It's a GIRL!!!

Traditions!

I read a cute blog the other day and it posed the question:

Does Santa leave the presents wrapped or unwrapped at your house???

This was fun for me to think about! When I was a child, Santa left our presents unwrapped! It was a big display!!! It was awesome!!! He also left a few presents wrapped but it was the big display that got all the attention. However, Santa always left Cass' presents wrapped. So our tradition with our kids will be that Santa will leave both wrapped AND unwrapped presents. However, I don't want it to be all about the presents. So I want to make sure that we have other traditions...cookie baking, going to see Christmas lights, spending time with both sides of the family, cousins, grandparents, aunts and uncles. Now that I'm older it is SO fun to think back about traditions when I was younger and spending time with the family, playing games, etc, are always my favorite!!!

Tiffani, Tommy and I would always sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve. We always had the hardest time falling a sleep because we were SO excited. We would play ABC category games (pretty sure we invented it!) and listen for ANY sign that Santa was in the neighborhood! We would lay awake until wee hours of the morning and wake up before the sun...seriously, 5am. My parents loved that I'm sure!! We would go slowly down the stairs and I remember the anxiety and excitement.
When we got older, it was the weeks leading up to Christmas that were exciting. Christmas shows on tv, decorating the tree, shopping, yummy treats in the house!!! We would sit around and play games and laugh and play.
Now that we are all grown and in different places, we still make sure we get together. This year Tommy and Tiff can't be here at the same time. We still play games, watch movies, and just hang out and enjoy each other.
For me, my love for this time of year came from a VERY young age, probably even before I had the ability to 'remember.' That is why I am trying to create fun memories and traditions for Nathan NOW. I want him to always have Christmas spirit!! For him, it might be about Santa and toys but I know later on he will understand that Christmas is much more than that.

What are you memories as a kid? What traditions did you have that you want to carry on with your family?

ONE MORE WEEK

...and we find out baby #2's gender...boy or girl??

We have been pretty busy lately. As soon as I upload pictures, I'll post them!

Gearing up for the HOLIDAYS!!!

First, a quick look back at fun times, Christmas '08!



So I've made the executive decision and I'm decorating for Christmas THIS WEEKEND!!! That's right...I decided that since Thanksgiving is on the 26th, leaving us with slightly less than a month to enjoy Christmas decorations, I'm decorating BEFORE Turkey Day. My husband thinks I'm crazy, I think I'm just festive!!!

I'm also going to wrap up my Christmas shopping next week. I could be done now if I let myself but I can't stop thinking "gosh, this could be on sale next Friday!" So I'm forcing myself to wait and see how much money I can save ;)

Nathan know who Santa is. He talks about him quite a bit and loves when I sing "Santa Claus is Coming to Town!" We will go see him at the mall in a couple weeks and see how the face to face meeting goes...I think Nathan will like him better in books and movies than he will up close and personal. And for the first time EVER, I think I'm going to go to the parade in Corvallis the day after Thanksgiving. I've never been but have always thought it would be a fun time. So what better year than this one to go?! Anyone else going???

PREGNANCY UPDATE:

I had another appointment today. Baby sounds good, uterus is where it should be, etc, etc.
AND...I have only gained 3 pounds!!!! WOOHOO! Seriously, with Nathan, every time I went to the doctor is was at least 8 pounds. I'm working really hard this time to NOT let this happen. In fact here is what my cardio routine looks like at the gym:

20 min on Elliptical doing the Hill routine keeping my pace right around 6.0.
25-30 min on Treadmill. 3 min walk, 7 min jog, 3 min walk, 7 min jog, 5-10 min walk on incline.

I like to think this is helping. That and the fact that my body does not have any desire to eat a lot of sweets. Especially chocolate. I'm a little sad because those have always been my favorite things but happy that I don't have to worry about controlling those cravings.

OH YA...we find out what we are having on DECEMBER 16th at 9am...stay tuned for that!!!!

14 weeks and counting

I am now just over 14 weeks...which also means I have officially started my 2nd trimester and over 1/3 of the way there!
In 5 weeks we will find out if we will be having a boy or a girl...any guesses?
I'm feeling TONS better...still have yucky moments but feel great for the most part.
45 minutes of cardio at least 5 days a week to avoid gaining over 35 pounds.
Next appointment, the 16th!
Heart rate of baby...161.
Just some random info!


