Christmas 2009

So, I have a plan and it's not one that includes Texas!! Actually, I'm invading my SIL Denise's plans. She mentioned that she wanted to go to Walt Disney World for Christmas when they were over the other night for dinner. I just about came unglued. I WANT TO GO! I had talked to Brian about going in October for my birthday again, only because the kids have 2 extra days off from school and it would work out great. I'd get in free, Cooper would be free, Isabella would be a toddler admission and Brian would have to pay full price. But we'd save on me and Cooper! But when Denise said she wanted to go for Christmas, I'm all over it!!

So it looks like we are planning to go see the big guy with big ears for Christmas this year. I'm not going to say it's a done deal, with this economy nothing is set in stone until you are doing it. But I've started planning it!

We are going to go big or not go at all. The great hotel, the days at Disney and all the perks. Can't wait!!

And Cooper already points, smiles and screams at Mickey Mouse on TV. Gotta love that!!

BootCamp Details

I posted previously about the fitness boot camp I have enrolled in. It is awesome. It started last week, I go T/W/Th at 5:30am. It's not near as hard to get up in the morning as I expected. It's so nice to come home and have a few hours of time to clean up the house or do laundry with NO one awake. I love it. The work out is great, it's hard, it's a lot of ab work, it's a lot of running, it's a lot of what I wasn't getting from my personal trainer. Becca my trainer and I do weights, so now it's a great balance. I get major cardio (which I really need for my cholesterol and to just lose pounds) and I get weights from Becca. I only have two more paid sessions at the gym with Becca. But Becca is leaving the gym to stay at home more with her daughter. So she's going to be doing in-home sessions. And what do you know, I still have all of Brian's work-out stuff upstairs. I never put it on craigslist like I threatened, and boy am I glad I didn't. Now, I'll be able to have Becca (and her daughter) come over to assist me in my weight training and have the boot camp too. I'm thrilled for Becca, she's been wanting to leave the gym for quite some time and she got fed up one day and gave her notice. I'm glad she did! Isabella, Cooper and Ariel will be able to play together in the playroom, while Becca shows me what to do. And to top that all, I'm going to leave the gym too. I'm not getting much from it anyway. And since I'll be having Becca over to train me at home and the boot camp for as long as I can stand it, I don't need the gym. I'll save that $17 a month to put toward Becca's sessions. (And, when Amberly gets home, I want to join somewhere that has a tennis court so she and I can play, I've always wanted to be one of those moms that plays tennis all morning and then goes to Taco Diner for lunch in my cute little skirt, LOL - Patti, that's gonna be me!!)

So that's my plan. I'll work out with Becca and go to boot camp, I'm bound to be in a string bikini by this summer, no doubt. And I'll be that MILF at Brian's 20 year class reunion in October. He'll be able to show me off and I'll love ever minute of it!!

Oh, back to boot camp. It is dark, cold, wet and windy at 5am on early spring mornings. I have been sweating like a hot pig in the middle of summer but my fingers, toes, ears and nose have had frost bite forming on them before we finish with our camp. I'm looking forward to a little bit warmer temps in the morning. Also, it's been real fun working my butt off with friends. Lyn and Kim are friends that are camping with me and we really are getting our bum's kicked. And loving it!

Before and After...

I had to post these before Cooper was born and a year after Cooper was born photos. Last year at our HOA annual Easter egg hunt, Brian snapped some photos of Isabella and me. Mind you, I am 8+ months pregnant with Cooper weighing 1000 pounds and so swollen you can't see my eyes. And now, I'm just about to my pre-wedding weight (HELL YEAH!) and I must say I look pretty damn good, compared to just one year ago. Proof is in the photos!

BEFORE:

8+ months pregnant with Cooper - April '08

AFTER:

Just about 1 year to the date from photo above - April '09 BEFORE:

Isabella one year ago - April '08

AFTER:

Isabella one year later - April '09

Sweet baby boy Cooper 11+ months old

Another photo of me and my beautiful babies!

What A Busy Month

This past month has been busy, but the next few weeks are just jam packed. I really have to keep my planner with me every second so I know where to go next. I have personal training sessions (just a few left, eek), physical therapy (don't ask, tail bone is still the same, UGH), birthday parties for kiddos and adults (mom, dad, sister and BIL in March) community clean up, community Easter egg hunt, two baby showers (I am hosting!) a jewelry party (can't wait), bible study, MDO activity, spring break at the farm that will include going to the skating rink and other fun kiddo activities, taking my dear friend to the movies because she had neck surgery and can't drive for like a month and a half, bowling for a dear friend, boot camp at 5:30am three times a week (CAN'T WAIT), housewarming party, my monthly facial, Major's 1st birthday party and last but not least preparing for Cooper's 1st birthday party (I know, this past year has flown by!)

