The Rupe Family

It's a...

2011-03-21T13:07:00.006-07:00

BOY!!

Ok, I'm a few days late...but whatever. I'd post an ultrasound picture, but the cd they gave us a) doesn't work on macs, and b) when I put it in a PC I still couldn't figure out how to get the pics OFF the cd. What's the point of the cd if we can't do anything with the pictures on it?

Honestly, we were both kinda hoping for a girl. But really, we're just happy to have a healthy baby. Everything looked perfect. Mikey is very cute...he makes sure he gives his baby brother a hug every day.

Name? The name we have picked out is....Patrick Aaron Rupe. It's not written in stone, but that's most likely what it'll be. He'll be named after two of his uncles.

I'm finally outgrowing my regular jeans, and breaking out the maternity shirts. I've finally gained 7 pounds. Whew. All that chocolate ice cream is working. ;) Thank goodness for the invention of the belly band, because I really don't have any money to go buy a bunch of new pants that I'll only wear for 4 months. Hopefully it continues to work as I get even bigger.

Boy or Girl?

2011-03-08T17:32:00.002-07:00

With the big ultrasound being just over a week away, it's time for a poll. Check out the sidebar on the right side, and vote!

Names are still up for debate. We have a boys name picked out, but if it's a girl...we have some discussing to do! I'm not worrying about it till then, because why argue about something that we potentially don't have to argue about?

After 2 1/2 years...

2010-12-26T18:16:00.002-07:00

I finally get pregnant...while we're living at my parents' house???

Of all the times for it to happen, why now? Not that I don't want it to...it's just...strange.

That being said, we're super excited. Kinda hoping for a girl, then we'll have one of each. But it doesn't really matter. Healthy is all we care about.

I realize people are meaning well when they ask how I'm feeling, but I usually just say I'm fine even when I'm not. Isn't it kinda personal whether I'm puking my guts out or not? Even if I am, I'd like to pretend I'm not, thanks.

EDD: AUGUST 3, 2011. Check out the floating baby thingy on my side bar. :)

Hi, I'm a working Mom

2010-12-19T10:03:00.002-07:00

In 45 minutes I can: take a shower, get dressed, throw hair in a ponytail and do enough makeup to look decent. I find my picky 3 year old something to eat: leftover penne from Applebee's ("but I said noodles NO chicken!"), a "baby orange", egg nog, and strawberry banana V8 fusion that he insisted on buying because it's in fun little cans. I still have time to set out church clothes for my child, find my own shoes and socks, AND blog about it. Just enough time left to pry a screaming child off my leg ("Nooo! Don't go to wooork!") once he realizes that I'm leaving, make it out to the car without slipping on the icy driveway, and drive to work where my day REALLY starts.

Oh wait...I forgot to get myself something to eat. *sigh*

Positive Thinking

2010-09-14T14:32:00.002-07:00

I try really hard to post positive things, both here and on Facebook. I don't like people feeling sorry for me. I hate asking for help. I'm pretty independent, and I like it that way.

It frustrates me when I see or hear people complaining about things sometimes. There are other, bigger, problems I'm having, that those things seem to small to even worry about. If THAT'S what you're complaining about, you have nothing to complain about!

I know my life could be worse. I have a perfect, healthy, little boy who makes me smile multiple times daily. I know life would be easier if we would have waited to have kids, but I can't imagine I'd be any happier. Also, I love my husband. We have our share of struggles, but remembering that we still have each other keeps us going.

Dig - Incubus

We all have a weakness
But some of ours are easy to identify.
Look me in the eye
and ask for forgiveness;
We'll make a pact to never speak that word again.
Yes, you are my friend.

We all have something that digs at us.
At least we dig each other.
So when weakness turns my ego up
I know you'll count on the me from yesterday.

If I turn into another,
Dig me up from under what is covering
The better part of me.
Sing this song!
Remind me that we'll always have each other
When everything else is gone.

We all have a sickness
That cleverly attaches and multiplies
No matter how we try.

We all have someone that digs at us.
At least we dig each other.
So when sickness turns my ego up
I know you'll act as a clever medicine.

If I turn into another,
Dig me up from under what is covering
The better part of me.
Sing this song!
Remind me that we'll always have each other
When everything else is gone.

Oh, each other
When everything else is gone.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ohh
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, ohhhh

If I turn into another,
Dig me up from under what is covering
The better part of me.
Sing this song!
Remind me that we'll always have each other
When everything else is gone.

Oh, each other
When everything else is gone.

Oh, each other
When everything else is gone.

High Risk?

2010-09-01T14:44:00.002-07:00

High risk car insurance should be for high risk drivers, right? People with a bunch of speeding tickets or who drive stupidly. Not for people who are poor and can't afford car insurance for a bit. So now I have to pay MORE for my car insurance? Doesn't that sound a little counter-productive to you?

Oh, and after two trips to the Driver License Division today I still don't have a valid drivers license because I have to wait 48 hours to get the proper policy paper. It's frustrating that it takes so much money and waiting on other people to be driving legal. Laws are made because of stupid people, and it makes those of us who are poor, but good people, even more poor.

200th post

2010-08-31T13:40:00.002-07:00

Today, I walked into the kitchen to help Mikey make himself a sandwich. (strawberry jam, sour cream, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, and bologna...that's another story.) Mikey says, "Mom, don't step in that" right as I'm stepping down on something. I lift my foot to see a now squished ball of brown stuff.
I ask Mikey, "What is that? Poop??"
Mikey: "Yep."
Me: "Where did it come from? You?"
Mikey: "Yep."
Me: "Why??"
Mikey: "I don't know..."
*Sigh* I love potty training for months and months...

So I clean up the floor. Then Mikey is kind enough to remind me. "Mom, you still have poop on your foot."

Thanks, kid.

(Oh, and he's eating his sandwich, and loving it.)

Food Blog

2010-08-08T14:49:00.002-07:00

Yep, I have one.

I put a link to it on my sidebar.

There are only a few things on it now.

Nothing too exciting.

I like easy stuff.

Probably not "diet" friendly.

I don't pay attention, so I wouldn't know.

It's mostly for me to remember how I made something.

So I can make it again, if we liked it.

You're welcome to try anything.

Let me know how you like it.

Click Here.

Memorial Day

2010-06-02T09:22:00.006-07:00

By some miracle I got Memorial Day off work. (Wait, we're allowed to request off holidays?? Since when? I've only worked Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, Valentine's day, AND Mother's Day...no big deal) So, we joined my grandparents, my parents, and three of my younger siblings on a trip up to Montpelier, Idaho (where my grandparents grew up) to visit a few cemeteries where some ancestors are buried, including my grandpa's parents and 3 of his siblings who didn't live to be adults. We also stopped to look at the houses where they used to live, and the locations of the old Burgoyne store. There's also a museum, where in the basement is a lot of stuff about the Burgoyne family.

Here's a picture of all the girls in my grandma's graduating class from Montpelier High School.
(Grandma is in the 2nd row from the bottom, 2nd from your right.)

My great-great-grandpa's cash register. It still works!

A picture of the original Burgoyne General Store

A quilt someone made based on the above picture.

Does the bear want to eat Mikey, or his cookie??

A sign in the restroom at one of the rest stops on the way...I thought it was funny that adults need reminding. Then I looked at the floor. The sign wasn't working.

My dad and my two younger sisters, Katrina and Cristal

Mikey looking at Bear Lake

Me, in the very back seat of the van.

My mom: driving teacher.

Katrina, who turns 16 in less than 2 weeks: driving student.

Tim: nephew entertainer.

Mikey: Toy Story Magnadoodler.

Joshua, loving the music I put on the iPod for him the night before.

Nie Nie's Ten Things

2010-04-29T09:40:00.002-07:00

From CJane's blog.

I'm not saying her ideas are horrible. They're nice, for her. From what I remember from when Mikey was a new baby, I disagree with most of them. I'm a big believer on doing what works for YOU with a new baby. I don't follow a rule book. Listen to advice, and follow what you want. And this is MY blog, so I'm going to put in my comments. :)

10. Babies are babies- they are not little adults. Please don’t dress them as one. One example comes to mind: Babies who are under 6 months (at the very least) shouldn’t wear jeans. They still sleep very often and there is nothing more that I hate than sleeping in Jeans. Soft, cotton and cuddly are my 3 guidelines.

Mikey has always been my little man. I know that we had both basketball shorts and jeans in the size 0-3 months. If he would have appeared uncomfortable, believe me, I would have noticed and changed his clothes. Heck, he was wearing a polo shirt and (soft) jean shorts in the hospital before we even brought him home. We also rarely dressed him in cutesy bear print etc clothing. Most everything he dressed him in had a sports related picture or print.

9. I love my babies in soft, soothing colors. Nothing bright and distracting. You need all the peace you can get. Just like you want to paint your bedroom a color that calms and de-stresses you, babies should be dressed the same.

