wife. mom. me

05. A photo of yourself from 2 years ago..

2011-06-12T10:17:00.001-07:00

Hot. Tanning. Nice boobies.
I miss those boobies, I SO took them for granted. Ha!

04

2011-05-27T07:48:00.001-07:00

These are my favorite pictures of my best friends. I’m so blessed to have more than one!

Day 03.

2011-05-26T08:32:00.001-07:00

My ideal of the perfect date is any where with Mike. Holding his hand and laughing.

I can dream, cant I?

Day 2

2011-05-24T20:23:00.001-07:00

I didn’t take a picture of anything that I ate today. But all I’ve really had in my system was coffee. black coffee. I feel like a bad ass when I say that, in case you were wondering. Today sucked bad.

haha!

Day 01

2011-05-19T08:18:00.001-07:00

I always start with a cup of coffee

breakfast for Isaac and Liv. None of me, I’m still drinking coffee
Isaac’s morning nap time = Mama Time while Liv watching Curious George. I hate that damn monkey
clean clean clean
Shower and Dress by noon. I like to be as lazy as possible…
Send Olivia off to hang out with Carolyn and her horses.

BBQ at Cherl’s. Welcome home Sam!

Decide pizza is a fantastic idea and surprise hubby with his favorite.
Cuddle and eat pizza.
Bath time for this sweet boy after eating his first cupcake..

Connecting with my hubby. I missed him today..
Bed time for all of us.

30 day challenge

2011-05-07T08:35:00.001-07:00

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of our favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

Life has been hard. So in attempt to blog more, I’m going to try this! :)

Oh facebook..

2011-04-15T10:50:00.001-07:00

The ads on Facebook always crack me up. They have the most random websites and “deals.” But this one actually scared the crap out of me..

This little girl doesn’t need a social worker, she needs a priest to preform an exorcism! What the F?! Straight up Linda Blair and now I’m going to have nightmares for a week!

peek into our weekend.

2011-03-28T20:48:00.001-07:00

To Do list
Nutella
Sleepy girl

laundry
craft projects
cleaning

reading books
giggles
chapstick applying

window stickers
proud girl
proud mama

late night snuggles
sharing
fruit in our fruit basket

great weekend.

:)

2011-03-20T06:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Spring!

I could not be more excited for sunshine, walks to the park, farmers market, bike rides, running outside, cotton dresses, picnics, hiking, easter egg hunts, Mother’s Day and being THIS much closer to the summer heat!

right now:

2011-03-20T04:51:00.001-07:00

“The things that make us safest from others, makes us least from ourselves”

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!

2011-03-19T04:31:00.000-07:00

We REALLY love St. Patty’s Day!

Green shamrock pancakes were a hit! Miss Liv had 3 of them and a glass of green milk!

I piped out 60 of these bad boys.. why? I don’t really know, I only had 18 cupcakes.
{mint chips melted in the microwave and piped into shamrocks}
Bakerella, watch out!

I made cupcakes for the nice people I work with…
and because we cant eat cupcakes! I really just wanted to bake and needed SOMETHING to do with them..

I did save 4!
I couldn’t help myself, these are the world’s best cupcakes!

Liv wanted nothing to do with wearing green… but she didn’t want “2 hair clips” so I put green ones in!

We painted our nails and I made pesto to put on top of chicken. It was a super fun day! I cant wait til next year, I’m going to call Lucky the Leprechaun and have him come visit our house…

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!

no longer peppy..

2011-03-18T06:33:00.001-07:00

I was doing lunges. I was tired, but not anymore tired then I have been doing P90x. I was doing a backwards lung to the right and I lost my footing. I am pretty clumsy. I went to the left and my knee decided it wanted to go right.. it popped a couple times and I laid on the floor and cried out in pain. “ow, ow, oh my god, Ow!” I have never felt anything quite like it. Thank God Mike was home, and our doctors office open for a small window of time on Saturdays.

As far as they know it’s a sprained knee. A very sprained knee. But if the pain doesn’t go away by Monday then I get to have an MRI done to look for muscle or tissue tearing. In the mean time, this is is me..

TV
Ottoman
Magazine
Leg up

It definitely puts a damper on my getting fit for summer plans. I’m super bummed out about all this. Everything was going so so good and now I feel like lump. I know I need time to heal and I know that I will feel better before I know it, but I want to feel better NOW! Okay, I will stop whining! One of the perks of getting hurt, friends bring cupcakes!

Yum! Thanks Sam!

The one where everyone decides that I’m nuts and probably starts to hate me..

2011-03-12T07:58:00.001-08:00

On February 28th, Mike and I started a journey into healthy living. I know what everyone is thinking:
“You guys ARE tiny! Why do you need to diet?”
“Really?! you are going to waste away into nothing”
“You are so hot, you don’t need to change a thing!” (Okay, I made that one up.. )

Honestly, my side the family struggles with heart disease. My Dad had a sextuple bi-pass in his early twenties. That is really really rare. The odds are stacked against me. I refuse to go down because of my health. I have been blessed with a fantastic metabolism, but if I don’t actually get up and work my heart and become healthy, I will just be an out of shape, lump on the couch.

We bought P90X last year. Mike had made it a month into it, but then quit when I got pregnant. Something about your wife being able to eat a whole pan of brownies and not being able to eat anything but spinach, really didn’t help him feel motivated. So we decided that we needed to start again. You know what? I absolutely LOVE working out with my husband. The support that he gives me the whole workout is so amazing. I feel closer and more connected to him. We high five each other like dorks and constantly encourage each other to do more reps or just finish the ones we started. Nothing is more wonderful! It seems so cheesy, but without him being on the same page as me, I don’t think that we could do it.

We are 3 weeks into the program. The diet is RIDICULOUS! It is very tedious and measuring and weighing your food is hard work. But I can actually say that now I don’t mind the food choices. They are actually good! You actually get sauces to eat on your meat. It’s not just bland chicken. You can add a honey-chile sauce or even gravy! Right!? That is fantastic! There are soups loaded with veggies and breakfast scrambles that aren’t terrible either. The best part? I get to eat cheese. I LOVE cheese. It fat free, but you cant even tell!

The program itself is awesome too! I don’t get bored and the switch up between upper and lower body everyday is awesome! There is Yoga, Plyometrics and Abs too! I do sometimes, get tired of Tony talking… But I get that way with every workout video {Um.. hello Julian Michael's shred.. SO ANNOYING!} But at the beginning there is an option to just to do music and no cues. Or no music and the cues. I do that sometimes and just rock out to Pandora.

Anyways, I’m braving the internet world and posting my before photos:

Um.. I also posted Mike’s. I think he is so sexy.. anyways.. he will kick my ass for posting these later ;) Oh, and Thanks Isaac! I love your gift of stretch marks!

So I feel like I should also include that 3 weeks into the program, I have lost 7lbs! Mike has lost 4lbs!

WE. ARE. AWESOME!

I love spending money??

2011-03-03T04:24:00.001-08:00

I love polka dots..

and coffee.. like a lot..

So it was only necessary that I purchase these fantastic and wonderful mugs..

Aren’t they amazing! I smile just looking at the picture!

$29 at One Kings Lane

Don’t worry, I got out my allowance envelope and I pulled out the money and I will deposit it at the ATM like a good girl on a budget.

day 3

2011-02-20T05:52:00.001-08:00

day 3 has to wait til day 4.

day 3 was too full of rainbows and birthday giggles to worry about day 3.

In the mean time…

one of my all time favorite photos – a few weeks after we met. yes, met.
I always just knew.

Birthday Party Part 1!

2011-02-20T03:51:00.001-08:00

We celebrated Olivia’s birthday with family yesterday! She had a blast! I cant believe that my baby is 3! She has been into colors lately and always asks me what color things are. I thought that best idea was to throw her a color party! I used the rainbow and went from there! I think it turned out fantastic!! Every time I walked into the kitchen I smiled, I love bright colors. Um.. a word of advice, don’t look up rainbow party without Google safe search on :)

I made the pom-poms on the window using the grade school technique of making tissue flowers for your mom for mothers day.. did anyone do that?! apparently, I’m the ONLY ONE. Way to hate on your mama’s… I bought trays at the dollar tree (bless you, dollar tree) and did the colors of the rainbow in fruit. SO EASY! And it was so healthy and Olivia munched on blueberries all day even though there was candy on the table. Parenting WIN! I also purchased bright candy and put them in more dollar tree vases/cups.

My favorite part was the cake. I know everyone has seen the rainbow cake. I looked for different tutorials on how to make it. Meg had THE BEST one! I want to give that lady a prize.. or just a hug? I think, both! She used cake mix (!) Nothing fancy. That is why I love her!! I don’t have time to sift flour. The cake was AWESOME! It turned out better than I thought! The colors were bright and fun. I loved this cake. I think we should eat rainbow cake everyday. It’s true. I do.

Olivia got a bike with a baby seat, and a new baby to put in the seat and some new jammies! She loved everything!

She covered her ears when we sang to her. Apparently, we suck at singing :( And she blew out the candles all by herself!

This is a real, 100% Olivia smile. It made everything SO worth it. She had an amazing time!

day 2

2011-02-19T06:50:00.001-08:00

Today I was suppose to do something nice for him… They gave the suggestion of cleaning up the house, or going out of my way to do something…. but I always do that! In fact, I have taken on all the house work for the last 6 months so that he wouldn’t have to worry about it. I work maybe 12 hours a week and he works 40. He shouldn’t have to worry about the kitchen being clean. He does help when I need him too or when he thinks that I’m too stressed out. So today, while I was at the Dollar Tree buying party supplies, I grabbed him some mini cow tails. I know he loves those and I wanted him to see that I was thinking about him. I didn’t pick myself up any candy, I didn’t want it to seem like just another candy run. That seems really silly since I just typed it out… oops! Either way, he loved them and was excited when I handed them to him.

I’m also keeping up with not saying anything bad or negative to or about him… It’s working. You know, it actually makes me heart feel lighter? Isn’t that amazing. I cant believe how much weight negativity puts on you. I’m curious to know if he has even noticed? I definitely encourage you to try it. Even if you don’t think that you say anything bad to your partner, you will be surprised how many slips you let go.

²² What a person desires is unfailing love^[b];
better to be poor than a liar.

Proverbs 19:22

Day 1

2011-02-18T08:13:00.001-08:00

I didn’t think it would be that hard. “Avoid saying anything negative to your significant other” Well, duh! Okay, I can do that.. Then you realize that throughout the day, we have gotten into a routine that includes poking fun at each other. THAT is what we do. So yesterday, I really had to think about what I was saying. I actually chose my words carefully. It really worked. I avoided our usual snips at each other and I just let it be. He isn’t watching what he is saying to me, but I think just nipping all the sassy and somewhat hurtful things in the bud, really helped.

