5/29/10 - Wonderful Day!

Today was wonderful!! The weather was beautiful, we had lots to do, and had lots of fun!!

We were up bright and early, had some breakfast, and just skipped all of our chores and played for a little while. Finally, it was time for everybody to get ready for the day and head off to run some errands. My car has been making some not so good sounds, so we stopped at the auto store to pick something up. Hopefully that does the trick. Then we stopped at a couple of grocery stores to catch a few sales. Finally, we were off to the Madrid's for some fun!

Kelly and I planned a little mom's day out...going to see "Sex and the City: 2" and lunch/dinner, while the boys were on babysitting duty. The little girls spent the nice, HOT day in the pool, running around the yard, and going on a bike ride with the dad's. Kelly and I went to the movie...which was good, and bad...I say definitely worth seeing if you are into Sex and the City, but it wasn't a "must see" in general. We then stopped at The Cheesecake Factory for lunch/dinner and just chatted for a while. It was nice to get out and get a little break! We spent the rest of the night playing outside all together, running around the house and watching some TV. It was a good mix of everything today!

Here are a couple pics from the girls' adventures!

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5/28/10 - Hello 3-Day Weekend!

Not only is it Friday, which is wonderful all in itself...but the day flew by AND I now have a 3-day weekend ahead of me. YAY. We had our interviews at work this morning, and everything went really well. I was very nervous, being my first panel...helping hire somebody is a lot of responsibility! But, I think I did well, and I'm excited! The interviews took up more than half the day, so the afternoon was packed trying to get some other stuff done. Luckily for me, the Friday before a long weekend is a very popular day for other people to take off, so that saved me from really having to rush around in the afternoon.

After work, Olivia and I hung out at home. Christian went out with "the boys" from work to celebrate a co-workers birthday for a few hours. Once he got home, we all went out and watered the flowers and "sprinklered" the front lawn. Then, it was bedtime for the short one, and quiet time for the not quite as short ones. It was a nice relaxing night...we watched the SERIES finale of 24 (so sad to see it go...) and hung out for a while. I am really starting to enjoy our new Friday night!

Olivia spent the evening running through the sprinkler...our neighbor was amazed by her bravery! She quite enjoyed herself!

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5/27/10 - OK...

It's Thursday! You know what that means...nothing interesting to report! Today is not really any different. It was a pretty low key evening for us. Tomorrow I am participating on my first ever interview panel at work, so I spent the evening reading over resumes and preparing. I'm nervous, but excited! We spent a little time outside, watering the flowers and of course getting very wet in the process. And, we had breakfast for dinner, which Olivia quite enjoyed :) It was a good night!

While outside watering the flowers, Christian was talking to a neighbor. After a short time, he yelled over to me, laughing, stating that this neighbor was asking him if I was "expecting". Ummm...I'm just shy of 8 months pregnant, and come one, you've seen the pictures...is it really questionable that I'm pregnant? At first, I got a little smile on my face and thought to myself "Hey, that's cool! I must not resemble a whale as much as the mirror tells me I do!". Then I thought...what do people think...do they just think I still look like this from last time? I hope not...I'd much rather have people think I'm pregnant again than think "wow, she's having trouble losing the weight...". So, really, it makes me sad in the end. I'll just have to convince myself it's option number 1!

Here's Olivia picture for today, enjoying her breakfast dinner!

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THANK YOU DAD AND JESSICA FOR YOUR DONATIONS!!!

5/26/10 - 31 Weeks!

31 Weeks. I'm 31 weeks. 6 more weeks to full term, 9 more weeks to the due date! It's hard to believe, either way you look at it, single digit countdown! I feel like we're finally making some progress...clothes are ready to be put away and hung up (as soon as I get some hangers), I ordered the bedding and that should be here this afternoon, so in the next couple of weeks we'll be able to set up the crib. Finally, we're getting somewhere! Next weekend we'll probably be ordering the double stroller, and that is about it for major purchases. YAY!

Not much else has been going on. We're just moving right along. I've been feeling pretty well...just the normal tired, hard time sleeping kind of stuff. Otherwise, no problems there. I was having some pretty intense Braxton Hicks contractions for a while, but those have faded away for now. I'm still very satisfied with my weight gain and getting more excited every day! I can't wait to meet our new little lady (who will hopefully have a name...SOON)!

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5/25/10 - Much Needed "Me Time"

It was a long night for me...lots of tossing and turning, a hard time sleeping all together. The alarm went off, and I just couldn't bring myself to get up. I just kept thinking...that can't be possible, it can't be time to get up already! But, alas, it was. I laid there, contemplating...should I go to work, or should I use 9 hours of vacation and stay home. I decided to just take a couple hours off and sleep in...but when it was again time to get up, I again just couldn't do it. I didn't have any meetings schedule, and I knew all of my most important stuff was done, so I decided to bite the bullet and take the day off (anybody who knows me, knows how huge this is...I NEVER take time off, especially when I'm saving for my leave). It was so great, I spent the day lounging around, watching some TV, eating yummy, bad food and I even did something productive...I washed all of the baby's clothes and got them ready to put away!

