Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all! Have a safe and happy holiday!

We will have a busy few days coming up. My brother and his family come in town this evening and will be with us until the 26th. Tomorrow we have the big family Christmas with my Mom's side of the family. This gathering is so huge, that even Santa stops by for a visit! Christmas Day will be spent at home with my Dad, brothers and their families. I am going to make a Crepe Breakfast (Jamie's and my Christmas tradition) and then for dinner I have making ham, sausage, and some sides.

I am really excited for Christmas because I get to spend it with the people I love. Rachel is so excited for Santa to come that it has me so excited!

Ho Ho Ho!!!

Toys R Us

Yup, that is where we spent the biggest bar night of the year...at Toys R Us with Rachel. We got all of our kiddie Christmas shopping done. (No easy task, we buy for 9 kids!)

Thanksgiving was great! We had my dad, brother and sister-in-law over, as well as Jamie's mom and dad. Dinner turned out great! We hosted and I made the turkey (14lbs), stuffing (no Stove Top here, the real homemade stuff), mashed potatoes, corn and bread sticks (Jamie's favorite!). Yum yum! Jamie was a huge help with pulling everything together. Our table looked great and was perfectly accented with napkins that were folded like a fancy resturant!

Friday we went and cut down a Christmas tree. Rachel loved the tractor ride out to the field and being pulled in the wagon as we searched for our tree.

Today we spent doing a little bit more Christmas shopping and we decorated outside. Tomorrow we are going to decorate the tree! Can't wait!

And the ultrasound showed...

A baby girl!

We are so excited!!! Rachel is going to be a big sister!

The tech said that everything looked good and measurements were as they should be. They had a hard time getting a certain view of the heart, so I will have to go back in another 10 days to get another ultrasound. But, the tech said from what she saw of the heart, everything looks good. It's just that our little girl would not move to the right position!

And we have a name... Our newest addition will hold the name of Abigail Antoinette. Abigail is a name that Jamie and I have loved for some time now! And Antoinette is the middle name of my Grandma, whom I love and adore! (Antoinette also happens to be the middle name of my mom...kind of funny that Rachel's middle name is my mom's name and now Abigail will have her middle name.)

So, there you have it...We are totally blessed!!!

So excited!!!

Tomorrow we find out what we are having. I am so excited to finally be able to say he or she! Please pray that we see a healthy baby!

Divorse is not funny, but this is...

Thanksgiving Divorse ~

A man in Jacksonville calls his son in San Diego the day before Thanksgiving and says, “I hate to ruin your day, but I have to tell you that your mother and I are divorcing: forty-five years of misery is enough!”

“Pop, what are you talking about?” the son screams. “We can’t stand the sight of each other any longer” the father says. “We’re sick of each other and I’m sick of talking about this, so you call your sister in Denverand tell her.”

Frantic, the son calls his sister, who explodes on the phone. “Like heck they’re getting divorced” she shouts, “I’ll take care of this!”

She calls Jacksonville immediately and screams at her father. “You are NOT getting divorced. Don’t do a single thing until I get there. I’m calling my brother back and we’ll both be there tomorrow. Until then, don’t do a thing, DO YOU HEAR ME?” and hangs up.

The old man hangs up his phone and turns to his wife. “Okay” he says, “they’re coming for Thanksgiving and paying their own way!”

Spare Bedroom = Lots of Junk

Today is clean the spare bedroom day. Sounds like fun doesn't it? And here I am writing in my blog and not working on it. Can you tell that I am delaying???

Since I moved Rachel to her new room and in her big girl bed, the "new" spare bedroom has been a mess. I just threw everything in there so I could get Rachel's room together. So, now with the holidays approaching and being disgusted every time I look in there, I figured there is no better day then today to start getting it in order.

Plus...you never know what that room will be in the future...

It could be a baby boys room.

It could be a play room (if we have another girl).

It could be a guest bedroom (again, if we have another girl).

Time will tell...well, not that much time though. We find out if we are having a boy or a girl on Monday afternoon!!! Please keep us in your prayers that we see a healthy baby!

God's Response to Prayers...

1) Yes.
2) Not yet.
3) I had something better in mind for you.

I saw this somewhere about a week ago and thought that it was interesting. I know that lately I have been getting myself thinking about what the future will hold and I thought that this was a good way to look at how God helps and listens.

Another saying that I love is...

Faith makes things possible...not easy.

New Pictures

of my cutie!

Here she is at her swim class holding on to the side of the pool kicking. Swim lessons have been fun, but Rachel has really been enjoying gymnastics right now. She is becoming a master of the balance beam, tumbling, jumping, v-seat, bridge, donkey kick and ta-das!

My little pumpkin. She was all smiles trick-or-treating and used her manners at every house by saying thank you. When given the choice of a candy to pick, she went for the M&Ms!

How much candy does one little girl need?

Don't Forget to Vote!

Just a friendly reminder...as if all the talk on the radio and tv aren't enough!

I just got back after waiting in line for about 45 minutes. Rachel was with me and was such a trooper.

On the farm...

Today I had to go to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things and I told Rachel that we would pick up lunch on the way home. Well, as we pulled out of Meijer, she said "See mama, On da farm!" I have heard her say that before, but never put together what she was saying. And frankly thought that association of eating and being at a farm seems wrong! Well, then it dawned on me...McDonalds...she made the association to the song Old McDonald had a farm, of which she refers to the song as On Da Farm! I got a good laugh out of that one. And for sometime now, when I see a McDonalds, I will think of that exact moment. So cute!

Christmas Cookie Exchange

Anyone want to do a cookie exchange? My cousin and I are hosting an exchange and want to get invites out soon. Let me know if you are interested!

We will have the gathering on a weekday the week before Christmas and each participant will be required to bring one dozen cookies for each participant.

Any interest?

Yum!

Baby Moves...

No, I haven't felt this little baby move too much, or at all for that matter. I have felt a couple of things, but who knows if it was the real deal. But, in wondering if what I have felt has been the baby, it took me back to being pregnant with Rachel. I know I remember feeling her moving around and I remember the big flips and elbows sticking out, but yet it seems like I can barely remember any of that. Well, I can't wait to feel the baby move consistently, just so I know that everything is ok!