^“19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry”
James 1:19

*I thought adding pictures of Mike an I when we first met, might make everything worth while. So young and careless.

you know cause we are BFF

2011-02-09T16:50:00.001-08:00

best. day. ever.

Just a little pick me up!

2011-01-30T04:16:00.000-08:00

Just try and look at this picture and not smile..
go ahead.. try…

Have a great day!

day in the life..

2011-01-29T04:11:00.001-08:00

{coffee}

{mama time}

{food journal"}

{breakfast and moo-moo}

{planning craft night"}

{brother and sister time.
Isaac thinks she’s the bee’s knees}

{always dishes}

{mama time}

{nursing}
{repeat 9 more times}

{shower. makeup. hair}

{work}

{bath time}

{bed}

repeat daily

photo update!

2011-01-10T07:57:00.001-08:00

003/365

My “Mama” Carolyn took Olivia and I shopping and out to lunch. She is the sweetest! She has a east coast/southern accent. She says the most CRAZY things. I love her to death. I call her my “mama” because she tries to tell me what to do all the time :)

004/365

I turned around to take a break from blogging and this is what I saw. I’m so glad that I always keep my camera next to me, because Olivia sitting still doesn’t happen very often and I love how happy Daddy looks hanging out with his babies.

005/365

I picked up some window clings from the dollar store. They are Olivia’s favorite part about decorating for the holidays. I let her put them on all by herself. I don’t stress about where they go, because I know the next day she will asked to play with her “window stickers” and have them moved around again.

006/365

Just give me a green apron and hire me! I finally learned how to use my starbucks barista machine! And in case you are wondering.. I make AMAZING mochas! Anytime anyone is in the mood for coffee, come on over and save a couple bucks! Mike’s Dad had given this to me before he passed away. He knew how much I loved coffee. It was really sweet. I wish he was still here to tell me that I’m doing it wrong and to give me a hard time. I really missed him today.

007/365

I always look forward to the hour before Isaac wakes up. Olivia and I get some much needed cuddles in and it’s all about her. Balancing two babies hasn’t always been easy but having mornings like these are precious.

008/365

Laundry. I hate laundry. Really, I do. Well it’s not so much the washing that I hate. I really hate folding and putting away the laundry. I usually block out a morning and devote it especially to laundry. I MUST fold it and I MUST put it away that day. It wont get done any other way.

009/365

Olivia loves to “tir.” She helped me make whole grain chocolate muffins.They were fantastic! I love when we are getting ready to make something, she has to get her apron and hat to bake like Daddy. She is the best little baker!

Resolutions 2011

2011-01-03T12:26:00.001-08:00

These are seem pretty attainable right now in my life. I just hope that I can stick to it..

Do P90X for 90 days
Loose 15 lbs.
Take 1 picture everyday – Project365
Spend less
Make more
Send birthday cards to close friends & family
Make more crafts with Olivia
Keep to our monthly budget
Drink 4 water bottles of water everyday
Wear every shirt in my closet – 100 days with 100 shirts.
Laugh every single day.

{Side notes} Yes, I have 100 shirts. I counted them and almost died. Then I said I couldn’t buy anymore clothing until I wore every single shirt and decided which ones I hate or just didn’t do me justice. So in addition to my project 365, I’ll also have pictures of what I wore that day… if I got dressed ;)

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my babies?

Project 365

2011-01-03T06:30:00.000-08:00

002/365

Olivia and Daddy reading an awesome dinosaur book.

Project 365

2011-01-01T16:00:00.000-08:00

So it’s that time again and this time I mean business!

I’m going to do 365. I’m not going to miss a day and then when it’s all said and done, I’m going to scrapbook all the pages!

That right. I’m going to do it.

Here are some of my ideas:

daily routines
bedrooms
grocery shopping
contents of my purse/diaper bag
meals
outfits
doctors appointments

And my goals:

Carry my camera with me everywhere
Become not so shy with picture taking
improve my photography skills
scrapbook the photos
keep a journal/blog of the day
keep receipts, tags, memorabilia of the day in an envelope.

001/365
We got Olivia from Grandma’s. She had stayed the week with her on a whim. We really missed her but the funny thing is, is that Isaac missed her more. He didn’t sleep good. He wasn’t napping and he was just plain grumpy. That night, he slept through the night and was back on schedule. I didn’t think their bond was that tight yet, guess I was wrong. What a great way to start the new year, two very very happy kids.

PS. Happy New Year!!

2010 Wrap Up!

2010-12-31T10:06:00.001-08:00

I know I haven’t been the world greatest blogger. But I think having morning sickness for 9 months and then a newborn the rest of 2010.. well that puts me in a small bracket of “it’s okay not to blog.” Cause really, I think that all my posts would consist of “I’m really tired”, “my boobs are killing me!!”, “I need a nap, I’m so tired.” and that always seems really lame. So here is the wrap up of 2010 :)

January – Mike and I didn’t stay up for new years. Instead, we woke up when he was going to work and toasted to the new year at 2 AM. I wouldn’t of had it any other way. I suffered from severe “sleepy head syndrome” and spent most of the afternoons napping with Olivia or near the heater. Apparently, that is a really good sign that you’re making a baby inside your uterus. TA-DA! I was finally pregnant after a long 6 months of trying.

February- We celebrated Valentines Day, my favorite holiday. Olivia turned 2 and turned out to be not so terrible. We announced that we were having a baby to my family. Later, I convinced myself and Olivia that all that ice cream and pizza I was eating was in fact the baby growing and not just pizza and ice cream. This was also the start of my never ending morning sickness. And the end of Project 365 cause I didn’t want to take a picture of me every day laying on the couch watching Dinosaur Train with Olivia.

March- The snow had melted and it was finally warm enough to go to park and play. Olivia was brave enough to go on the slide and the big kid toy all by herself. I really started showing by month 3. Most of the time I just told myself that I looked fat, and I would cry and Mike would have to come in and tell me I was “hot stuff” and kiss me. This was a daily occurrence. We started potty training Olivia. Which has been unsuccessful, thus far.

April – Olivia is old enough to finally get Easter egg hunting. It was a blast to watch her run at full speed to get the eggs. We will have to remember this year to hid them a little better. She insisted on wearing her “daddy hat” with her Easter dress. Olivia isn’t much of a girly-girl. We spent a lot of the spring mornings outside drawing with chalk. Olivia LOVES chalk.

May- Olivia went to Super 1 and made me a special mothers day cake. Afterwards, the family almost died of a sugar coma due to large quantities of sprinkles consumed. It started to warm up in Ellensburg starting in May and that means BBQ! Olivia learned how to eat her first corn on the cob! It was hilarious watching her eat it but she ate the whole ear! We found out that our baby was a BOY!! I always had a feeling it was a boy. Mike and I were thrilled! One of each! And this meant that I got to go shopping this all the baby clothes that we owned was pink.

June- Liv and I spent our Saturday mornings at the Farmers Market. Olivia got to try her very first snow cone!! She loved every bite and ended up eating the whole thing with Mama’s help! Olivia was finally brave enough to try the arch steps at the big kid toy. With Daddy’s help, she went up and down it! She was so excited! The picture of us in the aprons was just too cute to not put up! Olivia loves putting on her apron that she got for her birthday and help me cook dinner and “tir” {stir}.

July- We took Olivia to the Seattle Aquarium for the first time! She wasn’t too sure about the giant fish tank, but she got into as we walked through more. Her favorite sea creature was the Octopus. I was slowly preparing for baby boy to come and I scored some great deals at Goodwill! I love Goodwill! When we sent Olivia to Grandma’s, Mike and I got to go on a date! I love our little dates even if it’s just to dinner. It is really nice to reconnect and talk to him without any interruptions.

August- Mike and I snuck away to Cannon Beach, OR for a whole week! We left Olivia with Grandma! It was so fantastic! We even went to the Tillamook Cheese Factory! I made 5 receiving blankets for Isaac with my new sewing machine! It was ridiculously easy! We spent a lot of time walking around the lake. Not really going in the lake because Olivia was scared of everything that floated near her in the water.

September- Our work puts on a “Lunch at the Fair” and because of that, our boss gets free admission tickets and free ride bracelets. It makes for one cheap day at the fair! We got to see all the animals in the barns and even get up close and personal with a horse! Olivia was not a fan, but she loved the cows. I don’t really know the difference between one giant animal and the other…but Olivia sure did! We thought Olivia was finally old enough to ride the carnival rides. And since we got ride bracelets, she could go on anyone she wanted! I think her favorite was the ferris wheel. She is quite the dare devil. Mike celebrated his 31st birthday. I made him an ice cream cake with his favorite mint chocolate chip ice cream. It was a really great birthday.

October- Sadly, Mike’s Dad passed away in October. We were hoping that little Isaac would be born before he died. Unfortunately, God had other plans. We truly were heart broken when he passed. Mike does really well most days and the others, well I can tell when he just needs to be alone. Isaac Michael {named after his grandfather} was born on October 13th. He weighed 9lbs 9oz. Isaac means “he who laughed” and the funny thing is, I laughed while I was having contractions, and those laughs ended up pushing the baby right out! I had no tearing or even an episiotomy. My doctor said I was the first woman he had ever delivered that had laughed during the final stages of labor. We soon learned that Isaac is nothing like his sister. He is very picky and set in his ways already! Olivia enjoyed Halloween so much this year! We let her choose what she wanted to be. She, of course, chose to be a triceratops! She was THE cutest dinosaur I’ve ever seen. Mike and I were so proud of her when she was trick or treating. She was very polite and waited her turn. We let her keep most of her candy, and she got a piece every time she used the potty.

November- I turned 23 on the 12th and enjoyed spending the day with my sweet little family. Mike and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary and went and walked down to the spot where he proposed and got married. It is so fun to see how much we have changed since the beginning. Olivia is becoming more and more of a big sister everyday. She loves waking up in the morning and snuggling with Isaac on the couch. She is so good to him. She even shares her blankie, which she doesn’t do with anyone else. I love watching their relationship grow, and seeing that smile that Isaac only gives to his sissy.

December- This month has been fun. It has been super busy too. Isaac has started to smile and laugh. It really is the cutest. He wakes up every morning with a smile. I love it! It really does make all those sleepless nights at the beginning worth it. Olivia and I enjoyed setting up the tree together and she even got to put up all her ornaments! We spent Christmas was Mike’s Mom and sister. We had prime rib with all the fixins’ {hehe} and I enjoyed having family over and being hostess.

