Fun stuff....

This is Kelsie and Nathan at Papa Tom's..."Look and smile Nathan!" Kelsie's kissy pose and I'm just cheesin'. We did a fun little self portrait photo shoot, just the two of us and she is so cute in all of them.

Papa Tom and Uncle Tom Tom took time away from Guitar Hero to smile for the camera.

This is the crew or should I say ROCK STARS!

Sisters!

The Beaver Family on Christmas Day!

Daddy and Nathan on Christmas Morning.

FINDING THE GOODS UNDER THE CHRISTMAS TREE!!

Grandma read Nathan cute Christmas books on Christmas Eve.

We had a ton of fun and I have so many pictures...unfortunately I didn't remember my to take my camera to Cass's moms:(

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

My Moment.

I'm having an emotional moment.

We got home this afternoon from a nice four days of Christmas celebrations with both of our families. I was actually somewhat ready to come back here to Coos to get back into our own place and a normal routine for Nathan. However, we had more fun than we even could have expected. Tommy flew down from Spokane, Tiff's family was there from Redmond and Bob's daughter Lisa and her family came from Seattle. It was also our first Christmas with my dad's new wife and her kids. We also spent time with Cass's family, all his brothers and sisters, and also his grandma, grandpa, aunt, uncle, and cousins. It was crazy busy but SO much fun.

So why am I so emotional? Well, I had the most fun this year preparing for all the events of the last few days. Shopping, baking, watching Christmas movies, especially Elmo's Christmas Countdown with Nathan that it's hard to leave it all behind and move on with our "normal" daily lives. I look back at the last several weeks and realize that I have a ton of great, fun memories. I guess I'm sad that they are just memories now...does that make sense? Not to mention that I have a hard time being away from family. After a great few days and then to be down here without any of them is kind of hard. But I also am taking this time to really be greatful that I have them at all. They are ALL so generous, giving, understanding, and I can go on and on. I guess I'm sad that the Christmas season is over but on the flip side I am SO thankful for such an amazing one! I wish it could last forever.

(p.s. I'll post pics asap...just wanted to get this moment down while I was still in it:))

Five days of Christmas!

It's almost Christmas! I'm ready...bring it on! Have you ever seen the movie "A Smoky Mountain Christmas?" It has Dolly Parton and she finds orphans in a house out in the woods. It is pretty old; I remember seeing it as a kid. Anyway, I watched it last night as I finished wrapping presents and sipping hot cocoa by my Christmas tree. It was a lovely evening!

Other things on my mind...yoga. I've never tried it. Kinda interested but there is a guy here that makes me HATE IT! Every time he talks about it he tries to give me a lesson in the ancient art and history of it...makes me feel yoga dumb and really makes it seem like a terrible idea. However, my new friend Debra is a yoga instructor at my gym and she is so down to earth and so I might start in one of her classes. Do I have to buy my own yoga mat?

We got snow here in Coos Bay...well a light dusting of it anyway. They shut down school!! It was pretty silly if you ask me. It has warmed up slightly so no more icy roads. Just rain. That's good because I need to leave town in a few days and the last thing I want to worry about are dangerous road conditions.

Traditions! Now that Cass and I have our own little family, we want to start our own little Christmas traditions. Any ideas? What are some of yours?

My little Trooper

See this handsome face! This is his "cheese" for the camera. Well, you can also see his eight teeth...four on top, four on bottom. What you can't see are the three molars coming in and the "fang" tooth about to come through. Can you believe that...THREE MOLARS and a FANG all at the same time. He has taken this all so well. He goes to sleep by himself and wakes up at 3am, only to go right back to sleep when I lay with him. That's it...I can live with that. My baby boy is becoming my little boy so fast. He's so cute, huh??!!

Day Care update

So last week was rough. However, I did a little research, praying and talking to other people and decided that this phase too shall pass! I also needed to change my own reaction to leaving him so that he wouldn't feed off of my anxious feelings. So I've been really positive when I drop him off, pointing out fun things to do and telling him the names of the other little kids. When I pick him up I do the same...ask him what he did that day, etc. It seems to have helped a little. He still cries REALLY hard when I leave but he doesn't freak out when I pick him up anymore.
I had told them that he was struggling with giving up his morning nap and they have been able to get him to sleep while he's there too. Even if it is a short little snooze, they say he seems much better after some rest. So I'm feeling much more confident about this whole day care thing...although it's not my first choice. I would much rather be at home with him. I also think he'll get some good social skills out of the deal:)

Day Care...