I don't remember every paying attention to the colors we dressed Mikey in. Just whatever we liked.

8. Breastfeed! (if possible, of course.) And, pretend you’re the baby. What would you like and enjoy? Chances are your baby will too (i.e.: sleeping, eating, held close, sung too and so on)

I did breastfeed, for 6 months, and loved it. I hope to do it again, hopefully longer, with any future children. Another reason why I want to be a stay at home mom in the future.

7. Wrap. Wrap babies tightly in a lightweight swaddling cloth. They seem happier and it helps the baby feel secure. But, be sure to know when babies need some time to be unwrapped to kick and coo.

Mikey hated being wrapped up. After leaving the hospital, we tried, but no matter how tight we wrapped him, he always figured out a way to wiggle his arms out. We gave up after a couple of days.

6. Ask your husband and other children to help. I asked my older children to help wash binkies, help lather lotion on baby after the tub and pick out babies clothes. They seem to enjoy that task because it helps them feel like a part of the excitement.

I didn't have any older children, but my husband definitely helped out, without me even asking him to. Mikey was his baby too, after all.

5.Sing. I have the worst voice in the world. My baby doesn’t care, and loves to hear me sing. Heck, if Cjane can sing and her babies like it, then so can I! Sometimes, I make up songs and tunes as I go. After baby is asleep you can tell your husband the awesome song you just made up and laugh your head off.

I don't sing. I do, occasionally, now when Mikey makes me sing the Spongebob Theme Song, but that's about it.

4. Buy a couple of nice button down shirts. They are easy to nurse in, and functional. But, be sure to buy flattering ones make you feel and look beautiful.

When I was nursing, I thought this was ridiculous, and still think it is for LDS women. I had to lift up my garment top anyway, so what was the point?

3. Rocking chair. A mother MUST have a rocker. It is a age old classic and natural soother. It helps baby settle down and it creates a bond that mother (and Dad) can have with baby.

I never had a rocking chair. Wish I did. Maybe next time. At the time, (and even now, for the most part) every piece of furniture we owned were hand me downs, and no one handed us down a rocking chair, so we went without.

2. Stay home. My favorite time is after my babies are born when I can just stay home enjoying cuddling, and nursing baby. I was never in a hurry and planned to run my errands when Christian was home. That way baby can nap when he wants and you are low stress. Plus, putting baby in and out of that darn car seat, asleep no less, is the worst.

We took Mikey everywhere. I hate staying at home ALL THE TIME. We took him to Applebee's to meet our coworkers when he was just 2 days old. I wasn't going to become a hermit just because I had a new baby. (Premature babies, I understand why you don't want to take them out, but Mikey was a healthy baby, and of course we weren't completely careless, so he was fine.)

1. Thank God for your sweet heaven-sent baby everyday!

This one, I can agree with 100%. :)

You want this.

2010-04-21T12:45:00.002-07:00

Unfortunately, you can only have it if you live in or around Davis County Utah.

For those of you who fall in that category, here's where reading my blog makes you a step ahead of everyone else. I can give you hints to the great deals coming up on GoDealGo.com.

*HINT* Tomorrow's deal is half price for a hair cut at Crazy Beautiful Salon in Bountiful. **

I'm definitely buying this one.

PS This is Joshua's deal...meaning he gets paid for this one. So...help me out and get yourself a good hair cut for a cheap price, okay?

PPS Tomorrow is also Joshua's birthday.

Go Deal Go

2010-04-06T10:09:00.002-07:00

Joshua has a new job. Again.

It's a brand new company. I'm slightly nervous about it.

He turned down an offer for a manager position for Village Inn, because honestly, how many restaurant managers do you know who like their job?? In all my years in a restaurant...I can't think of a single one.

Nights, weekends, holidays off. I'm not sure I know what that's like. He's promising that I'll be able to quit my job soon (Don't tell my GM, Pam!) and have those hours off WITH him. (Weird, huh? What's it like to see your husband when he's not sleeping?) But who knows what "soon" will actually turn out to mean...2 months? 6 months? A year? I would love to be home in the evenings to make sure my son gets dinner (as opposed to snacks of poptarts, cookies, and donuts) and to actually put him to bed at a decent time (he was awake till 1 am last night).

This better work. My son needs me. (lol)

Believe it or not, you can help. Especially if you live in Davis County. If you don't, they'll be spreading to your area soon. First other areas in Utah, then across the country, so keep checking back.

Here's how you help. Go to GoDealGo.com. Put in your email address. They'll send you an email every day for the deal of the day. You get great deals, my husband makes money. Deal?

They did a trial week. We bought the vouchers sold two of those days. The first day: Tasty's Donuts in Kaysville. We paid $5 online, printed off a voucher worth $10, then took it to Tasty's for some yummy sandwiches and donuts.

Easy, right? Right now the plan is to officially launch on April 19th. You can go to the website and subscribe now, then you'll get a reminder email.

PS If you own a company and would like to be featured for a day on the website, Joshua is the guy to talk to. He knows a thousand details that I don't, so don't ask me any questions, save them all for him.

How to be Obnoxious

2010-03-24T10:45:00.002-07:00

Go to a restaurant during half-price appetizer times.
Tell the host you don't know how many people will be coming, maybe 6 or 7.
Try to cram 14-16 people in a 8-9 person booth...the one you insisted on sitting in.
Order $10 appetizer samplers, knowing you're only going to be paying $5 for them.
Make several modifications, each one a little different. (at least making them the same would be much simpler for the cooks to understand)
Drink lots of water.
Ask for lots of lemons, limes, and ranch dressing, and leave lots unused.
Leave, on average, 50 cents - a dollar per person for a tip.
Repeat every Tuesday night at 9 pm.

The Abandoned Blog

2009-11-07T15:37:00.002-07:00

I haven't posted anything in almost 2 months. We don't have internet at our apartment yet, so that limits my computer time to what little I can do from my iPhone.

Anyway, that's why I'm never here anymore...there's not really anything else to say either. haha

Home alone all afternoon/evening...maybe I need to turn on some music or something...

2009-09-18T19:06:00.003-07:00

So, I am packing up my house. (I don't want to, but I have to.) I started to take down all the pictures and things from the wall. (There wasn't much, I never got around to REALLY decorating. I was waiting for the money that never came.) I pulled down a plaque I got as a wedding present, and re-read it.

It says, "LOVE: always, forever, and no matter what"

Then I thought, "How many people ACTUALLY live like that?" We get married thinking that we'll always love someone, we'll be together forever. Yet, in the back of your mind, there's SOMETHING that could happen to break you apart.

Then I thought of the relationship I have with my husband. We don't really hide anything from each other, there isn't a need to. We both know that lies will just hurt even worse and the truth is always better.

I'm not saying my marriage is perfect, but maybe it's perfect for us. Honestly, I think I have it a lot better than most.

Then...my husband called just to say hi.

I sure love him.

Downsizing...

2009-09-05T13:33:00.003-07:00

http://greenleafatbountiful.com/

Back to apartment living...

Not too excited about that, but what can ya do?

We're sad to leave all our friends in Tooele, and our awesome house, but excited to be moving back nearby family!

We'll be moving next Friday, the 11th.

We'll be listing our house ASAP.

We are allowed to bring the dog, but we're not sure how much fun it'd be for anyone when we're used to having a backyard...to suddenly confining a huge dog in a small apartment. So, we're looking for a new home for Dominator, if possible.

We're hoping to be able to transfer back to the Bountiful Applebee's.

Joshua is still looking for a new job.

Mike is amazing.

Reason #1,327 why carpet in the dining room plus a 2 year old is a bad idea:

2009-08-22T20:12:00.003-07:00

Mike: Mom! Eat!
Me: Okay, do you want a corn dog?
Mike: Okay! dah-dog!
I heat up a corn dog for him and set it on the table.
Mike: Dip!
Me: Do you want ketchup?
Mike: No! Dip!
Me: Do you want mustard?
Mike: No! Dip!
Me: Do you want ranch? (I think that sounds gross, but who knows what he wants!)
Mike: No! Dip!
Me: Okay, you get ketchup.
I squirt a little ketchup on his plate.
Mike: NO! DIP!
Corn dog in hand, he swats at the plate, sending ketchup flying to the carpet. I grab the corn dog from his hand, and carry screaming child to his bedroom.
Me: You can read books in your room for a minute.
Mike: NOOOOO!!!
I set him on his bed with some books and leave the room, shutting the door behind me.
Mike: No! Cha-chup! Cha-chup! Mommy! Cha-chup!
I leave him to cry in his room for a minute while I attempt to clean up the spot of ketchup on the carpet. Then I go back to his room.
Me: You decided you want ketchup?
Mike: Okay.
Back downstairs to the kitchen...I put him on a bar stool to eat his corn dog, with ketchup. He picks up the corn dog, and notices my lack of corn dog-heating skills since the corn bread promptly falls off the hot dog.
Mike: MOM! Help! Broken!
I try to put the corn bread back on.
Mike: Day-ku!
But when he goes to dip it, the corn bread falls off.
More screaming and yelling at me because I can't get a corn dog right. (LOL)
Out of patience and just trying to make this kid happy, I put another corn dog in the microwave, watching it closely this time and catching it before the corn bread splits all the way. I put the new corn dog on his plate.
Mike: Day-ku!
After a successful dip and bite, he decides he needs to go back to watching his movie upstairs. Whatever kid, so I get him down. Apparently he decided the corn dog needed to come with him, because as soon as I turned my back, he one-handed the plate off the counter. The corn dog rolled, making the plate unbalanced, and the whole thing toppled from his hand...sending more ketchup to the CARPET.

