Day 30, Concern for a Friend

As I'm sure most of you saw on Facebook or on the news there were severe thunderstorms across the south west United States. These storms brought quite a few tornadoes. I was relieved to hear from a friend of mine in Georgia. She and her family are safe but the tornado that hit her town took on quite a bit of damage. I watched the videos on YouTube. The whole time I worried about how close it was to her house. She is safe and her power is back on but goodness, how scary that must have been! 

Day 29, The Mail We Had Been Waiting For

Ah, January. The start of a new year, failing at all resolutions, and the start of tax season. David and I had anxiously been awaiting the arrival of our W-2's in the mail so that we could file immediately and get our returns a.s.a.p. Unfortunately I owe taxes this year since I had to close my 401k account early. It's only a measly $7 but still, nobody likes to pay. 
The good news is our tax return is enough to buy a new car and have enough to put towards our Arizona trip. Now its just a matter of waiting for the money to hit our bank account and finding the right vehicle. Wish us luck!

Day 28, Happy Monday

I've been babysitting all day watching Avatar: The Last Airbender. William is sitting in his walker rocking side to side and laughing his little pumpkin head off. I don't know what is so funny but something is because he is is just giggling away. It is one of the cutest things ever. He's been screachin' and hollerin' all day. I love baby laughs. 

It's been a few hours now. William just took 2 consecutive steps on his own! He's starting to get this walking thing down. I'm so excited but sad at the same time. My baby boy is growin' up so fast. 

Day 27, A Quiet Sunday Afternoon

My friend, Cassie, came over yesterday. I haven't seen her much in the last few months. We didn't do much. We sat around and talked and watched Psych (because I can't get enough of that show). The rest of the evening was just my little family which is a wonderful joy.

Day 26, A Night Out

Ah Saturday. I needed a night out. A night to have a couple drinks and spend some time with a gal pal or two. I met up with a friend at The Bulldog, one of our many local bars. It was a simple uneventful night but it felt good. Sometimes a night out is all a person needs to feel better.

Day 25, The Good Samaritans

I despise the end of the month. My EBT benefits are always empty and money gets tight and my WIC checks for William don't start till the end of the month. Friday morning I was completely out of formula for William. I had a $5 off coupon for Similac and i thought I had enough in my checking account to buy a small can, but apparently it wasn't enough.
Embarrassed from having my debit card declined twice and a long line developing behind me, I told the cashier I would just come back later and I walked out of the grocery store.
The next thing I knew, a woman was calling after me. She offered to buy the formula. I gave my coupon back to the cashier and the stranger's husband paid for the formula and then she gave me $20. She said "God bless you," and I left the store in tears knowing that there still are good people in the world. It makes me happy to know that some people out there are willing to help a total stranger.
Next time you are standing in line at the grocery and the person in front of you has just one item that they really need but didn't have enough money like they thought they did and you have a little wiggle room, don't hesitate to help. I know I will.

Day 24, Went to Bed Hungry

The title says it all. It was late, nothing sounded good and I was not in a creative spirit (and I'm not very good at creative cooking). So frustrated and not wanting to get into another fight with David, I gave up and just went to bed. William was the only one with a full tummy but he's easy to feed. 

Day 24, No Facebook

I decided that I am giving up Facebook for a week. Only because I have support groups on there that come in handy, but I'm giving up the games for a month. Facebook games are addicting and I think I have a problem. I think that may be mine and David's problem: gaming addictions. We are also trying to watch our swearing. Today was okay... It's going to be one of those "takes time" sort of things. We can do it though. It will help with our fighting so things don't come out quite as hurtful (not that David and I fight all the time but we have more recently in the past week). And when William starts talking I don't want him repeating certain words. But again, we can do it as long as we support each other. 

Day 23, Fight

Sorry for another late post. Yesterday was not a good day for the Ayers household. Apparently I had my cranky girl britches on and so did David. I guess I nagged him one too many times yesterday morning. Naturally, David took the defensive and we both said things we did not mean. Thankfully we made up in time before he had to leave for work but I felt sad for the rest of the day. I missed my husband like crazy while he was at work.
Ariel stopped by and did some laundry and I watched Flynn for an extra hour. When David came home from work I felt better. 
David is a really good husband and I don't give him enough credit. He's a good man and I am glad that he is all mine. He knows that marriage is sacred, not should only between a man and woman sacred, but its worth fighting for and not something to back out of because you are going through a rough patch. I don't think he would leave even if he wanted to. 