...is not going so well. On our way to day care in the morning, Nathan looks very concerned. He drops his bottom lip when we park and is crying by the time we are through the doors. He does NOT want me to leave and honestly, I don't want to leave him either...but such is life right now. When I pick him up, he runs to me, cries and wants to leave. He struggles for the three hours that he's there. Fusses but has times that he plays just fine. What is going on? Is it separation anxiety that every child goes through? I know that he is taken care of...it's a great daycare!! Does he just need time to adjust? That's what one of the teachers keeps telling me. But EVERYDAY he cries...then I cry...ALOT! I don't cry there in front of him...but when I leave the flood gates open.
I pray that this is an adjustment thing. I need reassurance. Otherwise, I just don't think I can keep doing this:( SAD.

Real Quick!

I'm working so I'll make this quick.

-Nathan is cutting his molars. Not fun. He runs a slight temperature and gets fussy. He slept great last night for the first time in several nights. However, I put Nathan in a great daycare here in town. He cries so hard when I leave:( So therefore, I cry when I get in the car. It's so hard. They say he does fine while I'm gone...a little fussy. It doesn't make it any easier. One of the teachers in his class is really great. She talks to me ALOT about his day and she really puts me at ease. Her little guy is in the "Onsie" room with them. She told me Nathan will take time to adjust to the new setting. I really like her...I think her name is Tiffany...if I like her so much, I should probably know her name!

-I taught my first group exercise class last Tuesday and LOVED it! I got some really great feedback from some of the class takers and I get to do it again this coming Tuesday! I love it...did I say that already. This class is body sculpting so it's mostly weights. I added some intervals of cardio and it got the blood pumpin...again, I loved it!

-Cass got his Temp. Liscence and has applied for a casual position with the hospital. He will also be working at a local Orthapedic clinic when he has time. He'll have a couple weeks at Christmas time to work full time and make some extra money. He needs to because I have been buying Christmas presents instead of paying bills...no not really, but the extra money this time of year is always nice!! Four more months to go for Cass!!! WOOHOO!

LOVE IT!

We have had a busy couple of weeks. Let me start with the most exciting event...we put up our Christmas tree:) It's pretty funny because the ornaments are all on the top half because Nathan thinks they are balls to play with. I still love it. I sit by it at night and drink hot cocoa!!

The rest are in no particular order...we took Nathan to see Santa. He wasn't so sure. He didn't cry but was NOT going to sit on his lap or look him in the eye. That's ok.

We have had play dates with BFF Jackson. They play so cute together. I just happen to catch a picture where they aren't running up and down the hallway screaming or throwing things around the living room. Thank Goodness for "Cow show" (baby Einstein) for a little down time for me:) We have some great times with our friends that's for sure!

And we LOVE Elmo's Christmas countdown movie. When Nathan is having a rough time and nothing seems to make him happy...this is what we do and life is all good again.

We went to Albany for Thanksgiving. This is Nathan and Daddy hanging out on Thanksgiving day!

We went to Cass's grandma's house and hung out with the family for a while too. This was my attempt to get the three youngest boys in one picture...this is the best I could do.

And Nathan and cousin Kelsie played together ALL weekend. He had so much fun and so did Kelsie. She really wanted this picture of them together and again this is the best I could get. Nathan wasn't so cooperative.

We have been busy with all kinds of things...work, school, Nathan, the Holidays and much more. Life is good but right now I have to go make my hot cocoa and sit by my tree...see ya!

Tag, I'm it!!

My cousin Rachel tagged me...here are the rules:

6 Random facts:

1. Link this post to the person who tagged you:

2. Post the rules on your blog

3. List 6 random things about yourself.

4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.

5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.

6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up



So here it goes:

1: I want to have plastic surgery...mostly just have my boobs done. I was small to begin with and after having kids and breastfeeding, I think it will be necessary...



2: I watch QVC...lately it has been almost every night. I haven't bought anything YET but I watch all the home shopping networks:)



3: I want to teach group kickboxing and strength training. I'm working on my certification. I want to be a kick ass instructor. Watch out!

4: I love to sleep. I take daily naps if I can when Nathan naps. However, I've learned to be an early riser and actually enjoy it on most days, thanks to my coffee:)

5: I'm moody. I'm easily irritated and use the phrase "I am SO irritated" often. It usually doesn't last long but it sure drives my husband crazy. I'm not sure why I'm like this.

6: I love reality tv. I love it all...you name it, I've probably watched it. My favorites are Survivor, The Bachelor (did you know Jason is the next bachelor!!) The Hills, Dancing with the Stars, American Idol...the list goes on...it just depends what season it is!!