On a side note, I have re-found my love of crayons and coloring books. I have yet to find a new Christmas coloring book though and it's driving me insane!!! Anyone know where I can get one??? I've tried Wal-Mart, Target and the Dollar Store...going to KMart today.

Halloween pics

You might have to click the pics to make them bigger...I don't know how to enlarge them by myself...they are cell phone pictures.Nathan describes these pictures "Look, all my friends on there!"
"Nay Nay wearing dog."
"I eating ice cream...yumm, I eat it all gone!"
"NAMMA! Tick or teeting...I want to see Nampa Bob on there!" (sorry, no pics of Grandpa Bob!)

Stuff!

My Freshmen Volleyball team's season has come to an end! Last night was our last game. At the begining of the season I wasn't sure how their win/loss record would turn out but they did great!! They had 4 wins and only 2 losses in league! I was very proud of them. The Varsity team goes to State playoffs next week so I'll give updates on that later. I'm glad that my life will be slowing down. This time of year is my favorite so it will be nice to have this time at home.

I am going to be looking for another part time job. I've got my feelers out there so hopefully something will work out. I'm only looking to work close to home so I won't have to include a couple hours drive time to my work day.

Sunday is November 1st!!! I can officially be excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas! Is it to early to decorate the house :)

Pregnancy this far...not bad. I had several (about 5) weeks of all day nauseausness. That is gone!!! So I'm feeling really good. I'm already showing. I feel like I look like I was with Nathan at 17 weeks and I'm only 13!! It's crazy. I'm also doing about 45 minutes of cardio about 5 days a week to try and control the weight gain. Those who know me well know that I gained A LOT of weight with Nathan and I refuse to let that happen again.

Cass had surgery to laser out two kidney stones. His recovery is uncomfortable and sometimes quite painful. He did great though and will feel better in the next few days. We hope he doesn't have to go through this again any time soon.

APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY.....

...
...
...
BABY!!!
That's right, the Beaver family is adding one more!!! I'm currently almost 12 weeks along and we couldn't be more thrilled!
I had my first appointment today and got to hear that sweet little heartbeat. Makes it so REAL!! I'm also so excited to FINALLY let the cat out of the bag too:)

In other news:

Nathan and I have both been vaccinated for the H1N1. Some girls on the volleyball team came down with it last week and that was kind of scary. Pregnant women are high risk group for this virus...bad and dangerous for us to get it! So I called my doctor and had to take Tamiflu...it made me feel so yucky so I'm glad to be vaccinated!

Speaking of Volleyball, my team is making me so proud! They started out really raw but have come together as a team and we are 3 wins and only 1 loss in league!!! We only have two games left and I'm hoping we can finish strong. My morning sickness made most of the season kind of rough on me...early morning/all day tournaments, long bus rides, etc. I'm starting to feel so much better and want to give the last two weeks 100%!

Cass is still battling his kidney stone. He had to go the ER about a month and a half ago and they tinkered with the idea of surgery to remove it. Well, they decided he could probably pass it on its own but after several weeks and no stone...he is scheduled for surgery on the 28th. It doesn't sound like it will be a very pleasant experience.

IT'S OCTOBER!!!! I love it! We have been to two different pumpkin patches...Nathan has painted FOUR pumpkins and Cass has carved one. I wait for Fall every year as soon as it's gone so I'm glad it's finally here!

I really do have updates and lots to say...I have just been crazy busy with Volleyball, motherhood, and being a good wife, that I haven't found a good time to sit down and write about it all. Stay tuned. I promise a good update in the next few days!

Stupid girl

We were coming home from Corvallis the other day and the girl driving in front of us was texting while she was driving. She literally had her head down for at least six miles (we exited). She was all over the place too...she would veer toward the right white line, then the middle line, slow way down, etc. Cass even tailgated her and she didn't even notice. So he honked. She glanced in her rear view and went right back to texting. I was FURIOUS!!!! What if she crossed that middle line and hit and killed someone head on? What if she crashed into the ditch and killed herself? So I did it...I called 911 and reported a driver posing a threat to others (wreckless driving)!! The 911 dispatcher was glad I called.

Watch out for a red Honda Accord driven by a stupid girl...she puts your and your families lives at risk!

