7/3/12

Another quick day. Work zoomed right by. We're off tomorrow for the 4th, and then I think a majority of the building took Thursday and Friday off, so it's going to be a very quiet there after the holiday. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm so mega swamped again, it's getting stressful.

I left work an hour early today because we had a ton of stuff to pack in tonight. First up, the prints I ordered for the girls' princess area downstairs came in, so off to the post office I went. Again, it's hotter than the surface of the sun, so it was another sweaty, disgusting drive home. I never realized how amazing the car AC was before! I picked up the prints, and they are PERFECT! I love them. I'm trying to move away from the Disney Princess chaos...it just won't carry well as the girls get older so I don't want to decorate too much in that, or buy too much. When we finally finish the basement, I'll take some pics of everything. They're super cute though. Etsy, of course.

Next up, I stopped home to do some picking up around the house. We'll be having people over tomorrow, so I wanted to get a start on making the house presentable. I got the kitchen, living room and bedrooms picked up. Still hot and sweaty.

After that, I was off to pick up the girls from school. Christian had to work a little late, so I wanted to get them and have us all ready to go for tonights events by the time he arrived home. We ended up getting home at the same time, Christian changed, my BFF Kari and her son showed up, and off we went.

Tonight we were off to our local 4th of July carnival. It's so gross and hot out, but we braved it to have a little fun. Unfortunately, it was so hot, that there was no petting zoo at the carnival this year. That's always my favorite part, but I'm glad they weren't out there suffering. The girls went on a couple rides, Andrew played a few games, we all ate some dinner and ice cream, and hung out for a big, but it literally felt like we were standing on top of the sun, so we didn't stay too late. It was fun while it lasted though.

After the carnival, we stopped by our reserved parade spot (yes, you must reserve your spot the day before - things get crazy around here!) and set up the canopy for tomorrow. It's still supposed to be crazy hot, so we borrowed a big canopy to shield us from the sun a little bit. THANK GOD!

Finally, we were home. The girls went straight to bed, Christian went out with some friends for a while, and I slipped into bed to watch a little TV and rest. Ready for a long, hot day of fun tomorrow :)

7/2/12

Today was pretty good, for a Monday anyway.

Work is still super crazy, and the day flew by. I'm looking forward to being one of the few losers at work Thursday and Friday...it's going to be quiet and I'm going to get a TON of work done. Wishing I had it off, but oddly, looking forward to it at the same time.

I took a long morning break, and made my way to Minneapolis to pick up our Brothers of the Sun concert tickets. Thankfully, I didn't get lost - going there, or getting back. YAY! I ended up getting a fun little Mall of America prize pack along with the tickets...a couple cowboys hats, 2 unlimited ride wristband for Nickelodean Universe, 2 free games of mini-golf and a big coupon book. Super cool! Our seats aren't the best, they are actually pretty far away from the stage...but, on the plus side, we should have a lot of shade up there. And, I'm sure they'll have a lot of those big monitors, so we should be able to see everything just fine Beggers can't be choosers, and I'm just super excited to be going! And, the girls were super excited about the cowboy hats (Amelia's face CRACKS ME UP!)...

I ended up leaving work a little early. I stopped in to Target to spend some of my birthday money, and pick up some summer pieces. I found a cute dress for the concert (yes, a dress - it's going to be HOT!!!), a pair of shorts (it's miserable out) and a couple cute tank tops, nice enough for work. YAY, new clothes!

I finally made my way home. I was so hot and miserable (remember, no AC in the car - and it was 102 outside). I decided to suck it up and get my workout in while I was already all sweaty and gross. I was exhausted, but it felt good to get it done.

Christian's dad came over again, and they installed the new water softener (this went much faster). The girls and I hung out, ate some dinner and took care of bath time. Another day down.

Today also marks Olivia's half-birthday. I can't believe she's going to be 4 in 6 short months!! WOW! She's so smart, so funny and so full of life. She loves everything, she picks things up so quickly, and she just growing by leaps and bounds in school. I'm so amazed by her, all the time. Such a big girl!

7/1/12

Today was kind of rough, but really fun at the same time.

I was really, REALLY tired this morning. Olivia was up a few times last night...I think extra tired from our late night, and maybe a little too hyped up from her sugar fix. So, I didn't get very good sleep at all. I finally made Christian take her out on the couch to sleep, so I could get a little sleep, and poor Amelia could stop getting woken up. They ended up sleeping in after all of that, until around 8:30! I stayed in bed, resting, while Christian got up with them, and started breakfast.

After breakfast, the girls got their swim suits on, and we headed outside to the pool for a while. I had a little headache, but not too horrible. We hung out and played in the yard, while Christian and his dad were slaving away next door. Our neighbor is moving, and is selling us her water softener (ours is horrible, and has destroyed most of our pots, pans and dishes). It took them a while to get it unhooked and lugged over to the house. I got the girls lunch, put them down for their naps and got my workout in all while they finished up next door.

