Waterbabies!

We had our make up waterbabies class from last Wednesday tonight. I decided to get back in the water and let Steve watch the fun. He'll get to have his fun this Wednesday!
He got a couple good pictures of us though!
She loved it!...but this girl gets HEAVY! My arms get so tired carrying that 30 pound child around in the water for half an hour!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Friday we got out the Christmas tree and got it decorated. Presley was a big help (?), but she is doing a great job of leaving the tree and ornaments alone now!
We went out for a mexican dinner with 1000 calorie margaritas that night and I enjoyed every calorie! And I was sleeping on the couch by 9 pm again!
Saturday we had the Goodrich Thanksgiving in Earlham. A lot more food and fun! We were hoping P would take a good nap before we went so we could stay late, but she decided to talk in her crib for over 2 hours before falling asleep about a half hour before we had to leave.
Presley is always a little overwhelmed by all the people when we go to Earlham, but she did GREAT! Her and Ava played good together too!

She played well with her other cousins too and they were a great help in keeping her away from the stairs and keeping her occupied while we played the Goodrich pool tournament! (Steve and I played in the championship game, Steve won. He was pretty proud of himself even though I'm really not a good pool player!)

Here is Presley with cousins Ava and Gavin.

We didn't leave Earlham until 11 pm and Presley was still wide awake and rolling with energy. She rarley gets whiny or throws fits when she gets tired and with only a 1/2 hour nap, we were happy that she was so good (and social!).

This morning Steve took Presley shopping and let me have a couple hours to do whatever I wanted. Of course I cleaned, did laundry and headed to Target, but it was nice to have 2 hours to myself! Our long weekend is coming to an end and that stinks! I don't have another vacation day until our cruise in January! (that's right, I'll be working Christmas Eve thanks to my employer). I hope everyone was able to spend some time with their families, eat too much and relax!

Loving long weekends!

It's been a whole week since I've posted, we've been busy and eating! My Biggest Loser weigh in on Wednesday was good, I lost another 1.4 pounds and was the #5 loser for the week! So far I'm down a little over 7 pounds! Woohoo! Of course, this long weekend has been a disaster with my eating! I'm pretty sure I'll be paying some money for pounds gained this week! Yikes!
Here is P cooking with Daddy again, helping by putting cheese on the ravioli.

I like this picture b/c she looks so sweet and innocent...and she isn't cheesin like she normally does!

We had Thanksgiving at my parents house on Thursday. It was good and fun and I ate way too much and was falling asleep on the couch by 9 pm.

Presley decided to help Grandma by sweeping up the kitchen after dinner.

Samantha and Boston in their plaid shirts! Aren't they cute?

Overall I am extremely grateful for my awesome entertaining baby girl, my hard-working awesome husband who is a wonderful daddy and my family, who are supportive and critical and loving and sarcastic.....we are lucky, lucky, lucky to have you all so close to us! (and I'm thankful for everything else in my life too, but that would be boring for me to list it all! )

A different kind of dinner.

Before kids we used to get together with 4 other couples for dinner once a month. But life happens and people are busy and now we are lucky if our 'dinner club' meets a couple times a year. No matter what, it is fun to see everyone and catch up! There were 3 kids on Thursday night and 3 out of the four women were pregnant. Yours truly was the fourth woman (the NOT pregnant one!). The kids played good and Presley and Preston ate at the picnic table together. Preston was even nice enough to share his green beans with her!

The weekend was busy with errands, we got a lot done (even some Christmas shopping!) and spent a lot of time playing. Presley now likes to fake cry and laugh! They are both pretty funny! I should try to get both on video!

Presley sporting her Packer outfit....wearing mommy's shoes, which she LOVES to do! She can walk pretty good in them too!

Go Pack Go! Go Hawks Go!

It's amazing once you start counting calories, how you become so aware of everything you eat and drink. Like the damn Red Bull in our fridge, normally I would have no problem drinking one but I don't want to give up 110 calories for one! (I don't know why Steve didn't buy sugar free!) I would rather give 100 calories up to a nice Hostess 100 calorie pack of chocolate cakes. :)

On the other hand, I was able to run a little over a mile tonight! Those of you who run, are probably thinking that isn't very far but those of you don't run....the first mile really is the hardest! It did help that there was girl running on the treadmill next to me and I really didn't want to stop running before she did...thank you girl for motivating me without knowing it!