Well, that’s our year. It has been very tough both physically and emotionally. But I wouldn’t have it any other way! We wont stay up tonight to watch the ball drop, but we will ring in the new year again at 2AM when Mike wakes up for work again. I have so many goals that I want to accomplish this year. I want to do more, to make more and to spend less and waste less. It seems easy enough.

Here’s to a fantastic, joyful, and inspiring 2011!

A little wish..

2010-12-25T06:15:00.000-08:00

From our family to yours,
Have a very merry Christmas!

The Perfect Ellensburg Fall Photo

2010-12-01T07:48:00.001-08:00

It’s freakin’ cold. The sky is gray. My babies are all wrapped up {including Isaac, you can see the little speck of green by Mike’s shoulder.} and we are walking to our spot. The one we have been going too since November ‘07. By the time we get there, our ears hurt and we are dreaming of hot cocoa. All this trouble, just to take our yearly family photo for our Christmas cards.

Thanks Mama Kat for actually making me blog :)

1 month

2010-11-23T07:10:00.001-08:00

Isaac is 5 1/2 weeks old! It doesn’t seem like a month has gone by. He is still my squishy love bug.

Isaac Michael – 1 month

Eating: Isaac loves to nurse. He eats every 2 hours on the hour during the day. He clusters feeds from 6-9pm usually.

Sleep: He is a champion sleeper! He sleeps through the night and only wakes up at 1am for 15 minutes and goes back to sleep til 5am. I love having more sleep! I feel fantastic! I know that will probably change.. but for now, it’s really nice! Oh, he has to be swaddled at night, I loooove my kiddopatamus swaddle me. We have 2 to rotate out.

Clothes: He is a chub-a-lub! {I sometimes sing “Mr chub a luba..mmm” …anyone??} He is almost too small for his 3 month clothes! I cant believe I have such a big baby. I’m use to miss Olivia who was always petite. I pulled out some of my favorite outfits to make sure he wears them before he is too giant to fit.

Milestones: He started smiling on Friday! He has the worlds greatest toothless grin! He can hold his head up for extended periods of time too! It makes holding him so much easier! He isn’t much of a laying down baby when he is awake, he would rather be standing or sitting up.

Bumps in the road: He is super grumpy at dinner time. Usually that is when he is cluster feeding. It makes for a long night, but lately I’ve been giving him a nice warm bath and using lavender calming lotion at nice which has seem to help. It’s also helped with getting him to bed before 9. {this is what happens when your sister is born first, everything is pink}

Loves: Being held! I cant put him down sometimes. He is usually in my lap when I’m on the computer or I’m carrying him around the house in my ergo when I’m doing chores. It’s different with Isaac then it was with Olivia. She was never a cuddlier. It’s amazing how much of a difference nursing makes. He really enjoy staring at the living room light! LOL! I tried to give him a rattle, but the light won! I might make him a onesie that says “I love lamp” just for fun!

Other than the lack of sleep for Mike and I, I love our little family. Mike and I have already been on a date! He took me to the movies and dinner for my birthday/our anniversary. Isaac did great and took a bottle! He ate 7oz. in 3 hours! I wasn’t nervous to leave him at all. He was in good hands, and I couldn’t wait to kiss Mike without interruption…remember when?

if you would of…

2010-11-12T07:24:00.001-08:00

If you would of told this sweet girl that she would find someone just like her daddy and love him just as much..
she might not believe you..

If you told this crazy 6 year old that her dream of being a mommy was going to come true..
she wouldn’t believe you, after all her husband’s name isn’t Anthony Longo..

If you would of told this body conscience 15 year old that it doesn’t matter what you do or don’t do…
you will still have a great bod, even after 2 little babies…minus a stretch mark or ten.
{hello eyebrows..}

Through it all, I really couldn’t ask for a better 23 years of life.
God has truly been good to me!
Happy Birthday to me!

Umm..

2010-11-04T07:06:00.001-07:00

I don’t know why, but I don’t really have any words to write this week.

I am tired, extremely happy, and in love with my family.

For now, I’ll just show you some pictures from the past month {or two..eep!}

Mike’s Dad passed away 3 days before Isaac was born. He was in the Navy, and Mike got the honor of receiving his burial flag.

Now it’s back to nursing, changing cloth diapers, laundry, and keeping up with my sweet and crazy Olivia.

My sweet little man

2010-10-17T14:59:00.001-07:00

Isaac Michael
Born on 10/13/10
9lbs 9oz
20.5 inches long

We are all doing amazing.
Getting the hang of nursing my sweet boy {ouch}
Big sister is a great helper and loves her little brother.

waiting..

2010-10-09T08:28:00.001-07:00

waiting…

I’m 41 weeks today. I’m exhausted. My hips hurt SO bad. Or maybe it’s my pelvis? I don’t know, something down by my baby exit keeps popping! Apparently, that’s normal!? That’s my hips getting ready to birth. Well.. okay then, they are ready! Let’s get this show on the road! My doctor says I’m close, dilated to 3cm and I've dropped. Just have to wait for little man to decide that he is ready. Oh, and did you notice the fact that in every picture, I’m wearing a different top and the same pajama pants? I have run out of clothing! My snowflake pants are the only pants that are comfy enough to wear for hours on end. Even my trusty yoga pants are too snug to wear for longer than an hour. I’m done complaining. I’m going to go for a walk and get this baby out!

Ps. Sorry for being such an impatient Momma, baby boy.

Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-06T09:11:00.001-07:00

We went to the U-Pick pumpkin patch. We are really lucky to have such a great patch close by. It’s also really cheap. It’s based on the honor system, you line up your pumpkin with their pictures and put your money in the box. I love living in a small town. I just don’t think that would be possible in the city.

Olivia was a blast this year! She was so excited. She was tromping through the vines and when she got too tangled up and fell, she would get right back up and look for more “punkys.” Pumpkins are her “thing” right now. I think it’s adorable.

Mike is a great pumpkin picker and cutter!

{I’m so glad that I snapped 5 pictures in a row. I was able to catch her “this is way to heavy for me to carry” smile}

I think my belly is bigger than my pumpkin :)

Oh! And can I just point out that I’m actually wearing real clothes. I actually tried with my outfit before I got dressed! I have been living in my yoga pants and long tanks. I felt pretty sassy all day! I even put on makeup! This hot Momma wins!

this is it.

2010-09-28T13:58:00.001-07:00

I decided that I dont really have an excuse not to blog anymore. Of course, there is always a lot of things going on in our lives but I think that is just life. I really started this blog as away to remember our story. To keep something to remember the everyday life and the special times that my family gets to share together. I miss having somewhere to just write and remember what is going on and the ability to capture the emotions and how I really felt. So I’m going to become a better blogger.

I’m due in 3 days. There are amazing events and firsts coming up for this family and I want to remember them as much as I can. I’m also going to attempt 365 in January… again. I’m pretty excited about that too!

My idea to start fresh and all over again was to upload all my favorite pictures from the last couple of months so I’m up to date and can really start from this point on.

Ready…

Here we go.

Mike and I spent a whole week alone together! We went to Cannon Beach, OR. It was so wonderful! We ate out every night, went to bed whenever we wanted too. Took naps in the middle of the day and just relaxed! Did I mention it was wonderful. We visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory, which was a blast, a hideaway beach and spent the day at Haystack. It was a great way to “refresh” our marriage and to reconnect again.

We got to visit the Seattle Aquarium! Olivia was in heaven! She adores all things fish now. Her favorite part of the whole aquarium was the octopus. She would of sat there all morning if we would of let her. She also liked seeing Nemo and Dory.

We somehow managed to fit in a camping trip too! We were only an hour-ish away from home, but it was still a blast! We slept like crap the whole time and Olivia loved playing in the dirt. There were a few hiking trails around camp and Olivia did a great job “hiking” on her own! :) Mike didn’t have to carry her until the very end when we were climbing down.

Although everyone else has been having crappy summer weather, It wasn’t actually too bad here! It was usually in the high 70’s which is okay with me! Normally we have 100 degree weather, but being 7 months pregnant, i was really glad to have such a cool summer :)

Olivia experienced what it was like for her legs to fall asleep for the first time!
I’m not sure this is a moment that you are suppose to capture.
I’m just glad that I didn’t have it on video because I was laughing the whole time.
I’m such a mean mommy.

Olivia decorated my belly! She was so excited “to make baby pretty”

Can you even believe that this car seat use to be PINK!? {that’s the best picture I have of what the print looked like before. And look at cute baby Olivia!!} Anyways, I didn’t want little mister to have to have a pink car seat so after searching the internet for covers, I found a tutorial that showed me how to do it! HOLY MOLY! It was really hard! But now that I have done it once, I could definitely do it again without any quirks or mistakes. My friend Susan helped with it, and she helped keep me sane! I JUST finished it this week… talk about procrastination! Oops! Atleast it’s all finished and little man will have something to come home in.

Sunday, we celebrated Mike’s birthday. This year it was very low key and I didn’t throw him a ridiculous 7 year old party. I wanted too but I knew that I wouldn’t have the energy being 39 weeks pregnant. We had a great time and I made a really yummy grasshopper ice cream pie!

And on top of all that.. I keep growing..
{31 weeks}

{33 weeks}
and growing..

{36 weeks}
…and growing..

until I’m about ready to pop!
{38 weeks}

27 weeks!

2010-07-02T18:39:00.001-07:00

Hello, this is how GIANT my baby is. The scary part is, I saw a watermelon on the chart and I’ve been pregnant before and it STILL freaks me out.

How far along? 27 weeks. The last week of my second trimester. I’m pretty much freaking out right now..

Weight Gain: I weighed myself on the bathroom scale an I weigh 150lbs. That is about 20lbs from my starting weight. Not too shabby.

Maternity Clothes: Nothing new. I’m still wearing my long and lean tanks. It’s not quite hot enough here yet, but I cuffed my too short maternity pants and I have been wearing those. It works. But I feel like I’m getting too big for the band.. boo :(

Stretch Marks: No new ones yet! :)

Sleep: Not enough. Not comfortable. Too hot. Too Cold. I don’t want to talk about it.

Best Moment of the Week:

I found this super adorable sweater at Goodwill for 99 cents. I’m starting to realize how much I love shopping for this little man. I use to think boy clothes were super lame, but now you cant keep me out of the stores. Luckily, I have only been picking things up at the thrift stores. You cant beat 99 cent clothes :) It makes my husband happy too :)

Cravings: I did crave carrot cake! Don’t worry, I took care of that right away. Oh salty pretzels have been my snack of choice. I still LOVE ice.

Belly Button: Um.. it’s just funky looking.

Belly Pictures:

I feel SO much bigger than the last time I took pictures.

tired..

2010-06-25T10:20:00.001-07:00

I…

am..

tired.

