Busy Busy

Life is busy!! With Christmas and cleaning, and the kids...I swear it doesn't stop!!

Christmas was a blast. Lacey is finally able to understand that Santa comes and leaves presents. She woke up Christmas morning so excited to see presents from Santa.
All of the Santa Loot

Lacey and I Christmas Morning

Since it is finally after Christmas I can tell you all what we made. Last year my friend Julie made cute reindeer art for the grandparents. So we made some for the grandparents too.

Lacey on the table getting her foot ready
The finished product
Lacey's foot, and her pinkies and index finger
Miles' hands
Finally I made coasters for our parents. I took regular tiles, felt for the back, modge podge, and a spray sealer. Hot glued the felt on the back. Picked out our favorite pictures and modge podged them to the tiles. Let them sit for a day or two. Came back and modge podged the tops. I did 3 coats of modge podge. After a couple more days I spray sealed them. I did 4 coats of the sealer.
They were a great hit with the parents. They loved them.

I gave Brandon his present on Christmas Eve. Liz did an amazing job!! He absolutely loved it!! He talked about it all day on Christmas.
Admiring it! He loved it!!

I am down to 164. 23lbs down! 9lbs away from hitting my goal weight!!

160's anyone?

Yes you read it I am officially out of the 170's and into the 160's!! 168 to be exact! I am down 19lbs in 4 weeks!! I only have 2lbs to lose and I am at my fist goal of 21lbs in 7 weeks!! Brandon is down to 245!! He looks AMAZING!! 21lbs for him in 4 weeks!!
I have however let myself down by not getting to the gym. We did get the Wii and Wii Fit for Christmas from my in-laws so I will be busy playing it.
We went to KC Tuesday evening and spent all day yesterday there...and by all day I mean we didn't get home until nearly 1 in the morning. It was nice to spend the day with Brandon's mom. Then in the evening everyone came over for a little Christmas. Brandon doesn't get a day off until Christmas and we wanted to spend time with his family. His family couldn't believe how awesome we both look. His aunts kept calling me a skinny minnie. I know that I need to drop about 20 more lbs and I will be at my goal weight of 150...but small goals.
My next goal is 165. Only 3 more lbs...
His mom loved her gift that we made...we actually made 2 but I can't post pictures yet...after the holidays I will show you the wonderful crafts we made.

Working out

So I have finally started working out. I ate entirely too much and Brandon's Christmas party and I think it will help the weight come off at a faster pace.

Thursday I did some cardio about 35 minutes. Today my body is so sore. However my little sister said lets go to the YMCA when you get off work. So when I got off work her boyfriend came over and watched the kids, and her and I headed up to the YMCA. I jogged a mile...yes an entire mile. I was so proud of myself. I think I am going to force myself every day to get up before the kids and go work out.

So my goal for the next 3 weeks is to work out at the gym at least 3 days a week....

Christmas Cards

With Love Chartreuse Christmas 5x7 folded card

Personalize the christmas season with Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Competition

Who said losing weight can't be fun?
My little sister and her boyfriend, Brandon and I have started a nice little friendly competition. Which couple can lose the most amount of weight percentage wise. The loser couple has to buy the winning couple tickets to a Royals game plus ticket for them to go too. So we can all together!! We are starting from our weight that we weighed in with on Saturday. I am already down 6.4% and Brandon is down 5.2%...to bad we can't start with those.

I am hoping that my next weigh in I can say completely goodbye to 170's. However 6lbs in one week might be tough....

What a week

A week has already flown by, but what a week it was!!

Our calorie counting is still going strong. I dropped another 2lbs this week. 175, 12lbs in 3 weeks. Brandon is down to 252, 4lbs for him. Making his total weight loss 14lbs in 3 weeks.

Clothes are falling off of me, Brandon had to move a hole in his belt. I tried on summer clothes that didn't fit over the summer and they are too big now. I was a size 16 at the beginning, I am wearing size 14's now with some extra room in them. Size 12's are still a little snug but hopefully I will be in them soon!!

On Thursday my car decided not to start. Thursday night Brandon jumped it and Friday I went and bought a battery. With a little help from my little sister's boyfriend Kenny Talley we got it fixed. I learned how to change a battery!!

I got all of the Christmas presents wrapped, and today Brandon and I went and got the last few things. We just have 1 gift for my dad and 1 gift for his step and we are completely done. It is hard to believe that Christmas is 20 days away.

I did buy the greatest gifts for my sister....I can't wait for her to open it!!

I hope every one is having a wonderful weekend!! The kids and I are doing some Christmas present crafts tomorrow!! I'll take pictures for you all to see!!

Goodbye 180's hello 170's!!

