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The Zoo and Geocaching...

Why do I always seem to post on Monday?? Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter!

So we had a fun weekend this week! Chloe got to take her first trip to the zoo! Well, it wasn't 'technically' her first visit, she went once at Christmas time her at about 4 months old, so that doesn't really count! We also went out and found a geocache, something we haven't done in a while!

So anyway the weekend did not start out well with a pretty dismal Friday. I get a day or so, sometimes as long as a week, once a month about that I just get downright depressed. I don't want to do anything, think my life is awful, I'm the worst mother/wife there ever was, etc. Its highly annoying. And while it's going on I don't WANT to be that way, I WANT to change and be happy but I just can't. Which makes me feel even worse. It's a vicious cycle! I don't remember doing this much before Chloe, is it residual PPD? Birth control? Just me being me?? Whatever, I just hate it. I've tried taking a low dose of zoloft a few times but I hate the 'spacey, far out' feeling it gives me. Ugh. And by a few times, I mean I have taken a pill once and then a few months later another, lol. Most of the women in my family suffer from depression and are on some sort of antidepressant, but I don't want to be one of them...

All that to say Saturday was much better! Lee had to work that morning but he was back by twelve. I decided earlier that day I'd like to take Chloe to the zoo, but we wanted to wait till later so it wouldn't be so hot. We are in the first week of summer and it is KILLING us with these high 90's. So we tooled around at home for a bit, Lee did some mowing, etc, then at 4 we headed out. We invited the in laws but only Lee's sister and older brother was able to come. I'm glad they did it was fun to have them!


So we put Chlo's car seat in the middle and they sat on either side with her. On we went! It was fun, though she didn't have as much fun as I thought she would. At the giraffe part she kept shaking her and and saying "no like it no like it" lol! She still had fun though. It was funny, all four of us were vying for her attention to experience the animals with her. We all wanted to hold her when she saw something new, etc, lol. I felt bad for Lee though she didn't want anything to do with him for some reason :(. She was good with the other two for a while but towards the end she wanted nobody but her mommy. Aw, ;).

Anway after that we headed on over to Dreamland and got some ribs! But it wasn't as great as it usually was, and I wasn't very hungry, so kind of bleh. Still fun though! Then on home! It was already after eight when we left birmingham, takes about an hour to get home from there.

Then Sunday! Listened to an awesome message at church, we are starting a series based of the Courageous movie. It was really good. Then we got some taco bell for me and hardees for Lee while Chloe took a nap in the back seat. (she wasn't very good in nursery and dad had to come rescue her, boo, she did something similar last week, I hope we aren't starting that again!! She has been so good in there for months now!)

Then we layed around the house for awhile until I decided I want to go geocaching. Lee was being lazy so it took me a bit to get him going but we finally got out of the house. We headed to Blount Springs, it was neat! There used to be a health spa and such there in the 20's, neat right?? It sure was stinky though! Chloe finally wanted something to do with her daddy so he toted her all around checking it out. The springs were in the middle of the woods.

After that we headed to the store and got some cheese dip for dinner and Chlo sat next to me for like an hour eating chips and cheese, it was so cute.

Well that is about it! Until later!

Just A Monday...

Well its a dreary monday morning at work, not much going on, and I felt the need to blog!

Had a pretty decent weekend, although I was a little disappointed in how mothers day went. Nothing really special for me. Was at church from 8:15am to 1:30pm, then we went over to his mom and dads until 7 or so. Had to let the dog off the runner, then Chloe was getting extremely ill. (she had a very short nap and she has a molar coming in giving her trouble) So we went in to try and get her to eat, no go, and Lee had to take her outside and swing on the porch to get her to stop screaming and go to sleep. Sigh. Then I couldn't find anything to eat (I was wanting to go OUT that night but that didn't happen) so that made me madder, and finally I  made us two egg sandwiches and went to bed. So, not a great day. Oh well. I did get a nice card from Lee that said he would take me to Olive Garden or Red Lobster to eat and then to see the Hunger Games, whoo hoo! Maybe we can go this weekend. Although I just thought, we have my neices grad party on Sat and then Sunday is her Graduation. Hm, so we might need to do it this week some time.

Saturday was pretty fun though, we went over to my mom and dads that night for my dads birthday. I got four papa johns pizzas and made him a three layer white on white cake. It was a big hit. We also watched our infamous House Boat Trip video AGAIN, for like the 4th time, haha. Still awesome. I cant believe its been 7 years. CanNOT believe it!

