And the slacker of the week award goes to...

ME!!!! I failed to get posts on here for Wednesday and Thursday. Life has been so stinking busy these past few days that I seriously have no idea where all my time went!!

Wednesday morning I got a message from my plastic surgeon's office that they needed to reschedule me since he has decided to close the office on the 17th...sent me into orbit of course! However, we were able to maintain my surgery on the 18th, I just have to make an extra trip down for the consult on the 10th...an extra $250 that I didn't want to dish out, but such is life.

Got the hair recolored and cut Wednesday after my meltdown...it was relaxing and refreshing!! Amazing how fast my hair grows...now if only there was some magical way to make it thicker with at least a hint of curl!!

Wednesday night Tonia came over and we helped her get her Studio J account up and rolling! I'm quite sure we did more talking than creating but it was a ton of fun! Can't wait to do it again!!

Thursday was work, and feeding my angry birds addiction!! It's always, 'just one more try', which turns into several more until I beat that level, and then it's 'just one more level'...pretty soon the phone battery is almost dead, and I've spent 3 hours playing the stupid game! Oh well, what fun!!

Today was more work...but it was followed up with a ton of fun. Since Joe is in town from Seattle, we had him, Pete n Misty and their kids, Misty's sister Carrie, and Misty's mom, Marie over for pizza and games. We played Mexican train dominoes...only 5 rounds before it was bedtime for the kiddos and Misty, Carrie and Marie took off. The best part, I was the BIG winner after that!!! WOOHOOOOOOO!!!!

Happy new year! Lots of fun wishes for 2011! I'm sure it's going to be a FABULOUS year!!

Taking down Christmas

Decided that with the hubby's friend, Joe, coming into town tomorrow that I may not have time until well after the 1st to get the Christmas stuff put away, so today was the big day. I think that the boys had more fun un-decorating the tree than unwrapping presents!! As I was putting away decorations I was reminiscing to when I was a little girl. And for as long as I can remember this one particular ceramic hand painted Santa has been a part of my Christmas, each and every year! A good friend of the family painted it for my mom, decades ago. He gets the picture of the day today because he brings back such fond memories of Christmas, and of my mom!

Got the watch links taken out so that I can start wearing my beautiful new watch regularly. It used to be that I couldn't go more than a day or two without one, but it's been months since I had one on. It may take some getting used to!!

Tonight at Zumba was the Best of 2010! Crystal took requests and kicked our butts in short order! The song that she has us do a million squats to...I seriously didn't think it would EVER end...my quads were screaming at me! They are too terrible now, but ooh boy! I'm not sure if it was the favorite songs or the new Zumba wear tonight, but it was awesome! It's sad to think that I only have 2 more weeks, and then I'm out for at least a month! My new tank top is form fitting, so I used it for my before picture (need one that is scrapbookable)...it's proof of the NEED for surgery and an upgrade! : )

Finished my cards for next month's card workshop. And thus, FINALLY got my newsletter out to the girls. It makes me feel good to have had a few inquiries about when it would be available, and have interest in the workshops! Love my girls!!!

Anyways, I'd better get some shut eye, Zach was up at 6:45 this morning...and I'm sure we're in for a repeat!!!!

Another workshop complete!

Had Kelli and her mom over tonight for a scrapbook workshop. We did Christmas mistletoe pages. This was only Lynne's second workshop, so I was a bit apprehensive about the new patterns from the Magic recipe book...but she totally rocked it! Having them over just reminds me of how much I need to get done, and in short order! With surgery on the 18th, I'm having the workshops before that, and I cannot believe that January is here already on Saturday! I am really enjoying this business of being a consultant though, watching my ladies create beautiful pages and projects, and chatting it up and having so much fun in the process! Wish I liked the real career this much!!

I started my day off right with a 90 minute massage with Maire! LOVE her!! I got 30 extra minutes for my birthday present from her...and it was heavenly! Although I flunked the extra stretch and relax session at the end...crazy lady for expecting this type A, OCD personality to relax on command!! She told me that we needed to work on it, and I shall, I just warned her not to hold her breath on the relaxing part coming easily or soon!!

Got the good ol' teeth cleaned today too. My hygenist is expecting her first child, and just found out that it's a little girl! She is such a sweetheart, and I'm soooooo excited for her! And small world it is...she had augmentation 5 years ago with Dr Young too!! Fun chatting with her while she cleaned and flossed my teeth! She said that my gums look good, so I'm not in trouble yet for not flossing but twice a year when she does it for me!!!

My picture of the day, is of the workshop table...all set up and eagerly awaiting Kelli and Lynne! I gave myself a year to decide if it's something that I want to do, or just keep the consultant status and get the discount...I'm thinking that it's going to be something that I want to continue well past August! ; ) It brings me such joy!

Off to do one of 5 million things that still need to be completed today...until tomorrow!

Detest treadmill, usually

I contemplated having Casey drop me off at the church where the boys go on Sunday mornings with his mom, and then running my butt home...the scale was NOT kind to me this morning! Damn cookies and layered bean dip anyways!! I mapquested it, and it was 5.64 miles home, so I quickly decided that I'd rather just run my normal route. However, it was raining at 11 when I dropped the boys off...so I decided I'd just walk on the treadmill later. (Because I can't stand to run on it...I get bored, and don't play the head games very well with myself on that darn thing) I have found a way to get thru a nice long walk however, and not get the least bit bored! It's called, Patricia Cornwell! Her latest book is very intriguing, as usual! I walked 3 miles, in 55 minutes, and didn't look at the time until 51 minutes into my walk! My picture of the day today shall be of the treadmill, with my dear book on it! Now if only I could find a way to run on it and read at the same time!!!! And trust me, I've tried audio books, but it doesn't push me hard enough! I need music blaring in my ears when I run!

It was a rather uneventful day today. I did get pics from Jessie of her mom's side of the family. I'm going to scrapbook them for her. It's fun to look at the pictures, since I've only known some of them for 6 or so years...most, I've never met! We were talking about it though, I'm pretty much scrapbooking them for me since her two boys don't really care that much now. It will be interesting to see if they do when they're old and reminiscing.

Anyways, looking quite forward to tomorrow...90 minute massage for the price of 60! And the pearly whites get a fresh cleaning, and their bi-yearly flossing by Tabitha! : ) Until tomorrow!!

Fabulous Christmas!

What a Christmas we have had! I was of course the first one up before the crack of dawn, anxiously awaiting everyone else to rise and shine and see what Santa had delivered. We opened our presents and then had Grandpa and Grandma Coltrin over to enjoy our traditional breakfast rolls for breakfast. The kids love to show them all of the goodies that they got for Christmas, and it's always fun to sit and chat with them!

We managed to get everything cleaned up and have some lunch. We sat down to watch Toy Story 3, and then round 2 started...Uncle Mike and Sanjuana came by with their gifts. The boys absolutely adore Uncle Mike and Juana...and they absolutely adore my boys. They were here for a couple of hours, and discovered quickly that toys just are NOT the quality that they used to be...and that Mike and Casey, even with the help of pictures and instructions, still couldn't figure out how the heck to assemble the new transformers!!! Makes me feel better that I'm not the only one that can't figure those darn things out!

After a light dinner it was time for some football...my Cowboys didn't pull off a win, but I can't have it all! At least they gave me a win for my birthday!! I didn't get to watch all of the game because I had a hot date with the treadmill. I once again killed 2 birds with one stone...some much needed calorie burning, and started reading my new Patricia Cornwell book, Port Mortuary! LOVE her books, but when I have a half a million things to do, I feel guilty sitting down to read...this is the best of both worlds, and I don't have to feel even a tiny bit guilty!!

After the boys went to bed we watched the movie, Extraordinary Measures with Brendan Frasier and Harrison Ford. Really puts the important things in life into perspective for you...even on the Merriest Christmas day! I can only imagine what it would be like to have not just one, but 2 children with terminal illnesses. Makes me want to cherish my time with my boys that much more! They had such fun today, playing with all of their new stuff and sharing their excitement and innocence with all of us adults...the magic is what this is all about!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

PS, I have no idea which one of 250 pictures will make the picture of the day, but I can guarantee you that it will have one or both boys in it...demonstrating the magic of this holiday!

Christmas Eve!

