over the river and through the woods

My grandparents live on the far side of South Bend. Everyone else in my family [including myself] lives in Granger and for some reason we all act like we have to cross the desert to get to their house. The 25 minute drive just totally sucks the life out of you. We all take advantage of the fact that we live so close and still complain about a car ride across town. Anyhow...

Today I packed up my baby, got some blankets, a few bottles of water, hopped on my camel and crossed the desert to G'ma and G'pas house.

Might I just say...they are amazing people. Here are a few things I adore about them...

-This past December they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and their marriage is a

great example to all.

-They are the most self-less people I've ever met. They would do anything for anyone with out even blinking.

-They are hillarious together.

-My grandpa is incredibly handy. He can tear something down and rebuild it with out even thinking. When Andy and I were re-modeling our house [before we were married] I hadn't really seen any of Andy's handy work...so as the projects continued I kept saying, 'We should call my grandpa...I'm sure he'd love to come help you' ...all the while thinking 'please let grandpa do it...'- Luckily, Andy is quite handy and did a good job on his own.

-They are the best at making one meal last an entire week.

-They are my fishing buddies and are always willing to bait my hook...even though I'm sure at the ripe age of 23, they would prefer I finally learn to do it myself.

-They can do the 'jitterbug' and make it look really cool.

-They don't like to be apart.

-They always look like millionairs/movie stars every where they go. ESPECIALLY my grandma. She wears high heals with her sweats.

-They wear turtlenecks under their sweats so they can keep the heat at 60 degrees in the winter.

-Grandma is addicted to Lifetime movies...and Grandpa says the only kind of movies allowed on the Lifetime channel are the movies the actually last a lifetime.

-They love all their children and grandchildren with everything they have. Especially their first born grandchild and their first born great-grand child :)

-Grandma and I are both Taurus. That's why were so bossy and fantastic at the same time...and that's also why we dominate in Eucher.

-Grandpa once won a Sebring Convertible but wasn't at the Blue Chip Casino on the night of the drawing to claim his prize. My grandma tried to explain to the officals at the Casino that she was his wife...yada yada...but they said he had to be there himself to claim the prize. Ever since they have not missed one drawing. Don't ever try to plan a family event on a Thursday night [boat night] I made the mistake by giving birth to Colt on a Thursday night. haha. No No...they were there...for a little bit : )

-Grandma is an awesome housewife. She is a spaz when it comes to cleaning. When I was pregnant I wanted to hire her to come clean my house but I never got around to it...instead my house collected dirt for 9 months.

-Their twin bed in their guest room is the most confortable mattress on the face of the earth. When ever I would spend the night it was like sleeping on clouds...then I remembered the Si-Fi movie I had watched with grandma that night and instead of enjoying my sleep I stared out the window. Watching out for Aliens.

This list is getting long, but there is one more thing my Grandma can do that NO ONE else on the face of the earth can do. And that my friends...is to make a baby laugh. Not just any kind of laugh, but a really hard gut busting laugh. Colt has so much fun today. I honestly, have never made my son laugh like he was laughing tonight. When I got home from their house, I tried to do what Grandma was doing to make him laugh...but it didn't work. Which just adds to the reasons why she is awesome and totally one-of-a-kind.

have a laugh...it's on me

The Honeymoon's Over

January 27th 2007

Yesterday was our 2-year Anniversary. It feels like it's been way longer than 2 years...in a good way. We try to think back to the days of friendship before we were together and it's hard to do. I feel so blessed that Andy is the one. He is prefect for me and I'm the happiest I've ever been.

To celebrate we dropped the baby off at his parents house and had the entire day to ourselves. Which is rare. Not just the 'baby less' part, although that is rare, but him and I have not spent good quality time together in quite a while. Ever since he started paramedic school in January it's been go go go for us and all I wanted was just to hang out with no distractions. We watched our wedding video and both decided that our wedding day was amazing. If we could go back in time a re-live one day, it would be our wedding day. All our family and friends were there. It was absolutely perfect. I looked really pretty. I was skinnnnnnny. Wah! AND that is why I'm going for a run today!

