10 Goals for 2011

New Year's resolutions. I've never really been a fan. I always said they were pointless because no one ever keeps them, but I think I was saying that because I couldn't keep them. I no longer think they're pointless, you just have to be smart about which ones you make, which I'll admit I'm still working on. If I had my way, there are about a million things I would change/fix in 2011, but I figure I should be careful about what I actually commit to. So with that being said, some of my "resolutions" are more like ongoing goals. :)


1. I am going to do the Bible in a year reading and I'm going to make it through the whole year. This one I'm not budging on at all, there's no wiggle room. It's the one resolution that is pretty much set in stone. 


2. We've been working on budgeting better and it's been going pretty well, with the exception of these spontaneous high fix-the-car expenses, so this year I want to keep working on the budgeting and to definitely put more money aside in an emergency fund. 


3. I want to run. I've always hated running, but I won't lie, I haven't done hardly any physical activity since I got pregnant with Jules and it's like I can feel my body screaming at me to do something and since everyone I know seems to run and I know how good it is for my body I'd really like to start. It would be nice to be able to run a 5k by the end of summer. 


4. I want to cook more. We have a tiny kitchen with no, and yes I mean NO counter space, but I've got to learn to be more inventive. I don't want Klaeyton eating frozen food every night just because Matt isn't here to eat dinner with us, unless it's frozen food that I froze. Yes, I want to start freezer cooking :)


5. I am going to make it through school. This one doesn't really have any wiggle room either. Classes start January 12 and I am determined to do well. 


6. I want to spend more "couple" time with Matt. I know how hard it's going to be now with two kids, one of them almost permanently attached at the breast, but it's possible and it definitely needs to be a priority. And this prospect makes me even more excited to book our cruise in the summa time :)


7. I want to work on the house/yard throughout this year. I have yet to firm up this plan, but I was thinking if I focused on one room each month or even two months (for big rooms, like the upstairs) then I'd be able to get things more organized and what not. In the summer time I can work on smaller rooms and work on the yard. I'd like to possibly paint, actually color coordinate and go through things. 


8. I want to read more. I don't know where I can possibly fit this in and it's not like we have cable and I'm rotting away in front of the tv, but I watch a lot of stuff online and well, I just don't read as much as I would like. I also want more variety in what I read. I know I don't read enough nonfiction. Maybe I'll make a list of books I want to read....


9. I want to read more with Klaeyton. We read often but not every day, and now he repeats things so well. He can "read" almost the entire Brown Bear Brown Bear book. I'll have to get it on video one of these days. I just really want him to have a love for books like I do. 


10. As much as I don't want to do this, I have to force myself to see a dentist. You see, the one thing I am absolutely terrified of is the dentist. I would rather give birth a million times, have major surgery or drop a hammer on my toes than go to the dentist. But it's been so long and I swear my teeth are going to fall out. This is the year I conquer my fear. I guess there isn't any wiggle room here either : /


There you have it. My New Year's Resolutions. Of course I'm sure there are more things I want to accomplish, but these are my top ten, and now that I've written them down (or typed, yeah whatever) and shared them with all of you, I have to be accountable for them. Maybe I should print this entry and stick it on the fridge...


Happy New Year!

Some Of My Favorite Moments of 2010

Some of my favorite moments in 2010 :) (warning: some of these pictures you may have already seen, too bad. Deal with it :)

February 2010
Caption-
Klaeyton "Whatcha doin later tonight Lana?"
Lana "Ewww"
What was going on: We had Lana and Parker over one evening for a playdate...for some reason I can't remember :)

May 2010
Caption-
I guess we really do look a little bit alike :)
What was going on: This was the night of Katie's 8th grade formal and when I realized my little sister was about to be a high schooler. Not to mention my pang of envy with that gorgeous hair of hers ;)

July 2010
Caption-
Check out that good lookin family :)
What was going on: We made our first trip to Michigan and I was able to meet and visit with some of Matt's family that I hadn't met yet. We had a blast. And for the record I'm pregnant not fat ;)

June 2010 

Caption-

Matt really, can we ever have a decent picture?

