Wrapping up a better year!

Wow I haven't blogged since September! This has been SUCH a busy year!  I think overall it kicked 2016's butt, but let's see what the survey says (sorry Family Feud is on TV).

1. What did you do in 2017 that you’d never done before?  I officially became a published author!  #bucketlist #check

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make resolutions really. I feel like I accomplished a lot of things, especially with selling our old house, buying our new house, and getting my promotion at work.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My friend Pam had her baby boy, Corbin.

4. Did anyone close to you die? A few distant cousins.

5. What countries did you visit? I only went to Birmingham this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2018 that you didn’t have in 2017? I got some really major things I wanted this year! I would like to continue trying to become more financially stable (read: I'd like more money) and I'd like to get back to trying to be healthier

7. What dates from 2016 will be etched upon your memory, and why? February 14th when we got our book contract offer, July 13th when the book came out, and the day we closed on the houses

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? The house, the book, and my promotion

9. What was your biggest failure?  Weight/healthwise.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  Nothing major this year

11. What was the best thing you bought? Our house!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? The three biggies again: book, job, house

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Ugh, Donald Trump. (Some more)

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills and the house

15. What did you get really excited about? I'm actually looking for things to calm down a little. There has been a lot of excitement lately.

16. What song will always remind you of 2017? Nothing is really springing to mind. Anything from Carpool Karaoke, since I've been obsessed with that.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Happier, fatter, and about the same.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? excercising

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing out

20. How did you spend Christmas? The family was pretty sickly this year, so we stayed home all day in our PJs and had a very nice quiet day. We had a big breakfast and a salad/baked potato bar for lunch which was delish.

21. Did you fall in love in 2017? More and more every day with my husband and kids

22. What was your favorite TV program? Big Bang Theory, Dancing with the Stars, and The Little Couple

 23. What was the best book you read? I recently read An Abundance of Katherines by John Green and it was really great.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Carpool Karaoke

25. What did you want and get? Publish my book, promotion, new house!

26. What did you want and not get? I really got so much I wanted this year!

27. What was your favorite film of 2017? Pitch Perfect 3 which we saw last night was very funny, if corny

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 35. I don't remember doing anything in particular. I think I had to work.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? hmm. Maybe a vacation?

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2017 ? I'm still loving leggings and boots. Right now, whatever fits, is comfy and looks semi cute

31. What kept you sane? My hubby, my kids, my mom, my sisters, my family, my friends, and my coworkers! Talking and writing and laughing and music!

32. What political issue stirred you the most? Donald Trump is still president

33. Who did you miss? My sister, my grandparents and my great aunt and my little Gabriel.

 34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2017.  Hard work and perseverance do pay off!

 35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. Coming up empty here lol!

Ready for 2017!

After my last post the whole house got sick!  BOO! But we got everything done and the kids had an amazing Christmas. It was quiet and simple and great.  

Obviously 2016 was not all I'd hoped it would be. On the bright side, I'd like to think I'm stronger for it. And hopefully good things await in 2017!

1. What did you do in 2016 that you’d never done before?  I made my first strides toward becoming a published author

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make resolutions really. We did finish working on the house and Kelly and I sent the book out. 

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? No one super close to me.

4. Did anyone close to you die? I lost my unborn son, Gabriel in June.

5. What countries did you visit? I didn't get to travel at all this year.

6. What would you like to have in 2017 that you didn’t have in 2016? I would like to be able to buy a bigger house that suits my growing family better! (same answer as the last three years). I'd also love it if the book was published

7. What dates from 2016 will be etched upon your memory, and why? May 7th (found out we were pregnant) and June 28 (found out he was gone)

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? The house and the book.

9. What was your biggest failure?  Just didn't make the strides I'd hoped for.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  Miscarriage and D&C

11. What was the best thing you bought? Didn't have the funds for much this year. I guess it was a good investment to work on the house. Hopefully, anyway.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I give us all major props on surviving this year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Ugh, Donald Trump.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills and the house

15. What did you get really excited about? Actually getting to house hunt was fun.

16. What song will always remind you of 2016? Beam Me Up by Pink

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? This year was a downer, honestly. So sadder, fatter (I need to delete this question), and poorer. But hey, it can only go up, I hope.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Finding ways to be positive

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing out

20. How did you spend Christmas? We hung out at home. Angie's b/f came over, we did gifts and breakfast and just relaxed all day watching the kids enjoy their gifts and letting Tyler ride his bike outside since it wasn't to cold.

