i've got a lot to say

I'm playing catch up on...

• my guts.  I had my colonoscopy a few weeks ago and an ultra sound right after that.  Both came back clear and healthy lookin.  It's good I'm healthy lookin, but it's also pretty frustrating that we still had no answers.  After my colonoscopy I decided to cut wheat out of my diet just to see what would happen, I had already had blood tests showing that I did not have siliac disease but I thought what the heck, I'll give it a try.  Magically all my pain went away and it was amazing.  I did miss my toast and the occasional goldfish cracker I would snatch from Colt's lunch but I survived.  After about 2 weeks of feeling good my stomach aches came back with a vengeance. I am still staying away from wheat until I meet next Thursday with a GI doctor.  I'll probably need an upper GI.  Weee!
• my disappearing fatness.  Andy and I have about 1 week left in our weight loss competition for this month.  I'm pleased to say that I have 1 pound to go!  I'm just going to go ahead and say how much I had to loose this month to win because I honestly don't mind sharing and hopefully someone will get inspired or something...but will have lost 9lbs this month.  That's a lot of weight!  My total will be 28lbs since June.  I can feel that $100 burning a hole in my pocket as we speak.  I saw a really cute jacket at Target that has my name written all over it.  I love that I haven't even won yet I've found a way to mentally spend all my winnings.
• funny disappearing fatness timing.  Two days before our weigh in we're having a big tailgate for the ND game.  Food, Drinks and more FOOD!  The day after that is Halloween.  Candy, Chocolate and more CANDY!  Will power don't fail my now!  I've been thinking about my strategy and I might wear my retainers to stop the likeliness of food entering my mouth...on the other hand the likeliness of something calling me a dork goes up dramatically with this idea.
• andy.
• On Wednesday Andy reports to the ambulance as a paramedic.  Today was his last day on the fire truck.  I'm proud of his hard work and excited for his raise.
• Andy is also getting skinny.  His pants are ridiculously big and he needs a new belt because he no longer has enough notches to keep them up.  It looks like he has old man pleats in his camo shorts they're so big.  I would never have done well this year if it weren't for his support.  He's really awesome.
• money.  We've been patting ourselves on the back lately.  This month, with Andy's over time and our diligence to keep living on a tight budget we were able to put an extra $750 on our car payment for this month.  Again,  I'm sharing this to brag on ourselves but more importantly to encourage people to do the same.  It's possible!  Only $1,000 more and we will owe NO. ONE. ANYTHING.  Totally debt free!  We owed about $12,000 a year ago and it's almost over with.  I see myself jumping on the bed throwing dollar bills in air already.  Who knows, maybe one day we'll even go on a vacation.  Just one step closer to our life goal of being skinny and rich.  :)  I kid.
• one of my favorite times of the day.  I love when my family is all tucked away for the night and I lay my head on the pillow and start to pray.  I so enjoy reflecting on my day with God.  I thank God for pairing me with Andy.  I ask for wisdom on how to be a better mom.  I pray for my friends.  I thank God that Molly hasn't started crying even though I know she spit her paci out a few minutes ago.  The good, bad and ugly...I absolutely love my life.  I could cry just thinking about the thankfulness and love that I have for my maker.  I'm what they call a happy human.
• molly haab.
• She turned 6 months last week.   I swear she tripled in size last month.  We got to her doctor appointment this week.  I'm excited to see how big she's gotten. 
• She still isn't rolling but she's close to sitting by herself. 
• We started giving her food this week too.  She likes bananas. 
• She is still really chatty.  She's always squealing and complaining about how her socks never stay on.  She's my angel baby.  And really, she is just that.
• colt. 
• Little boy has been referred to as a 5 year old on more than a few occasions this week.  When you see my "5 year old" throwing a tantrum it's because he's 2.  He only looks 5. 
• He is starting to talk a lot more.  He finishes the last word of every sentence in his prayers [peyss] at night and says 'pounds' when I ask him how much he weighs after he stands on our bathroom scale.  He's cute.
• Today he helped me clean the house and played with Copper for hours on end.  At one point I looked up and found Copper wrapped up in all his blankies and he was laying next to her on her dog bed. 
• hunting.  I'm going hunting with Andy on Monday morning.  I've never been hunting so I thought it would be fun to join.  I'm gonna shoot the BIG BUCK.  Not really, I'll be reading my book club book that I haven't even started yet but my hope is that I'll be there with him when he shoots the big one.  I really just want to spend some time with him doing what he loves to do.  I'm going to take some noisy snacks.

Now we're all caught up and I can sleep good tonight.

the parade

Andy is in the honor guard for our Fire Department so for the Memorial Day Parade he got to carry an axe and walk in front of all the trucks and the fire men followed behind.  Carrying an axe might sound stupid but it's actually an honor and cool.  Which means he's kind of a big deal. 

Colt had a blast.  We got rained on while we were there. Not just sprinkled on, but it was like a pitcher of water was being poured on our heads, kind of rained on.  I acted like rain was awesome and getting soaked was the most fun we'd ever had.  He went with it and didn't make one peep.  My little trooper.  Molly slept through the down pour.  She was in her sling and I was carrying her.  With the help of a blankie she didn't get wet at all.  Supermom...right here.

The parade was really fun. There's all sorts of crazy things going on at once. This is another thing I had to video real quick. The bagpipes. Not sure what is more weird...the lady playing that drum and swinging those white pom poms around or that crazy red headed child doing a jig.

I love parades

idk

Remember how Colt drooled over my cool phone so now I have Andy's hand-me-down phone? Well, with his old phone came all his old pictures/videos and I found some funny ones. Most are of him and his friends at the FD. Some I can't explain. Boys are funny.

[Yes. That is a real life 'bro'. A man wearing a bra. idk.]

anybody seen my husband?

I feel like having a pity party.

I miss my husband. Today was his day off. He had paramedic class from 8-12. Stopped by the grocery after that. Got home at 1:30. Got a call for partial overtime at 2:00. Left for work at 4:00. Won't see him until tomorrow at 9am. Another night I get to sleep by myself. Yay.

On top of 24 hr work shifts and class twice a week the grass is growing. Andy's Lawn Care to the rescue. He'll have to start mowing his lawn accounts every week. Know what that means? I'll never see him.

Next Wednesday they start getting the schedule ready for their clinical's. Clinical's are times Andy has to spend in the ER. Hands of stuff. Before he graduates next spring he has to put in an extra 500 hours of clinical time outside work and school and mowing. Know what that means? I'm never ever gonna see him.

My friend Laurie [a fellow fire fighters wife and my dear dear friend] figured out the nights that us ladies have to spend alone and it come out to 120 days a year we're alone. 120 days a year!

I want to be thankful that Andy has a job and I want to be thankful that I don't have to work because he does...but right now I'm just pissed that I had to say goodbye again...on his freaking day off...and do life on my own.

p.s. how many sticks to I have to pee on? it's been 46 days and I'm still peeing on sticks hopeing one will say positive. going in next Tuesday for blood work. cross your fingers I'm just all out of whack and not in the process of miscarrying.

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?

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.