What was going on: Matt and I were at my cousin's wedding reception where we only knew a handful of people and well let's just say it was an interesting time. 

July 2010
Caption-
"You're going down!"
What was going on: We had three softball teams for church this past summer and this was after the Harden/Krase showdown. And to be honest I can't even remember who won :)

July 2010
Caption-
Klaeyton "Mom quit! I'm trying to enjoy this tram ride!"
What was going on: We went to the zoo a couple times and Klaeyton's most favorite part was riding the tram. Go figure :)

July 2010
Caption- Ha. See Picture. 
What was going on: Well...this was when we officially found out that we were having a girl, after a while of thinking Baby Harden #2 was a boy. It was a great day. 

August 2010
Caption-
Daddy "Are you ready Kaytoo?"
What was going on: We went to the Lorain County Fair with the Collins family and Klaeyton got to enjoy his first roller coaster ride. His face was priceless. You could tell he was scared, but he loved every second of it. And I must say I feel awfully blessed that he was able to do it with his Daddy :)

September 2010
Caption-
Klaeyton "Higher Pini higher!"
What was going on: One evening Katie and I took K to the park. I snapped this picture and have loved it ever since. And Klaeyton...well...he loves his Pini that's for sure. 

October 2010
Caption-
Ha. Check out that face. 
What was going on: My little baby boy turned 2. And we ventured to have his birthday party at Chuck E Cheese and it actually went really well. And he still plays with that crown :)

October 2010
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Klaeyton "Hay-ride FUN!"
What was going on: We took Klaeyton to Red Wagon Farm for the first time this year and I swear he still talks about hayrides. He loves them. 

Halloween 2010
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Quail Man and a Matt clone
What was going on: They dressed up for church (don't worry Matt took off the underwear before getting on stage :) and crazy enough everybody knew who Heather was supposed to be :)

December 2010
Caption-
Klaeyton "I really want to throw this at you and yell DODGEBALL!"
What was going on: This year Klaeyton was really involved in helping us put up the Christmas decorations. He actually did a decent job spreading out the ornaments on the tree. 

December 2010 (The picture isn't too great, but the memory is :)
Caption-
Me "Holy cow I'm at a high school basketball game and I feel extremely old"
What was going on: Katie is on the high school dance team and here she is about to make her debut :) I wanted to cry. 

December 2010
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Julyiet "AHHHHHHHHH! Put me back in!"
What was going on: Well if you can't tell from the picture...nevermind. Anywho, this is Julyiet making her arrival known to the world :) 

December 2010
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Klaeyton "Ok. I stole all this dough from everyone else, now what do I do with it?"
What was going on: We moved the cookie making tradition to our house this year and I must say it was awesome. 

December 2010
Caption-
Yes it's a naked picture of my baby :)
What was going on: This is one of the holiday cards Sarah Yoder made for me. I don't care what anyone says, she may be naked but I love this picture. 

December 2010
Caption-
Everybody together now, "Awwwwweeeee!"
What was going on: This is another picture Sarah took for me. It's the first professional picture of my two beautiful children and I absolutely love it.  To view the whole album click here :) She took some amazing pictures. 

Lastly,
Christmas 2010
Caption-
Klaeyton "Cheese!"
Julyiet "Shhh I'm sleeping!"
What was going on: I can't believe K actually smiled and was so cooperative with Santa. This is def a keeper :)

Of course there are so many more great moments from 2010, but it would take me forever to share them all. But I hope that you at least got a glimpse of how great this year was for us. I know how blessed I am to have a wonderful husband and two beautiful, healthy children. Here's to another great year at the Harden house :)

Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom :)

A Ten List for Thursday :)

1. I won't lie. I'm not ashamed to admit it. Having two kids is a whole lot harder than just having one. Even if Julyiet is just a newborn, having two of them makes having just Klaeyton look like cake. I can't even remember what I did with my time before I had any kids. 


2. With that being said, I'm re-learning how to prioritize my tasks throughout the day. And I'm getting used to having to force myself to slow down and enjoy the little moments. 


3. I make sure to take time to snuggle with both Klaeyton and Julyiet and to remember that they won't be this age forever. 