In 2 weeks I went from 187 to 177. That is 10lbs in 2 weeks!! That was after Thanksgiving dinner.

Brandon also went from 266 to 256. 10lbs for him too.

It is getting easier and easier to watch what we are eating.

Thanksgiving was busy, but we had a great time. We got a lot of shopping done, in fact it is almost all done. Except for my mom and my sisters. Their gifts won't be available until the 4th. We have my in-laws to shop for, and Lacey's Santa Claus present. We bought it on Friday and then put it in the car and realized there was no way for us to get it back to JC without Lacey seeing it so we returned it. Brandon and I got 3 dates!! It was so nice. We went on a lunch date 1st, we went to Subway where we could have a healthy lunch. After lunch we went to Target and did some Christmas shopping. We got Miles' Santa Claus present, and some other stuff. Our 2nd date started on Friday morning at 4am. The kids were still sleeping and my mother in law stayed with them. We hit up Target 1st got tons of stuff and at great prices too!! We went over to Kohl's and got me a pair of black boots, and my mom's Christmas present. Over to Best Buy and got 2 SD cards for Brandon's step mom and Dad's Christmas gifts. We hit up Sears and got Miles some clothes and a winter snow suit. We went back to Target and returned Lacey's Santa present...at 8am we were exhausted and went back to Brandon's folks house. Friday evening Brandon's folks took us to Outback while Brandon's cousin Sarah came over and watched the kids.

We left KC around noon yesterday, got home and started cleaning up. Laundry laundry and you guessed it more laundry. The Christmas tree is up and hopefully some time today we can finish decorating. We are also getting family pictures taken today. I can't wait!!

Brandon's Christmas present is off getting framed!! It looks AMAZING!!! Thank you so much Liz!!

T-Tru-Truck, Keep on truckin' all the way

It was been a week since we started our weight loss journey.

Brandon weighed in last night at 262.0 his starting weight was 266.6, he has gone done 4.6lbs! I am so proud of him!!

I weighed in yesterday at 182.0!! That is a -5 since last week Thursday!! I am so excited!!

Counting calories, eating what I want, just not going over 1500 calories a day works! The only working out I am doing is some cardio or walking on the treadmill. I have decided to start the couch 2 5k and this time I am sticking with it!!

Last night and this night I had a hamburger. Yes a hamburger. I have my 1/2 cup of ice cream every night, a snack size snickers bar. I am not giving up anything I like just cutting back how much I eat.

Standing

So my little man is standing by himself....
He doesn't do it for very long but he is doing it.

We had some fall fun today we played outside in the leaves. Brandon raked them up into piles and Lacey and her friend jumped in them!! Then we went to the park for a little bit.

Losing weight

Last week my friend and I read an article about a man who ate whatever he wanted just watched his calorie intake and lost 27lbs. We figured we could do it!!


On Wednesday Brandon and I started counting our calories. We are both set at 1500 calories. We both have been doing great. I stepped on a scale 2 weeks ago at my parents and figured I would use that weight as my starting weight.

My starting weight was 187. My goal is to lose 3lbs a week. I lost my 3lbs from last week bringing me to 184. My goal weight is 155 only 29lbs to go!!

With Thanksgiving coming up I am scared, but know that portion control is KEY!! I figure I need to blog about it to keep myself motivated to lose the weight.

Brandon and I are having our Church wedding 11-5-11 and I need to look GREAT! I don't want to look at my wedding pictures and be disappointed because of my weight.

I want to be healthy for me, my kids and my husband. I want to be around to watch them grow. So ladies keep me motivated!!

Christmas Cards

A friend of mine blogged about Shutterfly giving away 50 free Christmas Cards if you blog about them.

Last year we got married and had wonderful family pictures taken and got to use those for our Christmas Cards. Which we ordered from Shutterfly. I have used Shutterfly for TONS of pictures. This year my best friends mom is going to take some Holiday pictures for us. (She took my maternity photos, I ordered them all off of Shutterfly.) Our 1st family pictures as a family of 4. We will use Shutterfly to print them off. I love holiday cards, I love receiving them and I love sending them. So now I need help deciding which one we like the best. Maybe if I like them all I will just order one in every style!! Yes, I am that indecisive. In 2008 we took pictures of Lacey every month and used them in a cute calendar. EVERYONE loved them. It was kinda the gift that kept on giving all year. 12 months of Lacey!! Maybe this year we will make some from Shutterfly and they will make great Christmas presents. http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars

Now on to the Christmas cards
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. I love the black and white picture and the only thing in color is the lights and the word Holiday!!
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/bright-colored-lights-christmas-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

I love this one too!! I love the black and white picture and the simplicity of the card!!
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/holiday-window-christmas-card-5x7-flat?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

With this one I can get a really good family picture for the top, a picture of each of the kids by themselves and then a picture of Brandon and I!!
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/cards-stationery/cool-collage-holiday-5x7-folded-card?sortType=1&storeNode=93491

Why Oh Why does Shutterfly have to have so many cute cards?? This will make deciding on Holiday card shopping so difficult!!

