Easy Man to Please

Last night I had a disturbing dream where I gave hubby the chance to leave me for another life and he chose the  other life. Once I realized what I had done, I begged him to come back to me and he just looked at me apologetically like "you gave me the choice!" I woke up terrified that he'd leave me and told him so.


His response when I asked him what I could do to make sure he was happy: "Well, Shake N Bake chicken is always nice."


Shake N Bake chicken it is I guess!

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Weekend Review with a Wedding and Sunshine

Our Memorial Day was spent going to the cities (3 hours away) for a wedding and enjoying the rest of the weekend at the lake. Our plan was to take the Durango (my parent's) so that we could fit everyone in one vehicle. Here is my view from the wayyy  back. Looks pretty spacious right? That is because we were missing one person. Remember that awful flu that hit our family earlier this week? Well my in-laws and my family got it on Thursday and Friday. Except my dad, who got it on Saturday. He had to stay behind unfortunately. We would have rather have been crowded with him with us, but at least he was able to recover in a relatively short amount of time.

Josie spent a significant part of Saturday and Sunday avoiding sleep. She got a tiny nap in on Saturday morning and that's it. This girl did not sleep again until she went to bed at 9:00 after the wedding. We saw a side to her that we had never seen before. She did surprisingly well considering how exhausted she was, but girl gets crazy like her mom when she's past the point of no return. She was laughing hysterically one minute and screaming to be put down the next. She ate more food than I've ever seen, and stared at more people/strangers than ever before. We didn't get her dancing and had to leave the wedding early since she refused to sleep in any setting besides a crib, but we were able to enjoy the wedding, food, family, and evening regardless. She's a gem.

This wedding was fantastic. It was so classy and sophisticated, yet relaxed and super fun. It was my cousin  Jordan's (twin cousin since we're born on the exact same day) and his fiance Emily's who's been practically like family for years, so we loved being able to celebrate them making it official and it just felt so right! Love weddings like that.

My mom and sister looking amazing. You can see hubby in the background trying to keep Josie entertained. We all took turns walking around with her and looking out the window. Good thing we did, because she would have lost it if we would have expected her to sit on one of our laps the whole evening.

We couldn't get a good picture, but the creeper aka hubby in the background helped.

The best picture I could get of the bride and groom. He wore the top hat at the reception and dance but not at the wedding. Her dress was absolutely beautiful. They just looked so happy and relaxed at the reception. My cousin Jordan had never met Josie since they don't live here, and Emily had only just met her at her bridal shower, so it was fun to see them "chat" with her a bit too. Unfortunately, with Josie's exhausted little mind and body, the top hat was too much and she started crying when he got down to her level. Hopefully he'll get another chance to win her over in the future!

We tried so hard to get a family picture, but that didn't happen at all. Maybe if we mixed a couple of these together we'd get a perfect picture. :)

The next day before we headed home, we had the chance to go swimming in the pool at the hotel like I'd hoped (it was actually open at 8:00 so we didn't need to worry about wasting too much time before) and Josie loved it. I cannot stress to you how excited she was the minute we were in the water. We had forgot her swimming devices so I was nervous holding her, but she was great and loved everything we did. The hot tub wasn't warm yet, so we moved over there and hung out (she could stand up on the ledge with me holding on and of course she loved that). She did get over tired again (can you blame her?) by the time we left, but my baby girl is a fish just like I'd hoped!

We look fabulous, don't we? Haha....

The next day (Memorial Day), my hubby and I ended up on an impromptu date fishing in his our newish boat. I had never been out on it, so it was fun to ride in it and enjoy the weather. It wasn't the best weather ever, but when the sun was out it better than being inside. Mike caught a perch which was tiny. He thought it was just a stick and then was surprised to see a fish hanging on his rod! 

I caught the biggest fish I've ever caught but have no pictures to prove it. It was a northern and scared me half to death when I was trying to pull it in (I pictured it winning and pulling me overboard). We didn't have a net big enough for it, so even though we got it mostly into the boat, it just wiggled it's way back out again. We were going to throw it back anyway, but it would have been fun to get a picture!

