YAY, it's my birthday. The big 2-8. It's hard to believe...soooooo close to 30! Where does the time go, seriously?! I love birthday's...mine, everybody's, I just love them. I love to celebrate birthday's and make people feel special on there's. I only wish everybody felt that way though! Every year, Christian asks what I want to do. Every year, I say nothing. My birthday is at the beginning of summer, when calendars start filling up and it's hard to plan anything. On top of it, most people I know don't seem to be very proactive about assuming when birthday celebrations will be held, so unless you give several months notice, people just aren't available. So, I always end up taking it personally, and get my feeling hurt because the turn out for my birthday celebrations is never very high. This year will be no different, but in the end, I agreed to celebrate, and we'll be going out tomorrow night. Even though it won't be a big crowd, I'm excited to get out, and I know those that really care will be there to celebrate with me, and that's all that matters!Today I went to work like normal. My mom came over to watch the girls, and gave me a Visa gift card...YAY, new clothes, here I come! I headed on into work, and it was a pretty standard day. For my work celebration, I requested Dairy Queen cake and Taco Dip, and that's exactly what I got. AND, it was delicious! My mom brought the girls in to celebrate with us, and they gave me some flowers and a card. It was too cute, and they were a hit, as usual.
Christian arrived home around 3:00, and took to our WAY overgrown lawn right away. He finished shortly after I got home, and gave me some flowers and a card as well. YAY for flowers :) We ordered some Thai food for dinner, and took it easy. I was pretty exhausted (well, I am old, so...), and headed to bed right after the girls went down. Party animal for sure!
So, 98% of my day was WONDERFUL, unfornately, there was some bad. As I opened the mail after work...IT had arrived...my layoff notice. What a great birthday present! I knew it was coming, and I've tried not to think about everything too much, but actually seeing it in writing, and having that black and white proof, was a hard pill to swallow. But, I quickly filed that away, and went back to enjoying my day. We'll just have to see what the coming weeks brings at this point.
So, here are some pics, the good and the bad...
Well, this is it. My final day single parenting. And, I'm happy to say goodbye to this! I will admit, though Tuesday was a bit overwhelming, and I'm overly exhausted, the week actually went really well. The girls both went down to bed well each night, and slept straight through the night no problem. We're all clean, alive, fed and doing well. I'd say, it was a pretty successful week. I enjoyed out girls time, but I'm definitely ready for papa Duran to get home tomorrow!!
Work was good today. I'm STILL chipping away at my pile, and it is definitely getting smaller every day. I'm so excited. I was able to write a TON of Amendments today that I've been stalling on forever...some of them were assigned to me back in April!!! I've seriously been about 2 months behind for so long. I also made a committment today to start walking the stairs at work. I don't leave my floor too often, other than to pump, so I'm going to work up to taking the stairs back to my desk each time I pump. It's 7(14) flights of stairs, so it should end up being a pretty good work out. We had our weekly meeting today, and I was down a couple pounds, which was exciting. But, I have a long way to go, it's my birthday weekend, and I still need to really get motivated. I'm getting there though.
I left work a few hours early today. It's been tough keeping up on the usual housework between work, the kids and trying to get out and entertain them. So, I headed home and did some major cleaning up. If felt good to get in some good housework. Then, it was time to pick up the girls and go about our usual evening. Dinner, some play time, and bed! YAY. I will wake up older and wiser tomorrow, and when I get home from work, my other half will be home! Tomorrow will be a great day!
I snapped this goofy picture of Olivia today. This is what I get when I ask her to say "cheese" now. LOL
Today was a pretty good day. I continued making GREAT progress on my work, and I'm starting to feel really good about things. Finally catching up, slowly, but surely. I think by the end of the week I'll finally feel like I'm at a normal working pace. SUCH A RELIEF!
After work, I rushed home to let the dog our and feed the animals, then was off to pick up the girls. Our lovely teething baby apparently spent the day cat napping because she couldn't sleep, poor thing, and was sleeping when I arrived. I ended up having to wake her up a short time later, because we were off to spend the evening with my BFF's family. Olivia was beyond excited to hang out with Andrew...the entire drive she kept yelling over to Amelia "Sissy, we're going to see Andrew" over and over again. LOL. It was cute.
Kari's boyfriend, Jay, cooked us some pasta, we spent a little time eating, chatting and watching the kids and dog destroy the house, at which time we decided a trip down to the park was in order. So, that we did. Andrew and Jay were off to play a little soccer, while we girls played at the playground for a while. It was nice to be away from the house, hanging with friends and pass the time.
Finally, it was time to head home. I have the girls their baths and everyone passed out very quickly. The weather is supposed to take a turn the rest of the week...chillly, rainy...boo. So, we'll see how we can pass time the rest of the week. LOL
Here are a couple cute pictures from the playdate tonight.