Thanksgiving

What I am thankful for....

I am thankful that I have an amazing supporting husband who loves me unconditionally, who supports me 150%, who works hard so I can stay at home.

I am thankful that I am able to stay at home with our 2 wonderful amazing kids.

I am thankful that I am able to have children, for the stretch marks left behind, for my body never going back the way it was.

I am thankful for Lacey and Miles who are keeping me young and giving me gray hair. I love you both more than you will ever know. Even though I get frustrated that you won't sleep in a bed by yourself, or that you talk back and don't listen, I love you, and I am thankful God gave you to me.

I am thankful that my kids are healthy, that I am healthy, that my husband is healthy. We may get the common cold, a few ear aches nothing that is major.

I am thankful for my parents, who raised me in a loving, safe, home. And put up with my rebellious ways and didn't kill me....

I am thankful for sisters. We may not always get along but I support them no matter what. They are my only link to the past.

I am thankful for my Grandparents. Without them I wouldn't be here. My dad's parents for giving us a house to live in, and my Mom's mom for paying for Lacey's preschool, just because you want to.

I am thankful for my in-laws. They are super amazing!! People talk about how they hate their in-laws, and coming from a 1st marriage where my in-laws were not kind people. I am grateful for the wonderful in-laws I have.

I am thankful for my friends!! Old and new you are truly fabulous people!! You make me smile and help me laugh, you give me a shoulder to cry and pick up my broken pieces and still love me.

I am thankful for God, without him none of us would be here. I am thankful for the constant reminders he gives us that he loves us, and is watching over all of us.

I am thankful for my little brother Clayton who is in Heaven watching over me and my babies. Sometimes I can feel his presence and I know that he is gone but never forgotten.

I am thankful for my part time job. I love that you are flexible with my hours, and give me an outlet. Who knew folding clothes and re-folding clothes could be so relaxing?!?

I am thankful for my husband's job. Even though I think he works too hard and too many hours, he loves what he does and he still has a job in this rough time.

I am thankful for this beautiful weather we are having in November. I love being able to be outside without a jacket in November.

I am thankful for my Aunts and Uncles. They are the only link to my parents pasts, and share the secrets my parents won't tell us. LOL

I am thankful for coupons and great sales! I love being able to save more than I spent!!

I am thankful for the money that we have, that we are able to support our family. We may not have a lot of money, or the newest coolest things but we have enough to provide for our family. We may not have it all together but together we have it all.

I am thankful for my Ex husband leaving me. I don't think I would have ever left and I would have been miserable the rest of my life.

That is all for now....I am sure I will think of more and will add them

Happy 1 Year

Happy 1st Anniversary to my Hubby. I must say I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man. My daughter and son are both so blessed to have him as their daddy.

We had a great 1st wedding anniversary. My little sister's boyfriend came over and watched the kiddos so we could have an evening out without the kids. We went to Manhattan and our 1st stop was Target. We picked up Toy Story 3 for Lacey for Christmas for $5.99. It is $15.99 but we had a $1o gift card we got for buying 2 packs of diapers. We also bought TONS of Halloween stuff all 75% off. Some decorations for outside, some decorations for inside, and some coffee (we had a coupon). Our grand total was $39 and some change after the gift card.

Next we were off to dinner at Olive Garden. I got a glass of some yummy yummy wine and

Grilled Shrimp Caprese for dinner. It was wonderful!! We actually got to have adult conversation without interruption. I gave Brandon some hints about his Christmas present and he is so lost, but my clues were AMAZING!! After dinner we discussed dessert but we were both stuffed!!

After dinner we went to Bed Bath and Beyond where we picked up some K-Cups for one of my sister's for Christmas. I had 2 coupons that were expiring so we figured we could purchase the coffee now. We then headed to Starbucks for some coffee, and came home to 2 kids that were excited to see us!!

I am so blessed and truly have a wonderful life!!

Christmas Presents

Yes I know it is only November 3rd, I know Christmas is 51 days away however I am trying to get a head start on Christmas shopping. I did some shopping for the kids in July or August when Target was having huge clearance sales. I got tons of stuff and only spent around $30 on Christmas presents. Brandon and I are buying Toy Story 3 for Lacey at Target for $15.99 just for the DVD and we have a gift card for there that we got for buying diapers, making the DVD $5.99!!