On another note, last week I had a doctor appointment. They attempted to get the heartbeat, but were unsuccessful. (This had been my fear.) So, the doctor brought the ultrasound machine in and we got to sneak a peak at our little one. We didn't hear the heartbeat, but we saw the baby moving around and saw the heart beating. Rachel now talks about seeing the baby moving on the tv! Everything went good at the appointment and I go back in 4 weeks, well 3 now! Our ultrasound has been scheduled for Monday, November 24 (right before Thanksgiving). So, only 38 days to go until we find out if we are having another girl, or a boy! Any guesses?

Gymnastics!

Here are some pictures of Rachel at her gymnastics class on Saturday morning. It is so cute to watch her run around and play!

Playing with hoops!



















Doing a "salt" as Rachel calls it!















Hanging on the bar!



















On the balance beam with airplane arms!

Each class wraps up with a song and a dance!

Jamie is crazy!

And it must be true....because Rachel said so!

I can't remember if it was Friday or Saturday, but Rachel was talking to Jamie and said something that had us all laughing. She said "Rachel silly, you're crazy!"

And yes, she does refer to herself in the third person very often!

I am slowly tackling my list of things that need to be done before April is here and we are blessed with a sweet new little baby.

Rachel has done away with her sapie (pacifier), except she did ask for it on Friday night as we were getting ready to leave Jamie's parents house. When we leave there, she is always in her jammies and would get a blanket and sapie while in the car. Well, as we were getting ready, she said blankie and sapie. I questioned her and she became really embarrassed and smiled, as in oops! When I asked her if she wanted it, she quickly said no and that sapies are for babies and that they are yucky!

Rachel has now slept in the big girl bed in the spare bedroom (the room that will be hers) at nap time yesterday, last night and is sleeping right now in there. I think that we might be out of the crib converted to her toddler bed!

I am not the "fun" Mommy!

Ok, I can be fun, but not messy painting fun. I have had Rachel paint as a craft twice at home. Well, today we went to a friend's house today (Kristen) and Rachel and her daughter (Zoe) got to paint. Rachel had such a blast. Clearly, I am not that fun and I need to be. Perhaps Rachel will get some crafty stuff for Christmas.

On a positive note, Rachel will love craft time when she goes to preschool. Maybe I am doing her a favor. Perhaps I am creating someone that will really appreciate art when she goes to school. Ok, probably not, but it was worth a shot!

Kristen - If you are reading this, thanks for lunch. It was great!!!

So Lady Like

I have not shared pictures too much lately and here is the latest one to be put on my computer desktop. Enjoy!

These are the best days of my life!

I told this to Jamie last week and it is so true.

Sure the jr high years were great because I was old enough to have independence, but too young to work a job. And college was great because it seemed that even though I worked a lot and went to school, I still had a ton of me-time. But, I didn't have money nor freedom. Then post-college life begins. I marry a wonderful man, we start a beautiful family and I am doing what I have always wanted to do...be a wife, a mommy... And I am so lucky to be able to stay home with my sweet little girl and thank the Lord everyday. Looking back through my life, although there were some great times, I have no desire to go back. These are the days that I love the best! I have a wonderful life and wonderful people to share it with. I have been blessed with a great husband, the sweetest little girl ever, expecting our next little gem, great family and friends and a perfect house. These are the best days of my life!

Chili

Yum! That's for dinner. Nothing like chili to welcome fall!

Today has been a day of domestics...ok, laundry...but it was enough to keep me busy all day between folding/switching them around and caring for the 2 kiddies! Got a nice long walk outside with Rachel and Brad too! People watching us might think that we are crazy, because to keep the busy and moving, we kick our legs, we skip, we hop...And we sing every kid song I know!

So you want picture updates, do you?

Then scroll down on the right to where you see the name Alison. Go to her blogging page and view the pics from our day at the zoo last Thursday!

Ha ha...Thanks Alison! We all had a great time and Brad was asleep by the time we got on the service drive. Rachel fell asleep about a mile later. So, I got some mommy music time, you know the time when you are in the car NOT listening to Apples and Bananas and other kiddie songs!

1st Doctors Appt

Had my first appointment today. I am already in my 9th week. 25% down! But really, I am not counting. No need to hurry this sweet bundle along!

I talked with the doctor and it sounds like I will need another c-section. Oh well!

A Rachel Update - We are attempting to be "sapie" free. In other words, the pacifier has got to go! Whenever I have attempted to do this in past, she flips out and cry hysterically. Well, earlier in the week, she had it in her mouth and I told her that I have had it and I was throwing is away. She quickly went in to a crying fit and after holding her and telling her that sapies are for babies and she is a big girl she settled down. She took a bit to fall asleep that afternoon for nap, but she never asked for that dear sapie. That night, same thing. Hopefully we are well on our way to getting over this hurdle!

On a scrapbooking note, I went last night to my scrapbooking league. It was pretty fun and it felt good to be working on some of my Rachel pages. I got 6 pages done (3-2 page layouts), of which one was pretty plain, one fancy and one prepared page kit. I kind of have the itch to scrapbook tonight, so maybe as Jamie does his homework, I will scrapbook. (It would be convenient, because I have been too lazy to take my scrapbooking stuff downstairs!)

J-O-B

Just one baby!!!

We had the ultrasound this afternoon and saw one baby and heart a healthy heartbeat! If I knew how to work the scanner, I would put the picture up, but seeing that I don't, you are out of luck. To be truthful, you can't really see much! Another good thing is that I am pretty much right on the mark for my due date. I calculated April 22nd and the ultrasound said the 20th.

For those of you who may not know, twins run in my family. So, I was anxious to know if we were having one or two!!!

As much as 2 would be a blessing, one is just what we were looking for! Jamie is at ease now!

The Latest!

So, for those of you that I have talked to recently, know that I have had some weird pregnancy test results. Some positive, some negative, some not working... I never really doubted being pregnant, but wanted some reassurance!

Well, I called the dr's office yesterday and they said to come in for a blood test. I did and I got the results back today and all is good! The person calling to tell me the results said that I am good to schedule my first appointment (at 8 weeks) and can schedule an ultrasound at any time. So...I ran with the ultrasound idea!!!

Ultrasound - Monday, September 8
1st Appt - Friday, September 12

Who reads my blog?

There is one way to find out...

