Just THANKFUL

Gosh, I'm so lazy.  I couldn't even keep up with my thankful posts!  Oh well, at least I'm getting one more in before the big day.  Today I am thankful for my health.  I was so sick Monday night and yesterday.  I can't remember ever being that sick.  It was awful.  Thankfully my mom was home and was able to step in and take care of my mom duties.  First time ever I haven't been able to take care of Liam, what a horrible feeling.  He had a fun day with Grandma though.

We went and got our Christmas tree last weekend!  It was our second year of going to the National Forest to get it and we had a great time.  It was a beautiful day, there was snow when we got there and we ended up with a gorgeous noble, probably about 11 feet tall, for $5.  Not a typo.  Five dollars.  Amazing.  I must admit I'm more in Christmas mode than Thanksgiving for the first time ever.  I blame it on Thanksgiving being so late this year.  Hopefully it's earlier next year.  Need more time to savor both holidays!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Thankful Days 12 and 13

Thankful Day 13:  I am SO thankful how easily Liam has took on the task of potty training.  He is so stubborn, when I would ask or try, he would absolutely freak out and say he didn't want to, diapers are more comfortable, didn't want to be a big boy...you name it.  Then the day before Halloween we were at Carly's and he made a deal with me that he'd try to go on the "big boy potty" when we got home from Gavin's.  I thought he was just humoring me so I made him shake on it.  And then had to explain what shaking on it meant.  Anyway, sure enough, when we got home from Gavin's, he ran to the bathroom and went.  WHAT?!?!  Who is this kid!  And it's been smooth sailing since.  He's had a few accidents but I would say less than 10.  I haven't gotten brave enough to do the undies when we are out and about, but I think he would do fine as his diapers are usually dry when we get home.  YES.  I thought he'd be in diapers until college for sure!

Thankful Day 12:  Yesterday I was thankful for having the best day ever on Monday.  We took Joanna to a spa in Portland for her baby shower gift.  And we decided to all go with her and make it a girls day (thanks for agreeing to that, Jo)!  The weather was gorgeous, the spa treatment was heavenly and dinner and all 4 of our desserts were delicious.  My cup was full that night.  I absolutely love days like that!

Three days behind!

Thankful Day 9:  Thankful for my morning coffee.  It's what gets me out of the bed in the morning---and I go to bed at night looking forward to it.  Best enjoyed with a silent house, newspaper (yes, I still read a newspaper and it gets delivered daily!) and then phone or computer time.  Ahhhh.  Mornings are my favorite time of the day.

Thankful Day 10: Thankful that I had a boy.  When I found out I was having a boy, I couldn't imagine it.  I admit I even cried like a baby the next day to my mom.  I was worried he won't love me like I love my parents when he grows up (just because he's a boy), that he'd be crazy (I was right about that one) and I wouldn't know what to do with him.  Fast forward three years to now.  I really can't imagine having a girl.  And if we have another, although I'm not too hung-up on gender, I think I would prefer a boy.  They are so much easier.  And it's true, they sure do love their mamas---even if he does beat me daily. ;)

Thankful Day 11:  Thankful for a fun-filled weekend!  Saturday was my friend Joanna's baby shower.  It was a couples shower and it ended up being more like a bbq.  I left to help Mikie at around 10am and didn't get home that night until 8:30pm.  Exactly how I like my days to be!  We also got to enjoy a great adult-only dinner to celebrate Joanna's birthday.  It's so nice to have a meal in peace!  Yesterday was opposite at dinner.  Liam isn't the best restaurant goer.  I'm used to it, I've accepted it...we try not to eat out much anyway...but it's like taking a wild animal out of the zoo!  The place we went was packed so Joe, Liam and I had to squeeze in one side of the booth.  I was in the middle and got trampled on, fooded on, crayoned on, you name it.  I still managed to enjoy my dinner, it was SO good, but it's even better when I'm not getting clobbered on the entire time. THEN we went to PDX and rented a minivan!  We are seriously contemplating buying one so we decided to rent one for a few days.  So far I am in love.  It's the greatest thing ever.  I can't wait to go pick my parents up and give them a ride.  And then my sister and Sophie.  Liam didn't want to get out when we got home. :)

Thankful Day 8

This morning I am thankful for my discovery of these.  My favorite breakfast is two scrambled egg whites on an English muffin with Laughing Cow cheese.  These English muffins make the sandwich!  And I don't feel as guilty eating them as I did some of the others.