We get points with our debit card, Brandon had over 18,000 points so we got one of my sisters a gift card for iTunes that is worth $25 for free and a $100 REI gift card for my dad that we didn't have to buy!! That is 2 gifts out of the way that were FREE!!

The one gift that I am looking the most forward to getting and giving to my husband is a gift that I am having one of my friends make!! She is going to take pictures of the letters of our last name and then have it framed. I'm sure my husband will love it, I know that I will love it!! Thanks Liz you are the greatest!!

The good with the bad

It is only Tuesday and already this week my emotions are shot!!

Sunday I got mad at Brandon for choosing to go work the Haunted House instead of going Trick or Treating with the kids and I. He has been working the Haunted House for years and it is something he loves doing. It is for a good cause but I wanted him home to celebrate it with us.

Monday I posted all of our babies items up for sale. The swings, the jumperoo, the bumbo, the bouncy chair....Kind of confirming that we are done with babies. We aren't doing anything permanent yet, but we both have agreed that in 5 years if we decide we want one more we will be in a better place financially, and can buy all new stuff for our baby. However in five years both of my babies will be very independent kids, and we probably won't want another one.

Tuesday was Court day. My daughter is not biologically my husbands. He has been raising her since she was 9 months old and they are inseparable. She calls him daddy and he will tell you that he has 2 kids. It is actually funny how many people say she looks just like him. Her biological father has not been a part of her life since she was 3 weeks old. Maybe seeing her a handful of times the 1st year she was born. When we got divorced she was to remain with me and he would pay us child support. We have asked him numerous times to sign over his rights and each time he has said no. He was put in jail for domestic abuse and child endangerment and while he is in jail he didn't want to pay child support....Luckily I have the world's best In-Laws that found and paid for a lawyer for us. Today at court it was settled that her biological father is to pay child support until January and we will go back to court then to discuss the matter again!! Here is to saying our prayers and hoping that by January he will want to sign over his rights!!

Wednesday we are meeting with our Parents As Teachers lady!! I am so excited!!

Thursday is Brandon and I's 1 year wedding anniversary

Friday maybe I will be able to relax.....

Halloween

The kids and I had a good time on Halloween!! My little pumpkin didn't really enjoy the evening but Lacey did!! She loved going around to the houses saying Trick or Treat. It went by so fast. We ended the night by going over to Briana's boyfriends house and enjoying dinner with them. I am excited for next year when Mile will be able to enjoy it more!!

Halloween Time

I am so excited that Halloween is finally here. Well not here completely but Halloween Parties at Lacey's school, making fun treats, making her costume, and carving pumpkins!!! I love carving pumpkins.

Today Lacey had a school party at the preschool at high school. We didn't make anything fun, but she got to wear her costume and they had a parade around the high school.

Here is Lacey in Scarecrow Costume

Our monster fingers!! They are pretty tasty!!!

My mom gave us the recipe for Monster Fingers so we decided to make them. They are super easy to make and Lacey enjoyed helping us make fingers. Lacey and I are going to try to make them again tomorrow.

Lacey making Lollipop Ghosts

Growing up every Halloween we made Lollipop ghosts. So we decided to make them with Lacey. She got to pick out the flavor of lollipop, and make the eyes and the mouth.
K for either my 1st name or our last name

I stole this idea from my friend Liz!! She posted a picture in her blog of her pumpkin that she carved. So I had Brandon draw a K on my pumpkin and I carved it!! Thanks Liz for the great idea!!! All of our pumpkins

Brandon's is on the left, Lacey's on the right and mine in front. I helped Lacey carve her pumpkin. She just told me what to do!!!

And finally me with the kiddos!!!

We had a great evening!! I love being able to do fun projects with them. I wish I had more time to be artsy and crafty. I think I am going to start a craft night once a month!!

Catch up

I am only a week behind!!

I was so tired last week that I never got around to posting pictures or a new blog!!

We had a great week last week, seeing my grandma, the kids seeing their cousins and their Grandma. It was a full week. We went to Great Bend to see my grandma so she could go to the Notre Dame Game. My mom came up later and we took the kids to the zoo. Saturday we had my sister and her boyfriend babysit so we could go on a date!!
The kids playing on Great Grandma's front door Lacey looking for animals The kids and me on the Gorilla at the Zoo in Great Bend
Brandon and I leaving for Junction Function

Lacey's scarecrow costume for Halloween that I made

This past week was pretty relaxing! Enjoyed 2 days off with Brandon. We had the pumpkin patch on Wednesday which was a blast!! The kids loved it.

A family picture at the pumpkin patch
Miles with his pumpkin
Lacey and daddy
Mommy and Miles

On Thursday 2 friends announced their pregnancies on Facebook!! I am so excited for Molly and Julie!! Molly is 13 weeks and Julie is 4 weeks!! I get to live vicariously through them! I wish them both easy and healthy pregnancies!!