Day 21, Nothing Really

I totally spaced last night's post but I realized I don't have much to talk about for yesterday. It was Martin Luther King Jr Day so my husband had the day off. I didn't get caught up on ANYTHING around the house. It was just a lazy day. 

Day 20, Stranded!

I watched Pocahontas with Azrielle this afternoon and then we went to K-Mart where I almost always find a sale on baby stuff. They didn't have much for William's current size in the clothing department. Then we stopped at Walgreens to FINALLY get prints made from our wedding pictures. And finally Walmart.
Today just hasn't been a good day. I'm crabby and extra hormonal thanks to mother nature and her monthly gift. Add a little extra crabby to that. Tired and in pain I parked my car, turned off the engine, got out and locked the doors.
Oops.
I locked my keys in the car, still sitting in the ignition. Frustrated, I snapped at my husband, who snaps back when I snap at him. So we walked around and I ate at Subway. I'm even more cranky when hungry. I tried to call my parents but with no luck. So David, William (who was starting to get crabby himself), Az and I made our way to the auto department to see if they had anything for getting into cars without your keys.
Well, they didn't but we ran into my uncle who tried to help David break into my car but they were unsuccessful. I tried my parents again. Thankfully the football game was almost over and they rescued us after several, painful hours. We made it home. And I really need to remember to get a spare key made for my car.

Day 19, I Got Pulled Over

For any of you reading this that are/have been either cheated on or abused: IT IS NEVER EVER YOUR FAULT. I wanted to post that friendly reminder since some very wonderful women in my life have gone through this or they are currently going through this.

...

Yesterday David worked 11 hour shift in order to make up for the time he missed at work this week. By the time he got home I was ready to pull my hair out. I've been stuck at home either taking care of sick people or I was sick myself. I was watching my still sick goddaughter and William was up yelling at me. So by the time my husband got home I was ready to snap. My friend, Jessi, was willing to meet up for dinner and our usual shenanigans. 

For the record, I do not text and drive, especially when children are in my car. However, I will glance at my phone when stopped at a stoplight when I am child free. Jessi was wondering if she should grab a seat so I told her I would be there momentarily. The light turned green and I proceeded across the intersection. No sooner than I reached the other side, the cop behind me flashes his lights. Fantastic. It was one of those nights I was thanking the Lord I remembered my wallet. 

He commented on my difficulties opening my window and I gave him my license and sorted through my glove box for the up-to-date proof of insurance. Oops. Apparently I forgot to put that in there, so he accepted an out-of-date card since it was the same policy and company. And then Mr. Cop told me why he pulled me over.

The lights for my license plate are out. 

... Thanks officer, I know you are just doing your job but come on! It never fails, I always get pulled over for lighting issues on my car. The day before I went into labor with William, I got pulled over because one of my headlights were out, 2 weeks later I got pulled over because my break lights were out. Not even a year later, my license plate lights are out. Boy, I can't wait till we get our new-to-us car. 

Moving on to today, Az threw up again, luckily she isn't running a fever so she is on the road to recovery. I haven't got caught up on laundry and I really just want to sit and do nothing. 

David is currently playing Halo 4 like the game addict he is. He's excited; he has Monday off in honor of DR Martin Luther King Jr. 

That reminds me: Make sure you teach your children who he is. He didn't free the slaves, he is not President Barrack Obama (which is an actual answer from an actual 6th grade student on who DR Martin Luther King Jr is); he was a great and wonderful man.

Have a good night everyone. Make sure you check all your lights on your car, make sure you have the proper proof of insurance because I almost got cited for that, don't drink and drive, don't text and drive and Remember why your kids don't have school on Monday or why you don't have to go into the office that day. Be happy and have fun!

Day 18, HAPPY FRIDAY!

