Cake - I LOVE cake

Thought this was appropriate for my Birthday.

Girls Night Out

Last night for my birthday (which yes, is today) a small group of friends and I went out to dinner at Red Robin. We ate dinner and had a couple of drinks. It was so much fun!! And I'm sad to say that I'm not recovering from some horrible hangover today and that our night got pretty wild. I'm just joking! But really, it was fun and I haven't laughed like that or that hard in a really long time. As my friend Melissa was saying - playgroups are nice, but as a mom - you never get to complete a thought, sentence, or anyone else do either of those things for that matter. Playgroups are more for the kids. Yes, they are for mommies too, but definitely kids first. Before you have kids, you take for granted going out to dinner and chatting or even getting into deep conversations. I've had a little, itty bitty taste of a mommies night out, and now I'm hungry (literally - ha!) for more.

All of us had so much fun, that we want to try to make this a regular occasion and talk about doing it once a month. Hopefully we can stick to it, and get out and away from the kids. I know that I keep saying that it was so much fun - but it really was. I feel very lucky to know this group of women and feel very thankful that they are in my life (you know who you are). I don't have any immediate family here, but this group of girls is becoming just that - family! So thank you to them, because I know I can count on them - and that makes me feel extremely grateful.

Preschool

Today we went to an open house for Josh's preschool. They did this so that the kids could get used to the classroom and meet their peers. He went to preschool for a couple of months last school year at a different school. So this year, he's at an elementary school right down by our house - so it's not a 20 minute drive like it was just a few months ago. The only qualm that I have, is that this school is a lot older than the 1st one he was in. We got spoiled, but it's not a huge deal. Josh doesn't know the difference.

It was actually kind of fun today, and I wish that we had all of those toys to our disposal at home. He was so excited to meet all of his classmates and to get to know new people. Josh starts preschool on Wednesday, and I have a parent orientation on Tuesday. He is so excited and ready to start school! He had a HUGE meltdown when it was time to leave. It happens. I think the big part of it was - was that there were still kids playing and he was wondering why he had to leave. But I gave him the 5 minute warning. And when he had his meltdown - I took him aside and talked to him calmly. So I'm proud of myself, but it was completely draining!

We've had such a busy, scary, emotionally draining week. Tuesday was the big scare about Brad and his work, and that night I took our neighbors to the airport. Wednesday - we had playgroup, Thursday was a Pampered Chef open house and calls to my neighbor, and today was the open house for preschool and a trip to the vet. And then tomorrow, we're painting Josh's room, and I'm going out to dinner with a small group of friends for my birthday. What a week leading up to my birthday - I'll tell you that. We normally don't do anyting, so this is a lot for us/me. Thank God Brad has Monday off and is taking Tuesday off as well. He's going to be so bored, but it will be nice to have my hubby home!

Scare

Well yesterday we (our family) had a pretty big scare. In our area (for those of you who haven't watched the news) there was a power lineman accident. For those of you who don't know what a lineman is (which is what Brad does for a living), they climb power poles and work with electricity. This is a very dangerous job and should be taken very seriously. When your power goes out at any time - during a storm, the summertime heat, etc. - a lineman is the one risking his life to get your power turned back on.

So back to the scare - there were two lineman that had gotten electrocuted. One was killed and the other sustained extremely serious burns and is in critical condition. I had to find this information out from a friend (which was fine), but then also from the local news channel. The news didn't even have all of the information and was just a tidbit - but it was a story, so they ran with it. I just barely caught the end of the news story - so I tried to look it up on a local news channel's website. And from there it just got worse. People (anyone) can comment on stories, so I read some of the responses to this one. And boy, what a big mistake that was. There were people commenting that - wow, this story is electrifying or shocking. Others saying - oh, I thought linemen just stole copper wire. And yet others saying, that a woman needed counseling because her husband is a lineman and she worries every time he walks out the door to go to work. People can be so cruel - I just couldn't believe it. People have no respect - these men were/are sons, husbands and fathers. They have nothing better to do with their time than to write negative comments about something they know nothing about. I was getting pretty stinkin' mad and sitting there crying because I was worried that one of these men was my husband. At the time, I hadn't been able to get ahold of Brad yet - so I was scared. Really. Freakin'. Scared.