FIVE QUESTION FRIDAY

1. What Christmas song do you loathe? I love them all!

2. Do you and your significant other cuddle at night or sleep on complete opposite sides of the bed? Most of the time it's other sides of the bed unless I'm cold and need some body heat to warm me up!

3. Have you ever had surgery? I had my tonsils out in preschool and I had my wisdom teeth out when I was in highschool. I've also had 2 minor surgeries in the last 5 years removing moles with abnormal cells.

4. When do you typically have your Christmas shopping done? This year I'm hoping to get most of it done soon. We have 11 nieces and nephews to buy for (not to mention all of the other family members!), 7 of them will just get money b/c I don't have the time or patience to try to find presents! But usually, I wait until the last minute which I hate!

5. If money was not an issue (and you HAD to choose something), what would your ultimate luxury item be? Despite my issues with the sun and skin cancer, I would still buy a house on a beach somewhere warm. Just being able to travel would be wonderful!

Oh Wednesday!

We've had another cold roaming around our house this week. P and Steve have had stuffy heads and terrible coughs! Presley rarely seems sick, she is still active and fiesty as ever.

Yesterday we bought a new flat screen TV, we've had our TV for about 6 years, it works fine but the picture is not good quality. We pay for HD channels and yet you can hardly tell the difference between the normal and HD channels. Steve had been doing research about what we should get and we found a good deal on a good TV, so we bought it! It is amazing the difference in picture quality! So Merry Christmas to us!

I had my Biggest Loser weigh in today at work. I lost another pound! I slipped down to #8 out of 18 people but at this point every pound is going to be a struggle and hard work to get off, but as long as I'm not gaining weight I'll be happy!

Tonight we had our first waterbabies class at the YMCA. We were both going to go and Steve was going to get in the water with her and I was going to do what I do best and take pictures! But Steve went to the doctor in the afternoon and had a 102 temperature, so he wasn't able to go. I mustered up enough guts to get in my swimsuit for the third time in 2 years to take her. I was nervous about taking her. I didn't know if she was love it, like she does her baths or if she would hate it since there would be strangers there! She is very aware of stranger danger! :) But she LOVED it!!!! She was smiling and laughing the whole time and did great with splashing, kicking and 'jumping' in the water to me. She did scream and cry when we had to get out of the pool, but it was worth it since she loved it so much!.....and I have no pictures! :(

Here is P helping daddy cook. Doesn't she look so grown up?! Where did my baby go?

Sorry for another long list....but I just LOVE this and wanted to share!

Written by a 90 year old

This is something we should all read at least once a
week!!!!!

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland ,Ohio .
"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons
life taught me. It is the most requested column I've ever written.
My odometer rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the
column once more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your
friends and parents will. Stay in touch.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to
disagree.
7. Cry with someone It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the
present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea
what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be
in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But
don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or
joyful.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you
stronger.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the
second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life,
don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy
lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear
purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In
five years, will this matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your
business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of
anything you did or didn't do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting
everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw
everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you
need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44. Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

Friends are the family that we choose.

And I have learned that Family can become Friends as well.

So true!

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer
history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're
wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know
how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you
know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blu-Ray? I don't want to
have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want
to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any
changes to.

14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when
they call.

15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night
more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile
because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?

20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a
jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you
can wear them forever.

22. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what
time it is.

23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a
pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet
everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds,
eyes closed, first time, every time.

24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first
helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that
their brain is also important.

Five Question Friday----on Saturday

A couple friends of mine have been doing this on their blog for the last couple weeks and it seems kinda fun and a good way to get to know little things about me...and them! so I thought I would add it also!

1. What is the most physically painful thing that's ever happened to you? Definitely labor! No question about it. The pain I was in made Steve feel bad for me, and normally he thinks I'm a wimp. 16 hours in labor, 7 hours without an epidural! :) The epidural was the best thing I've ever spent money on, and I would definitely recommend it to everyone having a baby!