Not having a baby in the house is almost foreign. I think it’s part of the reason I am so tired. And that I’m growing a sweet little boy too. I have no schedule. There is no routine. I no longer think I keep Olivia on track, I think she keeps me on track.

Please don’t stop being my friend after I have shown you what a mess my house is this week. I have big plans to clean and sew before Olivia gets home on Tuesday.

…i should be folding laundry…

2010-06-21T10:54:00.001-07:00

But blogging sounds way more fun. And it’s not like the laundry is going any where…

Should I brag about how I have the cutest boss ever. She brought me wild flowers from her house just because. She also brought me a white mocha. I’m really lucky.

I have a million vases, but I almost always put my cut flowers in mason jars.
There is just something about it that makes me extremely happy.

We are baby-less this week! My parent's came and picked up Olivia and took her home. I miss her a lot this time around. Mike and I went and saw Toy Story 3 and there is a character named Bonnie.. she was the spitting image of Olivia. Seeing her play in her tutu and rain boots made me cry and miss her. (I just tried to google a picture of her.. she is no where to be found)

So what do 2 parent’s do without a kid in the house?! ahem.. well.. this:

xbox for Dad.

reading blog with coffee for mom.

I can barely handle all the excitement!

I did get to go to Goodwill by myself. That is always fun. I think I spent an hour walking up and down all the racks. Olivia is a trooper about going shopping but she does have her limits. I enjoyed the quiet and not having to push a cart.

I scored some great deals for little man and myself! Everything was 99 cents for him. The crazy thing is, is that 4 of these outfits are still on sale at fred meyer! I had the monkey outfit set in the my hand when I was walking around freds, I’m so glad that I waited. The little pants are lined and will be perfect for winter.

… have I mentioned how much I enjoy shopping for my lil’ man?

I don’t know why I like this picture..

I’m 6 months pregnant. 6 freakin’ months! I can hardly believe it. I kind of start to go into panic mode when I think about all the things that I have to do before I’m even close to being ready for this little guy. I guess not having a 2 year old running will do some good for my baby to-do list.

Have I mentioned that everything hurts. my back hurt. my nipples hurt. (started using lanolin, it’s helped a little) my feet hurt. Yup, I’m in “that” stage. HOORAY! I only say that because it means that he is almost here!!!

Here are some belly pictures. Although I don’t really feel like I have grown any. My skin is tighter and I’m using a ton of vitamin E mixed with my aveeno to keep from scratching to death.

This is the weird thing that my belly button is doing right now. Just the top of my button.. weird.

Happy Fathers Day!

2010-06-20T09:47:00.001-07:00

“if you're lost you can look--and you will find me
time after time
if you fall I will catch you--I'll be waiting
time after time”
”Time after Time-Cyndi Lauper”

I love you bigger than an elephant! xo

baby wish list

2010-06-10T06:27:00.000-07:00

Striped stocking cap
Boppy cover
Lime green and white stocking cap
Nursing cover up
Bear Hat
Portable changing mat
Striped stocking cap with pom
No sew fleece blanket
I want these colors for my car seat cover
and I would LOVE to make a blanket for little man out of them too

I really love hats. I want to buy every hat there is! Baby boy is going to be born in October and its usually fairly chilly here by then. I’m just thinking about his well being ;)

23 weeks

2010-06-09T06:05:00.000-07:00

How far along? 23 weeks. That is almost 6 months! Where is the time going!?

Weight Gain: I don’t feel like I've gained any extra. I guess I will find out at my OB appointment on the 21st.

Maternity Clothes:

These are all from Old Navy. The shorts and black pants are the only things that are maternity. Everything else I just upped the size and went with it. I love the jersey skirts on the bottom. They are so soft and comfy. The black pants for work are amazing. I love them as soon as I put them on. They have a real waist with these side stretchy parts. They are a little narrow at the bottom, but I am use to a flare bottom.

Stretch Marks: I’m pretty sure there are new ones on the side of my belly. They aren’t showing but I can feel them. Oh well, I have always called them my “momma marks” for a reason.

Sleep: Bed at 8. Wake up at 3am. Eat. Back to bed at 4ish. Up at 8am. and repeat.

Best Moment of the Week: Mike and I were up one night talking about baby names and he liked the name Isaac because he would be named after Isaac Newton. And the conversation went something like this:
Hubs: “Isaac Albert. There! Get all the good guys in his name”
Me: “well… that’s really setting him up for the future”
Hubs: “You don’t like it?”
Me: “No I do, but I’m trying to think of names of my male mentors…”
{minutes pass}
Hubs: “Hostess Cadbury?”

And that my friends, is what my husband thinks of me.

Cravings: coffee with cream and a tiny bit of sugar.
ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls.
bagels.
oranges.

Belly Button: Has this weird lip thing at the top… i wonder how long til it pokes through? My belly button is so deep, i don’t usually get to see the inside of it. And lately, I can see all the way down and it looks like a cinnamon roll..

Belly Picture:

We are just going to pretend that isn’t a picture of me in my roo’s. We will call them shorts :) See my belly button!? See the lip?!

I’m kind of, sort of, in love with my belly.

photo update

2010-06-07T08:51:00.001-07:00

I realized that I had a ton of pictures in my folder that I haven’t showed to anyone! I thought I would do a quick update on our little lives.

My cloth diapers came in! I’m really excited about this adventure that we’re taking on. I cant wait to see little misters cute butt in these color diapers!

We have discovered that for 2 dollars, Liv can have her own cocoa! She is quite the spoiled girl, but when I make her go grocery shopping with me, a little treat now and then is alright with me :)

This scarf display totally made my whole day! :) I felt so nervous taking a picture at the store, I wish I wasn’t like that. I just hate being talked too ;)

Saturday was all about sweet firsts for this little family! Olivia had her very first sno-cone at the farmers market! It was delicious and she couldn’t get enough of it! I

Then we scoped out a new frozen yogurt place in town! It was the BEST idea ever! :) And Mike and I had a blast putting fun things in our yogurt.

I went up to camp and visited my parent’s and family. My mom took this picture. My dad and Olivia are in heaven with all the rocks! Thankfully my mom had to phone to take a picture, I left my camera in the car like a dork :(

I think there is something wrong with this picture… poor Olivia is so excited about all the things that we are bringing out for the baby. Mike finally gave in and put her in her old swing. I cant believe she was ever little enough to play in it. She wasn’t much of a swing girl, she liked her boppy on the couch. Go figure. I plan on keeping the new baby in the moby wrap most of the time, but I think the swing will be fun.

In our house, saying I love you is making your hubby’s lunch and putting a surprise of Fritos to go with his taco soup. I scored major points for this one! :)

I love the mornings I wake up and the sun is shining through the blinds. It has been so rainy in Ellensburg this month! These mornings are few and far between.

She takes my breath away. I am so in love with her.

How cute are we!? Olivia and I made dinner last night and wore matching aprons! I have to wear an apron whenever I’m in the kitchen, I’m such a mess otherwise! And, my growing belly always gets SOMETHING on it.

22 weeks!

2010-06-02T06:20:00.001-07:00

At 11 inches, about the length of a spaghetti squash, and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas, essential for the production of some important hormones, is developing steadily.

That’s how big my baby is! And let me tell you, when baby decides to roll around, I can really feel it! :) It makes me giggle every time! It’s pretty crazy, but baby moves A LOT more then Olivia did… should I be nervous about that? ;)

You wanna see a really cute picture!? It might be my new favorite..

Look at that perfect little face!

Wanna know something else? That perfect little face belongs to a perfect little boy! :) :)

Bring on the dirt, trucks, bugs, dinosaurs and boogers! I’m 100% IN! :)

Dear lil’ man, I’m sorry for showing your winky to the world. Just wait until I show the bath pictures to your girlfriend. Mommy loves you forever.

I love this perfect little face too!

So.. in pregnancy news:

How far along? 22 weeks. Why does it seem like it is FLYING by?! I’m not okay with this.

Weight Gain: I’m at about 140lbs. I think that makes my weight gain only 6lbs from my real weight but since I was down to 130 from being so sick, it kind of makes it 10. But.. I’m not getting technical.

Maternity Clothes: I bought some cute real waist maternity pants from Old Navy today. My work pants were getting a little snug. I’m not sure if I am going to love them or not. I had to find pants that looked like pants because we have to tuck in our shirts. I’ve been living in target’s long and lean tanks, they cover my belly. I have a really hard time wearing REAL maternity clothes because I’m so little. So I’ve just been going up to a medium in the longer shirts. I also have been buying elastic waist skirts. I think that will probably be my wardrobe this summer.

Stretch Marks: Only the one from Olivia. So far, no new ones.

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping really weird. I hate it. I’m exhausted. I miss the nights of 12 hours.

Best Moment of the Week: Waking up to little man completely squished up on one side of my belly. It almost hurt, but when I poked my belly, he uncurled and moved around. It was the coolest feeling ever.

Cravings: Nothing weird this week. I have been on a spicy trail mix kick. Oh, and wafer cookies!

Belly Button: is still inverted! It never fully popped out with Olivia.. maybe baby boy will be different.

Belly Picture:

By the end of the day, I feel huge. You can definitely see where my uterus meets my belly… I had that weird dip in the middle of my stomach with Olivia til I was about 30 weeks :) And, I promise that i feed my child. She is stretching to kiss my belly. She is a skinny minnie just like her Momma and Daddy..

Hooray for my first real pregnancy post! :)

Um, can I just tell you that I had a crazy dream last night that baby boy was stretching to get out of my stomach and before I knew it, he fell out of me! Luckily I caught him! He didn’t look like a preemie, he looked like a full grown baby! I was so in love and I kept saying, “It didn’t even hurt!” I had to call my doctor, and he was so worried he called the ambulance and had me rushed to the hospital.. seriously, the vivid pregnancy dreams are fantastic! Oh, and baby boy was BEYOND cute. He had light hair, dark eyes and was so chubby… I was so in love.

giggle will you be my boyfriend?

2010-05-19T22:10:00.001-07:00

I asked this cute boy to be my boyfriend at 10 o’clock-ish. 3 years ago. I haven’t looked back since. It was seriously, the best idea I have ever had. Thanks for an amazing 3 years gorgeous boy! I love you to the moon and back!

update :)

2010-03-17T06:06:00.001-07:00

Where do I start!?

I’ll start with the obvious. The fun stuff that I could spend hours upon hours thinking and talking about. Baby! I’m 11 weeks already! This pregnancy is flying by! I’m starting to feel SO much better. Thank goodness! I’m no longer nauseas all day. Now I just seem to feel sick when I don’t eat or if I decide to do too much at once.
Holy crap! I have been eating so much! I am hungry every two hours. On the hour. it’s ridiculous. I use to be the person that had 3 cups of coffee in the morning and usually snacked until dinner. Now I’m a hungry hungry hippo! I eat A LOT too. I’ve been forcing myself to try and eat better even though all I want is sweet and sour chicken from Golden Dragon. Which brings me to my next weird symptom/craving. I want meat!! All meat. Red, chicken, pork. I want it. I’m just going with the fact that my body probably needs iron. I cant say no to what my body needs, right!?