So I mentioned a dog! Yeah, Lee finally talked me into another one. You might remember our schnauzers, Bowser and Missy? Well we gave Missy to Lees cousin, then Lee accidentally ran over Bowser a few months ago :( That was awful...

Anyway, meet Max!

He is a 9 month old American Bulldog. We rescued him. He seems to be a good dog, needs a lot of training since NONE was done on him. But hes sweet. Still, another dog was not something I had to have. Its just another hassle, something to worry about, feed, take to the vet, etc. -_- But I knew Lee wanted another one, so whatever. He is having a lot of fun teaching him to fetch a frisbee.

So, Chloe is doing good. She has been a bit cranky these few days but I think its that molar coming in. She is saying so many phrases now, so funny. She can basically copy cat anything you say. Here's a few:

1. There she is!
2. Its just a
3. I dont know
4. Hold on
5. Just a minute
6. Happy birthday to you (comes out more like happy to to you in a cute sing song voice, lol)

She also went on her first boat ride last weekend! She wasn't too sure about it. She had a life jacket of Lukes on that didn't fit real well and it kept her kind of boxed in around her head, lol. So she just SAT THERE, didnt say a word, move, etc, it was kind of sad! Lol, I finally took her down in the cabin to change her clothes and after I took it off she started moving around and talking, lol! I remember when she was little and I held her ears for fireworks she would be really still. I guess the way to get her to go limp is to hold her head still! Hopefully she will do better next time in her own life jacket and have more fun.

We bought her a potty last week! I have sat her on it about three times now, no pee pee yet but she loves doing it, thinks its great fun. I have her help me pull her pants and diaper down and sit next to her on mine when I go and she thinks is so funny. I tell her okay, go pee pee! And she will laugh and shake her head and say no! in a funny voice, lol, not real heartening but hopefully she will get the hang of it soon. I don't think she will be real difficult. She tells us pretty much every time now when she has pooped, she says shoo shoo, lol.

I broke out the bikini for the first time a few weeks ago! I felt so awesome, it was great. I didn't look as toned as I wanted, but def okay to go out in it. First time ever!! Since then I have been eating pretty crappy so my lower stomach has that bit of pooch now that I don't like, again. Gotta quit eating so much! I wish I could get the tone of my upper stomach into my lower. Sigh. Hate that lower tummy fat! It wasn't as great as it could have been though because the husband did NOT approve. That caused some tension for a week or so. We still haven't really talked about it...we need to. I don't really know what to say though. I mean, ugh, really, really REALLY?? Does he REALLY want me to never wear one again? What bothers him so much about it?! Its not like I'm out there exibiting for anyone, it was just my bro and  his wife and some friends we grew up with. Anyway, thats neither here nor there. I know I need to be submissive and do as he wants me to...just hard!!

Sort of in the same vein, we found out our love language at small group last Friday. Lee and I have the SAME top two! Thats strange for a couple! Our top two are Quality Time and Acts of Service. Then my next is Words of Affirmation, Lee is Physical Touch and Gifts tied. Kinda neat to find out! And very helpful to make our relationship better.

Well not much else going on! Ta ta!

Spring Is Here!

So its been quite some time since a post! I know I'll regret later not having a record of my life at this time, and what Chloe is doing, so I am getting on here to do just that! Well the present state of things in our life right now?

Financially: SUCKS.
Family As A Whole: Very Good.
Hubby and I's Relationship: Excellant!
Spiritually: Getting Better.
Physically: Great!

 So starting with financially, yeah, we are in deep. Mortgage gets paid the VERY last day of the month, all our other bills are always 2 weeks overdue. Utilities are a month overdue. Sigh. And we aren't SPENDING MONEY! Maybe eat out twice a week, no more then 30 each time, usually in the 20's. No other sort of spending, maybe a $100 a week on misc things. Its awful! We keep scrambling to catch up and it never happens. Sigh. I've been trying to pay extra on the husbands truck but that only happened one month. If I keep paying $30 extra I can pay it off next fall, which is a year early. Then we can put that whole $120 onto our explorer and get it paid off early. That would be a relief!! We also are paying a $100 to mom and dad for our mustang we bought. They financed it for us basically for $8,250. Its a '71 Mustang convertible! Lee just loves it.

