Update

Sick and Tired!!!

I am sick and tired of being sick. I am sick once again. I think that I have been sick 4-5 times since Gabe was born. Just a few day's ago I could tell something was off and I was getting that sick feeling. A gal from my work came in on Thursday and said she could barley talk her throat hurt so bad. My throat had been hurting for a day or two, but when I got home Thursday my throat was getting worse and by the time Bryan got home from class I couldn't talk. My mom and sisters are sick too. Gabe sounds a little sicky but doesn't seem to be that bad? Mom went to see the doctor because she seems to have it REALLY bad and they don't want her around anyone for a while. I worked from home on Friday and now I might have to Monday too. Works pretty flexible but it stresses me out. I wish I had a back up sitter.

Luckily Bryan has managed to stay away from being sick. Which is a good thing with everything he has on his plate. Speaking of that, Bryan sent me an email the other day all excited that he got into the last three classes his needs to graduate. If we calculated right his graduation will be on June 13th. Just a little over 4 months away. I am SO excited I can hardly stand it. I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Two beach weekends in a row

I took the Friday and Monday off of work Feb 8th and 11th. We had our annual women’s retreat at Cannon beach and I went with Teresa. This was the first time I have left Gabe overnight and I wasn’t nervous about leaving him home with Bryan since he watches him Wed’s and Thurs’s every week, just nervous about bed time since I am the one who puts him down every night and just being away over night.

Bryan went to class that morning to take his mid-term and I finished getting things packed up and hung out with Gabe. He was so fun and wanting to sit in my lap and play. We read a few books, watched his baby Mozart movie, and played with his stacking cups. He's now stocking them on his own. I love watching him do it. We all clap afterwards and then he claps. Gabe likes to do things his way. He doesn't clap"normal" (two palms) he pats the top of his hand.

Rabbit trail…bath time has been a struggle lately. I WAS bathing him in the kitchen sink just because it was easier on my back, but the splashing was getting OOC. The kitchen, Calie and I were soaked after bath time. I started putting him in the tub and oh my gosh this kid is ALL over the place. He’s crawling from one side to the other, trying to stand, falling on his bum then splashing then crawling again and when I tell him to sit down he just looks at me with this HUGE smile on his face. Grandma bought him this tub within a tub kind of thing and so now he’s not trying to crawl everywhere, but he is still standing up and trying to climb out of it. So bath time is NOT fun for mommy. It’s a struggle and I’m constantly sitting him back down and saying “No, Gabe you have to sit down” in which he again looks at me with a huge smile and stands up again. AHHHHHH Any suggestions from you moms out there are TOTALLY welcome!!!!!

Anyway, Bryan got home just in time to take me to Teresa’s by 11:30. We wanted to leave by 12. We had an easy drive there. Chatted the whole way…traffic was light and the roads were clear. We got there kind of early…check in time was at 3:30. We roomed with Betty, her friend Melanie and Katie. We went to dinner at Bill’s like we always do before the first session. Jody was our speaker. She and her husband teach our class at church. I think this year was probably one of the best for me. I totally missed Gabe the whole time…thankfully Moo and Lora had their little ones with them so I could get some baby love. Teresa and I didn’t go on the beach this time. We both hadn’t really brought “beach shoes” and the weather was just icky most of the time. We did walk around and look in some of the shops with Moo and Ronna (her MIL). I slept great the first night. Took two Tylenol PM’s which totally knocked me out, took a short nap Saturday and then slept OK Saturday night. I had an amazing time and am glad I went.
T drove me home and boy was I excited to see my little Gabey! Bryan took in my stuff and I said goodbye to T.
Bryan was cleaning up the house when I got home and Gabe was napping. :o( That was ok though apparently the nap was much needed. Bryan and I sat on the couch and talked about our weekends. Gabe and daddy had a fun weekend too. Bryan had a ton of homework so they stayed home and he worked on that Friday night as Gabe permitted. Saturday Bryan had a haircut with Marcella. It’s so cute because Bryan takes Gabe with him to almost all of his haircuts since they are on the day’s he watches him. Gabe sits quietly on his lap and watches Marcella cut Bryan’s hair AND all the women in the place crowd around him and give him a ton of attention. Hehe I told Bryan that next time they keep saying “he’s SO cute!” Bryan should say “Well, thanks but I’m married.” Hehe

They went home after that and got ready for their guests. Dan was bringing “the boy’s” over (Kaleb and Garren) and Randy T came over too. The boy’s spent the night and helped Bryan out with Gabe. Bryan said that both the boy’s did really well with him. They both fed him, but I don’t think they changed a diaper. They had a ton of fun and I think they wore Gabe out. I can’t believe that “my boy’s” who I watched since they were born are watching my kid now. I feel SO old! I have a picture of Kaleb and I in our basement…I’m guessing he’s about 3 in the picture and now he’s taller than me. SO weird! Time sure does fly. It is pretty neat to see them with Gabe. After Dan and Randy left Bryan asked Kaleb and Garren what time they should get up in the morning and they said 6:30am. Bryan and I both have a hard time getting up on Sunday's so I thought that was pretty funny. Bryan got them a Starbucks on the way to church and checked Gabe into the nursery. I didn't have anything to worry about Bryan did great and had great help too! ;o)
When Gabe woke up from his nap I walked in to get him out of his bed and he gave me the biggest smile ever while bouncing up and down. I love how he stands up in his crib now waiting with anticipation for you to walk into the room.