FINALLY! William isn't sick anymore, I'm not sick anymore and David is back at work. Unfortunately my goddaughter has the stomach bug, and my friend Josh that was here the other night seems to have picked up too. I sincerely hope his girlfriend doesn't get it too. I'm hoping to get caught up on laundry. Key word: hoping.
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful weekend! Don't drink and drive, call a cab, a friend, your mom, whatever keeps you off the road. :)

Day 17, Pay Day... the Sucky Pay Check

Due to David being home sick last week our paycheck was almost $100 less than normal. Gonna be a tight 2 weeks! On top of that, David had to stay home again yesterday. I hate flu season!

Day 16, Happy Birthday Mommy!

Wednesday was my Mommy's birthday. Unfortunately I was much too sick to call her... or see her. I had been up all night puking. Thankfully William was still worn out and slept most of the day which made my day easier. Half way through the day, David came home sick. Yippy!

Day 15, The End of One Ick and the Start of a New Ick

I apologize for the lack of posting; everyone has been puking. It was a slow day after William puked. He only puked once the day after his initial puking. Unfortunately I got sick that day too before bedtime.

Day 14, The Projectile Vomitter

TUG-O'-WAR!

Today started out like a normal Monday, except for the part where I actually got out of bed when I was supposed to. William played around in his crib all happy like while I worked on getting dressed. I got Quinn, one of the little kids I watch, and then went in to William's room to get him up. He had poop smudges ALL OVER his crib!! On Mondays I take David to work so William was up playing while David and I went about our morning business. William and Emmet ended up playing tug-o'-war which is good progress since Emmet still runs away from William anytime he comes near. 

Hi, Mommy! I'm playing with the puppy!

The day went about as normal. Took David to work and put William down for his morning nap which he was not so happy about; I don't think he actually napped. My friend, Josh, came over to play Halo 4 with me. We both suck but I suck more. Eventually William started to cry so I changed his little baby butt and he played in the living room while I started going through his clothes since he made a size change. 
I get WIC for William and they recently stated that I may start to feed William meets for some extra protein. So we started off with "beef in beef broth." I personally think it smells like a can of wet cat food (ew!) and wouldn't normally eat it myself. I tried to give my little bug some a few weeks ago but he didn't like it so I waited till today to try again. Same result. It had been a couple minutes between bites and PROJECTILE VOMIT all over his high-chair tray and my carpet. I didn't hesitate, as soon as he was done getting it out I just packed up the stuff and Josh drove us to Big Sky Family Medicine so we could see a doctor. 
Thankfully William's normal pediatrician was the walk-in doctor today. He's a very nice person and has kept a very good eye on my son's development. I was worried that it may have been the food but after listening to his tummy and ruling out infection (currently) he did say that it wouldn't be the food. So if my baby boy keeps it up for 36 hours to come back but to not be surprised if he puked a few more times. 
When we got home I put William down for another nap with a bottle. About 5:30 he woke up and I checked his temperature: normal. All I know is my baby needs rest and fluids. However, he would not take a bottle so I tried to let him play in his walker for a bit until he got fussy. I picked him up and tried to give him the bottle again but still no. I was cradling him and then he vomited. All over him. All over me. I called Quinn's mom since her and David both work at TeleTech and she's a manager so she would've been able to get David time off. I needed him home. Josh doesn't do well with puke and quite frankly I don't either. 
Ashley (that's her name) got David the rest of the day off and brought him home. I gave William a bath and put a new diaper on him. I tried to give him a bottle of just plain water but he still didn't want it. 
Finally I got him to take some and then David warmed up his bottle (in the microwave while I wasn't looking, shame on him) and put Will down for bed. He's still asleep, thank goodness but I doubt I will get any sleep tonight. 
Josh is still over with his girlfriend, Kelly. We ate pizza (bad for my lactose allergy, but I'm a rebel) and cheese bread (also not good for me) and watched Psych (very good for a laugh). Now David and Josh are playing Halo 4 and Kelly and I are just kind of hanging back. 
I hope my baby feels better in the morning. Oh and it snowed all morning long!! 

Day 13, Birthday Party

Hunter's cake

Jude's cake

Jude, one of the birthday boys!