That's all.  Happy Friday!

Thankful Day 7

Today I am thankful for a husband who is super mechanical and can fix all of our car problems.  He has been working in Washougal this week and called and his way home last night and said he was pulled over at a gas station, the driver side windshield wiper stopped working.  He didn't know what to do, he didn't have tools (he usually ALWAYS carries a small tool set with him) and it was raining too hard to drive without them.  He told me he'd call me back, and the next time he called, he had figured it out--e borrowed a wrench from the gas station and got it fixed.  AND, a few weeks ago when our car blew a head gasket, he got it all fixed---it was a big project and he even had to pull the engine out---and saved us more than $3,000 (the price to fix at the shop).  Thanks, Joe.  You are so smart and I love that about you!

Thankful

It's that time of year again, a lot of people are posting what they are thankful for EVERY SINGLE DAY on Faceobok.  It actually seems like a lot less are doing it this year, maybe because so many people ridicule it?  Someone posted something yesterday that said, "It's that time of year again---when people who've complained non-stop for the past year are suddenly thankful for 30 days."  (Or something like that).  Lol.

I decided to try it on here, maybe it will motivate me to blog every day.  I have some catching up to do.  And keep in mind, these are no where close to being in order of thankfulness.

November 1:  SO thankful for Liam not asking a single question about his Halloween candy.  I thought for sure it would be a battle all day.  Also thankful for the best Halloween yet.  It was a blast!

November 2:  Thankful that Joe has every Saturday and (kind of) Sunday off.  He has a crazy work schedule, we value our weekends so much!

November 3:  Thankful for long-time friends.  I went to Dana's baby shower tonight, we've been friends for about 18 years.  Hard to believe, and happy these people are still in my life after all that time.  Fun to see everyone having babies, too!

November 4:  Thankful for my relationships with Joe's family. His aunt and uncle stopped by on their way home from the beach today, I love them.  They're like a second set of parents to me.  They listen to my complaints, give me advice...they are both important people in my life.

November 5:  Thankful for MOPS (Mothers-of-Preschoolers).  I started going last year but got more involved this year, I needed the accountability to force myself to go.  It was out of my comfort zone to leave Liam (and he really doesn't like it) so I knew getting involved would force me to keep trying rather than just skipping it.  I've met some great moms and it helps so much to know I'm not alone---we are all in this together!  I always leave feeling refreshed.

November 6:  Thankful that my immediate family lives in town.  Although I have a feeling my sister might not be here for long, it's so fun having Sophie and Liam grow up together.  I never had any cousins that were close in age and always envied those that did.  They love each other so much, even if they do fight like siblings at times!  And it's so nice to be able to have spontaneous lunch dates, playdates, etc.  And Liam loves being able to drop by my parents house to play.

Ok, bored out of your mind yet?  I'm making fun of myself for doing this.  We'll see if I actually keep it up.
Hope everyone has a great Wednesday!

Halloween 2013

When we have another baby, I need to remember that things really start getting entertaining, exciting and super fun at around age three.  Not that previous years weren't fun, this year was just the best yet.  And I think a lot of it has to do with the age.  Liam absolutely LOVED Halloween this year.  I'm feeling sad I didn't get a video of him trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.  It was so cute to see a tiny Minion sprinting (not exaggerating) from house to house.  Then after the person opened their door he had to make small talk with them.  It was hilarious.  He kept asking one lady why she didn't have "sloppers."  That's Liam for Whoppers.  He's never even had them before!  He was running so fast, sometimes he'd run right by a house without even realizing it.  Then he would put on his brakes.  He started making this new braking sound last night.  He'd get to a driveway and make a loud braking sound and stop.

Kim and I took the kids to the Street of Screams at the fairgrounds.  Liam was terrified of that because there was a guy wearing a scary mask in front of us.  Speaking of masks, there was a dad wearing one in our neighborhood last night and Liam kept telling him to take it off.  He has no shame!  Thankfully the guy did, it was pretty terrifying---and our neighborhood is full of little kids.

When we got back to our house after trick-or-treating, the kids were equally excited to be the ones opening our door and handing out candy.  And Liam was quick with the questions again.  "Why are you wearing a mask?" (to a girl who wasn't...oh, liam). Then a huge truck drove by blaring, "What does the fox say?" And Liam went wild.  The sugar definitely had kicked in (more) at that point and we had to listen to the song a few times before he went to bed.

