Wednesday, September 15, 2010

My report was issued last week, so I am officially on my new job. My new supervisor is my friend and here in Denver. So while he knows that I blog, and read my boards, and facebook, I have to be careful that I am not doing that every time he walks in my cube. But he is HQ this week, so I am blogging!

Last Friday was my 31st birthday. My birthday proper wasn't anything exciting...I was pulling double duty, working and taking care of the kids because James had an appointment. But Saturday, James had planned some special activities.

Before that, we met Evan's BFF and his mom and brother at Day Out with Thomas. Evan and his BFF were super excited to see each other. The boys seemed to have fun. And Delilah enjoyed playing at the Lego train table. It is really sort of a cluster there though. So many people go. I am kind of hoping that next year Evan will be over it (We'll see, I guess).

James had planned a small get together with Emily, Jen, Jose, and Tina (and our assorted children). Madeline surprised me by coming too! Tina brought a blow up castle and the kids (and some adults) really enjoyed that. It was a nice time and we had some good pizza and a lovely chocolate cake.

Monday was our 7 year anniversary. :) We celebrated by going out to dinner at the Melting Pot. We had a really nice time and I am happy that he is my husband.

In other big news, I started a women's fitness boot camp. It started on Monday, so I have gone twice now. It is an ass kicker for sure. It is for a month...and it is my birthday present to myself.

Now, I am not feeling 100% today. I started sneezing earlier and it has only progressed to a runny nose :( Boo. Who wants a cold? not me. Certainly not me when I am trying to work out.

I head to HQ for a couple of days next week. Haven't been able to get a decent hotel yet. So that is not fun.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Labor Day is a lot of Work!

I start this post thinking about my friend who has been in labor since Sunday. I believe she likely had a c-section this afternoon. She wanted to go all natural, but her water broke Sunday (maybe 7 days post due date then??) and has had no progress even with stimulating contractions. My heart goes out to her because I know she will be sad about not getting the birth that she really wanted. I am still not sure of how it all turned out. But my thoughts are with A today.

I had a nice long weekend. But it was so full of activity that I am actually more tired today!

Friday, I was going to work from home. But I forgot my "token" that makes my computer start. Boo. So I had an unexpected day off. I spent it cleaning. *sigh* some days I feel like I will never catch up. James and I also went to lunch with Delilah. Lunch with one child is exponentially easier than lunch with two children. I also took some toys to the consignment store....and they sent me home with half of them. I have mad hate for the consignment store. They turn away good stuff and then I see the crap they are selling and it makes my blood boil. I got a sick sort of pleasure telling them that their Nap Nanny they were selling was recalled. They were Not. Happy. haha.

Saturday, Gosh we were so busy, I am not sure what we did. Grocery shopping, Walmart, collapsing in a heap because there was so much to do.

Sunday, we left for Pueblo. I haven't been in P-town for a while. We stopped at the Cracker Barrel for some lunch with the kids ahead of time. Then we got them dressed for the wedding. They were so stinking cute in their dressy clothes. too bad we were so busy chasing them at the wedding we didn't get pictures. Delilah was so proud of her pretty new dress.

It was my uncle Tommy's wedding. His first and he is in his 50s. His new wife, Deborah, is so sweet. We chatted with them and family for a bit before heading up the mountain. The kids were tired and cranky...and frankly we were tired of reining them in. So we spent some time at my parents' house. Emily was there too. So it was a nice time spent with the fam.

Monday morning, we ate an awesome breakfast and headed out for home. The kids did pretty good on our little trip. We got home after noon and prepared for a birthday party for little Jocelyn. That was a nice time seeing the Js.

So anyhow, now it is Tuesday of a short week. I met my old friend Mike and his girlfriend, Melissa for lunch today. They are in town from Iowa. Mike and I "dated" when I was 14 (he was 16). It was a summer romance and I made him promise to write. We have exchanged letters for 16 years now. :) The last time I saw him, he and Melissa came to our wedding. This is the first time I really got to spend time with Melissa, and she is great. She and Mike have been together 15 years.