At least he says Thank You a lot, right?

Poll

2009-08-16T22:06:00.006-07:00

Please vote in the poll on the right. :)

Joshua wants me to do my hair like Hayley Williams, the lead singer of Paramore. Specifically like this picture. I'm not sure about it. I definitely want to do something fun to my hair, but that's kinda...bright. So I don't know. Maybe I'll just do the black and pink again??

What do you think?

Carr Family Reunion

2009-08-14T16:57:00.006-07:00

(The cousins got bored and decided to see how many people they could fit on one chair in the lodge...or something like that)

This year was my mom's parents' 50th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we had (almost) everyone to a big lodge near Altamont, UT.

Grandma and Grandpa have 11 kids...plus all their kids...equals a lot!

There was a ton of fun stuff to do. We went swimming in the pool every day, Joshua got to go rock climbing and paintballing, and we ate lots of good food!

Everyone decorated a cupcake to look like themselves.

Mike getting a ride on my dad's shoulders.

Mike trying to climb the rock wall like everyone else.

When Joshua got down from the wall he was too tired to even stand. Mike had to help him up.

Joshua climbing the rock wall.

Ugh

2009-08-06T22:48:00.002-07:00

Nothing great is going on right now. Nothing terrible, but nothing great. All I can think of to post would be a huge venting post, but not everyone needs to know all the details, so I won't do that.

I can't even get a good picture of Mike these days. If you can actually see his face in the picture, its a picture of him reaching and asking for the camera. Other than that, it's a blurry picture of the back of his head.

Hopefully my next post will be some good news.

Me and My Husband

2009-07-24T09:03:00.002-07:00

I stole this from Jen...hehe.

♥ What are your middle names? Michael and Alayne

♥ How long have you been together? 4 years next month!

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating? a couple of days...a week before it was "official".

♥Who asked who out? We both just wanted to see each other again...

♥ How old were each of of you when you started dating? I was 18, he was 22.

♥ Whose siblings do/did you see the most? His.

♥ Do you have any children together? Awesome Mike. He's 2.

♥What about pets? One huge dog.

♥ Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple? Money.

♥ Did you go to the same school? Nope. We went to rival high schools, but he was out of high school before I even started, so not a big deal.

♥ Are you from the same home town? Not really, although we lived pretty close to each other when we met.

♥ Who is the smartest? He thinks he is...haha!

♥ Who is the most sensitive? I think we're about equal there.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple? Applebee's...

♥ Who has the worst temper? He does, but only if his team lost.

♥ Who does the cooking? If anyone cooks, it's usually me. Not that he can't cook, he just doesn't very often.

♥ Who is more social? He is.

♥ Who is the neat-freak? Unfortunately, neither of us are!

♥ Who is the more stubborn? We both are.

♥ Who hogs the bed? Mike. haha

♥ Who wakes up earlier? I do. Mike wakes ME up.

♥ Where was your first date? We played tennis at the park, got slurpees, and went to Barnes and Noble! haha

♥ Who has the bigger family? I have one more sibling than he does, and more aunts, uncles, and cousins.

♥ Do you get flowers often? Maybe twice?

♥ How do you spend Christmas? However we feel like it. The last couple of years have been Christmas Eve dinner with my family, then sleeping over at his parents' house. Who's to say we'll do that every year though...

♥ Who is more jealous? Hmm...we're about the same...not much jealousy, but enough.

♥ How long did it take to get serious? A week...maybe

♥ Who eats more? Joshua. I don't eat much.

♥ Who does/did the laundry? I think he's done one load in the last year...so yeah. I do.

♥ Who’s better with the computer? Probably me. :)

♥Who drives when you are together? Joshua. I'm a terrible woman driver and he lets me know sometimes. So...I don't drive with him in the car.

I tag...

whoever wants to do this!

Our Summer So Far

2009-07-09T11:25:00.003-07:00

Waiting for Grandma and Uncle Tim to come to our house:

Getting started on potty training:

Then, Mike's favorite part of the day: taking Dom for a walk and letting him drink from the hose when we get home:

"Mo' bah-band?"

2009-07-03T12:54:00.002-07:00

(translation: "More rock band?")

Mike's new favorite activity: Singing on Rock Band!

An Update

2009-06-29T09:56:00.003-07:00

A friend of mine told me she was disappointed that I hadn't updated my blog in a while...so here we go...two blogs in one day! We almost didn't get to go on our trip to Washington. Joshua didn't get the time off approved at work. Then...a week before....he got laid off. Nice huh? It's a small company and they're just going downhill. So, since I had requested work off a long time before, and gotten it, we went on the trip. Now we're back to real life trying to figure out how to make some money! Joshua's going to come back to Applebee's (again haha) and hopefully we can make it through on that until he finds another job.

On to better (I guess) news...Mike is growing up! The other day, we walked into my parents' house, and he walked straight up to my dad and said, "Oh, hi Grandpa!" First of all, when did he start speaking in complete sentences, and second...that's his first time saying the word Grandpa! He surprises us with something new every day. He also loves baseball. He'll set a ball down on the ground, golf-swing at it with a bat, then when he taps it he throws the bat and runs off somewhere. haha! I guess he watches his dad play softball more than I thought he did!

Um...I can't think of anything more to say...so that's all you get, for now!

Washington

2009-06-29T09:43:00.002-07:00

We got home from our trip to Seattle over a week ago, but I never posted anything about it, so here we go...

We left Saturday morning, stayed that night in Pendleton, Oregon, and got to Grandmama and Papa's house Sunday evening. My mother in law's entire family (well, we were missing a few people...) was there to greet us. We stayed there for the week, making a few trips out and around.

Here we are (with Jefferson and Jordan) in the back of Grandmama and Papa's van:

This is the reason we went the week we did. The Mariner's organization was holding an open tryout. It was for guys ages 16-22, so both Justin and Jefferson got to try out. They both did pretty well! Especially Justin, who did really well (85 mph!) for only being 16. He's definitely going to have some scouts come out to his high school games over the next two years! In this picture you can see both of them on the mound. It's Jefferson's turn to show off his skills, and Justin (in the red) is warming up. Behind the fence you can see the two scouts.

Then, the last night we were there, we went back to that same field for a Raniers game. Here's one of the few minutes Mike sat nicely on Dad's lap:

It was a pretty fun trip. We're glad we were able to go, and see some family we don't see very often, but we're also glad to be home!

Goodbye Hayley...again?

2009-06-10T22:04:00.002-07:00

Well we gave Hayley away...again. Someone called, said they'd be over in a few minutes, came, loved her, and took her home. It was as quick as that. They have two other dogs, so she won't be lonely, and they know what they're doing. haha

Hopefully it sticks this time!

Ugh

2009-06-05T22:48:00.002-07:00

So much for a "good" home for Hayley.

I came home from work, and peeked outside to see where Dom was. Instead of a big black face in the window I saw a brown and white one. Um...Hi Hayley. So I called Joshua who's in Bountiful for softball...um...why is Hayley home???

The guy we gave her to last night was way excited to have her. She was a surprise for his wife and daughter who, supposedly, would be really excited to see her. He also mentioned that he was going out of town this morning until Sunday night. I thought that was kinda weird that he would surprise his wife with a dog, then leave for 3 days, but whatever...he probably knows his wife better than I do. WRONG. Apparently (while I was at work) right before Joshua left for softball, this lady appeared on our porch saying we had to take her back, or she was taking her to the pound. Of course Joshua was mad, but he took her back to save her from going to the pound again.

She didn't even bring her leash back.

Goodbye Hayley!

2009-06-05T14:26:00.002-07:00

We had someone come pick up Hayley last night. It actually went really well. He was really excited to take her home as a surprise to his wife and 6 year old daughter. Apparently they used to have 2 dogs like her, who somehow chewed through a fence and escaped. They never found them, and have since moved from California to Utah, and have been wanting to get another dog. She will definitely be loved there and get a lot more attention than she did here. It'll be good for her, and us.

Dom, however, misses her. We brought him out in the front yard after she left and he started sniffing around where she last was. He gets more attention from us though. We let him in the house for the first time in a while. Now for training...

Where are you??