Liam is already talking about what he wants to be next year for Halloween.  So far he says an orange M&M.  ;)

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!  Happy November!

The big THREE!

Even though he's holding up four fingers, Liam is now officially THREE.  I can't believe it!  We did his birthday differently this year, instead of a huge party at our house with all of his friends/our friends/family, we just had two small family parties.  It was perfect and he loved the fact that he got to have TWO parties.  Two cakes.  Two sets of presents.  It doesn't get much better than that.

His first party was with my family and we just went to a local pizza place.  Talk about easy.  No prep work, no clean up.  I could get used to that.  His second party was on Sunday, his actual birthday, and in Auburn at Joe's aunt/uncle and cousins house.  Uncle Jack made pizza dough so we had a pizza party.  There were 22 people at this party!  And except for two, it was all family.  It was a perfect day.  I'm sad it's over, I've been looking forward to it for so long.  I feel like I can't thank the Markhams enough for letting us have his party there----and to Jack for making all of the dough and baking all of the individual pizzas.  It's a lot of work.  It was a great day though, no rain so people could be outside.  He had a fire going (besides the one in the oven) so everyone stayed warm.  I married into an amazing family.  Liam is one lucky little boy to have so many great people in his life, on both sides.  Sunday was definitely one of those days where I was on cloud nine.  Life is so good.

Liam, happy birthday.  You bring so much joy and happiness to our lives.  There's never a dull moment with you around, your humor and sarcasm amazes me (and scares me a little).  You are so smart, so sweet and at the same time, a total jerk when you want to be.  I don't think you'd be normal if you didn't have a little bit of a naughty streak though, right?  I keep telling myself that....

Here's to hoping year number three in the life of Liam is the best yet!

Slow down, October!

Today is October 16?  My favorite month is slipping by way too quickly.  We've been having gorgeous weather in the PNW, I believe the high today is 66.  No end in sight with the sun either, sunshine for the (at least) the next 7 days.  It was beautiful like this three years ago, right before Liam was born.  I walked the lake almost every morning in the fog---just before the sun started peeking through the clouds.  Little did I know that in just a few short days my little sweet boy would make his arrival.  I was already past due, but felt like he'd never come.  It's really hard to believe three years ago I was pregnant.  In some ways it feels like a lot longer, in others it just doesn't seem possible that my "baby" is turning the big THREE on Sunday. Bittersweet for sure.  He continues to amaze me more and more everyday.  He is so smart, incredibly witty and has so much love for everyone.  He loves pancakes, all sweets and broccoli is still "too good for him" to eat.  :)  He is a huge car nut and can tell you where almost all of his cars came from/who gave certain cars to him, etc.  It's also safe to say he is a huge mamas boy.  He wants me around all of the time, freaks out when I leave him and refuses to be left with people he doesn't know---when other kids his age are happy to be left if there's a sufficient amount of toys to keep them occupied.  He refuses to talk about potty training and gets mad when I mention it.  He often says, "I don't want to wear big boy underwear because diapers are more comfortable."  And yes, he really talks like that.  He is a great talker and loves having conversations.

I wasn't planning on writing all about him but I guess it's no surprise I did.  Gotta go though, the little man is demanding more pancakes.  Happy Wednesday!

Another great weekend in the books

Happy Thursday!  I feel like we are still recovering from last weekend and it's already almost the weekend again.  I think it's safe to say this has been the busiest summer ever.  I thought it would start to slow down, but fall is looking just as busy.  No rest for the weary!

I worked last Friday at Broadway Elementary school.  I was in the office and I loved it.  Joe was off, so him and Liam had a "daddy & Liam day."  Good for both of them and I came home feeling refreshed and feeling good about life.  Not that I don't when I'm at home but it sure is nice to do something different every once in awhile.  Usually my "breaks" consist of running errands or grocery shopping.  It's different setting an alarm, getting up and actually wearing "work" clothes and knowing I'm making money rather than spending it.  I was supposed to work until 2 but she asked me if I'd mind working until 3.  While I was there, I secured three more jobs for the end of September and beginning of October.  Yay!  My goal is to work all of Joe's days off (unless we have something planned).  Once I have thirty days in, I get a big raise.  Yippee!  More than halfway there.