Things I'm looking forward to...

Looking forward:

• Fall...my favorite season.
• Lots of Birthday celebrations this month. Good times with family and friends.
• Volleyball season. My girls have a lot to learn:) But the Varsity is looking great!
• Taking Nathan to a pumpkin patch.
• The holiday season is quickly approaching!!!
• I will see my first paycheck in five months. It's about time!
• After a few weeks of gym hiatus due to volleyball obligations...I'm hitting it hard again and going to run a 5K in October...I'm recruiting people to do it with me...anyone interested?

Nathan is also growing like a weed....I'm SO looking forward to this holiday season with him. He will really be able to enjoy it all and it's so fun to watch him get excited.

His two year old stats were:

height: 36 inches=87% Cass and I think he is more like 38 inches. It was hard to get him to hold still at the doctors office so he was slightly crooked.

weight: 29 lbs.=62% This is good...he's becoming a good eater and that makes me happy!

Nathans favorite things:

-baby tomatoes...he eats them like candy
-playing "eye spy" in the car
-playing with any type of ball...soccer, basketball, baseball, bouncy...anything!
-reading books
He talks in full sentences and says things that blow me away. This morning he told Cass to "KNOCK IT OFF" and yesterday told me "I got SO upset!"
I think he is so smart! I'm so proud of him and love him like crazy!

(Cass just asked Nathan what his favorite things are and this is what Nathan listed:)
-peanut butter
-playing with elephants
-dragon tales on tv

So there you have it!

Worst night in a long time....

It's a good thing I have this little man to wake up to and make me happy...

Last night was the first night in a long time that Nathan slept through the WHOLE night without needing mommy! Unfortunately that didn't mean a good night of sleep for me:(
I went to bed around 10:45pm after trying to create a starting line up for next weeks game. I was tired so I crashed pretty hard...at 11:30pm I wake up to some rumbling, like an old pick up truck driving around upstairs. Not a pick up truck though, it was my upstairs neighbor doing laundry! I WAS PISSED! This is not the first time she has done this and I'm losing my patience. Not only did she do laundry, but she vacuumed as well. Seriously, for as much rent as we pay, we should not hear so much through the walls. So annoying.
So I finally fall back to sleep around midnight. 2:30am I wake up to a mans voice outside. Talking on a cell phone? Seriously, so I lay there for a few minutes and then hear him walk up the stairs to the upstairs neighbors (not the laundry lady). For TWELVE MINUTES he knocks on the door. Starting out softly but gradually getting louder. Who is this guy? Is he a stalker? Should I be concerned and call the cops? Then it literally sounds like he busts down the door! Holy crap...I jump out of bed, look out the window, our door peep hole, and listen. Cass gets up and I tell him how long I've been listening. I don't hear much noise for a few minutes and then the guy comes back down the stairs...so we get up to see who this man is. It's a cop! What the heck? He's standing in the middle of our parking lot shining his flash light around looking important. I'm thinking the worst of the worst is happening (of course, I'm paranoid). I make Cass check and make sure all our doors are locked. A few more minutes pass and then an ambulance pulls up. Ok, someone is sick or hurt...I'm feeling better because there appears to be no crime scene:) The bright amublance lights shine right into our bedroom windows and about eight men go piling up the stairs...right next to Nathans bedroom, so how he doesn't wake up is beside me?! Pretty quickly after they go up, they all come down. The upstairs lady WALKS down with them, climbs herself into the back of the ambulance and they take her away. NICE! It is now 3:30am and I am wide awake. I think about my volleyball lineup and finally fall back to sleep.
6:20am...garbage man pulls up and bangs the big old dumpster into his big old truck. I'M TIRED! I can't fall back to sleep and Nathan wakes up at 7:15am.

Needless to say, this is why coffee is my drug of choice!

Happy Birthday Baby Boy!!

On this day, two years ago, our sweet, precious baby boy was born!!! He is what our lives are all about. We love him so much and can't imagine our lives without him!!!

WHAT?!