So, speaking of - I'm officially back into the 30 Day Shred. Day 1 down, and I'm determined to finish it  out this time. No pain, no illness and no excuses! I started back on Level 1 for the first 10 days, and it seriously feels like I started all over again!

While the girls were napping, I got a call from my BFF...they were at a local waterpark, and invited us to join them. Christian wasn't interested, but I agreed to bring the girls out and meet up with them. So, I started packing up and getting ready. We ate a quick dinner when the girls woke up, and we were off. It was still pretty hot, but it had become pretty cloudy, so that actually worked out pretty well. The girls had a BLAST. They both went down one of the water slides, and Olivia went down a bigger, tube slide with me. She was laughing and having the time of her life. We rode down the lazy river a few times and just had a good old time.

After a couple hours, my headache became a full blown migraine, and I was in a lot of pain. Shakes, nauseous, utter pain. Christian had to come out and get the girls out of the car for me. I went straight to the couch, took some pills, and didn't move for a few hours, when I finally drug myself to bed. Worst headache I've had in a LONG time.

By the time I went to bed, Christian had gotten the girl in their jammies, and off to bed. Sad to see another weekend come to an end, but at least we made the most of it!

6/30/12

Today was a pretty fun day.

Christian had to work this morning, so it was just be and the girls. We watched a little TV and had some breakfast, before getting dressed and heading out for some fun. I wanted to take them to the park today, and my mom is always raving about the great park by her, so I packed up the girls, picked up my mom and we hung out at her park for a while. The girls had a good time, but it was so hot, the heat caught up with them pretty quickly. So, after a little playing, we were on our way home...not the most pleasant ride thanks to my A/C-less car, but we survived!

The girls took a bath and we ate some lunch as soon as we got home, and Christian arrived home just in time to help put the girls down for naps. He was off again shortly after to help his dad with something, so I relaxed for a bit, showered and got myself ready for the day.

Once Christian was back home, and the girls were up, they got ready, we packed up and we were off on our next adventure. Heading to my friend Melissa's house for her 30th birthday party. They decided to make it kid-friendly so that makes everything a little easier.

There were lots of kids for the girls to play with. The rode bikes, jumped in the bounce house, went in the pool, played with every toy they owned and had a great time. We caught up with Jake & Melissa and all of their friends, which is always a good time. It was still really hot out, but not as horrible as I expected. Fun times!

The girls were crabby and exhausted upon our late departure, and finally fell asleep as we got close to home. They were straight off to bed - and I was hoping the sugar craziness today wouldn't have them up all night. Christian hung out outside with our neighbor for a while, and I cuddled up in bed editing some pictures before passing out. Another day day! We should have a much more relaxing day tomorrow.

I found out today I reached my photo limit for the free version of my blog. Ugh. The fee for the next level is monthly, but fairly minimal, so for now, I think I'll continue it on. We'll see though...

6/29/12

Well, today was my Friday home with the girls. We were off to a rough start...Olivia woke up way too early, and they were both tired and should've slept much longer. We ate some breakfast, did a little picking up, and got ready for the day. Today, I was taking them to spend some time at the Splash Pad. We usually go to the one by our house, but I decided to try out one in Burnsville today, and I really liked it. Ours is pretty much all spraying/sprinklers, and this one was more "ponds" and standing water. The girls had a blast.

After our funfilled day of sun and water, we were home for a late lunch, and late naps. I took advantage of nap time to just kick back, and do absolutely nothing. It felt darn good too!

Once the girls were up, I picked up the kitchen, bathroom and living room, washed some dishes and put some clean clothes away. Attempting to keep up with the housework - still failing a little bit.

We grilled some dinner and spent some more time outside before it was time for bed. Another fun day down, and looking forward to another great weekend!

My weight in today was disappointing again. I gained, again. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just can't find my motivation. BUT, I WILL find it this weekend. I'm getting some updated measurements tomorrow, and starting up the 30 Day Shred again on Sunday. New month, new start. I WILL complete the 30 days this time, and I am going to stay on track. I've come too far to quit, stall or turn back now - and I have a LONG way to go.

6/28/12

OMG. OMG. Today turned out to be an exciting day :)

Today was my Friday at work, and it was another busy day. This was probably the quickest week I've had in a long time, that's for sure!

Late in the morning, the excitement happened. I've been trying to win tickets to the "Brothers of the Sun Tour" concert (Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney) for the last week. I've been the wrong caller a few times, but heard many, MANY more busy signals than anything. I recruited one of my co-works to help me out and try to win them, and lucky for me, she agreed....and, today, she WON! YAY, I'm so excited. So, next Sunday, she and I will be heading to the concert together. It's even more exciting because it's the first concert ever at Target Field - so it will be outdoors and everything. Man, I cannot wait. So fun!

After work, I picked up the girls, met up with Christian at home, and we ate some dinner. The girls were pretty tired, so we gave them their bath and sent them off to bed. I was exhausted (such an exciting day!), and wasn't far behind them.