A little something has had me questioning the timing needed (lets say 245 days or so) to take care of the following items:

- Get Rachel detached from her sapie...that is her way of saying paci, or pacifier.
- Get Rachel in to her big girl bed.
- Get 24 months worth of Rachel scrapbooking up to date.
- Take a vacation.
- Save money, lots and lots of money.
- Enjoy not having a "."
- Enjoy only mental margaritas.
- Worry (heck, that will be a lifetime).
- Paint the kitchen, foyer and decorate a bedroom.
- Figure out how to build in to the budget a housekeeper, laundry person, and what the heck, a hot pool boy for the pool we don't have! (Or does a kiddie pool count?)
- Gain weight, without looking fat.
- Buy bigger bras...Jamie, Jamie, Jamie...stop drooling!
- Sleep, sleep, sleep.
- Have worryless se......nevermind.

I hope that you have all shared in a good laugh. Please keep us in your prayers!

Rachel at 2

I know that I haven't posted in a while, so I am sorry. Nothing much has been going on at this end.

To schmooze my fellow blog readers over, I thought that I would share Rachel's professional pictures that were taken just before her 2nd birthday. Isn't she a sweetie???

For the record, I am not a big fan of characters in pictures or on clothes for that matter, but thought that since she was having an Elmo party that I could do a picture with some of her Sesame Street stuffed toys. I didn't know that the cutest picture of her would be the one of her sitting by herself with her Elmo shirt on. WHY DID I HAVE TO PUT HER IN THAT SHIRT. Great picture, but it looks stupid with Elmo's eye on the one corner of her shirt!!!! And I got the shirt only because it said "2 Cute" and thought that it would be perfect for her party. Gerrrrr!

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ThumbAccess.aspx?e=3993146
password: 8771

What's New?

It has been a fun and crazy weekend!

Friday during the day, I went to the Wave Pool with my cousin Heather and her kids. It was a super hot day, but all the better to be having fun in a kiddie splash area and lazy river! Then, in the evening, I went scrapbooking with friends Alison, Michele, and Shelley. Had a blast, but realized that my pages STINK. I said it then and I will say it now, I am going for quantity, not quality. But, can't a girl have it all? I want super nice pages too!!!! Oh well! When are we going to plan our next event for? I will even host it at my house if we don't want to spend the $$$ to go out!

Saturday was my birthday. Can you believe it? I had a wonderful day! We spent most of the day at Greenfield Village walking around and then we went to visit Jamie's Grandma in the hospital. (For those of you who may not know this...she is who Rachel is named after and is 93 years old.) Well, she has pneumonia, a blood infection and a UTI. It was very nice to see her, despite the circumstances. Then, on our way home, we stopped at Sterling Fest for a short visit to explore the Art Show. Nothing too exciting there. Then, back home to enjoy my birthday cake hand crafted by Jamie. He did a great job!!!

Today was filled with housework...clean the kitchen, do dishes, rearrange part of Rachel's room, cut the grass... We have a big push to get some stuff done before Tuesday...when we celebrate Rachel's 2nd birthday.

Yes, that is correct. She is turning 2. I can't believe how quickly time flies by. I told Jamie that celebrating my birthday now takes my back to not being a child, but rather being pregnant waiting for my sweet little girl to make her grand appearance.

Thank you Lord for this sweet and precious little girl. She is the sweetest gift of love!

The Money Saver...

Ok, so I did this on Monday and actually wrote it then as well, but I wanted to upload a photo of all the stuff to show you. Well, I have not had a chance to download our camera. So, for now...here you have it.

What a steal….I mean deal!?!?!?!?!?!?

I am a new bargain shopper! Have you ever heard of people playing the CVS game and really maximizing those Extra Care Bucks. Well, I had done some reading on-line and my friend Lisa talked me in to giving it a shot. Sure you have to spend money, but you can save a ton. The key here is to only buy things that you need or will need in the future, so you aren’t really overspending. Now, I know what you are thinking…CVS is over priced for a lot of things and in so many cases, they are. That is why you have to watch the weekly and monthly flyers and clip coupons out of the newspaper on the weekend. So, here is the scoop…

At CVS I did 2 transactions. Transaction 1 looked like this:

2L of Coke $0.99 (saved .70 from orig price)
2L of Coke Zero $0.99 (saved .70 from orig price)
Bottle Deposits $0.20
Neo to Go Spray $5.50 (saved .99 from orig price)
Dora Bandaid $2.99 (saved .30 from orig price)
2 Aveeno Baby Lotion $7.98 (saved 3.40 from orig price)
2 Listerine Mouth Wash $8.00 (saved $1.98 from orig price)

Now, I used my coupons:
-.50 Bandaid
-.50 Listerine
-.50 Listerine
-.75 for Aveeno Baby Lotion
-1.00 Neosporin
-5.00 CVS Extra Care Bucks that I go for swiping my card at the reader when I went in the store

So, for the above stuff, my total came to $19.57. In return, I got $10 in ECB for purchasing $20 worth of selected Johnsons & Johnsons products (the Listerine, Neosporin, and Lotion) and $2ECB for the bandaid purchase. I also got another $5 off an order of $25.

My 2nd transaction looked like this:
2 V05 Shampoo $1.50 (saved .48 from orig price)
2 V05 Conditioner $1.50 (saved .48 from orig price)
24 bottles of Dasani Water $3.99
2 Palmolive Dish Liquids (BOGO Free) $1.59 (saved 1.59 on the free item)
8 rolls of papertowl $4.99 (saved 3.00 – I was supposed to get Scotts because it was on sale, but since they were out, the guy let me get bounty)

Coupons:
-10.00 ECB
-2.00 ECB
-.25 for the Palmolive soap
-.25 for the Palmolive soap
-1.00 for the papertowels

So, when it all rang up and with the coupons and ECB, my total came to $0.07. Yes, you are reading that correctly…..And I cleaned my wallet out and used 7 pennies!!!