Weirdest dream last night...I ran into Jon Gosselin (don't know him? Google him) at an airport and said "Hey Jon, I'm a huge fan!" (which by the way, I'm a not!) Then we go ahead and take a picture together. However, he is ALL OVER ME! He wants to hug and flirt. In my dream I was flattered but my husband (not Cass in my dream) was near by. Later on I email Jon. WHAT???!!!
This dream is SO not ok with me!



p.s. my husband in real life has a body that produces lots of kidney stones. He got one yesterday at work and spent a couple hours in the ER. Poor guy. Turns out its 8mm which is pretty big. He has to have it surgically removed sometime this week. Keep him in your thoughts...the surgery doesn't sound "comfortable!"

That's my boy!

Sitting at the dinner table at my moms having good conversation with my grandma here visiting and Nathan looks at me and says:

"Mom, I need coffee!"

I giggle

"MOM, I NEED COFFEE!"

Nathan and I spend A LOT of time together:) So to kill time, we like to take self portrait pictures. Nathan loves it...he's the biggest cheeser ever!!! We are trying to make the most out of the next week because then volleyball season starts!!! WOOHOO!!! It's going to be a busy couple of months but it will be totally worth it.

My mom, grandma and I went and saw the movie "Julie&Julia" tonight. Super cute flick. My grandma had the time of her life. My grandma is probably the sweetest cutest woman I know. During the movie she would just lean over and say "This is just so much fun!" She really cherishes good memories and that makes me happy! I'm so glad she comes to visit every summer.

Nathan turns two in two weeks. WOWZERS! I'm working on a post dedicated just to him and his most recent accomplishments!

I like Summer time...but I LOVE FALL!!! I'm ready for it...can't wait for it!
Don't I have the cutest little stinker???

Just Call Me COACH!!

Yep, I got a job! Somewhat of a dream job. I'll be coaching freshman volleyball!!!! I had an awesome opportunity to coach at Philomath High School (where I graduated) and couldn't pass it up! I'm so excited about it. I'll blog about the experience as it happens...it sounds like I'll have my work cut out for me but I love a good, fun challenge:)
Stay tuned...

Pictures of Summer Happenings!

Cousins

Friends
Fun at the Park

More Friends

Fourth of July

Best Buds

Motherhood is hard

This afternoon has been hard, emotionally, on both Nathan and I.
He wants one thing, I want him to do another...and a downward spiral occurs. Have you ever just wanted to scream at the top of your lungs?! That was me today.

I mean it when I say that I would do anything in this world for Nathan. So why is it that I resist rocking him to sleep for his nap JUST THIS ONCE, or fight so hard NOT to lay with him until he falls to sleep at night? Am I being selfish? It's not going to kill him or me if I do certain things yet I struggle for power and control over it. Is it worth the battle over one or two small bad habits.

We had a great 4th! These are just two of the many pictures I took. More to come....sometime.

Here are a few things on my mind this morning:

-Cass has to work a twelve hour shift on the 4th of July, so Nathan and I are headed to Redmond for the weekend!

-I still can't believe Michael Jackson died.

-The next few weeks are crazy busy. One of the upcoming events is my 10 year high school reunion. I'm excited and have been working out and eating good because this is the motivation I've been needing/wanting to lose the last few pounds I've been struggling with.

-Nathan is sleeping in his big boy bed! Now his thing is to have me lay and sleep with him. I'm working on breaking this habit but he is so stinking cute and LOVES to cuddle. I can't say no when he asks to "hold you."

-I'm an addict....to caffeine. I have been slowly trying to ween myself. I now drink half caff coffee in the morning...team that up with a morning workout and I'm good to go.

-Summer is not my favorite season but so far this year I have been LOVING it. Nathan and I get to spend time at the pool and playing outside. By the end of this month I'm sure I'll be ready for Fall...my favorite season of all!!!

-Cass and I want to go to some Beaver Football games this year.

-Is anyone else disappointed in Jon and Kate Plus 8? Everyone saw it coming but I always held out hope...SO disappointed.

-I'll try and remember to take pictures this weekend and post sooner than later.

Have a safe and Happy 4th everyone!

GET THIS...

So when we moved into our apartment, I noticed that our neighbors drive cars with Utah liscence plates. So the other day I saw him (neighbor guy, name is Austin) walking and I shouted out..."HEY, " and then asked where in Utah he was from, etc etc. I learned that he has a wife who is looking for a job and so I offer to maybe hook her up with the bank I used to work at. He says that would be great and they would stop by later that evening.