After that we didn't have much luck, but we did get the chance to just cruise around and look at all the amazing homes on the lake/river. Buckley came too and he was so tired from the weekend of running around freely at the lake that he just laid down at our feet most of the time. It was so nice to have some one on one time with the hubby since it seems like we hardly ever get to do that anymore.

When we got back, we tried to wear out Josie a bit more before we drove home (it worked thankfully). She explored outside, ripped off some of my mom's beautiful flowers (sorry mom!) and rocked the worst outfit in the world. She had on this cute red/white/blue dress for Memorial Day, but it was too cold alone, so we added the Gap sweatshirt which was cream and light pink, her yellow flip flops, and a bright pink and white hat. Nothing matched, yet she still looked cute. I wish I could pull that off. ;)

It was a nice weekend, yet the hubby and I both felt more tired last night than we were before we left. It always seems to be like that after a long weekend, doesn't it? Thankfully it was a cool night so we slept great and I even got to sleep in (thank you Josie). I finally kicked the tired leftover feeling from the flu and woke up ambitious. LOVE it when that happens!

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Random mindlessness

I have so many things going on in my head right now. It's a lot of random.

1. I am in need of a pair of shoes that are flats, sandals, comfy and still cute. I am at my wit's end trying to find something that matches all of the criteria and when I think I've found something I like, I try it on and it looks ridiculous. So tell me, SAHMs, what kind of shoes do you wear most of the time?

2. Josie's diapers are... a disaster. Well, not the diapers necessarily, but the content. Every single diaper is #2 and it's not pretty. I cannot wait for her to get past this! We all had the flu early this week but she can't seem to get past this particular part of it. I'M READY. Let's move on!

3. This year I was lazy and didn't plant my tomatoes and peppers ahead of time inside like I had done the year before, even though I had everything to do it. I just ran out of time and decided to buy the plants instead of the seeds. Big mistake. $3.50 for one plant?? So I spent $40 on them instead of the $2 I would have spent if I would have planted them inside. Except I already spent that $2 so it was really like $42. FAIL.

4. I went to Old Navy and loaded up on maternity shirts and a dress. Who knew that this year Old Navy would get it together with the price/selection combo? I should be good for the summer now and that's most of my pregnancy. 

5. I went grocery shopping yesterday morning around 8:30 AM (I know, ambitious) and was completely blown away by the service I got while checking out. I waited about a minute before being suddenly whisked away to a new lane while the guy unloaded my cart for me (never happens), apologized at least 3 times, and then proceeded to run around to the other side and ring me up as fast as possible. I just thought it was so funny because if I had been there at 4-6 PM instead, that would have been the shortest wait in history and they wouldn't have thought twice about it, but because I was there in the morning, he didn't think I should have to wait at all. Note to self: always go in the morning! Not many other shoppers and the best service you could ask for. As I was leaving, he made sure to say goodbye to both Josie and myself and seemed quite sincere. Well done, Sunmart.

6. We're going to a wedding this weekend and staying at a hotel. This hotel doesn't offer continental breakfast which to me is the worst offense a hotel could do. I'm betting the pool doesn't open before 10 AM   either on Sunday, which does not scream 'FAMILY FRIENDLY' at all. How am I supposed to keep my child quiet if you don't have a place I can feed her or bring her where she can blow off steam? We're going to annoy everyone... 

7. All over my neighborhood, there are for-sale signs. It'd make me nervous normally, but the speed that they are getting "sold" is amazing and gives us a lot of hope for when we get to that point. Also, some of them are selling at a lot higher of prices than they were when we moved in. Praise the Lord for this - we'd love to get some money back on this lovely little investment called our starter home!

8. I drove around with Josie today to a park farther away from our house. I always knew it was there, but it's tucked back off the road so I could only see a part of it. It is really quite a gem and I cannot wait to bring her back and have a picnic back there. 