Hi, Mom! 

Hunter (left) and William (right)

Ka and Hunter

My happy little man

Jude and cake

Hunter before he freaked out

I'm in my camo!

I'm messy! Get it off!

Today was a pretty fun day. William is officially out of 6-9 month clothes; I couldn't even button up a sleeper for him. So after he wakes up from his evening nap I have to go through all of his clothes... again... and put all the 12 months clothes in his dresser and closet. We dressed him in his little camo outfit my father-in-law got him for Christmas. It was pretty stinkin' adorable. 

Daddy and Me!

We went grocery shopping and I don't think planning out dinner is very affordable. I have to now make $67 worth of food stamps now last 2 more weeks. 

Gasp!

After grocery shopping we stopped and Ka and John's house to help Ka finish the birthday cakes and then we went to McDonald's (barf) to celebrate 4 birthdays. Jude and Hunter are Ka's oldest two boys. Jude is turning 3 and Hunter just turned 1. They were also celebrating some other family members birthdays. It was a pretty big birthday party. William tried his first french fry and even tried to sip some of my mango-pineapple smoothie (his scrunchy face was priceless). And I took lots of pictures... on my phone because I went and left my camera at home. *shaking my head*
David got to meet baby Imogen this time and even hold her a little. William saw a newborn for the first time; he immediately went for her head by patting/smacking it. 

I'm a happy baby!

Day 12, Happy Saturday!

Today was one of those rare Saturdays where David had to go to work. Since he was sick earlier in the week he had to make up for it somehow. Unfortunately we did not get to bed till pretty late last night... or technically this morning. I got up and took David to work at 8:15 in the morning and when I came home I put  William down for his morning nap and took Emmet outside to go potty. I stayed awake long enough to check today's weather forecast since it was snowing this morning (I was checking for special alerts) and check Facebook briefly. 
I got so comfy with my doggy curled up beside me on the bed and I just kind of fell asleep. I woke up off and on, just enough to stretch and roll over but I never stayed awake. It was like I couldn't stay awake. Each time I fell back asleep I started dreaming. 
One of the major ones I remember is the one I was fighting with someone, trying to knock a pistol out of their hands. Sadly, I did not when this fight. I got shot right in the head which jolted me awake. 
Another dream was about moving. David and I had to move into a 3 bedroom house, which looked really crappy on the outside but was really nice on the inside. 
One of the last dreams involved being in my hometown, Wallowa, OR. I was visiting my grandma again, only it was winter but summer at the same time. Meaning it was the winter season with above average temperatures. I was wearing shorts and a tank top. That dream involved being on my period (always a nightmare for every woman that must endure nature's cruel undeserved punishment). 
When I awoke for good it was because my bladder was full. I checked the time and it was 2 o'clock in the afternoon! I went to the bathroom and checked on my son. He was sound asleep but he had a diaper blowout so I had to wake him up. Although, I'm sure he woke up earlier but I didn't hear it. I still feel like a bad mommy for that. 
William and I sat in the living room for a bit. We both ate "breakfast" and I watched some more Psych on Netflix. I played around on Facebook and watched more Psych and William took another nap. At about 6 William woke up about the same time David made it home from work.
We got William ready and went over to our usual Saturday night place, April and Jeremy's. Jeremy is David's boss, our Dungeon Master, friend and the man we asked to perform our wedding ceremony. April is Jeremy's wife and my really good friend. We were there to practice our skills at the card game Magic since there is a release tournament on the 26th this month for the new decks.
Yes, my husband and I are nerds. 
Instead, April and I took their daughter, Tylar, to Walmart since she is entering womanhood. After Walmart we kind of ended up at Ka and John's (also known as William's godparents). April hadn't seen their new baby, Imogen and we were picking something up Tylar had left there. 
Tylar cuddled the still very new infant and Ka, April and I bs-ed in the kitchen while Ka prepared birthday cakes for her two oldest children. We laughed and told dirty jokes and laughed some more. We left in good moods. 
William is in bed and David is goofing off playing Halo 4. One of these days I will put a video up of him playing; he's ridiculous and its funny. He moves as he pushes buttons, leaning towards the TV and he slowly scoots closer and closer to it. And then when he dies he points at the TV and yells "bull shit!" Now its even more funny because he got a new headset so he can chat with Jeremy and Jade (a friend and roommate to Jeremy and April) so it looks like he's talking to himself. 
I want to take a moment to thank my husband. One of the things we argue about most is house hold chores, specifically the dishes. I got out of bed today thinking I was going to have to take care of last nights dinner pans but David beat me to it. I love it when he has his random moments and does something really nice like that. 
Hope everyone has a safe and wonderful rest of the weekend!

