9/7/12

Well, today wasn't the best day ever. The girls were on a rampage most of the day. We were originally going to meet Olivia's little BFF and her mom at an indoor playground for a while, but her mom woke up with a migraine and had to reschedule. I was bummed - Olivia was looking forward to it, and the weather wasn't great today (rain, cold, windy), so we were stuck inside regardless. AND, since I have no check card again, I couldn't take them to do anything. BOO!

We made it through the morning...breakfast, coloring, baby dolls, dress up, lots of fighting, whining and bickering, lunch and finally naps. YAY, NAPS! I did weigh in this morning, and I was actually down .6lbs - not much, but considering we had our fair trip, and I haven't started my new workout yet, I'm OK with that. Down a total of 35.2, and back over the halfway mark again. Now, to work on the next half...

I spent nap time pulling out Olivia's old 2T stuff for Amelia. There's no way the pants are going to fit her - nor do the 24 months, but I think I'll be able to get some of the shirts on her. I refuse to buy her anymore 18 month clothes, and she needs to warmer stuff, so hopefully we have enough 24 month/2T stuff that will look OK on her. I just need to find her some adjustable waist pants and we'll be good to go. Olivia on the other hand....I finally went through her closet and took out all of the 3T clothes. Some of the shorts will stay out, until shorts season is officially over. 4T tops fit her perfect, but 4T pants are already starting to get short on her. I can't believe she's going to need 5T clothes soon - how is that possible?!? For now, we're just going to get her some jammies and tops, and she can highwater it for a while.

That's how most of my evening was spent...a couple loads of laundry, cleaning out their closet. We had some yummy tacos for dinner and hung out for a while when Christian got home. After the girls went to bed, Christian and I watched "New Years Eve" together. Not the best movie ever, but it was cute with some pretty funny parts. I liked it.

Finally, it was time for bed. Looking forward to the weekend, nothing better!

Here is a (blurry phone) picture I took of Amelia, giving her baby a check up today...such a cutie.

9/6/12

It's Friday/Thursday. YAY! The girls had another great week in school. They were well-behaved, helpful, took great naps. They are doing great. Amelia's teacher was really sad when I reminded her that she wouldn't be there tomorrow. She just loves Amelia to death (who wouldn't?!?). It makes me kind of sad that they don't go there every day. I sure wish it was more affordable, I wouldn't hesitate to move them to full time.

Work flew by. I got a TON of stuff done this week (I guess the ONE upside to losing my neighbor). Christian's work has been going well too. He's had two recent paycheck issues...first, his check was short, so they paid him cash to make up the difference. Then, they overpaid him 8 hours of overtime. Those 8 hours were supposed to come back out of his check this week. The funny thing is, his check was still almost as much as it was last time, with the extra 8 hours OT. STUPID taxes, it's crazy how much of a difference it makes. It's almost not worth it to work that extra time...

We finally had a fairly relaxing night at home tonight. No car stuff. No swing set. I made a lasagna last night to eat tonight, so dinner was already done. I got the family fed and settled in, than ran to Target. BY MYSELF. It was peaceful and relaxing. We really just needed cat food and contact lens solution, but I stretched that trip out as long as I could! I feel like for the last week if I wasn't at work, it was me and the girls while Christian was busy taking care of some issue. Definitely needed a little break tonight!

When I got home, the girls went straight to bed, and we pretty much called it a night. Christian works tomorrow, and I'm sure the girls will have me up bright and early. No rest for the weary!

After dinner, the girls snuck out in their jammies to try out the bubble machine Amelia got for her birthday. It's actually SUPER cool. It works really good, and makes some HUGE bubbles...with little bubbles inside. The girls thought it was amazing...

9/5/12

Another day down. Mostly a good one, with a little hiccup thrown into the mix.

First, I picked up the girls from school and we rushed home, and straight to the backyard to check out the big surprise. Of course, Olivia knew exactly what was going on. But, she was still really excited. And, Amelia was surprised and so happy. It was great to see them having so much fun and so happy and joyful. We had considered getting a swing set last summer, and I'm glad we waited until both of the girls were old enough to enjoy it. Love these girls to death - they drive me nuts, but they are so much fun, so happy and so full of life.

Now, the hiccup. Of course, more car issues. Back in June, Christian replaced the brakes and caliper on one of the wheels. This is the same wheel he just had to replace the brake pads on again Monday night. He decided that the caliper he put on was bad. So, tonight he took it off, brought it back to the auto parts store and exchanged it for a new one. He got the new part on pretty quickly (I mean, obviously he's basically a pro by now), so at least that part was good.

Ay, I could not be more sick of my stupid car! Just seriously hoping with all of my might that we can make it last another year or even two. PLEEEEEASE?!?!