She sat on this step and played with the mulch more than anything else. Note to self: bring something to read because sometimes there's nothing I can do to get her to play with me.

Midweek Confessions

After we all got struck with the infamous flu this week, I've lost all motivation to do anything. Instead of just admitting to being lazy, I'd prefer to just blame it on my lack of strength from avoiding foods for a day and half.


Josie was up at 6:00 today. I hit hubby (sweet of me, right?) to go get her and all he did was give her a bottle so she continued to talk and scream and jump and dance because what she had really wanted was her diaper changed. I may or may not have let her do this for a good 45 minutes before going in there. Once I go in, I never can get back out without a wide awake babe in my arms!


We haven't had a real homecooked meal yet since I've started staying at home. I've been surprisingly busy, but the real reason is because the thought of starting to cook every single night completely overwhelms me. Just making this week's menu had me throwing in the towel. I used to be good at this once upon a time.


I'm getting a pedi/mani today and I'm going all by myself. I'm not above some pampering even though I'll have to endure the awkward "should I make small talk with the poor girl touching my feet or should I just pretend I'm totally engrossed in this magazine" moments.


I bought and plan to wear a preggo swimsuit this weekend and really hope my bump is big enough so that others know I'm pregnant and not just an awkwardly shaped beer bellied lady. I'm so vain...


Link up!

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From 3/13/12

I've had a day to let it sink in. This is really happening.

The first time around, when I was pregnant with Josie, I prayed and hoped with all of my heart that I would love being pregnant. I so wished that I would look cute and not swell up when I was really showing. I wanted to be bubbly and fun and full of life so that people wouldn't just tip toe around me in order to not disturb the pregnant lady. Unfortunately, all of these not so great things describes my pregnancy 100%. I couldn't have been more uncomfortable (okay, I probably could have been, but it didn't feel that way then).

I was so swollen I could hardly walk after a day of working. Mind you, I was standing all day and wasn't able to walk around enough to get my blood moving so it just pooled in my feet and hands. I was uncomfortable so I ate sugary foods and enjoyed my comfort beverage of choice, diet coke. The combination of these two things just made me more swollen and uncomfortable. Hindsight is 20/20.

It was hard for me to imagine getting pregnant again. The delivery didn't scare me; it was the nine months (ten months, who are we kidding) that made me break out in a sweat.

Eight months have passed and a lot of those awful memories have faded away. I still remember the bad things, but I am going to work my hardest to prevent what is in my power. Things have changed since then. Some for the good, and some for the bad.

Let's start with the bad, just to get it over with. For starters, I didn't quite get back to my prepregnancy weight which wasn't an ideal weight to start with anyways. I'm already at a disadvantage. I also won't have the luxury of sitting down with my feet up for hours at night because of a certain baby living in my house that is just learning how to really get around.

But the good. The good does truly outweigh the bad. That baby living in my house? Every single moment with her is better than the moments without her. I forget how tired I am or how much there is to do. I love every minute I get with her giggles and games. The first time around, time went so slow. It felt like I was pregnant forever, but now I can already see how fast November is going to arrive. I feel frazzled and I'm only six weeks or so along!

Other good things: I now understand how important it is to work out right away from the beginning. The first time around, I had been working out steadily before getting pregnant, but the morning sickness knocked me off my feet and I didn't now how to jump back in it once it passed. I was also afraid of doing something that would cause me to miscarriage. Well now that I've been through it, I realize that there is so much more my body is able to do. Who am I to say that exercise could hurt the baby? Looking back, that could have made things so much easier and better.

And those sweets. The salty pop. The chips. All of you are gone. I have already started a solid pregnancy "diet". Don't worry, I'm not aiming to lose a ton of weight while pregnant. I know how stupid that is. But I do know something that is crucial this time around. With me being the weight I already am, I really don't need to gain anything. Not a single pound. I have plenty of fat/nutrients to share with this little baby and as long as I keep refilling myself with healthy fruits, veggies, healthy fat, and minimal (but necessary) carbs, I will have more energy, less swelling (please Lord please) and an easier time after. It's possible, but remind me of that again when I am dragging my feet while staring at a bag of Doritos, k?