2009-06-04T09:32:00.003-07:00

Mike hates it when sun gets in his eyes. In fact, the first time I heard him put two words together on his own were the words, "ow! eyes!" On the mornings where we need to drive Dad to work, those are the worst. The sun shines in his window just right. So, instead of having a crying kid the whole drive, we taught him this little trick:

It usually turns into a game of peek-a-boo.

What the???

2009-06-02T12:53:00.003-07:00

Mike was taking a nap (whew!) so I decided to go clear out the flower beds in my front yard. Dead tulips and waist-high weeds aren't that pretty.

Then I hear Hayley whining. Ok, that's weird...then I look around the corner of the house:

I guess she figured out how to climb on top of the chicken coop/dog house and decided to peek her head over and say hi.

PS We're still trying to find a home for Hayley. Two dogs is just too much for me, I think. We decided we're going to try to keep Dom, get him some training and hopefully he'll turn into a good family dog. If you hear of anyone wanting to adopt a dog, let me know!

Mike's Snack

2009-06-02T09:44:00.003-07:00

Mike asked for a snack, so I sat him on a bar stool and gave him a roll and a piece of cheese.

He made a sandwich out of it.

I thought it was cute, so I took a couple pictures with my phone.

He decided my pictures weren't good enough, so he took my phone, deleted my pictures, and took his own.

Happy Day After Birthday, Mike!

2009-05-27T17:40:00.002-07:00

My Memorial Day

2009-05-26T08:59:00.005-07:00

(Mike and his aunt Cristal. One of the few people he'll go to besides Mom.)

It was a good one.

First and most importantly, it was my son's 2nd birthday! I now have a 2 year old. A very cute, amazing, awesome, funny, 2 year old. He's the best thing that's ever happened to me. The best decision I ever made in my life was the one to have a baby. All the times I complain about needing a babysitter, or nail polish on my carpet, or other messes are made up 1000's of times over.

If you have kids, you know what I mean.

He got a toy guitar from my sisters (he loves it!) and some much needed 2T clothes from my parents. Leenie and Pop also got him some toy balls, because a Rupe boy can never have enough balls?

Today is his 2 year well check with our new doctor here in Tooele. I'll post about how that goes later. I've had some great reviews for this guy, hopefully he lives up to them!

After all the birthday and Memorial day celebrations were over, the real fun began. :)

(for Mom anyway)

I guess I looked hot, tall, and skinny because I was scouted by a modeling agency on my way in.

Here's me and Nicolette!

First up, was The Sounds. They were ok. We didn't listen to much of them because we were too busy kicking butt at Rock Band. We played Spiderwebs (by No Doubt, of course). I got 97% on Expert Guitar and Nicolette got 94% on Expert Singing. Not too bad for not being able to hear the song, just The Sounds in the background!

Next up...PARAMORE!!

We were very glad we splurged on floor tickets. We were standing maybe 20 yards from the stage. Amazing. You can't tell from the pictures, but we could see the faces of the band members. All of them. Hayley is even prettier in person, and yes, her hair was a bright orangey red.

Last was No Doubt. This is how they came on stage, one by one.

(Gwen is second from the left)

I thought Paramore was amazing. Until No Doubt came out. They sure know how to put on a concert! (Okay, so we were a little farther back for No Doubt. We lost our standing space when we took a potty break between bands.)

We LOVED it. It was fun to get out and do something with just us girls, and we both are loving concerts! The next one? Incubus is coming in July, and Papa Roach in August. Anyone want to join us?

Nothing to blog about

2009-05-19T11:44:00.002-07:00

I haven't blogged in over a week. Why? Nothing is going on! The most exciting things that have happened are my iPhone screen is shattered and my laptop keyboard doesn't work. All in the same weekend. Lessons learned: Don't give an almost-two-year old your iPhone, and don't let a 44 oz cup of Dr Pepper come within 100 feet of a laptop.

My laptop looks sad. Several keys kept sticking down, so they are now pulled off. I have a USB splitter plugged in so I can hook up a new keyboard (which only works when none of the old keys are stuck down) and a mouse. At least my laptop works. I can still use it, and everything is not lost like I feared. (iTunes, all our photos from the last year, No Doubt concert tickets...etc)

Mike is awesome. He still loves to cuddle. He still doesn't sleep in his own bed, but is sometimes ok with his Cars sleeping bag on the floor in Mom and Dad's room. He sings, "We're off to the puppet show!" Which sounds more like "uh uh puh-pee uh uh show!"

We still don't have homes for our dogs. We had someone who was supposed to come pick up Hayley last night, but never showed. We've had a couple of phone calls/texts about Dom, but are considering keeping him anyway. Maybe.

That's a long post for nothing going on. I think I'll go (**NERD alert**) level my troll hunter to a 27 now...LOL (PS That is my highest "toon"...I'm only trying to play that silly game for my husband!)

Anyone want a dog? (or two?)

2009-05-11T09:45:00.003-07:00

Seriously.

We decided we're not ready for dogs. We (I) don't have the time or patience to train them properly, and I hate just having animals taking over our backyard. They would be great dogs, but it's my fault and they need a better home. We'll miss them...kind of.

We talked about it, made our decision, and then the next day when Joshua let them in the house so he could mow the lawn:
So, not only do they dig holes in the backyard, but they have now successfully dug a hole in my family room carpet. They're just making this easier.

I'll be posting ads on ksl.com next week.

PS If anyone knows anyone who can give us a great deal on new flooring for the WHOLE house (minus nail polish, doggy diarrhea, and huge holes) please let me know.

PPS I'll also be turning off anonymous comments next week, so if you have anything nasty to say to me anonymously, get it out now.

A not so bad Mother's Day after all

2009-05-10T12:55:00.002-07:00

1. I got to talk to my brother last night. They figured out a time that would work for all of us, including me. :) 10:45 pm Utah time, or 6:45 am Germany time. I got 5 minutes to talk to him all to myself. It was good to hear his voice. :)

2. A girl I work with asked me yesterday if she could take my Sunday morning shift. Her kids live in California and her man was going to be working, so she was just going to sit at home and feel sorry for herself all morning. Instead, she decided to ask a mother if they'd like the morning off. I said YES. That also meant we were able to sleep over at Nicolette's house and keep her company, since she was going to be home alone, with no kids.

It'd be better if Mike and I didn't have colds, and if there were such thing as cold medicine for 2 year olds, but I can't have it all, can I?

Mother's Day (and other thoughts)

2009-05-06T07:34:00.003-07:00

It's coming up this Sunday.

It's also one of the busiest days of the year for restaurants. That means...yep. I'm working. Both the lunch and dinner shifts.

That also means I'm missing my missionary brother's phone call. It's ok, I'll get to talk to him again on CHRISTMAS.

Other thoughts: I have a cold. Or something. It's fun. Then I noticed in the middle of the night that Mike was feeling warm. He woke up this morning pretty miserable. I gave him some Motrin and now he's feeling a lot better. :)

I took Hayley to get spayed on Monday. I'm supposed to restrict activity for TEN days. I've been keeping her inside, locked in the family room, instead of outside with Dom all the time like she's used to. She hates it! If I'm not in the room with her, she whines and cries and tries to break through the gate we put up. So, this morning, while not feeling good myself and just wanting to snuggle in bed with my sick baby, I put her outside. I won't leave her out there all day...but I hope I don't end up regretting it.

Mike's birthday is coming up. It's on the 25th of this month. Aaahhhh! I'm going to have a TWO year old! I guess he's not my baby so much anymore. :(

I'm going to be a mean mom and leave him on his birthday. That just happens to be the day that No Doubt and Paramore are playing in Salt Lake...and I have tickets. I'm really excited to go...and...well, he doesn't know it's his birthday and won't notice if we celebrate another day, right?

"Is this McDonald's?"

2009-05-02T08:36:00.002-07:00

Last night, at work, I was closing up the restaurant. It was about 10:30 pm, (we close at 11:00) so there were only a few of us left in the building, and only a table or two of people eating. The phone rings, so I answer it, expecting it to be 1) an order to go, or b) someone calling to talk to the manager or another employee. It wasn't either.

Me: Thanks for calling Applebee's in Tooele featuring Carside Service, this is Lori how can I help you?
Them: Um...Is this...McDonald's?
Me: Uh...no. This is Applebee's.
Them: Do...you...have a snack wrap for me?
Me: Who is this??
*click*

At least they waited until after the dinner rush. I guess someone was bored and lonely at home on a Friday night...