Whew. See, I told you. A lot of work. :)

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Work has been busy again. We are trying to get this report issued by the 9th. And I am simultaneously starting another. This new job has me worried for a couple of reasons. I am going to still be working for my long time boss, C. But I will not be in charge of this job. My friend will. So I will be working for my friend. I hope we are still friends when we are done. :P Plus, this job seems to have a life of its own, and is growing out of control. Apparently, the PTB (powers that be) decided to try to kill two birds with one stone with this job. Unfortunately, it is going to take more than one stone. A whole bunch. And lots of crying and rocking in a corner. Oh well. (I also have to say that this job was sold to me as a "quick hitter" and "6 months tops." yeah right. Remind me not to believe the PTB again.)

I am getting excited for the 3 day weekend coming up. I get to spend time with my great little family. I am getting such a kick out of watching the kids grow up. They are such fun little people. And also we are headed down to a family wedding (my uncle's) on Sunday. Evan is really excited about the wedding. He talks a lot about marrying his friend Riley. (And Riley apparently approached James recently about marrying Evan). Evan asked me the other day if I got married twice. I guess in his mind, since you get married and then you have a baby (ideally, anyhow...that is what we talk about), I must have had two weddings. So, if the two concepts are so linked, perhaps he expects my new aunt to have a baby immediately following the wedding? hm.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Irritable

Back at work today. It is always hard to go back after a nice weekend. Saturday, we went to the zoo with the kids. I thought Delilah would enjoy because she is so into animals. And she really did enjoy it. Evan wanted only to see the alligators. Unfortunately, we only have crocs at the Denver zoo, but they did in a pinch. It is funny because that is all he could talk about, all day. But then we see them and he is like, "oh neat... Look at the spiders!" They also have this cave you walk into and you can see bats flying around. Evan FREAKED out. I told him, "Don't worry, they are behind glass." LOL. So then we get to the snakes and he tells me, "Don't worry, Mama, they are behind glass." He also has been saying, "Oh really?" to us. Like, "Evan, you have to get ready for bed." Evan: "Oh Weawwy?"

We also had Landon and Christie over. Landon removed our dead bush for us and then James grilled for us. It was a nice night.

Before I got pregnant with Delilah, I was dealing with some, what the doctors ultimately called, IBS. Basically, every so often I get really sore stomach. :( I was in major pain from sometime early Sunday morning...until really now. I didn't really have any energy yesterday. Eventually, my sweet husband had me go lay in bed and watch DVDs and he handled the evening stuff. I really didn't feel good at all. Better now, but not much.

Anyhow, I missed the Emmys last night. I watched a few clips this morning and this one really made me smile. I think I love everyone in it. :)




Monday, August 23, 2010

One Toe in the Water

I have been trying to get back in to blogging again, but gah! I am always so tired. And work has been busy. But I am back on the weight loss wagon again, so I am going to be blogging again about that.

I had my breast reduction almost 4 weeks ago. I am still not cleared for exercising, but I want to get the weight going back in the right direction. Since making weight for my surgery, I have gained 5 lbs. So half of what I lost. It is too easy to gain! Plus, I haven't been feeling fantastic because of the surgery, so I have been comfort eating.

The kids are doing great. Evan is a crack up. Last night, we were watching America's Funniest Home Videos with Emily and Brandon. A little kid in the video ran into another kid and we all laughed and groaned. And Evan laughed and yelled, "Holy $h!t!" LOL. We tried not to laugh, but it was very funny. I think he just gets caught up in wanting to hang out with the "grown ups." I am sure there are language slips, but I don't really notice them.

And little Delilah "shushed" Emily last night. It was the first time she had shushed anyone. Emily asked her, "Are you ready for bed?" And Delilah turned around and said, "Shhhhh..." Finger up to the lips and everything.

Yesterday, I had some downtime where I watched Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day. It was really cute and funny. I enjoyed.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

L O S T

Tonight is the finale and I am feeling nostalgic. I watched the pilot episode last night and the cast looked sooooo young. 6 years ago (maybe 7 for the cast...as it usually takes some time for the pilot to be shot, picked up, and run on tv). Everyone was fresh-faced and for the most part really good looking. I guess the last six years will show on my face and body too. I was 24 when the pilot ran. I had heard all the buzz from my entertainment websites and magazines. I was in Washington DC....actually that week, I was staying way out in Virginia because I couldn't get any closer to the District. I had to take the Metro way out to the end of the line and then STILL walk a good half mile to the hotel. In fact, that day, I walked and ate Coldstone Creamery at the same time...figuring it might cancel it out.

