One Word

USING ONLY ONE WORD!
It's not as easy as you might think! Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. It's really hard to only use one word answers. Be sure to tag the person you received it from!

1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Your significant other? sexy
3. Your hair? boring
4. Your mother? babysitting
5. Your father? busy
6. Your favorite? shoes
7. Your dream last night? secret
8. Your favorite drink? Coffee
10. What room you are in? Kitchen
11. Your hobby? none
12. Your fear? falling
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? Ireland
14. Where were you last night? home
15. Something that you aren't? Outgoing
16. Muffins? LOVE
17. Wish list item? CanonSLR
18. Where you grew up? California
19. Last thing you did? Directv
20. What are you wearing? clothes
21. Your TV? off
22. Your pets? none
23. Friends? wonderful
24. Your life? Fabulous
25. Your mood? relaxed
26. Missing someone? Jay
27. Car? Dirty
28. Something you're not wearing? makeup
29. Your favorite store? target
30. Your favorite color? Purple
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? Tuesday
35. Who will resend this? Vicki
36. One place that I go to over and over? work
37. One person who emails me regularly? Vicki
38. My favorite place to eat? family's

100 Days

Next Friday Avalon's school is having a big party and parade to celebrate 100 day at school. Avalon's teacher sent home a vest. Avalon has to decorate it with 100 of her favorite things. Then she gets to wear her vest in the parade. :o) What a mess!!! We only have gotten on 40 things so far....

Why Uncle Lance is the favorite

Currently, Uncle Lance is the kids favorite uncle. lol. Why? Because he brought his boat over for a few weeks. We are storing it for him (well, really our neighbors, its actually on their property. lol) are storing it for him until he can take it back up to Crestline. The kids are having a blast playing on it and pretending they are fishing. They would not sit still for anything. These are the best pictures i was able to get. lol. And they are not very good. They have been outside FOREVER playing on the boat. lol

For Allison

Allison asked for a belly picture. Allison, just so you know. You should feel very special. ;o) I absolutely HATE getting my picture taken. lol. Have you ever noticed there are not really any pictures of me ever? lol. I have yet to find a picture of myself that i like. hahaha. I am one of those people.

Anyhow, here is my belly shot. Wow! I look at this and i didn't think I look as big in person as I do in the picture. lol. But its still good. I believe I am at 33 weeks and 4 days according to my dr anyways. I think I was way bigger then this with Avalon. And probably the same size with Nolan. So I am even more sure that i am having a boy. Besides the fact that our ultrasound tech was 100% sure it was a boy. But then, 100%? really? That makes me nervous. lol.

:o(

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;

he makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters;

he restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I fear no evil;

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff,they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

thou anointest my head with oil,

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;

and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD

for ever.

I got the call today that my step-grandmother Maryann will probably pass either today or tomorrow. Please keep her and the rest of my family in your thoughts and prayers tonight. Thank you!

More pictures from the past....

In finding old pictures (older then 2008 anyways) for Desiree, I also came across these pics we took at the cabin. They are from 2006 and were BEFORE i had a digital camera. And they are taken with a disposable camera we picked up last minute at a gas station. lol. So they are not the best quality. But, enjoy. :o)

For Desiree

Because Desiree asked me to post some older photos of the kids. :o) Here you go DesNolan - 7 months oldAvalon - 2.5 years old. (is there 1 picture of Dan without a beer in his hand in 9 years?)

Nolan - 1.5 years old

Avalon - 3 years old (Go Angels!!!)

Nolan 1.5 years oldAvalon - 2.5 years old

Nolan - 11 months old

Avalon - 2.5 years old

Avalon's 1st report card

Here is Avalon's first report card. It is from the Montessori School. I kept meaning to post it but kept forgetting to. Then when putting stuff away yesterday I found it. lol. Dan and I are sooo proud of her. She got really good grades. Yey! ;O) I would just like to note though that this was done when we were moving and holidays and stuff. And I was a bad mommy and never would give Avalon her homework to do. he he! For almost a month (it felt like anyways) we were never even home to do it. Then over Thanksgiving break she had this huge 100 page packet. She was supposed to do like 10 or 15 pages a day. And I lost the packet. So we never got it done. I did find it packed in a box a month later when i was unpacking at the new house. :o) Also, I never practiced her spelling with her either. So, once I got this report card and saw she got a low grade on her spelling test Dan and I started quizzing her every single day on all 108 sight words. Avalon now can read and write all of them. :o)

For the Family

This is more for the family. lol. Avalon got in trouble the other day and had to go to her room for time out. When i went to go and get her out I heard her playing with her dolls. lol. Her conversations always crack me up!!

Crib Bedding

Yey!! We finally got Logan's crib (half-way) put up. And yesterday Dan and the kids and I went and got his crib bedding. Now all i need to do is find a navy blue or dark red bumper to go around the crib. The front piece of the crib (as you can obviously see) is not up yet. Dan built this crib himself when I was pregnant with Avalon. Way before this style of crib was available at the stores. lol. We thought we were soooo cool building our own crib with a built in dresser. Then about 6 months later we started seeing this crib everywhere!! lol. Oh well, guess we were not as original as we thought. Ours however is made of solid red oak and weighs like 200 pounds! lol. Anyways, its a little more complicated to take apart and store then a regular crib. So, Dan got most of it all put back together. Now all he has to do is put that front piece back together and then attach it to the crib and we are done!! Avalon and Nolan argue over who gets to sleep in the crib till Logan gets here. lol. We told them neither one of them get to sleep in it.