Lunch

2009-04-30T12:32:00.002-07:00

Around lunch time, Mike grabbed my hand and dragged me into the kitchen.
I asked him, "Are you hungry?"
He answered, "Yes. Eat."
Not having any other ideas for lunch, I asked him, "Do you want peanut butter and jelly?"
"Yes!"
Then he grabbed the handle of the door to the fridge and pulled. Nothing happened, so I helped him. He grabbed the jelly and handed it to me, but before I could close the door he grabbed the ranch dressing. "Dit!" (Mike language for "Dip") Okay, whatever kid. I set the jelly on the counter and tried to take the ranch from him and put it back in the fridge door. He hung on tight. "No! Dit!" So I let him hold it. Then I got out the peanut butter and a slice of bread. I made him a sandwich, cutting it in half for him. I put it on a plate and set it on the table. Then he handed me the ranch. "Dit!" Okay, okay, fine...I squirt a little ranch onto his plate, then was finally allowed to put it away. He climbed up onto his chair, and devoured the whole sandwich, dipping it in ranch before, and saying, "mmm!" after each bite.

I don't remember if he's ever eaten every bite of a sandwich before.

No More Bink Update

2009-04-29T11:09:00.003-07:00

So far so good.

He hasn't asked for it at all today.

Yay!!

AnnaMarie and Triscuit!!!

2009-04-28T08:05:00.004-07:00

Or anyone else with toddler boys like Jaxon and Keller...

How do you get bright pink nail polish off the carpet? (Is it possible?)

Don't his toes look great??

PS That's not all of it...there is also light pink and clear on the carpet, but those don't show up as well in pictures. ;)

Bring on the tears...

2009-04-27T08:26:00.003-07:00

Why? It's because last night we decided to get rid of the binkie. Yep. All Gone.

He asked for it a couple of times before bed, but understood what I meant when I said, "Nope, all gone!" This morning he had a hard time when he first woke up and couldn't find it, but he got over that after about a minute.

So far it hasn't been too bad. He usually only asks for it when he's sleepy, so we'll see how it goes from here!

"The best pot roast I've ever had."

2009-04-23T17:22:00.002-07:00

That's what Joshua said about dinner tonight. So, I thought I'd post my recipe so I could make it again sometime, and maybe someone else will be able to use it too. Joshua's favorite food is pot roast, which means two things: a) I already knew what his answer would be when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday dinner, and b) he's probably had a few good pot roasts in his life to be able to classify it as his "favorite".

Anyway, here's what I did:

First, I poured some baby carrots in the bottom of the crock pot.
Then I chopped up about a tablespoon or two of butter on the carrots, plus some salt and pepper.
Next, I put the meat on top of the carrots. It was a Cross Rib Roast. (The guy at the store said is similar to a Chuck Pot Roast. I'll trust him.) This one happened to be 2.9 lbs.
Then I sprinkled a packet of McCormick Pot Roast seasoning on the meat. (It came with a bag to use in the oven, but I opted to do crock pot instead.)
Then I spread a can of Cream of Mushroom Soup over the meat.
Last, I filled that now empty can halfway with water and poured it in the crock pot.

Then I put the lid on, turned it to low, and let it sit for about 6 hours.

It took maybe 5 minutes to prep. I didn't even have to chop carrots since I just used baby carrots. I also made some instant mashed potatoes to go with it, nothing special there.

I guess it turned out pretty good. :)

PS Joshua's birthday was actually yesterday. He's an old man of 26 now. ;) I was going to make this dinner for him yesterday, but his family wanted to celebrate with him so we put it off until today. Nicolette BBQed some hot dogs, and we just hung out and played Guitar Hero World Tour until it was time to go watch Joshua and Jefferson play softball. Joshua was pretty excited that his whole family would come watch his game on his birthday!

Sleepy Boy

2009-04-23T11:54:00.003-07:00

It was about 12:30 pm, his "normal" nap time. His sleeping schedule hasn't been "normal" for a couple of weeks. So this is "weird".

We have had a lazy morning, just laying around, watching Madagascar 2, and snacking on things like leftover quesadillas and guacamole. We had finally gotten around to taking a shower together. (I know exactly where he is, and I don't have to give him a bath. Two birds, one stone.) I had promised him we'd take a dog for a walk after we took a shower. He's always getting the leashes out and saying "Hay-ee? Dah? Puppy?" In fact he had done it this morning, but I wasn't going anywhere before I had my shower. After the shower, he asked for his bink, then went upstairs. I noticed it had been quiet for a few minutes, so I went to check on him...I found him asleep, on the floor, by my closet. There WAS a pillow and blanket there (among other things...like a pair of shoes and a pillow case) and I guess it looked like a good place for a nap!

Little Guitar

2009-04-23T10:37:00.003-07:00

This little guitar was actually a toddler toy in a kids meal.

He's saying "guitar" by the way. :)

Bowling

2009-04-15T18:33:00.005-07:00

We took Mike bowling for the first time tonight! He loved it when it was his turn, and hated it when it wasn't.

Here are a few pictures, some are kind of blurry because he was so excited to do it again!

Mike's New Favorite Word

2009-04-13T09:46:00.003-07:00

"Dee-do".

(Thank you)

He says it all the time. I love it.

You help him get dressed. "Dee-do." You help him put his shoes on. "Dee-do." You find his "diss" (drum sticks) for him. "Dee-do."

That reminds me of something else he does that I think is super cute. When he's looking for something, he raises his hands, palm up. (I tried to get a picture, but he's not cooperating.) He does that every time we walk out of a store. "Wheh dah?" (where car?)

Oh, and he can say his own name now too. It sounds like "Mite"

What an awesome kid I have.

A Weekend in Vegas

2009-04-06T13:02:00.005-07:00

We had a pretty relaxing weekend in Vegas. Now a whole lot of excitement, just a lot of sleeping, eating, and hanging out with each other.

We flew in Friday night after dropping Mike off at my parents' house. He was playing cars with Aunt Cristal when we left, and was happy to say goodbye then go back to playing. ha ha Saturday morning we slept in, then slowly made our way to the buffet in the Luxor. Brunch was still going on, and it was really good!

Then we signed up for a tour of a new resort being built down the street. We spent a few hours of our afternoon there, with sales people trying really hard to get us to buy a timeshare. Joshua wanted to do it, but I had to be the mean one and say NO LET US LEAVE!! ha ha It was worth it though. We got two free tickets to a show for that night, $75 off of dinner, and $50 for the poker tables. Here we are waiting for the shuttle to take us to the tour.

We had been wanting to go to a nice steak dinner and we thought that the $75 would cover a good chunk of it...boy were we wrong! Our bill was $150! We were glad we only had to pay for half of it, and a $35 tip for the great server, of course. The food was amazing. Totally worth the money.

Joshua's 20 oz Ribeye, fries, and custom dipping sauces.

My 8 oz Fillet Mignon and amazing mashed potatoes. I also got a cesear salad, with real anchovies. It was actually pretty good!

I don't have a picture, but Joshua took that $50 to a black jack table. As soon as that "fake" money was gone, we left the table and walked with $100, after less than 10 minutes!

Sunday we finally got to walk around the strip before catching our flight home, and take a break at the Oxygen bar. It looks funny, but it actually felt pretty good!

Just two days away from a weekend of minimal responsibility!

2009-04-01T09:08:00.002-07:00

Woohoo!

You have no idea how ready I am for a vacation. Even just a weekend one because we can't afford to take more time off work. (More in the job security department than the money department, even though that is also an issue.) Last May, Mike's birthday weekend and Memorial day weekend, we took a "stay-cation" and spent the weekend at Nicolette's house. Before that, for my birthday (January 2008), we (along with Nicolette and Jeremy) spent one night in Wendover....aaaand...that's the extent of our vacationing since July 2007 when we went to Oregon and Washington for two family reunions. It is now April 2009!

Between jobs and school (on a side note, I am happy to report that I passed my Flash class last month, so THERE!) it's hard to take time off. Even a few days off puts us behind. We finally just took the plunge and I requested this weekend off at work. That's three days of work I'm missing, three days of pay. OH WELL. Thank goodness for tax returns, right?

We have flights to Vegas booked. We're not wasting a second of our time on driving. The 9 pm flights are considerably cheaper, and we have to wait for Joshua to get off work anyway, so that's when we're leaving Friday night and returning Sunday night. A room, for two nights, at the Luxor is also booked. My parents are ready and excited for their favorite (and only) grandson to spend the weekend with them. My brother in law Jefferson is ready and excited to take care of our dogs for us. Those are the important things, taken care of. Beyond that, we don't really have any plans yet. It'll be nice to just get away, knowing that Mike (and the dogs) are ok, and just do whatever we want to do. Nowhere we need to be, nothing we should be doing (not a single diaper needing to be changed!), and the weather being in the 70's instead of the 30's. ha ha.

Sure, I'll miss Mike, but it will be nice to have two nights of sleeping straight through the night. :)

Things Mike learned this weekend

2009-03-23T09:34:00.002-07:00

I was at work pretty much all day both Saturday and Sunday. These are the things Mike learned while I was away:

- He now says Daddy, where before he just said Dad. (more like Da) He has recently done this with Mommy/Mom, too.

- New word: Puppy. Clear as day.

- He can open his bedroom door from the inside. I guess I need to childproof if I want to keep him in there at nap time.

Las Vegas?