I tag Lindsey, Heather, Christina, Stephanie, Amber, Samantha!!

Holy Smokes!!

Last week I got to go back "home" to Albany and spend some time with my family and friends. One of the cutest things was seeing Nathan with a friend who was born 8 weeks after him. Now they can play together and communicate.

This is them a year ago October!! Nathan was two months and Abby was a day old.
This was them last week!! Look at how much difference a year makes. They were so cute together.

We had a great time visiting and wish I could have spent more time visiting with good friends. Hopefully someday soon we'll be back there for good:)

Randoms:)

I'm working A LOT this weekend and pulling a split shift on Monday. I like my job so it's not so bad, but I do miss my guys when I'm not home. It is nice to be able to work some extra hours especially around the holidays. I'm one of those who tends to go over budget at Christmas time, no matter how many times I tell myself to STOP SHOPPING!
I bought a candle at WalMart the other day and it smells like a Christmas tree. I let it burn for hours! It has really put me in the mood for decorating...but it's just not quite time. Plus, I'm not sure I can put out all my cute Christmas stuff this year because Nathan will abuse ALL of it! We will be getting a tree, but I'm not sure how I'm going to keep Nathan out of it.
The process for getting Cass's temporary Tech liscence is longer than we thought...so it will still be a few weeks before he starts getting paid for any extra work. No worries...he'll get it sooner than later:)
Nathan and I spent three nights with my mom this last week. We had so much fun and got to spend some time with friends we haven't seen in a long time. I have some cute pictures but I'm at work so I'll have to post them later.
We get to go home again for Thanksgiving in less than two weeks. Everyone will be there too...Tommy, The Calders, The Beavers, The Vanderfords and then another dinner with The Martins! It will be so fun to have Tiff and Tommy home at the same time. Tiffani is planning a "family challenge" at the gym. I think I'll be the time keeper:) I work out but have you seen them? They're rocks! I can't compete with that...I will enjoy the moments when we sit and eat Pumpkin Cheesecake together though!!!
FOUR more months until Cass graduates!

My husband ROCKS!

This is Cass (and Nathan too). Cass ROCKS! He got signed off on all his comps for school today and is in the process of getting his temporary Rad. Tech liscence. You know what this means!!! A paycheck is coming our way! A local orthopedic office wants to hire him part time and they are anxious to get him started! He already has hours lined up at the hospital too. He is so close to being finished with school and Nathan and I are SO SO proud of him. Way to go babe...we love you!

Anybody?

I have noticed that some people post pictures that were apparently taken with a cell phone. My question is, how do you upload them from phone to computer? Do I have to go buy a special usb cord that is compatible with my LG Envy??? I have some dang cute pictures. Can anyone help me out???

Oh, funny funny!!

Tonight Nathan was playing in with the glass doors of our tv stand where our dvd player and direct tv stuff is. Cass asked Nathan several times to shut the door. Nathan blatently (sp?) ignored him. So Cass walked over and took his hands off the door and shut it. Nathan was NOT happy. He threw his little fit and went running into his room. So Cass went in to have a "conversation" with him. It went like this:

Cass: "Nathan, I know you're mad and that's ok, but you need to listen to mommy and daddy."
{pause}
Cass: "Nathan, Don't you walk away from me!"

I don't know why this struck me so funny. I was in the other room and couldn't really SEE what was going on....I just heard the conversation. I laugh every time I think about it. We have a boy with attitude. Wonder where he gets it??

Is it weird...

...that I'm a little anxious about election day tomorrow? I voted. For the first time since I've been a voter I feel pretty strongly. I'm nervous. What if my candidate doesn't win. Then I'll be pretty upset. It's crazy to know that after tomorrow night we will know who our next president will be. It's about time.
I've listened to people tell me why they are supporters of one candidate or another. I don't debate. However, I'm an Obama supporter. Have been for a long time. Go Obama Go!

