11/11/10 - Thank You Vets!

Today is Veteran's Day. As a wonderful Government employee, I get the day off to spend with my girls. Thank you to all of the amazing service men and women, past and present, for the sacrifices you make for all of us!

Today was a great day. The girls and I got to sleep in a little bit, and we all just hung out around the house. Amelia took a little cat nap in the morning, giving Olivia and I some time to go play outside. The extended forecast is looking like lots of rain and snow the next few days, so we wanted to take advantage of the still decent weather. We piled up leaves and went jumping, she and Chuy chased each other around the yard. It was lots of fun, and she was exhausted. We finally went inside, she ate a quick lunch while I fed Amelia, then they both went down for their REAL naps. Olivia actually walked herself into the crib (with Mickey, Minnie and Blankie in tote, of course)...that NEVER happens. And, they proceeded to take a GLORIOUS 3 hour nap! It was wonderful.

After naps, we snacked and hung out, waiting for Dad to get home. We had a very exciting dinner of chicken nuggets and tater tots tonight...hey, sometimes you just need a cooking break! After dinner, we took apart the swing and packed it away downstairs. Actually...that's not true...Olivia decided she needed to keep the seat part of the swing to sit in. Whatever makes her happy I suppose! Amelia never uses the swing, she does not like it, so we decided it was time to go. I think it's time to break out the jumperoo already anyway! WOW, it's going to fast.

Here are some pics of out outdoor fun today! I just love this girl!

11/10/10 - Friday?

Well, today is my Friday, kind of, but not really. I have tomorrow off for Veteran's Day...but then I work on Friday. So really, I have two Friday's this week. But, I kind of have two Monday's as well...that's no fun!

Today was a pretty low key day. Our computer systems at work pretty much died on us towards the end of the day, so the few of us that were left in the office got to sneak out a little early. YAY. Our bigger news, is that Christian was approached with a bit of a job offer today at work, and we have no idea really what to do...

Christian started at his job working the overnight shift. Early in my pregnancy with Olivia, his union went on strike. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford for him to remain on strike (we had JUST bought our house, and just found out I was pregnant), so after 2 weeks off he returned to work. They moved a few guys over to the day shift to make up for the strikers, and when the strike ended, a few people didn't come back, so he was able to stay on the day shift. Part of the return to work deal was a pay freeze for 5 years, so he's been pretty stuck for a while. However, he gets quite a bit of OT...usually at least an hour every day, and a Saturday here and there (especially during the holiday season). At his work, it is VERY hard to get on the day shift, and even harder to move ahead in the company. The company is full of "lifers", so they don't go through many changes. Well, yesterday one of the managers approached him, boasted about the great job he does and how they appreciate his willingness to help out and everything. And, asked him "hypothetically", how he would feel about taking a Supervisor role...on the night shift. Ugh...ALMOST the perfect offer.

There are so many pros and cons. I mean, we're not in the poor house or anything, but we definitely live paycheck to paycheck, so if the position offered a substantial raise, it would be really nice. It's really hard to move ahead in the company, so these offers don't come along very often. He really does deserves the recognition for everything he does. But, at the same time, I'd be home alone with the girls EVERY night (and have to get them ready in the morning all on my own). They would still have to be in daycare because he can't watch them all day after working all night. He would only see us on the weekends. And, it would be really hard for him to ever get back on the day shift.

Ugh, such a hard decision. Well, not really a decision as there hasn't been any formal offer or anything yet, but still. So much to think about! Right now, I'm thinking it's not going to happen...I think the sacrifice is far greater than any potential gain, but we'll see. It would really come down to what kind of pay they would offer. I'm guessing the supervisors don't work the kind of OT the staff does...so if the pay didn't make up for the OT he gets now, and then some, it would not be worth it at all. But, we'll see...

Other than that, it was a pretty low key day. Christian ended up picking up the girls today...and we got hit with a mega thunderstorm out of nowhere just as he was picking them up. So they stayed there to wait out the storm, while I got some cleaning done and dinner cooked. It was great getting stuff done for a change! Tomorrow I'll be spending the day with my girls, can't wait!

Here's a picture of Amelia enjoying some tummy time tonight...she's getting so big! And, also a video of her being a little giggle machine! I just love ending my day like this!

11/9/10 - Flattery Will Get You Everywhere!

Today was a pretty good day! We both had pretty busy days at work. Christian was already told he needed to start an hour early all week...hopefully he doesn't work late on top of that! We already know he'll be working on Saturday again. It's good, but bad at the same time. Cuts into the little family time we have together!

A girl at work today came up to me and out of nowhere said "I feel like you look skinnier". Seriously, best compliment ever! Anybody who knows me, knows the weight battles I've had. It's been such a struggle my entire life. And, having 2 kids in less than 2 years does NOT help with that battle. I've been working my hardest to watch what I eat and stay as active as I can, but it's such a slow process. It felt so great to have somebody actually say something positive to me. Then, after work, some creepy guy in the parking lot winked, nodded and waved at me (you know the kind of wink, nod and wave I'm talking about). Sure, he was a creepy stranger, but it was still nice :) Makes me want to work even harder!