Another funny story, when Dan first brought the crib to the new house Avalon was outside in the garage playing in it. And Dan reminded her that when she was a baby about a year old and we would put her in her crib at night. She would get so mad and throw all her bedding out over the rail and open all the drawers and throw out everything all over the floor. lol.

Happy Morning

We are all sick. I think we all have the flu. Except Dan. Because he is out of town. lol. Lucky for him. Every weekend when we are home and don't have anywhere to be early, the kids come in my room first thing when they wake up. And we watch a little TV and talk about what are we gonna do that day. This is my favorite time of the week. Because Avalon and Nolan always cuddle up to each other and tell each other how much they love each other. lol. It's soooo cute. Of course then I tried to take a picture and Nolan got all mad. He does not like having his picture taken. So then he pouted and left and went back in his room. hahaha!!

Snowflakes

Avalon learned how to make snowflake snacks at school today. So when she got home she was super excited to show Nolan how to make them. They are pretty yummy!!!

Homework

Every Thursday is religious homework. Today, Avalon has 2 prayers she has to memorize. She says them both every day at morning prayer at school. But I guess a lot of the kids are getting the two mixed up since they are so close in words. The Sign of The Cross and Glory To The Father. I don't know why. But I was cracking up the whole time Avalon was practicing. She was actually doing pretty good. She did it like 20 times before I even thought to grab the video camera. But, here she is. I just have to warn you. I am so mean. lol. Every time she said Holet I would start cracking up. She was getting mad because by the time you hear me in the video laugh it was the 5th or 6th time i laughed at her. I tried so hard not too. But i could not help it. It was so cute. :o)

Update on Logan

My appointment was very uneventful. Other then my two hour wait. But it turned out it was because a few doctors and nurses called in sick and one Nurse was trying to see everyone all by herself. Although, if they would just tell you that up front I think a lot less people would be so irritated. A few people just ended up leaving and rescheduling after waiting for over an hour. But the nurses never told anyone why the hold up. The Nurse Practitioner told me once I saw her. But even when i asked the desk nurses they were just like " she will be there as soon as she can".

I almost died when they weighed me. Seriously, I hate being weighed while I am pregnant. lol. I totally agonize over it all day long. I am scared from being pregnant with Avalon. lol. I gained soooo much weight with her and did not lose it until after I had Nolan. So, I thought i had only gained 17 pounds so far. But when I asked the nurse again she said I actually gained 28 pounds so far. yikes!! But the Nurse Practitioner told me not even worry about it. I am still measuring small for 32 weeks. So where is the weight then? lol. My butt? Normally I don't really even care. But i work with people who like to tell me all the time how 2 weeks after the gave birth to their kids they were back in size 0 pants. I have not been in a size 0 pants since I was 18 years old. lol. Maybe not even then. I think the smallest I ever was, was a 3 or a 5. lol. But still, it is totally putting pressure on me. But, don't worry. I am not being all crazy and dieting and not eating or anything.

Survey Says....

I love family feud! lol

While I waited for two hours at the Dr's office yesterday I was reading one of the parenting magazines they have in there. And it said it poled 100 moms "If you had $1000.00 to spend guilt-free what would you spend it on?" So I am asking you. I answered the same thing as 89% of the other women did. LOL. So predictable. ;o) But before I tell you what that was you tell me what you would spend it on. I think I might have been a little influenced by the answer. I read it and then I was like, yea, me too. That is what i would spend it on.

Dandelions

Monday the kids were playing out in the front yard. They kept running over to the side of the yard then i would hear all this giggling then they would run back. I walked around the house to see what was so funny over there. There was a ton of dandelions. I think that is what these flowers are called? The kids were picking them all and blowing on them and then giggling hysterically as all the little seeds flew away in the wind.

I asked them what they were doing. They both replied "We're sending our wishes to God!" so loud and they were so excited. lol. I asked them what wishes are they sending up to God? Nolan said he was wishing that God would send Krissy back because he misses her very much. Avalon was wishing God would send snow to Riverside for a few days so they could play in it.

This went on and on for about 15 minutes. Every time they blew on a new flower it was a new wish for God. They would get so excited and would keep asking me "did you see it that one went to heaven mom?" as we watched the seed fly up in the wind. They loved telling me all their different wishes. Then Nolan's last wish was for God to say hi to Grandma Jay and ask her if she misses us. Awe! It was so cute and made me so sad at the same time. Then Avalon sent her last wish which was for grandpa's wife to get better. We have not really talked to the kids about Maryann being sick. Avalon just overhears phone conversations and stuff. It was so cute. But made me want to cry at the same time. Being totally selfish, i think it is so unfair that my grandpa has to deal with yet another death of a loved one. And that yet again, his children and grandchildren have to see him suffer and not know what to do to comfort him. I feel like this time I don't even know how badly this is really gonna effect him. And yet again, I have to explain to my kids that God is taking another someone to heaven and we wont be able to see that person anymore.

