The Big Dirty

It's that time of year again..we are off to the Big Dirty family reunion up in the White Mountains of Arizona. I am mostly excited to get out of this heat and idea of sitting out by a camp fire with a blanket sounds so nice to me. Not being able to shower for 3 days is the down size of that! Didn't think I would get a chance to post again so we hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day Weekend. Elodie will be 3 on Labor Day (September 3). Isn't it funny....in Labor on Labor Day! That was me!

Elodie is super excited about the Big Dirty. We did some shopping today and everytime I put something in the cart she would say "That's for the Big Dirty! We are going to get so DIRTY...but I'm not going to get my shirts dirty!" Too funny!
We bought a cake from Costco (GASP! I know I didn't make it!). We celebrate Elodie's birthday, Elodie's cousin Bridger's birthday who's birthday is on the 2nd and PaPa Yarn's birthday which is on the 15th of this month. Elodie was SO excited! It's so cute to see all the little things that make her happy!

So Happy Camping to Us and a Happy Weekend for everyone else! I'll leave you with a slide show of the Big Dirty from last year! You will see it's a no brainer why it's called "The Big Dirty"! ENJOY!

Pregnancy Update Week 11

So I'm finishing up my 11th week of pregnancy...I'll be 12 weeks on Saturday..not much has changed...feeling suprisingly well...the only similarity between this pregnancy and Elodie's is I feel most of my nausea at night. I could feel great all day and come 8 or 9pm it's horrible! I am hoping that I actually stop with all the morning sickness after I hit my 2nd trimester...which is just around the corner! I'm not getting my hopes up as that didn't matter much with Elodie's pregnancy...it followed me right into the 2nd and 3rd trimester!

Still pretty tired. Elodie has been a trooper in the morning and will usually let me stay in bed until about 8am....She has been so great!

We got our bill for my first prenatal visit..let's just say Christopher about went through the roof..then went for a run! Just pray for us that our insurance will go through so all this becomes a distant memory. It's been hard to enjoy this pregnancy with the insurance and paperwork looming over our heads. And what stinks is it will have to start all over again once Chris graduates and starts working full time! BLAH!

Other than THAT! ;) Things are great and I know Heavenly Father has truly blessed us with this pregnancy. I feel really good, eating well, and have a great support system! Who could ask for anything more...don't answer that question!

Prince Who?

Elodie and I just got done reading some library books we have and one of the books was a Princess one. It has little short stories about Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. When we got to the Sleeping Beauty story Elodie asked me where Prince Pull-Up was...it took me a minute, and her having to repeat herself, before I realized she was talking about Prince Phillip! Made me laugh!

Mom's Little Helper

The other morning I was sitting at our computer checking my email when Elodie came running in to tell she made the bed! She was more squeeling "I DID IT!!" over and over again and wanted me to "COME SEE MOMMY!" I followed her into my room to find this...




And if the picture doesn't show you how proud she was of herself, let me tell you, she was SO proud of herself! I love how she even got my throw pillows back on to my bed in somewhat of the order I do it. It was super sweet and I couldn't tell her enough how much I appreciated her making our bed. Such a big helper. Other things she loves to help with is unloading the dishwasher and sorting the clean clothes. I let her put everyones clothes into piles before I fold them and then I let her bring her clothes to her drawers. I have to go into her room to refold her clothes but it's worth it to see how proud she is when she helps. We have also put her in charge of keeping Ginger's food bowl full. This can be kind of tricky since Ginger is already over weight....and this maybe why...Elodie is constantly wanting to put food in Ginger's bowl! We have to be very clear when Ginger needs food and when she doesn't! Overall I think it's great for her to have a little bit of responsibility and only hope it helps as she gets older. It didn't damage me too much and I was in charge of feeding the cats FOREVER!!!

We talk alot about how much help she is going to be for me when the new baby comes. She sais all the time that she is going to change the baby and give the baby a bottle. She is so excited to hold the new baby and help me any way she can. I am really excited to see her as a big sister and know she is going to be so fabulous! It also makes me grateful that we chose to have a good age gap. I want Elodie to understand her role as big sister and I look forward to when the baby comes so I can see her in action! I told her yesterday that when mommy has the baby I was going to be in the hospital for a few days so Maw Maw (my mom) is going to come spend a few weeks with us. The first thing out of Elodie's mouth was whether Maw Maw was going to take her to Target! What a goof! She immediately wanted to call "Louisiana" and make arrangements with my mom and plan out things they are going to do when she comes. It was sad to hear Elodie invite Maw Maw to her birthday party when she doesn't really understand how far Louisiana is! It might have been a bad idea to tell her that Maw Maw was coming because when I tried to explain to her that it was going to be a while before Maw Maw came she got really upset with me. Oops!

Already I am loving all the cute things Elodie is saying about the baby...everything she sees is for "my baby" and I'm not sure who is anticipating this baby more!