By the time Christian arrived home, the girls were fed, bathed and in bed. Ready for our "Friday"!

Here are some pictures of the girls enjoying their park. Yippie!

9/4/12

Well, back to work today. BUT, there's nothing like a Tuesday, that feels like a Monday, but is really "Wednesday". Hooray for 3 day work weeks!!

I'm a little bitter at work right now. Our office is being reconfigured a little bit, and the person I work with the most (who is also a good friend of mine), that currently sits right next to be, is being moved across the office. It's really frustrating, and really bothers me. We work together ALL DAY LONG, asking questions, helping each other out. It's such a convenience. And, just having somebody that close that you can  quick vent to when necessary (and, in our office/line of work, is often), is nice. It's going to take me a while to accept this! Between this, the drama and the business, I've definitely been a little hermit crab at work lately, just stuck in my cubicle working away. I don't like it, it's not me...

After work, I picked up the girls from school and had the task of keeping them inside, entertained and away from the windows. Christian and his friend Lorenzo were FINALLY finishing the swing set tonight. Really, all of the pieces just needed to be put together. It still took a while, but it's DONE and perfect. YAY! Unfortunately it was pretty late and starting to get dark by the time it was up and ready for play, so the girls will finally get to see it and go crazy tomorrow. I can't wait :)

Here are some pictures of the process, and the finished product. YAY, our own park!

9/3/12

Well, our long weekend of chaos has come to an end. Definitely wasn’t boring, that’s for sure. Still, not looking forward to heading back to work though. At least Friday is my flex day, so a 3-Day work week, I can handle that!

The girls were pretty exhausted this morning. I had Olivia sleep in our room last night to make sure they could both get their sleep. They just wake each other up too early, and it’s not good. Amelia did wake up around 7:00, left the room (slamming the door behind her), saw nobody was awake, went back into her room (slamming the door behind her) and went back to bed. I finally ended up opening her door so she could wake up around 10:15. Olivia did hear the door slamming, and woke up, but when I told her that Amelia went back to bed, she fell asleep again until a little after  9:00. We laid in bed and watched some cartoons until 10:00, then woke Christian up to start the day.

He quickly got dressed, and headed outside to get all of the tools and stuff together to get back to swing set building. I got the girls up, dressed and fed, then we went to join him outside. I was able to help Christian while the girls played…sandbox, bubbles, swinging…everything. We ended up filling the pool for them because it was pretty hot out, so that kept them busy for a while. Olivia keeps asking about her “park”, but I keep telling her “no, we’re building a house for Chuy”. I don’t think I can “trick” her for much longer though!

The girls started getting a little crabby, so I ordered some Davanni’s for lunch and I watched a movie with them until the food got there. Then, they went down for a nap – I wasn’t sure if they would take one, but they most definitely needed one by that point. Christian and I finished putting together the main “clubhouse” portion of the swing set, and with that, everything was TOGETHER, it just needs to be combined. We called it a day there because it’s Labor Day, and we were off to a BBQ at his parents’ house!

We showered and got ready, then the girls were up and we were off. My sister in law and her 3 girls were there, so we were all pretty excited to see them again and spend some time together. Can you imagine, 5 girls running around together…from 2-7…my, the screams could be heard from a mile away! They had a blast though, so hopefully we can get them together often!

On our way to their house, we noticed my car was making YET another noise – actually, the same as the last time we had issues…it sounded like an airplane taking off when I would stop or go. Sure enough, another brake was going out. Luckily, last time Christian only had to replace one of the back brakes, but they’re sold as a set of two, so he had all of the parts he needed. He’s a pro by now, so we whipped off the tire, replaced it and put it back together in no time. UGH, stupid car! Thank god he’s good with cars, and willing to work on them, or we’d be screwed! Hopefully we can catch a break for a while now!

We finally left (late) and headed home. Got the girls bathed and in bed, watched a little TV and passed out. Exhausted doesn’t explain it after this weekend!

Here are a few pictures of our day…the girls having a little fun in the backyard, and finally together with their cousins!

9/2/12

FAIR DAY! Finally, State Fair Day! I’ve been waiting for this day all year! LOL

First up though, swing set building. We woke up (the girls, TOO bright and early – then sent back to”bed” per our new rules), had some breakfast and started our day. Christian had to run to his parents’ house to get some power tools, then started unpacking the boxes and getting everything set up. I got the girls dressed, then we all made our way outside. I went between helping him and playing with the girls. I ended up putting them down for a fairly early nap because we were off to the fair tonight, so we wanted to make sure they got a decent nap in. We usually go to the fair around breakfast time, but I decided I wanted the girls to see all of the lights and everything as it started getting dark. And, the crowds dwindle significantly as the evening approaches, so we decided to switch things up this year.

