7/28/12

Today was an exciting day…Amelia’s birthday party! YAY.

The morning was hectic, getting everything ready. Christian cleaned up the yard and garage, got a quick haircut, picked up some ice, set up the tables and chairs and grilled the brats. I cleaned the kitchen and dining room, set up the food table, made some pasta salad, ran to Target to get the cupcakes, Party City for the balloons, got the girls ready, and did a little decorating. My mom came over a little early to help us set up and get ready, along with Christian’s friend from work. We were actually ready for the party, when it started, for pretty much the first time in history!

Just about everybody showed up right on time, at 3:00. The kids had a blast playing in the pool and bounce house. We also borrowed an inflatable water slide from a friend, and that was a hit with some of them too. We had water balloons galore and the most amazing weather ever. Hot enough for water fun, but not miserable. We had dinner, cupcakes, cracked open the piñata, opened presents and had a blast catching up with our family and friends. Everybody was so generous, and it was just a perfect day.

Christian’s parents and my dad and stepmom hung out for a while after the party to chat, clean up and relax. As they left, we put the girls to bed. Christian and his friend from work made their way over to the neighbor’s house to hang out for a while, and I cuddled into bed for some much needed relaxation. Another great party down, another spoiled little girl very happy. 2^nd birthday, officially over.

7/27/12

Well, today started off with my weekly weigh in. I was down 2lbs this week, for a total of 32.2 to date. 32 pounds in a little over 6 months. Definitely proud of that progress! YAY!!

Today was my Friday home with the girls. And they were HORRIBLE, ALL DAY LONG. I seriously thought I was going to lose it today – I’ve never been that stressed out for frustrated with them before. From the moment they woke up they were fighting nonstop, pushing each other around, stealing everything from each other, yelling, crying, whining, throwing things around. Olivia was being straight up violent on top of it…she bit Amelia 3 times (which makes Amelia want to bite her back), hitting her and just being incredibly aggressive with her. Amelia got a few timeouts, and Olivia was sent to her room a few times throughout the day. I couldn’t believe it – I had to give myself a couple of timeouts in my room to try to calm down and regain my composure. It was a trying day, that’s for sure.

One of my tasks today was to go to Target for the party groceries. With the girls acting up, I thought maybe taking them there would get them out of the house and acting a little different (I didn’t want to reward their horrible behavior with a trip to the park or anything fun like that). Well, my check card has been slowly cracking over the last couple of months. Amelia got ahold of it, and before I realized it, she snapped it completely in half. So, with no access to money, there went that plan. I just pushed through until lunch, fed them quickly, and sent them off to bed. Not a moment too soon.

While they napped, I got my workout in, showered, and sat on my butt and relaxed the tension from the morning away. Christian arrived home right as they were getting up. We loaded up in the car and went to Target. Got our shopping done, picked up some dinner, ate and before long, it was time for the girls to go to bed. They weren’t really acting any better this evening, so again, not a moment too soon.

Christian cleaned the downstairs bathroom tonight, then went to grab a couple beers with a friend. I cleaned the entry way, did some final picking up downstairs and in the living room and tucked myself into bed with the DVR for the night. STRESSED to the max today. I’m excited for the party tomorrow…time to catch up with some friends and family, and just have fun!

With all of the chaos today, I didn't get a chance to get any great pictures. The girls, while still being crazy, did pose briefly for me. Amelia now thinks its fun to drape across the couches, and Olivia begged me to take her picture, and this is what we got...

7/26/12

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my sweet, dramatic, instigating, smart, beautiful mama’s girl, Amelia. I cannot believe she’s 2 today. I remember the day she was born like it was yesterday. Such an amazing, fulfilling day, so much joy and excitement (and, maybe a little pain).  It’s just unbelievable watching these girls fly through life already.

Amelia is such a happy girl. She’s dramatic about everything – fake crying, extreme happiness, torture when we’re not paying attention to her, everything has to be exaggerated to the max. She has more than enough cuddles to go around (and, might I say, give the BEST hugs ever known to man). She is a clutz, she talks non-stop, she wants nothing more than to be her sister’s best friend, but finds just as much joy in instigating as many fights as possible with her. She is stubborn, but wants to make people happy. She likes to clean, she loves to dance and she lives to laugh. It’s hard to believe our colicky, acid reflux filled, non-stop crying, no-sleep-necessary baby has grown into this happy, full of life toddler. It’s amazing, in every sense of the word.

We sent Amelia off to school with some cupcakes for her class (luckily Olivia’s BFF was bringing cupcakes in for her class as well, so Olivia didn’t feel left out). They sang to her, made her a SUPER cute little card and had a little afternoon fiesta to celebrate. After work, I picked up the girls, changed their clothes, and we went out to the Mall of America to meet Christian for dinner at the Rainforest Café. The girls LOVED it there, but were a little scared of all the noises and animals. They had fun though. I’d planned on taking them on a couple of rides while we were there, but they were acting up really bad, and just did not deserve that bonus, so we headed to the cars and made our way out.

Next up, we stopped into Dairy Queen for dessert and presents. Today is “Miracle Treat” day at Dairy Queen…where a portion of their Blizzard sales go to the Gillette Children’s Hospital, so it seemed like the perfect day to stop in! Amelia opened her (new) Precious Moments “2” figurine and her new doll toys, we enjoyed our treats, and finally made our way home. Amelia passed out basically right away, and the rest of us weren’t far behind. It’s exhausting turning 2!

Today was also my Biggest Loser weigh in at work. I lost 4.9 in the last two weeks! Awesome! This weigh in incentive was most pounds lost – the man and woman with the most won $15.00 each. I didn’t win, but almost 5 lbs is pretty dang good! Exciting stuff!!

Here are some pictures from today's celebrating....

7/25/12

Work has been pretty crazy…still. It seems like every time I get a Contract written, 2 more show up in my box. I keep thinking the chaos will stop at some point, but it doesn’t. At all. Transportation is really booming right now…it’s great for us, and the state, but definitely stressful! Christian’s work has been going well. He’s enjoying his new position, but hasn’t been working as much overtime lately. Hopefully that changes, because I enjoy the extra money, that’s for sure!

After work, I picked up the girls, dropped Amelia off at home with Christian, and took Olivia shopping. We went to Toys R Us to get Amelia a couple small birthday gifts, and find a gift for her BFF Bella’s party on Sunday. She helped me pick out a baby doll bath and medical kit for Amelia, and a My Little Pony for Bella. We grabbed some cards for them, and we’re good to go! Next up, we stopped into the big Burger King by the store so Olivia could eat and play in the Playland for a while. Then, we made our way back home in time for baths and bed. Another busy night down!

I got my workout in when the girls went to bed, and caught up on a couple of shows. I feel like I can really DO Level 2 now…I can pretty much get through the entire video now, with a couple short water breaks. I do still do some modified exercises, but that’s really because of my knees…I’d rather modify a couple exercises, than hurt myself and not be able to do anything. So, YAY me!

Since we'll be pretty busy the next few days, I took Amelia's 2 year photo tonight, and put together a little collage. So much change in 2 short years.