6/8/10 - A Good Mail Day!

Well, first I'll start with my exciting news! I went to get the mail today, and had 2 packages waiting for me. One was a free gift, even better! A few weeks ago my friend Kelly forwarded me a promotion she had received, for a free "udder cover". It's basically a cover for breastfeeding. I was a little suspicious of it (because I'm a suspicious person like that), but threw caution to the wind and ordered one! It came today, and I love it! I can't wait to use it. The other package, made me tear up a little (blame the baby...). It was the "Big Sister" "Little Sister" shirts I ordered from Etsy. OMG, they are SO cute. We're going to have the girls wear them when Olivia comes to meet baby for the first time, and they will wear them for some of the family pics after baby is born. They are just too cute, I can't wait to see the girls in them! Here is a picture of them :)

After that excitement...it was a continuation of yesterday! We quickly ate dinner once Christian got home, then were on our cleaning way. I again headed downstairs to finish cleaning the basement. I dusted and vacuumed the living area, including the couch...ICK! Once Olivia was in bed, Christian came down to clean the office. The office needed a nice DEEP cleaning because that's where we used to keep the cats litter boxes. Let's just say, the cats did not like when we moved their litter boxes. After we finished those tasks, I was off to bed and Christian quickly cleaned the downstairs bathroom. Again, how does time go so fast!?!

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6/7/10 - Hell Week Begins!

Well...we are in for a CRAZY busy week and weekend. Our house is well overdue for a thorough cleaning (and "going through"), so that is on tap this week. Saturday we are having some friends over to celebrate my birthday, and Sunday my Relay team is coming over for a meeting and to prepare for next weekend's garage sale...so not only does the house need a cleaning in general...it needs a "people are coming over who have never seen our house before" cleaning!

After hectic days at work, we met up at home and started on our list. First thing first...it's supposed to rain basically all week, so Christian ran out to mow the yard (he even took Olivia on her first riding mower ride!). Olivia and I started on some miscellaneous picking up, and started dinner. After we ate, quickly vacuumed the stairs, then took over toddler duty. I headed downstairs to clean the entry way, pick up the living area and clean the laundry room. Funny how fast the clock ticks away when you have a mile long list of things to do!

Olivia was acting kind of strange tonight. She was very crabby, very drooly and was not eating well at all. God help us...I'm pretty sure those 2nd molars are starting on their journey out. Totally not fair...I'm ready for a teething break!

Here are some pics from Olivia's first mower ride!










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THANKS BRAD AND JAMIE FOR YOUR DONATIONS!!

6/6/10 - It's a Grand Old Day

Today was a great day. We got to sleep until our normal time…actually, I got up, and Olivia was still asleep. Today was Grand Old Day. Christian and I used to go EVERY year, but missed the last couple, so we were excited about making our return. I jumped in the shower, he jumped in the shower, we got the little one up, shoveled down some breakfast, packed up the car, and off we went. Luckily my mom called and offered to drop us of (it’s impossible to park around there!), so that save us a ton of time. We got there, snatched up a prime parade watching spot and settled in. Olivia loved the parade, she couldn’t get enough of it! She loved the police cars and fire trucks. She loved all of the people…and graciously held out her hand for candy and goodies every time somebody walked by. Poor thing, if only she knew she’d never taste that yummy candy J Luckily some people were giving out other stuff…some mini-beach balls, some light up buttons, some stickers and temporary tattoos….some stuff she can actually have! She loved it though, even the clown! It’s so fun watching the amazement on her face with each passing group.

After the parade, we made the LONG trek down to the family zone. Olivia was pretty exhausted at this point, and the lines for everything were VERY long, so we didn’t get a chance to do too much. We stopped at the petting zoo for a while. The only animal that really wanted anything to do with us was the camel. Mr. Camel really had a thing for Olivia too…I thought he was going to chew right through her shirt! She finally had enough of his licking and LOUDLY told him to “STOP”, so off we went.

We grabbed some last minute yummy food, and my mom picked us up (so yay, no walking back to the car either!). We dropped her off at home, and stopped over to Christian’s parents’ house again. They did some more work on the bench, Olivia and I took a nap, then we ate some pizza and were on our way home. It was a LONG day. At the end of the day, I sat down to write our to-do list for the next week or two…and OMG, I don’t even want to talk about it! That is one scary looking list!

Here are some pictures from Grand Old Day. BEAUTIFUL weather, lots of fun and good family time together. It was definitely the perfect Sunday event!









































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6/5/10 - So...Tired...