And i started thinking my poor kids have dealt with more death at their age then I ever had too. At least i really only remember 1 person dying when i was young. My mom's grandfather. And even then i barley remember it. Then the next death I had to experience was my Grandma Ferns. But i think i was 10 or 12 when that happened. Then nothing until i was into my 20's. I was lucky i got to grow up with most of my great grandparents. And all of my grandparents. I am really sad that my kids wont grow up knowing my Grandma Jay. They would LOVE her. She would LOVE them. She was an amazing wonderful person.

Happy Birthday Monkey!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Monkey! we love you!! Hope you have a great day!

Random Things

The kids picked out this ice cream today. Every time i see it it reminds me of Desiree. :o) Because no one else appreciates the OSF as much as I do besides her. lol.

A few weeks ago our friends Rochelle and Christian and their kids came down and spent the day with us. And as usual I did not get any pictures. I spend the whole time visiting and catching up and I never get any pictures of all our kids together.

Yesterday, our friends Carla and Vern and their son Ryan came over for a BBQ. Carla brought the most wonderful dessert Ever! me and the kids ate almost the whole thing. lol. Then Avalon cried when it was all gone. I would share the recipe but she was all top secret about it. lol. She wouldn't even give it to me. She said I have to invite her over every time i want it. Silly Carla. I have no problem doing that. haha! :o) When they were here, Dan gave Ryan an atomic wedgie. Ryan thought is was the funniest thing EVER!!! Unfortunately my camera was on the wrong setting. So this is the best picture we got of it.

At Ryan's birthday party Haley gave Avalon her old bike. So Dan is teaching Avalon how to ride it. Avalon was so upset Dan went to work today because she wants Dan to teach her on the bike every second of the day. lol

A few weeks ago I found out my step-grandmother Maryann has cancer. I found out today that it is worse then expected and she has only been given a few weeks or more. It's devastating. A few months ago she was fine. Now this. I can't believe it. i regret that i never took the time to really get to know her. My grandpa married her just last year. And of course with them being newlyweds and us being so busy with kids and family every time we went to Orange and called them they were busy. Every time they called us we were busy. We got together for birthdays and family events. But that was really it. And now it's too late. She is a wonderful woman and i am heartbroken. Please pray for her. And for my grandfather. They have both been through so much already. This just does not seem fair. I wonder if my grandpa will make it through this. my grandma just died in 2006. How much death and sadness can one person take?

New Bike

Monkey got a new bike for his birthday

Being Pregnant

I have always enjoyed being pregnant. I have super easy pregnancies and so far (knock on wood) I have never had any type of complications or anything that some of my friends have had. I have rather boring pregnancies. If you can call them boring. lol. But this pregnancy for me so far has been the most difficult. Even though it is still totally easy. As soon as I got pregnant I got super super tired. Like, I have never ever been that tired before and I don't even know how to describe it. I could not even drive unless i had to because i would be soooo tired. This lasted all the way till I was around 12 weeks pregnant. Then all of a sudden (it felt like anyways) I woke up one morning and I was not tired anymore. And then I hit the 3rd trimester. And it is starting all over again. I am so totally exhausted all the time I don't even know how to explain it. I am back to where i don't feel comfortable driving at night unless I absolutely have to. Because I get so tired when driving the the headlights and brake lights of the other cars make me really dizzy. Of course being 7 months pregnant right now is not helping me sleep either. lol. I can't get comfortable at night. It actually is painful to lay down. I have to sleep sitting up in the recliner because when I lay down in bed after only a few minutes my side starts hurting really really bad. And, my legs cramp up on and off throughout the night. My doctor put me on Iron supplements which are helping. But I am still on average only getting a few hours of sleep a night. I just can't seem to make myself sleep. Dan has been home a lot lately. So he is always offering to get up in the mornings with the kids so I can sleep in or stay up and put them to bed so I can go to bed early. But I just cant seem to fall asleep.

I know i need to just get used to it now because once Logan gets here sleep will be non existent for a while. ;o) But I think this time i will definitely be that "sleep when the baby sleeps" mom for the first few weeks and not the "clean the house and pay bills and do everything you can while the baby sleeps" mom.

Also I have had MAJOR heartburn with this pregnancy. Normally, i never ever get heartburn. The only time i do get it is when I am pregnant. But with Avalon and Nolan i still even then did not get it very often. With Logan, I drink water and I have heartburn. lol. Its horrible.

With Avalon and Nolan I never had any braxton hicks contractions or anything. Ever. But this time i am getting them every day, and they last for 3 to 4 hours a day. And some of them really really hurt!!! My doctor is having me keep a daily journal of when i get them how painful are they how long they last and all that stuff. So, far everything is fine and is nothing to get concerned about. But, ugh! they are not fun. lol

new pillows

I kept meaning to blog about this. But, I kept forgetting. lol. Dan was always complaining when he woke up that his neck and back hurt. And he thinks he needs new pillows. He was having a hard time sleeping at night. And was always a little grouchy when he woke up because he just was not sleeping well and then waking up with pain in his neck and back. So, Vicki recommended these pillows that her and mark had bought a while ago. I can't remember the name. Vicki? But she even found them for me on clearance at Linen and Things right before Christmas.