Well, Day 2 of single parenting did not go quite as well as Day 1.Work today was fine. Of course, I was a little late again. My mornings are hectic enough as it is, getting the girls up, packed up and in the car all on my own is just pushing me over the edge! I actually made really great progress on my neverending inbox at work today though, so that made me VERY happy. Of course, I haven't checked my voicemail or answered my phone in at least the last week...oops.After work, the chaos began. First of all, today was beyond hot...it was already 88 when I woke up this morning, and it was still 102 when I left work! Ouch. Thanks to the heat wave, several roads around the city have buckled, making for some long commutes home. Today, the main road to my in-laws house buckled, so I was stuck there forever! I finally arrived at their house, quickly packed up the girls and was on my way. As I again sat in traffic, the DJ came on the radio with a Taco Bell hosted "text to win" contest, for Taylor Swift tickets. Her concerts are next week, and have long been sold out. I'm not the BIGGEST fan of hers, but I do like her and would love to go (but, I also don't spend money on concerts). So, I thought, why not give it a shot. They said you text for your chance to win free items from Taco Bell, or for a lucky few, tickets to the concert. I received a text back right away that I had won a free taco, so I thought that was that.
I got home, and as I was unloading the car, my phone rang. I was trying to get a SCREAMING Amelia out of her carseat, and Olivia took my bag hostage and would not give me my phone. I finally got ahold of it, called back the number, and sure enough...it was ClearChannel Radio (just a main directory line). I can't imagine why else they would be calling unless I had won tickets. I'm seriously depressed, it would be just my luck to miss a call like that.
I then immediately noticed how hot it was in the house, and that all the clocks were blinking. Of course, power outage on the hottest day ever. So, the AC was on full blast, but barely making any headway on the heat. Amelia was the crabbiest I've ever seen her tonight, and Olivia wouldn't leave her alone, just making things worse.
Finally, even though they were sweaty betty's, I skipped baths, and put them to bed a little early. Quickly fed the animals, cleaned the litter box and was off to bed. It was a long, hot, hectic, crying-kid-filled day, and I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow, that's for sure! Tonight I did manage to snap a picture of Amelia's latest trick...gymnastics. LOL
Well, today was the first day of my week as a single parent. I'm not looking forward to this...I do not have the patience. But, I know it's for the greater good, so I will survive. And, don't get me wrong, I realize there are ACTUAL single parents out there, and people who deal with long co-parent absences all the time. But, I'm still not afraid to admit that I'm not made out for it.
Work was good. Very busy of course after being off on Friday. We had a "mandatory" staff meeting this morning to get updates on some stuff going on. First, all state agencies are moving to a universal financial system, which is supposed to go live on the 1st. We all have to take a million training courses on the system, and got a minor reprimand because nobody is taking them. But, in our defense, they've made it beyond confusing and complicated to sign up for the classes. Next, our office is being "reorganized"...some sections are leaving the office, some are combining workloads, etc. We may lose our manager with the shifting, but that's not for sure, and our section shouldn't be affected any other way. Finally, of course, the shut down. There hasn't been any progress made on the budget, and the higher-ups don't really know anymore than we do, so it's still just a waiting game. Our boss does not believe any projects would be kept open if we shutdown, and doesn't see anybody in our office being named as essential, but that didn't surprise me. Late tonight, on the news, they did say that the legislature did bring a budget proposal to the Governor today that was a big step in the right direction, but, they are still $1.8 billion dollars apart, so there is still a ways to go. One good thing came out recently, stating that due to the nature of the layout, we may actually be able to continue carrying our benefits, we just need to pay our insurance premium (what we normally have taken out of our checks) out of pocket. So, that's great news.
After work, I picked up the girls, and we were off to Target. Amelia was quite restless the entire time we were there. They were cooped up in the house all day because we have a bit of a heat wave going on right now...today it got up to 98! Very strange for this time of year. Seriously, we had snow on the ground a month ago, it's supposed to be chilly and rainy this weekend, and it's 98 today...gotta love Minnesota weather!
I got a glimpse into Amelia's mouth today. I mentioned before, she has two bottom teeth, one top tooth, and there are 3 top teeth poking through, that just won't come out all the way. Well, I saw a surprise 3rd tooth tonight, basically all the way out already! Sneaky! And, her other top middle tooth is out now. So, she's up to 5 teeth now, and 2 more that are THISCLOSE to coming out. I've said it a million times, but I can't wait to be done with teething.