Busy week

This week is super busy!!

Monday was a boring day because it rained all day. The kids and I lounged around all day and did nothing. I did do some laundry and balance the check book.

Tuesday was Brandon's day off and my day to work a few hours. Brandon took Lacey to school while I got ready for work. While I was at work Brandon took the kids shopping. I had laid out all the coupons and wrote a list of everything we had coupons for and what stores had the best price. A little advice from a good friend!!! Brandon decided that he didn't want me to have to do it so he did it. We saved more than we spent!! He spent $20 and saved $22!! Got to love Dillons for doing double coupons!! After I got off work I came home and took a nap with the kids. Then packed for a trip to KC to see the dentist.

Today (Wednesday) I had a dentist appt with Brandon's Uncle at 10. My mother in law got to keep the kids. Brandon had a meeting in McPherson that he had to attend. After my dentist appt I hung out with my mother in law and our nephews. We headed home around 3. Once we got home Brandon followed shortly behind, we decided to head to Manhattan for a quick trip to Hobby Lobby, dinner out, and Target!! I got all the stuff to make the kids costumes, so hopefully this weekend I can get them made! At Target we spent way to much money, but with our coupons I didn't feel so guilty. There was only 1 thing in our cart that we didn't have a coupon for and that was for Lacey's Halloween shirt she begged us for. We saved $40 alone with coupons!!

Thursday Lacey has school, and right after school we are heading to Great Bend to see my Grandma and spend time with my aunt while my grandma goes to the Notre Dame Western Michigan game! It is on her bucket list and my Uncle's are taking her! My mom will come up Thursday evening.

Friday my mom and I will be taking the kids to the zoo that is in Great Bend, and probably just do some hanging out. The kids and I will return to JC.

Saturday Brandon and I were invited on a date, to a convention that they have here in JC, called Junction Function. Brandon's boss let him have the evening off, so we will be going!! I am so stoked!! My little sister and her Boyfriend will be watching the kids for us. I am so excited for a night away with my hubby, and being able to go out and have a great night!!

Sunday RELAX!!! Hopefully I will be able to update with pictures!!

Busy weekend

Reader Comments
Allow
Don't allow, show existing
Don't allow, hide existing

Post date and time

So this weekend was a nice relaxing weekend. We were busy but we didn't have a schedule. Friday night we rented Marmaduke and Letters to Juliette. Lacey loved Marmaduke and watched it twice that night. Letters to Juliette was cute.

Saturday I went to work for a couple of hours. We weren't too busy so I got a lot of folding done. After work we went to the Harley shop. They had a bounce house, and hamburgers and hot dogs. Lacey loved the jump house and spent probably 45 mins in it. After that we came home and had a nice nap. After our nap we went over to The Quelch's. We went out with them to Monster Myths by Moonlight. It is out at the lake and they have a hayride, and a trail that you walk along. Stopping to hear about different animals. The kids loved it.

Sunday we all got to sleep in. We went to lunch with my best friend and her little boy. Lacey and Brayden are 7 months apart. They love each other. They kept themselves occupied during lunch. Luckily we had the entire banquet room to ourselves. They got to run around and play. They didn't eat very much, but they had a good time. After lunch we came home and took a nice long nap. After the naps we went over to Dani's for a BBQ. Lacey and Brayden got to play some more. It was a very nice evening. The kids kept each other busy!!

At lunch at Kites

Watching a movie at Dani's

Today we are relaxing and just doing some light cleaning and laundry. Hopefully we will be able to make it over to the grocery store, and Hobby Lobby!!

Laceyisms

Lacey is talking A LOT, my friend says she speaks Russian/Spanish at the same time. It does sound like gibberish at times. She says the funniest things.

On Sunday we had gone out to my parents for breakfast. My aunt and uncle were in town from Florida for my aunts high school reunion. We had gone into the guest room and were talking to my aunt while she got dressed. My uncle comes into the room after his shower wearing a towel and he says "Get out, unless you wanna see something awesome." My older sister says "I'm sure it's not as awesome as you think." Lacey turns around and says "Is it a tree frog?" I about died laughing!! The things she comes up.

I had gone out to my parents today to help my mom get ready for a get together at her house. Lacey asked my mom if she could stay the night and my mom said not tonight, we are having an adult only party. Lacey thinks for a little bit comes back into the kitchen and says "Grammy I can sleep during the adult party." My mom just laughed and promised that tomorrow night Lacey could spend the night with Grammy and papa.

Tonight we watched Marmaduke and I had made some popcorn Lacey brings me her bowl and says "It's not right you didn't put M&M's in it. I don't want it." Turns around walks back to the floor, looks at me and says "Are you going to put some in there?" I told her we didn't have M&M's and she said "We can go to the store and buy some."