I was planning on watching the show because it really resonated with me...the airplane...I was always on airplanes those days. I was miserable with my job. I was recently married and never really got to see my husband because I was in DC all the time. So I was trying to apply for jobs while watching the pilot...trying to change my life. But I was riveted. I couldn't take my eyes off the show. Eventually, my application page at the FBI timed out. I didn't care because I was so into this show. :) I did change my life...not through changing jobs, but through having children (for better or worse :P ). Because of the way time ran on the island, I was pregnant at the same time Sun was. In fact, when everyone was saying, "Yeah right, some just happened to have a pregnancy test in their suitcase." I got to say, "I took a pregnancy test with me to Mexico." I knew there was a chance that I would be pregnant, so I took the test with me. :)

And so life goes on, 6 years later, we all look a little older. And maybe after tonight's show...maybe a little wiser. Maybe.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Quick Bloggy Blog

I have a bunch of Evan stories to share. So first off, today while picking up the kids, I was chatting with Ms. Jesica, Evan's teacher (no spelling mistake) who is Jackson's mom. Jackson and Evan are BFFs. And they get into so much trouble together. She was telling me why Evan was in the Yellow today, wrestling with Jackson at circle time. And we were chatting with another mom who has two boys about how you sometimes have to pick your battles. Apparently, this Tuesday, when Evan and Jackson went to karate class, they both smuggled cars with them in their pockets and went off to the corner to play cars together. The karate instructor could not get them to re-engage.

This led to a discussion about Evan stealing this one truck from daycare a couple of times. Ms. Jesica says that he calls it "Mater" and it is "his" truck. She said the other day that Sergio tried to play with Evan's truck and Evan and Jackson freaked out on poor Sergio. Sergio gave the truck back. *sigh* I am not equipped for this. LOL.

At this point, the other mom said, "You are Evan's mom? I am Sam's mom. Sam is in love with Evan. He talks about Evan nonstop." Aw, sweet. Evan likes Sam too. Just not as much as Jackson. LOL.

Then tonight, Evan was playing World of Cars online. He has actually gotten quite good. It is a virtual world. You create your own car (Evan's car is Fearless Diamondshow) and drive around and race and tractor tip. There was this one car who was following Evan around and "friend requested" him. Evan was delighted. He kept saying, "He is my friend! We love our-chother!" And then to the screen, "Hey, do you want to go tractor tip?!" So sweet. Too bad it was probably some 50 year old man (Quickstick Chomo is what James called the car). LOL.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL

Today, I weighed myself upon waking up and was at 128 lbs. I took a shower and went up to 129 (hair wet weight, I guess). I thought that I would just do it and see what happens. So I didn't eat breakfast, didn't drink anything. I called at 8:00. And the office was closed until 8:30. So at 8:33, I called and asked if I could come in to get weighed. She said, I could at 9:20. I said, "You are killing me here." LOL. So I went in and weighed 127! So I am ok for surgery. The doctor will likely put the order for surgery in on Friday and then the scheduler will call me in a week or so. And then she will likely put me on a list for July. :)

I am super duper happy. I went to lunch and had a nice sized lunch. And I didn't even eat all my fries :P

I think I will have some yummy food for a couple of days and then start over again. I could stand to lose a couple more pounds. Maybe 3 more. They do not come off easy though!

Monday, April 26, 2010

Drip, drip, drop

A week or so ago, the neighbors brought Evan some toys and books that their son was going to give away. (Just what we need! More toys and books!) Anyhow, one of those books was a Little Golden Book of the story of Bambi. It was tonight's bedtime story. I was a little concerned about how he would take the death of Bambi's mother (as I once had my own traumatic experience with that story in a movie theater)....but he didn't seem to question that at all. (After all, Bambi got to go off with his daddy!) But when we got to the end of the book, there was a picture of Bambi grown up, looking over the hill at Faline and his fawns.

