7/15/11 - And, We're Off!

Today started off very hectic, and very busy. This weekend is FINALLY our weekend getaway up to Duluth, and we've been waiting on pins and needles for it to come. Finally, time to escape reality and get away from everything for a few days!

We were up bright and early. Christian fed the girls and got them while I ran a few errands...Target and Rainbow to get some groceries for the trip, Petco to get Chuy a new harness (so my mom can take him on some walks while we're away) and Perkins to get some yummy traveling Muffins (a road trip must have for me). Then, we loaded up the truck (it takes a lot more luggage than you would expect with and 1 and 2 year old in tote!) and were finally off. One last stop at my mom's to drop the dog off, and we were on the road.

My goal was to be on the road during nap time, in hopes that the girls would sleep on the way. Well, that didn't happen. Amelia was freaking out, I think her teeth were really bothering her. So, we finally stopped at McDonald's to get out of the truck for a bit, eat a little food, take a potty break and I fed Amelia before we got on the road again. FINALLY, she passed out and slept the rest of the drive. Olivia only took a short nap before we arrived at the hotel. We checked in, unloaded some necessities, then were off to get in as much time as we could in town.

We stopped into the Aquarium for a while, and it was VERY cool. Lots of stuff to do. There was a park right outside, so we stopped in and let the girls play for a while. Then, we were off to find some dinner. We decided to splurge on a nice sit down dinner and it was TASTY! It was getting late at this point, so we just went back to the hotel for the night. I'm a little nervous about the four of us sleeping on one little room, but we'll see how it goes!

Here are a few pictures from Vacation Day 1! Lots of adventures planned for tomorrow, I can't wait!

7/14/11 - Me Time?

Today, the girls were off to spend the day with my mother in law. That "me time" I speak of, is really "clean the house time", which is easier without those rugrats following me around, undoing everything I do. So, once they woke up, and I fed Amelia, I dropped them off, then got to work. It's time for our Spring/Summer cleaning, of course just in time for Amelia's birthday party next weekend. So, today's task was the upstairs. I went through and scrubbed the girls' room, our room, the living room, the kitchen and the dining room. I love that brand new, just cleaned look! Next week we'll be doing the bathroom and the downstairs. YAY!

Christian and the girls ended up having dinner over at his mom's so I could finish in peace. It was time for baths and bed shortly after they arrived home. I quickly gathered up their clothes and necessities for our vacation so it was ready to pack in the morning, then we put them down. Christian and I spent a little time together, lounging and relaxing on the couch for a while, excited for our weekend getaway.

That was our exciting day! This morning there was some "breaking news" about the shutdown situation. The Governor agreed to the legislators last budget proposal, with a few changes, so we'll see. They'll be working all weekend I'm sure to come up with some bills, then he'll need to call a special session and they'll have to actually pass and sign each bill, then call us back to work. I'm guessing we'll still be off all next week, but maybe sometime the week after things will be figured out. I guess we'll see, at least there is some progress being made...

Chuy was my little shadow today. Here is a picture of him all snuggled up, I think he enjoyed the quiet more than me!

7/13/11 - Just Another Day

Well, just another day at home for me and the girls! We finally have some great weather today, so after breakfast and a little playing, we headed off to another park for a while. Today I was quite annoyed though...there was a little girl, maybe 10 or 11, that would not leave us alone. She arrived shortly after we got there, and just kept asking me question after questions, asking if she could hold Amelia, help with this or that. Olivia had to go to the bathroom and she asked if she could take her? Seriously, just WAY too much. I finally told her we had to head home, she kept asking me if she could help get the girls in their car seats and stuff. Then said she had to go home because she wasn't allowed at the park if there wasn't anybody else there. I think her parents need to adjust those rules a little bit...I'm there to play with MY kids, not watch your kid. I was very annoyed by the whole situation.

So, we ate some lunch and went down for naps as soon as we got home. I did a few load of laundry throughout the afternoon/evening. The girls were very antsy after their nap, so I took them on a nice long walk by myself, and arrived home just in time to meet up with Christian. That was about the excitement of our day today.

Here are a couple of park pics. Amelia is really getting into exploring the park these days. This park only had one "baby" swing, and of course Olivia HAD to go in there when Amelia was in there, so I put them both in, LOL.

