Dancing Queen

We headed down to Creston Saturday afternoon for Nick and Sarah's wedding reception. I was slightly worried about P with all the people but she did great! She was still shy but she surprised me.  She was a dancing machine! Once the music started she was out there moving and grooving. I was out of breath and wanting to leave the dance floor wayyyy before she was.

She loved twirling in her dress, jumping up and down like a crazy girl and even did some line dances with me! She had so much fun! She was still awake and going strong until almost 11 pm.

We shared a king-size bed at the hotel, which would've been fine if Presley wouldn't have decided to sleep on my side of the bed. She was kicking me all night long. She slept until almost 9 am which was very nice for us! We got home about 11:30 and did nothing all day long! Watched a movie, Steve ran a couple errands, did some laundry and then Steve made an awesome dinner of chicken noodles over mashed potatoes, perfect for this rainy night!

Five Question Friday

1. Do you make your kids finish all the food on their plates? No, Presley usually does a pretty good job. We make her at least try everything. I figure if she doesn't want to eat and she gets hungry...she'll learn to eat what is on her plate.

2. Do you give an allowance? I think she is too little to understand the concept of money. She knows she likes money and has a piggy bank and likes to take our change and put it in her purse. Maybe eventually.

3. Do you actually park your car in the garage? During the winter....YES! And most of the time in the summer, it's easier to have 2 cars in the garage and Steve's work truck in the driveway. Now we have no garage.

4. What is one food you will NEVER cook? I don't cook most foods, not b/c I won't EVER cook them but b/c I hate cooking and Steve loves it. If I do cook, he is always leary of what I'm messing up.

5. Do you have anything exciting planned for the summer? Really? Do I need to hash this out? Besides living in an apartment, building a new house, working a lot, we have two weeks of vacation planned in July, growing a baby and then all the other fun things we like to do. This whole summer appears to be very exciting for us!

Random

- I finished another book....the third book in the Hunger Games series, Mockingjay. Another great book, it was a little slow going at first and the ending didn't go the way I expected but I'm really sad the series is over....now what will I read? I'm so glad I inspired my friend Amy to read this too, she loves it!
- Selling a house costs too much money. We didn't make what we had hoped to, but whatever....the papers are signed, it's done, we have the check and on to the next step in this adventure.
- We went to VanDee's ice cream shop tonight! It's only two blocks and a fairly quick walk, it's really not good for it to be so close to us!
- Steve and I are starting our overtime season, we'll be fighting and planning for the nights that we have get to work late! We are thinking of the money at this point, lots going on in the next 6 months that require a penny or two.
- We have the wedding reception for Nick and Sarah back in Creston this weekend (the ones who got married in the Dominican), it should be interesting to see how Presley reacts to all of it. There will be alot of people, alot of people who know us and alot of people who have never seen her. The interaction might be a little much for her but I think after an hour (or two) she'll loosen up. She might be the only 3 year old up past 10 pm.

Own it!

Well Friday started off with my mom patting my 'baby bump', I explained to her that it was just my fat stomach and not the baby, but thanks!
So I was a wearing a slightly tighter shirt than I have been and it must have accentuated my stomach after a meeting my friend Amy said I was going to have quite the stomach with this one, and 2 other people had to ask around to see if I was prego or just getting fat before they said anything to me and my sister Sam called me fatty!  So in one day, 4 people noticed the stomach I have going on. Lovely, so I decided I just need to own it. I need to stick it out and make it more noticeable....which will work until someone asks me how far along I am and I tell them 14 weeks and see the shock on their face thinking I was going to say 25 weeks.
I took a picture of my belly but it was such a bad picture that I decided it wasn't necessary
But anyway, I'm owning it.

Sunday Funday

Sunday was actually not that fun. We got up and went to the Grimes Walmart, we realized it is probably the closest one to us and really isn't that far away! Steve is slowly taking me out of the city! Ahhhh!!
Presley needed to go potty, so we walked to the front of the store. She cried and screamed the whole way b/c she didn't want to walk....she wanted me to carry her! Well, I refused, dragging her to the bathroom...then she didn't even go (more frustration pouring out of me). She cried the whole time and then screamed at me (yes, I was THAT mother at Walmart!), Steve located us at the front of the store by following her screams. At that point, I was over it. I gave myself a time out and went walking off by myself to get away. Once Presley and I pulled ourselves together, we continued our lovely Walmart Sunday.
Steve spent the afternoon getting some more stuff out of the house and P and I did a lot of nothing at home. I was exhausted from the whole weekend. Steve got home and took P for a long walk, while this girl took a 2 hour nap! Why is it that mom is taking a nap but the 3 year old isn't?!