So a little later they came over. The minute she started talking I knew I liked her. She has a very noticable Utah accent and even more so, a Sanpete accent. Sanpete is the county that my mom grew up in. Really small towns all within five miles of each other. People there seem to have a distinct accent.
GET THIS:
Turns out her mom and my mom were best friends in Junior high and High school!!!
WHAT?! How crazy...what a small world! Best of all, I have a new friend! Her name is Angela.

Happy Father's Day!

CASS
Happy Fathers Day
We Love You!

Traci and Nathan

I know I know

I have been a bad blogger lately. I try, really. But by the time I have a little free time, I plop myself on the couch with a snack and watch a show! Blogging sometimes takes a little effort:) I'll give you a few things that make me smile throughout my day!

-Nathan chases me around and constantly asks "MOM, What doin?" It's a fun way to have a conversation with him.
-He is learning his colors and letters! He knows blue, green and orange, sometimes red. He can sing a lot of the alphabet with his singing Elmo. I'll try to get it on camera for you.
-He suckers me into doing ANYTHING he wants because he'll pout and say "hold you" in the sweetest voice.
-Yesterday I woke up to him inches from my face saying "MOM, wake up!" So I opened my eyes to make him happy, turned on Tigger and Friends and closed my eyes again. Then I hear "BEAR, Where are you?" He was looking for a stuffed bear on the side of the bed. I know you are thinking that this is not blog worthy, but trust me if you heard his sweet little voice it would melt your heart.
Notice that he isn't calling me mommy anymore. We spent several days with my Jared, Tiff and the girls and they call Tiff "mom". So now that is what Nathan calls me...sometimes he'll even resort to calling me Traci. Hmmmm.....I don't like that so much:)

While I'm at it I'll update my body after baby challenge:
I have been working out ALOT! At least five times a week and on Tuesday I went twice. I'm still working on the diet portion but it is much better than it was three months ago. I'm a little frustrated because I still feel like the fat girl. We went shopping yesterday and I went home, put on my gym shoes and went to Group Kick. My weight depresses me. OH, this reminds me... MERCY I hope you are reading this and I'm sorry I haven't emailed you back...I'm terrible at stuff like that.
My friend Mercy from Coos Bay emailed me the other day. If it's okay with her, I would like to post the email on my blog someday. I met her while I worked at the gym down there. She joined and went EVERY MORNING at 5am. She is the mother to two young (or do you have three???) children and decided to make some healthy changes to her life. I invited her to take one of my step classes one morning and she's been takin step ever since. She wrote to me and told me about her progress and the changes she's made in her life. VERY INSPIRATIONAL!!!! She gave me a little credit for getting her into step but I can't take any credit. Email me sometime Mercy and let me know if I can post your email to share with others.

Summer time is a crazy time. I'm trying to plan a trip to Utah by myself:) Cass is working on the 4th of July so Nathan and I are going back to Redmond to celebrate. Nathan turns two in August and Cass and I celebrate 3 wonderful years of marriage in September! We have a lot to be thankful for and look forward to in the next few months:)

Fun With Cousins!

Transitions and Body after baby

The last several nights Nathan has HEAVILY resisted sleeping in his crib. So in a desperate effort to get him out of my bed, I went and purchased a big boy bed for him. It's a cute single bed that hopefully he'll love. It has to be ordered so we won't get it for another couple weeks. Let's hope this does the trick. However, it got me thinking about how much Nathan is growing up. Someone asked me yesterday if I had "my baby" with me. What baby? I have a little man now! The big boy bed is a big transition for me. I hope it goes smoothly.

Nathan has also entered the terrible two's. He throws himself on the ground in public. For example, the Salem Center....for EVERYONE to see. And the the thing is that when this happens, people don't just stare at the child on the floor, they stare at the parents and form their own judgments and opinions in their heads. I know this because I used to be one of those judgmental people. NOPE, my child would NEVER do THAT in public. Funny how some things are totally out of my control. Pretty embarassing but what am I supposed to do? My solution, pick him up like I'm holding a football. His head tossing around in the front and his feet frantically kicking behind me and walk as quickly as possible to the car before he is able to kick, wiggle and scream his way out of my arms.