2. How much sleep did you get last night? Not much, normally on a Friday night I have no problem getting 8-9 hours. For some reason P was up from 2 -4 am, so I got about 6. I should really be taking a nap right now!

3. What is the last movie you saw in the theater? Inception, it was a great movie! Steve and I never see movies in the theater....if we are lucky, maybe one a year.

4. What do you wear to bed? I'm boring and comfortable. Usually sweatpants and a sweatshirt, real romantic huh?

5. Do you return your shopping cart to the corral or leave it wherever in the parking lot? I return it to the corral, those who don't are lazy!

Happy Veterans Day!

Thank you to all those veterans who are serving or have served our country! Freedom is not free and we are truly grateful!

We weighed in yesterday for the first week in our work 'biggest loser' contest. My goal over the next 2 months was to lose 5 pounds....I lost 5 pounds in the first week! (of course this weigh in I didn't have jeans or shoes on!) I was #6 percentage weighloss this week out of 18 people, I was pleasantly surprised. Now my goal is to maintain this weight, if I lose a few more pounds that would be a plus but I want to NOT gain weight over the holidays and I would love to start running again!

I had today off! Presley and I went to the mall and did some shopping and played at the play area and then I took her to Aprils for a couple hours in the afternoon. I got the leaves from the backyard bagged up and had a dentist appointment. I always feel slightly guilty taking her to daycare when I have the day off, but really I just missed her nap time so that's not too bad! :) I just feel that I hardly see her and spend good quality time with her so those extra days I should be thankful for b/c we all know how fast time flies by!

One of the houses behind us was painted John Deere green a couple years ago. Well, whatever happened and the home went into foreclosure and was recently purchased and fixed up. Those new people race pigeons! A couple times a week you'll see them in their backyard with the birds flying over head, you can hear them cooing in their....cage?barn? I'm used to people having pet dogs.....but pigeons? No wonder their neighbors put up a wood fence between their yards!

Ah, November.

Now if we can get another month of good weather like we had in October, that would be great! And so far, November has not been disappointing! A couple cool, windy days (perfect for blowing some of our leaves into the neighbors yards!) during the week gave us a great weekend!
Friday night Holly and I attended the Cystic Fibrosis Wine Opener, a great event to raise money and awareness of this horrible disease. We got all fancied up and went and donated some money and drank some good wine!
Saturday we did nothing and it was fantastic! I stayed all day in my sweats and it was so nice! Steve worked in the basement and I did some housework. Instead of Presley taking a nap, she spent 3 hours in her crib talking to herself. I'm not sure how a 21 month old can keep herself entertained for 3 hours, but she did not sleep.
Sunday we were up early due to daylight savings but we got so much done! Steve worked in the basement again, drywall is going up! Slowly but surely this basement will be finished! My goal was to get the front yard raked! It was a great workout and I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow! I filled up almost 5 leaf bags....too bad the backyard has double that waiting for us! :(
I love that her hair is long enough to blow in the wind! Too bad from the front it looks like a shaggy mullet! :) ha!

Random

She has good taste!

and no, this is NOT what Santa is bringing her!

We headed over to Earlham on Halloween for their trick or treat night, here is cowgirl cousin Ava! They share the same curly hair and beer gut bellies!

Presley needs to hang out with her cousin a little more often. Ava is 3 months younger but is by far more outgoing! Of course, she is the youngest of 3 kids and is around kids all the time. But she had no problem walking the whole night and going up to houses for candy.....completely the opposite of P!

Holiday favorites!

I love the holidays! I hate winter but I love October thru December b/c of the holidays! I never liked the holidays until a couple years ago. I always worked retail and it's very hard to enjoy the holidays when you have to work during then and deal with people who don't have the holiday spirit!
Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple weeks and my mom no longer wants to host this family gathering. I don't blame her, she has done it for too many years and the family is growing and it is a lot of work preparing a large meal. The problem is, our house just isn't big enough for everyone and it won't seem 'right' NOT being at my parents house....the house we grew up in! I'm trying to convince my mom to still have it at her house and she only has to be responsible for the turkey! The rest of us can bring all the sides and desserts, I think that is a pretty reasonable compromise! :)

Josh Grobans' Christmas CD is one that everyone should listen to, AMAZING!