I am such a lucky girl...wonderful hubby, 2 adorable, sweet boys, a nice home, many wonderful friends and family...and we got completely spoiled at the in-laws today! Doug and Trin, our family, and Casey's parents had our Christmas celebration today. Lots of gifts, food and fun were had by all! The boys have new games for the Wii, including light sabres that hold the remotes for one of the Star Wars games, which they think is the best thing ever! Casey got a kindle. I got ZUMBA clothes...a super cute tank top, jacket and cargo pants...exactly what I asked for!! Trin LOVED the sake set that Casey picked out for her. Doug loved his extra large beer glass (that holds 5 beers in one glass) and his bomb shaped shot glass. Grandma got pictures for her frames, one of which is a scrapbooked page with pictures. She also got a really cool new laptop, that totally surprised her! Grandpa got a wireless router and a very nice looking Harley Davidson jacket! Trin also got a PS3 with some singing and dancing games...she is totally a kid at heart, so Christmas with her is always a blast!!!!

We ate waaaaayyyyyy too much! But it was fun to chat with everyone. Grandma had us go around the room and tell about our favorite Christmas memory. It was fun to listen to what everyone had to say. Lucas shared a story too, about the Little Einstein's globe that he got last year, that broke VERY shortly after Christmas. It's fun that he wants to join in the conversation, and even more fun to hear the stuff that comes out of his mouth! I love that kid!!!!

I love the holidays, spending time with the family and not being in a hurry to go somewhere or do something, just sitting around chatting and eating is so much fun! Makes me miss my mom, but I know she's here with us in spirit...this is my 11th Christmas without her. Always hoping it will get easier, but it never really does! She always made the holidays so much fun, even though we didn't have money for more than a small gift for each of us kids. I can only hope that I bring at least half as much fun to the holidays for my boys!

I took like a 100 pictures of the festivities today. Including our new tradition of Christmas Eve pajamas. I think my picture of the day shall be the boys in their new Star Wars Lego jammies... they look adorable, but even more so because Zach is giving brother a hug! LOVE them to pieces! We made sure to set out cookies and milk for Santa, carrots for his reindeer, and the pictures the boys drew for him. Lucas drew a smiley face, that is his face. Zach scribbled a bunch with several different colors, but it's what he wanted for Santa (it's the thought and the effort behind it that counts, right?). Lucas and I sprinkled reindeer dust (oatmeal and glitter) out in the snow on the front lawn to attract the reindeer...or more likely the squirrels that frequent the trees in our front yard. I love starting new traditions with them, and continuing on with the others. Hoping that they find them fun and worthwhile enough to carry on with them next year too, and for many years to come!

I hope that all of my friends and family have someone special to share their holiday with! Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!

Holiday spirit

The holiday officially began yesterday, since the hubby is now off work until January 4th. The boys absolutely love having Dad home with us all day! They built the Echo base with their Star Wars Legos from Lucas' birthday...and they are in love with them! Since Dad had a project with the boys I had to come up with one as well. For December's Scholastic book order we found a book about snow and crystals. It came with a book of facts and some cool 'science experiments', so we made 'snow' and grew crystals on a snowflake. The snow is pretty cool. It starts out as this little tiny bag of 'diaper dust' and when you add water it just grows and grows. Lucas had a ball with it, Zach wasn't so sure he liked the messy feeling on his hands, which is quite ironic given that he is by far and away the messiest member of our house! So my picture of the day for yesterday is the snow that we made.

Today, Christmas arrived a little early for me! The Fed Ex guy delivered the shipment of catalogs for CTMH. The new catalog releases to customers February 1st, but they pre ship the catalogs to consultants the end of December! I was quite skeptical that I'd like this catalog since the cover was smothered in pink and baby themes...but I LOVE it! I've already made out my wish list, and all I can say is, THANK GOD I'm a consultant!!!! I'd be in big trouble with the hubster otherwise! ; ) My picture of the day today, is of the two large boxes of catalogs...totally made my day! Plus, it's just a little bit more exciting that as a consultant you get to preview everything before all of the customers!!!

I made up the Tastefully Simple pound cake, and chocolate chip cookies to take to the Christmas celebration with the in-laws tomorrow! Oh, and my famous layered bean dip! It's a good thing that I ran to work and back to pick up Zach's prescription today! I'm proud of myself for that too! I had this 'brilliant' idea to run to my pharmacy today...2.71 miles...and then back home...another 2.71 miles! Next time I'll call it in to one of the Walgreens that's closer to home! But seriously, I ran the entire way there...and mailed the mortgage payment along the way. And I ran most of the way home too (only 2 minutes slower coming home than running there). So for the first time ever, I ran 5 miles in one trip! : ) I'm thinking that the half marathon in May isn't entirely out of the question for me now!!

While I was running today I was listening to some of my new downloads, and trying desperately to lose myself in the music, so that I wouldn't realize how far I still had to go, and to minimize the head games! Katy Perry's new song Firework is AWESOME! One of my favorite lyrics...just own the night, like the 4th of July...c'mon, show 'em what you're worth, make 'em go oh, oh, oh. I owned my run today...very proud of myself...because I didn't really think I could do that, but I tried anyways.

Hoping this is the best Christmas yet!!!!! Until tomorrow!

ZUMBA!!!

After another glorious day at work it sure is good to know that I've got Crystal and a stimulating Zumba class at Limelight on Tuesday's! I have to force myself to go, because I'm soooo wiped out after work on Tuesday's, but I feel so stinking good afterwards!

We've been getting tickets for going each week, and a few extra for Thanksgiving and making it despite lots of snow. Tonight was the drawing for the prizes, and for once I actually had really good luck! I won a belly dancing skirt, that makes jingle noises when you shake your booty! I cannot wait to wear it to class! So, for my picture of the day, since it brought me such great joy, is me in my new skirt!

I felt so good after Zumba that I came home and conquered the last of the scrapping projects that I'm giving as Christmas gifts. What a day, what a day I had! At least I can rest well tonight knowing that I got a lot accomplished!!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention, another downloaded Black Eyed Peas song...that will be stuck in my brain for awhile now since I've listened to it at least a million times since 8pm!! Until tomorrow!

Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to work I go!

Only 16 more hours of work, I think I can, I think I can! And then one billion things to still get done in time for Friday and Saturday! I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Mother nature could be a little more cooperative on her part however. We got close to an inch of snow last night, in about an hour's time. The roads were quite nasty this morning, and we're supposed to get more tonight. We put Casey's snow tires on the BMW a couple of weeks ago, in the hopes that it would jinx us into very little or no snow since they were on the car, rather than hiding in the garage! We have been foiled!! So long as I'm able to get my Starbucks before work in the morning, then all will be well!

My picture of the day is of my Cherry Coke Zero, which may seem odd to most people. But it is seriously my lifeline. If it were possible to have an IV line of it, trust me, I'd be among the first to try it! : ) I was running critically low yesterday, but I refused to pay $4.98 for a 12 pack at Winco when I went grocery shopping...and since it was raining cats and dogs, I opted to go to Target and get it on sale today, $2.75 for a 12 pack...well worth the wait, and the crisis has been avoided!!

Now that Casey's Christmas presents are wrapped I can breathe a sigh of relief! He only has a 1/2 day at work tomorrow, and then he's off until the 4th of January...must be nice! : )

The birthday watch!

Way back in September I took my wedding ring in to Simmons to get it resized since I was pretty sure that I'd be able to keep the lost weight off for good. While I was there I did a little window shopping. I had bought Casey a citizen eco drive watch several years back, and Jay was wanting to get rid of all the watches that weren't swiss, so the citizen watches were all on clearance for 40% off! I fell in love with one, so Christa gladly added it to my wish list. I was conveniently going out of town to go scrapbooking with the girls in Lowman that same weekend, so I gave the hubby Christa's card with the watch info on it, and told him that once they were gone they wouldn't be getting anymore. And my hubby, being the GOOD hubby that he is, made his first mistake, and took the boys with him to Simmons that weekend and bought THE watch! ; ) He then painstakingly tried to cover his trail so that I wouldn't have any idea that he'd been such a good hubby! He had a talk with Lucas, who can't keep a secret for the life of him, and Lucas promised not to say a word! He changed the Discover card bill to paperless statements, and didn't put it in the budget spreadsheet until the end of the month, so I wouldn't see the purchase. He was very sneaky and had all the bases covered except for one...ZACH!

I returned to Simmons 2 weeks later to pick up my resized wedding ring, and Zach asks me as we're walking in the doors, 'why aren't you wearing your watch mommy?' I smile, and ask what watch he's talking about! Poor Casey...