I love being busy, but that means I won't have time to blog about my crazy life. Oh well, you'll live, right?

BOOT CAMP!!!

I just signed up for Boot Camp! I can't wait! I start on Tuesday, March 24th at 5:30AM. Yes, AM! I know I can do it because I am usually up feeding Cooper around that time. I have always wanted to do a boot camp, so many other women I know have done them and really did like it. So, I'm going to give it a shot for 4 weeks 3x a week. Wish Me Luck!!! WOOHOO!!

New Book

I'm reading a new book called "eat this, not that, the supermarket survival guide". It's pretty neat. There are so many things about fruits and veggies I never knew. Like what fruit can help prevent cancer. And how to choose better products to eat over the ones we really love. I'm making notes and gearing up to hit the grocery store with the book in tow. I really want to learn how to cook better meals for my family and in turn I think every one will feel so much better, especially Brian!

Tail Bone

I've been having issues with my tailbone for a few months now. From with I can remember, it started after my colonoscopy. I'm sure there is nothing in common with the two, but I am in pain every time I sit down. Now think about how much time you spend sitting. In the car, reading a book, on the computer, playing with your kids, even sitting on the potty. It hurts to do anything. I've been going to physical therapy for a few months now and there is not much relief. I'm completely at a loss. I'm sitting on a donut these days and that isn't even helping. I called a great friend Chris Stanley the other day. He's in his residency for PT, so he's in the know! I told him everything and what my PT is doing. He seems to think they are going to figure it out for me. There is something going wrong with my pelvic floor. Muscle spasms of some sort. Oh, joy.

Mother Nature

The past two days have been absolutely beautiful. Yesterday was a perfect day, a little warm, but just perfect in the shade (where I spend most of my afternoon.) Cooper and Isabella love to be outside. Both my kids love the water and love to be outside. So when we got home from getting Isabella from MDO, we went straight outside. I grabbed my book and glasses and went to chill on the back porch. The kids played ball and on the slide. It was so nice to hear them laughing and playing. This summer will be a lot of fun in the pools/splash pad and at the park. By the time Brian got home with dinner to cook out, the kids were already worn out, but had no desire to go inside. Brian cooked our dinner and then we all came inside, with a bit of a fight, but they finally came in.

BUT, today it is down right chilly! There is no sun at all, the wind is blowing and dang, it's just not a pretty day. Isabella woke up this morning asking to go outside to play. I opened the door to let her check it out on her own before telling her it was too cold. She turned right back around and informed me it was toooo cold to play outside. So we headed to the gym instead.

The way mother nature screws with our head, our allergies, and our kids. It's just down right awful. For two days we played outside without a care and today it's too cold to spend much time out. I'm so ready for spring/summer!! Bring on the sunshine!

Cleaning Company

So I tried. I really did. I did a damn good job of keeping my house clean, I just really don't have time to do it. Cooper is always on the go and needs attention all the time. He loves to play, play, play. His favorite toy is balls. He'll bat them around the room and play roll the ball with me. It's really fun! But while I'm playing and chasing him and tending to Isabella painting, coloring and dancing to my crazy music, I just don't have enough time to clean my house the way it should be cleaned. I gave it my best shot, but when I noticed a spider living under my vanity, I called Brian and plead my case. He agreed.

So, I interviewed a few companies over the phone and had one in home estimate. I haven't used cleaning companies before, but I'm looking forward to it. They will come twice a month, there will be 4 people, it will take them about 2 hours to clean. The last lady took over 8 hours. With a baby I can't be away from my home for 8 hours. Much less with Isabella being very active. So I'm looking forward to Mess No More starting next week. While we are at bible study, they will be here cleaning and we'll get to start the week off with a very clean house. Love it!

Bella's Singing!

I have posted the lovely music feature on this blog. I know, it's about time. Most of the songs are really fun and I enjoy cleaning my house to this music. So I decided to post the ones I like the most. The Asshole song is so damn funny, I hope you enjoy it. My sister and I are huge Jimmy Buffett fans. GET UR FINS UP!!