Halloween Costumes

Lacey told me the other day she wants to be a Scarecrow for Halloween. For the longest time she wanted to be Jesse from Toy Story and now a scarecrow. So a few days ago I decided that she could be the scarecrow and Miles will be a crow!! The costumes will not be too hard to make and the kids will be adorable!! Hopefully this week Brandon and I can go to Hobby Lobby and get the stuff. Pictures will come shortly!!

Picture Day

I am kinda sad. Tomorrow is Lacey's 1st picture day. I didn't realize how stressful it is picking out an outfit. Lacey had a say in what she wanted to wear. There were lots of no's and the one outfit she wanted to wear I had to say no. She wanted to wear PJ's....We eventually settled on a cute dress. I will post them when we get them!!

Yesterday Brandon got off work and we were talking. The kids and I had gone to Wal-Mart and grabbed dinner out. I didn't feel like cooking. Brandon said he hated that he had to miss all the fun things. Who thinks going shopping with 2 kids is fun? I HATE IT!!!

Our Love Story

I am sitting here eating Kix, just laid Miles down and Lacey is finally asleep. As I was checking on Lacey covering her up, I thought about how wonderful my life is. My kids are healthy and happy, my husband is probably one of the greatest men alive. I am so blessed to have him in my life.

I think back 3 years ago when I thought my life was going to end. I found out my husband at the time was having an affair, I had a two month old...my life was falling apart, my world was ending. I thought I was never going to find someone else, never going to be able to fall in love, never find someone who accepted Lacey. I thought I was going to be a single mom the rest of my life. Then to make the wound hurt even more my ex husband and his girlfriend got pregnant.

One day in February in the middle of my pity poor me party my co-worker said "It's time you start dating again, you have been single for 7 months." So I went out a couple times with a guy I met and he turned out to be crazy. A few weeks later in March I went out on a few dates with another guy. I thought he was great, he thought I was great, but his ex-girlfriend didn't think we were great. So back to being single.

On a Friday in April my co-worker said "Today you will give your number to one guy that you think is attractive, a guy who makes you laugh." So my head starts spinning, I know lots of guys and then she said "I triple dog dare you to give your number to the Manager of SS." I looked at her like she was crazy. She knew that I couldn't turn down a triple dog dare, so I wrote my name and number on a piece of paper. The Assistant manager came in instead of the General Manager. PERFECT, I can find out a bit more about him. So I ask the AM, Is he married? Does he have a girlfriend? Does he want a girlfriend? No, No, and an I don't know. So I gave him the sheet of paper and said well tell him to call me.

Friday night I went to a friends wedding and waited all night with my cell phone in hand. No call...I went to bed disappointed, but knew that I would be okay. Saturday morning I got up and went to work. About an hour into work he comes in. Brandon says "Hey Katie, can I talk to you?" And everything starts running through my head, great he doesn't want a girlfriend, he doesn't find me attractive....but instead he said I lost the piece of paper with your number, can I get it again please?" So I wrote it down and gave it to him.

Sunday night he called and we talked till nearly 3 in the morning. We made plans to have lunch Wednesday afternoon during my lunch break. We talked every night on the phone, we made plans for Friday evening. After work he comes over and we watch "Sweeny Todd."

After 2 weeks I introduce him to Lacey. They quickly became inseparable. After watching him with Lacey I knew that there was no way I could let him go. We spent just about every day/night together. His dad flew us out to Martha's Vineyard for our 1st family vacation.

In September my divorce was final!! That meant however that I had to move out of the house that I had been living in for 3 years. Brandon and I decided that Lacey and I would move in with him.

A few weeks after living with him we found out that the company that Brandon works for wanted to transfer him to Ottawa. I knew that I wanted to be with him, and I knew how good this would be for us. I gave notice at my job and told them I would work until the end of January. Brandon had to be in Ottawa by December.

The last week in January we went on a cruise. We had a great time. A nice week spent alone. Doing things neither of us have ever done. Seeing places we have never seen.

We decided after I looked for daycare and a job in Ottawa, that I could be a stay at home mom!! What a blessing. I loved being able to stay at home with my little girl, watch her grow and learn new things.

In April we celebrated our ONE year anniversary. Where the heck had the year gone? Brandon made me the same lunch he made a year earlier.

In late June I found out I was expecting. I was scared and shocked. Brandon said it would be alright. That God has a plan. At 12 weeks we got to see our beautiful creation, at 20 weeks we found out we were expecting a boy! At 23 weeks we got married! At 39 weeks I was induced and had Miles Evan!