Now I get to return to Simmons to have a few links removed from the band on my new watch...and perhaps a little more window shopping...Valentine's day is right around the corner you know! : )

Thanks babe, you know I love you!

All aboard!

Today was an awesome day! I managed to avoid grocery shopping, but it does have to be done tomorrow...

We ventured up to the train depot in Horseshoe Bend, and boarded the Polar Express! We took an hour train ride up to the 'North Pole'. The boys got to see Santa and Mrs Claus, and I got some adorable photos of them with Santa. They also got to sit in his sleigh, and see his workshop where all the toys are made! It was Casey's first train ride, as well as the boys. I rode on 8444 when I was a child, but we all know that has been more than just a few years ago. I think we reached a top speed of about 10 mph, but the view of the river below with snow all around us, and big ol' ice chunks flowing downstream made for some beautiful scenery! It made me think back to the days before kids when Pete and Misty would bust out the raft and we'd take a leisurely, beer filled, float down that same stretch of river! Ahhh, those were the days!!

Came home, put the exhausted children to bed, and watched the movie Journey to the Center of the Earth. Meh....not terrible, not great! I did get all of the presents for Christmas wrapped, other than a few for the hubby, which didn't get wrapped for obvious reasons!

It has been a fabulous birthday weekend thus far, can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store for me! : )

Date night!

Birthday card from Grandma Merritt

Grande swirl margarita from On the Border...yes, I sucked it down! : )

In honor of my approaching birthday we have a date night tonight, and I cannot for the life of me decide where I want to go for dinner. And if that isn't enough, I have to choose between seeing a movie inside a nice warm theater, or freezing my butt off to enjoy the lights at the Winter Garden Aglow at the Botanical gardens. I've heard how beautiful the lights are, but it's really stinking cold here today, and I can't imagine how much colder it will be once the sun goes down. And since it's for my birthday I'm the one that has to choose....and quickly!

I decided that my picture of the day for this post will be of the envelope from my husband's grandma, who lives in Illinois and I love to pieces. She addressed the envelope in true old school fashion, and it makes me giggle everytime I get mail from her...it's addressed to Mrs Casey Coltrin! I don't know why that sounds so funny to me, but I seriously chuckle every time I see it!

For the second picture that I owe my blog for the day, I'll snap one of my happenings tonight!

Until tomorrow!

Adjustment

So, in the process of getting used to this new working on Thursday evenings, every other week thing, I managed to get the boys to swim lessons, have lunch, get them to daycare, and make it to work on time. I however forgot my smock. People do not take their pharmacist seriously when she doesn't have her smock and name tag on. I could've opted to wear the double extra large super wrinkled one from the drawer, and wonder if they would've taken me more seriously had I worn it. It's strange how a piece of clothing changes people's perceptions so easily.

Anyways, I didn't take the time to post last night when I got home from work, and I didn't manage to get a picture yesterday. So I'll make it up with another post after work today, before date night. And I'll do two pictures today.

Gotta get to work...and what a day it shall be...can hardly wait (and that is very heavily laced with sarcasm).

Accomplished

Got so much done today! Another one of those, wow, I got all of that done in one day kind of days! Preschool, kitchen cleaned, dishes hand washed, dish washer ran, 3 loads of laundry done, workshop materials assembled, workshop done, Zumba, bath night, blog post, and now to finish my step-mom's Christmas present!

My friend, Michelle, was the only person signed up for my photo box workshop tonight, and when she saw my post on Facebook about wanting to go to Zumba, but having a workshop, she kindly rescheduled the workshop to 4:30 so that I could do both! : ) I wanted to try Pyper's class, but there was a sub there tonight. It was very difficult adjusting to a whole new style of Zumba, but I did like the sub. I'll just try to go when it's Pyper and not a sub next time! : ) Solace is very pretty, and I like the room where the Zumba is. I totally discovered tonight, that Zumba isn't just about the dancing and blasting away those calories...it's totally about the friendship and camaraderie too. Tonia and Dee were also there, which made it more fun to know someone. Then I didn't feel like as big of a spaz either since they had never taken a class with this instructor before.

Anyways, my picture of the day today, is of my Zumba box. Fed Ex delivered a box that says Zumba on it, and it's totally killing me not to open it...it's my Christmas present, so I'm not allowed to ruin the surprise! Even though I don't know exactly what it is, I cannot wait until Christmas to wear my new Zumbawear! : )

Until tomorrow!

Zach's lungs are PERFECT!

So, we had our follow up appointment with Dr Bateman today for Zach's asthma. Good news is that his lungs sound great (and he's just finished recovering from a cold virus that for once didn't attack his lungs). Bad news is that Dr doesn't want to change a thing with his meds. I was sooooo hoping that today would be the day that Dr said we could stop doing the steroid nebulizer, except when Zach exacerbates. That stupid nebulizer and/or Zach are seriously going to be the death of me! He tolerates the treatments well, and it has become part of the bedtime routine, but it's a time consuming pain in the butt! Not to mention that it costs $50 a month (and that's after insurance kicks in). Oh well, I'm sure there could be far worse and more costly things that could go wrong with this kid!!

Got the movie Despicable Me for the boys today! My Christmas shopping is officially complete now! If only I could say the same for the handmade stuff I'm making. I think I only have 3 more handmade things to complete! Still have to wrap most of it though! Good thing I still have a week and a half! : )

My picture of the day today is of that stupid nebulizer machine...I was hoping to put it up on top of the fridge and hope that it had enough time to collect dust up there before I had to use it again...but alas.......I'll eventually get over this!

Until tomorrow!

Fuzzy the dir-tay little bear!

Fuzzy's super dirty bath water Lucas and his BFF, Fuzzy Wumpenstein

I've been bugging Lucas for a couple weeks now about him giving me the bear for the day so Fuzzy can have a much needed bath. I remember when Grandma Mar and Papa Ron got that bear for him...Lucas was only a few days old. The bear was so soft and shiny, fluffy and CLEAN! That was 5 long years ago! Fuzzy has definitely seen better days! He agreed to let me give Fuzzy a bath while he was at preschool today. So I have 2 pictures of the day today...Lucas and his best friend Fuzzy, and the bathwater after Fuzzy's bath. I took the first picture in case something bad happened to Fuzzy during his bath...I was seriously worried that he may fall apart, even with a good old fashioned hand washing, so I needed a picture just in case anything bad happened to that mangy ol' thing! Good news however, Fuzzy survived the bath! He's drying in the dryer now...hoping that turns out just as well!

Driving down Chinden to pick up Lucas from preschool and a big ol' rock flies up and puts a big ol' chip in my windshield! SERIOUSLY?!? I've replaced that windshield once for sure, maybe even twice. So we stopped at the little roadside stand, and 10 minutes later the chip is no more!! The only bad thing is that State Farm doesn't pay the $35 fee to have it fixed, so I had to cough it up. Figured it was cheaper and quicker to do that, than to replace the whole darn thing AGAIN! Oh what a day!

Got to get off here and get the house cleaned up for the workshop tonight! Looking forward to it! We're creating Christmas pages...some of my favorites! Until tomorrow!

Christmas cards are fini!

I have been so busy this year that making cards for my own use have waited until the middle of December! I like to be the first card that everyone receives, but this year I'm sure I'll be among the last since I'm just putting them in the mail in the morning! I LOVE doing cards every year. I love writing the letter, writing a personal note with each card, picking out the picture to go with the card, etc. I am terrible with the finishing touches however, the address, the stamp, the sealing of the envelope...it's where my procrastination trait raises it's ugly little head, and I drag my feet!! However, my sense of accomplishment is overwhelming at the moment...128 cards are FINI!

Had a fabulous girl's night out with Sarah last night. We had dinner and drinks at the Bardenay downtown. A couple of other girls joined us for dinner. But that gave Sarah and I time to sit and chat and bitch about everything! It was a much needed night out with one of my best friend's! Being such a busy time of the year several others wanted to join but couldn't, so we're vowing to do it again in February...I cannot wait! So, my picture of the day really wasn't taken today...it's from last night...me and Sarah at Bardenay, enjoying our night out sans the hubby and the kiddos!