Last night I picked P up from my moms and made the last trip to the house. Presley looked more confused since everything was gone and empty but she loved running around the wide open spaces. It makes me sad that she doesn't understand...but I have to realize that she won't remember either.
We signed our closing papers today and the buyer signs tomorrow at 3, then we will officially be NON-homeowners!

Moving day #2

This was the last picture taken of P at our house...ready for a walk with dad, backpack, baby and stroller!
Saturday my mom was nice enough to take P while we moved and got things ready and prepared at the new apartment! We had a great group of guys helping us move and it went so quickly! I got everything boxed up and ready to go and they started at 10 and were done by 1:30! I was on my way to the apartment by 2:30 to start unpacking and setting up so that when P arrived it looked somewhat put together and like 'home'. By 4:30 we had kicked some major unpacking ass, Presley was excited to get there and has done amazing at adjusting to the 'new home' (as she calls it)
Our empty home! :(

All the hard work we did (Steve did) over the last 6 years will now be appreciated (hopefully) by the next homeowners.

Our new home is....cozy. We now have 2 bathrooms and vaulted ceilings! And the smallest dishwasher, washer/dryer and closets I've ever had. We'll be doing twice as many loads of dishes and clothes as we were in the house! We decided to skip the cable for the next 4 months, my only issue is the lack of DVR for all my shows! Presley is going to have to get used to not watching Dora or Fresh Beat Band, since the weather is getting warmer there will be more time for outside fun!

Presley's room, all set up...vaulted ceilings, high windows to let all the sunshine in (which is really NOT awesome at 8 pm when we want her to sleep).

                                                    Yeah, I think she is at home now!

Ho hum

No internet until tomorrow night, hopefully! So much  to say, feeling so disconnected with no internet or cable at home! LOL!

Five Question Friday

1. Groceries are high right now what is easiest way you have found to cut back? I have been trying to buy the cheaper brands of certain items (except peanut butter, I have to buy JIF and it is expensive!) and cut back on the crap food that I like to buy. Occasionally, I try to use coupons but I'm not very good at remembering and most of the time it is cheaper to buy the generic brands than it is to buy the name brands with coupons!

2. What are the top 3 things on your "bucket list"?
Have healthy baby #2
Take the family to Disney world
Get my student loans paid off
(see my Life List for addt'l goals!)

3. Would you rather give up AC or heat? AC easily, I hate being cold. Most of the year I wear sweatpants and socks to bed. I usually always take a jacket with me anywhere b/c I know I'll probably be cold, even if it is 75 degrees.

4. What's your favorite cocktail?? I love a good margarita....1200 calories later, no biggie. Oh, a nice, cold margarita, yummy. I want one now.

5. What was your first job & how old were you? I started at Target when I was 16 years old, (so I'm not counting babysitting as my first job b/c it was non-taxable income. Goodness, do I sound like an underwriter?) I worked there for almost 6 years, thru highschool and college until I moved back to DSM and started at Von Maur. Ah the retail life!

Moving day #1

I want to give props to my busy bee husband, thank goodness he has more energy and drive than I do.
Thursday was his birthday, he went to watch the weigh-ins for his nephews' MCC fights. I feel bad we didn't do anything and all I got him was a card....but getting him a present, is just one more thing we have to move! LOL.
Friday he went with both our dads and his siblings to watch his nephew fight! He won! This was Zac's first fight in Des Moines since he just turned 18 in January. His record is 7-1 and is getting a lot of hype in the fighting world. I personally hate this kind of fighting and always have....but it keeps him out of trouble and in shape and as long as he doesn't get hurt then it's not so bad! :)