Saturday we took off for Puyallup, Uncle Jack invited Joe and I to go fishing with him on Sunday so we needed to get up there since we had to leave at 4:30am on Sunday.  We didn't do much Saturday but big breaking news: Liam slept in a big boy bed!  His pack-n-play was becoming very cramped so they went and bought him a bed.  I was apprehensive, especially since every time I mentioned it Liam would freak out, but he was excited once he saw it and loved. it.  He woke up crying at 2am, Joe went in the room and he was out of bed and really confused.  I came in and put him back in bed and he fell asleep right away.  I thought for sure we'd have a sleepless night.  Thanks for proving us wrong, buddy!  All of these big transitions are always easier than I make them out to be.  I just gotta remember that.  Now if only he would get on the potty training train.  I feel like that one will never happen.  I think he has a hard time with change and that is one that he just isn't ready to do yet.  For the sake of my sanity (and his), I think it's best to just wait a bit longer.

Sunday we got up at 3:45 and were out the door and on our way to Everett at 4:30.  I admit I am a really bad fisher-lady but it is so much fun going.  I lost several fish but I also caught a pretty good sized one.  It's an adrenaline rush for sure.  It was a gorgeous day on the water, I didn't want to go back in.  We stopped at Cupcake Royale on the way back to get Jayne and David cupcakes, it was Grandparents Day (and for always babysitting so we can have fun).  We had a salmon bake that night with the Markham's, it was delicious and Liam and Dylan played hard.

Monday we went to the Puyallup Fair.  We were excited because Liam could ride rides this year.  Last year he was too young.  We didn't know how he'd do, he can be weird about stuff like that sometimes, but he loved them.  Especially the big huge giant slide.  He didn't want to go on it at first but after he did, he had a meltdown because he wanted to keep going on it.  The fair is EXPENSIVE!  We did the sky ride at the end, it was $18 one way for all of us!  I couldn't believe it.  It was fun though, Papa David went with us, I think he enjoyed seeing Liam on all of the rides.

Hope everyone is doing well.  Happy September!

Future class clown

Whenever someone asks Liam what his name is, he gets a mischievous smile on his face.  I can totally see the wheels turning as he's trying to think of something funny to say.  His standard answers are:  Bob, Silly Willy or Poo Poo.  Where do they come up with this stuff?  The things he says always amaze me.  Yesterday we were driving to town and passed a building that used to be a produce stand we went to a lot when he was a baby--it's been at least a year or more since they've been open.  He randomly asked if that was the building we used to go get cherries at.  How do they remember this stuff?  When I told him yes it was but they went out of business he replied with, "Well goodness, that sure is odd."  Hahahaha.

BIG NEWS in our house.  A couple of weeks ago Liam threw his binky in the garbage!  Joe and I had been in Seattle on an impromptu date night, Joe's parents were babysitting.  When we got back Jayne told us what he had done.  I was devastated.  I was needing sleep badly that night and was not very happy it was gone---it had been a rough week and this was the topper!  Not to mention it was the ONLY binky he would use and we even had.  I was about to go get an emergency one at Walgreens but I knew I couldn't do that.  To our surprise, he did fine that night and hasn't asked about it since.  He'll tell people he threw it away but doesn't get upset about it.  Thank goodness.  I did make Jayne dig it out of the garbage after we left though, I couldn't stand knowing it would end up at the dump.  That binky was with my baby for a long time---I'm going to cut the nipple off and save it.  I'm just glad it was easier than we thought it would be.  He was addicted to it.  It made for some early mornings and no-nap days as he adjusted but we are pretty much back to our routine.  I cancelled his dentist appointment earlier this month, I knew I would get lectured about him still having it because at his appointment 6 months ago the dentist said it needed to be gone the next time he saw us.  We rescheduled for tomorrow and I have a little guy who is very excited to tell the dentist what he did. :)

We also took Liam to his first movie yesterday.  We want to take him to see Planes but wanted to see if he could make it through an entire movie first.  When I say this is his first movie, it's not just his first movie in a theatre.  It was his first movie ever.  We aren't big tv/movie watchers in our house.  He did great!  He was totally taken with the experience, loved every minute of it and said he wants to go see Planes next.