This week I’m craving:

orange juice
chinese food
french fries
bananas

Baby bump? I’m working on it. My stomach definitely looks like it is pregnant. My doctor and Jimaie (she’s practically a doctor.. seriously) told me that you “pop” more quickly with your second baby. I don’t really get it. What I do get is that my jeans don’t really fit and they dig into my sides.

I have been a complete bum! I wear almost the same outfit every time I leave the house. stretchy jeans/yoga pants, t-shirt/tank, and a zip up. Let me just tell you.. i am SMOKIN! I also must confess that I haven’t plucked my eyebrows, shaved my legs or put on makeup in weeks! Well, I lied. I shaved my legs when I had my 8 week OB appointment. I had to get a pap. I thought Dr. Jay would appreciate me not looking like Jacob, the werewolf. I promised myself that when I actually had some energy, I would spend a day pampering myself. I cant wait for that day to come..

Oh and some fun not baby news! (pshh.. like there is such a thing!)

I got a different job! Same store but, I’m working in the FLORAL DEPARTMENT!! Alllllll byyyy myyysellllfffff!!!! It’s MY department. I call the shots. (well, i have a boss.. but he loves me..) I’m going to take a moment of excitement…

dfgihjdfgjkdfhgkjdghiufghdfuighdkfjvhiubviberiobgeariubgivbwet8yergobnvlobr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am beyond thrilled! The hours are amazing. It is SO flexible. I work until 5 at the latest. I get 24 hrs to keep my insurance. I am STOKED! I love being creative. I think this will really be exciting! EEEEEP! Everyone once in a while, I will have to close up produce, but then I will only be working a 4-8pm and that is amazing! Okay, I’m done gushing..

I haven’t taken a picture in lord knows how long! I kind of threw myself into a loop. I cant believe how much energy I don’t have. It’s almost hard to get use too. I miss being up and at ‘em. (my mom says that.. she is cute) I have to keep telling myself.. soon. Soon I will be back to normal..

8 weeks

2010-02-23T13:16:00.001-08:00

So far, I remember why I hated being pregnant through the first month. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really excited that there is a life growing inside of me. Thrilled that in 9 short months, I will be holding my sweet love bug. That being said.. HOLY CRAP!

I spent Sunday morning in the E.R. I was extremely dehydrated and I needed fluids ASAP. As soon as the put the IV in and gave me Zofran for my nausea, I felt amazing. Mike said my color came back immediately! Dr. Cruz had to use an ultrasound machine from 1990. (on Sundays, my little town shuts down! the ultrasound tech wasn’t available) It gave NO detail. It was just a picture. But, I got to see my little bean at 8 weeks! It was so cute and little. I gave him a hard time because he couldn’t even print a picture for me. But there was only one baby (I’ve been having twin dreams.. wow) and it looked healthy and it was in my uterus! That made me feel 100% better!!

Needless to say, I have been extremely nauseas throughout the whole pregnancy. I spend most of my free time laying on the couch watching TV or taking a nap. Olivia is so good to me, she brings us books to read together and she comes and snuggles with her Momma. I’m so blessed that she isn’t a needy toddler. She even likes to play by herself.

Since being home from the E.R. I have been extremely sleepy but I feel really good. They doubled my nausea medicine and I honestly think that is the only thing that helps. Nothing else works. Well, that and my husband hugging me and staying close. Oh I love my sweet sweet husband. He can instantly make me feel better. Reminds me of being a little girl. I would wait all day, when I was sick, for my Daddy. He would come in and snuggle up to me in bed, say a prayer, and I would instantly fall asleep. I do the same thing with Mike. He really is my soul mate.

As far as cravings:

subway sandwiches
french fries
hard boiled eggs
sour things
fruit, mostly strawberries
orange juice
dry top ramen

I don’t really have an appetite so whatever happens to sound good at the moment, I definitely indulge. I wish I liked drinking water as much as I use too. I cant seem to drink enough.

I’m hoping that since I feel better, I will be back in blog land more. I’m crossing my fingers! :)

We’ve gotta secret..

2010-02-20T17:59:00.001-08:00

(let’s talk about the excitement folks..HA!)

We’re having another baby and Olivia is going to be a big sister! :)

Love Bug expected to arrive around October 3rd, 2010

gorgeous day

2010-02-18T11:22:00.001-08:00

We spent a lot of yesterday doing this..

and this..

Until we just too tired to do anything else! It was gorgeous, 55 degrees and the sun was bright and warm. I could use more days like this.

Valentines Day

2010-02-16T18:22:00.001-08:00

We had a really good valentine’s day. We mostly just enjoyed each others company. Nothing is better than that as far as I’m concerned. We did get some pretty awesome presents though.

Olivia got some recycled crayons from Chasedreams on Etsy. She loved them and even tried to eat them.. they do look amazing but she figured out what they were really for..

I made this key ring for Mike. They were selling online for 15 dollars! shut up! I made mine for 84 cents! Plus an extra 69 cents for the cute box! It pays to be creative! He loved it, and thought it was awesome

Mike bought me these dishes! I love love LOVE them! I had tucked them into my favorites “wish list” folder. I never knew he actually looked in there! Mine were sitting on the coffee table full of Hershey hugs and almond kisses. My favorite. He really did good this year, I had NO idea! :)

PS. I hate keeping secrets. I’m really not good at it. I promise I will let you in on Saturday! PROMISE! It’s a really good one :) Everything will make sense after I tell you. Including why I have been neglecting my blog :)

update

2010-02-09T12:56:00.001-08:00

this is kind of my life right now. a mess.
does that look familiar? coffee. bills. to-do lists a mile long. a calendar that is days behind?

And really, nothing has changed in this Archi. house. Mike and I are both working like crazy. I just recently cut my hours down to 24. I couldn’t handle it. I don’t know how some Mom’s work 40+ hours a week and still have time to cook, clean and play with their babies. If there is some magic pixie dust, I want it. And to all the Momma’s out there that do it every week.. you deserve a cupcake!

Working so much means that everything is behind. I don’t even want to think about the bathroom because it hasn’t been touched in 2 weeks! yes, I'll admit it!! The floors!? The horror!!

So here I am, 1589 days later. Finally updating my blog!

Hi, I missed you all so much :)

Really though, not a thing has changed around here. Olivia’s birthday is in 11 days. And all I can show for it, is some orange paper plates! yea, I win Mom of the year! Our theme this year? Polka Dot and Penguins. We love Waddles, and we love polka dots. It’s rightfully so. Here is an idea of some cute stuff from gymboree, which I’m kind of using for my theme. I really love the sherbet, hot pink and black.

Looks like a trip to Yakima is in order. Let’s just add that to my to-do list!

And lately, I’ve been so tired that I might just wait for all this and get some Elmo plates at target and say screw it! That’s kind of how it’s been around here. I’m tired. I don’t wanna. Who wants pizza, taco bell or jack in the box for dinner??

So that is where I have been. I promise more fun and exciting blogs to come. Once my husband and I get back into the same week that everyone else is in.

update: day 1 & 2

2010-01-19T05:37:00.001-08:00

So I am still alive. That’s really good. Day 1 and 2 of the anti-bloat start is going really well. I’m actually impressed that I’m continuing with it. I realize now, how much I snack. It’s really awful actually. I mean every couple of hours, I had an urgency to find something to munch on!! I usually resisted. I’ve been eating almonds as a snack. That seems to suppress my snacking urge and keep me on track.

There is a recipe for Sassy Water in this book. And when I first saw the ingredients, I thought. NO WAY! But actually, it has become my go to drink. I drink with every meal and I will fill up my 24oz water bottle 3 times in 1 day. That’s how amazing it is.

Sassy Water
1 pitcher cold water
1 medium cucumber, peeled
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 tbsp ginger

Add all ingredients. Let sit over night to infuse flavors.

I took the ginger out of mine. I really cant stand that taste. blegh!

This morning, I started my 30 day shred. I forgot how hard it is. I really did. I thought that I could do it the whole time without stopping. HA! In my wildest dreams. Jillian gets me every time!

The best part about all this was yesterday, I was sitting on the couch and Mike comes up behind me and told me how proud he was of me and gave me a big kiss! That made everything worth it!

Oh, and since I cant not have pictures in my post. Here are some from Project 365.

The second one cracks me up! She got tired of Daddy taking pictures of her. Yesterday, the sunshine came out!! It was a gorgeous day! We walked to the store, and soaked up the sun!

Flat Belly Diet

2010-01-17T08:36:00.001-08:00

This is the diet that I am trying. It sounds pretty legit. I mean really, I don’t need to loose a lot of weight except for in my midsection. Every else, I think that I look great. There is a 4 day bloat startup. It cuts out all caffeine, salts, processed foods, and carbs. It shouldn’t be too hard. I don’t like fish, so I plan to eat turkey cutlets and chicken.

The diet itself focuses on MUFA’s. It means Monounsaturated fatty acids found in plant derived goods. You know like, oils, nuts and seeds, avocadoes, chocolate {YES! chocolate!} and olives. These are the examples from the book.

Flax oil
Sunflower oil
Olive oil
Canola oil
Green olives
Almond butter
Peanut butter
Chocolate chips
Avocadoes
Seeds
Macadamia nuts
Dark chocolate
Peanuts
Soybeans
Tahini
Pesto sauce

By eating these, you help:

Lower blood pressure
Lower risk of Parkinson's disease
Reduction in internal inflammation

Easy enough right?! Well in case you didn’t think that I wasn’t crazy… I’m also topping it off with Ms. Jillian Michael. That’s right, the bitch is coming off the shelf and I’m going to try again. Lord, help me!

Right now, I weigh 140lbs! Shut up! I haven’t weighed that much since I was 7 months pregnant with Olivia. {ha! I was tiny when I got pregnant. a whopping 110lbs.}

My goal, is to be 120-125lbs.

well look who it is..

2010-01-16T09:25:00.001-08:00

I’ve been in hiding. Well actually, I have been avoiding blogging. I lost it. I lost that blogging mojo that I had for a long time. I think it might be back!!