21. Did you fall in love in 2015? More and more every day with my husband and kids

22. What was your favorite TV program? Big Bang Theory, Dancing with the Stars, and The Little Couple

 23. What was the best book you read? The Martian

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? My loss playlist. It brought me great comfort.

25. What did you want and get? To finish the house and book

26. What did you want and not get? A promotion, publication, and a new house!

27. What was your favorite film of 2016? The Martian

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 34.  I actually had the day off. I don't remember doing anything much, but it was nice and low key and I DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK!

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If there hadn't been quite so much to overcome.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2016 ? I'm still loving leggings and boots, especially my Candian boots and the new brown ones my mom got me. And I got a pair of "jogger" sweats yesterday and I think they might be my new lounge go-to.

31. What kept you sane? My hubby, my kids, my mom, my sisters, my family, my friends, and my coworkers! Talking and writing and laughing and music!

32. What political issue stirred you the most? Donald Trump is really going to be president.

33. Who did you miss? My sister, my grandparents and my great aunt and my little Gabriel.

 34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2016.  What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

 35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "I hear your voice and I break in two and now there's one of me with you." Pink "Beam Me Up"

All about Christmas!

I'm so predictable. I nearly vanish in November and December every year. I suppose it's a busy time for everyone. My job is EXTREMELY busy around this time of year, and this year is, if anything, more so! I'll be covering for the maternity leave for a coworker (well, a coworker from Birmingham) who is the go-to for all things for my group. Side note: It's a little hard to swallow, as we were literally due the same week. Anyway, I'm fielding lots of questions on invoicing and year end stuff. It's interesting and different, but can make getting my normal work done a little challenging.

So yeah, busy. I need to finish my Christmas shopping too. This weekend we took the kids to see Santa. We went to the mall this year. The last two years we attended an event at Tyler's school, but they didn't have it this year. The kids did great and were super excited--a change from last year when AJ was afraid of Santa.

Waiting in line! Blurry because they couldn't stand still from excitement!

They've been (pretty) good this year! AJ looks so deceptively innocent here.

We continued the Christmas preparation weekend by putting up the Christmas Tree.  I remembered that I planned to do a blog post about a few special Christmas ornaments, so I snapped a few photos after we'd finished.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Turtles!  Tyler's friend made him these!

Can you see tiny little me? Circa 1989

This used to be a rocking horse, until our sheepdog Shasta knocked over the tree one year and gnawed off a leg and the rockers.

Last year's obligatory Christmas Craft!

Tyler's first ornament! He loved that toy!

AJ's first ornament, complete with his footprint!

The ornament I bought the first year Adam and I were together 2002.

My first ornament! 1982

Our nativity scene--we put it down low where the kids can play with it.

We usually hang the stockings on bookshelves (no fireplace), but we put the shelves away this year, so command hooks it is!

Busy weekend and now it's the week again!  Any guesses on if you'll get another blog post before my New Years Post???

Traditional New Year Post!

 Predictably absent from the blog for most of November and December. Seriously, that ALWAYS happens!  Anyway, updates to come shortly (I hope), but for now, obligatory New Year's post!  It's 2016!?

1. What did you do in 2015 that you’d never done before?  I traveled outside the U.S. for the first time, to Canada.

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I don't really make resolutions, per se, but I wanted to refocus on fitness and I didn't really manage that.  My focus for most of the year was making progress on the house, and we did make some good progress.  This year, I really want to FINISH the home improvement projects and sell this place!!  Next New Years I hope we are in our forever home!  I would love to get back to my fitness goals as well, and Kelly and I really want to get closer to trying to get our book published. I think of these as goals more than resolutions. Is there a difference, really?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My dear friend Mandy had her adorable son Kellan!!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Hmm, I don't think so, not this year.

5. What countries did you visit? Canada!  It was fun and cold!

6. What would you like to have in 2016 that you didn’t have in 2015? I would like to be able to buy a bigger house that suits my growing family better! (same answer as last year AND the year before)

7. What dates from 2015 will be etched upon your memory, and why? Hmmmm...I don't know of any particular date this year that sticks out.

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? We made some awesome updates to the house.

9. What was your biggest failure?  :( Gained back some of the weight I lost...Boo

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  I hurt my pinkie finger over the summer while painting Tyler's room...it still bugs me a little bit. 

11. What was the best thing you bought? I guess I'd say my Galaxy S4, so much better than my old phone.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Always Adam for rolling with the punches and putting up with me!  Tyler doing so awesome in school!  AJ for learning so much!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? SOOOO many terrible shootings! Depressing!