Nathan vomitted five or six times the other night. All over my couch, floor, me, and the bathroom. Traumatic. I think what happened was I had just given him some tylenol. He was drinking a bottle of milk on the couch and started coughing. I think he coughed so hard that it made him throw up and it was a snowball affect. I called my mom to come help me. It was almost 9pm and I felt like there was no way I could clean up this massive amount of puke AND clean up Nathan and myself. By the time they got here, i had pretty much done what I thought was going to be impossible. I felt bad because they drove all the way up for nothing. So my mom pampered Nathan and Bob helped me take the couch cushion cover off and get it washed.

BODY AFTER BABY

I'm totally keeping up with my workouts. They are good, intense, and make me feel great! I refuse to weigh myself but I feel like I've lost weight for sure.

Eating habits?! I eat less. I still need to modify some of what goes into my body. It's hard because Cass works nights so trying to find things to make for one and a half people is hard. So it usually ends up being Mac and Cheese or pb&j. I'm working on making some changes.

That is it in a nutshell. Nathan needs me to get off the computer now!

Yesterday was my Birthday...we had a fun filled weekend to celebrate!
We had a bbq at my dad's on Saturday. My niece, Kelsie, my dad and I all have May Birthdays, so we get together and celebrate all at once. We were outside all day in the 90 degree weather and loved every second. The kids played in a little kiddie pool and the adults played volleyball. We had so much fun.
Yesterday I woke up to breakfast in bed. Cass and Nathan got up early so that I could sleep in:) Then we went to the downtown Salem Center where Cass let me get a new cell phone. I picked out a pink Blackberry Pearl!!!! So excited. On top of that, we found out that we get a nice little discount because Cass works for Salem Hospital!!
Then we headed to have lunch with my mom and Bob. I love mexican food and one of my new favorites is Muchas Gracias. Sooooo yummy.
Last night we went to Corvallis for my softball game and my good friend Jerri made me cupcakes. Just what my diet calls for ;)

I had a great Birthday and thank you to everyone who sent Birthday wishes!!!

Daily Happenings

Sorry, still no pictures uploaded from the camera yet:(
We have been spending A LOT of time at the pool this week and I think we will continue the trend this summer! Nathan loves it, I love it, and Cass has enjoyed himself more than he thought he would!
Nathan had an early morning this morning and a grumpy one at that. He made up for it by taking a four hour nap this afternoon. I'm going to push back his bedtime since it feels like he just got up.
After his nap I went and bought myself a brand new Dyson Ball Upright Vacuum cleaner!!!! I've never had a really nice one so I splurged. Cass said it better last thirty year:) He doesn't understand the importance of great cleaning appliances, obviously!
I've been sticking with my Body After Baby Challenge plan. I've been working out five days a week and trying to eat better. It's hard because I seriously crave bad food...for example, Mexican food, pizza, and chocolate! No joke, I could eat those three things day after day and never get tired of them. We have a new local pizza place called Garlic Jim's and it's amazing pizza. I still enjoy Figaros and Papa Johns...yummmm. Tonight Im making Nathan and I tacos.

My Birthday is on Sunday in case you didn't already know! I'll be 28 big ones. All I ask for is a nice relaxing day. Sleep in, breakfast in bed, maybe lay by the pool, bbq some burgers and I also have a softball game that night too. Should be a pretty good day!

Poop and other new

So the other night Nathan pooped in the tub. This is the second time he's ever done it. It was a lot of poop and a lot of gross! His bathtub soaked in bleach water (as did the toys in the tub) overnight and was scrubbed with Arm & Hammer with Oxy scrubbing bubbles the next day. Poop is so weird....it was gross at the time but makes me giggle now:)

We took Nathan swimming last night. They awesome gym we go to has a really nice outdoor pool that is no extra charge for us to go. Nathan LOVED it! I wish I took pictures. Needless to say, I think we will be spending a lot of time there this summer!

Nathan also gets to choose what he goes to sleep with at night. At my moms he aquired one of her stuffed dogs, so the dog and his blanket are always part of his bedtime but he always picks a few extra toys to sleep with. Last night he slept with his blanket, dog, little sheep, cow, duck, his Elmo doll that counts the ABC's and is Farmer book. He's so funny sometimes...again, I wish I would have taken a picture of this! I'll get better at documenting our life!

Today is Memorial Day! Happy Memorial Day everyone.