Evan said, pointing to Bambi, "That's Bambi's dad." I said, "No, that's Bambi. See he is all grown up now and that is his wife and his babies." Evan wasn't quite buying it, so I tried to explain further, "You know how you will get grown up like Daddy?" He said, "I will have babies?!" (Oh, dear, now I have really confused him...but it gets worse.) I said, "Well, no, you will not have them in your tummy. The Mommy will have them in her tummy." Evan said, "You will have the babies?" (Oh boy.) I said, "No, when you get big, you will find someone you love and she will be your wife and you guys will have babies." (and then just because I want to be an equal opportunity parent:) "Or you could marry a boy. Some boys marry boys." (Probably should have saved that conversation for another day because he just laughed and said, "That's silly!" LOL.)

Then his eyes widened in horror and said, "When I get bigger I won't be your son anymore?" (real tears here on my part...stupid hormones) "No, of course, you will always be my son. Even though I don't live with my Mommy and Daddy anymore, they are still my Mommy and Daddy." He seemed happy to hear that.

Ah, the circle of life. Wait...that's another Disney movie.

Friday, April 23, 2010

So close!

I weighed in today. 129! One pound to go. Actually if I get in the 128s I will be in range. The problem now being how much is my scale off from the dr. office. It is a new scale...digital. I wonder if the dr. office will let me get naked to weigh in. LOL. The sad thing is since I am down below 130, they took another point away from me. I only get 18 measly points a day!

So James and I had big plans for today. Since I worked overtime last week in DC, I have some credit hours to use. We were planning on a movie or some general time together with no children. Well, if you have been following along on FB, you know that both kids have been sick.

I was called to come get Delilah on Tuesday morning because of a fever. So I went to get her and she slept most of the afternoon. During her nap, daycare called again to come get Evan; he had a fever. I asked whether I could wait until Delilah woke up to go get him. They agreed since it was nap time anyway. So around 2 we went to go get Evan. He started crying the second he saw me..saying that "it hurt." Then he went by the door and threw up. They took him to the bathroom where he threw up some more and wet his pants. My poor boy. He was really lethargic. So I was trying to get him dressed and clean him up...all the while holding Delilah who wouldn't let me put her down because she thought I would leave her there. We finally got out the door, but not without majorly disturbing naptime. Whenever Evan gets a fever, he acts really sick. Like can't move, won't listen, really pale, throws up. It is weird. So anyway, the kids were both home sick with James on Wednesday (Bless him!). Then Delilah was well enough to go to school on Thursday. So James was with just Evan yesterday. I do think that Delilah has a very mild case of the Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. She had one little blister on her lip and one or two on her hands and feet...but I did catch a glimpse of an ulcer in her throat. Nothing like Evan had that one time.

Wednesday night, James heard Evan cry out in the night and then checked on him to find him choking on his vomit. Poor kid. So we had to do the late night bed stripping.

So this morning, we were prepared to take Evan to the doctor, but his temp was normal. He was PISSED about having to go to school though and we had to do some major bribery. So James and I were back to being able to have a day together.

EXCEPT...that forking presentation I mentioned a couple of weeks ago is rearing its ugly head. We were supposed to get this to the head honcho today...and have been waiting for comments from my boss's boss this whole week. Well, boss's boss is taking his sweet time...and supposedly has comments but no one can get them from him. So I am working at home waiting for these comments to come in so that I can whip up a presentation to get to the head honcho by COB today. Why people have to wait until the last minute, I will never know.

We are still hoping to get to a movie today. Date night. Really frustrating.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Finally a loss!

I lost a pound this week! I don't know if it was moving my weigh in day to before the weekend or if it was due to all the walking I did in DC. But either way! So now only 2.2 lbs to go. I wonder if I could even be 128.X and have them still give me the go ahead. I have to be good this weekend...get some activity in.

Monday, April 12, 2010

I have just a few minutes

while I finish my breakfast (3 pt. breakfast burrito and a large diet coke).

It is going to be a VERY busy week for me. I received the "opportunity" to create a presentation for the guy who is our equivalent of the CEO. He will be giving the presentation to a very well known state IT group. I am working with my director to do this....but it is a total "Better not F--- it up" situation. GAH! I have to have a first draft to him by tomorrow COB. Wednesday, I leave for DC. I have a meeting with the agency on Thursday. Back home on Friday, and I have to work on this presentation in between times.

Still trying to lose weight. This week will probably be a wash since I know I have to travel. Traveling is always really hard on the waist line for me. I will show restraint not get Ben and Jerry's at the airport though.