So my CVS total came to $19.64!!! But, I saved $35.57!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then, I went to Rite Aid…

9 Speed Stick Deoderants $8.91 (saved at least 1.80 per depderant) – On sale for .99ea
4 Coke 2L $5 (saved 0.24 per bottle) – on sale for 1.25ea
Bottle Return $0.40
2 3 packs of Irish Spring Soap $1.98 (saved 1.80 per 3 pack) – On sale for .99ea
2 Colgate Toothpaste $1.98 (saved 1.80 per tube) – On sale for .99ea

Coupons:
-1.00 Speedstick
-1.00 Speedstick
-.75 speedstick
-.75 speedstick
-.30 irish spring soap
-.30 irish spring soap
- .50 toothpaste
-.50 toothpaste
-1.00 for coke products

My total came to $12.95!!! But, I saved $34.06!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so for going to these 2 stores, I spent a whopping total of $32.59…….
AND I SAVED $69.63!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I should also note that all of the coupons I used (except for the Aveeno Baby Lotion) I got out of Sunday’s paper. I had 2 of a lot of them, because I raided my dad’s paper as well!!! Now, I don’t usually use V05 shampoo, but heck I will give it a try, or if I don’t like it I could give the other bottles to church when they do different gift baskets for the needy. I love Aveeno lotion and Rachel and I use the baby lotion every day! The deodorant is a new type for me, but with the deal I found, I will use it!!! We needed the pop for Rachel’s birthday party…Let’s just say this, nothing I bought will not get put to good use.

In closing, I know that these stores can be more expensive that Meijers and Targets, but NOT THAT MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE!!!

So, is this cool….or what?!?!?!?!?!?!?

The Latest in Updates

Well, it has been awhile since I have checked in. Last weekend we did Family Camping. It was a great time, but we got a TON of rain. We spent pretty much from Saturday at about 3 until the time we packed up under one of those big blue tarps...ya least we stayed dry! We have not downloaded the pictures yet, so nothing to post for you.

If you get a chance, take a look at this blog. It is pretty funny!

http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/

And the closet comes crashing down!

Literally! Yesterday afternoon, I was in the family room when I heard 2 loud booms. I ran to check to see if Rachel and Brad were ok in their beds. It seemed too loud be one of them falling out of bed, but who knows. (Rachel is now in her toddler/day bed that her crib converts to.) Well, they were ok. Next I was thinking that the house was getting broken in to. My stomach just sank! But a quick look at the windows proved that we were ok on that front. As I turned out of my room, I saw something on the floor that I knew shouldn't be there...Then I turned around....

The bracket holding up our to shelf of our closest broke and the shelf came crashing down and made for a big mess. I got Jamie's suits and newly ironed dress shirts out of there, but I was fearful of it falling even more.

So, Jamie had to do some major rework of the closet last night after dinner. Like a true engineer, it took him HOURS!!! Finally at 10pm, we were moving everything back in to the closet!

I feel so bad for Jamie. He has been working a ton. He usually gets home at a good time, but as soon (if not sooner) as Rachel goes to bed, he gets back on the computer and works until about 11pm for the past few weeks. So yesterday he didn't get a break at all!

PTing!

Well, I have been working with Rachel on potty training over the last 2 weeks. She is now wearing panties for 1 1/5 weeks now, does #1 and #2 on the potty and maybe has an accident once every few days. I didn't want to say anything sooner, because I didn't want to jinx us!

So, needless to say, I am SOOOOO proud of her. She is such a trooper!

How old is she you ask... Not even 2! She will turn 2 next month!

Proud mommy here...I had to brag!

My Poor Girl

Ok, so we had the tests done and concluded that she has Vesicoureteral Reflux.

http://www.webmd.com/hw-popup/vesicoureteral-reflux-and-urinary-tract-infections-in-children

We only know what the tech told us as she was looking at the x-rays following the test and we need to wait and hear the actual results. These will come in next week. Then, we will need to see a pediatric urologist.

Rachel Has Testing Today

Please keep my sweet little girl in your prayers. I don't think that I have done a follow-up on my blog regarding her bladder infection. Last week we had an appointment with her pediatrician and he is sending her to have two follow-up tests. Apparently one positive test result like this is reason enough to do more testing, because in the past perhaps she has had an infection and it just wasn't as bad and not tested for. So, here we are today having to take her to get two tests at Royal Oak Beaumont. I will keep you posted!

It is just so crazy, because in all she is a healthly little girl. But she has already had so many off the wall problems. Her infection at birth and spending 10 days in Special Care, ring worm on her forehead at 2 weeks old, all of the ear infections and tubes, her belly button is still herniated (which can take until age 5 to go down before she will need surgury) and now this. Good thing that she is a tough cookie!

My toes...

Ok, no picture will be given of this one, but I am so excited to get a pedicure. This Tuesday, a few friends of mine are getting together for a girls night out and we are getting pedicures and going out to dinner. Getting together with these friends and getting a pedicure are so long over due. These friends of mine (Alison, Shelley & Michele) are friends I had from work and while working I have become such good friends with each of them. I can't wait to see them and catch up!!!

As requested...

Vacation pictures! So sad that it is over!

Love this one. You can see her shadow as she is pointing at something. I know, pretty creative!

First full day on vacation: Sunday. At Wagner Falls.

Visiting Jamie's family in the U.P. Rachel enjoyed getting spoiled by Great Uncle Bill and Great Aunt Shirley.

Monday: At Tahquamenon Falls.

Ok, can't remember which day is which now. The next couple are at Miners Castle which is part of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Look at the beautiful waters of Mexico...oh, no...Lake Superior. Despite its great color, the water is freezing cold. Probably in the 50's.

Ok, later that day, we played out in Lake Superior, which was right outside of our cabin. While skipping rocks (or in Rachel's case throwing...), she took the plundge and got wet. It bothered her at first, but she is a tough girl!

The view we had out of our cabin! Pretty, isn't it?

Trying to skip rocks like her Dada!

The next day (whenever that was!)... Holding a sleeping Rachel overlooking the water.

At Munising Falls.

Family pic outside of the cabin.

At AuSable Falls.

So, there you have it...in a blog...not in a scrapbook!

Vacation is Over :>(

We are back from our week long trip up to the U.P. We had a great time and are all sad that it is over. Rachel is constantly asking about the cabin now! When we get the pictures downloaded and I can access them from my laptop upstairs, I will post them!

Little Updates

Let see...what is going on over here???

Rachel is doing great. She is stringing together words and at times comes out with 4 and 5 word phrases. The popular one last night was "where did the bunnies go?" We are slowly working on potty training. Her reward is a M&M. Yes, bad Mommy...I reward with candy. But...she only gets 1. Could you eat just one M&M? I know, I am mean! So, she is using the potty at least once a day and actually on Sunday today Jamie that she had to go. She is learning to sing her ABC's and it often comes out A-B-C-D-H-O-O-P, Now I know my A-B-C-D...too cute! She is also really enjoying praying before meals. She rarely lets us forget and she now says a prayer of her own. It consists of "Dear Amen!"