So, who gets up at 5:30 on a Saturday? Apparently the Duran household. Olivia decided it was the perfect time to wake up…which was really surprising considering the rainy, cloudy day we had. Oh well, up and at em’!

We all got up and spent a little morning time together. Christian took over breakfast duties while I started on some cleaning. I got the kitchen cleaned up first. Then, it was off to tackle Olivia’s closet. I’ve been storing all of my pre-baby clothes in her closet forever. Well, now we need that space…so I moved everything downstairs into the spare bedroom. Then, FINALLY hung up all of babies clothes and put the rest of her stuff away in her drawers. We’re making progress here people!! Once that was done, Olivia went down for her nap, and I boycotted all other responsibilities and put my feet up! Christian got ready and headed over to his parents house. We found a nice wooden bench on the street last weekend. It was in rough shape, but just what we’ve been looking for, so we snatched it up. His Dad has all kinds of odds and ends at his house, so Christian decided that fixing it up would be a good father/son activity. He ran over there to help work on it for a while…unfortunately, the rain didn’t let them get too far! Once Olivia was up from her nap, we turned the basement into a disaster…seriously; a tornado had to have passed through there! We had fun though. I pulled out the Lego’s…didn’t think much of it; we haven’t really played with them much, so I didn’t think she’d really “get it”. But, she did…she did a great job. We built a huge tower together!

Finally, Christian got home for the night, the little one was off to bed shortly after. We attempted to have some quality time together, but our 5:30 wake-up call didn’t allow for that. So, off to bed we were! There’s always tomorrow, right?














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6/4/10 - Another Girls Day In

Well, it was a relaxing day for us today! Olivia and I were up at the normal 7:30, ate some breakfast, watched some cartoons and relaxed. Even she relaxed…which is NOT normal for her. Once she went down for her nap, I headed down to the Office for the usual…paying bills, updating to-do lists…the fun stuff. After nap time, we ate some lunch and got some playing in. Olivia was in a GREAT mood all day, so we had lots of fun. Christian got home at the normal time, with a friend from work, and he grilled up some dinner. We played outside for a while, ate some yummy food and hung out. After his friend went home (and after Christian picked me up some much needed Dairy Queen….), we watched a couple shows together, and I finally packed it in for the night. It’s amazing how even when you barely do anything, you can still be exhausted. Doesn’t make sense….

Here are a couple of pics from today…Olivia, actually relaxing, with some snacks. And, later, she found a new place to hang out. She gathered her cups, her snacks and her blankie and perched underneath the stool for a while. Doesn’t seem very comfortable to me…but to each their own I guess!

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6/3/10 - Longest 3 Days vs. Quickest 3 Days

So, today was my Friday. I swear, this has been the LONGEST 3 days ever. So busy, so much to do. Yesterday I was out at training all day, so that really only gave me a 2-day work week. Not everything got done that needed to, but I’m sure the world won’t end. This will lead up to I’m sure the shortest 3 days ever! We have a pretty busy weekend ahead of us, so I’m sure my nice long weekend will just fly right by.

After work we didn’t do too much. Just the usual stuff around the house. I wasn’t feeling too well, so Christian was on entertainment duty while I took it easy. I just sat back and watched the fun! Olivia provided some much needed giggles when she decided to throw her entire plate of food up in the air...she was COVERED in chicken, pasta and green beans. Very attractive!

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6/2/10 - 32 Weeks/17 Months

Well, first things first…My baby girl is 17 months old!!! And, just as amazing as ever :) She gets more entertaining, and more brilliant with every passing day. She will sit down and have these intense conversations with you…about what? Who knows…only her! I can’t wait until the day I actually know what she’s saying. For now, it’s just in her own little language, but they are still the best conversations I have! And, she is becoming more and more of a little helper. She is starting to clean up after herself pretty well…she helps pick up toys and books, she helps clean herself and her tray up after she eats, she helps clean up her many spills every day. When we ask her to throw something away, she excitedly takes it and runs to the garbage can. It’s very cute! She is getting so great at expressing herself…she grabs our hand and takes us to what she wants. She becomes more determined and stronger every day. It truly is a blessing to watch these little creatures become people :) I do not have Olivia’s 5 month/17 month photos handy, so I’ll have to come back and update this post with her pics.