So, we ordered them. And the pillows were Dan's xmas gift from the kids. They were so excited because these two regular size pillows came in the biggest box. lol. So, now it has been 3 weeks Dan has been using his new pillow and I have been using my new pillow (because he cant sleep with two. lol. So i use one) and Dan has not had a sore neck or back not even once yet. He sleeps much better and much more deeper. If that is the right word? lol. But even more, I have had no back pain at all since switching to these new pillows. Which is totally amazing. Because I always have back pain. Every single day. For as long as I can remember. And my doctors always said it was because i have horrible posture. Which I do. But for the last 3 weeks I have had no pain at all in my back. And I know i did not wake up the day after Christmas with perfect posture. ;o) These pillows are totally amazing!!! And I need to find out the name of them so you guys can all run out and buy some. They are that great!!

Ryan's birthday Party

Saturday was the Monkeys 3rd birthday party. His birthday s actually on Tuesday, but the party was Saturday. We had sooo much fun!!! We made it the whole way up there without hitting any traffic. The kids only complained that it was too far once we hit the 126. Which is a record since usually they start saying it's to far at the 210. lol.

Monkey was so excited when he opened up one of his gifts and got a bunch of hot wheels. Seriously, that kid was in heaven. It was the coolest toy ever!!! I wish I would have gotten his reaction on video. It was priceless. All he got from us were clothes. Which made mommy and daddy happy. lol. But not so much when your three. We will have to do better with toys next year. lol.
Vicki, Mark, and Haley got Monkey a new bike for his birthday. He loved it. I think because it looks like a dirt bike. But he was so cute riding it. Hop on over to Vicki's blog and you can see a little video she made of him riding it. Sometimes I just can't believe how big he is getting. :o)


Then it was time for cake and ice cream. Every birthday Mark makes the cake from scratch. And the icing. He always does an amazing job!! They are always sooo delicious!! :o) And even look at the way he decorates. SO professional. :o)

Then all the kids went outside and were riding the razors. I know in this picture Avalon does not have a helmet on. That is because her and Nolan had to share. And really for most of the time Avalon did have a helmet on. And in this picture she is on the Razor with three wheels and she was going pretty slow. So we did not think she would fall and get hurt. She was so proud of herself. She was doing a really good job.

Here is Nolan riding the same Razor scooter. He is wearing the helmet. Also, in my opinion, in no danger of falling. Of course, Nolan proved me wrong. Mark is the only one that saw him actually fall down. I was looking the other way talking to Vicki. So, I don't know how he fell down. But he did. Mark said he took the handle bars right to the chest. And it looks like to the face too. Poor kid. He was ok though. He said he needed a different helmet and traded with Haley. lol. Then he was all fine again. And I know my pictures are blurry. I think i was on the wrong setting and I didn't know it. Sometimes on the camera they look fine. Then when I look at them on the computer they are all blurry. I just need to pay more attention to what setting I am using i guess. lol.

Then we headed on home. And I, of course, missed the 210 interchange! ugh!! So i had to take the 5 home. Which was 15 mph the whole way almost. So, then we we got to Buena Park I just got off at Orangethrope and took Orangethrope home. But then at some point i got totally turned around and lost and turned where I should not have. Then i had to call Dan and tell him where i was so that he could get me back to Orangethrope again. Then i knew I had to turn on Imperial to get back on the freeway. But there was never Imperial. All of a sudden again, I was at the end of Orangethrope and it said "No outlet" and I never even saw Imperial Hwy. Ugh! SO I called Dan again. Turned around and headed back the other way. Then I saw the theater which I knew was on Imperial. I guess I missed it the first time because there is a bridge there now that was under construction and there was no street signs. So, it's kinda not my fault. So then we are driving down Imperial and I missed the 91!!! I was on the left and the on ramp was on the right. I totally wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. lol. Finally I turned around got on the freeway and we got home. But what normally is a 90 minute drive turned into over 3 hours to get home. So, when we did get home everyone was tired, hungry, and cranky. lol. The kids and I just ate dinner and then went and laid down on the couch to watch Tinkerbell. Then everyone fell asleep. lol.

Me and my Dad

When i was a little girl, my dad used to take my sisters and I on dates. We would alternate between the three of us. One night I would go, the next weekend Vicki would go, then Nikol, e.t.c. Usually my dad would take us on the back of his motorcycle. We thought we were so cool. Our dad was the only one of our friends who had a motorcycle. We were so silly. lol. And more times then not I can remember we would drive up to Spires and have coffee. Well I would. I don't know about my sisters. But my dad would order coffee. Black. And I wanted to do exactly what he did. So I would order coffee. Black. I cant even remember if I actually drank it at all. But I can remember feeling so grown up because my dad would let me order coffee with him. If i remember, the reason we even did it and went to Spires was because my dad was dating the waitress there. And it was a way for us to meet her one on one and get to know her. Or maybe that is how they met. I'm not sure. I am gonna have to remember to ask my dad about this. :o)

Anyhow, the other night Dan and I took the kids out to dinner. And we ordered drinks, and food. But our food was taking FOREVER!!! and the restaurant was playing loud techno music. And about 15 minutes into being there Dan said he had a headache and we had to leave now. lol. He could not take it anymore. We made fun of him of course and called him an old man. ha! So then we jut all went back home and had dinner and ice cream. But, since all we ended up doing was going out and having drinks, it reminded me of the date nights with my dad. Also because I ordered ice tea and so did Dan. So then Avalon and Nolan ordered ice tea too. And they went on and on about how cool that we were all drinking ice tea.