Went shopping today for shirts that button/zip down the front. For at least the first 2 or 3 weeks I am not supposed to wear shirts that have to be pulled down over my head...must be because they're going in thru my armpit...and I imagine it will pull and hurt like mad if I try. It's easy to find hoodies that could be worn without a shirt underneath...but it's quite limited otherwise! Bought an extra pair of jammies that buttons down the front too. I imagine that the first week I'll be spending a lot of time in jammies and sweats! Thank goodness the hubby has time off from work to help with everything! I hate to admit it, but as excited as I am, I'm already starting to get a little nervous! ; )

Must get stuff ready for tomorrow. Have one million things to get done before my workshop at 6:30! Until tomorrow...

Christmas cookie baking day!

Today is the one time of the year that I have to let every little ounce of my perfectionism and type A personality go...for I let my children help me make and decorate cookies! We made the standard sugar cookies that the boys frosted and 'sprinkled', and by sprinkled I really mean smothered with sprinkles and candy! They also loved rolling out the worms for the candy cane cookies. And I tried a new recipe, the roly poly Santa cookies this year. Without help from the boys it still took me over an hour to make 12 cookies! They turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself!

I had to go for a run today because I can't just make the cookies without sampling every other bite of the dough! I was proud of myself because I managed to run the entire time!!!!!! First time in a LONG time that I've run 3 miles without stopping to walk! Now the goal is to get faster, and I'm going to sign up for a half marathon in May! After watching the Biggest Loser last week, I've decided that I'd like to be in the 1% of Americans that have run a full marathon! But rather than start so big, I'll challenge myself with a half this spring!

Anyways, picture of the day is of the boys decorating cookies. They had fun...you can tell because they made a HUMONGOUS mess!!!!

Off to a girl's night out with one of my best friend's, Sarah. Shall be fun!! Until tomorrow!

Run Forest, RUN!

Felt good to get outside and go for a run! I'm still recovering from the crud, so I didn't push too hard. And I was forced to walk in a couple of spots because of the snow/ice covered sidewalks. I only lost my balance once, but caught myself in time to avoid an embarrassing fall on my butt! Running is a love hate relationship for me. I LOVE how good I feel afterwards, but it's this gigantic head game that I play with myself during the actual running. I have to encourage myself with little things to trick myself into thinking that I like to run. So today's picture of the day is of me in my winter running get up. My fuzzy pink hat, my pink fleece top and my PINK gloves. A picture is worth a thousand words they say...couldn't be more true in this case. I think about these items while I'm running, and imagine that they make me run faster, etc...distracting my mind from the hatred of the actual running, distracting me from the monotony of the activity. Thank goodness for the Black Eyed Peas, Usher, Sean Kingston and Lady Gaga...for without their music pumping in my ears, I'd be hosed! The beat pushes me, and for a few seconds here and there I allow myself to get lost in the music.

Casey is home today, had an extra day off that needed to be used up before the beginning of the year. He and the kids accompanied me on my weekly grocery shopping trip. It may be a regular occurrence for a couple of weeks in January, for today we realized that I will be unable to lift a gallon of milk, and or a 12 pack of pop. I'm going to have to come up with something creative at home as well for these items so that I can get milk for my cereal and my kids, and still be able to drink my pop...lord knows that I cannot go for any length of the day without my Cherry Coke Zero! : )

Until tomorrow!

Swim lessons

The boys are on week 12 of 13 for this session. It is fun to see how much they've progressed in just 12 weeks! Lucas was TERRIFIED of the water, and can now hold his breath under water for 9 seconds, and float on his back unassisted for 11 seconds! Zach started off great, refused to get in the water at all week 3, and is now like a fish in the water. He can hold his breath under water for 6 seconds, and can float on his back with very little assistance. He at least gets in the water without being forced to, and he has a good time again!!!

My picture of the day is of Lucas with his Old Maid cards. We played several rounds of several different card games this morning before heading out to swim lessons! I love my mornings with my boys. Not much longer before they're only available on weekends with both boys. I'm glad that I'm in a situation where I can afford to stay home with them 5 days of the week!

Off to the chiropractor to get my wrist adjusted again...hoping this is one of my last visits!!

Until tomorrow!

Better day today!

After dropping Lucas off at preschool, my little big helper man, Zach, and I tackled some more Christmas shopping. I'm feeling better today, FINALLY, and with that comes a desire to get a million and a half things done.

I did take a moment this morning to observe the Christmas spirit, and the magic of the season through my children's eyes. We have 2 things that we use to countdown to Christmas. The first is a reindeer advent wall hanging. There are 24 pockets, filled with a dime for each boy. Each morning they get to retrieve their dime and deposit it in their piggy bank. And then they get to take turns with the advent Christmas tree. This is the tree that is decorated solely by my children! There is a drawer for each day, starting December 1st. In each drawer is an ornament. They get to hang the ornament on the tree each and every morning. They are both so ecstatic about it this year, and they really look forward to seeing what kind of ornament is in the drawer each morning. So today's picture is of Zach, removing an ornament from the drawer. Coincidentally, it's an ornament this morning...purple no less (which is Lucas' favorite color)...we shall see what tomorrow brings!

Back to the Christmas card business while the boys are watching the Princess and the Frog and having snacks! Off to a CE tonight...since I did the immunization class this past summer, I only have 1 law credit left to do...I'm quite sure that I've never had my CE credits finished before the beginning of the new year, especially since they aren't due until June 30th! : )

Until tomorrow!

Terrible day

Woke up feeling a million times worse today. Nobody to call in sick to, and the pharmacy can't open without a pharmacist, so I trudged in to work. Vultures were circling the parking lot 15 minutes before we even opened...knew it was the wrong decision. My head feels like a giant zit that needs popped...

I survived. I'm sad that I feel this way, SICK + Unable to breathe well = NO ZUMBA = VERY sad panda!!

On a brighter note, my CTMH shipment of new stuff for January's mini catalog arrived yesterday, a day earlier than planned. And it was a welcome sight for my sore eyes when I arrived home from hell today, so it is my picture of the day. Tomorrow can only be better!!!!

Oh yeah, and Biggest Loser is on tonight...only 2 more episodes until the new Loser is crowned... how exciting!!

All systems go for upgrade!

After dropping the boys off at daycare and preschool, I arrived home to check and see if the time off request had been approved...best news of the day by far, it HAD!!!!! So I checked with the hubby to make sure I had final approval to schedule the surgery, then checked with Grandma to make sure she can take the boys while we are in Utah, and then VOILA...called and scheduled that baby!!! So, we'll be flying to Utah to get those girls their upgrade January 18th! : )

I feel like crap again today, and know that I'll be regretting my decision to go into work once I'm there and hating every moment of it, even more so than normal. But this news puts a little extra spring in my step, and joy in my heart! : )

My picture for the day is of Lucas. He has share day at preschool today, so he took the new Jenga game to share. He had a hard time deciding...first it was going to be his new superman/batman cape, then his PJ Funnybunny nighthat, and finally the Jenga game. He gets very excited about share day at school, and it's fun to share that excitement with him!

2 days strong! Hoping to keep it going!!

I'm still alive and kicking!

I have no idea where the last several months have gone! But I am feeling guilty about my original intent for this blog...wanted to do one post a week, to serve as a journal of sorts, for the year. I have failed MISERABLY!!! One of the other CTMH consultants did a picture a day, and a journal entry a day for an entire year, leading up to her 50th birthday. Sounds daunting, but I always seem to find time for facebook each and every day...and that's just a waste of time, as we all know. So I've decided to make better use of my 'play' time, and I'm going to take the picture/blog post challenge and see how I do. Wish me luck!

Today's picture is my hubby and little men playing Jenga. Our first experience with Jenga, and a good one at that. Lucas is hooked. Zach is still too tweeky! But Zach builds a great fort with the wood pieces!! I bought the game for my work Christmas party last night, but since Lucas is sick and so am I, I decided to give the germ free gift of us staying home...leaving the 'white elephant' gift for the family's gain.

Meet your new Close To My Heart consultant!

I'm beyond words excited about this new venture in my life! I bit the bullet and decided to not just become a consultant to get a great discount on the products that I already love...but I'm going to make it a business and see where this next year takes me.

If you're interested in learning about scrapbooking, card making, or creating some fun projects with amazing products...let me help you! I'll be doing home gatherings, at my home or yours, as well as workshops, open houses, bazaars and fun get togethers. A friend posted something on her facebook page recently that I loved...
If you like it a little, buy something
If you like it a lot, host a party (the rewards with CTMH for hostesses are amazing)
If you LOVE everything about it, become a consultant!