7/12/11 - Our First Toddler Tuesday

We live very close to the Mall of America (the novelty of the Mall has long worn off on me). I've always been super jealous because they host "Toddler Tuesday" every week, where they do some fun event for kids, some of the restaurants offer free kid meals and there are just a bunch of deals for little ones. Of course, it's always during the day, so basically useless for working parents. But now, I finally get to take advantage, and it's a great way to get the girls out of the house! Today, they had the Teddy Bear Band. And, it was all in preparation for the new Winnie the Pooh movie...so we got free passes to an advance screening of the movie, we got to make little "Honey" flower pots, got some snacks and got to listen to some fun music. YAY! We met up with Kelly and the kiddo's, so after the show we took the girls on a couple of rides, grabbed a bite to eat, did a little shopping, and that was that!

We didn't get home until after 2:00, WAY past nap time, so the girls went right down for their naps. Christian worked some OT, big surprise, then stopped to get a haircut, so it was just me and the girls for a majority of the evening. Once he was home we just ate some dinner and hung out for a little while. Another super exciting night for us!

Here are some snaps from our mall adventures!

7/11/11 - 10 Years

10 Years...a lot can happen in 10 years. As you get older and older and older, 10 years starts to seem like a small chunk of time in the grand scheme of things. Right now though, 10 years seems like a long time. I mean, it's basically a third of my life right now.

Well, today marks 10 years since Christian and I went on our very first date. It's hard to believe. One day complete strangers, the next day...we started the rest of our life together. I probably went over the whole story last year....so I can sum it up this time around. Basically, we met through our parents...we chatted on the phone one day...he asked me out (to the "club", how romantic!)...I agreed...he called a few days before our scheduled date saying he'd gotten the night off, and asked if I wanted to hang out...we went to the mall...it was closed...he was lucky to get a second date! LOL

From that day on, we were together. That was that, no looking back. We've had many ups and downs, good times and bad, arguments, fights, tears, laughs, hugs and kisses. 10 years filled with late nights on the town, snuggling up watching movies, mini vacations together, more memories then can even be recalled. 2 amazing kids, 3 pets, a perfect wedding, a wonderful home, and a limitless future ahead of us. 10 years ago I went on a first date, that changed my entire life.

As far as today, it was a fairly low key day for us. Amelia was VERY, VERY crabby today. The girls slept in, but she ended up going down for a pretty early nap...I was a little bummed I didn't get my alone time today, but it was fun spending a little alone time with each of the girls. While Amelia napped, Olivia and I played outside in the pool for a while. It got VERY hot, VERY fast, so we headed inside for some lunch. Of course, as soon as I laid her down for her nap, Amelia woke up. So, she and I hung out for the afternoon. Amidst the whining and crying, we got in plenty of play time. We ate a quick dinner when Christian got home, took a nice long walk around the neighborhood, put out/played in the sprinklers, then it was baths and bed for everyone. So, obviously a VERY exciting day!

Here is a picture I snapped of Olivia today, I just thought it was sweet.

7/10/11 - Another Sunday Funday!

Today was a pretty great Sunday! The girls REALLY slept in today. Olivia was up a couple times during the night to go potty...too much late evening water and too many popsicles last night! We had a MASSIVE storm roll through early this morning that woke me up (and nothing wakes me up!). The sirens were going off, the rain was basically going sideways the wind was so bad. It was pretty crazy. I couldn't believe it, but the girls slept right through it. The rain was beating against the side of the house like nothing I've ever heard before. It was actually a little scary. Christian and I kept contemplating getting the girls up and heading to the basement, but the sirens stopped, and the wind died down a little bit, so we just headed back to bed.

The girls were up around 9:30, I whipped up a big Mexican breakfast, and we hung out around the table for a while. It was already horribly hot, so we packed up and made our way down to the sprinkler park for a while. The girls loved it, but Olivia grew tired of the water pretty quickly. Amelia was having the time of her life though! Luckily they have a pretty nice playground there as well, so we spent some time there. We grabbed some Dairy Queen on our way home, and say outside in the shade for a little bit. Then, the girls passed out!

While they napped, I cleaned up a little around the house, uploaded some more pictures and relaxed. Christian mowed the lawn and ran the sprinklers for a while. The grass is DYING from this heat, so hopefully last nights rain helps a little bit. I was pretty drained after the long, stressful week, so Christian took the girls over to his parents house for a little while this evening...he needed his dad to fix the weed whacker, so it worked out well!