Last weekend we went to the beach with my family for my 30th birthday. Everyone got to go and we found a nice house at the last minute. Mom, Gabe, Julie, Jaden and Nathan left early on Friday and then Bryan, Janell, my dad and I left after work. I was dying to see Gabe by the time we got there. He was still up and so I got to spend a little time with him and put him down to bed too. The layout of the house was nice but things were weird. The gas oven didn't work but the stove worked, the house was slightly slanted, the faucet under the kitchen sink broke and water went everywhere, you had to leave the doors open in order for the rooms to stay warm and that wasn't possible because the house was small enough that we had to close the doors so that the boy's wouldn't wake up. It was so much fun despite that and it wouldn't have been a traditional family vacation without some kind of adventure. Nathan did all the cooking. He is a good cook and a great barbecuer. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We walked to the beach on Saturday and later in the evening the guy's left because Nathan had to work and both Bryan and dad had to be at church. So we had a girls + two baby's night.

Thank you family for making wonderful memory for my birthday

Happy "love" Day!

I got some purty flowers from my Hubby today!

We have a crawler in the house

Gabe's been crawling for a while now. It's funny to watch him because at first he crawled pretty slow and now he fly's around the house.

Bryan sent me this video of a first for Gabe...

Sorry it's a little dark
Bryan get's really close to him because he's afraid of him falling backwards. Sheesh that makes me nervous.

More Birthday's

Happy Birthday Mama!

Last Monday (January 28th) was my mom's birthday and I thought I would honor my mom on this special day in my blog.

Look at this beautiful woman. Is it just me or does she just glow in this picture? My mom LOVES being a grandma. Jaden and Gabe are her pride and joy. I love watching her with them. She is such a wonderful grandma. When I was 2 years old my grandma (my mom's mom) was diagnosed with stomach cancer and she passed when I was three. This was very devastating for my mom. They were best friends and all she ever dreamed about was having her mom be there with her as she became a mom herself. I don't remember my grandma, but I do know that a piece of her specialness is in my mom and I am SO blessed to have her here with me as I now am a mom. She was raised in Oregon. I share Kay as a middle name with her and my two sisters. She loves cars, singing , dancing and I got my sexy legs from her.

I only hope I can have a fraction of her contagious energy, youth, and spirit when I turn 56.

Happy Late Birthday Mama--

So January 30th celebrates an extremely important day to me... the birth of this sweet man, husband and father.

Yes, It was Bryan's 32nd Birthday!!! THIRTY TWO! Crazy huh? That's almost 40! HA Remember when 30 sounded so old? How quickly our perspective seems to change. Now my young, cute husband who still wears beanies, snowboards, plays video games and prefers a Hershey bar and a container of peanut butter to any fancy recipe I could try... is 32. Do we ever really grow up?

This is a man that I knew when I married him would do whatever he could to make a stranger's life easier, let alone his WIFE. He is a giver. He is always willing to drive everywhere even if he is falling asleep and beyond tired, because I HATE to drive. He doesn't even try to convince me to drive anymore. He always shuts down the house at night as I lay in bed waiting for him and when he's almost in bed I'll say "OOOH I forgot this or that and he'll wander the house trying to find whatever it is...because I never know where I put it.

He always tells me I'm beautiful even though most days he sees me in cozies with wild, crazy frizzy, hair. He tells me I'm a good mom. He treats Gabe just like the smartest, coolest, most important little man he is... so that he will become it.

He rubs my back as often as I ask, and when he does, he doesn't pretend to rub it like I've seen so many other husbands do, he goes all out! :) He carries everything at church for me and most places that we go. He uses funny phrases I've never heard of and teaches me what they mean (although I know most of them now). He always does the garbage, the poop in the yard, and all the other man jobs that I love to be exempt from. He praises me for the jobs that I do.

He plays with Gabe just like I'd always imagined a super dad would with our little ones; he's so full of joy and energy and makes him laugh and laugh. He sings to him and I could listen for hours. He makes most of the bottles for Gabe.

He is such a righteous priesthood holder and makes me feel like Gabe and I will always be safe with him. He is an optimist and finds the good in everyone. He is truly one of those people that doesn't speak ill of anyone. (Sometimes it can even be frustrating when I need a gossiping avenue... (confession? ...seriously I can't help but do it) ... he focuses on the good in me and reminds me to do the same :).

He is a constant example, a reminder of how blessed I am, proof of the existence of a man who's GOOD to his core, something that the world doesn't even believe exists anymore. He is my best friend and my sweet heart and I am SOOO grateful that he was born 32 years ago.

Happy Birthday Bryan! I love you.