Happy Wednesday, I feel good that I got some of this written down.  I'll consider this his baby book since that is totally non-existent.  ;)

This past weekend Joe and I were in Naches for Aili and Ryan's wedding (I was a bridesmaid).  It was at Whistlin' Jack's lodge.  What a fun place!  I had never been there before.  Her parents have a house right on the river, it was gorgeous.  There is a trail between their house and the lodge.  Joe and I took his parents truck/camper and camped next to my aunt and uncle.  Camping in a camper is the way to do it!  You get spoiled really fast.  That was my first time ever not being in a tent.  How nice to get up and go to the bathroom...without having to brave the elements outside! ;)  Joe's parents kept Liam for the weekend, it was the first time we've ever left him anywhere for two nights.  As expected, he had a blast with them.  So lucky to have grandparents in his life.  I always envied the kids who got to stay with their grandparents and do fun things with them.  I never had that and I really missed out on a lot of good memories.  

The reception is this Saturday so we'll be doing it all again.  Looking forward to it!  

It has been one busy summer though.  I looked at the calendar and we have been gone every single weekend since the middle of June!  No wonder summer is flying by!  It's been so fun but I have to say, I'm looking forward to things slowing down a little (if that's even possible).

Happy Tuesday!

The best day

Yesterday was the best day, we went salmon fishing on Uncle Jack's the boat in the Puget Sound. He invited us to go with him so we headed for Edgewood as soon as Joe got off work at 8pm on Wednesday, as the boat was leaving from Everett at 5 on Thursday morning. It was a long night with a super early morning, I only got two hours of sleep but it was totally worth it!

We caught four salmon and lost three. Joe and I aren't very good fisher people, we need more practice. It was so exciting to reel one in though! I used to love fishing with John when I was growing up, yesterday made me remember why.

Auntie Susie and Dylan babysat Liam and he had a blast.

Jack bbq'd salmon for dinner and it was delicious. I didn't used to like salmon but realize know I've been missing out. Yum!

Little driver

Liam is obsessed with anything that has a motor, so it's no surprise that he loves driving his truck.  He is a natural!  First day behind the wheel he was going up on the sidewalk (and staying on it) and even attempting burnouts.  Best garage sale buy ever!

We've been busy this week with swimming lessons.  I was apprehensive about it but decided to get brave and go for it.  I just never know how he's going to do with some things.  Fortunately, he is like a little fish in the water and is loving it.  We got home on the first day and he said, "I'm so tired."  I have never heard him say that before, even when he's exhausted.  I've found the new secret to wearing him out!  I have to get in with him since he's not 3 but I've enjoyed it.  The only thing he doesn't like is floating on his back but the teacher said that's the case with most kids his age.

Off to get a cup of coffee before my little man wakes up.  Hope everyone is having a good week!

Loving summer

A day short of two months since I last blogged.  Wow!  Our trip to California seems like it was years ago.  Summer is here and we've been enjoying every minute of it.  Berry picking, swimming, staying up way later than normal (Liam, that is), vacationing.....I never want it to end.

Our latest vacation took us to Orcas Island for the week.  Joanna described the San Juans the best when she said they are "magical."  We went with Joe's side of the family, there were 13 adults and three kids. Dylan took his friend Maya and Liam absolutely adored her.  The highlight of the trip for Liam was driving Uncle Jack's boat and throwing rocks into the water or the "pond" as he called it.  He also enjoyed going on a canoe ride and also did a hike with us, running most of the trail.  And also Maya.  He told my parents she is his girlfriend. :)

We were off the grid for the most part.  No TV, minimal cell service and painfully slow Internet.  It was wonderful.  Total relaxation.  My favorite parts about the trip were boating, discovering a new love for kayaking, the hikes and our many, many games of Farkle.  Oh, and the food.  We all took turns making meals, dinner time was one of the highlights.  Everyone eating together, sitting by the fire.  I want to go back!  I also loved the mornings.  I would get up before Liam and Joe and go for a walk on the beach.  So peaceful and gorgeous.  Then I'd go back to the house and Gil and Uncle Lennie would be up so we'd sit on the porch, have coffee and visit before everyone else got up.  Oh, and I can't forget the deer.  Every night five or six deer would come right up to the house and hang out. We even got to feed them pears out of the tree.  It was amazing.

On the way home we caught the early ferry back to Anacortes then met Uncle Jack and the three of us (me, Joe and Liam) rode in the boat with him back to the marina in Everett.  That was another highlight.  I love being on the water!