Saturday I woke up at 6 am....and laid there for an hour thinking about everything we needed to get done. We were all up and going by 8 am, Steve went and got the moving truck. I started hauling up boxes from the basement and he started loaded them in the truck. My dad come over about 10 am to help and while they went to unload, Presley and I went to the grocery store (our one trip out of the house all weekend!). His cousin Jared showed up to help, then his old roommate Hoots came over....the help was great! Three truck loads and the swing set moved! Steve continued working in the basement and garage that night and put some stuff on craigslist to sell!
Sunday we were able to sleep in until 9 am! I got up with P and made waffles (my favorite!), Steve sold 4 out of the 5 things he put on craigslist, made us a little money and 4 less things we have to move! He hauled stuff to the curb for Urbandale clean up week, he mowed the yard (maybe for the last time), made another trip to my parents house to set up the swing set, helped his brother haul stuff to a dumpster and then brought home dinner for us. He was a man on the go this weekend and I appreciate all of his hard work. He is amazing!
I'm not saying I didn't do anything! I did most of the packing, organizing, directing of boxes and entertained Presley (we had our share of mother/daughter time together over the last 4 days!).

We got a lot done this weekend, but our house looks like a disaster! We got the keys to our apartment today and will be moving in on Saturday for moving day #2. I'm mostly worried about Presley in this transition...but I think we have talked it up enough that she'll be fine. Right now she is excited about her own bathroom, the pool and the popcorn in the office!

Thanks again to my hubby, my daddy, Jared and Hoots for their help and to my parents and Holly for letting us use their homes for storage!
Remember moving day #2 is Saturday for anyone looking for something to do! But no worries, if you can't make it this Saturday, there will be another moving session in August! Keep your calendars open! :)

Five Question Friday

1. Who mows your grass? Steve, honestly I wouldn't know how to start the lawn mower. Sad huh? My dad tried to introduce us to these 'boy' chores, but it just didn't catch on with me! Thanks for trying dad!

2. Do you have a picture wall or picture gallery in your house (show us!)? No, but I have always wanted one. Maybe in the new house. As you probably already know, I love pictures so I have so many to choose from.

3. What book has influenced your thinking the most? Or, what blog? (I want to read what gets people thinking!) I love books about motherhood, they make me feel and realize that I'm not the only one out there that thinks or feels like I do. I like the humorous books that make me feel normal for wanting to get away sometimes or not understanding why people have more then one kid! I still haven't forgotten the first 6 months with Presley, but I'm trying to get over it so that doesn't freak me out with this baby. One stress at a time.

4. Do you have allergies? If so, how do you handle it this time of year? I don't think so. Sometimes my eyes get itchy but I don't know if that is just the issues with my contacts, or if I have issues with my contacts b/c of allergies.

5. What's your go to meal to cook in an hurry? Mac and cheese and hot dogs or scrambled eggs and toast.

Random

- We had our radon mitigation system installed, I can breathe safer now....for 2 more weeks.

- I have to be done worrying about money, it will all work out. We just need to get thru the next 4 months so I can destress...you know, and then have a baby 2 months later. But whatever, it will all work out.

- My goal to NOT eat out as often is working, our 12 months average is $462 just for restaurants (not fast food or grocercies). February we were at $322, March $383......of course, now April will be a different story since we'll be moving and we won't have a grill at the apartment....so we'll see.

- Presley's stuttering got better for a couple of weeks and now it is getting so bad again! I'm not talking like wh-wh-what.....it's more like, wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-wh-what? I hoping it's just a subconscious stress induced stutter, with the packing and moving and baby stuff. Time will tell.

Weekend fun

Since this will be our last weekend for at least 2 weeks that we are living our normal life, we took advantage of it. Presley and I hung out and went to the grocery store while Steve worked in the basement trying to get things more organized and started hauling totes to the garage.

Then we headed to my parents to do some egg dying! It was fun and I think the kids got into it too. Presley is finally at the age where she somewhat understands and enjoys these types of things.

Our final products! My dad's little egg, with the face on it! We had paint, dye, sparkles, crayons, sponge paint, stencils.

Happy Easter

Maybe once a month Presley will wake up in the middle of night crying, well this was that night. Three in the morning and she starts crying for mama. The best thing about crawling into bed with her is getting to watch my baby sleep. So quiet, so innocent. Love it.

She slept until 9 am and then we did the Easter bunny thing indoors. She was quick in finding the eggs and her basket.

She got some eggs filled with money and to a three year old, two dollars bills and a bunch of coins is a really big deal. She also got some Skittles and banana Runts....her favorite, along with a couple small gifts.