My kids are doing great. Always entertaining...always trying. Yesterday, I was quite certain my head was going to explode.

Delilah is so sweet (most of the time). In the morning, the past few mornings, when you come to get her out of her crib, she hands you her baby. You have to get the baby out of bed too. This morning, it was the baby, a book, her paci, and a blanket. But then she didn't want them after all, so I threw them all back in. D is within days/weeks of walking. She could totally do it, but she is so cautious. She has taken a few steps to or from me and her daddy.

Evan was cracking me up this morning. First, James was teasing him about leaving him at home (or something! I lose track of all the teasing that goes on at our house!) and James said, "It's ok." Evan said, "No, it is UN-okay!" LOL. Good use of "un." Then I guess watching Delilah get a catheter in last week made a big impression on him because as we were driving to daycare, Evan said, "Delilah doesn't have a penis." I said, "Yes, that's right." He said, "She has a hole. And pee comes out of it." I gave him some medical terms for what he was describing and then we went through several iterations of, "Daddy has a penis. You don't have a penis." Then, "When I was a baby, did I have a penis?" I said, "Yes, you have always had a penis, even when you were little." He said, "Now, I have a BIG penis." Ah, yes, and a healthy sense of self esteem too.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

I didn't lose a single thing this week

0 pounds. It is very very discouraging. I have changed my weigh in day to Friday to see if that helps. I will try to increase activity. This week may be a challenge because I am flying to DC Wednesday. But that should definitely help with the activity. 3.2 pounds to go before I can schedule my surgery. but I have to be able to schedule in June at the latest. Why is this taking so long?????

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Babies The Movie

Many of you know that I am a member of BzzAgent (www.bzzagent.com), a word of mouth marketing company. Companies hire BzzAgent to give people like me samples of what they are trying to market. I try it and if I love it, I spread the word (and sometimes coupons and samples!).

The newest campaign I am part of doesn't involve any samples or coupons, but I am just as excited about it. In fact, I have been wanting to see this movie since I first saw the trailer in theaters some time ago. It is called Babies. And it follows four babies in different cultures from birth to first steps. Come on now, who doesn't love babies? Plus, it totally appeals to the National Geographic lover in me.

We have Hattie. Your typical American baby in San Francisco:


Bayer who lives in Mongolia:


Mari in Japan:


And Ponijao in Namibia:


Check out the trailer for the movie, I bet you will smile at least once. :)

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Happy Easter!

Man, losing weight gets a lot tougher as you get older. I used to be able to drop 2 pounds a week no problem. Now it is hit or miss. And I know I am only eating my alloted calories. Gah! Lost .8 lbs. this week. It is still a loss, I guess. But I am still at least 2 weeks away from my goal. I have to make this weight by June at least. To be able to schedule in July/August. I need to recheck my work schedule to make sure of which dates I am looking at.

We have had the Easter activities this weekend. Egg coloring yesterday, Egg/Candy hunt in the neighborhood yesterday...today was the Easter bunny's visit. James came upstairs this morning and said to Evan, "I think the Easter Bunny came last night. There are some Easter baskets filled up on the table." Evan gets really excited and yells, "Oh shit!" I shouldn't laugh...but it is pretty funny. He really got into finding the eggs this time.

Delilah was just along for the ride for the most part. She found some candy yesterday and got to play with some toy eggs today. I think she enjoyed herself. She is sick again. Has a fever that goes between 99* to 101.8* last night. Hovering at 100.8* now. No other symptoms...so I guess we wait until she has something else going on.

Evan played with his easel today. One of his birthday presents. He really got a kick out of it. He really liked using the chalk and the dry erase markers. I asked him to draw me a cat and he said he couldn't. So I drew one for him first ("A circle for a head, triangles for ears, circles for eyes...", etc.) And then he drew one very similar to what I drew. I get a kick out of seeing him make his first letters.

Anyhow, I need to get into the shower. We are meeting Emily and Brandon for Easter Dinner at a restaurant.

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Whew!

What a relief! Lost 2 pounds this week. I was a little nervous as I stepped on the scale...saying, "Please, Please, Please." Just four more pounds to go. Officially. But I might have to lose a tiny bit more just so that the scale in the dr.'s office says the same as mine. Don't you know that they alway read a bit higher!