4. I've learned that if I have time to do the dishes and laundry that's fantastic, but if I don't the world isn't going to end. And that if my body is tired and telling me to slow down, I had better listen. What good am I to my kids if I'm utterly exhausted from doing household chores?


5. Grr. This is the second day in a row that Klaeyton wouldn't nap. Um. Yeah. Totally not ready for no nap yet. 


6. Today Matt and I have been married two years. I love that man. How did I get so blessed to be given someone so wonderful?


7. The whole nursing thing is going better than a week ago. It's definitely harder the second time around, especially since K knows I can't chase him out the cupboards or anything else he decides to get into. Plus I think I just have more going on this time, where with K I had all the time in the world to sit around and nurse him. I find myself trying to multitask while I nurse her. I have to force myself to just relax and enjoy it. 


8. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and somehow I managed to get everything done in about 2 days. I wanted to wait until we got J's pictures done before getting things together. I didn't get to do everything I wanted, but pretty close. I'll be posting a Merry Christmas from the Hardens either tomorrow or Saturday :) The holiday cards we go made are awesome. 


9. I think I am definitely sick and tired of watching The Grinch and Frosty :)


10. I know I'm forgetting something I wanted to write about, but I also know it's because Klaeyton decided to not nap and come out of his room bouncing off the walls.  :) Maybe I'll remember later. 

My Eight List For Wednesday!

1. I feel so blessed with my two beautiful children and my wonderful husband. I could shout it from the rooftops. 


2. As blessed as I feel, I have no motivation to get off my couch right now :)


3. Klaeyton is still sleeping and it's almost 7. I should probably wake him, but I'm afraid that if I do, he'll just be a cranky mess. Maybe he'll just stay asleep. That would be ideal. 


4. Last night Klaeyton insisted on sleeping in the bed with us at about 2 am. And I was too tired to fight him. Well, the baby kept waking him up and I think he was getting mad. He would throw his body around the bed and "humph" really loudly. At one point, I turned the lamp on and he literally got out of bed and walked over and turned it off. I said, "Klaeyton, mommy needs that light to change the baby" and he just looked at me and said, "No!" and got back into bed. I couldn't help but laugh. Maybe he'll learn and start staying in his own bed. :)


5. I will hopefully be going back in to see the lactation consultants tomorrow to get a weight check and hopefully some help getting Julyiet latched better. Unfortunately, lanolin has become my best friend. 


6. I'm already starting to get cabin fever from being in the house so much. It's going to be an adventure but I will have to be creative in finding things to keep us from going crazy this winter :)


7. I haven't been very hungry lately. I've only been eating like once a day. It's weird, I thought after having Baby J and nursing, I'd want to eat all the time. Hopefully, it's just an adjustment thing and will soon pass. 


8. I got accepted into my grad school program! I start January 12. I got my letter the day I went into labor, a little weird yes I know, so in all the hustle and bustle of the baby, it got kind of forgotten. But I'm quite stoked. I get to make a campus visit in January also and I'm pretty excited about that. 

The Birth Story of Julyiet Luella :)

She made her debut on Wednesday, December 8 at 12:45 p.m. Here is the story of the birth of our Julyiet Luella :)


Let's see, well I guess it started on Monday the 6th when I went to see the midwives and begged Darla to strip my membranes. She explained to me that it wasn't a guarantee and that it would hurt but I insisted. She also told me if it was going to work it would take 24-48 hours. I wanted that baby out ;) so I was ok with that. That was in the afternoon. 


Well Tuesday I had some cramping in the morning, which I knew was normal and nothing special. I went to my staff meeting and didn't have any luck having any contractions. Well on the way home I had one, and it was different. I could tell. It just felt different. And I knew. Well I went home and Matt and I started timing them, and yay they were actually consistent! We started making arrangements for Klaeyton and I called the midwives. We went to the hospital at about 4:30. Unfortunately, triage became my semi-permanent home. The nurses told me I was progressing too slow and were tempted to send me home. Darla decided to come in and check things out at about 9 p.m. She said I was making progress it was just so slow. It was nice though how she explained all the options and really told me what was going on. Finally, after more walking and waiting I was a little over 5 cm dilated and J had moved down some so Darla decided to admit me. 

