happy and sad for you...

Last week was really great. We had a lot of holiday fun. On Thursday, Christmas Eve, we went to a friend of the family's house, Monica and Kendall (sp?) Reed. They graciously invited us into their home for prime rib and lobster and many other delicious goodies! I actually ate asparagus! For those of you who truly know me (basically my immediate family members) that is a huge feat! I hate asparagus! But Monica covered them in this garlic butter stuff that was just to die for. We also had a wide array of fabulous desserts. We played a few rounds of Uno with rules I've never heard of and then we were off to my parent's house!

At my parent's we ate a little bit more (because my mom made really super yummy shrimp kebobs with cilantro and...something else (I can't remember) and they were just divine. We went home and did the one present opening with the Hoppers. After that, we stayed up pretty much all night (I fell asleep for about 20 minutes) getting presents under the tree and filling stockings and just getting things ready for Christmas morning.

Woke up at 5 am to start getting breakfast ready. Next year we're going to have our own Christmas with our boys and get to the parents whenever. It's too much of a hassle and inconvenience to try to make it to both houses for Christmas morning. We had a fabulous breakfast with Blake, James and Monica and had tons of fun opening up presents from each other. We got some really great stuff, but our boys made out like bandits! Seriously, they got so much stuff! We then collected our "going out" belongings and headed over Nana and Poppa's house to open presents there. Got even more stuff than I expected and our boys got even more stuff. Sidenote: Last night I got out all of Harley's new toys and put them in our living room for him to play with...he couldn't decide what to have fun with first. He just looked around for a few minutes and then settled on the Woody and Buzz toys Jared insisted he have. He (Harley) is really into Toy Story right now and so Jared picked out this set of Woody and Buzz toys that talk to each other and you. They're really pretty nifty. Back on topic: With gift opening at my parent's done, and having gotten very little or no sleep, Jared and I took the boys into my Grandma's den (which has a pull-out couch) and took a nap for a few hours. We hung out with everyone after that, watched movies and had Kahlua pork for our Christmas dinner, a Forciea family tradition. We had a lot of fun on Christmas day.

On Saturday my grandma took my whole family out to see Sherlock Holmes, which was an amazing movie! On top of the amazingness of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, both our boys slept through the entire movie! Yea! Woohoo! It was a beautiful thing :D My grandmother then took us out to eat at Chuck-A-Rama which is one of my favorite places because they have the most fabulous scones. It was great just spending time with family for a few days.

Sunday was, indeed, a day of rest. I went to take a quick nap before church and completely passed out with Harley until church was pretty much over...oops! However, Sunday was also a sad day. James and Monica finally moved to California :' ( They left early in the morning (without saying goodbye!) and got there around 9ish, our time, at night. We probably won't see them again for a while, but hopefully not too long! Anyway, we had a really great Christmas. I hope everyone reading this did, too!

Now on to a Happy and great 2010!

My little man

So adorable!

I have the cutest little man on the planet.

My nephew

Me and my cutie pie nephew in a rare moment when he was happy with me, lol. He gets unhappy when my sister or brother-in-law leaves him with me, but then he's totally happy. Isn't he just a doll? I love him!

Pampered Chef Party

I really don't want to have this Pampered Chef party, but I told the lady I would and I don't want to back out now. So, if anyone really loves me (total guilt trip, but I'm desperate for people to come) they'll come to the party. Pleeeeeaaaaase?! I will love you forever and ever! It will be on Saturday January 9, at 2 pm at my (Vicky's) house 357 N 700 E in Orem. Please say you'll be there!

Comment!

Ok, if you read my blog, post a comment on this post. If no one reads it, then I'm not going to keep it up. Thanks!

Boredom and Bad Music

I'm sitting here waiting on hold for Medicaid...oh my hell do they have bad elevatorish hold music! Blechh! I had to turn Pandora off because the mixture of my good music and their horrible music was hurting my head. Oh, gotta go, a live person answered!

Weird

My son falls asleep in the weirdest places

Seriously, the weirdest places.

Memories

So, Joel got a Wii yesterday and got Super Mario Bros to play on it. Needless to say, we were up late playing, haha. It's actually a lot like the old game that was on the Super Nintendo. It was a lot of fun to play. Jared, Joel and I played as a team and we were laughing and calling each other names the whole time, lol. I remember playing the old one when I was 5 and older. It is the first thing I remember playing on our Super Nintendo. That and Mortal Kombat and Donkey Kong. Love those games! Anyway, lots of fun. "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Boondock Saints 2

My sister and brother-in-law took Jared and I out to see Boondock Saints 2 today. It came out a month ago in only 3 states and has finally come out in Utah. For those of you who are LDS, which is pretty much everyone who reads my blog, you will most likely (99.9999999999 percent chance) dislike this movie. We love the first one and were soooo excited to see the second one. It's a really good movie, but it wasn't as good as the first one. Go figure. "Sequels by definition are inferior films." (Who can tell me what movie that quote is from?) It's been 10 years since the first movie came out, but they still managed to get every single person from it to sign on for the second. Which, really, is the only way to have made this movie. And what's better, is that they ended it almost like a 'To be continued...' which makes us completely excited and hoping they're going to make a third, and make it in less than 10 years. There's one quote from that movie that I just loved. "Real men hide their feelings. Why? Because it's nobody's freaking business!" Awesome movie. I reccommend it if you have seen the first and liked it.

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving started on Thursday with the Beadle family Thanksgiving. We were supposed to be at Lambert by 1 so we could start at 2 so we didn't start until 3. Lol. It was a lot of fun and good food. Grandma and Grandpa Beadle's house is just gorgeous! It was nice to have all the kids downstairs watching a movie (on the way awesome projector he has) while all the adults got a chance to just talk and hang out. James and Monica left for another moving trip to California right after they were done eating. It's sad that they are moving :' (
After the Beadle's house, Jared dropped me off at my parents' house so that I could help out with all the food that we were making for the next day. I made the deviled eggs (half of which I ate :D). That was fun because I also went shopping with my sister that night for birthday presents since it was my mom's birthday.
Thanksgiving day itself, I got up and went to my parents' again to help make the turkey. Whoever decided they were going to stuff food up a turkey's butt and cook it is really disturbed. As soon as I got home from stuffing the turkey, we got the boys ready and left for Kaysville to the Hopper family Thanksgiving. OH. MY. GOSH. Yummy food! LOVE the rolls and mashed potatoes and turkey and Strawberry pie dessert stuff! *pause to wipe drool off face* Loved it. Lots of fun. Plus, it's nice to see the whole family since we don't get up to Kaysville quite that often. After the pie, we left again to head back down to my parents' for the Forciea family Thanksgiving. Again, LOVED the food!!! My dad also made Amish bread rolls which are my favorite things EVER! I think I may have eaten about 5. We just hung out and talked to everyone and then came home.
While at the Hopper's, Vicky asked me if I would go with her to do all the Black Friday craziness the next day. Little did I know, she had plans to start at midnight. We shopped at different places until about 7:30 in the morning. I came home and crashed like none other. I didn't wake up until 5 pm. I was soooo tired. Well, I did wake up for a few hours in the middle of the day because my uncle called from Connecticut and I didn't go back to sleep right away. But, still, that's a long time to sleep. Anyway, we had 3 really good Thanksgivings.
I was going to post pictures from turkey day, but my camera is being funky and I need to take it in and figure out what's wrong with it. I'll post them later.