Friday, March 26, 2010

Angry Santa

That's me. I have another 15 minutes before I am out of here and I won't look back until Monday morning. Even though I have been doing the work for 4 years, my work decided to promote 3 other people. Even though on the short list, I was ranked #2 and there were 3 positions, I didn't get it. This place blows.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Tired.

Delilah decided to wake up at 4 am this morning. SCREAMING. Poor baby. Don't really know what is bothering her, but it gets better with Motrin. So James stayed home with her today. I have to save up all the sick leave I can! Here's hoping that tonight is better!

Today was free pastry day at Starbucks. Can't pass that up. So I went and got a 2 point skinny caramel latte and then asked what the reduced fat pastry selections are. She had me at "RF Chocolate Chip Banana Bread." She also had Evan at it too. So I shared it with him. Which is a good thing because the whole slice would have been 8 points!! (as a reference, I only get 19 a day!!!) So now I am HONGRY. Only 2 hours til lunch.

Evan had some gems last night. First, while bathing him and Delilah, he put this little stacking cup over his crotch and said, "Mom, I have a chocolate penis!" Not really sure what that meant. But the possibilities are endless. Also, later around bed time, I was standing in the bathroom while he peed and he turned to me with the biggest grin and whispered, "Mom, I need PRIVACY!" Touché.

Today, I am just trying to stay awake. I have lots of little things to do. We are looking at another 6 to 12 inches of snow today and tomorrow. I am soooo ready for spring!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Disappointment

I feel like I was hungry all week because I was saving my points for the birthday party yesterday. And I gained .2 pounds. :( Why? Who knows? Maybe I didn't eat all of my flex points yesterday. I probably didn't. Maybe my period is coming.

Either way, I am still 6 pounds away from my goal and being able to schedule my surgery. And I wanted to be only 4 away.

Goals for this week: to distribute my flex points more evenly through the week and kick up the activity.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

I was worried this week

I was worried because I weighed myself yesterday and had like zero loss. Which is why you are only supposed to weigh yourself once a week...otherwise you will get conflicting weights. Anyhow, my hard work (and it is hard to diet during birthday parties!) paid off this week. I lost another 2.2 lbs. Just a little under halfway there!

Today, James and Evan are on their way to James' folks house. Leaving just the girls here. We are going to go to lunch with a girlfriend (and probably her daughter).

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Everything else

I wanted Baby D to get her own birthday post...but there is soooo much going on.

I am going to talk about my baby sister...I hope she doesn't mind. She got some news that she has a skin cancer spot. She had most of it removed, but needs to go back to have more removed. I hope this is just a one time thing for her. I love her so and it worries me to think of her going through problems. Not that she isn't capable. Because believe me, she is. She just started her new job out in the middle of nowhere. Living on her own in her own rented house. What a grown up! We will miss seeing more of her.

I am still trying to lose weight. I really hope I can have a loss this week. I shared a brownie a la mode with my coworker yesterday. I tried to be really good the rest of the night. Today, I had a plan to get a coffee on the way in, but McD's sabotaged my efforts by putting whipped cream on top of my mocha. 5 points. That is a meal in itself. :( So Greek for lunch. I think I did ok. I will have to eat only the points I have allotted the rest of the week. I weigh in on Sunday.

This weekend, we took the kids to the mall. On the way there, Evan kept trying to break into our conversation. Finally, he yelled, "Mama! Listen to my words!" LOL. At the mall, we went to this Lego store. He really wanted this Thomas the Train Lego set. I explained that he could not have it because he already got a car from the grocery store. He was very very sad. So I stopped and talked to him, told him that I wished I could buy him everything he wants, but that we don't have all the money in the world to buy everything that we want. He cheered up a little when James put him on his shoulders. We got to the fountain, and I handed him a penny and said, "Ok, make a wish and throw it in!" Evan said, gravely, "I wish I had the Thomas Legos," and tossed his penny in. He is desperately hoping his birthday gets here soon.

James and I are going to take tomorrow off together. We have plans to get some stuff done around the house...but after that possibly a movie or something!

A Year of Grace

I am not totally sure what that title means, other than I believe it was a title in a Chapter of The First Four Years. Written by Laura Ingalls Wilder and her daughter Rose Wilder Lane. And I thought it seemed fitting for my post about Delilah's birthday.