After work we all just hung out around the house. Thanks to daylight savings time, it's dark when I leave in the morning, and by the time we get home from work, it's dark again. So, from this point on, we will definitely be banned to the house during the week.

Amelia has been doing great with her hand/eye coordination and her motor skills lately. She can grasp and hold onto just about anything, and is really becoming interested in toys these days. If you lay a toy in her lap, or next to her, she'll grab it and check it out. It's amazing watching them learn these little things! Here, she spotted her musical fish, who was really interesting.

11/8/10 - Monday's Come Too Fast!

Here we are again...it's Monday, again! Why, oh why do you show up so quickly!

Today was a LONG day at work. Monday's just seem to drag on, even though they are always busy. My work has a Holiday on Thursday, which means LOTS of people will be taking off Friday, so we're in for a hectic couple of days before everybody is gone. I am looking forward to getting a day with my girls this week though, so hopefully the days pick up the pace!

After picking up the girls, I dropped Christian's mom off at Walmart and headed home. Christian ended up inviting her over for dinner, so he picked her up when she was done and we all hung out and ate. I think she's still having a hard time adjusting to her new place, so she gets pretty lonely there. After dinner, he took Olivia with him to drop her off at home, while I fed Amelia and got her ready for bed. He ended up helping her try to figure out some issues they're having with their cable, and didn't get home until pretty late, so it was straight to bed for Olivia. Hopefully she's not too crabby in the morning!

Here's a cute picture of our little peanut. I also included a flashback photo of Olivia from about the same age....they sure are starting to look more alike every day!

11/7/10 - Wait, I Thought It Was November?!

OK, we are having the most wonderful weather! It's more like September than November around here! It's so great.

Thanks to daylight savings time, the Duran household was up and at em' pretty early. I was off to Target bright and early because we were out of Olivia's diapers (how that could ever happen, I have no idea!). So, I quickly fed Amelia, made up our menu and my grocery list for the week, and off I went. Doing the menu and list has REALLY helped me stay within our budget these last few weeks, so it's working great! Target was already pretty busy...everybody must be working an hour early today! I ended up grabbing a couple gifts for Olivia (birthday or Christmas...who knows). We've decided to just slowly pick up gifts over the next few weeks, as we think about them. Today I got her a few wood puzzles and a Mickey Mouse book set. We aren't sure what "big gifts" we're getting the girls yet...kind of depends on what their grandparents get I suppose!

After Target, we quickly put everything away, I fed Amelia again while Olivia ate breakfast, then we all headed outside again to enjoy the beautiful weather some more. Christian finished packing up the hoses and bagged the trimmings from yesterday. He moved all of the patio furniture and the outdoor toys under the deck, so we just need to cover them. Now, we are ready for winter! I'm guessing the lawn will need to be cut one last time, but that's probably it...then the snow can fly!

Finally, the girls went down for a nap (well, it took me a few tries, and a lot of work with each). I watched the Vikings BIG WIN over the Cardinals while Christian and his dad worked on my car. It went a lot quicker than I expected, which was nice. We were finally able to eat some dinner, and I was able to do the dishes and clean up the house a little. We tried keeping the girls up until their usual bedtime...but the crabbiness started in a tad early, so it was time for baths and bed slightly earlier than normal. Hopefully the transition to the time change goes quickly!

Here's our little Vikings Fans! We finally got Amelia some Vikings gear, she must have been their good luck charm!

11/6/10 - Start To Another Busy Weekend

Today was a good day! I got to sleep in until 9:00AM, and it was wonderful. Amelia and I spent the morning hanging out. She ended up taking a pretty early nap, so I pulled out all of the kids' clothes from storage...time to pack up the 18month, 24month and newborn clothes, and pull out the 3-6month stuff. Amelia is still too small for her 3-6 month stuff, but I figured we might as well see what we have. Turns out, even though they are opposite seasons, we won't need a ton. Just a few sweaters to wear over the short sleeved outfits, otherwise, we're good to go. We already have a couple "snow suits" for her to wear outside, so she really doesn't need much. YAY!

Christian was called into work this morning (a WHOLE day of OT...very cool). Olivia had fun spending the morning with Grandma. They were very busy, which must have led to a nice long nap. She came home after nap time and got there around 4:00. She was SO excited to see us, and it was great having her back home. She's crazy, but I sure miss her entertainment! Christian got home from work just before Olivia got home, and took right to the yard. He trimmed the plants and bushes for the winter, and started packing up the hoses (hopefully he'll get the water turned off soon since we've already had a few below freezing nights already!). We all hung outside for a little while to take in some of the nice weather. Amelia sure enjoyed it...a little sun does a little body some good!

It started getting dark, and us girls were getting hungry, so he came in to take over kid duty while I made dinner. We all ate, played for a while and hung out. It was great! After baths and bed, Christian took to the garage. Yet again, my car needs fixing. This time, the transmission fluid is leaking. His dad is coming over tomorrow to help fix it, but he's getting a head start tonight. Oh the joys!

Here's Amelia, enjoying the fall weather all bundled up!