We stopped working on the swing set shortly after the girls went down so we could clean up, shower and get ready. We arrived at the fair around 3:30 and began our adventures. First up, of course, the Battered Australian Potatoes. SO GOOD, and the girls loved them too. Next up, we made our way to the Kidway to meet up with our friends Kelly & Jack and their kids, so Olivia could go on rides with Annabelle. They had so much fun together, that was definitely a good plan. I didn’t want her to have to go on rides by herself, so that worked out well. We split up after a few rides, Amelia and Olivia went on a couple together, and then we were off again. Next up I got my Pronto Pup and the girls had their Cheeseburger Sticks. Amelia loved them, Olivia, not so much. So, she got herself a Pronto Pup as well. We made our way through the International Bazaar and I got the girls their Christmas Ornaments. We stopped to get some fresh fruit and lemonade to share, which was also a big hit (VERY yummy, especially on a hot day!). We stopped in Adventure Park and Olivia did the extreme trampoline. She loved it, but it definitely wore on her after a bit. She looked exhausted (and kind of sick) by the end. Poor thing. I grabbed my Deep Fried Pickles, Mini Donuts for the girls, and we went off wandering some more. Christian and Olivia went down the giant slide, of course a HUGE hit with her. She was definitely having the time of her life! We stopped to get Christian his Cheese Curds, then made our way to the Miracle of Birth Barn. PERFECT timing, it was getting late, and NO CROWDS! So much better than the usual chaos we’ve had to deal with the past few years! Finally, I stopped to get my Malt at the Dairy Barn, Christian grabbed a beer, we sat and hung out for a few minutes, then decided to call it a night. We got back to the car around 9:15. The girls were so excite and full of stories from their exciting trip to the fair. Amelia was COVERED in sugar from the Mini Donuts, so she was immediately nicknamed our little Sugar Mama, which she enjoyed immensely. Such amazing memories, like usual.

Olivia passed out pretty quickly once we were on our way home. Amelia stayed awake the entire ride (thanks to said sugar, I’m sure). They went straight to bed once we got home, and we weren’t far behind. Great, exhausting, wonderful day!

9/1/12

Well, chaotic day #2.

Christian was up around 7:00 this morning getting ready to head over to his parents’ house for day 2 of car work. They were able to get the last 2 bolts out, but had to give in and break them off. The rust was just too bad and it wasn’t working. The replacement bolts were only about $15, but he had to go to two different dealerships to find them. Poor guy.

So, the girls and I spent the day hanging out around the house. We colored, watched some TV, chased each other around. Olivia played with the animals a lot for some reason. They were actually SUPER well-behaved for me today. I was actually shocked, last night, now today…good kids, it was amazing! I was able to get a lot of cleaning done around the house and get picked up. I took a nap while the girls did. They ended up napping for over 4 hours!!! I don’t know what that was all about, but it was welcomed. My ears have been plugged up for a few days, and this morning I actually wasn’t able to hear from my left ear at all. It was horrible. I spent the day trying to drain it, which worked, and was gross.

Christian finally arrived home at 6:00 – with the car in working condition. Hallelujah! He was extremely exhausted, I was pretty tired from kid/cleaning duty and not feeling well, so we took it pretty easy tonight. We still have a couple of busy days ahead of us, so rest was a must!

Here are a couple pictures of Olivia with the animals. Cute!

8/31/12

Oh my was it a bad day!

I guess it started off on a good note. Weigh in day, and I was down 2.6lbs this week. I was actually hoping for a little more after two bad weeks, but I will take that. So far, down a total of 34.6lbs, and that's still very exciting to me!

Then, the badness set in. I was running late this morning, like usual. The construction around our neighborhood is HORRIBLE, so that made it even worse - it's impossible to get out of town in a timely manner right now, and it's so frustrating. I finally hit the highway and it was smooth sailing...until I got to work. As I pulled into our parking lot I heard a loud THUD, and it sounded like something was dragging underneath the car when I moved. Then, the sterring wheel started getting really hard to turn. I called Christian, panicked, and he told me to look under the car (duh). Nope, nothing was there, so it was just a noise coming from some mystery place. I went into work, and he had to talk to his supervisor to find out when he could leave to check it out. Originally 2:30, but after a lot of nagging from me, that changed to noon. He and a coworker stopped in the parking lot and immediately relized one of the ball joints, the passenger front tire, was a goner. Christian and his dad decided it was something they could fix themselves, so we just had to figure out how to get the car back to the house (20+ miles away). I searched around for a tow and got quots of $275 and $180. Ummm, nope. Christian's friend found somebody to do it for $90. By the time the tow came, I had already left work (in the truck) to go to the girls' school for parent day.