My sweet baby girl turned 1 yesterday. I cannot believe that it was only a year ago. And yet in some ways it seems like the longest year of my life. It was a difficult year, but that sweet face makes it all worthwhile.

Delilah does "Ta Da" and raises her hands to the sky. She also blows kisses, says "Hi" in the cutest voice when she sees a phone or a cat, and claps when you say "Patty Cake." Her favorite part of "Patty Cake" is the "Throw it in a Pan!" She giggles. She also gets super mad at her brother when he takes one of his cars away from her. She tries to jump on him and bite at him (with her one tooth).

She enjoyed her birthday. She seemed to like her new toys. She did not want to touch her cupcake. Instead, she preferred me to hold it for her...while she licked off the frosting.

Happy birthday, sweet baby girl. I cannot wait to see what this year brings for you.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Just a quick celebratory post

I lost 2.2 lbs this week. It is really difficult to lose while traveling...but I must have walked more than I thought this week (you have to walk EVERYWHERE in DC! I probably walk a mile just within my huge building).

I am typing this really fast at our upstairs computer while I try to keep Delilah entertained up here...and keep Evan's demands downstairs at bay. You see, our laptop died yesterday. It wasn't even that old...only 3.5 years. I guess it got a lot of use though. Not sure if we will get another one. It is convenient, but I am not sure our family needs more computing.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Well, I got my motivation

I met with the plastic surgeon today regarding a breast reduction. He took some measurements of my body and asked me some questions. (Yes, I am done with children. No, no history of breast cancer. I get back aches and rashes under my breasts.) Measurement-wise, he told me that if both of my breasts were the size and length, if you will, (LMAO!) of my lefty, they wouldn't have probably covered it. But because of the size of righty, they will. You all are probably imagining me without my top on now. LOL. Anyhow, he determined that they will pay for my surgery. This is a fantastic savings! It should only cost me a surgery copay of about $300. The only catch is that I have to lose 10 lbs. before they will let me schedule the surgery. I was trying to anyhow, but now this just renews my motivation! I am going to start anew at Weight Watchers Online and really do it! The tricky parts are travel and my lunch outings.

Everyone is doing good here. We are preparing for a 4th birthday party and a 1st birthday party. A whole lot of partying. Delilah still has only one tooth (on the bottom) so she looks a little like Animal from the Muppets (thank you Brandon and Emily for making that comparison because it has now stuck!). But another one tooth is on its way on the top. Last weekend we thought maybe Evan had lost his damn mind, but he is doing better today. He is just pushing every button and boundary. And does it all with a smile. GAH! So frustrating.

I am on my way tomorrow to DC for work. Meetings with agencies. First time in a suit in 18 months!!

Friday, February 12, 2010

Very bad.

I have been very bad again and haven't been writing. Even though it is sooooo slooooow at work this week. I have still found a ton of other things to do. Like just now, I was looking for tasty recipes or beautiful things to knit. Gah! So, I am very sorry. I will try to be better.

Things have been a little rough for our family. James' schedule has changed about 5 times in the last month and a half. Once we get used to the idea of one thing, it changes again.

I have also been really bad at the diet again. I just polished off a small bag of nutter butter cookies. I should know better than to have an open container of something at my desk. I am planning to go back on the diet starting next week sometime. There are always a ton of reasons to wait. Valentine's Day, then I have Monday off, then...always something. I started running again at the work gym, but haven't done it this week. That will start again next week.

The kids are doing wonderfully. Evan is getting really excited about his upcoming birthday. He asks every other day or so if it is his birthday tomorrow. To him, "tomorrow" is any day in the future. He is having his Valentine's Day party today. The first in his memory. He is giving out cards and they made their little Valentine's Day mailboxes. Delilah is saying "Uh oh" all the time....over and over at everything. And she claps now. So cute. She just started crying when I leave her for daycare this week. She always goes to the DC provider with a smile, but when I head out the door, she cries and cries. She is the oldest baby in the room now (not the biggest, but the oldest :P ).