Connor

This is my friend Rochelle and her Husband Christian. And their baby Connor. I just found out today that Connor has been in ICU since Saturday because he is having trouble breathing. Rochelle could not really talk very much because Connor was right in the middle of getting one of his treatments done when i called. She said that right now they don't know what is wrong with him. But hopefully sometime tomorrow they will be able to do a test to find out. I am asking all of you to please keep Connor in your thoughts and pray that he will be ok and that the doctors will find out what is causing him to not breathe and they will be able to fix it. This family has been through so much already. I can't even imagine what they are going through right now. :o(

.

Wind

They have been falling out of the trees all day. Landing on the roof, my car. Everything. The backyard looks just as bad. And on the whole street they are only on our house and in our yard. lol. Right after I took this picture, two more branches flew out of the tree and landed about

15 feet behind the kids. So, we decided it would be safer back inside the house. lol.

Saturday with Grandma

Making Cupcakes with Grandma. What better way to spend a Saturday?

I finally got to use my cupcake stand I got for Christmas from the Valenzuela Family!!

And my new barstools. That aren't put together yet. lol. But will be soon. Thanks GGMA!!! and Papa!!! They are perfect!!! :o)

I have the best family ever! xoxo!!

New Hair Pictures

And because I can't leave Nolan out. Here is playing Call of Duty on the Wii.

Hair

Dan just sent me this on my cell phone. I almost started crying. lol. I am gonna miss her long hair. :o( I have been assured however that Avalon is in love with her new hair.

Wait!!! Look!! We have the same bangs!!! lol

Happy Birthday Papa

Happy birthday Papa!! Have a wonderful year!!! This is one of my favorite pictures. Nolan and his Papa. :o) Too bad Nolan is not looking at the camera. I need way more pictures of all the grandparents with the kids.

Earthquake!!!!

Yea, i am sure most of you felt it. Did you all freak out as bad as I did? lol. I HATE earthquakes! agh! But, I have the funniest story to tell you about the one last night. :o)

The kids were fighting in the bath tub last night. So, as punishment they had to go to bed early. So I think they were in bed by 7:00. So then Dan and I went to bed and were watching a movie. Lara Croft: Cradle of Life. lol. It just happened to be on TV and neither one of us had seen it before. So, by the time the earthquake happened Avalon was totally passed out asleep in bed. Nolan, however, was not. He was sneaking out of his bed to try and sneak in our room. He was literally getting out of his bed when the earthquake happened. So, Dan and I got up to go check on the kids and we opened our bedroom door at the same time Nolan was reaching for our bedroom door. And he had the scardest look on his face i have ever seen. And he asked us "what was that?" His little lips quivering. His eyes beginning to water. He was trying so hard not to cry. Dan told him "oh it was just a little earthquake don't worry". Then Nolan started getting a little more upset and ran into Avalon's room. He wanted to see if she was ok. Once he saw she was asleep he came back out to the hall and told me "mom, i think that the earth is hungry? that was the earths tummy growling." lol. So cute. So I thought everything was ok. Then all of a sudden it was like he just could not hold it anymore and just started crying. And crying. And oh my gosh i have never seen so many tears before. And I picked him up and he just clung on to me for life and buried his face in my neck and just cried and cried. So, Dan asked him if he wanted to come lay with us in our bed for a little while. Of course Nolan said yes. So Dan took him from me and they went and laid down in bed. Nolan still clinging to Dan. He would not let go. Still sobbing. It was so sad. I went and checked on Avalon too. She was still asleep. Thankfully. I think Nolan cried for about 10 minutes before Dan got him settled down. Then Nolan started to ask me if Logan Ryan was ok? Was Logan Ryan scared? Did Logan Ryan get shaken like a milkshake? Which made me laugh so hard I started crying. Which made Nolan cry all over again. Finally Nolan started telling Dan that he was playing with his toys and not sleeping. And the earth got mad at him because he was being bad and that is why the earth quaked. Just as we were getting Nolan down in his bed again and settled in the aftershock hit. And we knew that was it. Nolan started screaming again and holding on to Dan. So Dan picked up Nolan and brought him back into our room again. And we all went to bed.

The Perfect Date

One of my new year resolutions, every year, is to start going on more dates with Dan. Of course, this never happens. But, we always talk about it.

Yesterday while i was waiting at my Doctor's office, for an hour and a half! Ugh!! to see my doctor for 5 minutes so they can tell me the pregnancy is fine see you in two weeks. I was reading this magazine called Cookies Magazine. I think i have heard of it before but i have never read it before. Anyways, there was an article in there about date night and the perfect date night. I tried looking up the article online so i could link to it. But i can't find it. Anyways, i found it really interesting.