Can we just talk about a certain public service announcement that should be all over the web. The one that says “Twitter has over taken my blog!” I’m serious. I don’t think that I am alone on this.
”Hi, I’m Ashlee, and I’m addicted to twitter”

where did all my blog mojo go?? about 13 hours ago from mobile web
do you say qu-poun or coo-pon for coupon?? about 16 hours ago from mobile web
"we never go anywhere, a plane would have to hit the couch" about 21 hours ago from mobile web
really. im on my Q. mikes on the computer. CAN YOU FEEL THE LOOOVE TONIIIGHT?! 8:04 PM Jan 14th from mobile web
we went bowling tonight! oh my gosh it was a blast!! 5:29 PM Jan 14th from mobile web
my husband is making pot roast for his dad and him from @thepioneerwoman cookbook..looks like im have pb&j 12:00 PM Jan 14th from mobile web
i got new glasses. i'm really excited about them. 2:57 PM Jan 13th from API

Okay, so maybe that is why I haven’t blog. Because life isn't so exciting lately. Mike and I are enjoying a vacation from work together. A whole week of just us and little bug. We are lucky that we even get our of our pajamas to run errands. It’s been SO nice.

I’m continuing my project 365. I’m excited that I actually remember to take a picture everyday. My Dad told me that it was a really great idea and that he wanted me to keep it up! So of course, I will! :)

Here are the pictures that I forgot to post:

OH!! And did you notice! Look how cute my blog is!!! I did it all by myself! Well scrapblog, cutestblogontheblock, poladroid helped a little! But I did all the hard work! I’m really really happy with it! It is definitely the look that I am going for. Simple and cute!

Alright, I’ve been on the computer long enough! My butt hurts and Olivia wants to play!

006 & 007

2010-01-08T08:13:00.001-08:00

Real substantial blog later. I promise. I’m an awful blogger lately.

005/365

2010-01-06T07:04:00.001-08:00

Olivia’s favorite game lately, is pushing her stroller. She has her baby and a purse too. I love the necklace too :)

umm

2010-01-06T05:31:00.001-08:00

I feel off today.

I’ll be back later when I’m in a better mood.

so cool

2010-01-04T09:20:00.001-08:00

Liv got a new hoodie from her Aunt Kica “key-kah” She definitely thought she was the BOMB.com. I guess I’m not the only one that likes new clothes.

Sorry for the short post this week. I work 40 hrs and I don’t know when to sit down. I will post more in depth blogs about what we have been up too {nothing} and some fun valentines things. I LOVE Valentines Day. It really is my favorite holiday. Even before Christmas! :)

002

2010-01-03T00:50:00.001-08:00

This is what happens when you are having way too much fun rough housing before work.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T04:06:00.001-08:00

“To us! To a fresh start. To fun and adventure. To Olivia and maybe one day, one more love bug”

{check out the clock. 2:47am? yea, Mike and I toasted before he went to work at 3. we are HARDCORE! So much, that we went to bed, played trivial pursuit on the iPod, snuggled and went to sleep. best. new. years. ever.}

{don’t forget}

{we heart it}

This year, I’m attempting project 365. I’m pretty excited about it! I’ll post every day with my picture, I probably wont scrapbook them, just bind them all together. It will be great to see Olivia grow from day to day!

2010.

2009-12-28T05:16:00.001-08:00

a penny saved..
is a penny earned.

Except when I see new shoes..
So, here is my gift to you..

I hope, I’ve got nothing’ to loose.

Saving some dough
some stress and burdens too..

I want to buy a cottage with you…
I hope that this will do.

Here is to 2010..
I cant believe how time as flew.

…Did I mention that I love you?

{That’s the letter I wrote to Mike. I put all the pieces into an envelope and I set it on the counter. I’ll let you know what he thinks when he opens it.
We are starting this year off with a BANG. He might pass out when he sees what I did..
I want to be debt free. I want to manage money, keep our budget and learn to save the money I get every week.}

At Christmas Time

2009-12-26T07:53:00.001-08:00

Have I mentioned how much I love Christmas? I really do. Not just for the presents. I love that feeling in the air. You know the one? That just seems to calm everyone down and make everyone in a good mood, no matter what. I love that! I wish that it was like that all the time. I really do.

At our house, we did Christmas over a couple of days. Mike and I have such wonky schedules that we wanted to be able to do everything together. And we were planning on going over to Mike’s mom’s house for Christmas day. I kind of missed opening all the presents on Christmas day. We finally decided that it was okay to stay home. I know, I said it. We are going to be staying home from now on. Both of us work the day after Christmas anyways. It only seems fair. Not just to us, but to Olivia too. She needs to build memories from home. I think that next year, she will be even more excited for everything. I actually cant wait. She became quite the excellent paper ripper.

I was thinking about traditions in our family that I could share. We only have a couple, but I always look forward to them. At my Mom’s house, we always get an ornament at thanksgiving. She always knows the PERFECT one to give. She is just good like that. At our house, Mike and I always put our ornament in the stocking. I love getting two new ornaments every year. I think we might be able to upgrade our tree next year! Woohoo!! Another traditions that we have is pajamas on Christmas Eve. I love that! I love pajamas! Who doesn’t!? And then you also look really cute in your pajamas when people are taking pictures of you opening presents! :)
The last thing that Mike and I do is, 3 presents. 3 presents each. Usually one from each of us, and one from us together. Mike and I decided that we didn’t want to focus on stuff. Hard to believe right? I know, I’m robbing my child of a tree FILLED with presents. But really think about it. When you were a kid, you always wanted that ONE thing. The one thing that you would of LOVED to have. Your mom always bought you everything around that one thing. And I will admit that Olivia may hate me when she is 13 and “everyone else gets a million presents” but she will (hopefully) realize that some people don’t get anything. I think that next year, we will include service into our Christmas celebration. Helping the homeless, donating to toys for tots, or filling up a shoebox.

Anyways, here are some fun pictures of Miss Liv :)

Christmas at Grandma Nancy’s

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas! :)

Um…

2009-12-23T19:10:00.001-08:00

Olivia is kissing boys.
To be exact. A cute boy name Canyon.

she is already kissing boys.. *sigh*

She goes in for another from Kota…

he rejects her…

do you think it’s too early to plan their wedding?!

…i don’t think so.

Christmas cookies

2009-12-20T11:04:00.001-08:00

sneaking dough, the sprinkles, the icing, the mess.
best. night. ever.

blessed.

2009-12-19T06:34:00.001-08:00

Have I told you lately, how much I love you?

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.
~Desmond Tutu

hanging stuff, Ashlee’s way

2009-12-18T06:57:00.000-08:00

This is my no fail system to hanging shelves, pictures, and anything else that goes on the wall.

I take a piece of paper or two the size of whatever I’m hanging. tape it together.

I mark the holes on the piece of paper. I usually have to line up the paper so that it’s straight. I use a screw driver or a pencil. Whatever I have on hand.

I tape up the piece of paper where I want it to go, and then I start hammering or screwing the holes in the wall. I have to hand screw these ones. which was a pain in the BUTT. I’m using my sears gift card of this bad boy.

See, then you have the papers attached to the walls and the holes in the right spot.

Hang your shelf. And then pull the papers out from under the shelf.

Perfect straight little girls vanity for Liv.

I did the same exact thing for her dress up hanger.

I hope this helps and I hope it works! When I figured this out, I haven’t gone back to “guessing” since! :) Mostly, I just feel really awesome that I can hang things without my husbands help. I swear, he busts out the graphing calculator, string, a yard stick and whatever else to hang up stuff for me. He probably 100% straight. but whatever.

I love snow.

2009-12-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

It snowed 9 inches on Tuesday. Look at that face, that is my happy face {kinda funny that I just typed gappy?} Then my face went from happy to mad because my car hates the snow and didn’t want to start. GRR

Olivia was a little excited. She got to throw snowballs at Mommy.

I love her rosy cheeks.

numerology

2009-12-17T10:19:00.000-08:00

I did this for fun here:

You entered: Ashlee

There are 6 letters in your name.
Those 6 letters total to 23
There are 3 vowels and 3 consonants in your name.
What your first name means:

English
Female
Meadow of ash trees.

Your number is: 5

The characteristics of #5 are: Expansiveness, visionary, adventure, the constructive use of freedom.

The expression or destiny for #5:
The number 5 Expression endows with the wonderful characteristic of multi-talents and versatility. You can do so many things well. The tone of the number 5 is constructive freedom, and in your drive to attain this freedom, you will likely be the master of adaptability and change. You are good at presenting ideas and knowing how to approach people to get what you want. Naturally, this gives you an edge in any sort of selling game and spells easy success when it comes to working with people in most jobs. Your popularity may lead you toward some form of entertainment or amusement. Whatever you do, you are clever, analytical, and a very quick thinker.

If there is too much of the 5 energy in your makeup, you may express some the negative attitudes of the number. Your restless and impatient attitude may keep you from staying with any project for too long. Sometimes you can be rather erratic and scatter yourself and your energies. You have a hard time keeping regular office hours and maintaining any sort of a routine. You tend to react strongly if you sense that your freedom of speech or action is being impaired or restricted in any way. As clever as you are, you may have a tendency to make the same mistakes over and over again because much of your response is glib reaction rather that thoughtful application. You are in a continuous state of flux brought by constantly changing interests.

Your Soul Urge number is: 11

A Soul Urge number of 11 means:
With the 11 Soul Urge, much of your thinking and interests relate to the abstract, the spiritual, and utopian dreams. You are motivated toward idealistic concepts, and the sharing of your ideas and concepts with humanity. This number is not one that is giving in a material or a practical sense, but rather one who desires to help mankind with a more abstract commodity such as religion, spiritualism, occult studies, or even psychic abilities.

If you possess the positive 11 Soul Urge traits, you have a dream of the perfect world; you are highly idealistic and inspirational. Your inner strength and devotion to your beliefs are extremely strong. You have a very good mind that is especially well equipped to handle the higher, more abstract forms of thought.

If there is an excess of 11 energy in your makeup, you may possess some the negative 11 traits. There is a tendency for the 11 to produce considerable amounts of nervous tension which is bought on by a very high level of awareness. You may be too sensitive and overly emotional. In some cases, these sensitivities and emotions are quite repressed, and this tends to add even more to the sense of nervousness in the makeup.

The strong 11 is not a very practical person because of the extreme idealism; often, there is a degree of self-deception present. There is usually a rather fixed idea of right and wrong held by those showing strong 11 traits, and with this very often is a resulting attitude of inflexibility.

Your Inner Dream number is: 3

An Inner Dream number of 3 means:
You dream of artistic expression; writing, painting, music. You would seek to more freely express your inner feeling and obtain more enjoyment from life. You also dream of being more popular, likable, and appreciated.

It’s kind of weird how accurate this is.. try it!

Julie and Julia

2009-12-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

{credit}
this was my favorite scene from the movie.
It seems like something I would do. Just to be the best.

The movie made me laugh and cry. Hubs even enjoyed it.
{don’t tell him I told you.}

I woke up to this..