The story is horrific and I know more details than someone just watching the news. And believe me, being a lineman is a scary thing. I worry about Brad every time he has to go to work. He doesn't have THE most dangerous job, but it's up there. When he finally did get home, Josh and I went outside to meet him. And there, all three of us did a huge bear hug. And of course, then the tears started pouring. Complete meltdown ensued. I'm not sure if I didn't want to believe or if I just didn't want to start panicking yet - probably a little bit of both. If Brad hadn't called me, and I hadn't heard anything by the time I usually do - watch out. Sheer terror and panic would have erupted. People don't even say thank you to lineman, and the only time they complain about their power is when it's out. So next time you turn on a light, think of a lineman.

Maddie says Dada and Sits

So she finally sits on her own! Her new thing now is crawling and then getting into a sitting position from her tummy. She also says "dada" now, but I know she doesn't know what she's saying - it's just babble for now. She's also pulling to stand a lot more now, so we have to be very careful and watch her even more closely than we did before. But she thinks she's a big girl now, so we can't get too close. Hope everyone enjoys the video.

Mommy Body

Well I've come to the conclusion that I hate the scale. I hate it, as in - I want to throw it out the window - hate it. It has been really hard for me to get used to this post-baby slash mommy body. I know in my head that I will never, ever look like I did before I had kids, and that I will never fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes that I just can't seem to throw away. But there they sit, in the basement, taunting me - saying "nah, nah, you can't wear me!" Ugh, clothes these days - they can be so cruel. Digressing.

Note:
For those of you who don't want a candid and completely blunt post, then you better stop reading. I get into some detail here, so continue at your own risk!

The hardest part (for me) really isn't my weight. It's the mommy pooch (and for those of you who don't know it's the stomach area) that I can't get rid of. It is with me forever and will not willingly go away. I keep fighting it, but it just keeps coming back. What to do, what to do? And sometimes I think, what has happened to my body. I used to look decent back in high school, and at least be proportionate. Now, I have a huge butt, the mommy pooch, and no boobs. I mean, I never really had boobs before I had kids, but then when I had both of my kids - wow, huge boobs (I should have taken a picture of what they looked like back then, because they're never going to look like that again!), and now - no boobs. And I mean, no boobs - seriously, they are nonexistent. I mean, at this point I'd at least settle for sagging boobs because I could at least push them up or something, but no. The kids just sucked them right out of me, no pun intended.

And I know, it was totally worth it. I would never wish that I hadn't had kids, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. But it's like how YOU picture your body - not anybody else, not your friends or husbands or strangers, but you. This is not how I pictured my body being. And like I said before, it's not the weight - because I can deal with that. It's the pooch. The mommy pooch. Not that all mommies have it or anything. It's also hard to look at magazines or run into someone like my sister - who after having a child, looks EXACTLY the same as she did before she had a kid. Stupid twig! I'm just joking - about the stupid part. Don't get me wrong - I love my sister - but she's a stinkin' twig. Long legs, no pooch. Okay, I'm digressing. Ahh, the days of flat tummies and no calorie counting - wouldn't that be nice?

Annoying Stuff

So I am a little annoyed today. Brad is working an all-nighter tonight (boo, hoo for me), and I'm not sure what time he's getting off tomorrow. But that's not the point. We were supposed to get together with a friend tonight, and she always cancels on me - so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but nonetheless - I'm a little bummed. We tried to make other plans, but those didn't work out either (starts with a M and ends with an A) and it's not your fault that the plans didn't work out. And with me being the perpetual planner that I am, I like to know what I'm doing if Brad is working late. I think it helps keep me sane. So long story short, I'm just wondering what to do with my night. It's not a big deal that Brad won't be home, but I like to keep busy when he does - and to have plans fall through (yet again). Well, it just sucks! Okay enough complaining about that.