New Moon

We went to see New Moon tonight...and I LOVED it! It was such a good movie. The only bummer is the same bummer with every movie that came from a book, which is not enough time. I just wish they could have stretched out her time in La Push, but nothing's perfect. I loved the whole movie. Everything was done so well! Stephenie Meyer's a genius. Ok, enough gushing.
My brother and my niece waited in line from 3:30 in the afternoon until the showing. That's a lot of freakin time, but it was worth it. We got good seats and saw a good movie. I have to tell the funniest thing. My other niece and I went to the bathroom after we'd been seated, but before the movie. This girl was drying her hands next to me while I waited in line for a stall and she said, "This air is so cold! Does it feel cold to you?" I just looked at her and tried very hard not to burst out laughing. All I said was, "It's because you have water on your hands." She said, "Oh! That makes sense." I just shook my head. She was special, lol. There was a lot of that. There was a whole group of girls in line ahead of us that started singing "I Just Can't Wait to Be King" and "Hakuna Matata" I just looked at my parents and said, "Yep, we're in Utah." There are a lot of strange people here.
[Insert]
*A couple weeks ago, I was in the kitchen doing something and talking to myself as usual. Conor was standing a few feet away (in hearing distance). He turned to look at me and said, "You are the strangest person I have ever met." It actually made me feel good. My hard work has paid off.*
Anyway, I guess Nordstrom bought out a few theaters there for their employees to see New Moon at 9:30 last night. Well, this one chick went up to a girl behind us and asked if they were seeing the midnight showing. After the girl behind us said 'yes', the chick then said that she'd just finished seeing the 9:30 showing and then walked away. She didn't say it was good or anything, she just came back to gloat. How rude! The girl behind us had a few things to say that were funny, but I will refrain from posting them on account of the foul word usage. There was a woman behind us whose mom had 8 gallons of hot chocolate left over from something so she brought it and let anyone who wanted some, have some. A couple people even tried to pay her and she said, "I got it for free, I will give it for free." I thought that was pretty awesome.
I saw quite a few of my friends there. Some working at the theater, some waiting to see the movie. I wish I had taken some pictures of how many people were there. I don't know that I'll do another midnight showing of anything. I am too tired and it's too stressful for whoever has to babysit our boys. *coughvickycough* Love you, Vick! Anyway, it was fun. However, I am falling asleep mid-typing, so I am going to go to sleep.
Live long and prosper...wrong movie, but still applicable :D

Pictures!

So, we got pictures done at Kiddie Kandids last week with Auntie M. It was nice except for when the babies both starting throwing tantrums. We got some good ones in, though.

Our little family!
My hunny and I
Daddy and the little munchkin
Monster number 1
Monster number 2

The last week

The week before Halloween, I believe, my sister and her hubby went to Cali to visit some friends. They had been planning on my brother-in-law moving after Thanksgiving, then she and my nephew after the new year and my nieces after school was out. They came home from Cali and told us that they found a place out there and would be moving that Sunday. Needless to say, I was just about heartbroken and still am. So they packed everything up and it took a little longer than they expected, so they left Monday night. They had more than they expected to take with them, and Jared ended up driving out there with them. He was supposed to leave Wednesday morning. However, when my sister realized that they would be alone, with no family, after he left, she...delayed him a bit. But he finally got home safe and sound at 3 am on Thursday morning.
On Thursday night, my parents came over to visit us. I needed my dad to take a look at my computer because it's really slow. Instead, my dad brought one of his laptops over and let me long-term borrow it until I get one of my own again. I was so happy and ecstatic! I still am. It is so awesome! It's a lot faster than my desktop. I love my dad!
Friday we got super cute pictures taken of our little family at Kiddie Kandids. They are really awesome. Auntie M (Monica) took them. That night, after we got our pics done, Vick and I went shopping for Monica's baby shower that we were in charge of the next day. We had a lot of fun shopping. We stayed up kinda late making cookie dough and cupcakes. Then we (meaning Vicky, cuz I'm horrible) got up early to finish making things. We made chicken salad sandwiches, a veggie tray, meatballs, cookies, cupcakes and crumb (aka coffee) cake. My mom also contributed deviled eggs and cream puffs, which were both amazing! We didn't do any baby shower games, we just basically had an open house and it was a lot of fun. Monica made out like a bandit with all the super cute stuff she got for their little girl.
After the shower on Saturday, we dropped the kids off at my parents and Mike&Vicky took hubby and I out to Texas Roadhouse in Lehi for Jared's birthday dinner. It was an hour and a half wait, but man was it totally worth it! Jared had steak that just melted in your mouth! We really enjoyed the food and each others company. I'm really lucky to have such great in-laws!
Today was a lazy day for Jared, it being his birthday he was entitled. I made the same crumb cake again in the morning for Jared's birthday dinner at Grandma Engle's. I barely made it to the last 10 minutes of sacrament meeting and went to both Sunday school and Relief Society. Really great lessons in both classes. After church we went to Jared's Grandma Engle's house for spaghetti and pizza. Yummy! Her spaghetti is awesome! Not to mention she's just awesome. She is one of the sweetest ladies in the entire world and I just love her to death. Tonight, we've just been spending time together as a family. Monster #2 has been sleeping since we got home from great-grandma's and Monster #1 has been running around like a madman. I am actually happy about that last part because he was trying to get up on a chair at grandma's, slipped and cracked his head on the wooden leg of my chair. Got a pretty bad cut on his head, too. But nothing too serious. Just painful. And, of course, the one thing I forgot to put in the diaper bag was the baby tylenol. So he had to wait until we got home. But he's fine now. We are all watching The Polar Express on blu ray in 3D.
I love my little family. My husband and my boys are the best things that ever happened to me and I am truly grateful to have them.

Mom of two under 2

Ok, so it's been about a month and a half since I wrote here. Not too much has happened. My boys are getting bigger by the second. Thing 1 is almost 18 months and I can't believe the time has gone by so fast. He wanders around everywhere saying, "Mom? Mom? Mom?" It's so cute! He knows the signs for 'more' and 'please' and he uses them all the time. He is also extremely proficient at taking his diaper off. I returned home, the other day, from having a little me time and was promptly informed that Harley had taken off a poopy diaper and run around the living room while I was gone. I, of course, laughed my head off and said, "At least I wasn't home with him." To which, my husband scowled, haha.

Thing 2 is absolutely adorable. He smiles and giggles a lot these days. He has gained 6 lbs since he was born, and grown 3 inches. He's a big boy. But I'm glad because he can know fit into his baby clothes. We recently got some pictures taken of him and we put Harley up with him for the final pictures and he immediately squatted down and kissed Hayden on the forehead. It was really sweet. But Harley is always really sweet with Hayden. He's always trying to pick him up and hold him or give him hugs and kisses.

My wonderful hubby is not working at the moment. He had a month or so where he was working 50-60 hours a week and then, bam! Nothing. They pretty much put him on call and at this point, we just say he is no longer working for them. It's a huge bummer, but it's nice that he can be home and spend time with the boys. He and I are both looking for jobs and applying at different places, but it's really difficult for everyone these days so it's hard to find anything. I just hope one of us finds something soon.

I am doing well. Trying really hard to fend off a caffeine headache at the moment. I am trying to quit Dr. Pepper cold turkey, as both my dad and my dad-in-law have suggested. But it's just so flippin hard! I have had a headache for 2 days, and though I've had headaches this long before, I still hate it. And I hate knowing exactly what would make it go away. : ( Ah, well. This too shall pass. It just sucks. Big time. I'm also trying to finish my cookbook, if I can ever get all the recipes I want. I may just print out the recipes on nifty paper and then stick it in a binder. We'll see.

A lot of things are going to change in my life pretty soon and I'm not sure I'm ready for them all. But for right now, I'm going to just enjoy being around my family and friends and enjoy the changing seasons. I love to watch the trees change colors. I also love the different smells of Christmas time. The snow, fireplaces, cinnamon, pine, cookies. Christmas is my favorite holiday and time of year because family seems to get together more around Christmas. Baking cookies, decorating the tree, exchanging gifts and just spending time with one another. I really love it. I love my husband and my sons, they are the greatest things in my life. I am so grateful to have them.