Since I have XM radio 20 0n 20 playing all the time, Isabella has learned some of these songs. I think her favorite is Single Ladies, she dances and puts her hands up in the air and sings the song. It's really cute.

Enjoy!

Daddy Can Hear!!

My daddy had been 'hard of hearing' for a long time now and after tons of nasty comments from my sister, mark and me he can finally hear!!

I got an email from him today saying "Your Dad has hearing aids !!!!!!!!! Love Dad" I can tell he's very excited. I can't wait to have a normal conversation with him and he'll be able to hear his grand kids talk to him and say I love you. I'm proud of him for finally getting them, they aren't the most attractive and most men have such big egos that they won't wear them if they get them. But I can promise you he will, my mom will super glue them in his ears if he ever goes with out. And she ain't kidding!

Now, about mom. She's had some major mouth issues over the past year. She's cracked teeth, had crowns, root canals and much, much more. So, she finally decided to get partial dentures. She's been going to the dentist over the past few weeks and is taking care of this. She'll be able to enjoy her food and not have any pain. I'm glad she did this. This too is a huge commitment, the pain from the process can't be fun.

I'm proud of my parents for finally taking care of themselves. Thanks mom and dad.

YEA! She Pooped!!

As I have said before, Isabella is potty trained, has been since September-ish. She has no problem going pee pee in the potty. She's an old pro! But pooping is a whole other story. She wants to "push" in a pull-up. And I had absolutely no problem letting her use the pull-up. I didn't want her to get constipated, not a bridge I wanted to cross. I know she wouldn't go to high school in a pull-up. So, I just gave her time.

On Wednesday, at gymnastics school, Ms. Cindy asked me what I was feeding her, that she had to biggest poop she had ever seen from a small child. I laughed and said, sorry you had to deal with that, I'm sure it was a big mess. She said it wasn't in a pull-up, she did it in the potty. WHAT? I praised Isabella and made a huge deal out of it. I was so proud. Then Thursday after her horrible day at church school, I just knew we would have an awful evening. But we didn't, we can home, we talked about her day. I had her go to her room and rest. She did and came out over an hour later and wanted a snack. We got ready for a party we went to Thursday night. When we got to the party, Isabella asked to go potty. She tooted a few times (and boy did it smell!). And then about 20 minutes later, she and Addie were playing and she tooted again. Addie asked her if she needed to go poop, she said yes!! Addie took her to the potty and helped her get on and then call for me to finish up. I was so damn excited and happy she was finally doing it all by herself. Then yesterday after a long day of playing at the park and at home in the bounce house. That night, she told her daddy she needed a diaper. She was already dressed in her night clothes and she was in a pull-up. Daddy and I asked her if she wanted to push on the potty and she said yes. Let me tell you how excited and thankful I am that she decided to go poop on the potty by herself. She is so damn cute pushing on the potty, she makes such adorable noises. And she's so excited that she did it and we couldn't be happier.

Her reward is to go skating tomorrow. That will be a huge treat, for all of us.

Teacher

I'm not sure what I have posted about in the past, but Isabella HATES one of her church school teachers! Point Blank!

I got a call just a few minutes ago from Ms. Samsal, the main teacher in her class. She asked me if there was something going on in the home that would make Isabella completely defiant. Nope, I got nothing. She went on to tell me that Isabella has been in timeout so much today that she hasn't been able to participate in the activities the other kids are doing. Well, there ya go! She's a Strong-willed child. She has her mind made up before she even starts an activity or does anything. She has her way and there is no other way around it. And making her sit back and watch the other kiddos have fun, that's not helping the problem. I guess, since I'm strong-willed too, I know how to work her. BUT, I think that Ms. S is strong-willed too. When Ms. S isn't at school one day, Isabella has a fabulous day. Ms. Norman tells me how wonderful she was. All last week, Isabella had a fantastic week, she was a peach! Last week, Ms. S want at school. UMM, so are you thinking what I'm thinking? Yep, you are.

Last Monday at bible study we talked about the strong-willed child. This is not just a phase, she will be like this forever! The speaker said not to fight a strong-willed child, if you do and you break that child's will, you will break them forever and that child will not be who God intended them to be. I have a completely different outlook on Isabella's behavior, she is the epitome of ME. I was not broken, close, but not broken. I am who I am because my mother learned how to deal with me. She's got lots more grey hair from it, but she never broke my will. I am who I am today because of the Grace of God. And I am proud of who I am. So, I will not break my child, so Ms. S can have a drama free day. Not gonna happen.