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, diapers, food

15. What did you get really excited about? House hunting, which keeps getting put off, but is still fun! 

16. What song will always remind you of 2015? Fight Song by Rachel Platten

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Happier! Fatter (Boo)  I'd say slightly richer (money isn't tight quite so much).

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Eating better and working out more

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing out

20. How did you spend Christmas? We stayed home with mom and my sisters. We had a big breakfast and a big dinner and relaxed.

21. Did you fall in love in 2015? More and more every day with my husband and kids

22. What was your favorite TV program? Big Bang Theory, Dancing with the Stars, and The Little Couple

 23. What was the best book you read? The Little Couple's book

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Rachel Platten

25. What did you want and get? To make progress on the house

26. What did you want and not get? A promotion and a new house!

27. What was your favorite film of 2015? Mockingjay Part 2 and Pitch Perfect 2

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 33.  I worked as always (end of month), and my family celebrated me and twin.  I am happy to know that THIS year, my birthday is on a SATURDAY!

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? If I had had more time to take care of things

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2015? I am currently OBSESSED with Leggings!  They are seriously so comfy!  I swear, I only wear them with long sweaters though. I'm also in love with the boots gifted to me by work, which are super warm.

31. What kept you sane? My hubby, my kids, my mom, my sisters, my family, my friends, and my coworkers! Talking and writing and laughing and music!

32. What political issue stirred you the most? I do not get involved with politics if I can possibly help it, but please God, please Lord do not let Donald Trump become President.

33. Who did you miss? My sister, my grandparents and my great aunt. My family when I traveled

 34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2015.  One thing at a time

 35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year. "Even if we can't find heaven, I'll walk through Hell with you. Love, you're not alone, cause I'm gonna stand by you" Stand by You-Rachel Platten

Another Year!

1. What did you do in 2014 that you’d never done before?  I applied for a passport (Tuesday, actually!)

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I wanted to continue my weight loss and I did for awhile and I've (mostly) maintained it, so yay for that.  I'm definitely refocusing on that for the new year!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? A few online friends and bloggy friends!  Yay for babies!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Adam's grandfather passed away.

5. What countries did you visit? None but it's very likely that I will be traveling to Canada soon!

6. What would you like to have in 2015 that you didn’t have in 2014? I would like to be able to buy a bigger house that suits my growing family better! (same answer as last year!)

7. What dates from 2014 will be etched upon your memory, and why? July 29th, Tyler's first day of school

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? I made some great strides in getting healthier (early in the year at least)

9. What was your biggest failure?  Sort of fell off the fitness wagon in the last few months

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?  I was (sort of/probably) diagnosed with Lupus

11. What was the best thing you bought? I'd have to say the stuff Adam has bought for Ebay, he's doing a great job and investing wisely to resell

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Tyler for being so brave! Starting school, getting through dental surgery, etc.  Adam for always being so laid back. My mom for taking care of my kiddos so much!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? News stories like the shot down plan overseas

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, diapers, food

15. What did you get really excited about? Our anniversary trip in July, it was so amazing!

16. What song will always remind you of 2015?  Let it Go from Frozen and Shake it off by Tyler Swift.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Happier! Happier! Thinner!  I'd say slightly richer (money isn't tight quite so much).

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? Work on the house, definitely, eating better and working out more lately.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Complaining. I have a lot to be thankful for. (this is one I'm always working on)

20. How did you spend Christmas? We spent most of the day at home, half sick, but went to my SILs later in the day. I was grateful the worst of the sickness avoided Christmas Day!

21. Did you fall in love in 2014? More and more every day with my husband and kids

22. What was your favorite TV program? Big bang Theory and The Little Couple

 23. What was the best book you read? The Fault in our Stars (ALL THE FEELINGS)

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? The new Into The Woods Soundtrack, and Taylor Swifts new album

25. What did you want and get? Feel better about my apperance

26. What did you want and not get? A promotion and a new house!

27. What was your favorite film of 2012? Mockingjay Part 1 and The Fault in Our Stars

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 32.  I worked lol, and my family celebrated me

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Probably if I chose to let stuff get to me less

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2014? Boots and Skinny Jeans were my new fashion try!  And infinity scarfs

31. What kept you sane? My hubby, my kids, my mom, my sisters, my family, my friends, and my coworkers! Talking and writing and laughing and music!