Finally

It has been 1 month and 1 day since I last posted. I haven't really had time to post in the last month. I forget a lot of things so I'll try to remember enough to make an interesting post, lol.
On August 17th, just before 8 in the morning, we had our second son Hayden. Perfect little monster, 2 eyes, 2 ears, 1 nose, 1 mouth, 10 fingers and 10 toes. Cutest little bug. The birth went just as planned and everything turned out great. We had lots of visitors at the hospital and a few when we got home.
Jared started a job, with a company he's worked for before, the day I came home from the hospital, so it's been a little rough not having him here to help. But between my mom, my mother-in-law and several others it has actually been as stress-free as possible. It also helps that little Hayden seems to have clicked with Grandpa Mike and calms down fairly quickly in his arms. Jared is loving his job, his boss and the guys he works with. Working over 40 hours every week has been a little difficult for both of us, but it's totally worth it.
For the most part Harley is ok with his new little brother, but definitely jealous of all the attention he gets. I try to make it as equal as possible, but sometimes it can't be helped. Which is where having a lot of uncles nearby helps. In the space of maybe 3 days, Harley learned to open the front door, move chairs and use the chairs to climb on the table. Tons of fun. Also, he's learned that when Mommy is nursing the new baby, there is absolutely nothing she can do to stop him from doing anything. Not funny (even though I know you're all laughing!). It's definitely been, and still is, a learning experience that I'm actually having fun with. It's helping me to have some sort of routine. It's also helping me to be more patient. That will definitely come in handy in the next few years.
Other than the birth, the new/old job and the toddler's new achievements, it has been a relatively quiet time around here. Let's hope it stays that way.

4 more days!

It's Thursday night and I'm just sitting here with my honey and my monster hanging out. They are watching Bedtime Stories (great movie, I highly recommend it) while I freak out just a little more about the baby coming on Monday. I'm really excited. Mostly because I am so ready to have this little guy out! I've been waking up sick and having trouble getting comfortable at night. Blechh! Anyway, I'm kinda bummed because Mike has AT all through next week so he won't be able to be there. Blake and Aubrie are going out of town for someone's reception and won't be back till Tuesday (I think) so they won't be there. My nieces are going up to Strawberry and everyone else will come by later after he's born. Which is fine, because I don't want 30 people standing outside the window watching the c-section. But I was kinda hoping Blake and Mike would be able to be around. Ah well.
All I have to do is finish washing all of the new baby's clothes and bedding and put everything away. I'm very excited. But really tired. No matter how much sleep I get, I am ALWAYS tired. Harley, of course, has plenty of energy to run around and wreak havoc all day. I don't know what I'm going to do with a toddler and an infant. This should be an adventure.

Almost time!

I had my second to last doctor appointment yesterday. All looks good still. Our doctor said that he usually never says this, but my pregnancy has gone by surprisingly fast. Lol, that's pretty funny for a doctor, who probably sees about 20 pregnant women a day, to say that my pregnancy went by fast. He's a funny guy. I love going to my doctor, though, because all his nurses are so nice! I went up to the desk to check in and give them this month's medicaid card and his "administrative" nurse happened to be up front to take it. She looked around and said, "Where's my baby?" I pointed to where Jared and Harley were sitting and she said, "Good, I love when you bring him in." She is so sweet! He's nurses are just awesome. I am a little bit nervous because my doctor is going to be out of town all next week. It's 2 weeks early and my doc's not worried at all, but it still makes me nervous. I seem to remember him being out of town for a bit at the end of my pregnancy with Harley, lol. Maybe he just hopes I'll go into labor while he's gone, haha. Anyway, I have to see his partner this coming Monday for my last appointment before the little monster is born. I totally trust his partner, though, because he did a surgery for my mom several years ago. But hopefully, I won't have to worry about him delivering monster 2. I just can't wait to not be pregnant anymore and to see what this little guy looks like. I am sooooo terribly curious! I will miss feeling him moving around in there and knowing he's safe and sound. But it will be nice to see him and kiss his little face. August 17th, whether he likes it or not, our monster will be born! I'm excited and terrified all at the same time!

Dilemma

We finally have things set up pretty comfortably in our room and our living room. It's usually a disaster area, but the big furniture is where we like it. But we have to figure out how to fit another little person into the scheme of things and I'm not quite sure how to do it. There are a couple of factors that make it a little difficult.
I'm going to just suck it up and deal with the screaming that comes from making my little monster sleep in his own bed. We got a old/new for us crib from a nice lady in our ward that converts to a toddler bed. Hopefully, he will sleep in that on his own. Then we'll just use his old crib for the new monster. If that works, then it won't be too bad to try and fit another crib in our room. It'll just be a little tricky.
However, if he won't sleep in that, Vick has an extra twin bed that she said we can use and maybe that will work. I have a few ideas of how to fit a twin bed in our room with our king bed and a crib, but not quite sure if they will work. I don't mind packing up some more stuff to be able to fit everything. I just don't quite know what to pack.
The only other problem with either of those options is that Harley crawls in his sleep. He's crawled off the bed twice. Luckily, there was a blanket on the floor right where he fell both times, so no biggie. But still, kinda scary.
Warning: Long tangent! [I really hope he doesn't walk in his sleep like I used to. When I was 5 or 6, my oldest sister was coming home really late at night and heard someone go out the front door as she was coming in the back. She went to see who was leaving so late when she saw me pretty much taking off down the street. She yelled to my parents what was happening and then chased me down. Once she grabbed me, she was ready to chew me out when she realized I had no idea where I was or what was going on. It was a really scary way for us all to find out that I walked in my sleep. It wasn't too big a deal after that because I have a family of insomniacs, so someone was usually up to direct me back to my bed. I stopped doing it when I was about 13 or so. But when Jared and I were first in our apartment, I guess the stress of living on my own for the first time and getting married and everything was too much, because Jared caught me sleepwalking quite a few times. I even made it to our back door once, which would have been interesting, lol. But again, it hasn't happened since then. It 's really weird.]
Ok, that was random. Anyway, we have a big enough closet that some of the smaller bedroom furniture can go in there, like Harley's dresser and changing table. I might even get rid of our entertainment center because all it's doing is holding an empty fish tank and taking up space that I could use to make this easier.
Alright, I guess I better stop blogging and actually figure out how everything's going to fit.

Tired but happy

I have just been so tired these last few weeks. But I have been running errands and going all over the place, so I'm not surprised. This last week was pretty uneventful. I had some dental work done, including getting a whole in one of my front teeth filled. I am so much happier and more willing to smile now that it's fixed! Yay!
Plus we're getting closer to the arrival of our new parasite. It's both exciting and completely terrifying! I just don't know how we're going to do it again. We still don't have diapers for the little monster. I think we have everything else we need. We may have to get some more bottles and definitely binkies. Although I think Harley will be ready to get rid of his bottle altogether pretty soon. He likes drinking out of sippy cups and cups with straws a lot more than his bottle. We'll see. I can't believe how much he eats! But I guess because he's running around so much he needs more energy, therefore more food. He just eats like a horse! Pretty much whatever we eat at meal times and whatever snacks he gets hungry for. I just can't believe it. Mostly because it's so hot all the time I don't really feel like eating anything. I dunno. He's getting so big so fast. And we're about to have another one! I don't know what we're going to do.
Anyway, I went to Enrichment tonight. I dragged my friend Kila with me. It was actually pretty fun. We helped get everything ready and set up and then watched the skit that was prepared, which Vicky was in :D It was really funny and a really good message. It was a lot more fun than I thought it was going to be and a lot more sisters showed up than we were expecting. I think almost all of them made it. I was amazed. It was in the backyard of a sister down the street who is just the sweetest lady and has the most beautiful yard! You can tell she works really hard and spends a lot of time to keep it that way. She is just a really neat lady. We have a lot of those in our ward. We're really lucky.
Well, I am very tired and want to spend time with my honey and my baby, so...goodbye!