Another thing that I'm annoyed with - mainly because I hear this everyday (I should count how many times a day I hear it). Josh has started saying "I caunt doo et" and that's exactly how he says it too. Oh - it's so annoying. He has also started saying "I don wanna eww" - well you know what, I'm the parent and I don't care if you don't want to - just do it! Whatever it might be, please just do what I ask. Oh - 3 year olds! Brad says, if you can't beat em, join em. He kept saying to Josh "I caunt doo et". Josh just looked at him with his head turned to one side, all puzzled looking. But after hearing that for the umpteenth time - a person could go crazy!

And trust me, I could go on and on about annoying stuff - but it would probably be boring to everyone else. But annoying - like when Old Navy has yet another sale when we don't have any money (well to spend on clothes anyway). I know it's dumb stuff, but it's - well, annoying. And just one last thing, does anyone even read this stinkin' blog? I'm beginning to wonder. I know, poor pitiful me, right? I'm being very sarcastic.

Well that's out of my system, ahh I feel much better.

Working Out

So I am kind of proud of myself. I've been working out in a steady fashion for almost 2 weeks now - which before having kids wouldn't have sounded like such a huge fete to me. But now, after kids - it's a big deal. It's hard to make myself workout (the getting started part & the working out at night part) but once I've actually started - it's not that bad. And I feel great after I do. It's kind of empowering. I die for like the first 10 minutes, but after that - it feels good (well not good, like a spa day good - but good knowing that I'm trying to get in shape, be healthier, and lose weight good). It's kind of nice working out at home too, because I don't have to worry about what I look like - I can wear any ratty old shirt and pants. Plus, when I'm done, I can take a shower right away because I'm already home! Sweet.

Now if I can just change my diet along with working out, I'll be doing really well. And so far, that's the hardest part. I had a hard time with this same thing after I had Josh. I was so used to "eating for two" that I couldn't control my portion sizes! Plus, after getting used to drinking soda again - that's really hard to stop. Josh had already turned one by the time I started working out, so I'm a little ahead of where I was after him. And I'm already hating the scale - it's my worst enemy. I keep telling myself, don't weigh yourself today, don't do it - only bad can come from doing such things. But I do, and then I'm disappointed. I've even gotten a little overly organized with the working out thing - I've made a chart, which is probably a good thing. It has all of my measurements on it and weight - which will be good once I finally make progress. But all in due time. I just have to keep telling myself that!

Update on the Kids

Maddie is feeding herself now, which is a huge accomplishment for her. I've been waiting for her to do this for a while now. Mainly because I can sit her in her highchair while I'm making dinner, and as long as she has food in front of her - she's good! Her pincer grasp is getting better, not perfected yet - but she can feed herself little pieces of food, and has tried cheerios, crackers, and bread. She is getting so much bigger and so much older. She's been doing so many more new moves and making huge strides - it's pretty remarkable. Oh, this first year goes by so fast.




The biggest new move that she's doing is pulling up to stand. She wanted to stand up while watching Josh in the bath the other night because the edge of the tub is just her height. I think she actually wanted to be in the tub with Josh, but we haven't dared do that yet. She just started crawling really well, and now she wants to stand. I think I'm in trouble because she not even 8 months yet, for pete's sake! Every time I tried to sit her down, she started crying because she just wanted to stand.



Josh is doing really well with going pee on the potty. He hasn't mastered the whole at night and nap time thing quite yet. Which is probably our fault, because we haven't even wanted to deal with that yet. I think he's getting ready, so we're almost there - just not quite yet. I swear that kid has a bladder the size of a hamster's. Same with my husband! Those two have to go to the bathroom to pee like every 15 minutes! But he's doing really well. And just in time for school.

He is also talking so much more than he was even just 6 months ago. He has made huge strides in the talking department, and now we can't get him to stop! He is talking all of the time - in the car, in the store, at home when I'm on the phone, etc. But it's really good because we were worried about him there for a while. Sometimes people still can't really understand what he's saying, but at least I know what he's saying. The articulation will come. And there are more and more 3 and 4 word sentences every day. His newest saying is, "Hold on Maddie (he actually says Maddie now, instead of Madison - so cute), just a second, it's okay." He does this when she's crying and he's trying to be a little adult. It's getting so cute to watch the interactions they have together. Big brother and little sister. I know they're going to fight, but I know Josh is going to protect his little sister when they get older.