Bunny update...The have since left the nest and yesterday we did not see them at all. Well, this morning, I did catch a quick glance of one of them and the mommy bunny.

Jamie has been super busy at work. I guess that is it with him! (Sorry J!)

And what is up with Mommy dearest? Nothing really! I have been busy doing nothing. The small things make me happy. Yesterday I had Tabitha for the day, so when Rachel and Brad napped, she staying inside to listen for them, while I cut the grass. That just made my day!

(Like Alison...)This thing about Tim Russert passing has really touched me. I watch the specials and it brings tears to my eyes. I just saw on the Today Show that the last page of the NY Times had a page dedicated to Tim from the staff at CBS. That is touching. It goes to show how little I must appreciate life, because things like this really make me think and reflect about what I should be doing differently. It has also showed me that I can cry at the drop of a pin. I will have a Baby Story on in the background sometimes in the afternoon while cleaning up the house and that will bring tears to my eyes! Oh boy!

Another thing I saw on tv today (on The Today Show). Ed McMahon may lose his house to foreclosure. I feel terrible for the folks who lose their homes like this. You know, the average American that works their butt off and lives in just a regular house. Please, let me feel bad for Ed here, as he really has had to make lots of sacrifices! It must be so hard to live in that huge mansion! (I hope that I made you smile by all of this!)

Ok, on to scrapbooking. Hello...I have a desire to have Rachel all caught up by her 2nd birthday. Guess that is not going to happen. Darn it. Fellow scrapping friends...let's pick at date so we can do this!!!

Well, have a great day. I think that I have already said too much! TTFN!

Pictures...

My baby... Dada and Rachel on Father's day with the cookie card she made for him.


A true artist...



Having fun playing with sand!

Baby bunnies...

We had 4, but 2 have since died. On Father's day, we spotted one of them out of the nest moving around. We stood at a distance and this one moved in close to us!

3 Little Babies

I forgot to mention before...This past weekend we were working in the yard and I had decided to plant some flowers. Well, long story short, we had a bunny nest in one of my big flower pots. We put the pot back and wow are they growing. We suspect that there are three of them and this morning, we saw one of them in our backyard out eating and hopping around! Super cute!

Now, let's rewind a bit. We believe that we have 2 bunnies that live under our deck and at one point we saw 3 full grown bunnies in our backyard. Well, we have seen one of the bunnies out in the yard a lot eating a ton. Go figure, it must have been getting ready to have little baby bunnies!

On another note, Rachel loves looking at them (the full grown ones...she hasn't seen the babies yet) outside. We have seen them enough that we can tell the two apart and have named them. They are Pete and Rosey. So, as to not argue, Rosey is a new mommy!

Little R (as we sometimes call her) Update

Went to the zoo today (Rachel, Brad & Tabitha) with a friend of mine (Kristen) and her daughter( Zoe). A bit hot out, but the kids had a blast.

When I got home, I had a message from the dr saying that she does have an infection, but I don't know the specifics. So, she has a prescription and I should know more tomorrow. (The dr was out this afternoon, so I was not able to get more information.) I have to say though, I feel like a bad mommy. She has been having some problems for a few weeks now and I sluffed it off because it didn't seem to bother her all of the time. (Thank you to everyone for keeping her in your prayers!!!)

I am dealing with drops, but I have actually worn my contacts for 12 hours today!

GPC...

Have you ever heard of GPC? Well, I have it. It stands for Giant Papillary Conjuntivitis. So, here is the story. For some time now I have been having issues with my contacts. When I wear them, I ofter have to take them out after wearing them for as little as a couple of hours or sometimes I can get 5 hours out of them. It has been rare that I can wear my contacts for 12 hours straight. So, after much frustration I had decided to go back to the eye doctor. So that brings me to today, at which point he said that I have GPC. If you can stand to look...this is what the under side of my eye lid looks like... Essentially, it is little white bumps on my eye lid that cause an irritation and grip my contact causing it to slide off of my eye.

http://www.revoptom.com/HANDBOOK/SECT16a.HTM

So, this kind of has me scared. For now I have 2 different eye drops that I have to use a few times a day. I go back to the dr in a month. After doing some research, it is possible that this may not go away and that I have to go back to wearing glasses. Lasik may be an option, but I am scared of doing that. It always crosses my mind about going blind. And, not to mention the cost. The office my dr refers patients to costs $1700 per eye. Yikes.

On another dr note...I took Rachel to the dr today. TMI...but she has been having stinky urine. This does not happen all of the time, but at times it has a strong ammonia smell. So, they had to do a catheter to get a sample. I should know tomorrow what they find. The dr did say that the sample looked pretty cloudy, so there my be so kind of infection. I pray that she is ok!

Back from NJ

We are back from our trip to visit my brother and his family. We had a great time and it went by too fast. We didn't do too much while we were there, which is how we like it best! We really like just being able to stay home and play with the kids. It is so fun to watch Rachel interact with Brett, Trevor and Gracie. I don't have the pictures downloaded yet, but once we do I will post a couple.

The downfall of the past week...diet blown! As of this morning, I have gained 6 pounds between Memorial Weekend and the trip to NJ. How did it take me 2 months to lose 10 pounds and a week to gain so much of it back???

Rachel did great on the flights and did really good in NJ. The only problem was when it came time to go to bed. She would just cry in the pack and play and my non-climber figured out how to climb out of it...as many as 10 times before going to bed on Sunday night. It just cracks me up that she climbed out, because she seriously is not a big climber. She can't get in her booster chair at the kitchen table and she just figured out how to climb up on to th couch last week! Now I am hoping that she doesn't figure out that she can get out of her crib.

Ok, so the diet was blown, but I am back on track as of yesterday. And today I am going to the gym. And guess what??? I am doing my last run of the C25k! (That's right...I did run while in NJ...two runs in the neighborhood!) Ok, so I can't get 3 miles in 30 minutes, but I can run for 30 minutes straight and I love it!

That is all for now. Happy Wednesday!

The weekend - BBQ

We had a great weekend. Loved every second of it! Our big event was Sunday when we had some of my cousins over for a BBQ. Here are some pictures.

Rachel's first very own ice cream cone!!!

Derek, Logan, Rachel & Brad

Breaking in the new swing set...
Rachel going head first...where did she learn that from?