It started out pretty typical. The same thing i always read. When you have kids you MUST have a date night. Even if it is once a week or once a month does not matter. But everyone agrees it is a sanity saver and a marriage saver. Date night! Date night! Date night! No matter what you budget for it. NO MATTER WHAT. lol.

But what was different about this one was it said the biggest mistake parents make when going out for date night is going out to dinner. What? Shock! It said that when you go out to dinner you are forced to talk to each other. Does not sound bad so far right? But then you inevitably start to talk about kids, work, finances, family obligations, schedules, appointments, e.t.c. and then by the end of dinner you are just two parents who happen to be out to dinner at the same time. Not so much on a date anymore.

The author of the article said you need to do something fun, and together, but where you just have fun. No talking. A movie. Or a concert. Or Dancing.

Dan and i rarely ever go out to dinner together without the kids. Heck, we hardly ever go out to dinner with the kids. lol. But, when we do go out to dinner i have to admit the conversation does end up always drifting to the kids or family things anyways. But, i don't feel like it "ruined" our date night the way the article sorta implied.

What about you guys? Do you go on date night? What do you do? Do you have a no talking about kids policy?

Box Tops for Education

Hi everyone! I know most of you guys already have kids and so already do this I am sure. But Avalon's school is collecting box tops for education. We get 1% off our tuition at her school for every box top we turn in. Each box top is worth 10 cents. So, if you are not using yours and just throwing them away can you please mail them to us? ;O) Thanks!!!! Here is the link to find out more about them.

www.boxtops4education.com

SAHD

Dan has been home alot from work latley. And he told me yesterday he actually enjoys being a stay at home dad more then he thought. He gets to take Avalon to school adn pick her up. Go to the school functions. He has not gone to any yet. But he is excited now to go to his first one. He gets to take Nolan soemwhere everyday and do all kinds of fun stuff with the kids. He said if we could afford it he would stay hoem with them always and never go back to work. He said the only downside is he needs to learn to do Avalon's hair. I totally started laughing. He said he just brushes it and then she picks out a headband to wear. But he wants to learn to put her hair in a ponytail or a braid or soemthing. :o) So, this weekend me and him are gonna practice with him putting her hair in ponytails and pigtails and how to tie ribbions or put in clips. I just find the whole thing funny because to me its like how can you NOT know how to do that? Its funny the things us girls take for granite. :o)

Logan Ryan

The kids still call Logan, Logan Ryan. lol. So, I am sure that is the name we are going with. Last night I was walking through the living room and Logan kicked me so hard i literally dropped to the ground and could not breathe for a few seconds. And I swear he kicked me in the back. lol. It totally freaked me out. Because i never have felt the baby "move" in my back before. It hurt. A lot. AN hour later i was lying on my side in bed watching TV with Dan and he did it again. I think he kicked me in my lung. I could not breathe!! I could not move for a few seconds. It HURT!!

I also never had braxton hicks contractions with Avalon and Nolan. Or, none that i felt anyways. But i totally feel like I am feeling them already this time. I think. lol. Every now and then My whole stomach will tighten up and feel like a really big contraction and again, i feel like i cant breathe for a few seconds. Then all of a sudden it will just go away. Then it wont happen again for a few days.

I have an appointment with my doctor today after work. I am sure she is going to say everything is perfectly fine and ok. I am sure I will have gained another 500 pounds. lol.

And the Survey Says.....

This is for all my mommy friends out there with more then one child:

In talking with my sister Vicki lately, and my friend Rochelle, we have brought up many times the difference between having one child, two children, and more. A friend of ours mom once said, I thought, It's more life changing going from one child to two then two to three. But we're not sure. Vicki remembers her saying It's more life changing going from two kids to three then one to two. Which either way can be true. So, I am putting the question out there to you guys. :o) Rochelle said that adapting to a third kid was way easier then adapting to having a 2nd kid. So far i only have 2. Most of the time to me it is the same as having one. No big deal. But there are times when it is way harder I think having two kids then one. Especially when they are arguing. One kid has no one to argue with. lol. I am almost terrified of having three kids. Like Vicki pointed out. Right now I have two eyes, two arms, two hands, two sides. e.t.c. But what happens when I have three kids? Not everyone can sit next to mom now (BTW - H.U.G.E. argument almost daily in my house is who sits next to mom) Not everyone gets to hold moms hand now. And that kind of stuff.

Also, as Vicki pointed out, right now we both have two kids. But we are in completely different situations. My kids are 20 months apart. Vicki's kids are 5 years apart. Vicki's husband is home most nights and weekends. (Other then lately) Dan is gone most nights and weekends. Vicki is a much more patient mom then I am. Don't deny Vicki. lol. You are!! haha! :o) And while we agree on almost everything we also have some things that we don't feel the same on with parenting style.

So, What's your vote? And there is no wrong or right or better or worse. I am just curious to hear what other people say.

Kmart

I have not been to Kmart since the Kmart on Tustin in Orange closed down. I don't even know how long ago that was? 5 years? more?