In December of '09 Brandon stepped down as GM and became an AM. By doing this we would get to move back to my home town!! By being in my home town I am closer to my family and all of my friends!

I truly have been blessed!!

Every enjoy their Sunday afternoon!

Where has time gone?

It has been nearly 3 weeks since I have updated last!! HOLY WOW!!

It has been a busy 3 weeks. I started working. Only a few hours a week but wow has it been amazing!! I enjoy my 11 hours a week away from the kids. My mommy time!!

I also went to the Dr. I have been feeling really down, mad at the kids, mad at Brandon, overwhelmed when I couldn't get all the chores done, stressing over money. It was finally time to talk to a Dr. Thank Goodness for such a great Dr. I have Postpartum Depression. Getting on antidepressants has helped TREMENDOUSLY!! I feel like a new person.

Miles is crawling, and pulling up on things. WHAT?!?! I am so not ready for him to mobile. Can someone please stop the time? It is going by way to fast.

Lacey is doing wonderful in school. She is blossoming into such an intelligent toddler. She knows WAY more than I like her to. i.e. I was getting ready for work the other day and she says "Mommy, you don't have to go to work to pay the bills." Me "Oh yeah why is that?" She responds very matter of fact "Cause that's why daddy works." Or the other day we had gone for a evening walk and while walking we found Briana and we stop to talk to her. Lacey says "Bri, Bri, you got a carseat in that car?" Bri says "Nope, I sure don't." Lacey says "Well you can take it out of my mommy's car and put it in your car, and I can go to your house. My mommy says we don't have any gas to go to your house." We have no clue where she comes up with some of this stuff, but she makes us laugh. Next week is green week and when I asked her what she wanted to take that was green she said "Daddy's peppers." So I guess we will let her take one of Brandon's peppers.

JOB!!

On Friday my mom and I went to Screen Machine Sports to get new shirts for the football game. I worked there my Senior year in high school, so I was talking to Mary and jokingly asked "Are you hiring? I just need to get out of the house for a couple hours a week." Mary replied with "Actually we are looking for someone to come in twice a week for a couple hours both days!! We just need someone to clean up and stock the floor." HECK YES!! PERFECT!! So I go in tomorrow to fill out paperwork and get started!! I can basically work whenever is convenient for me. I am so happy, a little extra cash, and being able to get out of the house its a win win for everyone.

I got Lacey enrolled at the high school's Early Childhood program. She will go twice a week Monday's and Wednesday's from 9:30-10:30. Her and Aven will be going together. I am hoping I can get her enrolled in dance or tumbling classes. Hopefully it isn't too late!!

It has been a pretty relaxed weekend, Bethany and Adam had Lacey Friday night. I got her back Saturday afternoon. Saturday evening she was ready to go back, so Bethany came and picked her up. I got her yesterday evening and we went out to my parents for dinner!! Today Brandon had to be to work at 6 and should be off here shortly. But today has been one of those days, Lacey refused to nap and didn't want Miles to nap, so now I have two cranky kids. OH WHAT A DAY!!Miles hanging out with Mommy on Saturday cheering on the cats!! I took one of him with his KU gear on but they lost....

RAIN

It finally rained today!! It cooled down to about 60*. I turned off the air! LOVE IT!!

Lacey is enjoying school more and more!! She tells me all the time about stuff they do in class. I am so thankful that we were able to get her into a class. She is so cute. She told me today "Mommy, you are bootiful. I wanna be a witsh (witch) for Oween. " (Halloween) It was all in the same sentence. She also told me "OHHH Mommy, thank you for buying my favorite prezels!! You are so nice to me."

Miles fell off our bed today. I am sure Lacey had some help in getting him off the bed. But she says she didn't....I was putting away laundry and had my back turned for probably 3 seconds. I picked him up and within a couple of seconds he had stopped crying. I checked him over and all he has a goose egg on his forehead. We then came out into the living room to play on the floor. Lacey was sitting in front of Miles, Miles was sitting in front of the coffee table, and I was sitting on the left of both of them. I was talking to my grandma and Lacey pushed Miles into the coffee table. He hit the back of his head and started screaming. I think the boy needs a helmet....LOL

In good news Brandon got the pay raise!! YAHOO!! It isn't a lot but it is something!!

On Monday I get up to do my morning walk with Neva, something I had missed all last week because of a stupid cold!! I started with my light jog, it is 6am I am 2 houses down from ours when I trip and fall and skin my knee and elbow. I got up and looked around to make sure no one saw me. Took off walking toward Neva. There is no way that I am going to let a skinned up knee and elbow keep me from walking. We did our normal walk, walk to Webster, up Chestnut, over to Eisenhower, and down Eisenhower back to my house for morning coffee!! I am sad this is the only day we have walked this week. Tuesday's and Thursday's are hard days to walk, with having to get Lacey up at 6:30am for school. Hopefully since the weather is cooling down, Neva and I will be able to walk while Lacey is in school.