Lots of great memories were made this trip, I am so lucky that Joe has such a fun and loving family.  Everyone is so good to Liam and he loves everyone so much.  He is going to have the greatest memories someday. 

When it was time to say goodbye to everyone, my heart literally hurt.  I wanted to cry just like Liam.  It's hard to go from being surrounded by people 24/7 to just Liam and I (Joe has been working 12 hour days). 

Time to start planning next years trip.  Lake Coeur d'Alene.  Can't wait!

Mother's Day. Los Angeles. Birthday.

The last two weekends have been non-stop and so much fun!  Two weekends ago we had a baby shower in Bellevue so my mom, sister and I left at the crack of dawn and spent the morning in Seattle.  We had a long, relaxing breakfast at Macrina Bakery (it was SO delicious, gotta try when in Seattle)!  After that we walked through Pike Place and then headed to the baby shower.  It was a wonderful shower and I can't wait to meet little Miss Staples!  We were at the shower until evening so of course we had to eat dinner.  We had dinner at Barrio Mexican Kitchen & Grill.  Another must-try when in Seattle.  Can you see the food theme with this Seattle trip yet?!  After that we had to go Cupcake Royale for dessert.  They make their own ice cream now.  Heavenly!

After that, my mom and sister dropped me off at my in-laws, where Joe and Liam had spent the day.  I spent the night and we spent Mother's Day morning in Seattle again.  All of us girls explored Volunteer Park.  It was a gorgeous day so it was a fun morning to see the park.  Can't wait to take Liam back, they had a huge playground!  Went back to Cupcake Royale after, I was feeling guilty for not bringing a cupcake back for Joe the day before.  It was our lucky day, free ice cream sandwiches for Mother's Day.  Yum!  We headed back home after that and had an amazing lunch waiting for us when we walked in.  Steak, chicken, potato casserole, salad, fruit, homemade creme brulee and apple pie.  I wish I would've taken a picture of the spread.  It was so pretty, so well put together.  We can thank Uncle Jack for that!  The guys stayed home to make dinner but we all know it was mostly (or all) Jack.  Pretty impressive!

The next morning Joe and I took off for Los Angeles for my 30th birthday!  Our flight left at 6am on Monday and we came back on Tuesday at 7:50pm.  Two packed days but it was the best birthday ever.  As soon as we landed on Monday we went to Six Flags. Record breaking heat, 102!  That was a shock to our systems.  The park was empty though so that made up for the heat.  The longest ride line was about 5 minutes.  Amazing!  We were tuckered out by the end of the day, the heat zapped us!  We checked into our hotel, freshened up then headed out for dinner.  I had grand plans of going somehwere new and exciting, spent a lot of time getting recomendations from LA friends, but by the time dinner came we were too exhausted to care.  We went to an old favorite, C&O Trattoria.  Delicious as usual!  To prove how tired I was, I dozed off giving Joe directions back to our hotel.  I don't think I've ever been that tired!  I was asleep by 8:30 that night.  So much for living it up on my 30th! ;)

The next morning we slept in until 8!  That's late for us.  Really late.  It felt so, so good.  It also felt good only having to get ourselves ready.  This was the first time we've ever left Liam.  It felt so weird at first but we quickly adjusted.  It's amazing how much ground we were able to cover with just the two of us.  If we got hungry, it didn't matter.  We could power through it.  If we were tired, there were no meltdowns, etc.  It was a much-needed getaway for the two of us.  ANYWAY, after we got ready we headed to Venice Beach to walk around.  Joe had never been, I still can't believe that.  It was too early for any of the crazies to be out so we ended up just walking on the beach.  It was gorgeous and warm, it felt so good.  We ended up eating breakfast at around 11 (something else that would never fly with Liam), then headed to Burbank because I got tickets to Jay Leno.

We got to Jay Leno an hour before we were supposed to but we were still #151 and 152 in line.  I knew we would get in, but figured we'd be near the back.  WRONG!  We were selected for the front row.  It was amazing.  I was giddy!  I had a perma smile on my face that I couldn't shake.  I thought they'd probably edit me off thinking I was fake smiling!  Lol.  We got to go up and shake his hand at the beginning.  Joe gave him a high five, I got nervous and didn't stick around on stage long enough.  He smiled at me a few times during commercial breaks though.  I know he was smiling at me.  I was staring so intently, it was probably distracting!  I love Jay, what can I say!  This was the 4th or 5th time seeing The Tonight Show taped but our first time in the front row.  It was definitely the highlight of my birthday trip.  Yep, I said it.  Even more exciting and more of a rush than the CRAZY roller coasters (I don't remember them being so scary)!