Since we had to buy Avalon new shoes yesterday and Kmart is the closest store to us now, that is where we went. Holy Moly!!! First, this store totally brings back memories because it is the same Kmart I grew up shopping in when i was a kid. It's weird. At least to me. I always went there with my mom. Now I was the mom. ummmm......

lol, anyways. I was actually shocked. The kids clothes were sooo cute!! And so cheap. They had tons and tons and tons of HSM clothes an Hannah Montana and spiderman and transformers! and for cheap too. everything was like $10.00 or under.

But i was totally shocked at the shopping carts. they had tv's in them. For the kids. and the parents could pick the different cartoons that the kids watched. I just thought that was crazy.

Update on the first day of School

Well, we have mixed feelings from Avalon on her first day of school. First, the good stuff:

She LOVES PE!! She did jumping jacks and jogged around the track and her favorite was squats. She got to play dodge ball for the first time too and that that was a super fun game.

She has all nice kids in her class and she likes her teacher a lot.

That is all we got out of her. And she can't wait to go back tomorrow. lol.

Now, the stuff that upset her a little:

She is not allowed to wear her star earrings at school. She can only wear studs. She can not wear her star belt at school. It has to be plain black belt with a plain belt buckle. She can not wear her pretty shiny black shoes at school. Only plain black or white canvas shoes or athletic shoes. But they must be plain. And finally, she can not wear her HSM T necklace from Troy!!! The horror!! lol. Only a cross or a plain chain. And I personally was a little upset that we are not allowed to bleach her hair. lol. j\k. Although that was in the note sent home.

So, we had to go to three different stores tonight to find a pair of plain white tennis shoes. Do you know how hard it is to find a pair of plain white tennis shoes for little girls? They all were princesses or Hannah Montana or HSM. We finally found a pair that have rhinestones on them. I hope that is plain enough. But who knows. I guess we will find out tomorrow. Now I am on a hunt to find a pair of plain black canvas tennis shoes. And they can't be slip on's either. I think i am gonna check out Payless. If all else fails i think I can get her the plain old school Vans. And those should be pretty cheap. I think we even saw a pair of converse. But i have to find out. The Star might be too flashy. lol.

I think Dan was a little stressed out going to pick her up. It's all the stuff they assume is common sense. But to some people it just is not. haha!! Dan pulled up in the "pick up" line to pick her up. And he could see Avalon waiting in line with her class for Dan to pull up. Then the teacher walks her to the car. But the three cars in front of Dan were just waiting. Apparently their kids were running late. So Dan kept calling me and asking me if he is allowed to go around the other cars to get her. I have no clue I have never done it before. Finally I guess he parked in a no parking area and walked over and got her and went around the other cars. And then the parking patrol came and told him he is not allowed to do that. You have to just wait your turn in line or go park on the other side of the school and walk over. So now we know.

1st Day of School

Today was Avalon's first day at her new school. No matter how cold and windy it was, she insisted she would only wear her dress. She was so excited that when I woke her up this morning she jumped right up and wanted to get dressed right that second before we even ate breakfast. lol. The she kept asking when are we gonna leave when are we gonna leave?

School starts at 8am. So I figured since it was our first day we should get there a little early. So, we got there at 7:45. Well, the school does not open till 8am. Then you drop off the kids between 8:00 and 8:15. So we walked around a little bit. We found the daycare center where Avalon will go if we need her to from 7am to 8am and 3pm to 5pm. We meet with the daycare teacher. And since we were there we got all signed up for daycare just in case. So, say we are running late and we cant pick her up at 2:45pm. Maybe there is an accident on the freeway and we don't get there until 3:15pm. Now she can go to daycare and wait for us. Of course that is extra and we have to pay for it when we use it. But its nice to have the option for her to go.

At 8am the bell rang. Avalon thought that was the coolest thing EVER!! She got so excited and when the gate opened she literally ran to her class and went right to her desk and started talking to the little girl that came in and sat down next to her. She went a few weeks ago with Dan so she had already met her teacher and knew where her class and her desk was. I had no idea. So i was a little shocked. I don't know why i really thought she would be a little nervous. Not ditch me. lol. I was kinda a little sad. But happy that she was so comfortable just going in there. Which deep down i already knew that is how she would be. Because that is how she always is. So, i walked into the class and found her teacher and introduced myself. Found out where drop off and pick ups are. Asked about PE days. Which i was told was Tuesdays and Thursdays. But it's actually Monday's and Wednesdays. So all the kids were in PE clothes today except Avalon. Which of course Avalon thought that just made her extra special because she was the only one in a dress today. :o) I found out I am supposed to take all her jackets and sweaters in and get them embroidered with her name on them. Since they all have to wear the same jackets and sweaters they are easily lost or mixed up. Which I actually have about 15 things around the house that I need to have embroidery work done on anyways. Like the Christmas Stockings and i need to get the baptismal gown embroidered with Nolan's baptism stuff on it. So, I guess now i have an excuse to get all that stuff done. I just need to find a place to go get it done at.

After talking to her teacher I went over and said goodbye to Avalon. She gave me a big hug and was practically jumping out of her seat with excitement. But her hug was a "I'm so excited I am here at school" hug. Not a "bye mom I sure am gonna miss you" hug. lol. She did not even look at me or stop talking to the little girl next to her. lol.