At 6:30 we had dinner at LaSalle Grill. I had never been there before and it was very good. We had a gift certificate from our wedding that we hadn't used yet! Can you believe that? AND thank goodness for the gift cert because that place is not cheap! At dinner we talked about the last few years and then made a list of the 5 best days/things/moments that have happened in the last two years. These are in no particular order.

Andy went first...
1. Our wedding day
2. Our honeymoon
3. Fire department
4. Dave Ramsey
5. Colt

Then I went...
1. Wedding
2. Baby boy
3. Not working
4. Our beautiful home
5. Sex. Let's not deny it here people.

Then we listed together where we would like to be in the next 5 years:
1. More babies
2. No debt
3. Finished Basement
4. A stronger love for each other than we have now.

It was an awesome day. Just thinking about my love for Andy make me want to tear up like a big sap. He is amazing. He loves me everyday. We're happy everyday. I cannot help but stand in awe of Gods match making abilities. Thank you Jesus. I could not be a happier clam!

dress up

I saw Andy's firefighter gear in the corner of our kitchen yesterday and I decided to play dress up. I must say, I have a new appreciation for Andy's physical abilities. I can't imagine running in this gear. I felt like I was in a space suit but instead of no gravity...there was triple gravity. I could barley walk! Here are a few pics.

This mask totally reeked of smoke. I didn't want to put it completely on but Andy told me I had to so I could get the whole effect. I think he just wanted to laugh at me. It really was hard to breathe in though...you have to really work at the exhale.
Then there was a dog barking for help in my kitchen so I did my firefighter duties and saved the dogs life. No really. If there were sound effects with this picture you would hear my many 'try sounds' just to lift Copper an inch off the floor.

AND...that's how we spent last night : ) Are ya jealous?

introducing...Pretzles!

I started this blog with the thought that Andy and I would both blog at our hearts desire and share the blog. It would be our family blog...hence my url. After asking 'why haven't you blogged yet, its been 7 months since I started the blog' a trillion times Andy finally admitted that he didn't wanna blog on our blog because I had already taken it over and pretty much claimed it as mine. I huffed told him to start his own! And he listened : ) Check it out.

Pretzels!

pickles

I've been counting calories for weeks now and eat about a dillion jillion million pickles a day. Did you know their low cal and very salty? Which would explain why I wake up every morning and my fingers look like sausages. My wedding ring doesn't even budget. I can't even twist it. Totally serious. I think to myself, 'Eh...better try to get this ring off or I might have to have it cut off'...But, luckily my fingers deflate a few hours into the day. I should probably switch to eating Hershey kisses instead.

smile for the camera.

I scanned a bunch of pictures and thought I'd share. Andy and I have known each other for 10ish years. We've been together for 4 and married for almost two of them. We have a history and I'm willing to share these pictures with you under one circumstance. You cannot laugh at us. Here we go:

This is us. I was a freshman. He was a Junior. We went as friends. That dress is bad. So is my hair. And the decor. And Andy's posture. And our pasty complexion's. But we had fun.



Then we hung out with these 7 crazy people for like...4 years. No one really dated. We all just hung together.



Then Andy and Mo started to hang out one-on-one. And everyone was like 'whoa...what are they doing??' We were very mysterious. No one saw it coming. Except Aaron swears he did. But I don't really think he did.



Then one day we kissed.



The we were like 'Whelp! Guess we should get married.' So Andy asked me to marry him : )



Then we got married. And had a beautiful wedding.

(Juuust kidding. That was Halloween : )


But then seriously...we did get married.


Then we got a puppy and named her Copper. It was great to have a friend while Andy was away at the Fire Station. I wish she could have stayed this small. Sooo sweet.



Then we got pregnant. And I mutated into a large mastadon. Luckily, I got a baby out of it.



And this...is the best thing that has happen to the both of us in the last ten years. Colt : )


Now were a happy little family.


The End

toilets and my shadow.

Often times when I'm home alone and have to use the restroom I won’t completely shut the bathroom door because… a. I’m home alone…2. I don’t plan on being in there for long…and c. shutting the door all the way would be too hard.