So along with at least a $100 in groceries a week, a $120 tithe a week, at least a $100 in gas a week and all our bills (cell phone, dish, utilities, mortgage, 3 car payments, car insurance) it is TIGHT every stinking week. I just wish we weren't behind, that would make me happy. And poor Lee works his butt off on side jobs all week and we still end up needing every bit of it just to get by. I feel so sorry for him. :( Plus we owe $1200.00 on our taxes this year, yeah, awesome right?? >:(

Moving on! Our little family is just great. We have so much fun together. I really couldn't imagine having another baby anytime soon, I love just the way we are. Chloe is our world!

Lee and I are doing well too, it takes work, but he makes it easy. They really don't make them like him anymore. He is darn near perfect, and the things hes not perfect in he knows and is working on. Love that man! Not only is he a great husband but he is a wonderful daddy. He takes such good care of Chloe and she adores him.

Spiritually Lee and I are doing better. We are reading our bible more and really participating in our small group that we have on Fridays. We are going through The Five Love Languages right now in group and we all really are having fun with it. We love our small group anyway. The 3 couples that are in it besides us are just awesome, we are all really good friends! (which one of the couples is my younger bro and his sister who I am good friends with, lol)

So physically! Late last spring I started the couch to 5k which I culmulated with running a 5k in October. I stopped running after that because I wasn't losing the weight I wanted to. So this January Lee and I started doing some weight training every other day. That was going well and I started up running again and I am getting very happy with the results here about 3 months in. I've got some abs showing through even! My arms are really toned and my weight is almost where I want it. What I'm doing is 7 pull ups, 15 push ups, a few exercises on the weight machine for arms and legs. Then I do 15 squats with 15lbs on each side of a weight bar, after that curls with the same. Then I do some exercises with my 12lb or so barbell for my back. Then I move on to abs. I have 4 or 5 diff exercises for that. Then I'm done! I try to do it at least twice a week. I also jog about 3 times a week. I was doing HIIT, running hard for 30 secs and then jogging for 30 secs, but that gave me splints for the first time. So I'm starting slower this time with 1 mile jogs until I think I've built up enough for the pounding.  

I've also changed my diet of course. I don't eat much bread or processed things, sweets. A lot more veggies and fruit, drink nothing but water (about 4 bottles a day) and just plain eating less. I'm taking vitamins as well.  

My goal is to get bikini fit. You know, when you see the girl walking by in her bikini and your like, dang, wish I looked that good! Thats what I want. I even bought myself a motivation bikini, haha, its this one: 

I'm hoping it will make my hazel in my eyes pop. Of course my little a's aren't going to look that good, but oh well! I also just got the top because I don't do waxing, haha. I'm still not sure Lee will let me out of the house in it, but we will see! ;)

I wish I had taken a before picture so I can put my after picture next to it. If I take one now it won't be near what I used to be. I'm also trying to grow my hair out again (its about shoulder length now) and I ordered contacts Monday, so I'm getting myself the way I want to be, slowly but surely!

So lets get to what baby girl is up to!

1. She is saying so many words now, pretty much can repeat anything you say. Favorite/popular words: No! Dada, mommy, daddy, Daisy, papa, nene, ride, help me, where, down, done, banana, juice, please, get you, love you (she just started this last night, so sweet!) see you, mow mow, bow bow

2. She can climb up on just about any couch now

3. She is eating: Pb&J, spaghetti, peaches, bananas, chips, hotdogs (if she sees Luke eating them), raisins, bread (of course!) anything sweet!, mashed potoatoes, cream corn, beans, refri beans, mexican rice, oats (her fav!), and I'm sure some others.

4. She loves walking around at work with me to write up cars and has to 'drive' all of them.

5. We are working on colors, she can say them but I don't think she knows what I'm saying they are

6. She is 21lbs and 12 oz, 32in long, 20 months in another week

7. She loves Daisy and now after watching me ride so much last week loooves riding her play horses

8. Actually she loves ANY sort of animal

9. She HATES bugs, oops, that might be my doing

10. She still loves being outdoors over anything. She'll play in the yard for hours. 

11. She is wearing mostly 18 month old clothes.

12. We turned her car seat around about 2 months ago and she is a much happier camper

13. She loves riding in the mustang, even with the top down! (she likes going fast!)

14. She doesn't like the sound of thunder at ALL

15. She loves to sing and hear others sing

16. She likes reading books

17. She is getting hard to put to sleep at night, she wants to play still! 

18. Shes sleeping from 9 or 10pm to usually 7:30am. Rarely wakes up at night, if she does she usually puts herself back to sleep

19. She takes 2 naps on Mon and Tues with Shirley, and usually only one with me.

20. Her hair is getting longer, but in front of her ears its still very short!

21. She still only has the two front bottom teeth and one huge molar on the back right. Two tops and the two next to it up top. So 7 total!