So you see? Things will be so different. But the excitement, it's still there. I can't believe that next year at this time, I will be a mom to two. Josie will be a big sister.

I googled today what is essential to have for a family with two under two. The horror stories and nightmare scenarios popped up, but I calmly skipped them and looked for the good stuff. Double stroller (anyone have one they'd like to sell me?), another bed for either Josie or the baby since she will probably still be in a crib for a while after the baby is born (yes we can hope the new babe loves the bassinet!), a new dresser to make storage more efficient in that little room that is so close to us and not downstairs miles away.

So much to plan, so much to think about. And there is more, so much more. Some things I can't share yet but am practically dying inside to tell you. Soon, I hope.

More details

So I make this big announcement and then I just leave you hanging! For days no less.


Things to know:
1. I'm 15 weeks along today which means I am in the 2nd trimester.
2. I was quite sick but hid it pretty well, hence the reason you all assumed I had an easy peasy 1st trimester. I was sick more in the evenings, so I could get through most of the day with a little nausea here and there, but by the time 7:00 rolled around you could count me out of all activities. Usually you'd find me on the couch downstairs clutching my stomach with a pillow to my chest while hubby was upstairs doing the whole bedtime/middle of the night routine by himself. I'm glad our marriage is strong because yikes that could have made things tough on that poor hard working man!
3. I found a different doctor and am much happier already. She's sweet, cares about how I'm doing and who I am, and promised me that she wouldn't let me go two weeks overdue again. I don't want to be induced, but I also don't want to push out another 9 1/2 lb baby. Sorry if that was a bit too much to picture.
4. We decided that I was going to stay at home before finding out we were expecting again. There were some hurdles to overcome, like insurance and a much tighter budget, but we really believe this is what the Lord wants and are willing to make sacrifices to make it work. I will get a part time job (barista maybe?) if need be when or if things get too tight.
5. Josie and Baby #2 will be 16 months apart. We know that is close together and no it wasn't planned, but once we get past the craziness stage of them both being babies, we think it's going to be great for them. Both of us have 4 years in between us and our siblings, so it'll be different than how we grew up, but hey we always joke that Josie didn't have any playmates in her life so we just decided to give her one ourselves!
6. As you probably got from point #5, this pregnancy was not necessarily planned but we weren't doing everything we could to avoid it. We're so excited to keep our family growing and know that this is God's plan for us.
7. I've been eating a lot healthier and have been more active this time around and I can feel the difference already. I am praying for a great pregnancy with the hopes of enjoying it even (crazy, right?). Circumstances are so different this time around, so there is a possibility this could happen.
8. For now the babes will be sharing the room upstairs until we're more comfortable with Josie being alone downstairs or until we "have to" put her downstairs because of another sibling (couple of years from now of course).
9. We also plan on rummage sale shopping a bunch for what we need and clothes if it is a boy since we don't have any of that... its part of the reason we want to find out what we are having. Now is the time for deals!


What did I miss? I am sure there are more questions! You know I am an open book so ask away if you think of something!


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New Faces

One of the things I was really excited about when looking forward to staying home was connecting with other SAHM's. I had no idea how to start the "connecting" but I knew I wanted to do it!


Right away after my grand Facebook announcement, I was told about a Mom's group through our church, the church we are still relatively new at. The fact alone that I was told by about 3-4 different people impressed me and I started to get pretty excited about it.


It meets two times a month and alternates between two mom's homes. Can I just take a moment to praise God for this group? Seriously, it is such a blessing! We've had a hard time connecting with other families at our church because of Josie's nap time conflict and the general busyness of a growing church. On top of that, a lot of the families are split between the two services so you only get to meet some of them. 


