3/26/12

Today is Christian’s birthday!!!! The big 2-8! Yahoo!!!

Really, it was a pretty typical Monday. Work was busy, catching up from my Friday off. I ended up leaving an hour early so I could get my workout in before making Christian his birthday dinner. He choose Chorizo and Potato tacos, with rice and beans. YUM. I actually decided to try out the Food Processor that’s been collecting dust in the cupboard since our wedding. What an amazing contraption! Sure wish I would’ve given that a whirl a long time ago! The girls ate some soup while we ate our yummy tacos.

Olivia seemed worse yet. His mom said she did go a tiny bit again today, but was obviously still backed up, and was still crying out in pain. It’s like she gets a small burst of energy…enough to chase Amelia around and drive her crazy, then she’ll just drop where she is and start crying. I hate it. Poor thing. We continued the same “treatment”…Miralax, prune juice, heating pad, warm baths. I’m thinking another trip to the doctor might be in store soon if we can’t get things moving…

Here are some pictures of the girls helping out the birthday boy with his presents…

3/25/12

Today was another pretty relaxing day. Olivia was up at her usual time, but Amelia slept in again. This time until 10:00! Whoa! I started on our weekly cleaning as soon as I woke up, and Christian handled breakfast once Amelia was awake. I got the dishes done, the counters are clean and visible again, the floor swept, some laundry started and some general picking up around the house! I was on fire, that’s for sure!

Olivia was not any better. Still complaining she was in pain, and wouldn’t eat much. We continued the prune juice, and I started her on a small dose of Miralax. I hate that there really isn’t much we can do, its pains me to see her in pain like that! As the day went on, she seemed to get worse. We started using a “Happy Tummy” kids heating pad on her, which seemed to help with the pain. She took a nice warm bath which worked a LITTLE bit. Poor thing.

After I finished cleansing, and while the girls napped, I made our weekly Target trip. Christian grilled for dinner and we had a relaxing evening. We’ll see what the overnight brings though…

Today “our” ducks made their return home for the year! Olivia and I spotted them roaming around the yard. I guess I cannot guarantee these are the same ducks…but every year we’ve lived at the house we spot a male and female duck in our yard, randomly, through the year. Always together. It would be quite a coincidence. Here are pictures of our blooming tree and “our” duck…

3/24/12

Saturday!!!! I LOVE Saturday! Even better, we don’t really have any plans this entire weekend, which always excites me!

Technically, we did have plans for this morning. Last year we went to a local indoor park for a little Easter Egg Hunt. Of course, like most everything we do, we had intentions of making that an annual thing. I found out a while back that today was this year’s hunt date, so we planned to go. For a variety of reasons, we made the decision earlier this week to skip the event…I was a little bummed, but it ended up being for the better anyway because Amelia didn’t even wake up until 9:00AM! Yes, 9:00AM…it was GREAT!

So, once we finally rolled out of bed, we just hung out for a while and had some breakfast. We had a pretty relaxing morning. Olivia was complaining that her belly hurts….she does this often, it’s hard to tell if she’s being honest, or trying to get out of something (eating usually), so I didn’t think much of it, and let her just kind of relax. When they went down for their naps, Christian got ready and was off to hang out with his mom for a while. She wanted to take him to lunch and hang out for his birthday, so I had the house all to myself J I did my workout and just took the opportunity to relax. The girls woke up from their naps completely out of control. They would not leave each other alone for a minute…fighting, not sharing and just getting on each other’s nerves like crazy. For some reason, today, it was really stressing me out. Christian ended up picking them up and bringing them over to hang out at his mom’s for a while. It was such an amazing break. It was such a long, busy week at work, and then dealing with Olivia’s weekly illness and still fighting a little bit of my cold, the stress of the week must have finally gotten to me. It’s nice when Christian actually recognizes that! What a guy J

They all arrived home just as it was starting to get dark. We decided to have a little family bonfire, cooked up some s’mores and hung out for a while. Olivia was still complaining that her belly hurt, and we realized that she hadn’t been going to the bathroom. We’ve NEVER had a constipation issue with the girls. She hasn’t had any changes in her diet or anything, so it definitely took us by surprise. So, we started her on some prune juice and I started googling different things we could do if she’s still not feeling well tomorrow. I should have figured…it’s been a couple of days since we’ve had an illness to deal with; it was about time for something to come up. BUT, here are some pictures from our fire…

3/23/12

Today was weigh in Friday, and another great one! Down another 2.2lbs, for a total of 15.4lbs. Yay. It feels good to see the hard work pay off!

Today was my Friday home with the girls. Of course, they woke up as Christian was leaving for work, so there was no sleeping in whatsoever. After a little hanging out, we ate some breakfast, got ready, and made a quick trip into school for their school picture day! I couldn’t let them miss their very first school pictures, of course! As soon as we walked in the door Olivia booked it for her class and was very upset when I told her we weren’t staying. Poor thing. It took her a little while to warm up to the photographer…but we finally broke her and she was laughing and smiling away. They did a few sister pictures, which helped warm Amelia up to the whole thing, and then Amelia took hers. It looked like they got some really cute shots, so I can’t wait to see them!