We got ready and headed to my parents for Easter brunch. Presley wore her new purple spring dress, she loved spinning around in it.

We had brunch and then headed outside to do our Easter egg hunt. Presley was on a roll and loved it...barely giving Boston a chance to catch up with her.

This was one of the best pictures I got of Presley, don't mind the fact that it looks like she only has one leg!

We spent the rest of the afternoon outside! Blowing bubbles, playing four square, talking, continuously eating and enjoying the great weather!

Presley and Aunt Holly looking cute together.

Presley was SO good all weekend long...until tonight! Being outside all day long, running non-stop was too much for her by 6 pm. Everything was a MELT DOWN, needless to say we had an early bedtime tonight!

News

- My sister Holly has a boyfriend, she thinks that word is 'dirty'. So I keep saying it to her to make her squirm. Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend!
- My sister Samantha got a new job! More normal hours, weekends off. I'm happy for my mom in this situation, she now gets her weekends off too!
- My dad bought a new truck, you know how boys are with their toys.
- My mom finally met the neighbors that live behind them....they have lived there 25 years and she just met them! Isn't that funny!
- May 30th we will have our ultrasound. Hopefully this baby will cooperate in letting us getting to figure out what sex we are dealing with here! Presley had her hands between her legs and we weren't able to tell with our first ultrasound. I appreciate the people that can until the baby is born, I just like my surprise early. Either way, it's still a surprise!
- I finished the second Hunger Games book, Catching Fire. Also very good, for anyone who is looking for good books to read I highly suggest them! They are so good!
- I was going to watch Dateline tonight since Steve isn't home, but I got sucked into the movie Enchanted instead....never meant for that to happen. Guess it is time to get some mint chocolate chip ice cream, my kindle and go cuddle up in bed and read!

Roller Coaster

I really don't know how Steve is going to deal with me thru all these crazy and stressful times. I just hope he is patient and understanding over the next 6 months.
So Wednesday we had the appraisal done on our house, no worries with the value. We had our radon test done, of course it came back high. The average rating in Iowa homes is 8, we were at 6.8 but Iowa wants it less than 4. So we knew she would want us to fix it. This is a $1200 - $1500 fix b/c of course she wanted it professionally installed, not giving Steve a chance to do it himself. We went back and forth with 2 different offers to her, she was not interested. She wanted us to fix it, no questions, no compromise. At this point, we were dead set against paying for it. It was just ONE more thing.
Today was the last day for any changes to be made to our contract. Today was the last day to get our deposit back on our apartment. So many decisions, so little time.
We talked about it, discussed in detail what we were doing, what we wanted to do, what we could do, what the next year had in store for us financially. We decided to take the chance and do it. So we'll be paying to have the mitigation system installed. We'll be signing our apartment lease on the 16th and closing on this house on the 25th.
I just want the next 3 weeks to go smoothly, I'm not sure I can handle this roller coaster of emotions over and over again
I just saw the previews for the movie 'I Bought A Zoo'. I love the quote "sometimes you just need 20 seconds of insane courage". This is my 20 seconds of courage! LOL!

Five Question Friday

1. Would you prefer having people over for dinner or going to their house? Going over to other peoples houses. I don't really like the responsibility of hosting. Maybe in our new house, with more open room I'll like it more, we'll see.

2. Favorite Bible verse and why? I wouldn't know. Shame on me for being a terrible Catholic!

3. What was the first concert you ever attended, and the most recent one? New Kids On The Block when I was probably about 12 years old. And yes, I have seen them twice since then. Both times in the last 4 years. Don't judge teenage Jessica.
The most recent I think was the Zac Brown Band with Steve, Jason and Christie. I'm dying to see Pink, Aerosmith or Lady Gaga though!

4. The year is 2025. What are you doing, and what have you done? Probably teaching my 16 year old daughter to drive. Or refusing to let her drive b/c she is grounded. Teenage girls just give me shivers. Yuck.

5. What's your favorite Easter treat? Hands down, no question about it...Cadbury Eggs. I love them, my personal best in one Easter season was 34 Cadbury Eggs. Again, don't judge teenage Jessica.

Two pink lines

So it's happened!

Presley is going to be a big sister in October! I'm about 11 weeks along and things are good! Tired but other than that feeling normal. In the beginning I had about 4 nights where I felt nauseous before bed, so I'm not complaining!