I'm so excited for the opportunity to connect with other moms (most of whom stay home) and get that adult interaction. Plus look at all the new friends I'll have that are in the same place as I am in my life. That has been a bit of a struggle for me up to this point because we were the first to have a baby in our group of friends. I love my friends and never ever want to lose touch with them, but when my kid needs to be in bed by 7:30 and they want to hang out til 11, it just doesn't work.


It's so hard to bridge that gap when we're at different places at our lives. I can no longer commit to afternoons or full evenings with friends because Josie can only do something for a couple of hours at a time. I can't justify getting a babysitter every time a friend wants to double date because me staying at home has us on a tighter budget. I do have friends that just don't grasp this and it's been hard on our relationships. 


Since so many of my friends are still working full time, I have prayed (not enough, but God still heard me) that I would find ways to interact so my busy mind wouldn't be bored (I feel guilty even typing this) with Josie when she's napping or doing something that doesn't need me involved.


So far though, every single second has been great. Seriously, on the days coming up that aren't so good, I need to remember how the first couple of weeks were and focus on how good things really can be.

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Growing

Our family is growing!

Baby number two will be here around November 8th.

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Weekend Review

We spent the weekend at hubby's aunt's farm while they worked with the cattle. We spent time inside and out, trying to stay out of the way and avoiding the breakables. We also got to go see hubby's grandparents to celebrate his grandma's 75th birthday. There was great food and company and it was nice to see some of the family members that can't always make it.

I drove out there (three hour drive) by myself and it went pretty well. We have a cage-like divider between the back trunk area and the back seat so he can't jump over into Josie's space/face. It generally works great, but lately has been falling over right on to Buckley making him panic a little. Imagine my joy when it happened twice on the drive. And the last time, Josie had just woken up and wanted to be entertained and we still had 45 minutes left. Thank the Lord for giving me patience because we made it, but just barely!

On the way back, my sis-in-law came with and Josie slept the whole way. Incredible! It was actually a relaxing drive and I didn't feel the usual stress-after-a-trip because of it. Oh, and maybe because I was able to count on cleaning up a bit during the week which I have never been able to do. That is great too. :) I love staying at home.

We were a bit goofy yesterday evening. 

And lastly, I got to enjoy my Mother's Day presents! Two cards and five candy bars. Love it!! I have a great hubby and daughter. :)

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10 Months

Miss Josie is 10 months old this month! And as usual, I am two weeks behind.

Not a lot has changed from last month. She has increased her walking speed and capabilities and no longer likes to crawl unless absolutely necessary. She's not a terror (yet) and really it just makes her more fun since she delights in a lot more (hey - she's higher up now! She can see way more).

Sleeping has been hit or miss. She sleeps pretty good through the night but still wakes up every other night and sometimes more than once in a night. Nap times are usually amazing and she is always so refreshed and happy afterward. I have learned to let her hang out for a bit after she wakes up because sometimes she falls back asleep and she usually is generally happier if given time to wake up on her own without me invading with my over the top enthusiasm that she is up. It's exciting, what can I say?

She's still eating great although she has also made it clear what she doesn't like! It's always random, and I have a feeling it isn't that she doesn't like the food, but that she is bored or not hungry. I can't even think off the top of my head what she doesn't like, so it usually doesn't happen more than once with the same food.

She's playful and smart. She already enjoys "helping me" and loves when I share something with her. She's also been a little more clingy which really surprises me. She's always been so independent so I wonder if she will pass through this as a phase or if it will become stronger as she spends more time with me one on one.

As always, she's a complete delight and each month is better than the last!

**Notice that there is only three pictures. That is all it took to get a good one! I couldn't believe it since usually I have to wrestle her to the ground with the help of another adult sized person. I guess doing it right she wakes up makes all the difference!**

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Something about Mondays

... that always seems to be worse than any other day. But I am determined to have a good day.

I looked in my closet and see zero options for casual clothes. I thought I had some, but it turns out that this girl is not interested in the slightest with long  heavy pants when it is over 80 degrees.