Josh's Leg Update

We went to see the orthopedic surgeon today, and Josh finally got his boot off. The doctor said that his leg has healed enough and that he doesn't have to wear that boot anymore. Hip, Hip, Hooray!!! He said that Josh needs to take it easy (ha) for at least a week. And he has to do this because his leg is going to be a little stiff and weaker than it was before. The doctor also said that if he is going to injure his leg again that it will more likely happen in this first week, since his leg is weaker. So we're going to have to watch him pretty close this week. Which is why I'll probably put his boot back on during a playgroup or sometime that I know he is really going to be running or jumping around a lot.

The doctor also said that after we left the office last time, it looks like Josh broke a completely different part of his fibula. He said that there were the hairline fractures that we had seen earlier down towards his ankle on both bones. But that there was another fracture/break higher up on his fibula that he didn't see before. Which completely explains why Josh kept grabbing his leg in that area. That was where Josh had said that he had the most pain. So the doctor found another one, and I'm just so amazed that Josh was still walking on his leg! The doctor said that once we get through this 1st week, his bones will be completely healed and strong again. He just said that if at any other time he starts limping again or complaining of pain to bring him in, because he might have injured yet a different part of his leg! What a long 2 1/2 weeks!! But one good note is that Josh is actually starting to drink milk again (after a 5 month hiatus) - which he calls "strawberry juice" because we put strawberry Nesquik in it. But hey, at this point, whatever gets him to drink milk is OK with me - this is just temporary, the strawberry addition.

My Battle with Insomnia

Well I think I had the longest night that I've had since Madison was really little and waking up every 2 hours to nurse. I've had problems sleeping in the past and have been on medication to help me get to and stay asleep. And last night I had forgotten that I was out of my medication and it was 10:30 by the time I realized this! So I knew it was going to be a long night, I just didn't know how long it was actually going to be. Honestly, I don't even know how I'm typing this because I have a huge headache, my hands are shaking and I need caffeine like I've never needed it before (they really need to build a Starbucks in my house). I only got about 2 hours sleep last night, and feel like I could bite off the next person's head that crosses my path.

To make matters worse, Josh woke up for some odd reason twice last night - which he hasn't done in forever. He woke up at 1am and then again at 4am, Brad got up to go to work around 5:45 and Madison woke up around 6:30. So about the times that I was falling asleep, there was always someone around to wake me up. Nice. And to make matters even worse, Josh peed in his bed last night. So I'm in the process of washing all of his bedding - which I hate to wash bedding. And today is the day that Josh goes back to see the orthopedic surgeon (again), and I kind of need to be at least a little sane and be able to concentrate. So today I'm going to get my medication and hopefully tonight will be a better night.

So insomnia 10 (million nights) : Adrienne zip. It wins again!!

Haircut

So, I had a hair appointment yesterday. I'd really been looking forward to getting my haircut and getting away from the fam for a little bit. And I love my hairdresser, but the salon she works at is down in Salt Lake. Not that it's too far away from us, but everytime I have to drive to Salt Lake - I hate it. There is so much traffic and road construction it's not even funny. The funny part is that her name is Adrienne as well (spells her name the exact same way that I do and everything). Every time I call to make an appointment, it feels so weird (I mean, there aren't many people named Adrienne). When I call, I say that I want to make an appointment with Adrienne, and then they ask me - and what is your name - uh, Adrienne. And they always ask, and what's your last name - like I'm messing with them, and my name isn't really Adrienne.

So, back to the haircut. I wanted it shorter this time, because it seems like it grows so fast in the 6 week span, that I thought - if I get it cut shorter, it won't be so bad until the next time I get it cut. Well she cut my hair exactly the way I had said, and I hate it. It's my own fault. But I do hate it. It is definitely too short with my chubby cheeks. There are too many layers, and she did cut my bangs too short. But I can't do anything about it now - except complain - ha! I have to keep in mind - it will grow out. In about 2-3 weeks it will probably look okay, but for right now - ugh! Too, too short. Short hair and a really round face and chubby cheeks don't mix!

Note: Notice I'm not even including a picture. So don't ask.