It was so needed, and might I say so deserved! A day, all to myself. Sigh, it was wonderful! Christian and Olivia got home at the normal time, we ate some dinner and hung out. It was a beautiful day...until around dinner time. The sky around out house quickly blackened, and in rolled a storm. Lots of thunder and lightening and LOTS of rain. Loved it, I love thunderstorms. Of course this meant we were in for the night, but as you can see in the picture below, we still find plenty of fun to have! And you can see how dark it is out the window...this was at like 7:00 (it's usually light until at least 8:30 or so this time of year)...crazy!

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5/24/10 - A Lil' Disappointed...

...So, I must admit, I'm a little disappointed right now. I participate in a local Relay for Life event every year (this will be my third). I initially joined the team "Aleena's Hope" in memory of my best friends niece, Aleena, who I had known since she was just a little baby. Aleena passed away in 2008 after a heroic 4 year battle. Last year, we joined forces with another team, who also lost a young daughter, Madison. Relay for Life is such an amazing event...to see so many people come together to fight against such a horrible disease, Cancer...a disease that affects just about every person on this planet, it's a very touching event, and I'm so proud to be a part of it. This years Relay will take place on Friday, August 6th. Now...being a week after I'm due, it's highly unlikely I will be able to participate much, if at all, but I will be doing everything I can to support my team!

Now...the disappointed part. I sent out an e-mail last week to my family and friends (well, all of the ones I have e-mail addresses for), as I do every year, letting everybody know of the event and asking for their support. I also added a button to my blog AND to my facebook page. And, much to my surprise, and dismay, not a single donation has been made. I find this so hard to believe...it actually pains me a little bit. Obviously times are tough right now...they are for all of us, but not a single donation? Not even $5.00 (which really DOES make a big difference)...I'm still in shock....truly in shock. I debated stating this on here, but, while I do find myself being a little tacky in calling this out, I just couldn't hold it in. I'm just hoping that there was some kind of crazy breakdown on the World Wide Web that day and somehow my message just did not reach anybody...otherwise, how terribly sad...

If anybody reading is interested in donating, you can click on the "Relay for Life Supporter" button at the top of my blog, and it will bring you right to my page.

In other news, it was a pretty low key day. We ran to Menards (one that actually has a garden center) after work, picked up our flowers and filled up our pots! While I'm not excited to water them and be responsible for them, I am excited to see how they turn out! YAY, flowers :) Here are our before and after pics!

5/23/10 - Where Does the Time Go??

Oh man, it's Sunday...already! I can't believe it. So much done this weekend, but still so much to do! And, there just is never enough time. I need more hours, that is for sure!

Today we did get to sleep in a little bit, which was very nice! Once we were up, Christian headed out to do some yard work. He cut the front and back grass, and layed down the last of the edging brick in the back yard. Glad to have that task done. While he did that, I washed all of Olivia's new stuff and got that folded and put away...even packed up some of her too small/too warm stuff. Sad, already packing clothes away! Then, she was down for a nap (which, ended up not lasting TOO long).

Once she was up, got ready and were out the door for some quick errands. We stopped at Sam's club to pick up some necessities, then were off to Menards. We need a few odds and ends, mostly needed flowers for the big pots from his parents. However, we did not realize that our Menards does not have a garden center, so that did not happen. And, news of that made us forget pretty much everything we went there for! Needless to say, that errand did not get completed. Instead, we headed home and jumped in the pool again! Much better way to spend the day.

I can't even describe how hot it was today. It was SO humid, and SO hot. I finally resorted to turning on the air conditioning...in May! Not cool. Dipping my feet in the cold pool was just what I needed after this long, hot weekend! It's just supposed to get worse as the week goes on too...so I'm not sure how I'll survive :)

Today's picture is Olivia modeling one of her new outfits (our favorite new outfit). So cute, and she even had quite the little pose going on :)

5/22/10 - Chores/Play Date

Today was basically split in half. The first half of the day was spent on "the list", and the second half was all about fun :)

I was up bright and early...even before Olivia! I did some final cleaning tasks that didn't get done last night, then hopped in the shower and got ready. Christian got Olivia up and fed, then he got ready. Finally, my mom came over to watch the energizer bunny and we were on our way! Today's main to-do was getting summer clothes for both girls. We first stopped into a thrift store by the house to check out the clothing and found some great stuff. While we were there, we spotted some awesome stools...we've been wanting stools for the kitchen counter FOREVER, so that was an exciting find.