This is def not the most flattering picture of me, especially with those black socks on :)

When I was admitted, Darla decided that we would attempt to break my water to hopefully speed things up. Darla tried but no success. And well...J decided to move back up so we stopped trying in fear that the cord would come down first and cause complications. So we waited some more and with no luck decided to pump in some pitocin. At that point it was about 3:30 am. I couldn't really move out of the bed once they started the pitocin because I had to be hooked up to the monitor and I was actually surprised that the contractions weren't unbearable yet. Unfortunately by about 6 am there wasn't much change in dilation but the contractions were getting painful so I opted for the epidural. I got it around 7 am and have to admit I don't remember it being that painful being put in (when I got it with Klaeyton, I was already in so much pain). Darla told me that the epidural could either speed things up or slow things down so we were hoping it wouldn't delay me even further. 

Darla went off call around 8 and Katie came in. Oh how I love Katie. At this point I couldn't feel anything. I couldn't even lift my legs. When I had Klaeyton I could still feel the pressure of my contractions and could even move my legs. Not this time. It was kinda nice :) I was getting a pretty hefty amount of pitocin and it was causing my contractions to go a little haywire. So Katie decided to lower the dosage and then amp it back up to see if that would help get them back to being consistent. Fortunately, it did. And by 11 a.m. J had moved back down to where it was safe to break my water. Katie broke my water at 11:30 when I was still only 6 cm. At around 12:20 I thought I felt the urge to push so I asked the nurse to check me. Sure enough I was 10 cm and ready to go. So we prepared for birth :) My mom, Matt and Katie all stayed and I think I pushed for maybe ten minutes and there she was. I was told she super maned out arm first.

Julyiet weighed 7 lbs 3 oz and was 19 inches long. She is absolutely perfect. God has blessed us with another beautiful child and we couldn't be happier.

Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. <3

A Short Monday Morning List

1. Still no Julyiet. She sure is taking her sweet time. 


2. I'm sitting on the couch watching Klaeyton play and all of a sudden, I'm ok with waiting a little longer. 


3. After all I can't be pregnant forever. 


4. And Klaeyton won't be two like this forever. He won't be the only child forever. 


5. I should relish that more these last few days (or maybe a week) :)


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

My Ten List for Saturday!

1. I'm bored. As a mom you don't really get the opportunity to say that much. We always have something we could be doing, but I don't feel like doing any of those things. I made sure to get all my work done early this week just in case I was birthing a baby right now. No such luck. I even got my house cleaned. So for now I'm just hanging out with Klaeyton watching movies. 


2. We could go somewhere, it's nice having two vehicles again, but where would I take my two year old on a Saturday night? Besides, tomorrow is an early day. No late night partying for us. 


3. We got our Christmas decorations and tree up yesterday. I'd normally probably wait a week or so but I wanted everything up before Julyiet got here. It was a lot of fun. Klaeyton helped a lot and had fun putting ornaments on the tree. We still have to put his and Julyiet's "special" ornaments on, but I figure we'll wait till she comes home from the hospital.


4. I took Klaeyton to the Midview basketball game last night so we could see Katie dance. It was awesome. It brought back a lot of memories for me and just made me smile to see her out there. She's so good. And it made me feel so old. She's a freshman! And I'm about to be 25 here in a week. Wow. 


5. Is it sad that I was tempted to mop my floors again tonight just because it's so easy to do? I just mopped them on Wednesday. 


6. I can't wait to wear regular clothes again. I told Matt not to buy me any Christmas presents because what I really want is to buy some new clothes after the baby gets here. 


7. Klaeyton just knocked me in the side of the head with his Nemo ball that Matt so graciously taught him to play dodgeball with. Nice. 


8. I keep hearing this squeaking and I'm really hoping we don't have another mouse. 


9. I still have Christmas shopping to do, and I still haven't really decided on what I'm doing about cards. I'd really like to have pictures of us and the baby but it all depends on when she decided to grace us with her presence. 