Finally, we ran home, let the dog out, ate some dinner, and got in a little play time. Then, it was the chaos known as bedtime! Baths, PJ's, keeping the girls wrangled up so I could actually get them to do these things, then, bed. Olivia actually went down great tonight, no complaints, no pretending she had to go potty. YAY! Amelia took a while, but went down with little fight as well. Then, I was off to water the plants. Of course, the dog ran away because he's a PITA. But, by the time I finished watering, he was home, so whatever. Who knows what he does when he runs away...then, I was finally off to bed. LONG DAY, and 4 more to go! LOL.
We had pizza for dinner, and Amelia was ALL ABOUT it. Too funny.
Well, it was another long, warm, busy day for us!We had out usual 7:30 wake up call this morning, and soon after ate some breakfast. Then, Christian right away got dressed and ready to go. His tooth was still bothering him today, but he said not as bad, so hopefully he can make it through the week. He was off to the auto parts store bright and early this morning to pick up the parts he needed to replace my brakes. Yup, you heard it, MORE car repairs. What's new?! His dad came over around 11:00 to help him out, and while they did that, the girls and I played, watched some movies, and got ourselves ready for the day.He finally finished around noon, showered, got ready, and we were off! Today was Grand Old Day in St. Paul, and I really wanted to take the girls. And, it was so fun. We again spent the majority of our trip down in the kid zone, checking out the animals, eating some food and hanging out. We then made out way a short distance down Grand, eating some more food, people watching and doing LOTS and LOTS of walking. We ended up running into my mom, and the girls were pretty excited about that! Then, we started our long trek back to the car, and headed home. The girls passed out immediately as we started driving, and ended up sleeping until 7:15! Oops!On our way home, we noticed the car was making a funny noise...it kind of sounded like a flat tire. So, while the girls "napped", Christian ran over to his parents house so his dad could check it out. He didn't see anything wrong with it, so is thinking that the noise will go away as all of the parts get used to the new brakes. Fingers crossed!Luckily, the girls didn't end up staying up too late after their super late nap. They were both passed out by 10:00, so not bad. Now, I have to gear up for my week as a single parent. This should be interesting folks, that's for sure!Here are some pictures from Grand Old Day!
Well, we woke up to the most beautiful weather today. It was AMAZING. My mind immediately started racing, trying to figure out what we could do, where we could go, to enjoy it. I quickly declared I was in the mood for a picnic, and that we should go to Minnehaha Falls for the day. Christian was not super excited about the idea, but I think his sore mouth was leaving him a little apprehensive. Nevertheless, I told him it was happening, and we needed to get ready. So, that we did. We all got cleaned up, dressed, packed our bags and were off. We stopped in quick at the grocery store to pick up a few picnic items, packed up the cooler and were on our way to the Falls.
I know it was going to be busy, but had no idea just how busy until we got there! Of course, there was some bike race going on, so that didn't help. But, after driving around for a while, we found a pretty great parking space, loaded up the wagon, grabbed the cooler, and searched for a picnic spot. After we ate, we were on our way to the falls, only to come to the realization that we could not get the cooler and wagon and kids down all of the stairs. Oops, didn't think that out too well. We were too far to walk to the car and back, so we ended up risking it and leaving our stuff propped up next to the bike racks, hoping with all of the people sitting around it would be OK. The only thing I was SUPER worried about was Amelia's car seat, so I was a little anxious while we were away.
We spent a good amount of time watching the waterfall and the rapids. It was just amazing because the water levels are so high right now, so beautiful. We also spent some time in the river, and Olivia really liked that, especially with all of the rapids. She definitely thought it was cool.
Finally, we started our trip back to the car. Thankfully, all of our stuff was sitting there, waiting for us. YAY for trustworthy people! The girls passed out halfway home, and proceeded to take a great nap, so mommy and daddy did too! Then, we just spent the rest of the night hanging out, watching some TV and relaxing. Christian started a fire while I was putting Amelia down, but I was far too tired and not interested in sitting out there, so that went to waste. Instead, we watched a little Saturday Night Live before passing out. A great family day in the books!
Here are some pictures of our fun at the falls! 
Today was my Friday home with the girls. It was just another typical Friday. It's very warm out though, it's the beginning of a little heat wave, so we'll see just how hot it gets! Needless to say, the AC was turned on immediately when I woke up and the house was already 75 degrees!
After some breakfast, hanging out and a quick little rain storm, we got *slightly* ready, and went on a nice long walk to enjoy the weather. The girls loved being out, eating their snacks and walking around the neighborhood. I, was sweating my butt off, so I suppose that's good for me! We finally arrived home, and we were all pretty hot, sweaty and tired, so we relaxed for a while. We continued to get little rain storms on and off all day, but it never provided any relief from the heat. Christian had filled the pool before he left for work, and finally by late afternoon, naps were over, the rain had stopped and we spent some time outside splashing around. Amelia tried out the "water slide", and thought it was hilarious, so that was fun to watch. They were finally worn out and done with the water, so we headed inside, got dressed, and ate a late lunch.