Back in business and Body After Baby!

I don't know how people go with out tv, internet, technology. I literally got chills when the Comcast guy hooked up my cable and internet today! WOOHOO:)

So I need to update you on my Body After Baby Challenge progress...

Last week was hard. We moved. We did it sort of slowly so we were doing a little bit each night. Therefore, I did not make it to the gym like I had planned. I can't say that I ate great either...so that was a bust. However, we get a sweet deal on an incredible gym down the road and we signed up yesterday and I've gone two days in a row. It feels great. Cass will be working swing shifts so we have made it a point to take turns at the gym every morning. I think it will work out so good. I think I prefer to work out in the morning...I used to be just the opposite.
I am also trying to eat more fiber in my diet. I've been told that's a good thing. I bought lots of fruit, yogurt, string cheese, whole wheat bread, skim milk, celery with peanut butter (yum), and drinking lots more water! Those are just a few things in my place right now! So I'm really trying.
My ten year class reunion is in July and I am bound and determined to be at my goal weight and look good. No if's, and's or but's about it.
I haven't dared take a "before" picture. But I think I might. If I look at at it, it will be a good reminder of WHY I chose to participate in this challenge!

In other news:
Things are good in our new place and I love living in Salem. I'm taking Nathan to the Carousel in downtown on Thursday with Amber and Bronson and I'm so excited. I can't believe I've never been.
I got to spend last Saturday with my old college roommate and her family on her Birthday. We only live about fifteen minutes apart and so I will hopefully see a lot more of her:)
I have baby fever. I'm trying not to think about it. I'm not quite ready.
Remember that list of things I posted a few months ago about things I wante?? Well on that list was a dining room table. Yesterday we went over to Ashley Furniture and ordered a new one!! I am so excited so when I comes I'll post pictures.
We are on the hunt for a big boy bed for Nathan. We want a good price and good quality.
I'm watching American Idol and I will be voting for KRIS. I can't really stand Adam's singing. He seems like a really nice guy but I much prefer Kris.

I'll leave you with that:)

boohoo:(

So today we will be officially moved into our new place in Salem. However, we don't get hooked up with the internet for at least another week from Monday. What am I supposed to do with myself???? So there will be a lack of blogging for a bit...not that I'm a daily blogger anyway, but just fyi!

Funny Faces Caught on Camera!!!

This is me...8 months pregnant and about 60 lbs heavier...UGLY AND FAT but funny to look at and laugh. Can you believe they actually took this picture on purpose:)

This one of Maggie cracks me up.

Say "Cheese" Tiff!

Look at Tommy's face...HILARIOUS!

This one takes the cake...Cass really thought he was smiling for the camera. I have tears just looking at this....SO FUNNY!

I have more...just not enough time to get them all uploaded. I needed a good laugh today.

Quick updates

Cass: Working a ton. Both at Salem and Silverton. Had Monday off but spent most of it in the Dr.'s office because of a kidney stone. Rounded the troops yesterday and moved our crap to our new apartment in Salem. Today he is back at work...next day off?? Who knows?

Nathan: Talking like he is 12. Is so full of personality. Loves to sing and dance, read, and take baths. Knows almost all the words to his Wonder Pets cd that we listen to in the car. His personal favorite: the Hermit Crab song who says "Areeba Areeba!" Wishes he could play outside 24/7. Is really good at telling me "no." Doesn't like to eat. Sleeps with a baby doll, stuffed doggy and his night night (blanky). Turns 2 in three months!!!

Traci: Still dealing with a bum ankle. Getting better but not 100%. Starts summer softball on Sunday. Still mourning the fact that she is moving into another apartment after swearing never again. Wants to go on a vacation. Turns 28 at the end of the month. Craves Mexican food a couple times a week. Is so proud of her daddy for doing what he's doing. Still a little bit chubby :)

Just Keeps Gettin' Better!

So we found a place in Salem...don't get too excited. It's a two bedroom apartment. I know I said I wasn't doing the apartment thing anymore but if we want to buy a house anytime soon, we needed to do this for another short period of time. It's actually a really cute place. Brand New. In West Salem. I like the layout. It has a huge living room which is nice because we spend a lot of time in there:) There is a cute little playground right there in the complex so we can play everyday this summer without having to drive to a park. It really won't be bad. Just not what I had envisioned when we started hunting for places to live.