2009-03-18T12:35:00.002-07:00

Joshua and I need a vacation. Our last vacation was one night in Wendover for my birthday over a year ago. As a server, you don't get paid to go on vacation, and Joshua doesn't have enough vacation hours at his day job to go anywhere big. So...we're going to be huge copy cats and do what Nicolette and Jeremy did this last weekend - a weekend in Vegas. We'll probably leave Mike with family and take off as soon as Joshua gets off work on a Friday, then come home Sunday afternoon/evening.

So...I need suggestions and tips. Especially from those of you who live there. Best hotels, best places to eat, etc. (on a budget of course!)

Dear Anonymous Commenter

2009-03-12T15:25:00.003-07:00

"Just finish school." Is the worst advice I've ever heard. Easier said than done. I know the best solution would be to finish school. Duh. I'm looking for advice on how to do it.

You don't go to school to get brains. You go to school to get a piece of paper that says you're worth more than someone else. I have brains.

I guarantee that every hug and kiss I get from my son means more to me than that piece of paper that means so much to the rest of the world. I hope you're blog hopping. If I've ever met you in person, please let me know so I will never let you near my child.

Being a MOTHER is the most important thing I could ever be. If that means a college degree is the only way my husband and I can provide a nice home for our son all have all three of us be home at the same time more than a few hours a week, then that's what I'll do. I just wish I didn't have to.

School

2009-03-12T11:59:00.002-07:00

School is not going so well. It should be going well. Considering school, mine is really easy!

A few reasons why it's not going well:

1. Joshua isn't home anymore to take care of Mike while I listen to my class. The nights he is home we want to be doing things together!
2. Classes are BORING. I have a really hard time focusing, even when I don't have Mike with me.
3. I live 45 minutes away from campus, and books are only available to be picked up on weekdays before noon. I'm almost halfway through my current classes and haven't done anything because both classes require books. Books I don't have because I haven't had a car and when I have had a car, I haven't gotten myself and child up, ready, and out the door before 11 am. (Haven't tried very hard either)
4. The biggest problem, which goes along with the others: I'm just not motivated anymore!

As much as I hate quitting, I would really just like to. The reasons I haven't yet:

1. I would have to give back my laptop.
2. I would have to pay back my loans without anything to show for it. (like a degree)
3. The classes I've taken in the last year don't transfer to any other school.

Wouldn't it be nice if I didn't have to worry about getting a good job? Can't I just stay at home with my son (and future children) and NOT work?

I have less than a year left. I just need to get it done and behind me, but I don't want to!

Anyone with dogs?

2009-03-10T21:54:00.002-07:00

The two dogs have been getting along great, for the most part. This evening Dom has started playing a little too rough with Hayley. Probably because he was wanting to go to sleep, but didn't want her stealing any of his areas. So, for Hayley's safety, we separated them for the night. Dom is blocked into the family room, as usual, and Hayley is in a kennel in the front room. Now they're both barking. Are we going to get any sleep tonight?

(PS Hayley came with the name Haylee from the shelter. I changed the spelling to be like the lead singer, Hayley Williams, from the awesome band Paramore. They are coming to Utah with No Doubt, who is back together - obviously, in May. Hopefully I am going to that concert!)

It's official, I've gone crazy.

2009-03-10T14:43:00.004-07:00

We felt bad for Dom. He accidentally killed his friend. So...when I was at the shelter today to pick him up, I asked if there was a friend there for him that he wouldn't hurt. They suggested this little girl. I thought she was cute, so we adopted her! She is a 6 month old Staffordshire Terrior. She looks small (compared to this bear we call our puppy), but she can hold her own! She can pin Dom to the ground whenever she feels like it. He is loving it! I'm happy to have Dom back, happy to see him exhausted, and happy to have another female in the house!

Good news and bad news

2009-03-09T16:50:00.003-07:00

The good news is the Animal Shelter called Joshua's cell and left a message saying we could come pick Dom up today, if we had proof of his shots. (which we do) So much for the 10 days, it's been two.

The bad news is that we have one car in the shop (and it's going to cost A LOT to fix) which meant I didn't have a car to go pick him up. They close at 5:00, which is when Joshua gets off work. :(

I guess I'm driving Joshua to work early tomorrow morning so that I can have a car to go pick up our poor puppy.

Doggy Jail

2009-03-07T23:06:00.002-07:00

You can imagine how alarming it was for me to get a ride home from work and have to point out my house by saying, "It's the one with the cop car in front of it..."

I've posted before about our dog and the neighbor's chicken. The chicken liked to come play, they were friends. She even started laying her eggs in our front yard. We'd talked to the neighbors about it a few times. They were planning in the near future to put a cover on the chicken coop, and were even looking at them today. I guess tonight Dominator played a little too rough. Joshua went outside to feed the dog and was disgusted to find a dead chicken in our back yard. So...the neighbors and authorities were notified, the dead chicken removed from our backyard, statements taken, and our poor dog put in the back of the police car. He has to go to doggy jail for 10 days, to be observed, then hopefully he gets to come home. They said we could visit him, and they let him take some of his toys.

Luckily, there's no hard feelings between us and the neighbors, and the lady cop who came over was nice, too. Just an unfortunate situation we have to deal with the best we can. We're just glad we got him his rabies shot a couple weeks ago.

21 Months!

2009-02-25T07:38:00.003-07:00

Can you believe Mike will be two years old in just THREE months? I can't!

Well, maybe I can. The Terrible Twos are beginning!

A little Rebelution?

2009-02-23T16:16:00.004-07:00

I love how he changes up his dance moves, depending on the style of music playing.

Resourceful?

2009-02-23T16:09:00.004-07:00

Mike used to have some little chairs that go to that blue table you can see in the background of the first two pictures. Then he started pushing them up to the counters to stand on and reach things he couldn't previously reach, like the box we keep his binkies in, so I put the chairs away until we need them. He has since figured out another option.

Of course, I took the basket away too, so he tried a few other objects that he discovered don't work as well.

My Little Drummer Boy

2009-02-23T10:25:00.003-07:00

More words for Mike

2009-02-23T09:00:00.002-07:00

Mike's talking is taking off! Yesterday he woke up putting two words together, like "Mom juice" (Mom's juice), "Bye Dad!" or "Where Dog?"

He seems to learn a new word every day! He can now say "bite" when he wants a bite of what we're eating, and he's starting to say names when he points out people he recognizes in pictures, besides just Mom and Dad. Beth sounds like "Bapf" and Jefferson sounds like "Jusus" ha ha. Leenie is "ee-ee" and Pop, he does great with that one.

Our lives have been taken over, once again.

2009-02-17T18:11:00.003-07:00

After two and a half months of neither of us working there for the first time in two and a half years, we're both back. Everything has changed: the location, the managers, the co-workers, the layout, there are even a few new menu items. Our new (to us) location in our new (to us) city of Tooele, Utah is actually not as disappointing as I thought it would be. I still miss all my old friends in Bountiful, and knowing where everything was in my sleep, but change is good. We're making new friends, impressing new managers (ha!), and adjusting to a smaller building. I am, however, not seeing much of my husband. We work opposite shifts so that we rarely need a babysitter, and he still has his day job. That means for a few days out of the week, I see him for maybe 15 minutes, if I'm lucky, and we rarely get a full day off together. The money will be nice, and we both know this isn't going to last forever. It was nice having every night and weekend together, but we knew this was coming, and we can tolerate it for a little while longer...again.

Hello? Who's out there?

2009-02-15T12:49:00.001-07:00

I know people are visiting my blog. I have a Live Traffic Feed. he he

Leave comments! Say hi!

and I wonder why I'm always so tired

2009-02-15T11:47:00.002-07:00

When Mike's done playing Xbox with Dad, he dances to the background music. He loves dancing to music. As soon as it starts playing in the car he'll start dancing. If it's metal, he'll head bang. I kept trying to get him to head bang for me, but I never really got it on video. Maybe later.

My dad is my best friend!

2009-02-15T11:43:00.003-07:00

("dah" means "car", they're playing Forza Motorsport 2, a car racing game on Xbox 360)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T11:37:00.003-07:00

(My photography skills aren't that great...a better camera would probably help too)

I wasn't expecting much for Valentine's Day. I had to work, so we didn't even plan anything fun to do together. My younger siblings, Cristal, Katrina, and Tim had spent the night because we needed a babysitter the day before (I had to work, again) and told them they could just hang out and sleep over. They left around 11 am, when it stopped snowing. I got to take a shower and get ready by myself, which is amazing, and I was ready to count that as a Valentine's gift from Joshua. So...I was surprised when I came home from work around 10:30 that night to find a clean house (it didn't smell like dog pee!) and these tulips on the table. They came in a disposable pot with Valentine's wrapping, but Joshua knew I'd like this cute pot better, so he even transplanted them for me. He says it's a mom, a dad, and a Mike flower. How cute. :)

Mike's Word List

2009-02-13T07:59:00.006-07:00

I think Mike has more words than we give him credit for, so I'm making a list today of all the words I can understand. I'm going to list as many as I can think of, then during the day if he says something not on the list, I'll add it. Some of these words/phrases, no one else would be able to understand him, and there are words he says that even I don't understand!