I can help with any and/or all of the above! A new catalog is released September 1st, and in my 5 years of scrapping with CTMH, it is one of my absolute favorite catalogs! Starting October 1st I can begin earning points for the CTMH Hawaiian cruise (never been to Hawaii, but a free trip would make it that much more exciting)! And convention next July is in Disneyland (I've never been to Disneyland, but you can bet on it, that I won't be able to say that after this coming July!!!!). I'm so happy to have joined a great team here in the Treasure Valley, and an awesome company! : )

My webpage is http://rhondac.myctmh.com Check it out! You can order product directly from the website, and it ships direct to you. You can also do your scrapbooking online, by following the link to Studio J! Prices will change (and become SUPER affordable) on September 1st, and they will have new tools available as well. They also have videos to show you how to create amazing pages, cards and more. And even better yet, the videos are free to view.

Oh happy days! : )

Augmentation!!!!

I attended scrapbook group last Friday night, and Sarah and I were discussing our need for upgrades for our girls. There happened to be a girl there that had had her's done by a doc in Utah, for $2000 cheaper than the docs here...because he has a surgery center that isn't affliated with a hospital. I of course came home and told the hubby the FABULOUS news...that's when the new plan was born. He told me that he'd 'pay' for half, if I worked extra shifts to pay for the other 'half'. Originally it had been 8 extra shifts, but now that it was $2000 cheaper, I could get rid of 2 of those shifts. I've already worked one, so I'm down to 5 extra shifts!!!!!!! And even better news yet, I may be working Labor day weekend, and the Friday evening before that, which would mean 4 extras, and I'd only have one to go! It's a sign from above!!!!! I've been dreaming of this day for who knows how many decades, at least 2!!

Let the research begin!!!

FABULOUS road trip

Lucas playing in the 'store' at the
Children's Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska

Lucas & Zach with Great Grandma Merritt

Firefighter Zach at the Children's Museum

We survived! Both children are alive and well!!!!!

We left Boise on the 6th, after Casey and I were off work. Picked up the kids from Grandma's, grabbed some dinner, and headed down the dusty trail. We were only 13 minutes into the trip when Lucas asked if we were in Utah yet. I thought Casey was going to kill him right then and there...instead, he told him no, and not to ask again. After their movie was finished, we stopped at a truck stop and got them changed into their pj's. Lucas fell asleep right away, but Zach still needed one more potty break. It was perhaps one of the cutest quotes from the trip...'mommy, I have to go potty', and 10 minutes later, 'hurry mommy, there isn't much time'!! He did awesome, and while there were emergency roadside potty breaks, there were not any accidents!!!!!! We arrived in Ogden, Utah without incident. While Casey checked us into our room, we checked out the resident raccoons in the garbage dumpster near the car.

Wednesday morning we had breakfast, gassed up the car, and headed for Cheyenne, Wyoming. We were just leaving the gas station when Grandma Jessie called and said they were in Ogden, near the interchange. We agreed to stop for lunch together...and then amazingly, as we pulled onto the interstate Casey told me to turn around and look behind us...there was Grandpa and Grandma! Such a small world at times! : ) We stopped in Rock Springs, Wyoming at Taco Time and had lunch with them. The boys thought it was super cool that G&G were there too! We forged onward to Cheyenne. The windmills, drilling rigs and snow fences entertained me and Casey, while the dvd player saved our bacon and kept the kids mesmerized. We ordered The Princess and The Frog, and 101 Dalmations from Netflix...and we also bought The Bee Movie, in the hopes that something new would be helpful...it worked like a charm! We arrived safely in Cheyenne. However, as we got back in the car to head out for some pizza the stupid Malfunction Indicator Light (check engine light) came on. We hadn't been impressed with the gas mileage, and had noticed in Rawlins that the car was idling funny. So over dinner we noticed the lack of VW dealerships in the area, and googled it. Someone on a VW forum suggested we take it to an Autozone where they could tell us what codes it was throwing. Cylinder misfire and 9 other codes all related to this same thing. The closest dealership was 50 miles away in Fort Collins, Colorado (completely out of the way). Our next destination was Lincoln, Nebraska (400 miles away). So, I called my mechanic here in Boise to see what he suggested. Fort Collins it was!! We decided to burn off a bit of the boys' excessive energy in the pool. They were hilarious!! Lucas is totally cautious Callie, and Zach is totally afraid of NOTHING!!!! Neither one of them have had any swim lessons yet, but Zach is like a fish in the water...he will be just fine when we start lessons in September! The lady at the check in counter gave them some squirter toys, which they thoroughly enjoyed!

Thursday morning we called and scheduled a 1:30 appointment at the dealership in Fort Collins, looked up the number for a tow truck, just in case, and headed out. We made it without the need for a tow truck (THANKFULLY). Since we were there early we were glad we'd borrowed Pete & Misty's GPS...we looked for a mall, and there was one practically across the street from the dealership. It ended up having a Glow Golf inside (black light miniature golf)...we paid for our 54 holes, of which we only completed maybe 40! We grabbed some lunch, and headed down to ride the coin operated cars...just like the ones at the Boise Town Square that the boys LOVE! After we exhausted our coins we noticed a little play area, that was free, so we decided to give it a try. The boys had a ball climbing, running and chasing the other little kids around. Totally wish our mall had something so wonderful! Got the car to the dealership. 10 minutes later he came out to tell us that we had a hole in an intake valve, it would only take about 45 minutes to fix it, and better yet, only $160!! Back on the road...but there was no way we were going to try to make it to Lincoln that night. We made it to Ogallala, Nebraska that night a little after 6pm. Had some dinner, and checked in to the hotel.

Friday morning, instead of heading out to the zoo. We got in the car and headed to Lincoln. I was totally bummed because I had wanted to spend a car free day touring the Children's Zoo and Children's Museum in Lincoln. Since both close at 5pm, and we didn't get there until 3pm, we chose to spend the rest of the afternoon inside (it was 90 degrees and super humid outside) at the museum. There are 3 levels of nothing but fun things to explore and play with there. The boys played their little hearts out, and had a blast. We checked into the hotel, grabbed some dinner, and back to the pool we went!!!!! It was amazing how much more relaxed Lucas was in the water this time around. He even jumped in a few times!

Saturday was THE day we finally arrived in Illinois! The boys were soooooo excited to meet Great Grandma! We arrived at Ken and Sharon's house in Plymouth...and it was instantly like being home. I love the family out there!! Monte and Lisa had come over for dinner. As had Great Grandma, and Lynn and Jessie. The boys met the cats and instantly fell in love. After dinner we went outside to play and did the boys ever show the family just how 'boy' they are. From pumping water at the old school fountain, to playing with the cats, to digging in the sandbox, to riding in the wagon on the back of Uncle Ken's 4 wheeler, to catching lightning bugs. The boys had never seen a lightning bug, so it was their favorite activity while we were there. We got some cute pictures and some great video of them catching bugs. And be proud of me, I even caught a few for my boys...YES, you heard correctly, I TOUCHED bugs on purpose!!!! A few hours past their bedtime we put them to bed and made plans for the caravan to the reunion on Sunday in Chilicothe.

Back in the car on Sunday morning...headed to Chilicothe for the reunion. It was a much shorter ride in the car than what we'd had the previous few days (only 2 hours each way). The boys played at the park for awhile. Then, after chatting and a nice potluck lunch we headed across the parking lot to the pool. The sun hid behind the clouds and there was a cold wind blowing, so we didn't last too long at the pool. But the boys did have a good time. They had way more fun playing and chasing their cousins around at the reunion though. I'm not sure if they had more fun with the cousins or Aunt Lisa and Uncle Monte!?! A good time was had by all, and there were about 45 people there, give or take. A few faces that were new for me, and a few that I hadn't seen since my last visit 5 years ago. As we were leaving, Lucas ran ahead and managed a huge fall that scraped up both knees quite badly. Poor clutzy kid!!! Back at home Uncle Ken dragged out the trampoline. The boys thought that was so much fun! Daniel and Anna got out the 4 wheelers again, so Daniel was volunteered to take Zachary for a ride...he thought that was fun. Lucas opted out...once again, my little cautious Callie! Another great night of sleep from my kids that night.