Weekend

Well, the weekend went by fast. My uncle got home safe and sound. It was really awesome having him visit. I've really missed him. I'm hoping Jared and the kids and I can go visit him and my auntie for Thanksgiving next year or the year after. We'll see.
Jared left on Friday to go up to Logan with my brother-in-law to help his dad with some stuff. They had fun hanging out together and Jared liked meeting my brother-in-law's parents. They didn't get home until 8:30 Sunday morning which kinda sucked. It was hard to deal with Harley, but I hung out at my sister's a lot and that helped. I also kept her awake really late :D But she loves me anyway. It was a good thing, though because Harley has started to try to learn a few new things that my nephew already knows how to do, and my nephew started walking after watching Harley walk around all week and weekend. It's so amazing how they watch each other and want to do what the other does so they just do. Cool.
After my doctor appointment today, I have to start going in every week until little Hayden's born. I'm very excited and completely terrified at the same time. I was nervous with Harley, but not scared like this. I'm just really glad that I have so much family so close by to help me. It will all work out.
I know this is silly, but I am really excited for Christmas. It's my favorite holiday and this year, Blake and Mike are both home! I have some gift projects I'm working on but I don't think I'll have enough time or motivation to finish them. I'm trying to do homemade presents this year. With all the family we have, it's become really expensive to do anything for Christmas. We'll see how this turns out, lol. I may just get lazy and buy presents anyway...ugh!

Whew!

I have made a lot of changes to my blog in the last few hours. I have also been scouting other blogs and webpages that I think everyone should check out. One in particular that I think is really great is called SugarDoodle
http://www.sugardoodle.net/mambo/index.php
It is an awesome site to find tons of different church lesson ideas and things for Visiting Teaching, FHE and the youth group ideas. It's really cool, check it out!

Stuff and Fluff

So, Sunday nothing really happened. We all kinda hung out and watched movies all day. My uncle did his famous Taco Mania which was really yummy. Although mine turned into more of a burrito pizza because I always stuff too much into my burrito and end up laying it flat eating it with a fork, lol. Monday morning my uncle called and said he got a kiddie pool and wanted us to all go over and swim in it. So I was thinking he got one of those little plastic pools, ya know? Well, it took a little doing to actually get out the door, then pick up my sister's kids, then pick up my brother's girlfriend, then get to my parents. But when we got there, to my surprise, my uncle had actually gotten a pretty good sized little pool that we all got to play in. My nephew did not like it one bit, but Harley did after a while. I think it was too cold at first, but then he was ok. Monday night we celebrated my brother-in-law's birthday with pizza from Wiseguyz, which was fantastic. I hate mushrooms, always have. I try them every year or every other year just to make sure I still don't like them. Well, I opened the box with the supreme-like pizza in it and just about died when I smelled the mushrooms on it. They smelled sooooooooo good! My mouth actually started watering! I left everything on the pizza instead of picking at it and I couldn't believe how yummy it was! My first weird pregnancy thing and it happens to be mushrooms! Just thinking about them makes my mouth water...Anyway, the whole birthday celebration was fun.
Tuesday was TONS of fun. We went to Scera pool and swam around for a few hours. At first, Harley just clung to me or Jared and wasn't interested in doing anything else. But we got out and took a break for a bit and when we got back in, he was trying to swim all over the place. He kept lunging for Jared or me. He loved the water. Unfortunately, my little nephew like the water, but one of his eyes got really red and then he got a little bit of a rash on the side of his head. We think he may be allergic to the chlorine. My mom and uncle decided to go get some sno cones from the stand outside Scera but the pool nazis wouldn't let them bring the sno cones into the pool. So they passed them to my brother over the fence :D Swimming was a lot of fun. Especially since it took off all the weight from my belly and my chest area. After swimming, Jared and I went out for our 2nd anniversary. It was nice to have some time to ourselves to talk and hang out. 2 years and almost 2 babies later and we're still together, lol.
Yesterday we got up and went to Beto's with my uncle, my brother and my dad. We were going to do a couple other things, but everyone was so wiped that we all just ended up going to our respective homes and passing out. We met back up at my sister's for dinner for my nephew's first birthday. My sister and her husband made the yummiest dinner! I think I ate 2 1/2 plates full, and when I say full, I mean FULL. Oh, but it was good. Plus the cake was really good. My nephew opened up his presents and ate cake. It was sooo cute and he LOVED the cake. It was a fun night.
Today all we did was go see Public Enemies which was really good. According to my parents and my uncle, it was very historically accurate. They did everything exactly as it happened. I had never heard of John Dillinger before and it was an interesting story. Also, Thursday at noon is a really great time to go see a movie. Matinee prices and no one else in the theater. Awesome.

4th of July

So, today we were supposed to get up to see the balloons at 6:30 in the morning, but I slept right through my alarm and apparently a few phone calls from my mom and brother. We got up when we were semi-ready and played with Harley for a couple hours.
{It was kinda nice to not wake up to children screaming and stomping around, lol. I just love to have time alone with Harley and Jared while no one's home. Don't get me wrong, I love living here with everyone and knowing how everyone's doing all the time. It's just hard sometimes to feel like our own family when we're not in our own place.}
Anyway, after spending some quality family time, we headed over to my parent's house to hang out for a while before the Independence Day festivities started. It was fun. We started watching O, Brother Where Art Thou? with my uncle, who had never seen it before. That was funny. We had a HUGE dinner. I mean, huge! We had brats, hot dogs, hamburgers, ribs, several sides and several desserts. Plus, the brats were done right, boiled in beer, then grilled...yummy! Also, there were strawberries right next to the whipped cream and I just devoured them. Oh my gosh, they were fantastic!
After dinner everyone had a water balloon fight (which I watched from the somewhat comfort of the kitchen window). It was really awesome to see my mom running around like a teenager for the first time that I can remember. Losing all that weight has just made her...happier. It's amazing to see the difference in her. It was pretty funny to see my family running around laughing and soaking each other.
Everyone either changed, or just ran around until they got dry and we started setting off the little fireworks while we waited for it to get dark enough to set off the big ones. Harley sat in my lap for his first sparkler and watched all the fireworks. He liked them ok sometimes. But he still wasn't too sure about them. He really wanted his daddy to hold him because they were so loud and some so bright. But, of course, Jared is a pyro and has to be the one lighting the fireworks :D Ah, well. I kept trying to cover Harley's ears, but he just kept shoving my hands away. Then, he would kinda half-heartedly put his hands over his ears for a second, but always put them down again. When they started throwing out the ones that practically blind you, he covered his eyes. He didn't like them, but he didn't not like them either. Actually, he liked the ones that flew in the air and did different colors. He ended up falling asleep about 20 minutes before we stopped lighting them. We hung out at my parent's for a little bit longer, then headed home.
Blake pulled in right before we did, and a little after that, James and Monica came over to say hi and ended up staying for a bit. We all hung out in Blake's room for a bit chatting until Monica decided she was hungry, so it was off to the kitchen. James was sleepy, so Blake made himself and Monica some Pasta Roni and we all talked together. It was nice. I talked to Blake about his mission a little bit, which was cool. I can tell it was a good experience for him, and I'm glad.
Anywho, it's almost 2:30 and I am exhausted. So it's off to bed for me.

