it was my turn to start. I hope this is as easy as it looks although I shouldn't have much of a problem. Well, here we go!