Super Sunday

We made through the past week, it is now Sunday, and boy I could really use like 6 more hours of sleep. We have had a busy weekend, but it has been fun. Yesterday we spent the afternoon at my sister's new house, helping her get organized, since the painter is almost done. The kids love going there because Aunt Kelly gives them whatever they want, and she never says "no". We stayed there a little longer then expected, but it worked out in the end. Then we headed to my parent's house for a small birthday party for my nephew Jake and my brother. Jake turned 7 and Michael 31. It was fun, we ordered pizza and made brownies. The kids all played in their garage all night. It's heated and they have all the bikes and a ping pong table. We got home around 9, which was good because the roads were getting slick from the snow yesterday. All in all is has been a good weekend so far, and now today should be better. We have dinner at his dad's house, which is always nice. Right now, I am typing this and TJ is hanging shelving in our one closet that we use as a office area, our computer and it's accesoried are there. We just got a wireless router, and I must say, it is pretty nice being able to blog while laying in bed watching TJ work hard. LOL!
Sorry this is a quick one, got lots to do and laying in bed is not getting it done!

Oh Friday, where are you?

This week seems to be dragging on and on and on.... I can't beleive it is only Tuesday. Some weeks fly by, others drag (this being one of those weeks).

We went and got our taxes done. Boy that was a mess. We bought the house within that $8k Tax Credit, so you would think it would be an easy task to get our money, but NOOOOOOOO way. We have been through the ringer for it, but as of today, it should be here in 5-7 weeks. Thank you Mr. Obama for making things so much worse then they were before. Granted, you are giving us our 8k, but you are doing nothing for Healthcare, nor are you helping the middle/lower class people. Sorry, I had to vent.

We are having such a problem with Emily right now. Not so much a problem, but a really weird situation. How do you prevent a 3/4 year old from napping, while sitting on a school bus for 3 hours? Any good ideas, I'll take 'em. On the weekends she is so great, she goes to by alone, falls asleep fast, sleeps all night in her own bed. On a work night, I have to fight to get her to go to bed, practically tie her down to keep her in her bed, listen to her cry for god knows how long, then eventually find her in my bed. I know, "get a baby gate", as if I hadn't thought of that myself, but the little miss just climbs right over it. It's great. After about 4 times of taking her back to her bed and fighting to get her back to sleep, I just give up and let her sleep in my bed with TJ and I, and let me tell ya, it ain't fun! Colin on the other hand, he is great. He won't sleep with TJ and I. If I put him in bed with us, he tosses and turns until I put him back in his bed. This weekend we took his crib down, I almost cried, and put his toddler bed up. He LOVES it. He hasn't slept this good in weeks. He doesn't get out of bed, he doesn't seem to whine or shuffle as much. Why can't Emily do that. We do it all, the "monster" check list (looking in, under, around, behind everything), a bedtime story, smooches, hugs, "I love you" so many times. She just won't do it. I need some serious help...... oh and some serious sleep!

Just a touch on a previous post, I have been thinking about it since I wrote it. I cannot beleive my baby girl is going to be 4. I can remember bringing her home from the hospital all cozy in her car seat. Today my little baby said to me "mom, when will my birthday be here?" I said "in a little over a month", Emily "oh, but that's too long, I want it now", me "now, nothing ever happens now", Emily "but Veruca in the Candy movie gets everything now"! I guess I have let her watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory tooooo many times, of course the original, not that new scary looking one with Johnny Depp.

I think that is all for now. Off to shower and hopefully to bed early, she did not take a nap today!

It's Not as Easy!

This week has been a little crazy, in so many ways. This weekend even more crazy then I expected. On Friday, we had some drama in my family, mostyly my uncle and us. He posted a really nasty post on facebook, for everyone to see. I guess he didn't think we would respond to it, meaning my siblings and I, but we did. It turned out to be like WW10 in my family, but oh well, he should have never said what he said. It was not only hurtful, but extremely personal. Whatever, he is not worth my time or pain.