The girls were really excited to see me and loved the big ice cream social. It's always so fun to spend some time with them in school and see a little glimpse of how they interact with their teachers and friends. We enjoyed some ice cream, then made our way home.

Christian, his dad and his friend worked on the car ALL night. Which included two trips to the auto parts store...and $170 (which, is way better than a mechanic, so I can suck it up). By 10:00PM they called it quits for the day...they still had two bolts to remove from the part...everything was so rusted they were having a really hard time. Ugh, stupid car. So, instead of building the swing set tomorrow, looks like Christian will be continuing his work on the car. Boo.

The girls and I had a good night together though, thankfully. They built some tents, we colored some pictures, played with the babies. Just the usual! I eventually got them into the bath, into bed and tucked myself into bed. Stressful day, man I hate cars!

I got this cute picture of the girls at school. Love it.

8/30/12

Today was not quite as hectic of a day. Just a pretty typical Thursday. Work all day, school for the girls. They had to cancel "Track and Field" day tomorrow because they laid some new sod down on the playground. So, they are doing an "End of the Summer Ice Cream Social" instead. I can handle that...

I picked up the girls from school and we all spent the night relaxing at home. We played outside for a bit, Christian started checking out the swing set pieces and reading through the instructions, we had some dinner, did baths and it was bedtime before we knew it. Nothing too exciting to share today.

Olivia has developed some pretty fun artistic skills all of a sudden. She always has a STACK of "drawings" in her cubby when I pick her up from school. They started out as just a few random scribbles on the page...morphed into thicker colored "section" all over the page...then she started drawing shapes, like squares and circles, and filling them in - working on staying in the lines I think...now, she suddenly DRAWS. Here are two of her pictures from today...a little grass/sun/sky scene, and a "family portrait". It's crazy how much she's developed over the year so far.



8/29/12

Well, the day started off pretty normal, but ended pretty exciting.

Work was pretty standard. The afternoon got a little chaotic when we were hit with a big surprise from one of our district offices. Spent a good portion of the afternoon fighting a losing battle over a Contract that we had no desire to take over, but have apparently been nominated to do just that. I get so frustrated with our office sometimes…we used to write ALL of the Contracts for the state, but that was disseminated to the districts and some of the offices throughout the state years ago. We still write a majority of the Contracts in our office, but we are supposed to provide “support” to the other folks. One of the offices that I do write Contracts for has decided to take over a Contract from another office, which means I have to take it over and it’s a huge mess. I tried my hardest to say no, but our office doesn’t really stand behind “no”, and ends up doing everything anyway, so it was pointless. That is how my day will be spent tomorrow, and I’m not looking forward to it at all.

After work, I picked up the girls, met Christian at home and we were off on tonight’s adventure…finally buying the girls’ swing set!!! YAY! We’ve wanted one forever…but, we wanted to make sure to wait until they were both old enough to use and enjoy it, safely, together. I don’t want to have to watch their every move when we send them outside to play, or hover over them, so we skipped getting one last year. Since the girls have SO MUCH stuff, we suggested to our parents, and Christian’s good friend Lorenzo, that they could just contribute to the swing set fund if they would rather do that. So, we waited for that. Then, we decided to just wait a tad longer and see if the stores starting putting their sets on sale for “end of the season”. Sure enough, Toys R Us is having a big sale right now, and we have a coupon on top of that, so we felt the time was finally right! I debated the swings the set style with Christian for a while…he wanted wood; I didn’t want to waste the extra money and wanted to just go with metal. Another losing battle, he wanted wood. So, I’m extra happy they’re having this sale right now!

It took us FOREVER at the store. They didn’t have the prices listed on the display stand, and they didn’t even have all of them in stock. We ended up writing down the sets they had on the display, and sat with one of the cashiers for a while so she could pull each one up in their system, find out what the total discounted price would be and if they had them in stock. We got it narrowed down to three sets, and after staring at them for a good while and debating the price, we finally made a decision, made our purchase, loaded it up and were on our way. So exciting! We’re hoping to find some time to get it up this weekend, fingers crossed!

By the time we left there, it was already bed time for the girls, so we picked them up a couple happy meals, ate quick at home, then sent them off to bed. They were both exhausted, and passed out right away. YAY! It was too late, and I had just eaten, so I wasn’t able to work-out tonight. BUT, my new workout did come in the mail today, so I’m really excited about that! I just watched a couple shows instead, and then made my way to bed.

I took a picture of Chuy tonight while I had him outside on a bathroom break. What puppy eyes!