First day of School & First Doctor's Appointment

So leave it to me to schedule my first doctor's appointment on Christopher's first day of school..it didn't even cross my mind when I was scheduling the appointment and I was totally bummed that Chris couldn't come...but then again, I guess it should be something I get use to.

My appointment went well..I dread all the poking and proding that goes on during the first visit but happy to have it all over with. I had to get blood drawn and I told the stinkin' nurse that I had really small veins in my arms and that she should just got through my hand..."I think I found one" is all she said and after a few minutes of digging around with no luck and me asking her every 2 seconds if she had found one, she finally took the needle out and went through my hand. And of course found the vein right away and got what she needed. We got to hear the heartbeat...and by we I mean me with Christopher on the phone. A strong 160 beats per minute. It's definitely a sound that makes it all sink in and really got me excited for the end result.

As for Christopher, his first day of classes went well too. It always looks worse on paper and then when you get to class it's not so bad. One of his classes that is scheduled Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will only be meeting on Friday....so Monday and Wednesday he only has one class and it's in the afternoon at 4:40pm. Friday's looked they were going to be busy but once going to his classes he doesn't have to start until after 12 and will be done by 5pm. So we are hoping for an easy LAST semester! We are so excited to be at the end. I don't even know what it will feel like to be done! All I know is the faster we get through graduation the faster we get to Disneyland..and that my friends will be a much deserved, hard earned family vacation!

Pregnancy Update Week 9

I broke my streak....Late this afternoon I threw up! Ugh! I will have to say there is nothing worse than throwing up but nothing better than the way I felt afterwards! Ready to eat!

I'll be 10 weeks tomorrow.first doctor's appointment on Monday.nothing more to say...tired, nauseated, and sometimes wondering who's bright idea this was!

Blonde Bombshells

I have had 2 requests for this dessert and thought it would be easier to post it here for everyone to enjoy!...Super easy recipe and very, very good! Enjoy!

Blonde Bombshells:

2 and 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
salt (just a shake or 2)
3/4 cups butter or margarine (melted)
2 and 1/4 cups brown sugar (packed)
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 eggs
3 cups mix ins (these can be chocolate chips, m&m's, nuts..pretty much whatever you want- I have tried the m&m's and the chocolate chips..both very good but we prefer the chocolate chips!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 inch pan. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a seperate bowl mix butter, sugar and vanilla together; add eggs. Stir till well blended then combine with dry ingredients and add your mix ins. Spread in your pan and bake for 25 minutes or till toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool, cut into squares, and enjoy!

Back in Business

So Elodie finally decided to go #2 in the potty again! WOO HOO! What a huge relief! We were really starting to stress about it and really it was making us super irritated! We were running out of ideas and taking things away from Elodie really didn't seem to bother her! Snow White has been hanging in our living room for almost a month now! Knowing that she needed to go today after lunch I made her sit on the potty and not get up until she had done something..she screamed and cried but when she finally went she was so proud of herself..like it was the first time she had ever done it! And later on went all by herself without having to be reminded! So weird! We are happy to announce that she now has her Barbies back and Snow White and she is quite proud of herself! So happy and hoping we are back to having a big girl who knows where to go and where not to go..cross your fingers for us!

Eclipse, First Week, and Pregnancy Update Week 8

So I finished Eclipse....sigh...it was bittersweet for me! My friend Melissa and I went out Tuesday morning to Barnes and Noble and bought our books. Then we headed over to a day spa for pedicures and one hour of uninterrupted book reading! I don't think we said 3 words to each other while we were sitting there! We didn't say anything but our ladies kept trying to make conversation with us! Can you believe! The girl that was working on my feet kept telling me all about the books she was reading! HELLO! Couldn't she see I was busy! Later, me and Melissa joked that we needed "Do Not Disturb" tags or something to drop the hint nicely! By the time we left our pedicures we were both well over 100 pages into the book. Reluctantly, we went home to our kids and had to switch back into mommy roles! Fortunately for me Elodie went down for her nap at 2 and didn't wake up until 5pm! I forced myself to do everything but read my book while she was awake so when she went down I could sit and do nothing but read. It was torture but paid off. By the time she woke up I was 450 pages into the book! I had to work Tuesday night, which I was grateful for, it gave me some time to enjoy what I had read and look forward to the end. I think I would have been sad had I finished it before leaving for work. When I got home I got through another 100 pages or so and couldn't keep my eyes open! Dang pregnant body! So I had to save the last 100 pages or so till Wednesday morning! It was worth the wait! I loved every minute of it and sadly can't wait till book 4 comes out! Which Melissa brought up won't be till both of our babies are 6 months old! Very Depressing! So if you still haven't taken my recommendation and gotten Twilight....GO! And I'll take all of your guys hounding and read Harry Potter!