Next, today I am 32 weeks!! 8 months down…8 weeks to go…56 days. As unbelievable as every week before. For the most part, I’m feeling well. Getting very tired, and a little more uncomfortable every day. I’m not complaining though. I remember after I had Olivia, I had this “empty” feeling for a while. Partly because of the c-section, but mostly because she was….gone. It’s weird. You have this whole new life and this wonderful person to care for, and pregnancy is nothing short of miserable in the end, but you get so used to having that little being inside of you, keeping you company at all hours of the day. It’s an adjustment I wasn’t really thinking about. So, I enjoy every “miserable” moment I can, for I know it will soon be over! My next check-up is next Tuesday, so I’ll be able to update next week on everything. I have every limb possible crossed, hoping she has turned. But, I’m 95% sure she hasn’t. Here’s to hoping though!

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6/1/10 - Hello June!

Here we are…its June! I used to get REALLY excited about June, and I mean REALLY excited. I was born in June; therefore it was always the BEST month ever. Well…that was the case, until I hit 25 (I know, I know…poor me, 25!). Now, every year, it’s just a reminder of how close I am to 30! This year will be the big 2-7…it’s hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday I was sitting in school, wishing I was “grown up”. Not a care in the world. Now, I’m knocking on 27’s door, wow! Luckily I have a few more days to enjoy 26!

Today was pretty low key. We’re supposed to be in for a pretty cloudy, rainy week. Today that was the case. 3-day work weeks make for VERY hectic and crazy weeks, and today was no different. Christian decided to cook up some chorizo tacos tonight for dinner…of course the only thing we had was chorizo! So, Olivia and I stopped at Target on the way home to pick up the rest of the ingredients. We got home, ate (YUM) and just hung out for the evening. Nothing exciting!

Here are a couple of cute pics I snapped tonight!











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5/31/10 - Goodbye May!

Here we are again, waving goodbye to another month of 2010. It's hard to believe, but tomorrow is June! It's great to think of all we've done and been through this year, and all that is yet to come!

I got a message from my Dad and talked to my stepmom over the weekend and got an update on my grandparents. Grandpa went home from the hospital late last week. It sounds like it was slightly touch and go for a bit, but he's doing much better now. He's getting stronger every day. He's able to walk about the house pretty well now...gets winded and tired, but he's doing it! And, it sounds like my Grandma is doing better having my Grandpa home. She's still having trouble taking care of herself, and we're hoping that Grandpa gets better quickly, not only for himself, but to help with Grandma, but considering everything they've been through, it sounds very promising! They spent their first night home, all alone, Saturday night, so we'll see how things go on their own now!

Today was another busy day. We took a family trip to Target...did a little grocery shopping and picked up some other necessities for the week. After that, Olivia was down for a nap, I put everything away and did some final "cleaning up" for the weekend and Christian finished up his yard work. We had a couple holes in the cement foundation around the house, so he filled those, and he sprayed the bug spray around the house. I don't know why we have so many bugs around, but we do, and it's gross. We both got ready, and were off to my in-laws house for a Memorial Day BBQ. It was just the 5 of us...very strange without his sister and the girls, but we made the best of it. Olivia swam for a little while, ran about like crazy and we all ate some yummy food.

Now, it's time to gear up to head back to work! The long weekend was not as long as I wish, but, I only have a 3-day work week this week, so I think I can make it!! Here are some pics from our day!












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5/30/10 - Sunday, But Not Really!

So, it's Sunday...but not really!!! Tomorrow is Memorial Day, so no work for us! What a wonderful feeling! We took advantage of having tomorrow off, and took care of most of the chores today. Christian did the usual lawn work...mowed the lawn, did the weed whipping...all that "fun" stuff. He also set up the sprinklers in the back...this early Summer is really taking a toll on the poor grass already! He has a few more things to do, but that will have to wait until tomorrow! While he worked outside, I was busy inside. Fed the little one and entertained her for while, then put her down for a nap. I did the dishes, did the laundry...all of that REALLY "fun" stuff. Oh well, it all needs to be done, right?!

After all of the chores were done, Christian was off to dinner with a friend, and Olivia and I hung out. She was NOT a happy camper, at all. She didn't really take a nap yesterday, and I think it caught up to her this afternoon, even though she slept in a little bit and took a long nap...it just wasn't enough. She cried, and whined and was just miserable, all night. To top it off, rain and thunderstorms rolled in late in the afternoon, so we couldn't really get outside to get rid of some of that energy. Needless to say, it was a LONG night for me!

When the rain calmed down a little, I actually gave in and brought her outside to run around in it for a little bit. She LOVED it...she was having so much fun running around, playing in the puddles and making a complete mess of herself. At least it cheered her up for a little while!! Here are some pics :)










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