It was basically time for lunch and naps by the time we got home, so that worked out. I got my workout in while they napped, showered and rested for a while. They woke up just as Christian arrived home from work. Christian’s friend from work wanted to take him out for a couple of beers for his birthday, so I decided to pack up the girls and head out to the Mall of America for a while. A couple of the kids stores were having some sales, so I picked up some summer clothes for them, we ate some dinner, and got Christian some clothes for his birthday. By the time we got home, Amelia was exhausted, and went right to bed. Olivia and I hung out for a while…

We have a new neighbor across the street. He’s a younger guy, probably younger than us, and he moved in right at the beginning of winter, so we haven’t seen much of him. Tonight he and a few of his friends were out in his driveway just having a “good old time”. They were obviously all VERY drunk, one of them threw a glass beer bottle out into the middle of the street, and then they started to make their way down the street – down to the local bar I’m guessing. One of our other neighbors was walking her dog and stopped them to give them a hard time about the broken glass and stuff. They basically brushed it off and were on their way. About 30 minutes later, two cop cars pulled up to the house, apparently escorting them home. Must have been “asked to leave” the bar and sent home…or they were stopped on their way, who knows. It was quite a show though. And, a REALLY great first impression of our new neighbor. Lord.

Here is a picture I snapped of the girls before we took off to their school pictures. They’re so dang cute! I can’t stand it!

3/22/12

So, as I pretty much anticipated, today was a pretty crazy day at work. I spent almost the entire day dealing with e-mails and catching up from my time off yesterday. It doesn’t usually get quite as crazy when I’m off, but for some reason I have a lot of oddball stuff going on right now, and a lot of fires to put out, so it’s keeping me pretty busy. The day did fly by though, so I guess that’s a bonus! And, the girls actually made it through a whole day of school, so double bonus! LOL

Today my workout was a Ballet inspired video, and I really loved it! I didn’t know what to think about it, or how I would feel about it, but I think it’s my favorite one. I definitely worked muscles I’ve never worked before, and even though it was long, it didn’t feel like it. Along the exercise lines…I think I’ve mentioned it before, but a while ago I ordered a Saveology.com deal for a pulse watch. It tracks your heart rate when you are working out so you know what “zone” you are really in, and it tells you how many calories you burn. I’ve been SO SO SO excited to get this, ready to see what I’m really burning when I work out. It was supposed to be delivered in 2-4 weeks, so by late February at the latest. It’s still not here, and I’m getting so upset about it. I’ve e-mailed the company several times, including today. I’m always told “it’s been shipped”. Well, where the hell are you shipping it from? I’m not sure what to do at this point. I’m getting really upset about it.

Other than that, today was a pretty good day. Some of my friends have me hooked on a new game…as if I needed another obsession. “Draw Something”, so fun! I have zero art/drawing skills, but it’s pretty entertaining. The girls were pretty good tonight. Nothing too out of control, and, these days, a day without sickness is a great day, regardless.

Here is a picture of Amelia playing with this old car of Christian’s. He’s had it forever, and she is obsessed with it. Who needs a boy...right?!? Olivia was also trying to get Amelia to give her some "horsies" tonight, which didn't really work out too well.

3/21/12

Well, it was another difficult night. Olivia again kept waking up, and again, she and Christian ended up sleeping out on the couch together so she would actually sleep. I was up when Christian got up for work to get Amelia up and ready. I moved Olivia into our bed, got Amelia dressed and ready. She was in a MUCH better mood this morning. And, she was really upset that I wasn't leaving with her, which made me a little happy. LOL.

Olivia and I slept until almost 9:00, which was great, and definitely much needed for her. She seemed much better today. She wasn't running a fever, she ate well and while she was pretty much just sitting around and cuddling most of the day, she seemed happy and was being her goofy self. She took a great nap, so she's definitely getting caught up on some sleep. And, the biggest drama of the day, was when she found out that sissy went to school without her. Ha.

I had plans of working from home today, but decided to just take it easy, spend some time with her, and relax myself. It was much needed. Christian and Amelia arrived home shortly after nap time ended, so I was off to do my workout, while he fired up the grill for dinner. YUM. We got the girls into an early bath again, and to bed on time. Hopefully we'll have a more peaceful night, and the girls will be cheery in the morning!

Here are some pictures of Olivia this morning. Lunch in "bed", and spending time with her BFF. What a love!

3/20/12

Oh Lord. Today was rough, and took a turn for the worse this evening.