Blah

Today we went to the zoo again. This time with the Hoppers. It was a lot of fun, but I got to bed really late and then woke up at 7 so we could leave by 9ish. So I was doing great for the first half of the zoo trip, then I started to get shaky and really tired. By the time we were done, I was barely able to make it back to the car and I totally passed out on the way home. Good thing, too, because Blake's driving is scary :D
At the zoo it was really awesome because we got there before it was too hot so a lot of the animals were actually out and the cheetah was pacing back and forth behind the fence. It looked like he was thinking, "Just wait...just wait until I figure out how to jump over this fence! Mmmm, automatically refilling buffet." lol. It was really cool.
We got home around 2:30 and jumped in the shower right away because walking around at the zoo for 4 1/2 hours can make you feel incredibly icky. After that we ran some errands and such until it was time to go to my mom's for my brother's birthday dinner. It was a day late, but we wanted to celebrate with my uncle. Who I am so happy to see. He got in around 4 today and will be here for a little over a week. I'm very excited because I haven't seen him since Jared and I got married. Soooooo happy he's here! We had fun at my parent's and I helped my mom out with Harley's quilt. Yay!
Kinda bummed because I missed the Beadle girls scrapbooking night at Monica's tonight. All the girls were there for once, except Becca B who doesn't live in the state. :( I dropped by to say hi after my parent's house and was bummed that I hadn't been there. Ah well, hopefully next time. It would be nice to have a little girl time, lol.
Anyway, we had to run a few errands after leaving my parent's, and now we're home and I am exhausted! I just feel so completely drained after today. Maybe I will actually get to sleep before 2 am...not likely.

Wish List

-Chevy Traverse or a Chevy Trailblazer
-HP Pavilion with AMD Turion X2 RM-72 Dual-Core Mobile Processor
-Printer/copier/scanner of some sort
-Kolcraft Contours Double Stroller (Red)
-3 bedroom 2 bathroom home w/fenced in backyard (townhouse, condo, house, whatever)

I remembered!

Ok, so a few days later, lol. Last Wednesday (I can't believe I even forgot) I went with Vicky, Aubrie and Monica, oh and Lydia, to get pedicures. It was the first time I ever got a pedicure and I loved it! I want to get one every month. I even had her put a little flower on my big toes...it's cute. Afterwards, we went to Olive Garden for their Soup, Salad and Breadsticks. It was very yummy and Harley very much likes breadsticks, haha. It was a fun day and so nice to have some time out with the girls.

Busy, busy, busy

So, it's been a few weeks since I wrote in here. That tends to happen. It has been very busy and very stressful. This last week we prepared for Blake to come home, of course.
Last Saturday, my family came over and helped us clean the house and do yard work because Mike had drill and Vicky wasn't supposed to be doing much yet. (Of course, she always does anyway ;) So we did a lot then, but we kept on going pretty much till Blake got home, haha.
Sunday, Jared, Harley and I went up to a really neat Vintage Clothes Store with my brother and his girlfriend. It was really cool. They didn't have the exact kind of dress that I was looking for, but I did find a 50's-ish dress that Mara got me for an early birthday present. It's BEAUTIFUL! And it was a huge bargain because there are some stains on the front that should come out at the dry cleaner's. So, great day on Sunday.
Monday I got a call from the new dentist's telling me that Medicaid told them that I was ineligible for benefits for this month. So, of course, I started freaking out. I called my caseworker and left a message and waited desperately for her to call me back.
Tuesday, I got a call from my caseworker telling me she had no idea why anyone would have told her I was ineligible. She went through and re-authorized everything, but told me to call the Medicaid hotline and check with them. I called and after 5 minutes of different menus, I was put on hold for 23 minutes and 46 seconds after which I decided to just leave a message only to have the voicemail thing tell me that the mailbox was full and they were rerouting me to the covering person who was out of the office and then it cut me off. So, VERY frustrated, I called my caseworker again and left a message telling her what happened. Also, we got the carpets cleaned that day and I was walking down the stairs with Harley in one arm and my medicaid papers in my other hand (I had been sitting in Vicky's tub while I was on hold because it was the quietest place in the house) and when I got to the bottom of the stairs, my foot slipped and I fell on my tailbone. It hurt so bad! And the carpet guy just stood there and said, "Oh, sorry." Didn't even try to help me. I was irritated.
Don't remember Wednesday.
Thursday we were gone most of the day shopping. But without hearing anything more from my caseworker, my medicaid card came and all is well. Vicky and Mike sneakily went and picked up Blake from the airport and hung out with him for the night and Friday morning.
Friday, the plan was that Blake was coming around 1 so we would have time to get everything done. Of course, he decided to come home early at the last minute and we had 2 hours to get everything cleaned, decorated and balloons put up. But we did it, and the kids were ecstatic to see him. It was really great. He is really a great person. The weekend has gone by pretty quick. It's now Sunday and we are all kinda crashing. At church, Ian gave a really good talk on prayer and Blake gave an amazing talk about his mission and some of the things he learned. It was really inspiring, actually. It made me think about some things. After sacrament, we all came home and had a barbecue. Mike manned the grill and Vicky manned the kitchen and I just kinda absentmindedly ran around the house chasing Harley down and talking to various people, lol. I'm kind of a social butterfly these days :) We had a whole lot of food and talking and it was a lot of fun. I fell asleep for a bit with Harley in the living room. But now we're all sitting around watching the Best Two Years. So, that has been my week.
We had an eventful Saturday, but I don't feel like writing anymore.

The Zoo

So, today was Harley's first trip to the zoo. Not too exciting as he wasn't that interested in most of the animals, haha. Jared carried him around the whole zoo looking at all the animals. I think Jared was more excited than Harley. He kept disappearing every time I turned my back to go look at something new. I don't think I got that many pictures of Harley, lol. But he had fun. We went with my parents, my sister and her hubby and my brother and his girlfriend. It was really great because my parents took turns pushing the babyless stroller with everyone's crap in it. Plus, it has been about 3 years since we went to A zoo, (we went to the Milwaukee Zoo in 2006) and it's been about 10 years since we went to the Hogle Zoo. Which is why I was soooooo excited. I absolutely LOVE the zoo. I don't like that a lot of the animals need bigger habitats, but like everyone else, I try not to think about it too much. However, I talked to one of the keepers and she said that more animals than you would think can't go back into the wild because they've had injuries or other things wrong that prevent them from being able to survive on their own. So, I guess for some, it's better to be alive in a cage than dead. Although, not being able to talk to animals, we'll never know. Anyway, Harley very much enjoyed the zoo and so did Mommy and Daddy. I'd like to go again this summer, but it may not happen. It was a tad bit difficult going today. We were there for about 2 1/2 hours and I did walk the whole thing. I took a couple of rest stops, but was still exhausted when we got home. So, maybe if we go in the next month I can handle it...we'll see.
On Thursday was Mara's graduation at the Marriott Center. It was an interesting thing for me, never having been to a graduation before. Yes, I am serious. My oldest sister got her diploma but didn't walk, my other sister graduated a few years after her class, I got my GED a month after my class graduated and I have not been to my friends' graduations. I should have gone, but I didn't. Anyway, the principal gave his speech, as I'm assuming is customary, and it was a really good one. Of course, anyone who can quote Dr. Seuss and Alice in Wonderland (movie), is fine by me ;) It was a great quote from Alice in Wonderland. He talked about the scene where she is at a fork in the road and looks up at the Cheshire Cat and says, "Which way should I go?" the Cheshire Cat says, "Well, that all depends on where you're trying to get to." Alice says, "It doesn't really matter, I suppose." And the Cheshire Cat replies, "Then I guess it doesn't really matter which way you go, does it?" That is so true! If you don't know where you're going, then why does it matter how you get there? It was a cool thing to say at a graduation. I just wish I could remember the Dr. Seuss quote. Ah, well.
There was also a lady there from the Alpine School Board or something (I wasn't really paying attention) that gave a speech and she told a really amazing story. (Like I said, I wasn't really paying attention so I don't know what point she was making with this story. It's just really cool, lol) In the early 1960's a white man was driving down the road late at night in the pouring rain. He saw a black woman standing on the side of the road next to a truck, soaking wet and in obvious need of help. So he pulled over, gave her a ride to a safe place, called a tow truck and put her in a cab. (Pretty unheard of back then.) The woman thanked him profusely and got his name and address promising to thank him as soon as she could. The man thought nothing of this and went on his way. A few days later, a delivery man showed up with an enormous (back then) color tv. A note attached to the card read "I can't thank you enough for helping me a few nights ago. Because of you, I was able to get to my dying husband's bedside before he passed. Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole." Tears came to my eyes when she finished telling her story. It was just so amazing. When you decide to help someone, you never know who you might end up helping or what affect you'll have on their life. It's just amazing when you apply that knowledge (which we do, we think about it all the time in our religion) to missionary work. Like the work Blake's been doing in the Phillipines, or that JD will be doing in Columbia. Just think of how many generations will be helped because they were baptized by a missionary. Or of how many of those individuals will decide to do their ancestors' work. The ripple in the pond just flows in every direction.
You know, it has just occurred to me how philosophical I can get at 1 in the blessed am. Although I believe every word I've said (rather written), I do tend to ramble the later it gets. Alright, I am going to bed...not really, I'm going to watch the Hulk with Jared for a while. :D I never learn.