Monday...the only day thus far that we didn't spend a single minute in the car! The kids and I hung out at the house. Did a much needed load of laundry. Visited a lot. Kids played a LOT! Casey and Lynn toured the plant where Ken works, where they make farm equipment. And best of all, Monday evening Heidi, Josie and Amelia came over for dinner. It was so much fun to meet Heidi and her girls! Monte and Lisa also joined us for dinner. I cannot tell you in words just how fun and loving that family is! I truly wish Illinois was just across town, and not clear across the country from us! I am a lucky girl, marrying into that family! ; ) The boys got a huge kick out of playing with their cousins. And Aunt Sharon gave them some small rubbermaid cups with lids to catch lightning bugs in. What a hoot it was for them to catch the bugs and be able to watch them light up in the cups!!!!

Our time in Illinois came to a close all too soon, for we headed out West Tuesday morning. We pretty much retraced our route. We made it back to Lincoln, Nebraska. I decided to start keeping track of the license plates I'd see along the way. Something other than corn and soy bean fields to keep me entertained. The one thing I thoroughly enjoyed about being back in Lincoln...high speed internet in the hotel room! : ) We barely had a connection most days in Illinois (because Ken and Sharon live in the sticks)!!!!!

Wednesday we headed back to Cheyenne, Wyoming, keeping our fingers crossed that we'd have better karma than we'd previously had in Cheyenne!! No car problems this time around, thankfully! Olive Garden and a wonderfully tasty strawberry mango margarita were on the table for dinner that night! I'd been very good while on vacation with all of the eating out...however, I was too lazy to look up all of the fast food, so I didn't keep track of my calories 'in' while on vacation. The margarita was probably too much for the day since I'd sat on my butt ALL day long. I figured I deserved a treat though! And I tried to work off some of those calories in the pool that night with the boys! : )

Thursday morning started off on a bad note. We got word of Doug and Trin's motorcycle accident back here in Boise. We were very relieved to find out that they were okay though. And despite the bad start to the day we made it to Layton, Utah. After grabbing some dinner we found our way over to Todd and Danielle's house for a visit. Another great visit, and the boys had a ball playing with their cousins Anthony and Dimarco. I love having such a great extended family...oh how I wish they were all closer, and that there were more hours in the day so that my boys could know all of their cousins better.

Friday was the day that my boys had so anxiously been waiting for. We went to the Lagoon and Lagoon A Beach. As we were walking up to the gates Lucas spotted the old, white roller coaster and declared that he wanted to ride it. Casey told him that he'd totally ride with him. Good thing we started off with the small toddler dragon coaster first. He told us that he wanted to ride by himself (and of course we didn't let him, given last year's dragon coaster experience where he got off early when the operator was generous enough to stop it for him). It didn't even take one full loop before he said it was too scary, and that he didn't want to ride it by himself, and he didn't want to ride the big white one anymore either! He's so cute sometimes! : ) We rode a ton of rides in the 100+ degree heat, grabbed some mini corn dogs and drinks for lunch. Then we checked out the waterpark. It was refreshing given the intense heat, but there isn't a lot for the little guys there, especially since Lucas is afraid of the water. A few more rides, a trip through the gift shop for a birthday present for Zach attack, and we were on our way back to the hotel. The car said 109 when we found it in the lot...Zach was crashed before we even hit I-15! Dinner at Famous Dave's and back to the hotel we went. And rather than splashing around in the pool afterwards, we watched a movie and chilled in the hotel room.

Saturday we returned home to a very lonely kitty, and almost 100 degrees here in Boise! The yard resembled a rain forest, and my rose bushes were out of control. One day later, things are back to normal. We had a great time!!!! I'm not sure if I over prepared myself mentally for how horrible it was going to be, traveling 3000+ miles with the boys, or if I'm just really lucky...but my boys did freaking AWESOME!!!! God bless the inventor of the portable dvd player, good Disney movies, and my boys! I thought I wouldn't want to take another car trip with them EVER...and I would seriously do it tomorrow if need be!

We traveled through 8 states, over 3000 miles, saw license plates from 39 of the 50 United States, and 4 provinces of Canada. Learned that the windmills are freaking HUGE. The Red Desert of Wyoming is a huge source of natural gas, and thus all of the drilling and Sinclair refineries. We saw a ton of wind/snow fences in Wyoming, a ton of antelope and pronghorns, corn fields and soy bean fields. We learned that Missouri still allows smoking in their restaurants, and that we'd forgotten what it was like to be asked smoking or non upon entering the restaurant. We crossed the Continental Divide, and the mighty Mississippi River. We learned that Mark Twain was born in Hannibal, Missouri...and that we should stop and look at some of the interesting sites affiliated with that on a future trip out East.

Fortunately, I've got tomorrow and Tuesday off work to recover and also to prepare for Zach's big birthday bash. Until next time...

Another month goes whizzing by.......

The month of June started off on a great note for me...I hit my weight loss goal of 23.4 pounds, and even managed to surpass it by a little! The best part of it, is that I achieved my goal 9 days ahead of schedule! I'm still using the bodybugg to help with maintaining my loss! I have to admit, that I've been bad about running since achieving that goal, but I have found a new love...ZUMBA! I burn as many calories dancing for an hour as I did running for a little over a half hour...but zumba is much more fun! It's perfect for people like me who previously detested exercise, because you don't realize that you're exercising...the shirts that the instructors and die hards wear say Join the Party, and that's what it is really like, one big dance party!!! There are a few guys in the class, and a few women that are easily 70 years old...it's fun watching the older ladies dance to hip hop and rump shaking music! : ) My friend warned me that zumba is addictive, and I can see why she does it 5 or 6 days a week...if only I had that kind of time!

• We went out to a craft fair in Kuna the first weekend in June, while Casey was with Pete in Idaho Falls at a brewfest. The weather was gorgeous (for once), and the boys enjoyed a bounce house, face painting, kettle corn, and watching the bmx bike riders on the bmx course right next to the craft fair. I was thrilled that my step mom had suggested it. The boys had a BALL!! All of that fun and excitement, for less than $20!

• The following weekend was highlighted by two birthday parties. The first was for Sammy, who turned 5! I got to do a little dress and jewelry shopping...and it was DELIGHTFUL! Buying clothes for boys is soooooo incredibly boring in comparison, especially now that they are no longer infants! Had it not been for the wind, the party would have been perfect! But we didn't blow away, and managed to make it to the next party in plenty of time.

• The twins, Joe n Katie, turned 4 this year. So once again, I got to do a little dress and jewelry shopping. Did I mention just how exciting it is for me?!? The wind was seriously amazing, and tried desperately to destroy our fun times, but it did not succeed. Pete outdid himself with some delish pulled pork. The boys scored some serious loot from the pinata, and had a ball playing with the kids. It was really fun watching Lucas and Joe play together...we think it is the first time that they have REALLY played together, rather than at the same place at the same time, in a parallel universe! More playdates are a must with those two!! Zach was as usual, FASCINATED with Misty's chickens. That kid seriously should be raised on a farm, he has such a passion for animals, of any sort! (One of the better traits he picked up from me!)

• Mother nature has been unusually cruel to us here in Idaho this year...spring was NEVER ending! I finally broke down one day and told the kids that they could play in the rain...thinking heck, if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em! And of course my crappy luck kicked in, and as soon as they were full speed ahead in the rain...it stopped raining! Mother nature can really be a biyotch sometimes! Summer was finally allowed to make it's debut...the last week and a half of June! The boys were beyond thrilled that we could finally break out the slip n slide and the pool. I have decided after watching them on numerous occasions however, that the slip n slide is erroneously named, and should be called the run n slip! Regardless of how they play with it...it brings them immense joy! It is so much fun for me to sit and watch...from a distance, in the shade. Zach has this zest for life that is ever so present when he's outside getting wet! It is the ONE and only time that he and his brother seem to avoid fighting, and just enjoy each other's company.