Copper is my shadow. 24/7. Everywhere I go. She now knows to wait a few seconds after I go in the bathroom and then she nudges her nose through the door and enters. I grunt her name through my teeth [to let her know I’m really serious] and tell her to get out! Every once in a while she’ll listen…but typically she sits on the corner of the bathroom rug, JUST out of arms reach and watches me pee.

There isn’t anything I can do about it.

This is has been the drama of my morning thus far.

andy and colt

I love this picture of my boys.

Colt is always watching Andy.

Andy is a natural at this 'father' thing.

My life is the bomb.

[enter mushy-gushy mom sigh]

politics and wax.

This year I paid great attention to the election. I watched all the debates. I had big girl conversations about topics concerning America and the candidates. I was quite proud of myself for knowing what the heck I was talking about and felt like a real adult. I also drink my coffee black. Check it off. Yep. Officially an adult.

Obama won. It is what it is. I feel okay about how things turned out because God knew who would win anyways, and he holds my future, not Obami...no need for a panic attack.

When all was said and done with the election I realized how sick I was of watching the news. The 0, 5, and 4 buttons on our remote were rubbed off from tuning into the Fox News Channel everyday. I still hit up the local channels just to know enough of what's going on in the world...but I'm still too drunk from the election to get too mentally involved.

I will probably watch the inauguration. Only because I think it's on during my favorite show, The Biggest Loser and I always have that time blocked out anyway. Wahhh. No seriously though… it's historic. I'll do it for the sake of history. You watchin?

p.s. Apparently Obama is made of wax.

ugly sweaters

This Friday is the Fire Department Christmas party. The evening typically unfolds a little something like this: dinner...drinks...and a ridiculous amount of bad karaoke & and equally terrible dancing. All of which I partake in.

At the last Christmas party the guys had an ugly sweater contest. I remember Andy dressed in normal clothes and had the ugly sweater in the back seat...preparing only to commit to wearing the ugly sweater once he had seen someone else in the parking lot, walking into the party, wearing an ugly sweater. There is always the possibility that you’re the one the joke is on. Good thinking Andy.

Here are a few pictures from last year’s party and a video to go along. The sound and video quality is horrible…but watching Adam and Travis dance is just too good not to post.

face lift

I found some free blog backgrounds at http://www.simplychicblogs.blogspot.com/
I just figured out how to add them to my blog and I'm going flippin nuts changing things.

This is fun.
Whee!

i've tasted my son's barf.

Nic, Jen and baby Logan came over for dindin on friday. I guess we can call it a 'play date' even though I don't think the boys actually made eye contact. Colt was jumpin like a spaz in his bouncy saucer all night like he had downed 5 Red Bulls [gives you wings!] and Logan was completely passed out in a chair. Forced fun never happens. I suppose that's what a 4-month-old and a 2-month-old do for fun though.

Anyway!

After dinner I grabbed Colt from his jack-hammering state to do diaper duty. For some reason whenever he lays down on his changing table he gets extra cute and wants to talk and play with you. So, in mommy-style, I started playin the 'gonnna get cha' game. It makes for an adorable baby squeal. After a few gonna-get-cha's, I gobbled his neck for a long time and slowly started to realize that while I was chomping away at his neck, he had burped and then barfed. The barf flowed down his cheeks, into his neck and eventually made its way into my mouth. I immediately spit [several times] all the contents in my mouth right on to Colt.

‘Andy! A little help!’

I rushed to the restroom and brushed my teeth [several times] with bleach and hydrogen peroxide.

I guess it’s better than somehow getting baby poop in my mouth.

Right? Anybody?

[Crickets]

by the numbers

3...cups of coffee.

11...lbs of baby fat left to loose.

1...number of times i've fallen out of bed as an adult.

44...hours until Food Drop 09'.

2...kisses from Andy.

1000...times my stomach has grumbled.

5...country stars i've seen in concert.

71...text messages sent this year.

4...days until Colts immunizations : (

750...calories for yesterday.

6...hours until a friend from HS comes to visit.

19...days until my Anniversary.

1...times I've scared Andy.

8,524...times Andy has scared me.

4...hours i pushed in labor.

6...tilapia fillets to make my fish tacos.