Christmas has to be at my parents house too. It's just the way it has been and always will be, we are obviously creatures of habit! The one Christmas my parents went to Texas to be with my grandparents, it didn't seem like Christmas at all. Holly came over and Steve made his famous chicken mac & cheese and we watched A Christmas Story. I think we are banning my parents from going anywhere over Christmas ever again!
Santa already has a present for Presley! We are really going to have to limit what we spend b/c there are so many things we want to buy for her!....I guess she does have a birthday in February that we need to buy things for too! I just might have to get out the Christmas tree next weekend!

FYI....if anyone cares.

- Presley is going to Aprils for daycare 2 days a week now. Kind of sad for my mom and Presley to give up another day together, but I think it is good. Good for Presley to get used to being without Grandma and being around other kids more often. Plus Grandma is now watching Boston and this will give them more one on one bonding time together! We are lucky to have two great daycare options, who are flexible and wonderful for Presley!

- Everyone we know who has a kid around Presley's age is pregnant with their 2nd baby. We just aren't ready to jump on that bandwagon yet. I think all families/parents have a good idea of what is 'right' for their family when it comes to when to have kids and how many to have. Presley was a difficult baby and we haven't fully 'recovered'! :) We love being able to take Presley places and do things with her. It will be hard to give that up (assuming the next will be difficult also and we won't want to leave the house with a baby for 6 months). Having a baby is stressful and expensive and we'll go ahead and enjoy our little family for a while before we decide to cross that bridge.

- We are doing the Biggest Loser weight loss challenge at work. There are 20 of us, $20 a person to enter and $1 for every pound you gain on weigh in days! I like that concept, hopefully it will keep me from gaining weight over the holidays! I still have that last 5 pounds (of baby weight?) to lose and I want to get in better shape and start running again. I don't think I'll win the challenge but I'm keeping track of what I'm eating and moving a little more (watch out Anytime Fitness, I just might use my membership!).
I have noticed that if you are trying to lose weight, you shouldn't watch TV. Last night I saw a commercial for Dove chocolates, Olive Garden and Dominos.....it's just torture! I might have to have a cheat meal (day) coming up soon, so I have something to look forward to.

- I didn't vote, I know a lot of people who did and who feel very strongly about their voting rights. My excuse? I just don't know that much about politics...and I really don't care. It seems no matter who is in office, people aren't happy or they are disappointed with the choices that our leaders make. Maybe next time I'll educate myself and vote.

1.75 = 1 3/4 = 21 months

Our baby is 21 months old. We are on the count down to 2 years! If you ask her how old she is going to be, she says twooo (she says her o's like she is from the north, MinnesOta).

Presley:
- loves to dance, but only with someone. She won't shake her booty alone.
- loves her cousin Boston! She gives him hugs and kisses and likes to point to everything on him.
Ears, nose, eyes, he might need glasses after all the eye poking she does!
- is starting to make more sense of her words. She still is only saying the first syllable or sound of the word but tries to put 2 words together occasionally. Da woh for daddy work. Uh ple for up please. She'll even do sign language for more and say please for more please! :)
- is wearing between 18 months and 2T clothes. Some 18 month pants fit her b/c she has short legs, but needs the 2T shirts to cover her belly.
- loves food. One night for dinner she ate grilled chicken, steamed broccoli, oven fries and a peach! She is beginning to try some new foods too! Salmon, ketchup, lettuce and she even had her first rice krispy treat yesterday! :)
- loves reading and pointing out things in books. Also loves bath time, I'm going to sign her up for baby swim at the Y. It will help get us out of the house once a week and do something fun, especially since it will be dark when we get home from work soon and there will be no time to play outside at night.
- takes her baby for walks in the stroller.....with her purse in one hand and her cell phone in the other. She likes to have a diaper and wipe to change her baby's diaper too. What a girl!
- has 12 teeth, we've recently gave her a toothbrush. I mainly use it to keep her occupied while I try to put a ponytail in her hair. She mainly sucks the tiny bit of toothpaste off of it. Oh well, it's a start.