10. I'm finding it very hard to be patient :)

Sally Hansen Top Coat

So I normally wouldn't post a blog about nail polish, but in this case I just felt the need to share with the world :) 


I love Avon's nail polish. The colors are always gorgeous and the price (when you catch a sale) is extremely reasonable. I normally only wear polish on my toes in summer time because I've found it's too much maintenance on my fingers (I mean really, I do dishes, have a toddler, clean). I have yet to find a nail polish that doesn't chip on my fingers in like a day. 


Well for the sake of wanting to feel some what pretty, I painted my finger nails the other day with a new kind of polish from Avon. The color is beautiful but the finish is matte and I wasn't extremely crazy about it, but figured to wear it anyhow. Well, maybe it's because of the finish (or just my lack of motivation to use a top coat) but it chipped like crazy. I had to literally carry the bottle around in my purse for touch ups. That's just a little much for me. I barely have time to keep lip gloss on. 


So I decided to break down and buy a top coat since I didn't have one in my big polish bucket. Well I went to Target and scoured for the best deal on a brand I trusted. Sally Hansen. I found this top coat for $3.99.

So I bought it and tried it out. It seemed to keep well yesterday, but the true test came this morning when I had to break down and do my sink full of dishes. Now I have to say I can't remember the last time my polished finger nails made it through a sink of dishes without chipping. Until now :) This top coat is the bomb. 

Since it's winter time in Ohio, I know the luck of someone seeing my pretty polished toes is pretty much out of the question. Instead I think I might just be able to manage an awesome manicure all winter without breaking the bank :)

Oh the joys of being a woman. 

Prayers For Patience

I "woke" up this morning in a cranky mood. I use "woke" because I hardly slept at all. I was up every hour and a half to pee, which was really me dragging myself out of bed, walking downstairs and hearing trickle trickle when I felt like I had to pee a waterfall. How depressing. On top of that, when I did sleep, I had terrible dreams. Klaeyton was out of his bed twice and the second time at 5 am this morning I just left him next to me in the bed. Yeah, instead of snuggling me like usual, he kept head butting me and thrashing around. I think he was having bad dreams too. So I didn't sleep much more. 


I kept wondering half asleep if contractions were going to start. I want this baby out. I'm trying so hard to be patient and it's so difficult. And I feel like we've tried every at-home labor inducing method possible. I hate these hormones and I despise the fact that I can barely hold Klaeyton because it hurts too bad. Sometimes I can barely walk because my groin muscles keep pulling so much. I'm physically miserable and it's taking a toll on my emotional health. 


I stopped praying for the baby to get here already, because I really do know that she'll get here when she's ready, and when God wants her to arrive. So instead, I'm praying for patience. Say a prayer or two for me. I need them today. 


Oh the joys of being pregnant and about to pop.

My Shark Steam Mop

I wanted to post this yesterday but by the time I was done cleaning my house from top to bottom, I was too whooped to do pretty much anything. So I made it a goal to post today. Woo Hoo Go Me!


I mentioned before how I ventured out on Black Friday to get Klaeyton an $88 power wheels at Walmart. Well when Matt and I were deciding on exactly what I was going to be buying that night by going through the ads, I mentioned that Walmart was also going to be having the Shark steam mop on sale for $36. It's normally priced around $60-80 depending on where you get it. Well, this is one of the only Christmas presents I wanted and Matt told me I better come home with it or he will just be paying full price for it. So...after I nearly got trampled over a power wheels, I maneuvered my way through Walmart and nicely asked a lady standing next to the only four that were left if she would hand me one. She saw how massively pregnant I am and smiled as she handed me one. I was pretty stoked. Not only was Klaeyton making out good with me almost dying at Walmart, but I was too :)


Anywho, I've used this steam mop twice now and I absolutely love it. Here's why:
* I used to use swiffers. They are expensive. I'd have to use 4 pads to do my downstairs and there's 12 in a pack. Each pack is about $5. So each time I mopped my floors it cost me a little under $1.75. Um yeah that's crazy. With the steam mop, the initial investment is high, but the pads are washable and it uses tap water. No extra cost. 
* With the swiffers, it made my back ache to mop my floors. I felt like I was just scrubbing and scrubbing. With the steam mop...I think I could mop all day and never hurt my back. 
* The steam mop only uses tap water so there aren't any chemicals on the floor, which makes me feel better about Klaeyton eating food off the floor. Don't make that face. All two year olds do it, even when you try to stop them :)
* I just think my floors are so much cleaner. They feel really clean and actually sanitized. And well you can't beat that. 