Can you believe Christopher has already finished his first week of work? Only one more week till school starts! Actually looking forward to this semester as this will be our last! WOO HOO! So far, the new job is working out great. He's got plenty to work on and everyone has made him feel welcome! It's crazy because Chris told me there are only 16 or so Senior Engineers, 12 junior Engineers, and then him the intern! Small firm for being the corporate office! So far so good. It just stinks because we are too early into it to see if this is where Chris wants to make his career...the whole masters degree is weighing on him.....only time will tell! It's still a little early to be stressing too much about it!

As for my I'm finishing up 8 weeks of being pregnant! Woo Hoo! Same old feelings but no throw up so I feel like that is an accomplishment in itself! Still struggling to eat but once I do eat it makes me feel so much better. It just takes me forever to eat and I still have to eat super small portions....small as in like 10 bites and I'm done. I finally made my doctors appointment. I'm set to go in on Monday, the 20th. A little bummed because that is the first day of school so Chris won't be able to go with me. I don't know how many visits he will get to make with me this time....Seeing as I'm here in Mesa and he's 40 minutes away at school and work. Bummed since he came to every visit with Elodie. I'll just have to bring the video camera with me everytime! I'm hoping he will atleast be able to come when we find out the sex...crossing our fingers that we can even find out the sex seing as Elodie was super stubborn and wouldn't let us in! All in all, I've felt pretty good. Haven't had to quit my job so Disneyland is still on!

If I'm not around...

It's because "Eclipse" comes out tomorrow! My friend Melissa and I will be at Barnes and Nobles at 9am to grab our copies of the book and then off to get a pedicure! We are super excited and have been waiting anxiously for this book to come out!

If you haven't read "Twilight" and "New Moon" what are you waiting for? They are fabulous!

So I'll be spending the next day or 2 reading my book..supposedly it's the longest of the 3 books but considering I read "Twilight" in one day and "New Moon" in two days I'm thinking I won't be gone for too long!

My only problem is wanting to devour the book because it's been a long time coming OR wanting to take my time and enjoy it over the next couple of days...decisions, decisions!

Sincerly,
Totally Obsessed in Arizona!

Moment of Silence...

Today is Christopher's last day working with the Schneider's. It's always bittersweet. They have been so good to us and it's sad to leave! But looking at the big picture, Christopher does need to gain as much experience as he can while he is still in school....and no one can argue with that!

We can't predict the future so doors have certainly been left open...there is no way of saying we won't ever go back to the Schneider's. But for now this is what's best for our little family!

Pregnancy Update Week 7

So I'm in the middle of my 7th week of pregnancy....7 weeks and 5 days to be exact! This pregnancy has been completely different from Elodie's and for that I am grateful! Most of my hesitation with getting pregnant a second time was remembering how sick I was with Elodie! I was miserable! This pregnancy has been the complete opposite! With the exception of feeling tired most of the day and feeling nauseated in the mornings, as long as I eat something before my stomach gets super empty I'm doing pretty well. I still haven't thrown up which is a huge accomplishment! At this point in my pregnancy with Elodie I was at the doctor's office for my first visit and the nurses couldn't get a needle in any of my veins because I was so dehydrated from throwing up! I walked out of my doctors office looking like I had just come from war! So all in all I can't complain! I'm still functioning! As of this week atleast!

My lovely baby bumb is starting to grow and at this point I'm beyond trying to hide it! We have already pulled the maternity clothes out of storage!!

Elodie is still saying little cutesy things about the baby. Her newest line is saying that She is going to have a girl baby and Mommy is going to have a boy baby! Just as long as it's one or the other and not both I will be happy!

Until next week!

Potty Training H@#%!!!

After a month of successful potty training we definitely thought we were in the clear with Elodie. With the exception of wearing a pull-up for naptime and a diaper to bed Elodie was doing fabulous both at home and away from home. Then we went to Snowflake and she refused to poop in the potty. She did fine peepeeing but she had 2 poop accidents while we were there. I could understand I guess..new environment...too busy playing with cousins to stop....but when we got home she still was having accidents! And she hasn't stopped! Ever since we got home she is peeing fine in the toilet but poops in her underwear and/or her pull-up! I know she knows what she is doing because she comes and tells me when she went and when we talk about it she tells me that we aren't suppose to have accidents and she is suppose to poop in the potty! UGH! And to be honest..IT'S GROSS!!! And being pregnant doesn't help. This morning she did it again and I about died!

Consequences? So far she has gotten Snow White taken away (which was the big deal we made when she filled her chart), all of her barbies got taken away and as of this morning she lost tv and movies until she straightens up...I don't know what else to take away from her besides everything else in her bedroom. And she lost Snow White last week and doesn't seem to be bothered by it now! Right now she is sitting in time out and I told her she couldn't go to Costco with me later...that seemed to get some reaction out of her but for how long! I will have to take her!

Any suggestions would be great...At this point I'm beyond making this a positive expereince for her...she knows what she is doing and it's very annoying!

Help!
Pregnant Mother with Potty Training Issues!