In this class that she is in, there are a few that are still in diapers (mind you, Cooper will be in a diaper forever if potty training doesn't click the first try). Some still suck the passy, some have to have a blankie, some still take baby talk, some have to have their milk before naptime and I know of one that still drinks from a bottle (although I haven't seen it in the drink bin lately). In my humble opinion, my child is a bit advanced for the other children. Isabella had many more words than every other child in her class. And I'm confidient in saying that. She's not your typical 3 year old. Sorry, but she's not.

I decided long ago, when I continued to get bad reports on her daily sheet, that she would not be returning to this MDO program. And thankfully I was able to get her into another church that has many, many classes that if she doesn't fit into the first one she is put in, I'm sure they will move the earth to make sure she is where she is suppose to be.

So, now my debate is should I pull her now, just give them my notice and pull her? I could care less at this point. She's not learning anything, because they keep her in timeout. I could just keep her home for a few months (OMG, what am I thinking?). Or I could put her into more classes at gymnastics school. I'm going to think about this one. I'm completely annoyed each day I pick her up and read her daily report. One of the other mother's has even said to me (she's read the daily report many days) that Ms. S just doesn't like Isabella. And that could be true. If the are both strong-willed, I can completely understand. But I don't want to force Isabella to go to a class where she is the odd man out and left out because she raised her voice, threw a toy or completely threw a fit. Granted, I do think they need to put her in timeout, but honestly timeout doesn't work. And they can't spank, so they are screwed.

The one thing that really gets her going is when I hurt her feelings. When I spank, yell, tell her how "angry" I am with her. She will cry. Especially when she knows she's done wrong before the punishment. So, what all that said, HELP! Any suggestions? I do the very best I know how and I know I'm doing a damn good job of raising my children. They are just strong-willed and I love it!

Silpada!

Have you ever seen Silpada jewelry? Have you ever been to a Silpada party? We'll let me tell you, I absolutely love the jewelry and I have been to two parties. And now I'm going to host one. I do love the look of the jewelry and the no questions asked return policy, how can you go wrong. I bought a tennis bracelet (well Brian bought it for me) last February and I wore it to the ground, it started to not clasp very well and was a bit loose. I sent it back and they sent me a new one a few days later. Now the same thing has happened to the same bracelet, really I wear it all the time and with two kids, it goes through a lot, and I have now sent it back and will get a brand new shiny sparkling new bracelet in just a matter of days. I have also ordered a pair of ear-rings and a new fun ring and another bracelet (so i don't have to wear the tennis bracelet out as quickly again). I really do love this jewelry. Now, it ain't cheap. It is all sterling silver 9.25 and it is beautiful.

So, Save the date for March 6th at 6:30pm. I'll have tons of food and drinks of all kinds. It will be a fun girls night. I can't wait there will be a lot of very beautiful new things out by then. You'll love it!!

Valentine's Day - Change Of Plans!!

But this is good! Instead of taking the kids to my parents house for the weekend and just hanging in town for a few days kidless and going to the spa for a day of beauty. Brian and I are going to Fredericksburg for the weekend. The kids are still going to hang with the grands and have tons of fun. But Brian and I are going out of town. Now, this is the first time we have ever been OOT and left the kids behind. We have let the kids stay overnight with my folks, but we always stay in town. But now we will be 5 hours away. I'm so excited. Everytime we go to F-burg we always say 'next time we need to go without the kids' but it just has never happened. We are going up Friday early, going to dinner with Todd and Genna. Then Saturday, Avery & Jack are going to their grands house in San Antonio and Genna and I are going to get a very well deserved massage. I'm sure she and I will walk down Main St. and do some shopping (I've never done this kidless!!!) And she and I will have to grab some lunch at some point. There are a ton of places to eat and we will be kidless!! Then Saturday night, there is some sort of concert or something we are all going to, again KIDLESS!! Then Sunday Brian and I will take our time and drive home, kidless!! My parents aren't bring the kids back home until Monday. So I'll be able to sleep Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights ALL NIGHT LONG!!! Then Monday morning I will go to my moms bible study and then hopefully to the gym to meet with Becca then home to greet my children, who will be so dang excited to see me, it will be beautiful. I'm really looking forward to my weekend, with my husband.

And to top it all off, I'll still have $300 to spend at the spa in Frisco!! I will try to do that in March. WOOHOO!