2009-12-15T06:04:00.001-08:00

There is at least 6 inches out there. I love every single bit of it!
{yes, I'm up before the sun.. aren’t you?}

Christmas time :)

2009-12-14T10:22:00.001-08:00

I made a Satsuma orange snowman! He is WAY too cute :)

Olivia, Mike and I decorated our tree. Olivia did a great job telling everyone where to put the ornaments. She wanted all of them “dere” and that was usually the very top. She helped Daddy put on the star topper. Which is from Mike and I’s first Christmas. It’s too important to ever replace. I think we will keep it until it dies one day.

And the stockings are hung on the wall. I’m really excited that Target had a cute penguin one for Olivia. Mike and I got our stockings on our honeymoon in Leavenworth, WA. We even got Bernie a stocking and put a honey stick in it.

The tree definitely wont be on the cover of Country Living, but every ornament means so much to me, i couldn’t imagine not hanging them from the tree.

I found some old pictures of our trees.

Pregnant with Liv.

2nd Christmas tree. It was on a table so Olivia couldn’t eat it.
We have always done small trees.

While looking for pictures of our trees, I found this gorgeous picture of Olivia.

She is so little :(

somedays…

2009-12-12T06:32:00.000-08:00

after i get done teasing my crown so that I get that “is she wearing a bump-it? look” I just want to walk out of the house without fixing it.

But I think that would be very “Kate Gosselin” of me. So I smooth it out. Cause I refuse to be anything like Kate.

then I add a flower and I’m instantly sassy and hotstuff!

…but mostly I just wish I was always cute like this girl :)

best 1.50 I’ve ever spent.

2009-12-09T06:19:00.001-08:00

I cant help but CRACK up when I see these pictures.

Yummy, Christmas Cards, Wreaths, Key fobs oh my! try it tuesday!

2009-12-08T10:38:00.001-08:00

I made these delicious Chocolate tarts with peppermint creme

If I was going to make them again, I would make half the amount of peppermint creme, and more chocolate cause I really filled up the tart shells. Oh, and I only did half the amount of extract asked for cause, I didn’t want the peppermint to take over the dessert.

I finally am done with all my christmas cards! I did a hybrid card and really loved how easy and quick they turned out! I might even do it again next year :) I love them, I think they are my favorite cards ever!

I added the penguin inside the scalloped circle. It added a great touch. Since penguins are HUGE in this family, of course we had to use it!

See that cute polka dot wristlet on my keys?! I made that! :) Out of felt and ribbon! I love it and everyone always asks me where I got it!

I made this too!! Eddie Ross came up with the idea and it has been all over blog land. It was a pain in the BUTT to make but I'm glad that I finished it. I used over 60 balls. I made some smaller balls too. It’s perfect!

I had really cute hair the other day. I owe it all to this flower that I got in a 2 pack at forever21. Try it! Put a flower in your hair, I felt sassy ALL day :)

I give this post and hot cocoa when its 10 degrees outside, 2 enthusiastic thumbs up!

22 before I’m 23

2009-12-02T13:13:00.001-08:00

I jumped in head first. I wanted to create a list of goals. Things that I have always wanted to do but I put off and put off until I just forget about them. Does that sound familiar?? So I took the leap, and decided to follow suit and make a list. Some of the things on the list are just for fun and others are things that I WILL do.

I painted a canvas and decided that just go with it. This is what I cam up with. I love it. It’s messy and it is very me. In case you cant read my chicken scratch, here it is:

The List.

get a tattoo
run a marathon
sleep under the stars
go on a weekend backpacking trip
finish to date – Olivia’s scrapbook
take a photography class
take conversational spanish
start craft night
not just blog, continue my real journal.
grow my own fruits and veggies
bring my reusable bags to every store. not just grocery store.
ride my pink bike whenever I can
read at least 50 books
learn to knit
paint a canvas
drink more water. camelback = 3rd arm
can jellies and fruits
take pictures in a photo booth
sew with a real pattern
take a weekend with “just the girls”
sleep past noon
have an arts and crafts week with Olivia
live a healthy lifestyle

Thanks Michelle for inspiring me! You are amazing!

I am thankful

2009-11-26T07:50:00.000-08:00

For this man, who constantly puts a smile on my face and butterflies in my tummy. Without him, I would be lost.

For this beautiful healthy girl who is sassy and fun just like her Momma and I thank God that he blessed me such a beautiful girl to take care.

I found this poem, and really enjoyed it.

I heard my Mom say as she scrubbed today,

"I'm thankful for brushes and brooms,

I'm glad to clean my cozy house

That's filled with cheerful rooms."

I heard my Mom say at the washing machine,

"I'm thankful for dirty clothes.

I'm glad that I have a healthy child

Who can play each day he grows."

I heard my Mom say at the sink tonight,

"I'm thankful for dirty dishes.

I'm glad we filled our plates with food

Instead of empty wishes.:

I heard Mom say in her prayers tonight,

"I'm thankful for problems today.

If life never got a little bit rough,

I might forget to pray."

~V. Gilbert Beers

"Precious Moments"

Thanks Momma Kat for making me count my blessings twice :)

I will give someone 4635 chocolates if they can figure out why in Live writer it double spaces EVERYTHING?! it drives me FREAKIN’ bonkers!!!

random.. like always.

2009-11-25T08:09:00.001-08:00

1-2-3 Chocolate Microwave Mug Cake
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2-3 tablespoons sugar (according to desired sweetness)
1 tablespoon flour
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as canola
3 tablespoons egg white or plain Egg Whites in a carton
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
optional:
1 teaspoon chocolate chips
*As a variation, substitute almond extract for the vanilla.
Also, you can change the chocolate chips to any flavor chips you'd like.

I found this recipe here go there for further details ;)

It’s heaven. I tweaked it a little. I added 3 tablespoons sugar because I like it sweet. 2 eggs make enough egg white for 2 cups of cake. I did one with choc. chips and one without and I like the one with. And, really make sure the bottom is cooks. I did it for 2 and half minutes in my microwave and the bottom was still a little undone. But it was still delicious!

We celebrated my birthday with our best friends Susan and Adrian. It as a lot of fun and they trusted me to light my own candles.. where I used too many matches because there were SO many :)

I bought this cute flannel from Forever21. My hubs told me I looked like a lumberjack and asked if that was in.. boys don’t know ANYTHING. But I thought I looked really cute. And to be pretty vain, I’m having a good face week!

{this is the face I make when hubs doesn’t like my outfits}

I thought it was real cute that Olivia wanted a magazine to read when we were in the car.. Maybe I should put some of her books in the backseat, but then again, she does need to keep up on the 2009 trends :)

Mike think this face looks like Edward. He swears he makes this face in EVERY press picture. I think he is right. I don’t he is ATTRACTIVE at all. THERE I SAID IT!

In case you cant get enough of Mike and I {haha.. right??} I took this picture and when I looked, I was like “WTF is wrong with my eye!?” and I remembered that they did the yellow dye at the eye doctor, and I must not of got it all and it only showed up in pictures. Maybe this time around, the eye doctor will get the RIGHT size of contacts and I can actually where them for longer than an hour.

{this is a serious stink eye. WATCH OUT!}

PS. in a fast editing, making sure I don’t sound crazy, I realize there are 3 pictures of me with the same face.. please don’t stop being my friend :(

Day at our spot!

2009-11-21T06:51:00.000-08:00

Every year, Mike and I take a picture at our spot.

The spot where he asked me to marry him.

The spot where we said “I do.”

That spot.

I think we will always go to that spot for our Christmas picture. always. It’s changed ever over the last couple of years.

We had a huge flood this year and we drove by and I was in tears. It was flooded up to the freeway. I was so worried that we wouldn’t have our spot any more. Thankfully, the city of E’Burg, came to the rescue!

We went yesterday and took some fun pictures, one for our cards and the rest for fun. :) Have I mentioned, I LOVE my camera!?

these trees were hugging.

we still have gorgeous leaves!

Olivia wanted to kiss the tree.. I think Daddy did too!

This picture is for Kelli :) {Look how good Gordon's brother looks! He is SO in vogue!}

I love this place!

This was my tripod. I’m officially a B.A photographer.. I carried this thing 50 yards and IT WAS HEAVY! {and dirty..ew}

It was the best day ever.

Renewing vows..

2009-11-20T10:23:00.001-08:00

When Mike and I got married.. it was very simple. I even wore jeans. I often talk to Mike about renewing our vows in 3 more years. I’m not the type to fuss, but I think having a big wedding would be fun too. Most importantly, I want my Daddy to walk me down the aisle. This would be my perfect wedding, dress and everything.

I would have it here, at the Beecherhill House in Pashastin Wa. It’s an orchard and it’s beautiful.

Just 3 more years of saving.. *sigh*

“you’re the closest to heaven..that I’ll ever be..”

2009-11-19T04:42:00.000-08:00

Baby,

On this perfect day, I made the best promise that I have ever made. You are forever my best friend, lover and baby. I love our life together and cant help but smile when I think that I get to spend the rest of it with you.

I love you always.

Your Babycakes.

Happy Birthday

2009-11-18T04:33:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Susan!

Thanks for being there through thick and thin. And for the coffee dates and the “nap times” and for keeping me sane and reminding me of all the good when the bad seems to prevail. I’m so glad I have a wine-o friend to drink and get drunk with after half a bottle.. I’m so blessed to have such an amazing friend in my life :) I hope you have an amazing birthday and a wonderful year! xoxo

PS. Maybe this year we can do a triceratops impression again!? :)

Hola Amigas!

2009-11-14T08:01:00.001-08:00

We went to El Caporal for dinner for my birthday.. they sung to me and made me wear the sombrero. I think I could pull it off all the time. Maybe start a new trend? no, just kidding. I celebrated with a giant strawberry margarita! :) Yummm

It started snowing last night!! It was the official first snow! I took Olivia out to play in it! But we only stayed our for a second cause the wind was blowing and it was SO cold! Olivia didn’t know what was falling from the sky.. but she had fun! The snow is 5 days early! It always snows on Mike and I’s anniversary. It’s really pretty out and there is barely half an inch.

Christmas is coming!!

I want: polyvore

2009-11-13T07:15:00.001-08:00

heartbreak warfare by ashleeolivia featuring Forever21

Please and Thank you <3

Happy Happy Birthday!

2009-11-12T08:46:00.001-08:00

Today I’m going to eat cupcakes…

Drink lots of wine…

and laugh.. a lot

i cant believe I’m 22.

source: weheartit

kick a field goal???

2009-11-11T12:12:00.001-08:00

Man: Can I tell you something?? ::gets real close::

Me: Sure…

Man: I’m a dentist, and I just want to tell you to never fix your gap. It’s so you.