Day 11, Cranky

I don't know what it is but I woke up completely crabby. My tolerance levels are very low. On top of it, William is cranky today too. I babysat Flynn today which was a pretty easy. I made dinner for my family and now I'm just relaxing.
I did learn that a classmate of mine from high school is on his way to the big time. Unfortunately this classmate is an irritating butt face but good for him. Yeah, I know I sound a little bitter but that was always my dream when I was growing up but I let it go because I found love. Either way it was still my dream. 
However, I will find out on Monday if I get to be a model for a photo shoot for a local photographer. I really do hope I get it!

The Recipe Post #1 Beef Fajita Burger with Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Every Friday I will post my Friday Night Dinner recipe.  I will start with tonight's successful dinner dish. I did not follow the recipe exactly since I dislike some of the ingredients and did not have all of them at hand. 

Beef Fajita Burgers

• 1 1/3 lbs ground beef
• 3 T Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/4 T Chili powder
• 1 1/4 tsp ground Cumin
• 2 T fresh Thyme
• Hot Sauce to taste
• 3/4 T grill seasoning
• 4 crusty rolls (or hamburger buns)
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 Red bell peppers, seeded and sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 1 jalapeno chili, seeded and chopped
• 2 c green salsa

In a bowl, combine beef, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, cumin, thyme, hot sauce and grill seasoning; mix well. Form 4 patties. Grill burgers to desired doneness.

To prepare peppers and onions, heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add bell peppers, onions and jalapeno; saute til tender. Stir in salsa and heat just until warmed. Place burgers on roll and top with peppers and onions. 

(I made this without the Worcestershire sauce, thyme, hot sauce, jalapeno and salsa. I also traded grill seasoning for seasoned salt and cooked them inside on a pan over the stove. They still turned out pretty tasty.)

Black-Eyed Pea Salad with Sour Cream Dressing

• 1/2 c fat free sour cream
• 1/3 c white wine vinegar
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 c thinly sliced Vidalia or Walla Walla onion
• 1 c thinly sliced cucumber
• 1 c Juliene cut red bell pepper
• 1 (15 oz) can black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

Combine first 5 ingredients in a medium bowl; stir with whisk. Add remaining ingredients, tossing to coat. Cover and chill for 3 hours. (I used regular sour cream and just used a yellow onion and I used a whole cucumber and a whole red bell pepper.)

Day 10, For No Reason At All

Today I woke up just as exhausted as I was yesterday since my bladder decided it wanted to wake me up one extra time than normal. I spent most of the day in my pajamas. I watched Flynn, the little toddler I babysit 4 days a week. We watched Netflix movies and my son napped. Ariel popped in a few times today to do her laundry since her new place doesn't have a washing machine or a dryer. I played with William after Flynn went home.
And then after I laid William down for one of his naps I realized I was bored of sitting in my pajamas all day. So for no reason at all, I went into the bathroom and put on some makeup and then curled my hair. It actually turned out quite nicely. I put on a dressy white blouse with a black belt and a tan skirt. I pulled on my knee high black and neon socks and put on my black and neon shoes. Oh yeah, I was hot!
Around 8 o'clock I went and picked up my husband instead of waiting for his boss (and really good family friend) to bring him home so that I could go buy minutes for my phone. Since those minutes are only sold at Wal-Mart, David had no choice but to come with me otherwise my anxiety acts up. Unfortunately for my husband I went from happy to really crabby, which I hadn't been crabby all day.
When we returned home, William played in his walker while David sat in his chair complaining of his back ached and I threw on my apron and started on dinner. It wasn't anything fancy, just Stroganoff Hamburger Helper. David turned on an episode of Lost Girl from season 2 on Netflix. We didn't get through all of it because somebody was getting cranky in his walker. So I played his Baby Einstein video again and helped him with his walking some more. Eventually he did take another step but he hasn't improved from just the one single step. Another development point William is almost at is clapping. Every time my little man stood up on his own I would clap and cheer for him.
"Yay, William!" And he would bring his hands together and you could see the little gears in his head trying to figure out the clapping thing.
David put William down for bed and I cleaned up the kitchen. I actually mopped it but I think we are going to have to upgrade our Swiffer device. I think I am going to have to invest in one of those Swiffer Wet Vacs.
Today was a pretty wonderful day. It was a day where I really cherish what I have: a wonderful husband that is also an amazing father, 2 beautiful sisters and a wonderful little brother, a precious gift from Heaven that is the single most greatest thing I have ever done, a roof over my head and warm clothes to wear and food to eat. I consider myself lucky everyday and I wouldn't want it any other way.