The 30th Year

I read this on another blog and thought - hey this is a really good idea. A lot of pictures to sort through, but a really good idea. I don't have nearly enough pictures of myself or of me and the kids (mainly because I'm the one taking all of the pictures), but I thought I might give it a try as well. Except, I'll have to call it the 30th year. But I want to do it - I just need to keep this in mind for another whole year - good thing I can look back on this blog! It would be nice to do a scrapbook of that year too. Even though I am only 3 1/2 years behind on Josh's scrapbook and 7 months behind on Maddie's scrapbook - I'm still trying to be optimistic :)

This 25th Year:

I like to remember everything.
I have previously kept scrapbooks but this year I'm taking

my obsession one step further.
Starting on my birthday, 20th March,

I am going to take a photograph every day that I'm 25.
The photograph could be of anything, all it has to do is represent my day.
By my 26th birthday I'll have 365 images

summing up my year at 25.

I really like the idea and hope that I'll be able to stick with it. My main goal of doing this would be to have more pictures of myself and the kids. Maybe this will force me to give up the camera to someone else a little bit more. And not shy away from the camera, which is what I normally do. So check back in with me in a year and ask me how it's going.

No Words

I have absolutely no words to describe how angry I was when Josh did what he did last night. I had had a pretty rough day already, since Josh hadn't been listening to me during our moms playgroup and was just acting out period. Which I know, happens, but still frustrating all the same. But yesterday he actually went down without a hitch for his nap and at bedtime, which was a relief. But that was it.

Brad had a union meeting, so he was going to be home late - which I hate those nights, but I'll I can do is deal with it. It's a little easier for me when I know ahead of time that he's going to be late, so I can plan what we're going to do that night to stay busy and keep from going insane. What I absolutely hate is when he calls me up at 2pm and tells me, oh I'm going to stay a couple of hours late tonight. But that's a completely different subject!

So I'd been having a rough day and Josh wasn't really listening after he woke up from his nap. I was trying to keep him busy with watching TV and playing with his toys, but that failed. He was driving me nuts, and then all of a sudden he really got into watching Alvin and the Chipmunks, and I was like - ahh, relief. I thought since he was occupied and Maddie was in a good mood in her highchair - I thought I'd empty the dishwasher (well and talk to my mom too - but it's not like I haven't done this a million times before). So emptying the dishwasher takes maybe 1o minutes. Well my son, decides in that 10 minutes to almost completely destroy our family room. He had gotten a hold of some of Brad's lotion (which is industrial strength lotion that he gets from work). My son decides that he is going to pour this lotion all over everything in our house. He put it all over our TV remotes (one was completely covered and no longer recognizable), the carpet, inside 2 of his snack bowls (one containing macaroni), all over Maddie's toys, the couch, and on the linoleum in our entry way. And did I say that it was lotion! Not an easy cleanup, but I guess it's better than paint. Trust me, it's lotion (all those dirty minds).

And then to top off the night altogether, Josh kicks me with his boot! Ugh, I was so stinkin' mad. It was all I could do to keep it together. Sending him to timeout and me getting one too helped. But my foot hurt so bad, I could barely walk on it. So off to Dairy Queen we went. A peanut buster parfait makes everything better!

Priceless

I took this picture today and couldn't resist posting it. She just has the chubbiest cheeks and smiles so big! So this is the picture of the day.



Now this on the other hand is pretty funny. We had our boys playgroup today and I don't know what I was thinking in having them paint (they're boys - they'd rather run around then paint, but oh well) - and here is Josh's artwork. This lovely boat is now his prized possession!

The Olympics

So my friend Heidi prompted me to write this blog. I'm copying her :) Or I could say that she just posted on her blog about it before I did. I had been thinking about the Olympics a lot, but hadn't posted anything on it. But I know, I'm really copying her.

But I must admit that my new addiction this summer is the Olympics. I cannot stop watching them and must use the DVR to record anything that's on. I don't know what it is about these Olympics compared to any other, but I'm obsessed! I've watched the Olympics in previous years, but it hasn't been anything like this. Brad and I have always in tune with when the Olympics are going to be on throughout the years, and then we only watch the events that we're interested in. Then the interest fades, and that's that.