Here are some pictures from the sprinkler park! Good times!

7/9/11 - Busy, Busy Bee's

Today was a pretty busy day for all of us. Turns out, Olivia didn't sleep all that great at my mom's last night (nor did my mom), so she had a pretty long night (and a pretty crabby day). Amelia slept well though, all night again. But, she was still crabby today anyway. While all 8 teeth are out, two of the top ones are not quite all the way out yet, and I think those are really bothering her. I feel so bad for her, I just hate teething so much!

We hung out and relaxed this morning, ate some breakfast, then got some stuff done. Dishes, vacuuming, cleaning the kitchen...it was a regular party!! Amelia napped, we got ready and then were off to run a couple errands. Home Depot to FINALLY buy some plants to repot that LONG dead pot of plants and the auto part store....IMAGINE THAT! Christian has been taking my car to work to save some gas money, and the first day he realized my car is shaking...really bad. I knew it was, but I guess I'm just used to it. So, he picked up the piece he needed to fix that.

Shortly after we got home from shopping, my mom showed up to deliver our toddler to us. And, she was up to her usual shenanigans right away. Throwing fits, throwing stuff, making a mess....just another day! Amelia did receive a very special package in the mail today...my July 10 due date group did a birthday gift exchange, and she received her present today. It was a very cool little toy, with lots of gadgets and fun stuff on it. She LOVED it. Thank You to our special "elves", Yadira and Sebastian!

We ate a quick dinner, then Christian was off to his parents house so his dad could help him with the car. I was off to meet my BFF and her family for her nieces annual birthday balloon launch. As I mentioned last year, her niece passed away a few years ago, after battling a brain tumor for several years. So, every year on her birthday we get together and send her some birthday love. I'm honored to be a part of it every year, and the girls actually let their balloon's go this year...YAY!

After the festivities, I stopped over to his parents house so they could see the girls. I'm sure it's a nice little break with me being home, but they definitely miss having then around. I was a little offended by my mother in law tonight though. She kept going on and on about how it's "time" for me to stop nursing Amelia...that she needs to learn to go to sleep without food/nursing, and that it's basically making her too attached to me. I guess I don't understand why it's anybody' business really. Amelia has always taken the bottle great, no issue going between, so it's not like it affects her in that way. She's taking her sippy cups great now, so we should be able to wean her from the bottle pretty easily, by just putting her "bottles" into the cups instead. What bothers me even more, is that of course Christian just sits there agreeing with his mom, because like usual "she knows best". I guess Christian and I have never really discussed it, but I don't really have any intentions of "cutting her off" completely any time soon. I'm hoping to stop pumping by the end of the month (well, if I ever go back to work that is), but I just planned on letting her wean herself when it comes to bedtime. It's a special relationship, a special bond, and I don't feel ready to give that up yet. And, for that matter, I don't think Amelia is either. Either way, I don't think it's anybody else's concern.

Here are some pictures of Amelia opening her very first ever birthday present, and from the balloon launch.

7/8/11 - Hangin' With the Fishes

Today was a very fun day! The girls slept in AGAIN until 8:30! Man, I love it! Amelia was up in the middle of the night again last night, I hope it's just her teeth and not some horrible sleep regression going on!

Thankfully I took the initiative to back the diaper bag, lay out the girl' clothes and shower last night (hoping they would sleep in again), so we just ate a quick breakfast, got dressed and were on our way. There is an aquarium at the Mall of America, and they were offering free admission to laid off state employees this week. The girls are both free anyway, and we've never taken then, so I had to take advantage of the offer. My mom and a friend of ours, both also laid off, went with us and we all had a great time. I hadn't been there since it first opened, YEARS ago, and they've made a ton of changes to it, including a super awesome new jellyfish exhibit, so I was excited to get back there and check it out. It was so great of them to have this deal going on.

After the aquarium, Olivia went with my mom to spend the night with her. While a little peace and quiet is nice, it never feels quite right without that crazy girl running around the house! Amelia and I just headed home. She passed out on the way, and took a nice long nap. So, I had time to watch a little TV, eat some lunch and just relax. Christian worked late again, and picked up some dinner on his way home.