Tired

It seems I'm using that word a lot lately, haha.
Yesterday I had to go to the hospital to get my Glucose test and blood drawn for my Rhogam shot. That was tons of fun. I was so tired I almost fell asleep while I was reading in the waiting area, or lack thereof since they're remodeling. Then we ran down and got Harley's shots. He had to get 5, the poor little guy. But we let him run around a bit and he went to sleep at 8:30 and didn't get up till this morning. It was wonderful. But I didn't go to sleep until about 1 anyway. I know, it's dumb. But, eh.
Anyway, I went today to get the actual Rhogam shot. I don't think they should be allowed to give shots in the butt/hip area, lol. It's uncomfortable. After that, we went to my brother's girlfriend's graduation today. It was long. We went with my mom and Zach, but we also had my preteen niece and my little nephew with us. So both babies. They were actually really good, but my little monster was loud, lol. It was fun. After that we went to Mara's house for a little graduation party. Her mom was so nice. She kept calling my mom either Sister Forciea or Mrs. Forciea, lol. It was funny.

Ponderings

I was looking on Facebook today, and I decided to look at the pictures on an old friend's page. I haven't spoken to her in years and she found me on Facebook. Anyway, I looked at her pictures and felt a little bit sad. Although I wouldn't give up my husband or my son (and my unborn son) for anything in the world, a part of me wonders what I would be like if I had stayed in Virginia. What my life would be turning out like. Would I have gone to college right after high school and be living in a dorm somewhere with new people or in an apartment with a bunch of friends? Or would I be like a lot of my friends and travel all over the world going to wild parties? It's just weird to look at my old friends, and some of my cousins, facebook pictures and see them traveling to New Zealand, Japan and France or graduating college with impressive degrees. Part of me longs to be like that. Longs to travel, to see the world with no responsibilities.
On the other hand, none of them know what it's like to see your child for the first time and know that you created that. None of them know what it's like to see your baby smile at you for the first time, or to see him take his first step and then figure out how to walk. None of them know what it's like to have a hard day and come home to this little person whose face just lights up at the very sight of you. I know what it's like to want nothing more than to just watch my baby boy sleep or play with his toys. Most of them also don't know how amazing it is to have a husband who loves and cares for you no matter what happens. Someone who loves the fact that you have full on conversations with yourself. Someone who will go out in public with you even if you look like a hippie. Having a baby, having a family, is so much more important and fulfilling than traveling the world or wasting my time with things that aren't going to matter a few years down the road. I am so grateful that I met Jared and that he wanted to marry me. I am so grateful that, despite all my mistakes, he still saw a good person in me and helped me to see it, too. I am so grateful that we had our son and that he is a happy, healthy little boy with a supersize personality. I am so grateful for our new little boy and can't wait to see what he is like. I love my husband, my son and my unborn baby. I wouldn't want my life any other way.

Yesterday

So, yesterday we got up at 7 and went out to breakfast with my brother, his girlfriend Mara and my Grandma. It was Mara's birthday as well, her 18th. We went to Ihop and Harley got to have eggs and pancakes and a little ice cream. Then we ran around all day getting things done. We went to Kiddie Kandids and Monica took some pictures of Harley and they are soooo adorable! He is the cutest baby!
After that we went home and I started making the birthday cake. Jared picked up Monica and she came over and helped me cut up fruit and wrangle the kids. We got all the kids to help clean up the house and get the dishes done. It was a great birthday. We had chicken, steak, 2 fruit salads, a bunch of chips, pasta salad from my grandma. Pudding salad, brats, deviled eggs and toffee torte from my parents. Along with Krispy Kreme donuts that came from someone in my family, but I'm not sure who :D It was a lot of fun having everyone here. Talking and laughing and just having fun. Harley fell asleep for a little bit before cake and ice cream, but luckily he woke up on his own just in time. He loved all his presents and has been playing with them ever since. He had a really great first birthday.
Thanks to everyone who came and helped! I really appreciate it!

Yesterday was Prom for Mountain View, where my brother goes. I helped his girlfriend and two of her friends get ready with hair and make-up. Thank heavens, Monica was able to come and help me out otherwise I never would have been able to do what they wanted me to. It took us 3 hours to do everything! But they looked amazing! My brother's gf looked absolutely gorgeous. Everyone's going to get sick of me saying it, but she really looked great. It was a lot of fun.
After we got done at my parent's, we finally made it to the birthday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa B's. Monica made me try this chicken salad from that Becca bought at Costco and I LOVED it! I ate about 4 or 5 rolls stuffed with it. I stuffed myself too much, lol. But it was so yummy I couldn't help it. Monica picked up a random cup off the counter, smelled it, and realized Becca had made strawberry lemonade and it was already gone. But, being the awesome person she is, Becca made more for Monica, lol. It really was good. I especially liked that it had chunky bits of strawberry in it...yummy.
Then after dinner, Monica reminded me that she wanted me to dye her hair...so we did blonde hair dye. With Monica's dark hair, it turned out dark brown and really pretty. I liked it a lot, but still not sure if James did, lol. All women know you can't get perfect results from a $3 box, but you can get pretty dang good results. It's fun to dye your hair at home...me, addicted? No way!

Tired

Yesterday we got a lot done. Not as much as I'd hoped, but good enough. We didn't get to bed until about 1:30 or 2 and then got up today at 7.
Well, I got up at 7, Jared didn't get up until 7:30. I got in the shower and Jared brought Harley in. The little stinker didn't wake up until it was pretty much time to get out. I wish I could sleep like that! He would open his eyes, look up at me, and then fall right back asleep. Turkey. We got all dressed and ready and headed up to Sandy for Claudia's funeral. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it. Everyone was in the room for the viewing and there were really no tears. Everyone was talking and laughing and just happy that Claudia is in a better place "twirling her dress." It was really nice. During the actual funeral services, I was out in the foyer with Harley, he was very restless (more on that in a minute). Almost everyone who spoke of her had funny stories to tell or happy memories. It didn't really feel like a funeral, more like a walk down memory lane. It was a very interesting experience.
Like I said before, Harley and I were in the foyer for the services along with Logan and Riley, as well as Stacey and Tyler (they came out the last 15 minutes or so). It was so sweet, every time Harley dropped his binky or my sunglasses (which I bravely let him chew on), Riley would pick up the binky and very gently put it back in Harley's mouth. It was just so cute! I wish I had gotten a picture. Riley was also kind enough to share his puppy with Harley, which Harley enjoyed very much. As soon as Stacey and Tyler came out, the little boys just took off. Man, is that little Tyler fast! He just booked it down the hall and stopped every little while to look at Harley as if to say, "Dude! What is taking you so long!?" lol. Harley just looked like, "Meh, whatever. I'm coming." My little stoner baby. Haha. Tyler and Riley are so adorable. There are some pretty dang cute babies in this family. Of course, mine's cutest. ; )
I had already fallen asleep in the car on the way, but when we actually got home, I slept for another 2 hours! I was soooooo tired! I don't know what I'm going to do when this baby gets here. I'll have to recover from a second c-section in 15 months, plus have a toddler and a newborn while my husband works and starts school again. Oy! I don't know how people do it. By the way, the name we've finally chosen for our second little monster is Hayden. No fix on the middle names yet, still working on those. But Hayden is set. Harley and Hayden Hopper. lol.
Ok, there is screaming in the other room where my baby is...