This year is completely different for me. I've been looking up the schedules for different events online, I want to know what events are on that day, and I've been keeping up with he medal count. See, I told you - I'm addicted. I love watching the gymnastics (um, I wonder why? :) maybe because I was one?) & this year I've gotten into the diving, we even watched the volleyball. But my favorite event to watch is the swimming. I love the relay races and just loved the event period! Go Phelps!! But I have to give it up for the DVR - if we didn't have that, I couldn't watch the Olympics. It's hard to watch TV and pay attention to anything that's going on, on TV when you have 2 kids and one that has to watch what he wants to watch all of the time. Got that? So the DVR is my best friend during these Olympics, so I can watch everything during nap time and at bed time.

I'd better go feed Maddie, she's starting to cry and is wanting a bottle. Oh - the bad mom awards are starting early today I guess.

Maddie Crawling

Maddie's First Tooth

Maddie got her first tooth today! It's on the bottom on the left hand side. I know, big deal - right? But it is a big deal to me. My baby is growing up, and it explains to me why she's been waking up at night and being kind of crabby! She's been chewing on her fingers like crazy lately (yes, Heidi you're right - ha!). But she's been chewing on her fingers since she was 3 months old - so I didn't really think anything of it. There have been 2 bumps on her lower gums for the past week and they've been kind of swollen. Plus, her mouth started bleeding last night - it should have hit me then, but of course, it didn't. So when I looked in her mouth today - there it was. Her tooth is just barely poking through the gum, but it's there.

Josh didn't get his first tooth until he was 9-10 months old, so she's a little earlier than he was. But so far, she's doing everything earlier. Except getting out of her swaddle! She is officially crawling and she's fast. She just hasn't learned that she can get out of spots she gets herself into. She gets into a corner and starts crying, like she's saying - come help me, please - I can't get out!

So my baby is getting older, and I'm already starting to miss the baby stage. This might be the last chance we have, so I might as well enjoy it while I can! Oh - it goes by so fast.

Exercise Machine

Well we finally did it! We bought an elliptical machine for me to work out on. I wanted to work out in a gym, because for me, personally - I work out more frequently & stay committed for a longer period of time if I know that we're paying for a membership every month. But the only time that I would be able to work out is after the kids went to bed because Maddie is still too little to go to a gym daycare (I think anyways). And who wants to work out at night? That is my time to veg out and watch TV. Plus if I did take both kids - I'd have to pay for 2 kids to go into the daycare instead of just one. So we bought an elliptical machine from one of the guys that Brad works with. His wife hardly used it, and we got an extremely good deal on it - so I couldn't not pass it up!

Now I just have to make myself work out! I am definitely motivated - every time I look in the mirror I'm reminded just how badly I want/need to work out. I'm still going to work out at night after the kids go down, but at least I won't have to drive back and forth to a gym and waste time. This way, it's right in our house - I can just put my iPod on and rock out. But this is just temporary - the working out at night thing. Once Josh starts preschool, I'll probably work out in the morning when Maddie is taking her nap. I want to do that now, but with our basement not being finished and all - it makes it kind of hard. For those of you who don't know - our basement is just framed in, all concrete - with lots of places for a 3 year old and 7 month old to get hurt at. So we'll see how this goes working out at night. I'm kind of excited to start tonight. I know it's going to Kick. My. Butt! I definitely need it. I need to get in shape. I'm tired of looking at my post-baby body. I wish there was a quick fix - but if life were easy, it wouldn't be worth it, right?

Josh & His Boot - Part II

So yesterday we went back to the orthopedic doctor for a follow-up appointment, or so we thought. Again, waiting in the waiting room forever and with two kids this time - that was not my idea of time wisely spent. But that's how most doctor's offices are. They were so busy that they put us into the "cast" room (instead of a regular room), and I didn't think about it much at first and then I was like, wait a minute. So I asked the nurse, just because we're in this room doesn't mean he's getting a hard cast, right? And she said no. Phew, I thought to myself. We dodged a bullet!