So I smoked for many year leading up to my pregnancies. I was able to quit with each baby, but I somehow picked it up again, after the baby turned like a year old. It's crazy, I always said I can quit whenever I want, but now I am realizing, I Can't! It is such a hard statement to say, it's like admiting failure. I have tried several times, all with no success. This weekend I tried again, I was certain this time was it, well I am at like 20 hours with out one and I am dying. It's crazy. I used to be able to go weekends with out it, since our other friends didn't know I smoked, we would go to the beach for 3-4 days and I wouldn't smoke at all. I used to hide it from TJ a long long time ago, but now I can't do it. I hate it, I don't want my kids to think it is ok, I don't like the smell, I don't like the cost. What to do??? My brother quit using Chantrix (sp?), and he recommends it to anyone. I never thought I would be the one to need help to quit. It's just not as easy I thought it would be.

Tuesday or Wednesday?

We had a holiday on Monday, so no school for the kiddos, but man it really screws me up through the week. I am so confused as to which day it is. Since I have confirmed it is Wednesday, I feel like this week is moving along pretty good.

Today I have an appointment at the Ortho doc for my ankle. I am really nervous about it. I have been in pain for a few weeks now, and I have learned to ignore it and just continue as usual, but now I know there is something seriously wrong with it. I am sooooo scare the doctor is going to take me out of work. To most people this would be great, and man I would love to spend a few lazy days at home, but I don't get paid time off. We are just starting to get back on our feet from buying the house and Christmas, so a few weeks with no check would really set us back. I know if he casts me or even puts me in a boot, my supervisor is going to tell me I can't work, but I have tooooo! I am so worried about it, I am almost making myself sick over it. It's crazy, as much I may complain about my job, I don't want to leave my students for too long. We'll see, I will post about that after my appointment this afternoon (hopefully after work)!

I have been trying to take time to plan Emily and Colin's birthdays. It so crazy to think I have a "4" year old. I can't beleive it already! She is growing right before my eyes and I can't stop it. She amazed me everyday, especially with how loving and affectionate she is. I hope this is not just a stage and she stays loving and affectionate her whole life. I love when she just runs up and gives me a great big hug and kiss, for no reason at all, just cause she loves me. Anyway, that was totally off course. Emily's birthday is on March 2, so I was thinking about having a low key party at the house for her. Of course, with my family nothing is low key, we automatically have 20 people just with my siblings and their families. I really wanted to do something special, I just don't have any ideas. Colin's birthday on the other hand, boy oh boy! His birthday is on May 26, so on Memorial Day Weekend, I think we are going to have a HUGE birthday/housewarming bbq for all our friends and family to celebrate the house and his birthday. We have a huge yard and we want to show off the house, so why not right? Well, I started jotting down a list of who would be invited, and just with both families, not including friends, we are at over 50. That is a lot of people, and if we start inviting friends we are going to be way over that. I really want to do this, since we have never been able to have a big party like this, but then I have to feed and hydrate all these people. Oh well, in the end it will be well worth it. I have alot more thinking and planning to do, but I think we are just gonna do it.

That's it for now. Gotta get some stuff done before my appointment. If you pray, pray that everything goes well and I can still work. I know I am definitely praying.

Just a quickie!

Sometime between Christmas and New Years, I hurt my ankle. I have no idea what I did, nor did I know the extent of injury. After a week of limping I decided to go to the doc to see what was wrong. He sent me for an X-ray, assuming it was fractured, NOPE! So I did the MRI on Friday, and I just got the results last night. Apparently I tore a ligament. I don't realy know what that means, nor do I know how they fix it, but I do know I am still in some serious pain. I now have to go see an Orthopedic doc to get it fixed. I am a little nervous, I cannot have surgery nor can I have a cast. If I have either they won't let me work, and of course I do not have any kind of short term disability. I guess I will just have to wait and see what the doc says.