22. She loves shoes, probably because that means she gets to go outside

23. She loves carrying around things like its a purse

24. She hated baths in the big bath until I put her little bath in there and now she is happy

25. She started smacking when she blows kisses :)

Well theres lots more but that is the gist! I'm here at work right now waiting on her to wake up from her nap. She has been sleeping about 2 hours here lately which is awesome. She used to only sleep an hour. She's at about an hour and 45 right now. Hopefully she will make it for 2 because we have a busy afternoon! After work we will go with Lee to a side job and then we are meeting the girls from small group for cupcakes at 6. We just got a cupcake place in our town. We are big time! We're even getting a Starbucks! haha. What we were most excited about though was when we got a Five Guys. SO GOOD. Although I haven't been there since Jan because of my 'diet'.

Til later!

       

Nearly 10 Months!

Hello everyone! Its been forever so I thought I'd better update this little blog!

Of course first on the list is baby girl. Who is nearly 10 months now! She is growing so fast. She is crawling a little bit now, and pulling up to her knees on the side of her pack and play and just this morning she did it on her crib for the first time. A bit alarming for me when I turned her monitor screen back on and saw that! Lol, time to lower the matress! She can also sit up from her knees and get on her bottom, and vice versa. She is clapping and waving now, and also does this funny clucking thing with her tounge. She also started laying her head over on your shoulder when someone talks to her like she is being shy, lol. Its pretty cute.

Her hemangioma looks really good. Getting lighter and lighter. Her doctor thought it was basically gone. So we go back in another month and she will probably be tapering her meds till she is off it. Then we will watch it to see if it comes back.

Shes eating well, loves anything we give her off our plates. Fries, bread, refried beans, rib bones, oatmeal, eggs, etc. STILL not drinking out of anything though. Sigh. I tried another sippe last night with no luck. But she will drink out of OUR cups all day long! I swear this child is too smart for her own good!

We went to the beach with her for the first time this past weekend. SO FUN! Although she wasn't impressed. She was really excited and happy right up until the wave got her feet and then she was done, lol! She didnt like the sand either! So we are hoping next year she will like it a lot more, :).

Anyway, not much else going on. Just going on with life. We did get rid of our F150 and bought an Explorer. Which I am LOVING! It has so much room and also a 3rd row so we can seat 7 in there. And we got a smokin deal on it. Its also black! :D Here it is:

We have been trying to get the house fixed a bit. Put some new blinds on the windows, planted some flowers, etc. I've got SO MANY other things I'd like to do but NO MONEY. Gas and food prices are just rediculous right now. We are glad to be out from under that 14,000 truck though. We have 8 to pay off now, between my explorer and Lees truck. That is our only debt save our house. So we get that done we can start on 3-6 months of living expenses (in case a emergency happens, Lee loses his job, etc.). Then we are supposed to put 15% of our income into Roth IRAs and such. Then we pay off the house earlier and save for Chlos college. YEAH! I can't wait. So we have to get serious about losing that 8k and building up our money for expenses. So if your wondering this is following Dave Ramseys plan. Check him out here! Dave Ramsey

Well Chloe is awake! She sleeps in the carseat for a few hours almost every morning, lol. Its so loud in here its almost impossible to get her to stay asleep more then 30 minutes. So our plan for the rest of the day is letting her play for awhile, shes in her pack and play now playing with my sunglasses, lol, and her car driving toy. Oh, now she has a spoon, haha. Then we will go get lunch at 12, come back and let her play some more. Then about 1 or so I will feed her. Then from there on its just swapping her from one thing to the other to keep her happy until time to go home! She might take another nap in there somewhere. Usually around 2 or 3. The fun part is getting her to TAKE it. She wont just lay down and go to sleep, lol. And now that she can sit up, she wont stay where you put her either! Speaking of, there she goes trying to go over the side of the pack and play, lol. Shes up on her knees holding on the edge.