32. What political issue stirred you the most? So not political but I guess this thing with the Interview movie.  Not stating my opinion here, but the whole thing is just nuts

33. Who did you miss? My sister, my grandparents and my great aunt. My family when I travelled

 34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014.  Always trying to learn to balance it all

 35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  "I'm only human" Christina Perri and "You gotta try" Colbie Callait

Sensing a trend here

It never fails, in late November and most of December, I get crazy busy and therefore don't post much.  I guess it's understandable, work is crazy busy at the end of the year and of course, there are the holidays.  I don't even know what I have missed blogging out, so here are some bullets of the goings-on around here--in no particular order:

• My older sister is thankfully (and amazingly) fine after hitting a patch of ice and ROLLING her SUV (several times).  Her Blazer was predictably totaled, but she escaped with some cuts and a black eye, for which we are eternally grateful.  It was extremely scary.
• Tyler had his first toothache, which led to an odyssey of dental surgery on the day before Thanksgiving. Poor guy had to have four crowns, two fillings, and two sealants. The dentist says that his acid reflux is to blame and we'd been putting this off for a little while, so it needed to be done.  It was rough, his throat was SUPER sore (they had a hard time getting the breathing tube in apparently) and was super pathetic for days, but we go through it.  I hate the crowns, because you can see them when he talks, but I'm glad his teeth don't hurt anymore and I am hopeful that this work will hold him in good stead as long as he has his baby teeth.
• AJ has also had his share of injuries.  He had a bruise on his cheek, multiple bumps on the head and one on his upper lip, just in the last two weeks.  He's always on the move and he is definitely my climber/daredevil.  
• Adam also makes the injury list, after he sliced his index finger last night.  He was in the garage, opening the battery case on something he got in an auction and instead of hunting up a screwdriver (in the GARAGE, where we KEEP THEM) he used a knife.  Oops.  The doctor used some special piece of foam to close it and then gave him a tetnus shot (which he says hurts more than his finger does).
• I think that concludes the injury list--Please let that be the end of it! Onto less negative stuff!
• I'm still working the Canadian invoicing at work.  They are planning to start interviewing soon and I've been told to get a passport, so it looks like a trip to Canada is in my future!
• I'm about 85% done with my Christmas shopping, but completely done buying for the kids!  I did have to spend about $25 more than I wanted on one particular gift for Tyler, because we waited too long and everywhere was out.  But  I got it!
• I'm super anxious because they are switching RX companies on my benefits.  Remember this post where I wrote about my triumph over the RX company not wanting to cover Tyler's reflux meds?  Well I was supposed to be set, because the guy I spoke to said just to call him once a year and tell him the medication was still needed, and he'd take care of the approval.  Well, now this is happening.  And there has been some sort of hold up, and we don't even have our plan information yet, so I can't even find out if the medication will be covered or not.  I'm praying it is, this company is supposed to be better than the last, but I'm terrified it won't be covered at all and then I'll have to start all over again and go to war.  Ugh.
• I am literally counting down the DAYS until I can get a new cell phone (42 days).  My phone was just a basic model, whatever they were offering for free after rebates. It probably could do with being reset, but it seems too much hassle when I don't have much longer to wait. Honestly I've been cursing it for at least 6 months anyway. It's slow and very buggy lately.  Hoping I can get a good deal on a galaxy (probably a 4, not the 5).  I cannot wait!  The Black Friday sales (the S5 for $0.99) killed me!
• We finally put up the Christmas tree YESTERDAY!  We are total slackers.  BUSY slackers.  The boys LOVE it and Tyler even decorated his room too.  Pictures to come!

I've been reading blogs, but I've been a bad commenter lately!  Hopefully the busiest time has passed for now!  I'm sure I have more bullet points, but I can't remember them, so that's it for now!

Whew! Well hi, 2014!

Oh my goodness, I always forget how insane December can get!  I'm glad it's over, but I'm actually having a hard time adjusting to not being so busy!  I still want to do my ornament post, but I haven't had any luck getting good pics. My cell phone flashes too much.  We'll see if I get it done before we take down the tree!

Still going strong on the fitness front--I placed second in the challenge at work, with a total of 13% lost--the winner lost 14%, so close!  I'll get $100, so that's good.  I've been doing Jillian's Shred It With Weights, which is a kettlebell workout--super intense!  Next up is abs, I feel the burn already!

Christmas was very nice.  AJ still doesn't totally "get" it, but Tyler had a ton of fun. I'm loving my kindle fire (thanks babe!) and my mom likes hers too.  New Years was quiet and uneventful, aside from Tyler being a little bit sicky. 