I must say, I have been an extremely generous person over the past year or so. I give and give and give some more, never expecting anything back. I help anyone who needs it and never ask any questions. I wonder..... How long and you give before the favor is returned? How many times do I have to be walked on before I say enough is enough? I don't ever ask much, as TJ and I try to be self-sufficient, but in some cases we just need help. It seems lately, noone is willing to help us. I totally understand everyone has their lives, problems, family and needs, but I have given my all, and have not gotten a darn thing back! I am just about at my limit, and I just needed to vent.

Just another Monday!

Today we have no school for the holiday, so the kids and I are sitting at home chilling out. We had another eventful weekend, hopefully the coming weeks are better then the last two weeks.
We started last week with no water, it was our fault. TJ was changing the faucet in our master bath, when the valve broke in his hands and gallons of water began spraying all over the bathroom. We had to shut the water off to the whole house, and it was later Sunday afternoon, so nothing was open to get the part to fix it. TJ and his dad were able to plug it off to allow us to have water in the house until it could be fixed. Monday afternoon, TJ and his dad fixed it, but again we had no water because they had to shut the main water off to let the glue set. We woke up on Tuesday to learn that the fix did not hold and the water was still leaking. Again, no water in the house, so TJ again fixed it on Tuesday afternoon, but we had no water over night again so the glue could set. FINALLY on Wednesday morning we got our water back with no leaks or problems. How great right? Well on Thursday afternoon, the nuckleheads that are widening route 41, hit a watermain and the whole town lost water all of Thursday afternoon and most of the night. After taking the kids to my moms to get baths, our water came back, but it was disgusting, brown and dirty. By Friday morning, the hell was over and our water was back to normal. So we were sitting on the sofa on Friday evening, finally relaxing after such a stressful week, when we noticed a puddle of water in front of the fridge. We checked, and of course the freezer was getting warm and our ice maker was leaking the water. Nothing we did got the freezer to chill again, so we emptied it into the chest freezer we had. The fridge seemed fine, so we let that go. I woke up on Saturday to call Sears, to find the Fridge was warming up as well, so no we have to empty that. Luckily my aunt lives up the road and we were able to take our stuff there. Sears could not get someone out until next Friday, but they said it sounds like the condensor is broke, which could cost up to $500. Needless to say, we went shopping on Saturday afternoon for a new fridge with no such luck. We found a few we liked, but we weren't ready to make a decision on a minutes notice. My dad had an extra fridge in his garage, so now we are borrowing that fridge until we are ready to buy a new one. What a mess!

I have been trying to find the good in things lately. It is pretty hard, but I do seem to make it work. I want to live a life of less stress and less negativity. It seems to be working. I find that if I look for the good positive things inlife I do feel better day to day. I keep telling TJ that I want to go to church. We have never went as a couple, nor a family, but I often think I would like it and would love to have a new faith. I am by no means a religious person, but maybe if I find a place to look for answers like church, I would feel better. I don't know what to do, I don't want to go to church and hate it, but I don't want to not try and wonder if I should have. Any thought????

We are hoping to get our taxes done soon! I am only waiting on my w2 from work then we can get them done. This year should be great, considering we get $8000 right off the bat from buying our first home. We decided with whatever money we get we are going to pay everything off. We should have no debt except for my car, mortgage and utilities. We calculated it all, and we should still have money left over to do some long awaited things to the house, starting with the master bath. I want a regular bath tub, with a regular shower. I am really looking forward to it. We'll see, the most important thing is to pay everything off.