Wrong (in a sense). The doctor comes and shows us the new xrays they had done on Josh's leg. And their they are - one prominent white line and a few little lines going across both the tibia and fibula. My heart just sank. At first the doctor said that he would need to stay in his boot for 3-4 more weeks, but upon looking at the xrays - the bones look like they are starting to heal - so we'll need to go back for another appointment (and probably more xrays) in a week and a half. Which in the big picture, is not too bad - but one week as been hard enough. Mainly because of how active Josh is! The doctor asked us, "is he crawling" - and I just had to laugh, because he just doesn't know my child. And we replied back, "uh, no he's running on this thing!" So the doctor said to carry him as much as possible (um, what?). I need a double stroller for that!


Well here is the copy of the xray that we got. It's not as clear as the actual xray. But you might just be able to see where the little white lines are - those are the fractures.

We don't even know what caused this! All we know is that he started limping and then complaining that he had an owie on his leg. Heidi, maybe you're right - Josh does have a high pain tolerance. Who knows how long it's been like this. I mean, he's fallen - but there hasn't been one specific fall that I can think of that's like - yep, that was the one! So, who knows.

And we can only take the boot off when Josh needs a bath, which is when I'm going to wash it as well because that thing stinks! So now when he gets a bath, we have to put lotion on his leg, put a sock on him and then put his boot on. Kind of a hassle when he needs to go potty. But if he can potty train through this, he can do anything!

Art Day

I've been trying to think of things for Josh to do inside, since we have this little cast problem. It doesn't even slow him down, he still runs on it. So our safest bet, is to stay inside! So I decided that today would be a craft day - I've got to keep from going insane somehow and I know Josh is getting antsy too! So Josh has been painting, coloring, and putting stickers on pieces of paper. This was the craft of the day, and Josh loved it. I think it was because it's something that we don't do on a regular basis and he enjoyed that. Plus, I didn't realize how many sticker pages that I'd been collecting over the years - I have a ton!

Here are a few of the art pieces that Josh did - I love the circle one, and he did that all on his own! He is so talented. And I don't think I'm biased at all :) It's funny how in the last picture he put all of the stickers on top of each other.

Little Maddie

Well Madison got her first haircut yesterday (as done by me). It's kind of hard to tell that she got it cut unless you look really close, and it is pretty choppy. But I was just getting so tired of all of her long baby hairs (the ones that didn't fall out when she was younger), that I was like - this is it, time for a cut! The pictures really don't do it justice - you can hardly see anything that's been done. But I guess I notice, since I see her everyday.

And I finally got our printer rehooked back up to the laptop, so I'm going to scan her 6-month pictures and see how they turn out and post them if I can. Also, we finally had a good night last night. Thank God! It had been 2 nights without sleep and I was beginning to lose my mind. She had been sleeping through the night (well, most nights) when she started waking up again on Friday and Saturday night. So, I actually got about 6-7 straight sleep - oh, they were glorious and now I feel a lot better today. Whoohoo!

Last note - Maddie is almost crawling the conventional way, but her newest thing is getting on all fours, and lifting one arm up to reach for a toy, her binkie, etc. and then putting it in her mouth. She looks so cute when she does that. And it's making me realize that she isn't going to be a baby for very much longer. I keep telling myself that I want her to be older (so she can walk around, so that I don't have to carry her around everywhere), but I should try to enjoy this time as much as possible. Oh, so sad! My babies are growing up. Time goes by too fast.

The 30th Year

I read this on another blog and thought - hey this is a really good idea. A lot of pictures to sort through, but a really good idea. I don't have nearly enough pictures of myself or of me and the kids (mainly because I'm the one taking all of the pictures), but I thought I might give it a try as well. Except, I'll have to call it the 30th year. But I want to do it - I just need to keep this in mind for another whole year - good thing I can look back on this blog! It would be nice to do a scrapbook of that year too. Even though I am only 3 1/2 years behind on Josh's - I'm still trying to be optimistic :)

This 25th Year: I like to remember everything.

I have previously kept scrapbooks but this year I'm taking my obsession one step further.

Starting on my birthday, 20th March, I am going to take a photograph every day that I'm 25.

The photograph could be of anything, all it has to do is represent my day.

By my 26th birthday I'll have 365 images summing up my year at 25.