Me: Wow, thank you very much!

Dentist: It’s so very Laura Hutton. I love it.

That was the highlight of my day! It was very nice and I did turn very red, I’m sure of it! :)

So I guess I’m channeling my inner Laura Hutton

…

2009-11-10T06:09:00.001-08:00

Yes, Forever21! This is exactly what I always wanted..

I want: Etsy

2009-11-08T07:43:00.001-08:00

Don’t forget my birthday is on Thursday, the 12th! :) xo!

Remember that to-do list??

2009-11-08T05:16:00.000-08:00

I went online and purchased these 3 patterns. Umm WHAT WAS I THINKING!? They are sooo beyond my skill level. Amy Butler?! How about Amyi’vebeensewingfor3425yearsandi’mbetterthatyouButler. I really liked that shirt/dress thing. and back it says “I love this to wear on casual days” If I make this.. I’m wearing it everyday for the rest of my life. i promise. I think I will need my Momma. She might as well move into Olivia’s room so I don’t throw my sewing machine across the room..

And this cute little purse organizer! I’m there! There is beyond me too. But I think I can mess this one up and still use it. Now the kicker is that I want to make one for my Momma and Seester for Christmas. And the other reason I jumped into this one is because I love my butler bag that I got at Avon, but I refuse to give up all my other giant bags..this will be AMAZING!! You let me know, I’ll make you one for Christmas too! ;) (not in that green fabric..ew)

I don’t know why. This is just too cute! I’m thinking when I go to the pool and just need my id? and card? I think so. Or when I’m at the gym? yeah, like I go to the gym. but whatever.. I do what I want. that red one is in Amy Butler fabric.. I’m going to spend a fortune on fabric now. Thank God for Joann’s and their 40% off coupon.

wow..

2009-11-07T06:48:00.001-08:00

I had this crazy idea to try and find my old livejournal. It was “the thing” in high school. I have been cracking up ALL morning. It is hilarious! Some things that I’ve noticed:

I was immature in high school
I needed more help than I ever thought when I broke up with Danny. (my high school sweetie)
my screen name for AIM was LiPgLoSsKiSsEs33 (i kid you not.)
I will lock my daughter in her room if she is anything like me.
I really liked boys. a little too much.
I think I would be okay never ever seeing Scott, Robbie, Chad, Mo, or Danny again.
I didn’t know a THING about love.
I’m so glad I’m done with highschool.
Best quote ever.

"i'm so proud of my girls, all of the other girls are so jealous of them."

-My Mom

(this was after some girls tried to beat me up, only to punch the back of my head because I walked away. she thought I wanted to be with her boyfriend. WOW!)

This is the best picture ever..

So, I’m going to find the delete button on my livejournal.. I think it will be good for me and my future career.

Recently:

2009-11-06T05:17:00.000-08:00

My stylist put brown streaks in my hair. I’m kind of in love with them. And I’m head over heels in love with Aimee. She is amazing and I love her. She makes me laugh and she is so much fun to talk to. I never thought I would actually have a “hair stylist” but I do. I want to bring her presents and coffee, just to show her that I love her.

I’m really happy that Olivia wants to help me with everything. If I’m in the kitchen, she bangs on her stool and wants it moved right next to Momma. She wants to help with everything. It melts my heart. She wants to stir, taste and talk about everything that we are doing. It’s what I’ve been waiting for. I cant believe how patient I am when she is in the kitchen. I let her explore everything and I don’t mind a bit when she makes a mess. I know, I’m just as shocked as you.

We signed up for swim lessons! Olivia LOVES it. She already doesn’t want me to help her. And look how precious she is in her bathing suit!! I love those squishy thighs…

We successfully partied it up for Amy’s baby shower! It was the a blast. There were at least 6 kids there around Olivia’s age. But with her love of boys (oh Lord!) she played with Dakota and Canyon the most. She loved them. I didn’t even see her most of the day. She was always in the playroom getting out toys and messing with everything. The twins are WILD! My sweet girl is timid and kind. Olivia doesn’t get very much play time with other kids, so she definitely was tired when we headed home.

Aren’t they so handsome!?

Olivia loves Dakota (green sweater) He is her main squeeze. They even kiss!

November..

2009-11-05T04:36:00.001-08:00

Wow, November is blazing through. Not like October didn’t go by fast enough. But here we are, I guess there is no use trying to stop time or in our case, trying to stop the snow from coming so soon.

My goals for November:

~~Throw successful baby shower for Amy~~
Turn 22 gracefully.
create at least 3 things out of my “idea book”
make polka dot wristlets
find a unique/fun/girly present for Susan
Decorate for Christmas (I’m enjoying them as much as I can)
Not eat every chocolate bar in sight.

Easy as box cake?! I think so.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T19:04:00.001-08:00

“But then, shall I never get any older than I am now? That'll be a comfort, one way -- never to be an old woman -- but then -- always to have lessons to learn!” -Alice

“No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow.” – Mad Hatter

“Who's been painting my roses red? WHO'S BEEN PAINTING MY ROSES RED? Who dares to taint, With vulgar paint, The royal flower bed? For painting my roses red Someone will lose his head.” –Queen of Hearts

Halloween was a blast! I really loved that Mike and I dressed up with Olivia! We got a lot of “Um…” looks and even more “Oh my gosh, I love it!!” I’m really glad that we decided to dress up with Olivia. It was FREEZING cold and windy! We made it a couple blocks and then decided that Olivia had enough candy. I’m glad we stopped when we did. We came home had hot cider and warm milk and cuddled. Olivia did amazing. She was on her BEST behavior, I swear. She didn’t whine or pout and she was laughing the whole time! Mike and I decided that we would dress up with Olivia as long as she wanted us too. We have all kinds of ideas brewing for next year.

I made Mike and Olivia’s costume pieces, like the vest, apron, hat and bow tie. Everything else was second hand. I found mine at Goodwill (thank god for living in a college town)

I’m so lucky to have such a wonderful husband that is willing to dress up too. None of the other men were dressed up. He really is the best, and such a good sport :)

this picture is from Ellensburg website :) We are so cute!

20 months

2009-10-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

My sweet baby. I cant believe that Olivia is 20 months! She is incredibly smart and so much fun. She is always full of smiles, giggles and sass. I love when she comes up to me just to give me a kiss. She always knows how to make anything fun. And her laugh fills the whole room. I’m so blessed to have such an great girl.

Even on days like this…

“A good home must be made, not bought”

2009-10-31T09:43:00.000-07:00

I am no where near a designer. I would NEVER claim to be. I took a interior decorating class one time, and didn’t enjoy it. What I do enjoy is making my house warm and cozy. Putting touches that only I can do. So I thought, I would show you some of my favorite things about my house. Little things that make me smile and make me realize, this is my home.

I adore my bathroom. I think that bathrooms are suppose to be a sanctuary?? But I went with fun instead. We got this shower curtain at Target. My Momma bought me the hooks to go with it. I love it. It always puts a smile on my face. I accented with polka dots and blue, orange and green. I would show you the rest of the my bathroom…but remember, I worked 32 hours this week and 40 last week?? :)

My amazing living room. For the record, our house is sinking on one side. It’s not our house, so as long as we are safe, I will deal, but in the mean time, all my pictures look constantly crooked! My Daddy ( a carpenter) comes over and straightens them all for me and then does it again before he leaves. I’m glad I’m not OCD about that kind of stuff, otherwise i would go crazy. My Momma bought that mirror at Michaels. I love it!

This is above our couch. That saying i got a craft mall. The picture on the left is our wedding. I should find that and post it! We look cute and young, and it was only 2 years ago. The one on the right is one of our all time favorite pictures. I really love all the pieces that make this wall.

I got this frame on clearance for 60% off. Same with the elephants. Some how, everything just fit together and it was meant to be. Even the crab, cause we like to peench.

My heart rock collection.

There is only one picture of my bedroom. There is nothing fancy in there. We plan on doing an asian theme. But probably not til we move into a house. For now, this where I get ready. I got the mirror at Goodwill and gave my old mirror to Olivia. Those are pictures of my Daddy. They mean the world to me.

I love my kitchen. I spend a lot of time in there. I should of just took a picture of the whole thing, but this was more fun. These watermelons my Momma made. She always had them in her kitchen and I always loved them. She brought them to me when I moved into my own house. I love them so much. They are just a touch of Momma that I need.

This wall is the backside of the kitchen. I found most of these things at St. Vincent's . Except the star and the bunny on the left, those are Momma touches too. (Thanks Mom!)

Um.. I have crap everywhere.

My apron collection.

This is my craft and scrapbooking space. I hung those shelves all by myself! I wouldn’t trust them in an earthquake.. but whatever! I finally have it organizes enough that I know where everything is. It’s a good feeling. On the left wall there is a bulletin board. It makes me feel like a teenager because I have all different kinds of things on there. Even my own letter from high school. This room is also the laundry room which has shelves full of party/cake decorating/big things.

There is my little tour of my house. I love every single room.

…except Olivia’s. It never stays clean. And she pulls EVERYTHING out of everywhere. Lord, help me!

wife. mom. me

05. A photo of yourself from 2 years ago..

04

Day 03.

Day 2

Day 01

30 day challenge

Oh facebook..

peek into our weekend.

:)

right now:

Happy St. Patty’s Day!!

no longer peppy..

The one where everyone decides that I’m nuts and probably starts to hate me..

I love spending money??

day 3

Birthday Party Part 1!

day 2

Day 1

you know cause we are BFF

Just a little pick me up!

day in the life..

photo update!

Resolutions 2011

Project 365

Project 365

2010 Wrap Up!

A little wish..

The Perfect Ellensburg Fall Photo

1 month

if you would of…

Umm..

My sweet little man

waiting..

Pumpkin Patch!

this is it.

27 weeks!

tired..

…i should be folding laundry…

Happy Fathers Day!

baby wish list

23 weeks

photo update

22 weeks!

*giggle* will you be my boyfriend?

update :)

8 weeks

We’ve gotta secret..

gorgeous day

Valentines Day

update

update: day 1 & 2

Flat Belly Diet

well look who it is..

006 & 007

005/365

umm

so cool

002

Happy New Year!

2010.

At Christmas Time

Um…

Christmas cookies

blessed.

hanging stuff, Ashlee’s way

I love snow.

numerology

Julie and Julia

I woke up to this..

Christmas time :)

somedays…

best 1.50 I’ve ever spent.

Yummy, Christmas Cards, Wreaths, Key fobs oh my! try it tuesday!

22 before I’m 23

I am thankful

random.. like always.

Day at our spot!

Renewing vows..

“you’re the closest to heaven..that I’ll ever be..”

giggle will you be my boyfriend?