Yup...Derek taught her that one!

Here is Brad on the swing!

And here is Logan driving the ship!

This is the only picture I have of Tabitha. Shannon, Logan and Maggie too!

Swing Set

Ok, for starters...here is the swing set project. It is done and Rachel is loving it! Here are the pictures!

Ouch!

So, exercise has been limited this week. Not because of timing, or lack of desire, but because my feet hurt something terrible! So, as of this morning, my feet feel better and quess what happens...I have a cold. Gotta love it! Well, I am still planning to go to the gym today, but won't do my running. I will stick with some machines that are lower impact.

Religion...

Now that I have your attention...

We went to a baptism yesterday and the Priest had something very interesting to say and I couldn't agree more. He was talking about the importance of leading by example when it comes to your beliefs and behaviors. If you want your children to be children of God and maintain these thoughts/beliefs/behaviors through life, you need to do this at home. Go to church, read the Bible, say prayers before eating and bed time...

Well, that got me thinking. I want Rachel to be strong in her faith! We pray before meals and I have to say, it is so cute how Rachel will even remind us to pray if we forget. Now mind you, I think that she is only paying attention so she knows when to yell "Amen!" We go to church on Sunday and have become more active in other church activities. We say nightly prayers before bed time with her and we sing the classic songs "Jesus Loves Me" and "B-I-B-L-E." I love that she recognizes all of this and it makes me feel really proud!

So, here is my down fall. We rarely read the Bible at home. So, this is my new task: Find a Bible study that we can do as a family and add that to part of our daily/weekly routines. There, I said it. Now I need to stick with this!

Ok, on another note...SWING SET. Jamie is making progress but with the off and on rain and other weekend activities we had planned. Hopefully it will be done this evening!

Let's swing!

TGIF! Well, on Wednesday, Jamie went with my brother to pick up a swing set for Rachel. Now for the hard part...putting it together!!! That is the plan for the weekend!

Here it is: http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&productId=100431432&categoryID=500840

Once it is up, I will post some pictures!

Exercise and Energy

Inspired by Alison's question...do I find that exercising gives me energy? NO! I am so exhausted at the end of the day that come 10pm I am ready to crash. I do, however, get a rush once my time at the gym is over. I feel so proud and energized...but that dwindles come night-time!

Latest Addition to the Family...

No....not a baby and no...not ours. My brother and sister-in-law, Brian and Shannon, got a dog on Saturday. Her name is Maggie and she is 6 months old. Maggie is as sweet as can be and is so well mannered. Rachel just loves her!

C25k - Only a few more weeks!

Week 6 is completed, as is day 1 of week 7!

Now I am up to running 25 minutes straight and it is going good! Sure, I don't run very fast, but I am doing it! Wow does this really get my heart rate up!

Only 8 more runs to go until completion!!! I can't believe that I have stuck with this that long!

Could a Mommy ask for anything more?

This photo does not need a description. I just love this little girl!!!

Tom Cruise / Suri Cruise

Let me tell you, if Jamie and I hung with the famous couple TomKat, they would think Rachel is the greatest. She can say "Suri" like a champ.

Sure she is actually trying to say "Sorry," but none the less she has got it down!

I lost a Rachel

This is not what you are thinking...she is never out of my sight! But I did lose a Rachel. She weighs 26 pounds and that is how many pounds I have lost to date!!! 26 down, 1 million to go!

Happy Mother's Day to my fellow moms out there. I personally love the day, even though we don't really do much. I love being a mommy and my sweet little girl reminds me of that all of the time!!!

C25k Week 4 - DONE

So, week 4 of my Coach to 5k is done. In one sense it was terribly hard, but in another sense, it went really well. I have been experiencing leg pains (calves) when I run and my feet have been cramping a lot in the evening. Not sure what all that means, but for now I am plowing through it all!

As for weightloss...after 4 weeks of losing nothing and actually trying, today the scale showed a 4 pound loss. WooooWhooooo!

Now, on for some pictures! Last Sunday we went to the zoo...here are some pictures! Check out her cute little camo pants. My Dad pretty much insisted that she get these! Rachel loves wearing hats, so I love the one of her and Dada each in their hats. So sweet!

The Lawn B*tch

Remember the snow and me being part of the sole snow removal team (ok, Jamie helped some...), well you are thinking that I am now the Lawn B*tch because of the title. Well, that is not totally true...this is more that I b*tch the ENTIRE time I am working on it. Here is the story... Our lawn looks terrible and in an attempt to save it, Jamie and I have been raking the lawn with metal rakes trying to get some of the dead grass up. Three nights work and 6 bags of dried grass we ONLY have our side lawn (inside the fence) done. My body is aching! And to think that we have only just started. This is calorie burning, right?!? So, I will say it now...sorry Jamie for all the complaining! You are a trooper. (Does he even read this?)

Just checking in with you all. Nothing is new and exciting. Jamie finished his semester and it looks like he got As in both classes...yaaaa for him!

It's a great day to be alive...

Ok, well everyday is a great day to be alive, but can you believe this weather?!? Today is so beautiful! I have the door wall open and some windows open. I love it!!!

So, an update on running. Day 2 of Week 3 was completed yesterday! Tomorrow if finish out week 3. It feels so nice to be up and active again and actually leading a healthy lifestyle!

I Want Taco Soup!

Ever had any? I haven't but I would imagine that it would be easy to make. So, when I go to the grocery store next, I am going to get a bunch of stuff to make it. I am figuring for WW, I could probably keep it low on points!

So, for the updates! I started week 3 of the C2k5 and it went good. Tomorrow will be day 2!

So, what else is new? Nothing really! Jamie is ALMOST done with this semester. I can't wait for Monday...he can come home and not have to worry about studying or doing homework. The spring and summer can officially begin!

On another note, I have not posted a picture of my sweet little girl lately. So, here is a newer (yet still old..) one!

Oh A Scrapbooking I Shall Go!

Ok, well the title is a little off...I am not scrapbooking today. But, I did get a Cricut today! Isn't that exciting?!? I got the 12x12 one from Wal-Mart. I dreaded going in there because I hate Wal-Mart and this trip has been my best one yet!

Ok, a grip about Wal-Mart. I had heard once that they are like a super toy store...well, I went there also to see about getting Rachel a ride-on toy for outside and they only had one style. Some super store!