There's no way we should've made our flight that night, we left Burbank at 5:30.  The Traffic Gods were looking out for us the entire trip.  We didn't hit any traffic at all!

Last weekend was another busy one.  I won tickets to see Paula Poundstone at the Columbia Theatre on Friday.  She was hilarious!!  I love supporting local events like this, hopefully they'll keep bringing funny people.  Saturday I had another baby shower then on Saturday night we had a big LCC event at the Red Lion.  It was the "Horns & Halos Gala."  It was fun getting dressed up, don't do that very often!

Sunday we celebrated Joe's birthday since we were busy all day Saturday.  I was sad for the fun to end.  It's been busy but a great month so far!  Here's to squeezing the most out of the last few days of May.

Happy Memorial Day!

May!

This picture was taken right after Liam said, "You are my best friend, Mama."  I had to capture the moment. I love my baby so much!

Happy May!  May is a big month for me this year.  I am officially FIVE years cancer free and I'm also turning 30.  Both of those seem crazy to me.  In some ways it feels like having cancer never happened.  So much has happened since then.  Sophie was born, we got married, Joe got a new job, I got pregnant, we bought our house, I quit my job,  Liam was born....  It's been a busy five years to say the least.

On turning 30: wow!  I'm not very sad about leaving my 20s.  They were definitely some of the best and absolute worst times of my life   I just wish time would slow down a little.  I love life how it is right now, I wish I could turn 30 and stay that way for a few years.  Keep everything as is.  Life is just flying by so fast, I want to be able to savor it more.

Busy

Just when one home project gets finished, another one begins.  It's never ending!  Joe and I are both really excited about this one though.  We are adding a sprinkler system to our backyard (currently it's only in the front), making our driveway six feet wider and also extending our back patio 14 feet.  We will have so much more room in the back now!  I can't wait for lots of fun BBQs and play dates in the back this summer.  We are having the concrete work done professionally but Joe has been working hard on the sprinkler.  I'm so happy Joe is so willing and able to do projects like this.  He's bee so excited, he just loves this stuff.  We had another bid for the concrete yesterday, we'll be making a decision tomorrow.  Hopefully by this time next week it will all be finished   

I was looking at the calender last night, almost every weekend from here until September is booked.  I'm not complaining, but it makes it feel like summer is already accounted for.  I know there's more to it than just the weekends, but the weekends are when everything happens.  We have several trips planned, one being a week in the San Juan islands.  I am so excited for this trip.  I'm secretly hoping they won't have Wi-Fi so we can be cut off from the world for awhile.  

Happy Tuesday!

Finally, a post!

I think I might be better at blogging if I break things down a bit.  It's going to be random, but it's better than two months between posts.  Here goes...

1.  Liam has fully recovered from his last illness, thank goodness.  I am so anxious for warm weather and everyone to be healthy!  It seems like everyone has suffered this year.

2.  We've been busier than ever.  With what?  I'm not sure!  I really, REALLY need to start writing stuff down more.  I'm not kidding, I think I really suffered major memory loss after going through chemo.  My short term memory is fine but my long term memory has vanished.  I try not to have regrets, but I feel like I've failed in the "keeping track of all things Liam" department.  Another reason why I need to start blogging more since this blog has turned into only things about him for the most part!  He continues to amaze everyone with how well he talks and the funny things are really starting to come out.  A few recent ones:

• We were all out for dinner and he got a serious look on his face and looked at me and pointed at my face.  After studying my face he said, "Mama, you have two beards!"  I think I had the look of horror on my face (he tells it how it is, thought he saw something I hadn't)!  Thankfully he looked around and pointed out my moms beards, etc.  He was talking about our eyebrows.  Haha!
• The last time we went for dinner he had another funny/embarrassing comment.  We were walking out and there were two women having dinner.  I didn't even notice them but of course Mr. StareHard did.  He pointed at one of the women and said, "Look at that funny looking guy over there."  Ahhhh!
• He is starting to become very tenderhearted.  We were visiting Joe's parents last weekend and Papa David raised his voice (because Liam was about to drop a granite slab on his foot).  Liam was so upset that he made Papa mad.  We were in a design showroom and he came running to me as fast as he could and buried his face in my neck.  I said, "Papa isn't mad, he just didn't want you to get hurt."  He kept saying over and over, "Papa IS mad, mama.  Papa is mad at me...."  Heartbreaking!  If only he reacted that way when I raise my voice at him!
• He still calls Joe's parents PapaJayne (all one word).
• His best friend is Gavin (straight from his mouth)
• He absolutely loves cod.  He ate 6 pieces the other night at dinner and asked for "more chicken."
• He has become aware of strangers.  We had someone come give a bid and he was really worried until the guy got here that he "didn't want stranger coming to our house."  Then when the guy got here Liam immediately befriended him and had to tell him his life story.
• He still uses the word poo-poo quite frequently.  Luckily it's just to make people laugh now.  For awhile it was every other word.  
• Another word he's added to his vocab recently is "actually."  "Actually, mama, it goes this way."  "I actually don't like that" (looking at dinner before he's even tried it. 

3.  Phew.  I feel better already documenting some of that stuff.  Will I regret not having more records down the road?  So far I've never looked back at past things.  I find it more sad than anything.  I just want to enjoy every moment, it is going so, so fast.  Tomorrow he will be 2 1/2.  How did that even happen?  

4.  So many scary things going on in the world/US. Don't think I need to elaborate much on that, just turn on the news.

I think that's all for now, breaking news about Boston and I want to watch before Liam is up and I have to change it.  Thankful for another ordinary day in my life.  

Sick baby

My sweet little guy has been sick since Monday. Started with a runny nose on Super Bowl and got worse from there. I basically just sat and comforted him on the couch all week. When I'd get up, he'd start crying for me. I decided to just go with it, not worry about the little things I needed to get done, and enjoy the snuggles. I think I watched every episode of Caillou, Poppy Cat and Curious George in existence.

Below is another inherited trait he got from me. He loves to be massaged. Before he could talk he'd grab my hand and put it where he wanted me to rub. Now he just tells me. I gave lots of back rubs this week!

Hope everyone is staying healthy!

Three years ago today...

I found out I was pregnant! After trying for what seemed like forever, I was in shock when I took the test and saw. I was home alone and so nervous to look, I knew it would be another sad month if it was another negative. But low and behold, when I got the courage to look, there were two lines. My heart started beating out of my chest! Joe was still at work so I rushed to Walgreens to buy a digital test, ran to Target to buy something that said "daddy" on it and made it home before Joe got here. I had it all wrapped up and told him it was just a little early Valentine's Day present. I never could've imagined how much our lives would change for the better after I got that positive test.

The love of my life

The hair growing adventure

I'm embarking on a journey that is going to take a tremendous amount of patience. I'm trying to grow my hair out! Going from super-short to any longer is proving to be incredibly hard so far. It looks so awkward, like a mop on my head. Anyone who knows me knows how crazy my hair is. I've always had about 10x more than a normal person, it's totally unruly and so thick I always had a hard time getting it in a pony without breaking the band. If I didn't dry it, it would (no joke) still be wet at bedtime.

Losing my hair through cancer treatment was the best part of that ordeal. I so hoped it would grow back different, preferably thinner and straight, but of course it ended up just the opposite of that. Even thicker now, more wave and curl (but not the good kind). Ugh.

Anyway, the picture on the left is what I'm going for. Top right was Christmas Eve. Yes, I was taking a puff of cigar by the way! And below that is what I feel I look like, hence the need for change ASAP!

If you see me and it looks like I have a mop on my head you'll know why. This will definitely be a test of my patience.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013 from our family to yours! Usually I get all sentimental at the end of a year, especially as the ball starts dropping, but this year I was so exhausted from staying up so late the night before, sleep took over. Yep, that's right. Slept through it! If that's not a sign of getting old, I'm not sure what is. :)

We had an amazing time at the beach. Every trip is always "the best trip yet."
It gets better and better each time we go.

Liam and Sophie (and all of us for that matter) are going to have so many great memories. I love it!

Here's to hoping 2013 is a great one. Two big highlights will include: Joe and I both turning 30 (yikes!!) and FIVE years being cancer free. If I can make it till that date, the chance of it coming back (what I had anyway) are slim to none. I can do it, I can do it!

Happy 2013!