I want to talk a minute about my husband. I don't talk about him enough. For anyone who does not know. I have been with TJ since August 2008. We dated a few years before marrying on Oct 9, 2004. I can honestly say, I have married the man of my dreams. He is definitely my soul mate and I can not imagine one day without him. We have been through some very rough times, but the good times far out-number them. TJ is the strongest, most caring, giving, affectionate, passionate, loving, supportive, generous person I have ever met. He loves me unconditionally with no hesitation. He is my #1 supporter, he has a way to make me smile when I don't want to and he makes me feel like the most beautiful person in the world. He is an excellent father, and our children adore him. I don't say it often enough, but I am so thankful for him and so lucky to have him. There are so many people out there who don't have this, and I could not imagine a day in their shoes. Thank you so much TJ for all you do and for being who you are. I love you so much!

With that said, I gotta try to put a little man down for a nap, he's grumpy!

Holy Cow, Has it Really Been That Long?

I can't even remember the last time I posted on my blog. Things have been fun-filled, disasterous, crazy, chaotic, fast, slow, happy, sad, etc...... Needless to say, I have had absolutely no time to get on this and tell our life story from the past 5 months or so. We have been on a roller coaster ride, and I think it is finally taking it's last loop before the ride ends. We bought our house, which we are sooooo thankful for. We are beyond happy with it, except for a few small changes we want to make, but they will come in time. We survived Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas along with a handful of birthdays, and we survived them all happy. Our marriage is stronger then ever, but then again I never had my doubts about marrying the man of my dreams. The kids are growing so fast and they are both becoming such smart, beautiful, energetic little kids. I can't even say they are babies anymore because they are both far beyond that. Let's see if I can sum up the past couple months in a few paragraphs.

In August my brother and his family welcomed their second little girl into this crazy world. Her name is Evangelina Grace Nelson, and she is soooo precious. Eva is such a great mix of Michael and Melissa, but I think she is more toward Michael. Soon after a healthy birth, they received some not so great news. Eva tested positive for a gene mutation, after some further testing and a few visits to CHOP, she was diagnosed with a mild case of Cystic Fibrosis. She has not shown any signs of it, but it is a progressive disease, which mean later in life she will start to show signs of it, but because they caught it so early she has already started preventitive treatments to help her in the future. No matter what, she is a blessing and we are so proud to have her in our lives.

We signed the papers on our new house on October 16, and moved in almost immediately. Boy that was fun, it poured from the heavens for 5 days straight. We had about 10 guys helping us move, and they were soaked. They got us in with no problems, other than a few mud foot prints and some water on the floor. Emily and Colin adjusted very well to the move and absolutely love their "OWN" new bedrooms. Colin's a a manly blue and Em's is a princess pink, with a princess border. She is so very proud of her big girl room, now only if we could get her to sleep there all night. Anyway, we love our home and we are so proud of it.

We made it through Christmas, which was soooo much fun this year. Colin is now at the age where he is fun. Last year it was kind of boring, but this year we really enjoyed it. They got so many new toys from Santa and our family, I am still trying to find a place for all of it. We got our first "real" christmas tree this year and I was so proud of it. We picked the perfect one and it fit so well in the house. We were able to finally get them toys that can go outside since we have such a great yard, now if spring would just hurry up and get here.

My sister purchased her first home as well, which we could not be more proud of her. I am sad that she moved a little further away, but Lancaster is only 25 minutes. Her house is so cute and just perfect for her. Once she is all set up it will be great. The previous owners must have smoked some funny stuff when they chose their paint colors, but once Kelly paints and puts her own touches on it, it is going to be so nice. We are definitely proud of her and can't wait to spend many fun times there.

This new year has started a little rough, but I am confident it will only get better. We had a stomach bug the first weekend/week of the year, then we broke a valve on a pipe in our bathroom the second weekend/week, so here's to hoping the third week is as smooth as a babies butt. We have so many goals for this year, which we hope to accomplish soon! I better wrap this up, the kids are wanting lunch! I will hopefully be able to keep up with this a little more often then every 6 months. I have so much to say, but so little time. I will try to sit down for 10 minutes a day and vent a little, boy I sure could use some venting.