I really like the idea and hope that I'll be able to stick with it. My main goal of doing this would be to have more pictures of myself and the kids. Maybe this will force me to give up the camera to someone else a little bit more. And not shy away from the camera, which is what I normally do. So check back in with me in two years and ask me how it's going.

Our Anniversary

Yesterday was me and Brad's 5 year anniversary. Five years married and 8 1/2 years of being together. It's a small milestone, but one nonetheless. But if any of you are thinking that this is a warm and fuzzy blog, and that I'm going to talk about how much I love my husband and that he got me a really special present on our anniversary (or that we even went to a romantic dinner out and got a babysitter) - you'd better start reading someone else's blog.

The day hadn't started off with a bang to begin with, but it was salvagable. I had gotten a crappy night's sleep, because for some reason Maddie decided to keep getting out of her swaddle (I know, she's still swaddled) and that was keeping her up. I had to go in at least 5 times and every time I'd just get back to sleep, low and behold - she'd wake up again. Ugh. Very frustrating night. So, when she woke up at 7:30 (about an hour after I'd already gotten up with Josh) - I thought, I am going to fix this. So I got out the sewing machine that my mother-in-law gave me and tried to start using it. I had to call 2 friends to ask for help and Julia ended up coming over before I could get a hold of Melissa, and got things going with the sewing machine. Sidebar: I don't sew very often (maybe twice a year), I don't have the booklet on that sewing machine, and it's like 10 years old - so I don't know my way around it very well. So Julia gets me started (but I accidently woke her up by calling too early - sorry!), and as I'm walking her out the door - Brad says "uh, Josh is messing with your sewing machine". What?!? So I say bye to Julia and run to where I have everything set up - complete chaos! Everything that we had just worked so hard on was ruined. I had to start all over from scratch and that didn't make me happy. Let's see combine lack of sleep + mad that I was the only one getting up that night + being frustrated over the stupid sewing machine, and that = one for the record books fight!

Long story short, we fought about the stupid sewing machine, about my supposed bad attitude, and then that was it - our anniversary was ruined, and there was no going back. That always seems to happen to us on special days. I remember one year, Thanksgiving (of all holidays) was ruined. And this year it was Valentine's Day (Brad had to work), and now this. We haven't had a big fight in so long, and of course it just has to happen on our anniversary - go figure! So we didn't even end up speaking to each other for like 6 hours! Now that's hard to do when you're living in the same house.

But we finally worked things out. He did buy me some beautiful roses and did get me a card (all this before the big fight though), so it wasn't all bad. But no romantic dinner, which there probably wouldn't have been anyways because we don't have anyone to watch the kids. But we've made up, everything discussed, and we'll have to wait and see what next year holds. And yes, I still do love my husband very much - but sometimes he just really pisses me off!

A Day in the Life of Me

Not too much happened today, just your normal (well, I guess, my normal) boring (and my boring) day. We went to Costco this morning and then off to Target to pick up Maddie's 6-month pictures. They turned out so cute, I need to get the printer re-hooked back up (got that?) to this lovely laptop so I can scan them and post them. Something I'm really not looking forward to, but it must be done.

The one exciting thing today, was that when we did run our errands, I kept Josh in his underwear and he made it through the whole trip with no accidents! Hooray!!! He had said that he had to go pee maybe once or twice, but I knew he had just gone before we left, and kept asking him - can you wait until we get home? And he did! He made it! I think we're finally in the potty trained club. But he has yet to poop (I know, TMI) since his pool party disaster. But we'll just see how it goes. That's all we can do.

Other than that, we (Brad & I) are trying to get all of our chores done tonight so we can have a relaxing day tomorrow - it's our 5 year anniversary. I'm paying (well, sort of - I'm also writing this blog) the bills right now and Brad is changing the oil and rotating the tires on the Civic - guy stuff. Plus we went grocery shopping, which I hate because they don't have any really good grocery stores around here - bummer! I wish they had a Winco here - good food, good prices. I know, the little stuff makes me smile. I was the type of person who loved to go school supply shopping and getting all new pencils, peechees, and pens - I know, ding ding - nerd aleart! But who cares.

Well I guess it's back to the real world and paying bills - fun, fun. Now who wouldn't want to be me?