3...friends in my prayers last night.

15...minutes spent barfing up my fish tacos.

13...number of hairs andy has on his chest.

50,000...'i love you's' whispered to Colt.

10...nails painted.

357...days left of 09 to live right.

1...lemon Luna bar in my bag.

57...number of good jokes I've told myself this a.m.

4...kids I want to call me mom.

-1...miles I want to run today.

8...friends who made the Summer of Greatness.

13...pair of socks I don't wear.

9...days a cockroach can live after its head has been cut off.

6...number of jobs i've had.

40...oz's of formula Colt kills a day.

0...days until Elvis's birthday.

dissed.

Copper is a good dog. When it was just her and I we had all the fun a dog and a dogmom could have. She slept in bed with me every night when Andy was at the station. She was by my side during my pregnancy and never turned down a nap on the couch with her dogmomma. But, I'm feeling a bit guilty today after realizing how big of a diss it must have been when Colt joined our little family. I love her, don't get me wrong, but not near as much as I used to. On more than one occasion she has been a little pest to me. Her constant need for attention and love has often times made me wish she were a Cat.

Meow.

I think during the Winter she is a bit more annoying because she can't play outside...and that is a big engery burner for her.

Copper in happier times.



I took this picture last night and she looks so sad. haha.

Poor Puppy. I'll try harder...I promise.

too much fun.

My cousin Alex came over to visit last night. We were watching old re-runs of SNL and Colt was just bouncin away, having fun, and talkin to himself. A few minutes later Al goes, "Whoa! look at the kid! Is he sleeping?"

And this is what we saw...


That is what happens when your totally milk drunk and high on life. You pass out.

dear planner, oh how i love thee.

I've always been the type that needed to have a planner/organizer/all-in-one calendar thingie. I have actually saved my planners from the years previous and every once in a while I flip through them to remember what I was doing on...oh, lets say...April 21st 2006. And there it is. A detailed flashback. Lunch with mom @ 12. On that day...I had lunch with mom :) I like looking back. I especially like looking back from about October 2006-January 2007. I was completely and unbelievably an organized freakazoid during those months, the months right before my wedding. Jan 27th 2007. Whoohoo.

I love crossing off the days on a calendar too. I think I used to love it a bit more when I was working and had each day of the week staring me back in the face. There was a constant countdown to the weekend. I would shut my computer down for the day…make sure my stack of things to do was organized and in it’s proper red folder [which signified RED HOT importance], I’d straighten my stapler and mouse pad so everything was properly aligned and then I’m take a big fat marker and cross the day off on my desk top calendar. One time the warehouse manager was hanging out by my office and saw my end of the day routine. He laughed and told me I was ‘One of those people’. Yep. True. I'm one of those people.

I am also particular, a little picky and a tad finicky about my planner. It must be uncomplicated, effortless to use, and have loads of space to write on the days of the week and even more space for all my notes-to-self that pop in my head through out the day.

Well my friends…let me introduce you to my planner ecstasy.

My new Truly Mom Planner:




Did you hear the angelic voices in the back ground? I love this planner and must admit that I am slightly obsessed. Honestly...I don’t even have much to plan these days. Go figure!

I joked the other day that I take my planner to bed with me at night and lay it under my pillow so I can inhale its goodness all night long. I’m not to that point but sadly and quickly approaching that line.

I want all you planny people out there to share in this great thing. Please save up and buy one of these. It will totally and completely be worth every penny. It’s leather and has an awesome tri-fold thingie going on. Inside you'll find post-it notes, a "my day" pad, a "my list" pad, a "a note to" pad, a pull out calandar, a neat little pocket for invitations or anything that you would need to put in a pocket. : ) What also is great is you can buy calander/note refills when you run low or when the year itself runs out and keep the same planner. It comes in different colors and you even get a nifty pen that says ♥TrulyMom♥ on it. And if you're a dude you can just cross out the 'Mom' part on all the pages and post-its. Right? Sorry guys, this might be a chick only thing. Come check them out at Orange Tree.


K. I must go figure out what to do tomorrow so I'll have something to write in my planner.


Busy. Busy. Busy.