And so!  Another year gone!  Last year was...well it was!  Nothing horrifically awful, nothing amazingly life changing!  So here's my yearly survey thingy!

YEARLY SURVEY!
1. What did you do in 2013 that you’d never done before? I visited the West Coast, California!  It was AWESOME!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?  I don't know that I "resolved" anything, but I finally FINALLY made some major progress on losing weight and getting healthy.  I'm inching toward 40 lbs lost and I LOVE IT!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My friend Pam had her first baby girl in April!

4. Did anyone close to you die? Adam's Grandpa passed away just a few weeks ago. 

5. What countries did you visit?  Still no progress on that one.

6. What would you like to have in 2014 that you didn’t have in 2013? I would like to be able to buy a bigger house that suits my growing family better!--That was last years answer, but it REALLY needs to happen this year!

7. What dates from 2013 will be etched upon your memory, and why? Nothing really jumps out this year.  I'm okay with that though, we'll call it a rebuilding year

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year? Has to be getting healthier, dropping over 35 lbs and at least two pants sizes!

9. What was your biggest failure? I'd like to think I didn't have any major failures!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope, stayed pretty healthy this year.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Well we bought two "new" cars this year and I am really hoping they go on to be reliable long time vehicles for us!

12. Whose behavior merited celebration? AJ's milestones--it's so fun to watch them do things for the first time!

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Nothing is immediately coming to mind.  I'm sure there were news stories that got to me though.

14. Where did most of your money go? Bills, cars, kids

15. What did you get really excited about? California and each pound that I lost!

16. What song will always remind you of 2013? Wrecking Ball by Miley Cyrus.  She annoys the pants off of me and that video is needlessly raunchy, but I like the song, damn it.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer? Happier, THINNER (YAY!), and about the same I guess

18. What do you wish you’d done more of? House projects!

19. What do you wish you’d done less of? I can't really think of anything

20. How did you spend Christmas? We stayed at home and enjoyed ourselves immensely!

21. Did you fall in love in 2013? More and more with my kids and hubby every day

22. What was your favorite TV program? Still gotta be the Big Bang Theory!

 23. What was the best book you read? A tie between "Single Infertile Female" and "Hyperbole and a Half" both written by bloggers I adore.

24. What was your greatest musical discovery? I'm sort of in love with Pink!

25. What did you want and get? Healthier!

26. What did you want and not get? A promotion and a house

27. What was your favorite film of 2013? Catching Fire!

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 31!  I think we were all just getting over being sick and I was super busy at work, but I'm sure we had dinner and cake and loveliness.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? More SPACE!

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2013?  Well, not by choice, but baggy clothes!  Nothing fits, in a good way!

31. What kept you sane? My family, especially my kiddos, my friends, working out (it's true, it's stress relieving) and a little bit of relaxation time daily.

32. What political issue stirred you the most? I'm so sick about hearing about the healthcare drama I could puke.

33. Who did you miss? My sister, my grandparents and my great aunt--still true

 34. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2013. Take time to work on yourself is sooo important!

 35. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year."Say what you want to say, let the words fall out honestly. I want to see you be Brave!" Brave by Sarah Bareilles

Still alive!

I'm still here, still alive!  When I get quiet here it generally means that I am terribly busy at work and do NOT feel like touching my computer at night!  Literally it's basically workout, shower and zone out for what little time is left before bed!  I got the first HUGE project done late last week, so hopefully I'm over the hump, so to speak!  Anyway, up next, I plan to do a special post about our family Christmas tree that we put up yesterday, complete with pictures of some of my favorite ornaments!  Tyler was looking at them this morning and asking about each one, and since most of them are special and have been around a long time, I thought I'd write up a little post about them!

So that'll be up soon--I hope!

In the meantime, things are good, busy busy!  Thanksgiving was good (did I write about that?), the kids are good, still on track with working out--31 lbs down!!  I've decided I REALLY want to win the work challenge, because I need the money for new CLOTHES!  Nothing fits!  LOL good problem to have :)

More soon!