I stubbed my toe hard enough to break off a huge chunk of toenail (excuse me while I gag) causing it to really hurt and bleed a little bit.

Josie has decided that nap time is hilarious and it took almost an hour to get her to nap. Of course this only happened because I had something set up for right after her nap time, which is now postponed an entire hour. Thank you Miss Unreliable.

Did I mention it isn't even 11:00 yet?

We're still going to have a good day! I just know it!!

Case in point, this was for breakfast:

Chocolate chip pancakes, because we can. Hubby is gone for the week and never wants them, and I always seem to want them. So I made enough to last us at least three days and we are SET.

She's a fan, can't you tell? Hubby would also completely cringe at the sight of that mess. He hates (seriously HATES) feeding her food that is super messy. I'm not scared, though. Bring on the mess!

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First day of many

We had a great day together yesterday. Unfortunately we were stuck inside, but knowing it is short lived (beautiful weather coming up this weekend), I managed to keep miss Jo occupied. We grocery shopped, cooked, and avoided Buckley's dog bowl successfully.

My family got me these pretty flowers with a note reading "Congrats on the new job! We know you'll be great!"  So there ya go. I have an awesome family.

In the morning, I brought Buckley to the vet for his annual check up. He's had a bit of an upset stomach the past couple of days so we've had to clean up a few messes. That intensified a ton when we got to the vet and I literally had to walk around with a paper towel (or three) cleaning up after him as he nervously tried to keep it together (unsuccessfully). Poor pup - we were all embarrassed and my stomach just about couldn't handle it.

Thankfully the vet gave us some meds to help him out and we are on the other side of whatever he has going on in his stomach.

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Nothing better

... than a sunny day with these two.

Bittersweet

After four years, I've completed my last day at my job. I was so excited to be done, but now I'm a little sad and an itsy bitsy teeny bit nervous. What if I don't like staying at home? What if I can't keep Josie entertained and we drive each other crazy? What if I just plain drive myself crazy?

I never meant to work at a bank. I just needed a part time job and the hours and pay were way better than anything else I'd done. Once I got past the overwhelming learning stage, I realized that it was more challenging than the average college student job and loved that about it. Then I was graduating and had no clue what I wanted to do. Why not go full-time? I like it, and it's available right now. Two and a half years later and I'm finally closing the door on this chapter of my life.

So excited for the future. A lot of trust in God at this point since the unknown always seems overwhelming. But sometimes the unknown is good. So good.



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Blog Question

Who wants to help a poor lost blogger out? I cannot for the life of me figure out how to make the L show completely. The margin cuts off the loop and it is driving me crazy! I have tried "centering" the title and adding a space. Neither does anything. Any suggestions?

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Catch up Post

Now that I've found my camera cord (USB cords are everywhere but where I think they are when looking), here are some pictures reflecting the last month or so.

First, my sister Lara celebrated her 21st birthday. We went to eat at Grazie's which is an Italian restaurant in town that I feel is kind of a hidden treasure. Her roommate and friend brought her a homemade cake that was super chocolaty and delicious. I'm constantly impressed when others can bake.

Josie was entertaining but also kind of a scene stealer. Hopefully auntie Lara doesn't hold it against her.

These two goons (dad and hubby) always have fun together.

At one point Josie lost hair tie and this is what she was left with. Somehow she still managed to be cute and sweet!

My meal. It was AMAZING and huge so we brought this much home and had an entire meal for two the next night. Thanks for dinner TWO nights in a row Mom and Dad!

Blowing out the candles before she goes out on the town...

Birthdays are so fun. :)

This little peanut has been more smiley and fun this month than ever. Just constantly. We're fans of this crazy little girl.

We put her in the laundry basket but she just about knocked it over. She did not get it, or maybe she did? I guess she did figure out how to get out super quick.

And she likes strawberries! Success!

Ok enough for now... picture dump is done. Three more days of work for me and then I'm done!

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