Next, we were off to Babies R Us. They were having a clothing sale....unfortunately, even on sale, the clothes are still too expensive for our taste. We did find something to child proof the basement door...FINALLY. Olivia is obsessed with opening the door and going up and down the stairs, and we just don't trust her. Can't wait to get this new contraption installed. We did also find the cutest 4th of July dress, so we had to pick that up!

We left there and headed to the Mall of America...only to find a surprise storm had showed up. We were NOT expecting that, and it was kind of ruining our fun plans for that evening :( We got to the mall, and of course made a stop in the maternity store. They had a couple more t-shirts on sale, so I picked some up. Then, off to Carter's we went. Of course, as usual, they had TONS of great deals...we picked up everything we would need, for both girls, to get through the summer/early Fall. I'm so excited to have that done, and everything is just too cute! We stopped in the food court to grab some lunch, then were off to our next stop.

We left the mall, and it had cleared up, thank goodness....now we just needed the sun to show up! We headed over to Christian's parents house to pick some stuff up. They are going to be moving later this year, so they are getting rid of some things. They had some big flower pots, full of new soil, for us, a deck/grill organizer and some other odds and ends. We loaded all of that up (days like this, I'm thankful for the gas guzzling pick-up!), and were on our way home.

We got home, relieved my mom and got ready for fun!! The Madrid's came over for some outdoor play and grilling. The sun was out, it was getting warm and everything was just perfect! Kelly bought the girls matching "Best Friend" shirts, which were adorable! The girls played in the sandbox for a while, swung in the swing and went down the slide for a bit. Then, it was SWIM TIME! First time of the summer for Olivia :) Meeka wasn't really having much to do with the pool (the water was pretty cold), but Olivia was having the time of her life. She was dunking her face in the water, laying down and kicking her legs...it was hilarious. It was finally time to eat, then the girls were pretty exhausted. Olivia quickly passed out for the evening, and the Madrid's were on their way home.

A little later, we made spur of the moment plans with Nate and Gini, YAY! They stopped over, the boys (very proudly) started a fire, and we sat around, eating S'mores and chatting. It was great catching up and relaxing by the fire.

So, it was a great day! Very successful on the to-do list (not so much on the pocket book...), and lots of fun, play time with friends!

5/21/10 - Here We Go...

Today was a great day!! It was kind of gloomy and rainy out, so it was a nice, relaxing inside day. Olivia was still up bright and early, but she did take a super long nap. I'll take that!! I relaxed most of the day, caught up on some shows during nap time, and got in lots of play time. We had lots of fun, just us girls!!

Christian worked a little OT. Once he was finally home, we got started on our list. Tonight was CLEANING. We picked up the house, did some general organizing, he vacuumed upstairs and down, and I took care of the dishes. We have slowly been moving more and more of Olivia's toys downstairs into the play area...just can't take cleaning up two play areas much longer. So, we just kept a few basics upstairs and everything else was moved. Finally, Olivia was in bed, the house was clean and we were able to sit down and relax a little bit before bed. We sure moved fast, but boy did that take a toll on my body! I don't think baby was a big fan of all the activity. I don't think baby will be a big fan of mine this whole weekend....

Olivia spent a majority of the day chasing Rico around...still the only cat to come out around her, and he puts up with more and more of her bullying every day. She finally got in a few kisses...which is all she really wants to do (besides hit him, pull his hair and pick him up of course) :)

5/20/10 - It's "Friday"!

Well, not technically I suppose. But, it's my Friday, and today, that's all that matters! It's been a very long, very busy week. Although we're also in for a very busy weekend, I have a feeling it won't be quite as long.

I'm sure I've said it before...but it seems like every time Thursday is my "Friday", I have so much to do. I'm one of those losers who refuses to leave work for the weekend/vacation/day off, etc. with things left in the middle of process. So, I often end up working a little late on Friday tying up lose ends. Today was no different. I finally jetted out the door, picked up the little lady and we were on our way home. It was a pretty relaxing night at home. Just hung out, ate some dinner, and rested. Much needed. I took an uninvited peek into Olivia's mouth tonight, and we are definitely making progress. One of the top molars is ALL the way out now, and one bottom canine is all the way out...so we now have 12 teeth completely out. Just working on that last molar and the other 3 canines, all of which are showing significantly now. Thank the Lord, I can see the light at the end of this tunnel!!

Tomorrow we will be getting a start on our weekend of "to-do's", and I'm very excited about it! Can't wait to start checking stuff off that never ending list!!

Tonight Olivia tried her first Marshmallow...after closely inspecting it, she decided it was delicious :)