Tada! 

Day 9, Baby Steps (The First Step)

Today was a big day in William's developmental process. I've been helping my little bean sprout with his balance so he can stand on his own. It worked. William has been getting much, much better at standing without support. The trick is to help him stand and then let go. I was playing one of his Baby Einstein videos and he really wanted to touch the TV so he took one step with his right foot and then plopped down. A few minutes later he did the same thing. I feel like such a proud mom today. 
My kitchen is finally clean and the dishes are all caught up so I rested today. Tomorrow I will work on another small house project. Perhaps I will also research hotels in Phoenix, AZ since we plan on taking our first family vacation there. Happy Wednesday everyone!

Day 8, Ugh

David stayed home sick again. He's had his cough since right around Christmas. I babysat my friends toddler and I did a few dishes with David and folded some laundry. I picked up my goddaughter from school and tried to help her count to 50 by 5's since she is supposed to know it by Friday. Why they are trying to make kindergartners learn how to count like that is beyond me. I made sloppy joes for my family's dinner and William had a bath. It was a pretty uneventful day but I got an extra day with my husband and that makes me happy. 

Day 7, Home Alone

Ariel moved out today. I'm so proud of her, she has come a long way in the few years I've known her. After I spent some time helping my good friend, Jessi, set up her baby gift registry I helped (or provided my company) her unpack and do her grocery shopping to fill her pathetically empty cupboards. It was a good day. It snowed on and off. And David and I did laundry. I think we've decided to do the household chores together as a way of spending time together. I hope it works.
Its awfully quiet without Ariel and Azrielle here. There's lots of common household noises between the TV running and the washer and dryer and the dishwasher. So this week I will get my house back in order. But I believe it will be a rather lonely week.

Day 6, Frustration

So today started off with me going over to my friends house for their "Welcome to the World" party for their one week old baby girl. Before departing from my house I asked David to clean out the fridge so we could go grocery shopping when I was done with the party. Unsurprisingly I came home to my husband sitting on the toilet and the fridge not cleaned out. So I went grocery shopping alone. 
When Ariel returned home I went with her to help her clean up her new place before she moved all her stuff in. for three hours we wiped down walls and showers and we still aren't done. But while we were cleaning previous renter mess I called David to have him do some dishes and I swear that man kept trying to find a way out of it. First it was "Well I just want to take a shower and get ready for bed" and then it was "Can I take out the trash instead" and finally "Well I haven't been feeling that great today." Perhaps I would be sympathetic if he had started with that in the first place or told me this earlier. Asking my husband to do or even help with dishes is like asking him to cut off a limb. 
And I think just to piss me off he took "do some dishes" quite literal. He put bowls and plates and a few pieces of silverware into the dishwasher. To make me more irritated he conveniently forgot to rinse them off first so I still had to take them out and rinse them off. I don't know what goes through David's head but I am tired of being "expected" to clean. 