• We've gone on a few playdates this month, which has been good for both mommy and the boys! We went to Rafiki with Thomas, Elena, Tracy and her boys Brady and Riley. The boys all know each other from gymnastics. Had Rafiki not been so overwhelmingly busy that day, I think it would've been even more fun! We did however have a playdate at the zoo. It was FANTASTIC! We showed up early and got in line just in time to do the giraffe encounter. The boys got to feed lettuce leaves to Julius the giraffe...it was so much fun! They also had a new monkey exhibit that was open, as well as the wallaby walkabout, so the boys enjoyed seeing the new animals. They thought that their world was coming to an end however, when the carousel was closed and wouldn't be open again for another 1/2 hour...and we didn't have time to wait since lunch time was rapidly approaching! Zach fell asleep on the way home, without lunch...you know he had fun, and burned a lot of energy, because that kid NEVER misses an opportunity to eat! : )

• Zach had his follow up visit for his asthma, so I combined his well child check with it as well. He weighed in at 34.8 pounds (70th percentile), and was 39 1/2 inches tall (75th percentile). Yes, he is a tank!!!! The bad news is that we 'get' the privilege of doing nebulizer treatments nightly at least until allergy season is over. His allergies have been TERRIBLE this season, thus as soon as we tried a week without the treatment, he failed miserably. I am starting to wonder if there will ever be a day when there isn't some kind of medical treatment needed for that one! : )

• Zach also had his follow up visit with Tom at Brownfield's. He was concerned about the red spots on his feet, so he made a new pair of shoes up for Zachers. His feet look 100% better with the new shoes, wish it would've happened sooner, but oh well, as they say, hindsight is 20/20. I made the comment to Tom that my worst nightmare is seeing Buzz (the orthopedic doctor) in July and having him tell me that instead of just wearing the shoes until he's 4, that it is being extended until age 5. Tom said he'd be more surprised if Buzz agrees with 4, than if he says 5. UGH!!!!! It's not really that big of a deal, except that Zach is potty trained. And when he has to pee in the middle of the night, he can't get out of bed and take himself potty, because he can't walk with the brace/shoes on. I'll do whatever the doc thinks is necessary, after the 10's of 1000's of dollars we've invested in those little feet, I hate to think that we'll have to redo the casts or do more surgery. But c'mon doc, cut the little guy some slack!

• Anyways, we leave for the family reunion in Illinois next week...tons of planning and preparations that still need to be taken care of! I hope to post some pics and some quick blog entries along the way...we'll see! Until next time...

I think it's May

We actually managed a few days of some nice, sunny weather. And Uncle Mike has been itching to get the boys on the bikes and have some fun...so he came and got them and the electric 4 wheeler and took them over to his place for some fun in the evening sun! Can you see the HUGE smile on Zach's face as Uncle Mike pops a wheelie?!? The kid isn't afraid of anything!! They had a blast with Uncle Mike and Sanjuana, especially since they finished off the evening with ice cream at Coldstone, and some play time at the park!

I started off this month on the right foot...I ran in my first 5k...the Race for the Cure on May 8th. I finished with my personal best time of 35 minutes, 28 seconds. Not a great time for many, but my best thus far! I was thrilled that I was able to break thru the 12 min/mile barrier!! I couldn't believe how many people turned out both to run and to walk, seriously like 16,000 people! It was a lot of fun, and I'm determined to do more! At first I was thinking of pushing the envelope and training for a 10k, but we'll see. I'm still impressed with how far I've come in the running department...from absolutely HATING to run, to finishing a 5k and even considering more...and all since the end of January!

The weight loss goal is soooooo close! I've only got a little over 2 pounds to go, and then it's learning to maintain! I must admit, I wouldn't be broken hearted if I pulled a little more off, but I'm not going to push myself to do it. I've gone from a size 12 to a 6!!!! It feels so good to put on the size 8's that I bought just a month ago, and they're already too big! I wasn't going to buy anything new until I was done, but I got VERY tired of the garbage bag (cinch sack) feeling with all of my pants! And I can even do the XS size in tshirts these days! : ) I haven't been this tiny since my 2nd year of pharmacy school, right after my mom died! And it's not just about the weight loss...I seriously feel REALLY good most days! And I even miss running and working out when I manage to go without one or the other for a couple of days. And since I'm so close to my goal, I've been trying to decide what I'll be doing for exercise to maintain the weight loss. I bought the game Just Dance for the Wii. It is AMAZING how many calories I burn dancing with my kids! It's been a ton of fun...however, I've discovered just how uncoordinated and clumsy I am, and just how little rhythm I have! I can only imagine how many calories I'd burn if I could keep up and perform ALL the moves!!!

I've actually got quite a bit of scrapbooking done this month. Thanks in part to the Fiesta on May 1st. We scrapped our little hearts out from 10am til 10pm!!!!! I got 20 base pages done that day alone. I've finished a couple of projects, and am almost finished with yet another! I feel like I've accomplished so much, until I look at how many pics are still waiting to be scrapped!!! Am hoping that someday when the kiddos are in school, that I'll find time to get caught up! Have a sneaking suspicion that I'll find a million other things to keep me just as busy as I currently am with those two little monkeys!

I had my Happy Mother's Day to me surgery on the 12th! Since I had a D&C before the Novasure ablation I had to do it at the hospital with general anesthesia. It went off without a hitch. I of course had a ton of nausea right afterwards...nothing a little Zofran couldn't conquer though. And the cramping was pretty intense, but nothing that a little ibuprofen couldn't conquer! By the next morning if I hadn't known better, I'd never have guessed that I'd just had surgery! I felt great!!!! I was allowed to start running/working out intensely again on Saturday, so I had only gained 0.2 pounds by the following week's weigh in! There was just one slight drawback. I developed a headache that wouldn't go away. And after 3 days of a headache that just kept getting worse, and my neck starting to get stiff, I decided to go to the ER and have my worst fears put to rest. He did some blood work, and a CT scan. Everything was negative...no tumor, no clot, no aneursym...I know just enough about stuff like that to worry myself silly. And since I had a massage scheduled for Monday morning, I was paranoid that it might injure me if there was something seriously wrong with me. The massage actually did more for alleviating the stupid headache than the medicine that they gave me in an IV at the ER (toradol, phenergan and benadryl).

The weather has been TERRIBLE this month! Lucas just told me yesterday that it's an itsy bitsy spider kind of day. When I asked what that meant, he explained that the sun needs to come out and dry up all the rain, so they can go back to the park and play! My boys LOVE to play at the park!!! It seriously doesn't matter what park, how warm or cold it is...they just wanna play! We've pretty much been doing another month of park touring! We've hit up a bunch of parks...trying to keep them interested! They discovered the finger skateboard park at Reid Merrell park in Eagle...so it ranks up there in the favorites. Along with a new discovery, Demeyer park...and of course Settler's. They love it when there are other kids there so that they can play and chase! Makes for some great naps in the afternoons!!

We're getting excited for July, and our serious road trip to Illinois! It's taken some time to get used to the idea of driving for 3 days each way, with 2 kids under the age of 4...but I'm finally there! We're going to add an extra day to the travel each way. On the way out we're going to spend an extra night in Lincoln, Nebraska...to allow time to sight see at the Children's Zoo and Children's museum. On the way back we're going to detour through Denver so that I can go to Casa Bonita and see the Disneyland of Mexican restaurants! : ) And then we'll spend an extra night in Salt Lake so that we can take the kids to the Lagoon for sure, and maybe even the zoo. We also just bought a portable DVD player so that the kids will be entertained with some movies and break up the monotony of driving so much! Hoping that those little side trips and the movies will be the magical answer that saves Casey and my sanity!

We'll return from Illinois just in time to have a bash for Zach's 3rd birthday. My friend Sarah has a son who will turn 4 right around the same time, so we've decided to combine forces and plan one party. It is going to be a dragon themed party...which is nice considering that the movie How to Train your Dragon just came out! Makes this oh, so much easier! : )

Oh, and some of the best news of the spring...we are a 100% diaper/pull up free house! Yes, Zach is FINALLY potty trained!!! With the exception of the occasional accident, it's quite nice!

Another crazy busy month comes to a close with the memorial day weekend. We're hoping that the weather cooperates for some racing at Meridian Speedway Saturday evening...a pharmacist from Walgreens has a car that he'll be racing. Sunday is the annual trip to Council to decorate mom's grave, and Granny and Papa Charlie's too. Some friends from WA will be visiting, so a BBQ is also on the platter for Sunday. Monday will just be a day to recover...clean house, do yard work, etc! And then we're onto June, and yet another crazy busy month of fun!

April comes, and April goes

Another month has flown by...seriously unbelievable! April has been a busy month, but a VERY good one!