So, I guess I am happy. She is gonna have a lot of fun today. I can't wait now to go pick her up and hear all about it. Even when her teacher told her every morning they go to chapel for prayer Avalon got the biggest smile on her face and look like she was just gonna burst she was so excited.

And her teacher, oh my gosh. She is one of those super cheery bubbly people where just being around her makes you all cheery and bubbly. lol. She was just as excited to have Avalon there as Avalon was to be there. I think Avalon is just in love with her teacher! :o)

Bedtime

This is our bedtime routine with Nolan. Every night, we put him to bed. He takes 5 to 10 cars with him to bed. Lines them all up, and sleeps right next to them. When he wakes up in the morning he is usually shoved up against the wall because his cars get spread out on the bed and he does not want to sleep on them. I am guessing. lol. Then, first thing in the morning he collects all his cars and carries them with him to the breakfast table, lines them all up at the table and eats his breakfast. Then when it's time to go get dressed he will go put them all back on the toy shelf.

Kids Chair for Sale

Sorry guys, Here is another "for sale" post. :o) The kids got so much new stuff for Christmas this year we have to get rid of some old stuff. Usually I just take it to the Salvation Army. But, this time I am trying to sell some stuff first if I can. So, once again, if you know anyone interested in buying this please email me at tiffaniwagner at gmail dot com. Thanks!!!

$50.00 OBO. Red fabric Bear Chair from Ikea. Excellent condition. The arms and head are movable. So you can pose him. the bear also reclines and lays down flat to take naps on.

2009

I don't know that I will really be making any new years resolutions this year. lol. Because i feel like if i don't follow through with them then i failed. lol. But, here goes anyways. And hopefully I will follow through with them. I did pretty good with my resolutions last year. I accomplished almost everything that was on my list. for the first time ever. Although I did not really make any big ones last year.

I did finally stick to my number 1 resolution i make every single year. Yey for me!! woo hoo!!. I wanted to lost 20 pounds by the time we went to Hawaii. I lost 15. Close enough to me. ha!

Due to my gallstones I was forced to accomplish number 3 and start eating way healthier and no more fast food or take out. We have had a home cooked meal on average 6 days a week. Although most weeks it is 7. I would say we go out to eat only once or twice a month now. With dinner anyways. Of course, I have been 1000 times better at lunch. But I still need to get even better.

I did cut way way back on my soda and coffee. Way back!! :o)

Dan and I only had one date night last year. And the only reason we ever even did that was because his mom or his aunt gave us movie gift certificates. We went and saw the Bucket List. So, i don't know. does that tell you what month we went. lol. We had a couple of rushed dinners or lunches here and there with just us and no kids. But not really relaxing date night kind of thing.

The kids and I definitely did a lot more fun family things out of the house this year then we have in the past. We actually had a super busy kid stuff year. lol. But, I think when i wrote that resolution i meant Dan too. Ha! And i don't really know that he did more or less. But, with his work schedule that is really out of our control anyways.

Oh and thanks to a few recipes from Kristi, Desiree, and Vicki I did learn a lot of easy recipes to cook that everyone likes. :o) So, I think i learned to cook in 2008. :o)

Ok, on to my 2009 resolutions.

1. Get healthier. Not necessarily loose more weight or eat healthier. But be more active. More heart healthy kind of thing. I am gonna have 3 kids to run after now. lol. So i need to be in shape. Take the kids on more then just one walk a week. lol. Take them bike riding. To the park more. That kind of stuff.

2. Pay off all our credit card debt by the end of the year. I actually truly believe we can do this. On average Dan and I do not carry a lot of credit card debt. And i know with discipline i can have all of our cards paid off by the end of the year. We usually carry very low limits on them. But since we remodeled the kitchen this year, they are definitely way higher right now then I am comfortable with.

3. Be more patient with Dan. lol. I have been really rough on Dan lately. I am really hoping this is just pregnancy hormones. and will go away once i have the baby. lol. But, also with moving and buying the house and work issues for both of us i feel that i have been super hard on him. So, I want to work on being more patient with him and not get so frustrated at him so fast.

4. Learn to garden. Now that I have a front yard and a back yard I need to learn how to take care of them and make them pretty. :o)

And really, that's about all i can think of. I would try to do date night again. lol. But, I just know that now with 3 kids that is not gonna happen anymore this year then it did last year.

Logan

Dan and i still have not come up with a middle name for Logan yet. But, about a week or so ago the kids just started referring to the baby as Logan Ryan. Whenever they talk about him they say Logan Ryan. It's kinda funny. We asked where they got Ryan from. They told us that is Logan's middle name. Like hello mom and dad! where else would we get it from. lol. So, we will probably stick with Logan Ryan. They both cried when we suggested another name. Why they call him Logan Ryan instead of just Logan i don't know. But, it is what it is I guess. ;o)

Fish tank for sale

Just in case any of you know anyone who might be intersted......

Custom built Black Diamond glass fish tank. No mouldings, clean look, built in skimmer box, 5 ft x 3 ft x 2 ft. No stand. $500.00 or best offer.

email me at tiffaniwagner at gmail dot com