Olivia kept waking up last night for some reason. It's getting really hard to tell when she's "faking" it, and trying to pull our strings, and when she's really upset or not feeling well. She's definitely learned how to play the game, and it always makes me question her now. Christian eventually gave her some medicine and slept out on the couch with her. She was burning up and running a fever. It's hard to know if she is actually sick, or if she was overheated while sleeping. She was hot and sweaty, so we were at loss.

She finally slept for a while. In the morning, she was still complaining that she didn't feel well, and felt warm. Amelia was exhausted and crabby because she was up so late. It was a rough morning. I dropped them off and went to work, hoping everything would be OK. Late in the afternoon, I ended up getting a call from school, Olivia wasn't feeling well, and her temp was over 103! I panicked, threw together some work to bring home (since she wouldn't be able to go to school tomorrow), and I was off to pick her up. I took her temperature a few times once home, and it registered lower, right around 100. Christian and Amelia arrived home a little bit later. I quick got my workout in while he made dinner and fed the girls. We took Olivia's temperature a few more times throughout the evening. It kept ranging. One minute normal, the next a low grade fever. The highest it got up to was 100.9, so at least it stayed on the low end.

We gave the girls and early bath, and got them to bed early hoping a good night of sleep would have her feeling better. And Amelia definitely need it. We'll see what tonight brings I guess!

No time to take a picture tonight, so I put together a little collage....what a difference a year makes!

3/19/12

Monday. Seriously, the most hated day of the week.

Work was tough today. It was SO hot in our building...87 degrees when the day started. It took them until mid-day to switch the system from heat to cool, and by the time I left, it had only cooled down to 83. Makes for a REALLY long day when all you want to do is sleep...

I ended up leaving a little early to do our shopping for the week. I stopped home to go through coupons and ads and off I went. Then, it was home to quickly put everything away, and get my workout in. It was SO hot in our house, really, more humid than anything, that it was really difficult to get through. But, I made it. Maybe the extra sweat will show on the scale :)

Amelia took a really late nap today, so the rest of the fam didn't get home until pretty late in the evening. It was leftover night for dinner, and we couldn't get the girls to go to bed early. I'm sure that's going to make for a tough day for them at school tomorrow!

We had some storms roll in tonight and the girls were quite interested in it all. They were so funny. Every time it would start up, or thunder, they would go running to the window to check it out.

3/18/12

Today was kind of a mixed bag. The girls slept in a little bit thanks to their late night partying it up last night, so that was a nice change. After breakfast, Christian was off to work on my car...ringing any bells?!? Yes, back to working on the car, seems to be our spring/summer pasttime! This time, he was replacing the back brakes and rotors. Good times. The girls were pretty rambunctious today...fighting about everything, picking on each other, whining, crying, you name it. I eventually got them dressed and we headed out to spend some time outside and work off some energy. Really, they pretty much just got in dad's way, but whatever.

Finally, it was time for naps! I was off to do my workout and spent some time doing laundry. All the fun stuff. Olivia didn't take a super long nap. Christian and her were off to his parents house, while I got ready and Amelia finished her nap. Then, we were off to meet them. His dad was grilling, so we hung out there for the evening, playing and eating. Olivia showed off her new bike riding skills, and Amelia just entertained herself with anything and everything.

It's hard to believe another weekend has come and gone. I think they just fly by faster and faster. Such a sad fact :(

Here are some pictures from today...

3/17/12

Today was another gorgeous day, and quite a mixed bag of activities.

We started off pretty early. The girls didn't sleep well last night, so the early wake-up call was not enjoyable in the least bit. After a little morning cuddle time, Christian took care of breakfast while I cleaned up the kitchen. Then, we got dressed and were on our way for a nice long walk around the neighborhood. I pushed Amelia around in her car, while Olivia rode her bike. I mean ACTUALLY rode her bike. I couldn't believe how well she can ride it. She was never really interested in learning last year, and all of a sudden...BOOM, total bike rider. I was so proud :)

After our walk we spent some time cleaning the garage and started putting some of the yard decorations back out for the season. The girls started getting crabby, so it was time for lunch and naps. We did get a fun visit from one of my online mom's, who was in town for St. Patrick's Day fun. She was stopping for a quick visit and to bring us some hand-me down clothes from her little girl. YAY! During naps, Christian finished up the garage, and made a trip to buy some new brake parts for my car, while I relaxed and and tried to rest off a migraine.

After naps we spent a little more time playing outside until dinner time. And after dinner, we were off on our next adventure! A play date at my cousin's house with his two little ones (well, really, the boy has no time for the girls apparently. LOL). The girls had a blast running around and playing. Definitely need to make that more of a habit. It's kind of funny because they have two kids, we have our two, and right now their ages are 1, 2, 3 and 4. Cute!

It got to be REALLY late, so we made our way home for the night. The girls passed out immediately, as did their father, who had his own little St. Patty's Day celebration...of course.

Here are some pics from our fun day :)