Christian finally arrived home, finally on time (YAY for no OT for a change!), we ordered some take out and hung out the rest of the night. He did come home with some interesting news. His work approached him about working in Eau Claire all week...and seeing that they work 2-10, he'd have to stay out there because it really wouldn't make sense to drive back, and get home at midnight, for nothing. I was not thrilled at the idea of single parenting for the whole week on top of work, but, his work is a little different that your run of the mill workplace. There, if they "ask" you to do something, they aren't really asking. They have a reason for choosing you, and you kind of have to do it unless you have a compelling reason not to. Plus, it does speak volumes that they chose him, and it can only help his position in the company to do it, so while they gave him the weekend to consider it, he most likely will be doing it. They actually presented the idea of him moving out to that warehouse. Now that, will not happen. He would have to stay out there every week, and I'm just not down for that.
He also came home with a sore tooth...at his last dentist visit, they again approached him about having his wisdom teeth removed, and he hasn't yet, and he's thinking one of them is pushing his other tooth out of place. So, apparently he'll be having them removed VERY soon. Ouch. I had all 4 of mine removed a few years ago, and I was not a fan. I actually had to be put to sleep beacuse I was so freaked out by it. Gross.
After the girls went to bed, we spent the evening doing some random things. I ordered tickets to a comedy improv show we're going to for my birthday next weekend, and ordered tickets to the Father's Day Twins game, which we're really excited about. It's kind of our tradition, and the girls are going to love it. We also spent some time researching baby monitors...the one we had crapped out on us a long time ago...so, we're using a very old school video monitor somebody gave us, that only works half the time (and, we can't take it outside or around the house with us). So, it's time for a new one. We're sticking with a video monitor, because with both the girls in the room, it's nice being able to really see what's going on. I think we found the one we're going with (here), it can pan the room and everything, so we have to order that soon.
So, lots of fun things coming up, and I'm really excited. Here are some swimming pictures from today.
I don't have a ton to report on today. Things at work are the same...crazy busy for me, still can't catch up. Christian is still working an hour or two of OT every day, so things are busy on his end as well. We still have no update on the layoffs or budget progress, so everything is still in the dark there. We will be getting our layoff notices next weekend though if nothing is resolved. STRESSFUL much?!
After work, I was off on a much needed date night with the BFF. As usual, we went to Khan's for some deliciousness, and had lots of time to catch up, chat and get lots of laughs in. It was nice to be out, and spend a little quality time with her. While we ate, Christian's mom took him and the girls to dinner so he got in a little time with his mom. Of course, you know, when I'm not home, he CAN'T be home alone with the girls, LOL.
We met up at home around the same time, I did a little cleaning up around the house, and then it was pretty much just time to put the girls down and go about our usual nightly rituals. We are officially calling one of our pots of plants DEAD as can be. Our pot of Pansies did not survive the cold snap we had after potting them, and we just can't get it to come back to life. So, we're just going to report that one with some more inpatients...we seem to be successful with those. And, the bunnies keep eating the Hosta we planted...of course EVERYBODY says it's impossible to kill Hostas, and we would be the ones that could do it. Ha.
The girls pulled out all of the books tonight, and had a big reading session before bed. LOL
Well, the countdown to being laid off officially begins! 30 Days to get the budget in place...while it seems like an impossible task at this point, and I'm 98% sure it's going to happen, I'm trying to stay optimistic about it. Got all my limbs crossed. Or, hopefully if it does happens, it's just for a week or two. I can handle that, but not much more than that. Then, it would really start to hurt us all around. Waiting game continues....
Christian was called into his supervisors office late this morning, and requested to go to their new Eau Claire warehouse. Apparently, nobody out there knows what they are doing, and they need some help. So, he's heading out with a couple other people to help straighten them out. At that warehouse, they work from 2-10, so he was not home until VERY late. And, almost all of his normal work time was was OT, so YAY for that. He seemed pretty excited about the opportunity, and just being asked to do it, out of everyone at the warehouse, says a lot. My man, such a hard worker!
So, after work I was off to pick up the girls, and it was just the three of us tonight. We didn't do a ton...just ate some dinner, did some dishes, and hung out for the evening. Luckily both of them went to bed with little fight, and I was able to crash at a decent time myself. Christian on the other hand, is definitely going to be tired tomorrow after his late night!
Amelia is officially a climber now. She climbs on everything, and anything. Tonight, it was the overturned "toy box"..usually, it's the rocking chairs. She's even (finally) figured out how to PROPERLY get off the couch. Growing so fast! I also painted Olivia's nails for the first time tonight. She thought that was VERY cool. The little things in life....