So, when are we going cropping again? Since last weekend, I have had an itch to keep going with Rachel's book!

Is Spring Here?

The weekend scrapbooking (Friday night and Saturday all day) was a blast and I worked on Rachel's baby book. I almost have all of the pages done from her being in the hospital! I need to get on the plan of doing one 2-page lay-out per week to get caught up.

So, what do you think of this MI weather? I love it! Yesterday, Jamie, Rachel and I spent a lot of time outside and over at our neighbors. While at that neighbors, we met another new neighbor who will be moving in 2 weeks from now after they gut the house. They have a little girl who will be 2 in May and she is a SAHM. As for today, Rachel and I were outside a ton! This morning instead of going to the gym, I ran outside with Rachel in the stroller. Then after nap, she and I went for a walk and this evening, the three of us played with some balls in the backyard. It is so nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air!

Diet Schmiet!

Rachel had a great day playing with her cousins Marissa and Annalise, and their dog Mugsie. I went to visit with my cousin Lisa today, and I took her my diet brownies...well, brownies aren't really diet food, but these are high fiber brownies.

WARNING: Yes, these do sound gross, but they are honestly really good and you would never know the difference. So, before your criticize, just try them!

Brownies - 4pts per serving on WW (Makes 20 servings)
- One can of black beans in liquid (Puree in a blender - or a Magic Bullet...Alison) - Make sure there are no chunks!
- One box of Low-Fat brownie mix

Mix the above two ingredients together. Pour in to greased pan and bake per the instructions. Do not add the ingredients listed on the box! These brownies seem hard to cut, so put the in the fridge before cutting. It helps a little.

Another recipe I thought I would share is for cupcakes.
- 1 can diet soda
- 1 box cake

Mix the two together and pour into cupcake liners. Bake according to instructions. Do not add the ingredients listed on the box!

You can mix orange pop with an orange cake, cola with choc cake...be creative. I did Faygo Red Pop with Cherry Chip Cake (my all time favorite cake!).

For the icing, I mixed one tub of FF Cool Whip with one package of FF Cream Cheese. I then added Splenda to taste. Whip it all together, frost on cupcakes and put in fridge. I think for WW these came out to 3 points per cupcake! Very yummy!

Tomorrow I start my scrapbooking weekend. I am really excited. I need to get ready for it, so bye for now!

iPod

Why did I buy this? What is it supposed to do?

Well, tonight Jamie and I attempted to get my lap top (that we keep upstairs) access to iTunes. We had some luck, but spent most of our time listening to music that you can buy off of the site. Maybe one of these days I will have this thing figured out!!!

Good night!

My Sweet Rachel!

This little girl warms my heart like no other. Just yesterday, when I said “I love you” she would respond back with “Wuv you.” My heart just melted! It is amazing how her sweet little words can do that! So, what is Rachel doing these days? She is saying phrases such as “I want cookie” and “I see you.” She is a fruit eating fanatic. Her new found favorite is grapes. She loves reading books. There is not a particular favorite book right now…so all of them win!

So, what's new today...Went to the gym and got my 5k training in. All is well there, but my shins are starting to hurt some. Went to Jo-Ann Etc and manager to get out of there for $21! How you ask....use a $20 gift card from Christmas. (This is my trip that I wanted to make yesterday, but did not want to fight the wind...BTW...we lost power for a 1/2 hour.) So, I got the stuff to make the garden stone and the jewels to decorate it. Then, I managed to buy all sorts of scrapbooking accessories! I am getting excited for this weekend!!!

Well, off to take my afternoon nap...literally. Once a week, if Rachel will let me, I sit down and hold her while she naps. And yes, I occasionally doze! Babies are only small once and she is getting so big, so any chance she and I get to snuggle I take full advantage of that. (Note to Jamie: If you are reading this, I don't really take a nap. I am visualizing how I am going to get the housework done. Its a focusing tactic on my end! :>)

Lastly, can you believe it...I wrote again!

Challange!

This is thanks to my dear friend Alison. Thank for the advice about training for more. Good thing is that I have a lot of time to prepare for this. So, since Alison said that she may join me....I challenge you to do this with me...if you are up to it!

Ok, so despite every bone and muscle in my body telling me to not exercise today, I did it anyway. I once heard that when I don't want to exercise is when you need it most. So, I did 20 minutes of an exercise video and 10 minutes on the bike. Tomorrow will take me back to the gym and doing my C25k and other cardio stuff!

What is on the agenda for today you ask? Shopping!!! Ok, not totally, but I need to get some scrapbooking stuff for this weekend as I am going to a Friday/Saturday crop. I also need to get some a cement refill and jewel pieces because for Jamie's Mom's birthday, we are having Rachel make her a garden stone with her hand prints. "Grandma's Garden: Hands Off!" And it will have Rachel's hand prints on it. Cute, huh? As for tonight, I have a meeting a church. I am on the HR Committee there....see I am still putting my skills to good use!

So, I did it! I posted the very next day. My ARM/EMCON friends will be so proud!!!

She returns...

I really should have held out on all of you and made it a full two months without blogging!!! Oh well, here I am! So what has been new lately?

First and foremost, I have hit the 20 pounds lost mark. I started dieting right when I quit work and not stuck to it entirely, but am starting to see results! So, 20 pounds down, 1.5 million to go! Once I lose 13 more pounds, I a getting a pedicure. Anyone up for heading out with me on this one?!? I can hardly wait!