The week following Easter brought us Casey's birthday WEEK. He was off work Thursday and Friday to burn some forced time off. We went receiver shopping at Stereo Shoppe on Thursday and he got his BIG (aka expensive) birthday present. I have to admit, even I can tell a difference... the other one was definitely dying, and this one works VERY well! I feel like I'm at a theater when we watch movies together on Saturday evenings! His birthday weekend also brought the Masters golf tournament, and Tiger's return to golf. We didn't watch as much golf as we normally do for the Masters, but we watched enough to enjoy seeing Tiger back in the swing of it...hoping that the media will leave his personal life alone for awhile now since he did well. And I was misty eyed at the end, when Phil Mickelson won, and gave his wife Amy a huge hug and kiss (she's fighting breast cancer). Phil is such a GREAT guy! He's replaced Tiger as the golf role model for my kids!! We managed a date night on Friday with Pete and Misty to celebrate Casey's birthday. We tried Bonefish Grill...and it was surprisingly not my idea!! Casey had tuna and I had Chilean sea bass...both were fabulous and I was surprised at how low cal the fish was!!!! We finished off dinner with a heavenly chocolate mousse dessert at a little french bakery downtown. And then we learned how to play a new game...Settlers of Catan. It was a LOT of fun, and I cannot wait to play it again! Saturday we took the kiddos to see the new movie How to Train Your Dragon. It was a hoot! It was Zach's first time at the movie theater and he did wonderful, of course, a little lemonade and popcorn didn't hurt! : )

The following week brought some wonderfully beautiful weather, so we did another park tour week! : ) We visited Tully park, Settler's park, and I rode my bike pulling the boys in the trailer over to Jullion park. We played at the school behind the house, which the boys call the park. I started running outside, training for the 5k on the 8th of May. And on the 19th I took my bike down to the greenbelt and did a fabulous 10.5 mile ride, from Ann Morrison Park down to Harris Ranch. As I rode past the Warm Springs golf course I got a craving for some golf time! I don't think I have the time to devote to lessons this year...but I'd like to get back into it, maybe even do 9 holes with Casey sometime here in the near future!

This past weekend we loaded up the bike trailer and the bikes, packed a picnic lunch and set off for the greenbelt again. We rode from Ann Morrison park down to Municipal park. We visited the MK Nature Center, had lunch in the park, and let the kiddos play for awhile, then headed back to Ann Morrison. And no trip to that park is complete without feeding the ducks/geese. There were a ton of babies there, so we had to be careful, but the boys had a ball feeding them. Too bad the wind was blowing and making it sooooo cold or we could've stayed and played longer!

The weight loss game is starting to get the best of me! I'm stuck in a rut trying to get rid of these last 6 pounds!!! Even with my bodybugg and my running it's making me fight for every ounce of loss! I broke down and did my measurements because I didn't feel like I was getting anywhere, however, I've lost another 2.75 inches, so I'm doing something right! And whether it be capris, shorts or jeans, I feel like I'm wearing a cinch sack everytime I put pants on! That's a good thing, except it means that it's time to go shopping for pants/shorts again...and I dread trying to find stuff that fits over the junk in the trunk, but isn't too big for the tiny waist! It always makes me think of the Baby Got Back song by Sir Mix a Lot...36, 24, 36, only if she's 5'3"...and Fonda ain't got a motor in the back of her honda. While my measurements are oh so close to these, I definitely have a motor in the back of my honda, and it's nothing but trouble!!! I'm hoping to run it off...eventually! : ) I have been wanting a pink armband for my bodybugg, but they've been sold out for weeks now. I finally got disgusted and sent an email to them inquiring about if and when they would have more in stock. I got a phone call from them on Tuesday, after a crappy day at work, and they said it was back in stock...best darn news of the day!!!!! Can't wait to wear a pink one, instead of boring black!

This past weekend, one of Casey's good friends came into town to pick up a truck that he bought. We went out to dinner with Joe, Pete n Misty, and Drew. We tried another new to us place, Bar Gernika in the basque block downtown. Some very yummy food, even better company! We finished that off with dessert and drinks at Bardenay, LOVE me some lava cake from Bardenay! And of course it wouldn't be a visit from Joe if it wasn't followed by a 'friendly' game of rummy...which we affectionately refer to as F*** your neighbor! Too bad his stay wasn't longer, it was great to visit with him, even if it was so brief!

This Saturday is the best scrapbook event of the year...FIESTA! I'll be at Michelle's house from 10am to 10pm, scrappin' my little heart out! She has a fiesta project, and we'll be doing the Rock Star pages for our May scrapbook group, and I need to figure out what else I'd like to work on. Can't wait to spend the day with the girls! I will need to take a break in there somewhere and go for a run...should be fun anyways though! : )

Don't know how many posts I'll get done in May. Cinco de Mayo is a dinner date night with the Neisen clan. The 8th is Race for the Cure, my VERY first 5k. May 12th is my ablation procedure. May 15th is a friend's graduation celebration, and another friend's birthday celebration. And of course there is Memorial Day...which means a trip to Council to decorate my mom's grave, and the other family members that are also buried there near her. I'll do my best to document some of it though!

I'd better get back to the movie. I'm watching Snow White with the boys. Lucas ensures me that it is 'THE BEST movie in town'!!! He cracks me up! I find it amusing how addicted to this movie my boys are, given that they are boys, and it's a princess tale! Oh well, whatever floats their boats, and prevents fighting, yelling and screaming! : ) Until next time...

It was a Happy Easter indeed!

I have always loved holidays, getting to spend time with family that you don't get to see often enough, and all of the spirit that comes with the holidays...but now that I have children, they are even better! This was the first Easter that Zach really had a clue about what was going on! They got to do an Easter egg hunt with their daycare friends, and we went to a community one as well. They had soooooo much fun! Easter morning and afternoon was spent preparing a feast for the family, and tidying up the house, and hiding Easter eggs...AGAIN, and AGAIN, and AGAIN! Even once the eggs had been emptied of their treasures the kids couldn't get enough of the darn things. And Zach's laugh when he'd excitedly find one, and then have to show Lucas, as if to get his permission to collect it...priceless! The Easter bunny spoiled them as per usual...the game Chutes and Ladders, a playdoh spaghetti factory, bubble guns, Toy Story 2 and the original Madagascar DVD's...and of course, a metric TON of candy!

Dinner with the family was very fun as well! The boys had to show off their mad Mario n Sonic Winter Olympic Games skills to Grandma. They got some time in with Sanjuana, Doug n Trin. They missed Uncle Mike, who was home with some sort of illness...I was sad that he didn't make it, but thankful that he didn't come and infect the boys (they've been healthy for over 2 weeks now...knocking on wood). Some good conversations were had, including the one where I learned my new thing for the day...beer pancakes! I seriously do not know who comes up with these things, but it NEVER would have occured to me to mix beer with my pancake batter...and what in the heck do you put on these pancakes? Neither syrup nor jam sounds appealing in the least bit...but I am nonetheless interested in trying out these creatures, as is the hubby! ; )

I had my 2nd day since January 7th (the first day that I wore my bodybugg) where I was a complete pig, and didn't even come close to my 500 calorie deficit for the day. I was praying that even after running for 30 minutes, that I'd at least break even. I ended up with a horrible stomach ache, and a little over a 100 calorie deficit for the day. The problem...one hard boiled egg here, one there, another one here, another one there...they are only 80 calories after all! Coupled with one peanut butter kiss cookie here, another one there, repeat...same thing, only about 80 calories per cookie. That adds up by the end of the day, and I about had a heart attack when I entered all of those cookies and eggs into the bodybugg program at the end of the day!!!! Lesson of the day...enter each one as it's eaten, then I can see exactly what I'm doing to myself and prevent it from happening again! : ) Someone seriously needs to invent a bodybugg that administers small electric shocks to deter you from eating so much!!!! Granted, I would've likely been electrocuted, but I wouldn't have eaten so many eggs and cookies! : ) I've hit a plateau again...not all that surprising since I've had a couple of really good weeks previously!

I've graduated to monthly allergy shots!!!!!! It's such a relief, not having to give up about an hour of my 'me time' EVERY Monday morning just to get a shot! I'm not sure how long I have to do this for, but it sure is paying off! I was miserable by this time last year!!!!! Now I'm only taking my Zyrtec daily, and doing fabulous! I'm wanting to try to give up the daily Zyrtec to see how I do, but I'm a big ol' chicken!! We'll see!

Casey's birthday is this coming Friday, and he was told to use up some more of his time off. So he has a short work week this week...taking off Thursday and Friday. I love that he'll be home with us 4 days this week...even if it means he'll be parked in the chair watching the Masters all weekend long! : )

I must get on the treadmill and get on with my day! Hoping that the weather finally starts to act like spring so I can start running outside in preparation for the Race for the Cure 5k on May 8th...it's approaching so quickly! Until next time...