Day 5, Another Lazy Day

Its been another lazy day. In fact, David and I didn't really wake up till almost 2 o'clock in the afternoon! So I missed my friend's baby shower and only got one load of laundry into the dryer and then we went to dinner where we took an entire hour deciding on what kind of pizza we wanted. Now that the kids are in bed its time to clean and finally get somewhere on our chores. We are super behind on like, everything. Wish us luck, my goal is to get the kitchen clean and reorganized by bedtime. 

Day 4, Date Night and a New Look

I was much more productive today. While my son was down for his second nap of the day and my goddaughter being at school, my dear friend, Kristen, came over and helped my change my hair color. 2 bottles of L'Oreal Paris Superior Preference "soft black" hair dye later and I feel so much better. I have olive toned skin and I tan easily and other hair colors just don't do justice to my complexion. Black hair really makes me look darker and I can wear colorful hair accessories better too. 

After I picked Azrielle up from school, Kristen and I took the kids to the mall with us so we could do some clothes shopping. Az will chat with anybody. First she followed Kristen around and then she started following Kristen's mom around, trying to tell them what she thought was cute. After the mall and $16 worth of on sale clothes later we took Az to Pizza Hut to cash in her Book It coupon that she earned for sitting down to read with an adult. 

Kristen had mentioned to her mom that David and I were going out on a date tonight. So out of the kindness of her heart, my friend's mother gave us a gift card to Applebee's that she had received as a gift herself for Christmas. 

David and I had a wonderful night out. Ariel stayed home and watched William for us and I got to enjoy some much needed alone time with the most wonderful man I know. 

Day 3, Pay Day

Ah, pay day. Unfortunately all our income is sucked away by those nasty little things called bills. Normally I would pay rent with this paycheck but it was a little tight thanks to the holiday season so rent will have to wait another 2 weeks. I count my blessings that I have wonderful landlords.
The day started out much like yesterday, I sat around in my pajamas watching movies on Netflix. I watched one of my favorite movies that I have not seen in a very long time, The Wild Thornberrys Movie. I loved watching the TV show when I was younger and wish they stilled played it. Eventually I did have to get off my lazy bum and go pick up my goddaughter from school after I filled my gas tank up. Then we went to Walmart and I purchased a money order for the water bill. And then I saw it. An entire rack of clothes all for the low price of $1! I couldn't decide on the what I wanted so I settled for a pair of leopard print jeans with blue flowers. I eventually went back to Walmart for more clothes and scored 2 super adorable shirts. I ate Subway with my goddaughter while my almost-8-month old squealed away in the shopping cart. Her mom met us there after work and took Az while my son and I delivered some baby clothes to a friend that is due next month. I made plans to go to her baby shower this Saturday (I love, love, love babies).
When I returned home I met up with Ariel's (Az's mom) brother who helped me set up a new bookshelf since we need one to expand our kitchen storage. The directions did not make any sense so he pretty much figured it out on his own.
William is getting even closer to walking. Today my little man stood on his own for at least 30 seconds. I only wish I had been holding my camera. When my husband, David, came home he was so excited to see his daddy. It melts my heart to see that excitement.

Day 2, Not So Exciting

Today was pretty much uneventful. My goddaughter (who currently lives with us, her mom does too) went back to school today. Her mother almost forgot to pick her up from school since the last 2 weeks there hasn't been any school. I sat in my pajamas most of the day watching Phineas and Ferb on Netflix. Since school started back up today I also had to start babysitting again. Quinn is a 5 year old boy, who is pretty good, most of the time. We watched Captain America and now we are watching Thor. Its just a lazy day, peaceful and quiet. 

January 1, 2013 Welcome New Year

2012 was a great year for my husband and myself. We welcomed our first child, William, in May and we've had lots of ups and downs as we dove into parenthood. We also celebrated our first wedding anniversary in August. I want to make 2013 one of the best years ever!
To start off the new year, we took our son and our goddaughter sledding. We went to Lawrence Park and took our dog, Emmet. We attached the sled to our dog's leash and ran. My husband and I weigh to much for  poor Emmet to pull us, but our goddaughter, Azrielle, was just the right size. She face planted a few times. Little William was too small to ride alone, but Az (short for Azrielle) couldn't hold him tight enough. 
It was a great day, the kids are all worn out and so is Emmet. I believe the new year is off to a good start.