New Routine

So last week it was time to go back to work. I was off a total of 11 weeks, 3 prior to delivery and just short of 8 weeks after. It seems like forever! It was hard to leave my boys, but honestly I'm used to working too! It's been absolutely crazy at work since I got back. December is always busy and this year is quite literally at least twice as busy as a typical December. I spent a day or so sifting through some of the over 1000 unread emails and then I threw myself into the first of several huge projects. One of our major customers needs all of their invoices for the rest of the year by Monday. It was around 150 invoices total. A coworker in Missouri has been doing some and I am doing the rest. They are the most complicated and time consuming invoices I do, so it's been interesting! I'm almost done and the deadline is Monday afternoon, so it looks like I'll be doing some work from home this weekend! AJ is thriving--he's getting so chubby and he's starting to smile more and more! He's been absolutely vicious about his bottles the last few days--growth spurt? That's difficult because he tends to eat pretty often anyway and now feedings have been as close as 1.5-2 hours! He was supposed to go in for his 2 month check up this week, but he caught a nasty cold, so we had to reschedule for next week. I'm not looking forward to shots! Hopefully it won't bother him too much, but I'm taking the afternoon off just in case. He's finally starting to do a little better at night too. If we feed him around 10 pm he is usually just getting up once a night to eat and then he lasts until 6 am. He still fights going back to sleep some mornings, but we are improving. Tyler is super excited about Christmas! We're taking him (and AJ) to see Santa tomorrow and he can't wait. He's been pretty good lately, especially since I went back to work and mom has been adjusting to taking care of both boys by herself. I'm trying to come up with some ideas of "treats" or something so he has some special times while he continues to get used to AJ being around. So I'm working tons and I still have lots of Christmas shopping to do! I can't believe it's almost Christmas and it really feels like just yesterday I was wishing for a baby for Christmas! I didn't quite get my wish last Christmas, but I have my present this year! I am especially grateful for my babies tonight after hearing about the horrific school shooting in Connecticut. I think the whole country is grieving. It's senseless. My thoughts and prayers are with all affected. There are a lot of new little angels in heaven tonight. God be with their family's as they bear the burden of a holiday without them.

Ta-Ta 2011

As 2011 draws to a close I, like many others, reflect on it's events.  In most ways, it wasn't a very eventful year.  I work at the same job as I did this time last year.  Our financial situation is better (at a cost), so that's going in the positive column.  My family has remained intact, another positive.  My friends are happy and healthy.  I gained an honorary nephew and the promise of my first niece next April.  I've made new friends and strengthened friendships with old friends.  I celebrated two new marriages. I've watched my son grow day after day, amazing me along the way.

There were a few negatives of course.  Much of the year was spent trying to add to our family.  Easily the low point was my miscarriage in June.  But for the most part, I've been lucky this year.  My losses were few and my gains were sweet.

All in all, it seems like it was a year of promise.  Promises of good things to come.  It was a year of growth and learning. I learned a lot about myself.  I'm stronger than I knew. 

2012.  I like the sound of it, if for no other reason than I prefer even numbers.  Yes, I'm a little strange that way.  I chose to go into the year with hope and goals. Of course, I would like to have anther child this year.  I would like to (again) try to get healthier.  I'd like to do some thinking about what I want from my life.

So here's to 2012.  I hope that all of you that are reading have a great year ahead of you.  And now, if you'll excuse me, I have a cocktail, a husband, and a night of relaxation ahead of me.  Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving Survey

Thanksgiving Survey

My laziness knows no bounds. Hell with it.

How intensely do you celebrate Thanksgiving, on a 1-10 scale?
Well we have been pretty low key the last few years and even more so this year, but we kick it in the food department, so i guess an 8?

1. What is your favorite part of Thanksgiving?
eating all day without feeling bad about it

2. Do you eat Turkey? What foods are on your table every year?
Actually, no, I don't. It's a texture thing. I've never liked it. I concentrate on the veggies, rolls, mashed potatoes and of course pumpkin pie

3. What are your Thanksgiving traditions, is there something you do every year?
Dinner somewhere. This year it's here. My immediate family usually spends the day together, watching a movie, helping with the meal, etc.

4. Do you watch the Macy's Day Parade?
not really

5. What are you thankful for?
My family and friends, my pets, Adam, my "health", my job I don't hate, and my new house etc.

6. Do you go shopping on Black Friday -the next day?
I tried last year. crowds make me crazy. I'd venture out if there was something I had to have, but usually I steer clear. I'll have to do that enough once I have kids that want the toy of the year.

7. Do you celebrate Buy Nothing Day?
Yes

8. Do you watch football at home?
Not really, but the Colts are playing tonight, so Adam will have it one.

9. Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving Memory?
Nothing specific. Mostly going to my grandparents. It was always the same, a good meal, playing with my cousins (I remember a lot of glasses fogging up cause we went in and out of the cold), someone getting in a fight with someone, that kind of thing

10. It's not Thanksgiving without...
family

11. What will be different about this Thanksgiving?
It's the first year since my parents divorce. That'll be really different.