Here's a picture of the one I got, and yes I am obsessed. :)

If you're interested in buying one, I'd go to either Walmart or Target :)

Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

A Long Overdue List :)

I know I've discussed this before, about how once I don't blog for awhile, it just seems so hard to post that next post. I think it's because I feel like I should catch back up or something. Which I know isn't the case, but well you know how ocd I can be. 


Anywho. So I decided that this "getting back into my routine" post will be a list, but hopefully a good list :)

1. I am 38 weeks and 1 day today and am hoping that at my midwife appointment tomorrow they're going to tell me I'm almost there. I remember with Klaeyton I was ok with waiting. Because I was relishing my time with Matt. After all, I wanted to spend as much time with just him as I could. I knew that married life would change drastically once a baby arrived. This time around? Umm...yeah being pregnant just isn't working for me. It's inconvenient. I want her to be here so I can establish my new routine. But I am trying to snuggle with Klaeyton more and more, even though he sometimes wants nothing to do with me :)


2. Which brings me to my next list item. This age with Klaeyton is a blast. Yes it is extremely exhausting and very trying on both my nerves and my body right now but it's just so much fun. His speech is really developing and he tries to repeat everything he hears, so naturally we've been a little more careful about what we say and what we watch. 


3. Klaeyton wants to be just like Daddy all the time. Sometimes it's helpful because we can manipulate that to get him to do things he doesn't really want to like putting his socks or his jacket on. Other times, it's just cute to see him mimic Matt...

"Daddy's Juice" and Gatorade :)

4. We had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We decided to cook for the first time. Matt was in charge of the turkey breast (we didn't buy a whole turkey because we don't like dark meat) and the stuffing. I did the mashed potatoes and homemade cranberry sauce. We also had green beans and crescent rolls, which I burned the bottoms of : / but overall everything turned out great. I'm excited to do it every year now.

5. One of the many reasons I love my husband:

He doesn't care what he looks like in public. Especially that he's ok with wearing three different types of plaid. 

6. I actually made a plan and went out on Black Friday this year. Ummm....I could probably write a book about it, but I'll just paraphrase here. We decided to go to Walmart because I wanted to get Klaeyton a power wheels jeep and they had them for only $88. I should have known it was a too good to be true kind of deal. Oh don't get me wrong, I definitely got one, but I almost got trampled in the process, not to mention I think the whole experience traumatized my poor sister. Let's just say it made me sad for humanity. I couldn't believe how savage and ridiculous people acted over toys! There are people starving all around the world, who fight to just live every day and here in America, we trample pregnant women and knock teenage girls in the heads with boxes just for toys. Definitely pathetic. I think I'll re-strategize for next year. 

7. I really need to get to bed. The last couple days all I've wanted to do is sleep and tomorrow I have a pretty busy day so I'm going to sleep while I can. Especially since I haven't been sleeping well at night anyhow. So goodnight all, and I promise...I'm really going to try to get back into posting. 

Oh the joys of being a busy mom :)

My Smarty Pants

I think two-year olds are so fascinating. It seems like just in a matter of weeks Klaeyton's vocabulary and cognitive abilities have expanded like whoah. Every day he amazes me with new words and new skills. He repeats almost everything we say which can sometimes bite me in the butt. Like the other day we went to Target and Matt and I were teasing each other and I told him to shut up. The next thing I know I hear "Shut Up!" as Klaeyton laughs. Yep. Lesson learned. : ) 


Klaeyton loves soup. I think he would eat it for three meals a day if I would let him. We've found we can get him to eat other things (like chili and ravioli's) if we just tack soup on the end of it. So last night we had "chili soup" for dinner. Hey whatever works right? Well like I said Klaeyton would eat soup all the time if we let him. Yesterday morning he wanted soup for breakfast and we kept telling him no only to look up and see this:

I've never seen him do this and neither had Matt. It's a joy to see, but at the same time makes you sad as a parent, because I know one day Klaeyton won't be asking to make him soup. He'll just make it himself. 


