A FIRST

So just over a week ago I decided to head out to a friend's house for a fun relaxing morning of socialization, or so I thought. My day started off like any other day waking up, feeding and bathing Tristen, tiding up a few things around the house, and packing the diaper bag. Nothing out of the norm.....until I decided to sneak out to the garage and put Tristen's diaper bag in the van so I didn't have to carry both the diaper bag and Tristen at the same time (yes, I am already carrying an extra 40 pounds of pregnancy weight didn't want to add an extra 30 pounds to my load). Well that is where I went wrong. Well going by the title of this entry you can guess that A "FIRST" occurred. Yep, Tristen decided to lock me out of the house. I didn't have my house keys on me either. That is my little girl, she locked me out not by turning the lock on the door knob itself (she hasn't even figured that out yet), but instead she went for gold...the deadbolt lock...hmmm, what an over achiever. I think she must have been on her tip toes and barely touched it. So what was I to do??? I started calling Tristen over to the door and asked her to open it for mommy...yeah, so no luck in that dept. I then called Jason at work and no answer. So needless to say I was a little panicked at this point b/c I really didn't want to call the fire dept. to assist me. Luckily Jason called me back and left an important meeting to help bail me out. So in the mean time Tristen starts climbing the stairs while looking at me through the front window. She then runs upstairs into the unknown, so she is out of my sight for about 15 LONG MINUTES before Jason made it back home. Worst case scenarios were running through my mind, but I didn't panic. However I was wondering what she was up to. Just as I had suspected though, she was on the computer hitting all the buttons and trying to play with it. As we made a mad dash up the stairs to see where she was and what she was doing, we saw that all was well. As Tristen saw us approaching she stopped hitting the buttons on the keyboard and uttered the words "NOT NICE". Yes, she knew that she is not supposed to be on the computer but I was glad it kept her occupied for the 15 longest minutes of my life. So the lesson of the story is keep your keys on you at all times or put a spare somewhere in the garage so you don't have to take a couple years off your life. Also NEVER underestimate your kids....

My New Baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well my new baby is here, NO, not the one that is killing my back at times, but one that was rather unexpected. After play group at the park this morning I returned home to find something a little unusual on my front porch. The front door mat was straight up leaning against a big box. I was a little puzzled why the mat was like that, but as I approached my porch and looked at the package I could understand why. The package was a little shocking to me especially since I am normally suspicious of my husband and all his little surprises (he struggles to keep them b/c he gets way too excited and has to tell someone or he acts very strange/funny). I couldn't believe it when I saw the package, my eyes were no doubt big. I have mentioned to him only on a few times that I would love to have a Kitchen Aid Mixer ONE DAY (key words), b/c it is considered the Mercedes of the baking world...(HELLO, Martha Stewart uses one). So to my absolute SHOCK, here one is sitting on my front porch. I must admit my first thought was, "Dear heavens, I am trying to behave and watch our monies so we can pay for the rest of Jason's schooling without having any debt and there is some $350.oo machine that has been purchased and is now calling out my name (I think we bonded instantly). Well I made a call to Jason and told him about the package on the porch and that I wasn't sure what to think because I felt guilty about him spending that much money on me. FYI, I am the type where I feel really really uncomfortable accepting expensive gifts unless I have mentally prepared in advance to accept them...make sense????? I just feel bad when people spend money on me when I know there are more practical ways the money could have been spent. Anyways, Jason told me that he used his united miles to purchase the mixer and that it didn't cost us a cent. He also told me that it came a bit early and that it was an anniversary gift. I felt a lot better now, and the excitement returned...however this gift means sooo much more to me than just a mixer. Anyone who knows Jason knows that he loved his mission to Italy and that he has always dreamed of going back there one day to visit. Well Jason has been saving his sky miles for years, even before we were married and he had actually saved enough points for 2 round tickets to Rome. However, having Tristen and with Jason being in graduate school, the thought of Italy became less practical and optimal at this time. So Jason with half of his points decided to help someone reduce their $1000.00 flight to a $300 flight. Now with the second half of his points he decided to spend them on me. I guess I am touched that he would do this for me because I know how much Italy means to him. I know one day we will go and visit Italy, probably after he's finished with his MBA program (in 2 years) but I am grateful for him and for the thoughtful person that he is. I'm sure he could have purchased one of the many "MAN" items offered by united (they have everything,t.v's, camera, you name it) instead he bought me my small dream (I am way too cheap to spend $350 on myself...no way). So Thanks Jason for being my #1 and for being the man that you are, Love ya :)

Painting project!!!!!

Well we finally decided to do it!! Yes, we are painting our living room today. We decided now is the time since baby#2 will be arriving in the next couple months (life will only get crazier from this point on, adjusting to a new sleep schedule and trying to manage two little ones). We are actually cheating a little on this project though, we actually decided to hire a painter to come in and do it for us. What can I say except that the 18ft ceiling and staircase made me extremely nervous (to put it mildly) and the thought of all the prep work for the room (cover all the trim and tape off ceiling and so on...) was exhausting in and of itself. On a side note Jason has also been very busy lately with school, work, church, and some tutoring on the side, so I am happy that someone else has the headache of this project. I would have attempted the project myself, but I don't want baby#2 to come out and have paint fume withdrawals since I have been doing several small painting projects around the house. Well I hope all goes well today with the painter and that I like the colors I picked out (this causes me some anxiety...paint is evil :), I will post some before and after pics when all is finished. We are still working on the chair rail and the faux paneling project, but the hard part of that project is over. Hopefully all the painting and small projects I have on the go will be completed before baby arrives. Maybe this is part of my nesting phase???? Poor Jason, he is a GOOD man to go along with all my little ...OK maybe not so little...at times projects. I guess I am the type that likes to enjoy a finished looking home, especially on the main floor. One could say that is my hobby instead of scrap booking and stuff like that. Yes, I no doubt drive Jason bonkers at times with some of my ideas, but in the end we tend to both be happy with the results of our efforts.

Some friendly advice...not to worry

Big smile, reminds me that she can be happy when she is not crying b/c I am putting her down for a nap or for bedtime.


Tristen being a healthy girl and eating her carrot (yes that would be a plastic carrot), hmm that's right we are still trying to work with Tristen on keeping things out of her mouth :)


Tristen and mom posing, yes mom is trying to be good and allow her picture to be taken this pregnancy.


Random shot, just made me smile



A few friends at my baby shower reminded me to dress Tristen up nice that way on bad days I would be less likely to kill her....that advice cracked me up at the time, but boy there is definately an ounce of truth in it. I guess for me looking at pictures and thinking of the fun times togther helps me get through the rough patches. One rough patch being this past week and a half, yes Tristen decided that she doesn't want to take naps and that she wants to be up multiple times during the night...and not to mention she has to have mom and dad around her when she does decide to go to sleep. Oh well, that is what being a parent is all about. I love her to death, but being in my last trimester with the lack of sleep and patience at times, I swear she will be my death. But on a brighter note she had a better day today :) If Tristen has a good day so does mommy. My hats off to my own mother who had nine kids and put up with all our crying and sleepless nights and to all the other moms out there who are lacking a little sleep in their life.