Well thats about all thats going on. Here are a few pics of my girl!

 

Hello Spring!

Hey guys! Yup, really is me, geesh I am terrible at this blogging thing now! But I'm getting so excited about how warm its getting here. And the trees are blooming, the grass is coming in, YES!

So anyway, gosh where to start?? Chloe is 7 months and 2 weeks now! She is such a little person now. And man has she got a personality! She is going to be a firecracker, man I'm already praying for her daddy and I when she hits the terrible 2's, lol. Its going to be bad. She got my temper and impatience unfortunately. Sigh. I knew this was going to happen!! Lol, anyway, she is a sweet baby too. I love her smiles and laughs. Adorable. I can't wait until she starts giving kisses and talking, etc.

So right now she sits up very well, starting to reach for me. She is good a picking up her toys and loves to 'shake' them now to see what they do. She is eating baby food well, although we like our fruits much better then our veggies. Though we do love sweet potatoes, hehe. She STILL is breastfeeding. We never did get her on a bottle. She doesn't even like a sippee cup. She likes OUR cups though, lol. She will need breastmilk until her first year and then you can start with cow milk and most foods we eat now. Just cut really small etc.

She loves playing with her daddy and her favorite toys are a big plastic saftey pin with a ribbon on it, her bee, and anything with a big tag on it that she can suck, lol! She is doing very well at nights. She wakes up around 5 or 5:30 to eat after going to bed at 9 or 10. Then I put her back down till around 8 or 9. She has been sleeping in her room in her crib since 6 months. We got one of those baby monitors with a video screen, it is SUCH nice security for me to be able to see her as well as hear her.

She sat on her first horse the other day! Hehe, I cannot wait to teach her to ride! And swim, and tons of other things.

She isnt crawling yet, but trying to get her knees under her a bit. She can scoot around on her belly and roll very well though! I put her on her hands and knees last night and she held her knees under her for a few seconds, hehe.

So! Those are the good things. Bad things, hm, the worst would be her refusal to be away from me. And not letting anyone but Lee or I hold her. Sigh. We have had TWO nights by ourselves for a few hours since she has been born. My mom took care of her and she basically cries hersefl to sleep and I get her up to take her home later. She won't stay in the nursery at church so that means I am distracted the whole service and usually one of us ends up getting up to go out with her because she wont sit still that long. Even with 100+ toys, lol.

She also has a very short span of contentedness. She is happy for a few minutes with one toy, but then its time for something new! She will go through 5 toys in a matter of minutes. Thats a little tiring for mommy! She also does not like to entertain herself for very long. So I don't get a whole lot done around the house unless she is asleep. And even then I have to be quiet so that is difficult.

But that is the joys of children! I love my baby girl and wouldn't trade her for the world. We are at work right now and she is sleeping in her pack n play behind me. She will prolly sleep for another 30 mintues and then it will almost be time to go home! Yeah! The inlaws just got back from a nearly 3 week vacation to OK, so we will probably go and visit them after work. We went with them to AK for a funeral but came back after 3 days. Lee and I can't be away from work longer then that.

We are going on a vacation next weekend though to Tennessee! A couple in our church small group is getting married in Pigeon Forge so we are renting a cabin for 2 nights and making a mini vacation out of it. Lee and I haven't been on one in YEARS! Hopefully we will have fun. Chloe did really well on her first road trip to AK, like 10 HOURS of riding in one day to there and back. She slept most of the way thank God. This will be like a 5 hour trip so that will be cake! Luke (my bro and sis in laws baby, they are coming as well) hasn't been on a trip yet, but he is so laid back, as long as he is fed, lol, that I'm sure he won't be a problem.

So not much else going on! I rode Tuff for the first time the other day! Its on my horse blog here. Haven't worked him again since, no time! Or its raining. He is also a little low on weight from the winter so we are working on getting him plumped back up. Thankfully the grass is coming in!

I guess thats all for now! I'll leave you with some recent pics of my Chloe girl. Ta ta!

Still Alive and Well!

I will hopefully have time to make a new blog soon, for now I just posted a entry that I never published 2 months ago right under this one, so that is all I have for now! Chloe of course decided to wake up from her nap as soon as I was about to post a more recent one! Oh well, I'll do my best to get one up asap! If I don't talk to ya before, Merry CHRISTmas!