More...

Last night Harley slipped in the tub and hit his chin on the edge and we ended up having to take him to the hospital to get three stitches. It was an hour long process because we had to wait half an hour for the numbing stuff to work. Plus he screamed bloody murder at being held down, which just broke my heart. But right after he passed out and slept peacefully. Now I'm just trying to keep him from pulling the bandaid off.

Updates

So, about a week and a half ago I took Philip with me to the DMV to get a duplicate title. I just about died laughing because Philip was very upset about the way the system works. He kept trying to predict which station we would be going to because there were 2 that had numbers close to ours. But at the DMV any of the stations can take any of the numbers at any time. He thought this was unacceptable, lol. I always think the DMV's unacceptable. Ahhh, it was funny.
We finally sold our Grand Prix and bought an 85 Suburban. It's really awesome except that I'm finding out more and more little things that need to be replaced that my husband neglected to mention to me...ugh! But I still love it.
I also finally got a power cord for my laptop only to find out that I now need a wireless internet card because my laptop is not registering the fact that I already have a wireless internet connection inside...more ugh!
We can't figure out a name for the new baby. We had a few names picked out for a girl, but now that we know it's a boy, we got nothin. That's frustrating.
We are also going to be staying with Mike and Vicky for a while. My wonderful mother-in-law is giving up her toy/craft room so that we can have a living room and more space. I just have to tell all of you how awesome Vicky is. She has been so awesome the past few weeks...well, always, but especially the last few weeks. I don't know what I would have done without her and I am so grateful that I am a part of her family. She really is an amazing person.
Ok, I'm tired and I want ice cream...

...

Today I am really feeling the quote "When life gets too hard to stand, kneel." Hopefully it won't be too hard to stand back up.

True Blue Beadle Fashion

So today we went to the doctor to find out the baby's gender. Well, we get into the ultrasound room, get all set up and the tech just comes right out says, "It's a boy!" I just look at her and say, "Are you sure? Can you check again?" I made her check 3 times and even after that I made my doctor show me on the picture. I just couldn't believe it. I was so sure it was a girl. Oh well, we are having another boy which is fantastic. Two little boys really close together. Now all we have to do is figure out another unique name.

Finally!!!!!!!!

So, just a few days ago I got approved for Foodstamps. Yesssss! I was very excited. So I have been very excitedly been going grocery shopping and making dinner for the last few days. I am mostly happy because I feel like I can contribute now. I am more willing to make menus and do dinner because I can use "my own" money to do it. It just makes me feel better knowing I'm helping. Yay! Plus we get baby food on Foodstamps that isn't covered by WIC. Double Yay!
Also, I called my caseworker today because I have an appointment on Monday and I hate going there telling them I don't have a Medicaid card yet. So I called her and left a message asking if there was anything left that I needed to send her to get back on. She called me back about a half hour later and said, "I'm really sorry, but I forgot to input something. But I did that and resent your March card and your April card should be coming any day now." I asked, "Well, what about January and February, because I applied back in January?" She said, "No problem, I will put it back that far and send those cards out to you right away." HECK YEAH! I am so excited that we got back on Medicaid. We don't have to pay any bills for the doctor. YEAH!!! So, we are back on Foodstamps and Medicaid, which means we can qualify to get me back on WIC which will help with milk, cheese and things like that and foodstamps for the rest. Oh, my gosh I am so happy! It has been a really good week. Now all we need is for Jared to get this job and we'll be good for a little while. Vicky was talking to me about staying a little longer than we planned so we can save up some money before we strike out on our own again. I'll have to think about it. I don't mind, in fact I'm appreciative, but still. It's hard to live in another family's house, ya know? Oh well, we'll figure it out.
Mike brother and his family are here for a little bit, which is awesome. They're staying with us for a couple of days. They came right in and grabbed Harley. It was really cool. We sat around and talked for a while. Harley stood up in his crib without holding onto anything and Doug said, "It's amazing. It's like a hand stand with feet." And Mike said, "...Sort of like a stand...or standing." It was hilarious. Then a little bit later Mike had taken my phone from Harley and held it out to me saying, "You better take this before I throw it at my brother." It was really funny!
End transmission.

Disappointing

So, we have started this little group in our ward for Enrichment. It's just the Young Sisters group, which is made up of all the women between 18 and 30. We had our first activity last night and I had been really worried about it because we hadn't had much time to plan. There are three of us on the sub committee, 1 who's always out of town, 1 who is extremely busy and 1 who is fly by the seat of her pants. (I'm the last if you weren't sure ;) We didn't get to have a planning meeting until 2 days before the activity, which always makes me nervous and anxious. I like to have a plan and know what I'm doing well ahead of time so I can do my part. Anyway, we only had 2 sisters show up to the activity and it kinda bummed me out. Oh well, there's always next month.
Good news is that Harley is getting his top front teeth and doesn't seem to be too bothered by it. However, I'm getting bothered by his determination to get out of the crib! He keeps standing on his toys to try and get out. Ugh!
In even happier news, we get to find out whether or not we have a boy or a girl in a week and a half! Yay!
FYI: I WILL BE MASS TEXTING THE BABY'S GENDER WHEN WE FIND OUT!

A couple quotes for you

"We spent months planning this and all THEY wanna do is study! I'm disgusted. We had no one at the mutant hamster races. We only had one entry to the Madame Curie look-alike contest and he was later disqualified...why do I bother?" - Chris Knight, Real Genius

Karen: "So you just went to sleep, that's it?"
Meg: "Yes, I just said that. Didn't I just say that?"
Nick: "About 5 times."
Meg: "I did not know him in the biblical sense."
Nick: "I love these shoes, I think I'm going to sleep in them."
Meg: "But that does NOT mean he's going to have sex with them."
- The Big Chill (One of my all-time favorites!)

Finally

So, I haven't written in here for a month...I just haven't felt like it. I'm writing now for no reason, really. Anywho.
The other night the baby and I fell asleep at around 8 so, naturally, we woke up around 11, lol. Harley decided he no longer wanted to sleep and his mother decided she was hungry. So I went upstairs and started making macaroni. I locked the front door and the side door because I don't like having doors unlocked at night. I was walking across the family room to the kitchen when I heard a noise like someone trying to open the side door. Freaking out a little, I kept walking and stopped at the border between the living room and the kitchen because I heard a noise coming from the laundry room. All of a sudden, Monica's head pops out of the laundry room and scares the crap out of me. With James following close behind. Apparently they had come over to eat the leftover lasagna my mom made the other night. Jokingly, I asked them if they did this often. Seriously, Monica answered not anymore. Makes me wonder if I should start locking the doors more often...
On another note, we had Harley's blessing on Sunday. Jared was very nervous, but he did just fine. It was really nice. We had a lot of people there for such short notice. And James made a fool of himself to Bobby's step-dad, teehee.
Jared started school at UVU and loves it. He said it's a lot easier this time. So, hopefully, all will go well and Jared will finally have found the thing he's meant to do.
Also, in 3ish weeks, we get to find out whether it's a boy or a girl! Yay!