Anyhow, I am going to try to be better at this. :) Happy Valentine's Day!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Today is Day 1 of our new schedule. James took the kids to daycare this morning. It is a little bizarre for me because that has been my job except for the odd exception (when I was on maternity leave with Delilah for example) since Evan was born. I think I will still take them on Mondays when James is off. James will be at work until 6:00 and then head home (except on Tuesdays and Thursdays when he will go to his boxing class at 8:00). So tonight, I am on duty alone with the kids for all of Delilah feeding, Delilah bedtime, Evan dinner, Evan bath, Evan bedtime. I feel badly that James will miss the kids totally at night now. I guess we will all have to get used to the new schedule. I will probably need a glass of wine for dinner. I think I will just have leftovers myself...and give the boy a PB&J.

Delilah was up at 10, 2, and finally for good at 4. Ugh. We have to figure out a better solution. It is killing me.

I am sort of looking forward to my girls' weekend this weekend. But also will miss my family.

Long boring day, only broke up by lunch with coworkers at The Hornet. Got the Gangster Wrap. Yum.

Friday, January 8, 2010

New Look

I decided to play with my layout a bit. I think it looks fun! With the promise of springtime on this cold cold day.

I have lunch plans today with a coworker and am looking forward to that. No idea on where we are going.

I am totally lame today and don't have much to report. I made the Pioneer Woman's Husband's favorite sandwich last night and it was really good, but my tummy is paying for it today. Too. Much. Butter.

James is home with the kids today. Possibly for the last time. Which reminds me to call the school. It looks like they will be in school 5 days a week now. James has a new schedule starting next week. It will changes our lives up a bit.

The only cute story I have is last night Evan asked to go to the "peanut store" which means the Texas Roadhouse. I told him that we couldn't go tonight, but maybe tomorrow. To which he said, "Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe (he starts every sentence with a stutter), maybe, the day after today will be tomorrow." LOL. Maybe.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

6 minutes

I have about six minutes until I am out the door at work. Things have been sloooooow. It makes for long boring days. Today, I did get a Greek lunch with friends. YUM! I am on my last week or so of indulgence before starting up on the diet/exercise program. I have about 15 pounds to lose. I would settle for 10 though :)

Evan had a rough day on Tuesday. He lashed out at another kid, and then was hitting and kicking at his teacher when she pulled him away from the group. :( So we talked a lot about not hitting and explained that from now on when he hits, he loses a toy for a whole day. As an incentive, I told him that if he got a green day on Wednesday that I would buy him icecream. So yesterday, he greeted me at the door of his school with the news that he had a green day. and he asked if that meant that he got ice cream. I said yes, and we set off (in the snow). Once in the car, Evan says to me, "I had a green day, but I hurt two people." I said, "You did? What happened?" He said, "I hit Lyric and Abby, but I still had a green day." Now I was in a bind...because I did tell him that he could have ice cream if he had a green day. It didn't occur to me that he would hit two kids and just not get caught for it. So I just told him again that we don't hit people and that next time that happens he is going to lose a toy for a day. I think he knew he had me. Devious.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Apologies!

I have been incredibly negligent in blog writing. Life has been tough and very busy lately. But I am hoping to be able to write more now. I just have to come up with the time at work. Work is at a slow point again...but could speed up at any time. I went back to DC once in November, but have avoided going again since. Evan is closer to 4 than he is to 3 right now. He is such a big boy and capable of doing many things...like dressing himself in the morning. I have to tell him, "Leave your sister alone" about 300 times a day. He loves her, but can be rough...and sometimes mean. My girl, Delilah, is almost 10 months old. Her smile can break your heart. Good thing she is cute because she screams like a banshee at all hours of the night. Evan calls her "Cute Little Lila" but "Lila" sounds more like "Wyla." He has also been calling her, "Delilah Sue," "Princess Girl," and "Miss"...all of which he got from me. The other day in the car he whispered something to her and then yelled, "I'm just kidding, Delilah!" That same day he was saying, "We're going on a baby hunt; we're gonna catch a big one."

He is a goof. Keeps us laughing (and crying!). I asked him to put on his shoes the other day and he said to me, "Mom, are you talking back to me?" And if you ask him how much he loves you, he says, "Five." Perfect answer.

In two weeks, I am headed to Phoenix with my girlfriends for our 4th annual MLK Jr. girls' weekend. We have a great time...and it is a new venue this year. Can't wait!