Today was "Wacky Hair Day" at school. I was hoping they were going to do all of the fun colors and crazy stuff - but they didn't. They put Olivia's in goofy pony tails, and Amelia's had been hairsprayed up funny, but it had almost work off. They still thought it was pretty funny though :)

6/27/12

Today was another one of those mixed bag kind of days.

It started off rough. I couldn't get myself out of bed, so I was running late to begin with. I quickly got myself ready, got the girls up and ready and rushed out to get them loaded in the car. In the meantime, Christian discovered that the dog escaped the yard...AGAIN (he's never run away in the morning before). He took off looking for him, and I was off to drop the girls off at school. After I dropped them off, I joined in the search. We both went around the neighborhood over and over again, to no avail. He finally had to head to work - already late (and his work does not take kindly to lateness). I decided to one last sweep around the block, driving as slow as I could (probably looking like the creepiest neighborhood stalker ever), yelling his name out the window. Sure enough, he came running down the street, up to my car, like it was no big deal. An hour of searching. So frustrating. So, this weekend we'll be investing in some collars - maybe stop in to get his shots updated, and figuring out what to do. Our current plan is to line the fence with chicken wire. Should be fairly cheap to do, but sounds very time consuming. It will be worth it once it's done through, and we can stop worrying. For now, he'll be chained up every time he goes outside. Ugh.

So, I arrived to work about an hour late. The morning was busy, so it took my mind off of everything and I was able to just move on with the day. Then, excitement. One of my online friends, Mikelle, is in town for work, and I met up with her for lunch today. YAY! It was chaotic trying to get to her....in Minneapolis, at lunch time, near Target Field, right before a Twins game was starting up. I finally got to her, and we had a great lunch. Chatting, getting to know each other better. It was great. Man I love meeting my online moms, it's so comforting putting that piece together. Then, it was back to work. Another chaotic drive out of town! Dang Minneapolis.

The afternoon flew by thanks to my LONG lunch and a really confusing, messed up Contract that I'm working on right now. Haven't had one of those in a long time, definitely has my brain working over time!

Christian had to work some OT today, so I picked the girls up again, and met him at home. He then took them over to his parents house for dinner and some pool time. Which gave me the chance to finish up my laundry from this weekend, do a little more picking up around the house, and FINALLY finish catching up on my blog. By the time they arrived home, it was time for bed. YAY, productive day! Tomorrow is my Friday, and I'm super excited about that! Bring on the weekend!

Today, Olivia's teacher drew a picture of her. She was SO excited to show me, and it's super cute. What a fun keepsake :)

6/26/12

23 Months Old. Amelia is 23 Months Old. That is ONE MONTH away from being 2. I cannot believe it. These past two years have flown by, it's so crazy. There is no greater blessing than watching these little beings growing into their own persons.

Amelia is growing so fast. Just in the past few months, probably with a lot of help from school, she's learning by leaps and bounds. She talks...I mean REALLY talks. Like conversation style. This morning, I got them changed and dressed for school. Their jammies were draped over the edge of the bed, and she pointed at Olivia's and asked "Are those mine?". I said "No, those are sissy's". She responded "Oh, where did mine go". I'm not adding words in or anything, that's exactly what she said. I couldn't believe it. Even her teacher mentioned it to me last Friday, how much she talks now. She repeats almost everything you say to her, which is great. Definitely helps her learn. She is quite a firecracker too. She has such a vibrant personality, and doesn't let ANYBODY get away with ANYTHING. She definitely stands up for herself, I don't think we'll ever have to worry about that!

She's still small. She's still wearing her 12-18 month clothes. I tried moving her up, but everything is just too big still. I weighed her yesterday, and she was about 23lbs still. When we were in the dells, she was right at the 32" mark to get on the rides, so that should still be pretty accurate. My little peanut!

In other events, today was a pretty low key day. Work was busy, and Christian had to work late today. I picked up the girls, started dinner and we ate once he was home. After dinner, he took to he yard and got the grass cut before tomorrow's heat up. I got the living room and the bedrooms picked up a little, and it was bedtime before we knew it! My how time flies!

Here is Amelia's 23 month photo. My cheesy ham. Love her to pieces!

6/25/12

Monday. Definitely comes too soon!!!

I was a busy bee with work all week. This week is my Friday off, so I really can't complain. I'll be busy all week, and it's a short week, so you really can't ask for more!

Christian called me in the afternoon...turns out his friends boss gave him tickets to tonights Twins game, and invited Christian along with him. So, it was just me and the girls tonight. It was a rough start...lots of fighting and not sharing and screaming and driving mom nuts going on. But, once we settled in for dinner, things started looking up. The girls relaxed a little, we played together and had a good time. Bed time came pretty quickly, and that was that. Another day down!

I discovered a new photo app on my phone today, and payed around with it a little big. It's not super impressive, but had some fun features.