My first appt went good, we told the doctor we still weren't sure if it was true...even after 4 pregnancy tests! (We just couldn't believe it!). She confirmed that we were expecting. I just had my second appt today, I told Steve I wanted to have another appt before we officially announced it to make sure that it truly was real! LOL! I was able to hear the heart beat, nice and fast at 160.

Both doctors made comments about how small Presley was...she was 2 weeks early. Heck, look at the girl now she is clearly 'healthy'! They said closer to the end they will monitor the baby's growth to make sure it is getting the proper nutrition and gaining good weight. Oh believe me, doctors, you have nothing to worry about! Gaining weight will not be a problem, for me anyway!

I gained about 1 pound between appts, but have gained 7 (by my scale) in the last 2 months.

Presley doesn't fully understand yet. I keep telling her she needs to be gentle with me b/c she is such a rough little thing. She always wants to be carried, sometimes I don't mind especially knowing that soon I won't be able to pick her up. So my time carrying my baby girl is limited but I keep letting her know that pretty soon I won't be able to carry her. My mom asks her if she wants a baby sister or baby brother and she always says she wants both! Not going to happen!

We are excited and overwhelmed.....and still don't think it is real! :)

Uncomfortable

Well right now we are having the inspection done. Over-cautious buyer (OCB) is there, they were walking in when Steve ran home to get something at 1:45 (the inspection was for 2). She has a pad of paper, her brother (a supposed carpenter) and the real estate agent there. The agent is on our side, he knows OCB will pick out everything that is wrong with this house, well duh lady it was built in the 50's. This inspection makes us nervous and uncomfortable. Nervous, b/c this is the point where if she wants out of this house, she can claim there are too many things wrong with it. Or she'll want us to fix things and if they cost too much we won't be doing it. I don't think there is anything major but you never know.
It makes us comfortable knowing she is lurking around our house. I would feel better if she wasn't there. We should've installed a camera!
The inspection started at 2, what are the chances they are still there at 4 when Steve has to run home and change cars? Who am I kidding, they will be there until at least 5...she'll probably move her stuff in during this time.
We are having the radon inspection completed today, they still need to schedule the termite inspection and appraisal and they have 3 weeks. Let's get this rolling.
Once this inspection is done and we are sure she is going to proceed, we are probably going to put down our deposit with the builder so he can start digging. He said he could have a hole in the ground in 2 weeks and with nice weather could be done between 90-120 days...perfect for our timeline! Wish us luck, calmness and minimal stress.

Summer fun....in April?

So Friday night we went and talked to a builder about a house. We've been preapproved, it's just a matter of us being willing to spend the money. Then we met my parents, Sam, Boston and my aunt and uncle at Mustards for dinner. YUM!
Saturday Holly was nice enough to come pick up P and take her to the zoo with Sam and Boston for a couple hours so we could get busy on packing up the house. Steve got a lot done in the basement and garage and I got a lot done in the basement, computer room and P's room. She noticed the other night that the toys on her shelf were gone and asked me about it....breaks my heart b/c I know she has no idea what this year has in store for her!
Saturday night we went over to our friend Katie and Jay's house in Norwalk. They had some neighbors and friends over for food and drinks. Once Presley warmed up she actually ran around with two other girls Mia and Addie...and then of course, didn't want to leave.
We got home about 10 and P didn't go to sleep until about 10:30! Hence, why she didn't wake up until almost 10 am this morning! It was nice, we are a family who likes to sleep in!
April 1st and 87 degree weather?! I mean really? I'm all for global warming and all, but let's not totally skip spring! We filled some buckets up with water, had some bubble fun, got out a water gun and enjoyed the day!


So we are desperate in trying to get Presley to go poop in the potty. The girl will hold it for days, complain that her belly hurts but she will not do it! We've tried the big potty, her little potty...heck, we tried her little potty in her closet (her favorite place to go in her diaper).We've tried letting her watch Super Why on dad's phone while she goes, listening to her favorite songs, bribing her with ice cream, stickers....it doesn't matter. I'm thinking at this point it is similar to regular potty training....you can't make them do it, they will go when they are ready. However, they don't make diapers any bigger than what she is in now so she is going to have to suck it up and go or she is going to have one hell of stomach problem.
By the end of this week, we should know where we are moving, what we are buying and where we are going to store the rest of our things during this intermission period.