As many of you know I watch my Grandma Cooke during the week. I think my mom and I have come up with a good schedule. Monday's, Wednesday's and Friday's I watch her from 7:30-12:30 take her to the nursing home so she can spend time with my grandpa, then my mom will pick her up at around 4:30 from there. Tuesday's and Thursday's my mom will take Grandma to the nursing home in the mornings and when Lacey is done with school we will go get her. This saves me the hassle of getting the kids out of the car a billion times in one day and also allows them to take their afternoon naps around 1. Plus it saves my parents roughly $120 a month on feeding my grandma at the nursing home.

Tomorrow is Bluejay football!! I have waited all year for Bluejay football!!

Complain

I just need to vent....

It is 11:34 on a Saturday night and Brandon is still at work. I love that he has a great job and is very dedicated to his job. He has a great work ethic, but sometimes I wish he was home more. He came home a couple days ago and told me that they are working on getting him a base raise and a bonus raise, please say your prayers that he gets the raise!!

Tomorrow will be a great day!! We are meeting my Grandma Steiner (my mom's mom), my mom's 2 brother, her sister and my cousins in Abilene for the Train ride and then dinner at Brookville!! It is so nice getting to see family. I'll post pictures tomorrow!!!

Busy Busy

As the days are cooling down I am finding that we are spending more time outdoors!! Praise the Lord!!

Lacey just finished her 2nd week of preschool, and now can say the ABC's!! She could say the majority of it before but now she can put it all together and only miss 1 or 2 letters. I was video taping it on my phone to send it to my little sister and Lacey starts singing, gets to G and I say "H" and she goes "I can't sing it, your making me crazy, your driving me nuts!!" I laughed so hard I almost cried!! She did fabulous at school this week, only one day of crying.

We celebrated Miles' 6 month birthday!! He loved the cake!! Lacey helped me bake it and decorate it. It breaks my heart to think that he is already half a year old!! Where the heck did the past 6 months go? I love watching him grow. He can go from the sitting position to the crawling position,and almost has the crawling down. He moves his legs, then his arms, then falls flat on his face. He got his 1st tooth this week too.

Brandon and I were talking last night about getting debt paid off. If only I could find a part time job working a couple days a week and help out with the income life would be so wonderful!! We will see.

Life

I have to get better at posting on my blog. Life is just so busy!! Lacey and Miles keep me running all day.

We got Lacey enrolled at St. Xavier Preschool. She will be going twice a week Tuesday's and Thursday's 7:40-10:40. I can't wait for her to have other child interaction. We got to meet her teacher on Thursday, Lacey and her played kitchen. Lacey couldn't wait to take my mom back so my mom could meet her teacher. I am sure she is going to love it, and I am going to love the one on one time with Miles.

Miles is sitting up, it breaks my heart to know that he has already mastered sitting by himself. He is also working on crawling. He gets up on all 4's and starts rocking. He has mastered scooting backwards, and gets to where he wants to be that way. He loves eating food!! He will eat all day.

Brandon and I have been busy. I started watching my dad's mom almost 2 weeks ago. She sits with my grandpa at the nursing home until around 1 and then I go and pick her up. I have totally changed my schedule and am now up at around 6 and ready for bed by 9, too bad I don't get to go to sleep that early. I have enjoyed my morning walks with Neva, and even working out that early. I feel the day starts so much better when I get in a good walk or workout before starting my day!!

Brandon has been busy at work. Even as the AM he is doing as much work as if he is the GM. However his schedule is pretty nice. Only closing twice a week, and off by 3 on Saturdays.

So I was reading my friends blog and thought it would be fun to start a blog!! A way to keep a journal without keeping a journal!

Our life is truly amazing! On February 24th we met our newest addition. It took us forever to agree on a name. We knew that we had 9 months to name him, we had a lot of names chosen. But we wanted to get a good look at him and decide based on what he looked like. Finally after he was 16 hours old we decided that he was Miles Evan Kidwell. A perfect little boy weighing 7lbs11oz and 19inches long. Lacey was already in love him. Making the adjustment from 1 to 2 easy!!

Lacey always wants to know what Miles is doing. She is a great big sister. She tells him all the time "Mineuls you are my best friend" She wants to hold him all the time.

She has definitely got a strong personality. While watching the Olympics we were watching Speed Skating and a guy fell down. Lacey says "Oh Shit, he fell down and bumped his head." I couldn't help but laugh. Not only did she say it but she said it in the right context. I guess I need to watch what I say in front of her.