11/5/10 - Fail=DirecTV

Today was my Friday off work, so I spent the day with my girls. They both slept in to a pretty decent time, which was nice. Amelia was extra clingy today for some reason, that made things a little more difficult than usual. But, we survived. Amelia took relatively early nap today, so that gave me some alone time with Olivia. We had some snacks, and played downstairs in the play area. She was finally starting to seem tired, and I got her down for a nap just as Amelia was waking up. Ugh, that was horrible timing! Luckily, she was content by herself for a little while so I could grab some lunch and pay bills.

Once Olivia was up from her nap, we all got dressed and were on our way to drop Olivia off at Grandma's house. It sounds like Christian is going to get to work some overtime tomorrow, so she's spending the night over there tonight so I can get some stuff done while he's at work. Christian had to work EXTRA early today because he had his second ear appointment today. It's not looking any better to me, but they gave him another shot and he'll be going back in a few months for his final one. We met back up at home around the same time, ate some dinner and spent a little time together.

We have been having a HORRIBLE experience with DirecTV ever since canceling with them in September, and today was no different. When I logged in to check our accounts, I found out that they had taken money from Christian's account to pay an "overdue bill" - which was not really even due until 11/11. We've been going back and forth with them for the last week over this bill (it ended up being for a UFC fight we'd ordered 2.5 years ago, but were never billed for), and had explained that we would pay it next time we got paid (which was well before the due date). Well, apparently they took it upon themselves to just take the money, even though we are no longer their customers, the bill wasn't due and I was never enrolled in automatic payments or anything like that to begin with. Anyway, I'll spare you all of the details, and just say I am SOOOOO happy to be done with them. You could not pay me to go back to them...I've never been so disgusted with a company like I am in them right now. So, if anybody is wondering, I would NEVER recommend DirecTV...never!

Here's a picture of Amelia having a nice chat with Minnie Mouse this morning (Olivia would NOT be happy is she knew Amelia was talking to HER Minnie!).

11/4/10 - Typical, Yet Busy, Thursday

Today was just another Thursday for me. Like usual, I was swamped trying to get things done before the weekend...I ended up leaving work 30 minutes late! Ugh, I hate when that happens. Christian had to work a little early because he had a dentist appointment this afternoon. He got a clean bill of health, yay!

We met up back home and invited his mom to stay for dinner with us. Today was her last day watching the girls at our house...I'm sure she'll be happy to be back in her own home now! So, she ended up preparing most of dinner, while Christian grilled and I fed Amelia. After dinner , Christian and Olivia brought his mom home and helped her with a couple things around the new house while I gave Amelia a bath and put her to bed. Once they got home, Olivia just went straight to bed...she was exhausted! Apparently she just loves the new house and was running all over! Christian has to work VERY early tomorrow, so he quickly took Chuy out, and passed out once he got home.

We have a very busy weekend ahead of us, and I'm not looking forward to daylight savings time being thrown into the mix, but we'll see how things go! A couple weeks ago I was led to a website giving out free pink headbands for breast cancer awareness month. I finally got it in today and had to try it on Amelia right away...she loved it (gotta love this face)!

11/3/10 - Who Dresses Their Pets? We Do!

Well, I really don't have anything interesting to post about today! It was just a normal day for each of us. Christian brought his mom home right away when we got home from work, while I fed Amelia and started dinner. He finished up dinner when he got home and we all just hung out. That's really it, nothing too interesting.

It's been pretty cool around here lately (but, it supposed to get really nice again this weekend!), and we finally broke down and got Chuy a sweater! He's so little (still less than 6lbs), and barely has fur, so he just freezes outside (which makes him not want to go out there, which is NOT good). So, we finally put his sweater on him. He likes it! He bites at it here and there, but he hasn't been shivering as much lately, and has been going out. I'm nervous about winter though still! I know, we are now THOSE people, who dress their dog, but...better that than have him freeze to death! Here's a pic, he's cute :)

11/2/10 - 22 Months!

Oh boy, Olivia is 22 months old! I have officially begun planning her 2nd birthday party! It's going to be a gold themed party for her big golden birthday. I can't wait, and I can't believe how quickly it's coming. My baby is really not my baby anymore.

She continues to grow and learn everyday. She's getting very good at putting things away/back now, which is fun. We're trying to get her into picking up after herself...some days are more successful than others! I downloaded a bunch of kids songs on the iPod a couple weeks ago, so we listen to those on car rides now. I think they really are helping with her memory skills...she responds to the songs and copy's what they say. She's still not into her ABC's or 123's really, but we're not worried about that. She does have "two" down though...strange. She still won't have another doctor appointment until January, but I'm getting anxious to hear her stats and where she falls in line now. Basically, she's still crazy, entertaining, amazing and completely full of life! Love her!

Other than that, today was just a pretty busy day. Christian brought his mom home right after we got home from work, then stopped in to FINALLY get the oil changed in my car. It was SO overdue! He finally got home and we all just hung out around the house for the night. Cooked, ate some dinner, played. Just another day!

I'll have to come back and add Olivia's 10 month photo (oops)...