Mom
Dad
Dog
Horse
Yes
No
Pee
Poop
Toast
Roll
Eat
Hungry
Done
More
Bink (binkie)
Socks
Shoes
Dipe (diaper)
Nose
Eyes
Ears
Teeth
Juice
Cars
Blue's Clues
Handy Manny
Pat
Squeeze
Little Einsteins
Ow
Trash
Oh man!
Leenie
Pop
Phone
Ball
Uh oh
Please
Thank You
Where are you?
There it is!
Keys
Let's Go
Coat
Upstairs
Downstairs
Straw
Bye
Be nice
Friend (his blue stuffed dog)
Guitar
Drums
Sticks (as in drum sticks)
Pizza
Hot
Hot Dog
Xbox
Baby

Two Chickens

2009-02-12T08:32:00.004-07:00

Chicken #1 is a real chicken. It belongs to our next door neighbors. When we met them they asked if it had come over to our yard. We hadn't noticed it. It's winter, we're never in the backyard. Then we got chicken #2: our dog. Last night, I was trying to put the dog outside to...you know. He used to resist, but the past couple of days he'll go out just fine. So I knew something was off when he got halfway outside, then froze. I looked around and saw a chicken standing there on our back patio. Nice. I didn't want to dog to hurt the chicken, or vice versa, so we let him stay inside while Joshua ran next door to tell the neighbors to come get their chicken.

While he was gone, I took these pictures:
Joshua came back only to say that the husband wasn't home, so we were to just let the dog out to chase the chicken away. Okay....so we finally force the dog outside. Here's where Dom proves he's just a big chicken and isn't living up to his name, Dominator. He just backs away from the stupid bird. He finally starts barking at it, but it doesn't move. He gets closer and closer, but it doesn't care. He's too chicken to touch it. We finally let him inside for the night, needing to be tricky because the chicken wanted to come in too. This morning we thought it was gone, so we let Dom outside. Nope! He's back, and still here. I'm not sure why our back patio is so exciting...the bird keeps trying to walk in through the glass door. He even jumped off the dog kennel and tried to fly in. haha

Beth's Wedding

2009-02-08T17:57:00.002-07:00

My sister, Beth, got married yesterday. :)

Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died halfway through the reception, so I didn't get very many good pictures. I'm sure the photographer got some great ones, and those will come later. To see what I have, click HERE.

New Puppy

2009-02-08T09:00:00.005-07:00

I'm not sure what I was thinking, but we got a puppy. We've been looking around for a few weeks, looking at animal shelters and on ksl.com. Thursday morning, I was looking on ksl to see if there were any new posts. I found one for a free 3 month old black lab/husky mix. Mike and I immediately called to make sure he was available, then drove down to Orem to pick him up. He is really cute, and Joshua and Mike really love him. He is a puppy, and puppies are work (for me) so I'm not enjoying him 100% yet, but when he's not trying to bite/play or peeing on my carpet, I like him. I think we finally settled on a name: Dominator. We'll call him Dom for short.

PS Mike really does know how to walk. ha ha I think it's party because the ground is so uneven, all the uneven ground has been covered in snow so he's not used to walking on it. Also, Joshua thinks he might be puposely falling down before the dog can knock him over. (He did within the first minute we saw him, but hasn't since.)

New Hair Color

2009-02-02T01:03:00.003-07:00

I love it. My sister in law, Nicolette, did it for me, so it wasn't even expensive. Did I say I love it?

AMAZING

2009-01-29T10:45:00.002-07:00

The Avenged Sevenfold concert was AMAZING. Unfortunately the camera on my free (cheap) new phone is pretty crappy, so the best picture I have from the night is not so great. :S (and the picture of the ticket was taken with my webcam, which is like a mirror) The problems were that we never got to touch M. Shadows or even get close to him, and it was WAY too short! It was over before we knew it. I guess time really does fly when you're having fun. It is up there with the best moments of my life. :)

Mom's Little Helper

2009-01-23T18:07:00.002-07:00

I got this Dirt Devil Kone for my birthday, and I think Mike has used it more than I have!

One Step Closer

2009-01-23T10:48:00.002-07:00

No, I'm not talking about Linkin Park.

One step closer to potty training! Mike peed in the potty for the first time this morning!

A few weeks ago he started asking to sit on his little tiny potty. No diaper. He gets that much. He would just sit there for a few seconds, but nothing. He'll do it at least once a day, usually before we take a shower together, but he'll end up peeing in the shower. That's how it was going today. He sat down, but this time when he got up, there was pee in the potty! I was all excited, but he stared at me like "duh, Mom" and just picked up the potty and tried to dump it in the toilet (I quickly helped) like it was totally normal.

I don't think he's even close, but it's a step, right?

Joshua's New Job

2009-01-21T13:29:00.003-07:00

Don't worry, he didn't quit his job.

I've been trying to get a job since we moved. We just happened to move at a time when Applebee's as a company is not doing so well, so the one here in Tooele has not be anxious to hire on a new, experienced server. I've been trying other places, but haven't found anything for now. Maybe in a couple months, but we can't afford to live on one income any longer. Joshua has tried a little to get a second job, but he's obviously not that excited about working all the time so he hasn't tried very hard. Yesterday we had a little talk and decided that he did need to nail down a second job somewhere. At least until I got a job. He had been verbally hired as a server at a sports bar here in Tooele called Tracks, so last night on his way home from work, he stopped in again and made more arrangements.

Tonight is his first night! I haven't been in there yet, since Mike's not allowed, (He's obviously under 21) but it seems like a cool place. (Check out http://tracksbrewing.com for more info) They have all the sports games going on, with volume up (unlike Applebee's), so he gets to hang out and watch the games while he makes money. Also, tonight, will be a show put on by Marcus from Last Comic Standing. It's $15 a person, but I kind of wish I could go! It should be a great first night for Joshua!

Just in case you haven't heard...

2009-01-19T13:10:00.003-07:00

Nicolette, Jeremy, Jefferson, Jordan, Justin, Joshua and I are going to the Avenged Sevenfold concert on January 28th, and are pretty excited about it. Not only is it going to be a great concert, but the group of us are going to have a lot of fun together!

(Scroll down to the bottom of my blog and hit play to hear some of their great songs!)

What Number Are You?

2009-01-19T10:18:00.001-07:00

You Are 9: The Peacemaker

You are emotionally stable and willing to find common ground with others.

Your friends and family often look to you to be the mediator when there is conflict.

You are easy going and accepting. You take things as they come.

Avoiding conflict at all costs, you're content when things are calm.

At Your Best: You feel connected, trusting, and fulfilled. You feel at peace with your place in the world.

At Your Worst: You compromise your values to make sure peace is maintained. You give in to bullies.

Your Fixation: Harmony

Your Primary Fear: Causing conflict

Your Primary Desire: To preserve things as they are

Other Number 9's: Marge Simpson, Ronald Reagan, Audrey Hepburn, Jerry Seinfeld, and Abraham Lincoln.

What Number Are You?

What's for dinner?

2009-01-15T19:33:00.003-07:00

Joshua is so proud of me, he took a picture and told me to blog about it.
Why is he proud of me? It's because I've started making dinner. I've been pretty good for about the last two weeks having dinner almost ready when he gets home from work. It means we eat out a lot less, and there's usually leftovers from him to take to work for lunch the next day, which cuts back on him eating out for lunch.

Tonights yummy dinner:
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Hard Boiled Eggs
Baked Chicken
Cheddar Cheese
Ranch Dressing
and some salt and pepper

(Joshua made the chocolate-banana milkshakes.)

This is what happens...

2009-01-13T09:48:00.002-07:00

...when Mike wakes up while Mom is in the shower.

Somehow I'm not finding purple sharpie on anything else. Whew.

Success!

2009-01-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

My New Couch!

2009-01-12T11:35:00.002-07:00

Okay, not really. It's my old couch, with a new cover. Happy Birthday to me! Thanks Mom and Dad!

(Now I just need some fun, new pillows!)

Mike asks for more "dit dit"

2009-01-10T12:58:00.002-07:00

Which means, "dip dip", meaning he wants more ranch to dip his grilled cheese sandwich, even though there's still some on his plate. I give him a little more, and...he eats it with his spoon. The spoon I gave him because he needs to taste chili at least 10 more times before he'll actually eat it.

So, then he sees me taking his picture with my awesome MacBook Pro, on Photobooth, and he says, "seez? seez?" which, of course, means "please? please?" yeah right! I am not giving you my laptop! Especially not when you're covered in ranch dressing!

I know you've all been dying to see these...

2009-01-09T18:22:00.003-07:00

Pictures of our new house! (Just remember we're lacking on furniture and decorations...hopefully we'll get it looking better with our tax return.)