So, how did those 20 pounds come off? Dieting and exercising of course! I have been following Weight Watchers (but not strictly) and have been exercising a ton…probably more than I have my entire life! I am trying to go to the gym three days a week, where I do cardio on the treadmill and orbital. Then I do strength training. Just as of last week, however, I am going to try and train for a 5k. Here is the plan that I am following:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's a 9 week program where you run 3 days a week.
Week 1: brisk 5 min. warm-up walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging with 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 min. (do this all three days)
Week 2: brisk 5 min. warm-up walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging with 2 min. of walking for a total of 20 min. (do this all 3 days)
Week 3: brisk 5 min. warm up walk, and then do 2 repetitions of the following- jog 90 seconds, walk 90 seconds, jog 3 min., walk 3 min. (do this all 3 days)
Week 4: brisk 5 min. warm up walk. Then jog 3 min., walk 90 seconds, jog 5 min, walk 2.5 min, jog 3 min, walk 90 seconds, jog 5 min. (do this all three days)
Week 5:
· Day 1- brisk 5 min warm up walk, jog 5 min, walk 3 min, jog 5 min, walk 3 min, jog 5 min.
· Day 2- brisk 5 min warm-up walk, jog 8 min, walk 5 min, jog 8 min.
· Day3- brisk 5 min warm-up walk, jog 20 min.
Week 6:
· Day 1- brisk 5 min warm up walk, jog 5 min, walk 3 min, jog 8 min, walk 3 min, jog 5 min.
· Day 2- brisk 5 min warm up walk, jog 10 min, walk 3 min, jog 10 min.
· Day 3- brisk 5 min warm up walk, jog 25 min.
Week 7: brisk 5 min warm-up walk, jog 25 min. (do this all three days)
Week 8: brisk 5 min warm-up walk, jog 28 min (do this all three days)
Week 9: brisk 5 min. warm-up walk, jog 30 min. (do this all three days)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyways, I am doing day 3 of week 1 and it has been ok. I think that week 4 is going to be where I hit the brick wall! So, why a 5k? I have always thought about doing one and Jamie and I had talked about doing one back when we were in the condo. So, now I am aspiring to do the Turkey trot, but I can’t seem to find out any information on it. I am sure that I will as the time gets closer! So, for now, I am training on a treadmill. My plan is to get through this coaching from above at the gym, then work on running on the pavement throughout the summer. Fall will start the part where I try to pick my pace up. (side note: jog…that is funny…I am a slow jogger! Right now, I am doing the walking parts at about 3.7mph and the jogging parts between 4.5 to 5.0 mph….so, yes, it will take me forever to do 3 miles!

The Jamie update…He is almost done with this semester of school. Only a few more weeks left! I am so excited! Then we can start working on some stuff around the house and actually be able to do things with the weather warming up!

The Rachel Update....She is as cute as ever! She is such a little girl. She likes putting chapstick on (ok, it typically goes on her chin, but she knows how to get the cap off and the general idea of what you need to do), carries around a purse and cell phone here at home, likes having her pretend necklace on, is always feeding her babies and occasionally tells me that either the baby or stuffed animal is “poopy” after smelling its butt! Can you tell what we do to see if she has pooped? She also loves to get her hair dried by the blow-dryer and always has to have the last brushing of her hair by herself.

So, what else is new in my life? Who says that stay at home moms don’t spend money? Recently, our microwave broke on us and I had to survive two weeks without one…wow was it ever missed…I never realized how often I used this appliance! So, we bought one and Jamie installed it last week. We knew that our microwave (the old one – although a big name brand and top of the line) was old (14 years!) and just not as good as the new ones out there. And wow were we right! It is amazing how quickly this one warms up the food! Then on to the next big purchase! We bough a closetmaid 9 cubeicle storage shelves. See below.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=163256-77268-864500&lpage=none

We bought this at Target, but I can’t find it on their site. So, anyways, you buy these cloth drawers and voila…the toys in the family room disappear! Can you believe it? Anyways, I am sick of this basket I have in the family room. It is overflowing with toys and I want some organization to it!

Ok,. I think that this is enough writing for one day. See you in a month or two!!! :>)

Snow, snow...

Go away, come back another day!

Well, domestics have now led me to also being on the snow removal squad...and let me remind you, durring the day that squad is a team of one!!! Jamie has lucked out...I have done most of the snow removal myself and we have a ton to shovel with the circle drive, side drive and corner lot sidewalks! Now, the downside is that his work shirts are not ironed yet...oops! The saga of stay-at-home mommyhood continues!

Rachel is still loving the potty. Many times she tells us when it is time and sure enough, she goes. What a big girl now! She is now 18 months old...where did the time go?

Jamie is still swaped with school, but there is a light (not a flashlight) at the end of the tunnel...he will be done in December. And actually, he has only two classes this term, is off for the spring/summer term (b/c his last class is not offered at all), and is back in the fall for one class. I am so proud of him for the dedication he has put in to his degree. Now only with working a lot of hours, he also manages to come home and spend time with Rachel and then stays up late doing homework as he tries to tune out whatever my latest favorite nightly tv show is! (You see, right now, I get the pick of what is on tv...but that will all change when he is done with school...perhaps he should think about another degree!)

Can poop make you happy?

It sure can!!! And not in the way that you are thinking...

Rachel told me today after eating breakfast, "poopoo" and kept saying it. So, I asked her if she wanted to go to the potty and she said yes. So, I got her off of her seat and off she walked to the bathroom. Well, she did not go and got up to walk around and wouldn't you know it...she started to poop. We hurried to the potty, but we got there a second too late! In any case, that may have been a miss, but she did sit on the potty that time and ended up peeing!!!

No More Cookies for Me...

Today is the day...the diet begins! So, I did good today and I exercised for just over an hour at the gym. Hopefully tomorrow and all the days to follow will be just a good!!!

So, in the spirit of cookies...Here is a picture of my little sweetie and Cookie Monster. She has become the greatest fan of Elmo, so much that Jamie and I are going to take her to see Elmo Makes Music Live. She will love it!

These bon bons are soooo good!

As if!!! So, what does one do on the first day of stay at home mommy-dom? Clean the kitchen and take down the Christmas decorations! Sounds glamorous, doesn't it? Rachel and I did have a good day...I got her dressed this morning, but I stay in jammies all day as I cleaned up. Then at 7, I took a shower and put jammies back on. So, if you are counting...it is day one and I have let myself go! I will say this...just because I am done working does not mean that my mind has made that shift. At one point, I thought, oh I need to do this today, because I have to work tomorrow. Oops!

I am almost done!

Well, the time is growing near as I approach my last few days as a working out of the house mommy! (How is that for politically correct?!?) Tuesday will be my last day collecting a pay check and I am filled with so many bitter sweet emotions. On one hand, I can't wait to be home with Rachel and get some organization to our lives and if I am lucky some downtime! On the other hand, it will be strange to now be around adults during the day and making my own money. I have never really depended on anyone since I was a child, so it seems strange to have to depend on only Jamie's income. Oh and that is a downside too...the lose of an income.

Now on to some family pictures. After Christmas, while my brother and his family were in town, we had family pictures done. Take a look! The password is 8771.
http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/ThumbAccess.aspx?e=3412007