Oh the joy of being an ordinary mom. 

My Eleven List for Monday :)

1. It's almost ten o'clock. I should go to bed, but I'm still waiting on my bedding to get dry : / boo. 


2. I reworked my week this week and took today semi off. By that I just mean I didn't go anywhere, I am amazed at the amount of things I got done around the house and for work. 


3. Klaeyton once again refused to take a nap, and he totally fell asleep at six o' clock and is still sleeping. 


4. I wonder if he'll be waking me up at 5 am. 


5. Baby J is due in six weeks. I can't say too many times how it can't come quick enough. 


6. I feel like my belly became a shelf overnight. 


7. I've been sitting most of the day and my back still hurts. 


8. I think I've peed at least 20 times today. This has got to end soon. 


9. Klaeyton absolutely loves soup. I think I should do some recipe searching for good crock pot soup. 


10. It's November already. Wow. Where did this year go to?


11. I'm watching Monday Night Football on my computer but all the commercials are foreign and in a language I have no idea how to understand. It's kind of weird. 

The Baby Moon

I needed a night off, and since Matt is so awesome at his job he won us a free night's stay at the Holiday Inn in Westlake. We've been holding on to it for awhile and finally planned a night out this past Monday. As most of you know, I'm a planner and like to have things thought out before hand. So we enlisted Grammy to come stay with Klaeyton and I started sorting through coupons to find a place where we could have dinner rather inexpensively. I had some awesome Dave and Buster's coupons and since Matt and I never get to go there without Klaeyton, I figured it would be a great date. We could have dinner and then play games :) So not only did I clip my coupons, I used our bank reward points to get a $25 D&B gift card to go towards the date. So this is the breakdown of our awesome Baby Moon :)


Hotel Stay plus Breakfast Buffet:
Actual Value: $132+$18+$5 tip= $155
What we paid: $5 tip+$20 at Giant Eagle for Monday Night Football snacks= $25


Dave and Busters:
Game Play Actual Value: $40
What we paid: $0 (we used a buy $20 game play get $20 free coupon and our $25 gift card)
Food Actual Value: Roughly $45 including tip
What we paid: $25 (We had a buy one get one free entree and $5 left on our gift card)


Total Value for the Baby Moon: $260 (this includes our MNF snacks)
Total amount paid out of pocket: $50


I have to say I was quite impressed with myself :) Not only did we save money, but we had a really good time...as you can tell...

Oh the joys of being a frugal wife :)

Smile! You're On Camera!

I wanted to share some moments that have occurred lately that have been amusing, hilarious, precious and heart warming :)

Here's Klaeyton drinking white milk...yes WHITE milk from a big boy cup :) He does really well with the drinking part, it's the carrying the cup around without spilling it that he doesn't quite get yet. But that's ok we just stick to big boy cups in the chair at the table.

I know you all have seen Klaeyton's car hat before but this picture is just classic. I don't really even know if he was asleep. 

These two pictures are just funny to me. Every time we go to the Collins' house the kiddos manage to engage in this activity of pushing each other around in this baby doll stroller. Priceless.

Sometimes I feel like I already have two kids. Watching these two play together makes me smile :)

What a neat picture :) yes I just said the word "neat"

I give you permission to laugh hysterically at the next one ;)

Matt told me I looked like Tim Allen from the Santa Claus in my grey "sweat suit". Sadly, I found that he was right.

Lately Klaeyton sneaks off into his room where he can literally undress himself in under 30 seconds. This picture was taken on a night when he refused to keep a diaper on. So I compromised and told him if he insisted on not wearing a diaper, that he had to wear big boy underwear. He loved them because they had Nemo on them, and he kept them dry all evening long :)

Warning: the next picture is bound to make you laugh hysterically :)

Katie and I were sitting at the table eating dinner and I look over and this is what I see. Poor guy. I laughed a lot because people tell me all the time how their kids fell asleep in the high chair and Klaeyton never did...until this picture. Even now when I look at it, it makes me smile :)

Oh the joys of being an ordinary mom :)