AND now the BIG news!!!

Cass's job turned FULL TIME! That's right...he's a full time employee and will get benefits and all! We are so excited. We are going to go out to dinner to celebrate. I'm so relieved I can't even tell you. This means medical benefits, 401K, paid time off, a guaranteed paycheck, STABILITY!! I feel like Cass has worked so hard and we have been through A LOT the last five years. It is finally all starting to pay off. I'm so proud of him.

Bad Blogger, Bad!

So I've had an incredibly busy couple of weeks. That will be its own post another time. I am, however, joining a Body After Baby challenge that one of the blogs I follow started. The unfortunate part is that my baby is no longer a baby...he will be two in three and a half months so I really have no excuse to be carrying around this extra baggage. So this was a little motivation to kick the last several pounds I've been hording the last year and a half.

Here ar my goals:

-work out a minimum of 5x a week. (I am still battling my bum ankle but made it to the gym yesterday. woohoo!)
-bump my cardio to at least 45min
-keep up my weight training
-change my eating habits
-cut out sugary treats
-portion control at meal time
-quit snacking all throughout the day
-when the weather gets better, I want to incorporate fun activities with Nathan outside.

I'll update each week at some point and update on my progress.

Thanks for the support!

Only Total Cuteness!

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!

This morning at 515am, Nathan woke up and asked for milk. So as we were headed downstairs, I slipped on the first step and fell down the stairs!!! Well, I missed a step or something and slid down the stairs. However, my left foot came last. I heard a loud pop in my ankle and then ALOT of pain.
I yelled for help and at 5:15am the whole family was up and wide awake! Nathan was not hurt at all. I was holding him in front of me and I slid on my back. It did scare him quite a bit and he was pretty shaken up.
So we took a trip to the ER. I just knew I had broken something. I was nauseaus, dry heaving and could hardly stand up or I felt like I was going to pass out. LUCKY FOR ME, nothing was broken but I did tear ligaments. I'm not sure which is worse as far as the pain....because I'm in a lot of pain. I did get some vicatin:) I should be able to put some pressure on it in the next day or two but today I'm basically laid up.
My mom is helping me with Nathan and then a friend of hers from church is coming to play with Nathan this afternoon! Thanks Mom and Tira!!!!
I can't believe this happened. SERIOUSLY!

Playing catch up from the last few weeks...

It's been a busy few weeks. We have been staying at my moms and we have had lots of company in the last couple weeks. Jaclyn and Parker came down and spent the day a couple Sundays ago and Parker and Nathan had a blast. Its so nice when Nathan has a playmate other than myself. I tire quickly and don't seem to be as much fun.
Tiff, Jared and the girls came for Easter. That was a fun weekend! So I posted a couple pictures of each weekend! Hope you enjoy.
I spend most of my free time looking online for places to rent in Salem. I HATE THIS! I don't really know where to start or look. Cass and I really need to just get in the car and drive up there. I'm being pretty picky about what kind of place we get and so I'm making it even harder on myself. I know we'll eventually find what we are looking for.

The Good, The Bad...and the Rock!

We had an eventful evening! First off...the good! Cass has TWO jobs. He was hired by Salem a few weeks ago and he just got hired on at Silverton too! This is great because they are both "on call" positions! It's too late to go into details of what that means...so maybe another time.

Today turned out to be a really nice day out. So naturally we played outside in the backyard. We were just getting ready to come inside when Nathan tripped on a board and fell head first onto the sidewalk. The first thing we noticed was a little rock indented in his forehead. I didn't even have to think twice...we were in the car and on our way to Urgent care within minutes. SURE ENOUGH this is what they had to dig out of Nathan's forhead!!
It was in far enough that at first the doctor didn't even think there was a rock in there. After scrubbing it clean and taking a better look, she saw what I already knew was there. It took her a pair of tweezers AND a small pair of sizzers to get it out. So hard to watch him go through that. He cried so hard and Cass and I had to hold him there. He got all sweaty and his cheeks turned all pink. Once we were done and got back home, you would never know that he had just been traumatized.

My little trooper playing around the kitchen with Grandpa Bob.

Trying to get a good picture of the band aide.

My little trooper! I'll post pictures after the bandaide comes off and you can see the real wound.