So here we go:
Family Room

Doors to garage and basement, in family room:

Mike's Room:

Kitchen:

Dining Room:

Front Room:

Front Door:

Master Bedroom:

Bathroom:

(There is a third bedroom. It's almost exactly like Mike's, and has nothing in it. Yet. The basement is our laundry room/unfinished bathroom/storage.)

Today's Nap

2009-01-09T14:35:00.002-07:00

I'm still trying to get Mike to fall asleep on his own, like he used to. I didn't hear anything from his room, so I assumed he had just fallen asleep in his bed like a good boy. Then I went to check on him.

Don't Miss Anything!

2009-01-07T16:24:00.001-07:00

I just posted three blogs! (This one makes four.) Make sure you scroll down and see all the new pictures of my cute son!

Today

2009-01-07T16:21:00.002-07:00

He loves wearing his boots. He wore them all day until I changed his diaper before his nap.
(He doesn't want me to take his picture, he's trying to hide against the floor.)

This is how he finally fell asleep. He was mad because I wouldn't let him out of his room until he took a nap. (I did move him onto the bed after I took the picture. ha ha)

He couldn't believe Dad would try to shovel the driveway without him!

2009-01-07T16:20:00.000-07:00

Helping Dad

2009-01-07T16:16:00.001-07:00

When Joshua is home, Mike is his little shadow. He insists on doing whatever Dad is doing. Here, he was a big help getting the Xbox hooked up!

When did my baby grow up?

2009-01-02T12:43:00.003-07:00

Your kid is NOT a baby anymore when he can dress himself! This is the first time I've seen him even attempt this, and I got it on video! (I stayed behind him so he wouldn't see me and stop what he was doing.)

I don't know what goes through his mind sometimes. Today, while we were playing Rock Band together (I was on the guitar, and he switches among bass, singing, and drums mid-song) he decided that the Rock Band bass pedal wasn't working, so he needed to bring over the bass pedal from his real drum set. I don't think it worked any better, especially since he can't reach either of them!

A Year In Review

2009-01-01T04:44:00.001-07:00

So here's how it works. I'm going to post the first sentence of the first blog of every month from the year 2008. I'm just going to do the top post, which ends up being the last post of the month.

January: Apparently nothing happened because I didn't blog at all that month!

February: Some fun pictures from January: (The pictures have disappeared, sorry!)

March: Here are some pictures of our new car.

April: Apparently Mikey has another ear infection.

May: Mike had a fun first birthday hanging out with his cousins for all of Memorial Day weekend.

June: I just wanted to mention a few little things that Mike is doing now that I think is so cute.

July: Yep, Mike has the chicken pox.

August: We got Mike his first baseball glove this weekend.

September: Mike saw the plate of pasta salad I got for myself.

October: This year for Halloween we went to a Trunk or Treat then back to Nicolette and Jeremy's for some Rock Band.

November: Look over on the right side bar and you'll notice we finally got a new family picture!

December: I know, everyone wants pictures of the new house.

It was kind of fun to look back and see how much Mike has grown in the past year!

Picture Blog

2008-12-27T15:59:00.005-07:00

I know, everyone wants pictures of the new house. Those are coming, but not yet. Even though I finally found the cord for my camera, I think I want to retake those pictures since we've put a lot away since I took the first ones. Here are a few pictures from the last few weeks (not in any particular order) while you're waiting. :)

Here's Mike, who insists on doing whatever Dad's doing at the moment.

It looks like Mike loves his Christmas present from Santa!

He can't get enough binks!

Mike climbed up here by himself. Even though he doesn't use the crib, or the bouncer, anymore, they were still in his room until we moved.

Watching his favorite movie of December: Frosty the Snowman

This is what happens when I leave my laptop alone for even less than a minute.

We're In!

2008-12-24T08:31:00.002-07:00

We successfully moved into our new house!

Most importantly, I have to give out a huge THANK YOU to everyone who helped. It sure made my job a lot easier! We had my parents, my siblings: Cristal, Katrina, and Tim, then Joshua's parents came with Jordan and Justin. We even had some friends, Kyle and Joyce, who both helped a lot. Jefferson and Joshua both had to work that morning, so they came as soon as they can. (Joshua brought pizza and soda for the whole group!) We had a neighbor come help for a few minutes. Nicolette and Jeremy brought their family over to the new house when they got off work to help with a little of the unpacking and setting up furniture. Cristal and my Mom never even made it to the new house, they were busy cleaning my apartment for me, which is a huge deal to me! Hopefully they'll be able to stop by sometime today.

About the house...no pictures yet. I took them, but I can't find my camera cord (among other things), but when I find it, I'll be posting pictures. So keep checking back!

Oh, and Merry Christmas! (I'm off to go put up my tree!)

Toddler Rules

2008-12-20T22:49:00.001-07:00

Okay, I stole this from Marlana. Mike doesn't know "mine!" yet, but the rest of it totally applies to him!

Toddler Property Rules
If I like it, it's mine.
If it's in my hand, it's mine.
If I can take it from you, it's mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it's mine.
If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
If I'm doing or building something, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like mine, it's mine.
If I think it's mine, it's mine.

Toddler Rules
If it is on, I must turn it off.
If it is off, I must turn it on.
If it is folded, I must unfold it.
If it is a liquid, it must be shaken, then spilled.
If it a solid, it must be crumbled, chewed or smeared.
If it is high, it must be reached.
If it is shelved, it must be unshelved.
If it is pointed, it must be run with at top speed.
If it has leaves, they must be picked.
If it is plugged, it must be unplugged.
If it is not trash, it must be thrown away.
If it is in the trash, it must be removed, inspected, and thrown on the floor.
If it is closed, it must be opened.
If it does not open, it must be screamed at.
If it has drawers, they must be rifled.
If it is a pencil, it must write on the refrigerator, monitor, or table.
If it is full, it will be more interesting emptied.
If it is empty, it will be more interesting full.
If it is a pile of dirt, it must be laid upon.
If it is stroller, it must under no circumstances be ridden in without protest. It must be pushed by me instead.
If it has a flat surface, it must be banged upon.
If Mommy's hands are full, I must be carried.
If Mommy is in a hurry and wants to carry me, I must walk alone.
If it is paper, it must be torn.
If it has buttons, they must be pressed.
If the volume is low, it must go high.
If it is toilet paper, it must be unrolled on the floor.
If it is a drawer, it must be pulled upon.
If it is a toothbrush, it must be inserted into my mouth.
If it has a faucet, it must be turned on at full force.
If it is a phone, I must talk to it.
If it is a bug, it must be swallowed.
If it doesn't stay on my spoon, it must be dropped on the floor.
If it is not food, it must be tasted.
If it IS food, it must not be tasted.
If it is dry, it must be made wet with drool, milk, or toilet water.
If it is a car seat, it must be protested with arched back.

More Silly Boy

2008-12-19T20:28:00.003-07:00

He just walked up to me with this on his head.

(It's a heart shaped pillow with a big pocket on the front.)

Finally!

2008-12-19T20:25:00.002-07:00

We finally closed on our house! We were an hour and a half late because of the snow, but they waited for us. Whew. We borrowed my in-law's Hyundai Santa Fe because it's better in the snow than our BMW. (glad we did that!) We don't get the keys until Monday though, so we're planning on moving on Tuesday. If everything goes well. (we know how that's been going...) So, yay, in by Christmas, and we won't have to pay that week's rent if we move early in the week.

Also, thanks to a couple of nice people (mostly Joshua's grandma) our finances are comfortable again after I haven't been working all month. Whew. A huge stress is gone. Now comes the moving in December part...ha ha.

Third Anniversary

2008-12-17T23:09:00.002-07:00

It's hard to believe we've been married for three years! It's hard to imagine my life before I met Joshua, it seems like I've known him my whole life, but at the same time, three years seems like a long time.

We celebrated tonight with a steak dinner at Sizzler, and a little Christmas shopping, thanks to my sister offering to babysit for free. :) She even paid for part of our meal as a Christmas present to us. Thanks Cristal!

Three years later...still happily married, with an amazing little boy, and hopefully a house by Christmas. I don't think we're doing too bad!

New Hair

2008-12-17T17:33:00.002-07:00

Joshua and I both decided to get hair cuts today. His is his normal cut, nothing special, so no pictures. ha ha Mine is kinda short and fun. Oh, and I got bangs. We'll see how I end up liking them. Not sure about the color. The blonde stuff sticking out. It's just leftover from the last time I got my hair done which was...how long ago Jess? Five or six months ago? Yeah, it's been a while. So, I still need to fix the color, but it's better than the blah, outgrown hair I had before.

2008-12-16T20:16:00.003-07:00

My hoodie must be really comfy and warm because he asked to wear it again today. Then he snuggled up on the couch and fell asleep. How cute. :)

Silly Boy

2008-12-15T12:05:00.003-07:00