Amazing

Tonight I went to the most amazing Relief Society meeting with Vicky, Grandma B and Auntie M. It was so great! Sister Julie B. Beck (aka the General Relief Society President) was there to speak. However, instead of just getting up and speaking, she got up, said a little about herself and then asked for questions that applied to everyone. It was really awesome to hear that other sisters have the same questions and problems that I do. I mean, you know that I'm not the only one with problems, but it's nice to know that there are other people who have no idea what to do about them, either. lol. That's kind of bad in a way. Oh well. It was really an awsome meeting and I'm glad I went. I did get a phone call in the middle of the meeting and when I checked the message afterwards, it was none other than my own Relief Society President. lol. Calling me to be a Visiting Teacher. Eeeeeeeeek! I will tackle that scary monster tomorrow.
So, I have decided that there is way too much salt in my diet and I seriously need to decrease that. I will start eating something and have to drink a gallon of water because it's so salty. So, starting now, only one piece of bacon when we have it, and no more drowning my mashed potatoes in salt and butter. Oh, man that's going to be hard. But I think I can do it...we'll see. I need to start eating healthy anyway.
My son has started walking! ...crap! lol. He's already a little terror crawling...walking is going to drive me crazy. Especially in our little amount of space. Right now he's sleeping and I love to watch him. He's so peaceful and sometimes he makes little sleeping sounds and it's sooooo cute! He almost always wakes up happy. He fidgets for a minute before opening his eyes, then rolls over and grins at me. He's so adorable. However, what's not so adorable, is when he sleeps in our bed he has realized that he can wake up quietly and wreak tons of havoc before waking mommy and daddy up. lol. He's still cute. Especially when daddy wasn't quick enough changing the diaper last night. teehee. He peed all over daddy, himself and his bed. It was funny.

My lovely collage!

So tired...

So, Monica got me to download Picasa. Which is a really cool program, kinda like Photoshop. I have been playing with it all day. I think I have played with over 100 pictures. It's been a lot of fun. Especially with my wedding pictures and pictures of Harley. I am very excited.
However, I have had an enormously gigantic headache for about an hour. Sleeping didn't help it at all, however, after just 1 swallow of Dr. Pepper it is starting to fade. That is really sad.
Now I am watching NCIS, my favorite show, and playing with more pictures while trying very hard not to wake my little guy up.
I am really scatterbrained, so I am not going to write any more.

More playing with pictures. Isn't it adorable?

I have been playing with Picasa, which Auntie M was kind enough to introduce me to. Haven't quite got it right, but I love it.

Woah

So today, Vicky has been cleaning like a fiend. And man, do I feel bad for those blinds...they never had a chance...lol. She and the kids have been working so hard today trying to get everything ready for Mike's arrival. We are all so excited that he's coming home. It's been a long time. It never seems like a year is long until you have to wait for something...lol. Interesting how that works out. Becca came over and helped clean, while Jayden helped Lydia clean her room, then mess it up, then clean it again, lol. Becca made sure to make Vicky eat some real food, which helped a lot. Plus it was really yummy.
Jared basically cleaned our room, brought in the changing table (finally), and organized all of Harley's food and diapers and stuff on it. He is such a sweetheart. I married a good one. :D
Right now I am in the office, instead of my room, listening to James teach Tai Chi to Philip and Lydia. It is freakin hilarious. I was off in my own world doing something when I heard James say, "Look at my belly! See it jiggling? It's saying 'Look at me! Hit me! You want to hit me!" and making his stomach jiggle, talking in a weird deepish/highish voice. I leaned back in my chair and just looked at him. I snickered to myself a little and that's when he looked over, noticed me, and started laughing which made Lydia and Philip laugh, which are two of the funniest sounds in the world. Listening to Lydia or the twins laugh...you can't help but burst out yourself.
Right now we're getting ready to make navajo tacos because I am HUNGRY!!! We ate some chicken salad stuff on croissants around 4:30 that Becca brought, which were fantastic, but I didn't eat that much, so I am hungry again. Pregnant women are always hungry, so I guess that's not a new development, haha.
I do want to shout out to my Auntie M...lol. You are so awesome! I don't know what I would do without you! *muah*

Exhausted

I am soooooooooooooooooooooo exhausted! I can't sleep at night and all I can think about is sleep during the day. Hence, I am up at 12:22 exactly. And I have to get up at 6 to go babysit when all I want to do is stay in bed with my husband and my baby. 2 more weeks and I can. Don't get me wrong, I really love my nieces and nephew and I would do anything for my sister and brother-in-law. But I am so exhausted. I would not advise anyone to accidentally get pregnant 6 months after having a baby via c-section. No, no I wouldn't. A c-section for one is just a huge shock to your system all on its own. Then, pregnancy is exhausting all on its own. Put those together and you have a dazzling combination. However, put a pretty much toddling baby on top of all that...wow, am I an idiot. lol. Definitely going for an IUD next time. Ugh! Now, to put the cherry on top of the chocolate syrup on top of the whipped cream on top of the ice cream...add an 11 year old and a 7 month old baby to all of that and I really am an idiot. I stay up late so I can spend time with my husband and my baby, but then I have to get up so early to go babysit that I am exhausted by the time I get home and can barely spend time with them anyway. My life is one big circle.
I am very happy for Jared that he will be starting school ne...wow, this month. hehe. I forget it's February. (Why is there a superfluous 'r' in the middle of that word? Hardly anyone includes it. Sidenote: Monica, for once, superfluous really is a word, though I may have misspelled it.) Jared will be working on his 1 year certificate in Mechanics so he can get a job with this really great, honest mechanic we know. While he's working there, he will finish the second year for his Associate's. I am really happy for him. He really wants and needs this. It's something that he will be really great at. So yay for him.
I, on the other hand, will be staying at home keeping myself healthy and sharpening my mommy skills before the new one comes...yay! I am actually excited to stay at home all day and get things organized and play more with Harley. It's so hard to give him all the attention he needs when I have to split it with his cousins. I know I will have to do the same when the new one comes, but right now I want to give him all my attention until that time. Soon...soon.

Yay!

So today we happened to have enough money for me to get my hair cut! Yay! ...That's so sad...Anyway, I got it cut really short, but I LOVE IT!!! It's sooooo cute! Then, Vicky and I went to Walmart to check out hair colors because she wanted to dye her hair. So I, very foolishly, I mentioned to her that I there was a color I always wanted to try, but was too chicken to. She bought it for me! We dyed our hair together and we both look fabulous *sing song voice*! For inquiring minds, my hair is now burgundy brown. It's super cute. And Vicky's is light brown. It was a lot of fun.
After that, Monica showed Vicky and I a few hair tips. Yeah, I know nothing about doing much with my hair. But, that's ok, I like doing my hair the way I do. Anywho, I love my hair. It's great!

Wow!

So, another friday is almost gone and I have no idea where this week went...again. I'm just so tired and I really don't have the energy or the motivation to write anything else.

This week

This week went by so fast. I just wasn't expecting that. I was expecting it to drag by slowly and painfully. But, alas, here is the awesomeness that is the weekend. Anybody catching on that I'm really excited about the weekend? I am. Really, really excited.
I have had the worst nausea, acid reflux, heartburn, cravings...everything. This pregnancy is a lot different than Harley's. Except I have had a huge sweet tooth this time. Not to mention the meat. I am craving meat all the time. Especially whoppers from, duh Burger King. Single or double. Or a double stacker. Mmm...I'm just making myself hungry now, lol. I'm also starting to get into that whole nesting thing. I didn't get into that last time. I want to clean everything and it's really hard to do that when you feel nauseous and tired all the time. This pregnancy is really weird.
So, I was introduced to Mamma Mia the movie by my niece earlier this week. I borrowed it from her and watched it with Vicky and Monica tonight. I just love it! It is hilarious! We laughed a lot. After the movie, I wanted Oatmeal Cookie Dough. I rarely ever make cookies, only dough. Lol, I love oatmeal cookie dough! It is my favorite. But Monica made some cookies out of it. : ( But she left me a bunch of dough. Awesome!
Sometimes, I can't believe where my train of thought takes me, lol.
All done!

Early

So...getting up early to go babysit is not fun. Nausea plus exhaustion. Plus a crawler and a baby that hates to be put down. I love my sister's kids, but I'm really glad I'm not babysitting permanently. I am so tired and so nauseous I couldn't do it for that long.