Terrible Night Terrors

So last week Nathan battled a couple of night terrors...not to be confused with a nightmare. This has happened a couple times before but not to this magnitude. What happens is this: while Nathan is still sleeping, his eyes are open, he is sitting, standing or like last week he walked and screams the whole time. He screams so loud and so hard that he gags. It is the saddest thing for Cass and I to watch. There is NOTHING we can do, he doesn't want to be consoled. I have done some research and we do all the right things (pat on the back). We turn on a light so that when he does wake up he does not see shadows. We keep him in his crib so he does not walk around and hurt himself. We talk to him to let him know we are there and that he is ok. There really isn't much more we can do. Night Terrors can be hereditary and after talking to my mom, it's possible it comes from our side. My brother used to get them as a kid. They can happen on and off until sometimes 12 years of age.
Last week it happened on Tuesday night and again Wednesday night. He hasn't had one since. Do you think it had to do with all the Halloween festivities and subconsciously Halloween scared him and then had night terrors about it? Could it be that he had slightly more sugar last week than normal??? I talked to the pediatricians nurse but she didn't tell me anything I didn't already know...in fact it was quite frustrating...she asked ME questions. Isn't that why I called HER? Anyway, it's a very sad and scary thing to go through and I wish I knew what triggered them. Well, I take that back...an overtired child is more likely to experience them but I really don't think that's Nathan's case. He goes to bed by 8pm every night and sleeps for ten or eleven hours. Plus he still takes 2 naps a day for at least an hour each nap.
I was home alone with Nathan on Thursday night and said LOTS of prayers at bedtime. There have been lots of prayers since then and I think that is helping...join in the "pray for Nathan" club if you would like.
Thanks for reading...It's time for bed.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

A year ago...

TODAY!!!

This week has been jam packed full of Halloween celebrations. On Wed we headed over to the LDS church for a Trunk or Treat. That was Nathan's first taste of what trick-or-treating was all about. Last night we attempted a community event at the NB Community center. It was geared a little bit more toward older kids so we didn't stay long...just long enough for Nathan to chow a disgusting barely warm hotdog and catch a tootsie roll with a fishing pole. Tonight we took him trick or treating downtown Coos Bay. This was probably the cutest, funnest thing we've done since we've lived here. I thought it was great. All the downtown businesses handed out candy to all the little kids. They were all super nice and "oohed and awed" over all the little costumes. We really enjoyed it. We ended up back at the gym I work at so Nathan could exert some more energy in the Group fitness room...it's got balls of all sizes, mirrors, and lots of room to run. He loves it!

Halloween has never been my favorite and I personally hate dressing up. Now that I have Nathan I feel like I'm becoming a kid again myself. I found myself wanting to hit ALL the businesses to get tons of candy and find the ones with the best candy...CHOCOLATE! Dorky, I know! It was the most fun watching Nathan learn to take his candy and know to put it into his pumpkin bucket...he learned quickly! He would try and take more than his share at each place too. He practically ripped it from peoples hands...I guess we'll be working on our manners:)

We had a blast and I'm looking forward to seeing everyones pictures from today. Happy Halloween!!!

Toot Toot

So my blog is a place that I like to "look back" and see what was going on...a nice little reminder. So this blog I'm going to TOOT our horns a little bit. There are a few things that I'm super excited about and wanted to share.

Nathan- poor thing got real sick last week...ear infection, etc. So the whole sleep thing went right out the window. He wasn't sleeping well and so I would sleep right with him ALL night long. I also wouldn't make him cry to sleep. I snuggled him until he was completely out. Well, now to the good stuff!! He's feeling so much better. So two nights ago I decided to put him in bed by himself. I was prepared for the worst. I sang my twinkle twinkle song, laid him down and left. He was a sleep before I got down the hallway:) Same thing the next night AND last night!!! He does it all by himself. I feel like we got a mission accomplished! I'm so proud of my little man for this feat as well as everything else he does and says and is!!

Me- Living in Coos Bay you soon become aware of the history of Steve Prefontaine and the impact he had on this community. His story as well as my own personal fitness goals have gotten me interested in running. We completed the Prefontaine 10K in September and I decided to keep up my jogging. I've mostly been running on the treadmill, but I'm ok with that for now. I put on my ipod and run to some great music. I've been tracking my workouts with my Nike+, If you don't know what it is, you should look into it...it's great. From the first jog that I did I became motivated to beat my time and pace and eventually distance. Yesterday I DID IT!! I beat my three mile time by 1 min 6 sec. Not to mention that I didn't stop at my usual 3 mile distance. I did 4 miles! And I totally impressed myself with my time...4 miles in 34 minutes and 28 seconds. Some of you out there might think that is nothing. But for me, it's impressive! Thanks for letting me toot! (hehe that sounds gross:)

Cass- is kicking ass at school! He only has like 5 more positions to complete and less than 5 months left to go! He had two mock interviews that were critiqued and scored and he got GREAT feedback. I think he's ready for the real deal! This month has been his worst as far as his own health goes. He got real sick at the beginning of the month, then got a small tear in his meniscus (sp?) in his knee and has been battling cold symptoms and ear aches for the last week and a half. Even with all of this, he goes to work every day!! We finally see light at the end of the tunnel and are so excited about the next chapter in our life!! Way to go Cass, Nathan and I are so proud of you!