After Amelia passed out, Christian and I watched a little TV together and hung out. And with that, my first week of playing the stay at home role came to a close. It's basically what I expected...actually went a little better than I anticipated. Olivia had a few rough moments here and there, but nothing too bad. We kept ourselves busy, slept in, took nice long naps, got stuff done. I'm excited for a weekend of little chores...YAY!

Here are some pictures from our trip to the aquarium.

7/7/11 - Lucky 7

Today I was reminded of one of the many reasons I am a very lucky lady. I've mentioned it here and there in the past...but when I became pregnant with Olivia, I joined the "community" on babycenter.com, specifically the January 2009 birth club. Within that club, each week had it's own "due date" group, where I was able to make a lot of personal connections with several ladies. It was great having this group of women, literally going through the exact same things that I was, through pregnancy, delivery and beyond. Over time, we became friends on facebook and were able to become even closer over the past few years. Well, I did the same thing with my July 10 "due date" group. It's a much smaller group, and we really bonded (I think because it's such a small group). We did a secret santa exchange for the kids this past Christmas, and we're doing a birthday exchange this month. The mom that "drew" Amelia's name went WAY above and beyond, and actually bought me a gift! I was so shocked when I checked the mail today. There was a package from Amazon in the mailbox, so I just assumed it was Amelia's gift. As I peeked inside, I was surprised with a beautiful necklace. Our little group was named "Little Rubies", and the necklace is a an angel shape, lined with little rubies. It was so sweet, and definitely a bright spot with everything going on right now. Lucky, I am, indeed!

The girls slept in again today, YAY! Luckily, Amelia slept all night last night. I'm guessing the Motrin we gave her last night helped with that. Stupid teeth. After some playing, eating and showering, we were off to tackle this weeks shopping, so, to Target we went. The girls did really well...I had treats to keep them busy, and we took our time. After shopping, I quickly put the groceries away, then we were off to meet my dad and stepmom for lunch. They offered to come down, hang out with us and take us to eat, so I couldn't pass that up! The girls were pretty exhausted by the time lunch was done (probably because it was WAY past nap time), so they passed out pretty fast..another loooong nap! DOUBLE YAY!

By the time the girls woke up, dinner was just about ready, Christian was home doing some yard work and I was VERY worried about what kind of mess we were in for at bedtime. Christian and Olivia hung out in the yard for a bit, while Amelia and I watched a little TV (the Big Brother 13 premiere to be exact!!). Then, it was off to bed...a little later than usual, in hopes of them actually going down. Which, they did! Yippie!

Here is a picture of the necklace I received today, so beautiful! And, Amelia has officially mastered her straw sippy cups now, and she is OBSESSED with them. She always has a cup with her now, carries them everywhere she goes. Her are a couple shots of her...with her cup, and so proud of her ability to suck the water out finally.

7/6/11 - A Day At the Park

Well, it's just another day around our house. Christian continues to work early and late, probably will through next week too catching up from the busy holiday. The girls slept in again, which was great. I'm hoping that continues for as long as I'm home, that's for sure! Amelia woke up in the middle of the night and would not go down. She ended up staying in bed with me for a little while, until she finally passed out.

Once the girls were up, we ate some breakfast, got ourselves dressed, and were off to the park for a while. Olivia flocked right to the other kids at the park, which is good and bad. Good because she's outgoing and loves to be around other kids, bad because she likes the older kids, and likes to do what they do. I don't like to hover, and I like that she experiments, tries new things and isn't scared, but at the same time, it's hard to watch her do things that could injure her. Amelia and I hung off to the side, did a little swinging, and she explored for a little while. It was way too hot out though, so we didn't stay super long. Even though she was all sweaty and gross, she still didn't want to leave, and threw a fit. That was fun..I was dying from the heat, carrying Amelia in her carseat, and trying to wrangle Olivia up. Oh, the joys!

We all ate some lunch, and the girls were off for another nice, long nap. YAY. I never knew how truly amazing nap time was until now! Christians' mom has told me she has the girls nap at different times, and I really don't understand that one bit. That is MY time...and the house is nice and peaceful so they both get some good sleep. I love it.

I started dinner shortly after the girls woke up, Christian arrived home again just as it was getting done, so we didn't have much family time tonight. The girls were SUPER dirty from our park fun, so they got a good scrub down, then we were all off to bed. Even though I don't have to get up early, I'm still ready to pass out as soon as the girls go down. LOL

Here are some pictures from the park.