Halloween Party!

On Friday night, my friend Heather threw an awesome Halloween party for some friends and their little ones. It was so fun and the kids were SO cute.
On the left is Jackson the Bumble Bee, then Lilly as Tinker Bell, Preston as Frankenstein, my Nathan was a monkey, Daphne is a skunk and Meghan is a lady bug. Can you believe they let us get them all in one picture??
Another group shot!

The Beaver family. Don't I have a handsome husband and the cutest little boy in the whole world??

Birthday Party!

We went home last weekend to celebrate my mom's Birthday. Here are a few fun pictures from our trip.
This is me, Kelsie and Maggie...my favoritest little ladies:)
Grandma taught Nathan how to "touchdown!"
We had our good friend Katie make my moms cake...AMAZING!


Here is Kelsie in action. She is so stinkin' cute.

Mom and Bob!!
Cass is cheezin' for the camera...Kelsie actually took most of these pictures. She loves to be the photographer and she does a really good job!
Me and my little love bug!
Me and Kelsie doing a self portrait.
I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!! We had a great weekend and we miss them so much when we aren't all together. Can't wait for the holidays:)

BABY!

Look who came to visit!! Baby Peyton:) We were so excited to finally meet her and boy did Nathan love her!

He smothered her in kisses every chance he got. This is momma Steph and the kids.
Me and the kiddies:)
MORE KISSES!
He'll be such a good big brother....someday!

Sleeping update!!!

So many of you know that we have struggled with the whole sleep thing with Nathan since he was a newborn. We have worked really hard at getting him to sleep through the night and have tried many different theories. It seemed none of them worked. What did work was bouncing him to sleep and gently laying him down in his crib. This often times took twenty minutes or more. About five nights ago Cass and I had both taken a turn (totaling about 40 minutes) bouncing, singing, rocking, etc. Finally, I laid him down and left the room. There was approximately ten minutes of crying and then silence. He put himself to sleep!!!! Great job. So the next night I figured we would try again. Ten minutes of crying and then sleep! Night three...three minutes of crying. Night four, ten minutes of crying. Last night, two or three minutes of crying and then sleep. I think we did it. I don't want to jinx myself so I will say it's working FOR NOW. I still snuggle him at nap time just because I want to and I am usually wanting a nap or some down time myself. In the last five days his morning nap has increased from one hour to almost two hours. PLUS he still has a second nap later in the day...still only about an hour. Cass actually had to go wake him up yesterday afternoon because it was getting late in the day.
My conclusion to the long journey of sleep (that I know is NOT over) is that Nathan wasn't ready when we tried this before. He's ready now and so are we!! Did I mention that he sleeps for a good ten hours, wakes up and then I bring him to bed with me for another hour or two! I finally get a full night of sleep!
Enough for now.

Fun, random stuff

The other night Cass put together a book shelf for Nathan's room. Cass was struggling with the instructions so Nathan had to point out a few things! Such a big helper:)

Nathan has also learned to "cheese" for the camera.
OH, my funny funny boy. I gave him some dry cheerios in a little bowl, left the room for a few minutes and came back to find him eating his cheerios like THIS:
BFF's Nathan and Jackson had a fun playdate last night. They sat like this for almost a half hour watching a Baby Einstein...or as Jackson calls it "a show!" (look how big Jackson's feet look at this angle. Made me laugh)
Then they finger painted pictures before I threw them in the bath tub. They had SO much fun together.
We have had a busy but fun couple of weeks. I looked ahead at the next few months and things are happening almost every weekend...here are a few things I'm super excited for:
-celebrating my moms 50th Birthday with the family.
-a Halloween party with my "Bay" friends
-HALLOWEEN with my little monkey
-THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
-Twilight movie
-Thanksgiving

And that's all in the next month and a half!!!

Lone Pine Farms

Last weekend we made a day trip to a Eugene pumpkin patch with our good friends, The Allens. We had so much fun with the boys. Below is a picture of our families on the fun hay ride that took us out to the pumpkin patch.


And a cute little family picture IN the pumpkin patch.

Naphy's cute little head in a cut out picture thingy.

BFF's looking at goats!
Daddy's dropping the boys off in the apples:) (this is not the cutest apple picture. I can't figure out why I downloaded this one instead of a cute, happy, smiling picture.)
Playing on a tractor!
Finding the perfect pumpkin.
This is why I love Fall!!