Randomness

Christmas break is over, the kids are back in school, it is a New Year and things are as chaotic as usual! My to-do list is growing like crazy.

I am seriously trying to get all of my pics downloaded from the holidays and blog by next weekend. I would do it over the weekend, but we have a busy and fun one planned! I am beyond devastated though, because we have had a Nikon Coolpix that we used for random occasions when taking my big camera wasn't feasible. Well there were 500 pics on that camera....all the way back to our Santa Fe ski trip last Feb and I am 99% sure that the camera accidentally got thrown away in the Christmas trash :/ I seriously get nauseated thinking about it. That is the camera that has all of our New York City pics on it too. Major. Pouting. Brandon is still hopeful that we will find it some where...I am not as optimistic because I have searched and searched. Oh well. Hmph.

I am having to go on the anti-candida diet again that I went on 2 years ago....grrrr.....it is harder this time. But I need to, I can feel big differences in my body and health. Just have to be super disciplined....better get with the program.

One REALLY exciting tidbit is that we found our DREAM home and have plans to build it. Problem is we don't know where to build it. That is a big problem HA! We have always wanted land (at least 5 acres)......but we really LOVE our neighborhood and location. Trying to find land in our area is next to impossible. But not entirely impossible, we just have to be really patient. {I am not good at being patient haha...character flaw} We aren't in a hurry though, it is just really exciting because we love the floor plan. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love our house right now, it is perfect for us.....but the house we found on a few acres is our dream. Squeal. I couldn't fall asleep last night because my mind was spinning thinking about the dream home, decorating, and what our Christmas tree will look like in the living room. HA! Our eyes are on a few pieces of property, so we shall see. Time will tell...until then I will be patient. ;)

Half of my first year in Junior League is over and it has been fun! I still have a lot of requirements to finish through May, but I am looking forward to quite a few things. I will blog soon about some of the experiences. The few that I have had so far really open my eyes to the things that I will have the chance to do with the Junior League and I cannot wait!

Well I could go on, but I must sleep. The alarm for school will be here much too soon and I still have stuff to do.

Random Rambings.....

• We have had one heck of a busy summer and have thoroughly enjoyed it! We had had a couple of camping trips, a vacation, birthday parties, dates, family fun, play dates galore, plus a little time to just hang out in our pj's all day and sleep late.I am not ready for summer to end, but am excited about all of the things that come with school starting. I am excited about being room mom again for both boys, having more of a structured routine, fun things coming up with friends and family, getting to see our neighborhood friends more often...and BASEBALL. I am NOT looking forward to having to get up early every day....Ugh. I am NOT a morning person. That is my second favorite thing about summer: 1. having all my boys home 2. not having to wake up early.

• My BFF and her family are coming in town at the end of August to visit and we couldn't be more excited! We have lots of fun things planned and I will hopefully have many pics. To my boys surprise this will include a day at Schlitterbahn!!! They have been asking all summer and we have been pushing it off trying to keep the secret from them.

• I am officially a member of The Junior League of Austin! {Well a provisional anyway, which is your first year} I am soooo excited! I absolutely LOVE working with charities and the JLA is going to open so many doors and possibilities for me. I will have a lot I have to do this year to complete my provisional year and I am a little nervous because it is a HUGE commitment, but I am determined to make it work. I will be blogging about the awesome stuff I get to do. I have already met some amazing women. I find it humorous that some people have "made fun" of me for joining...making the assumption that it is just a bunch of snotty women in a grown up sorority....seriously makes me laugh.

• I will be blogging about adoption again soon.

• I am having a custom blog design done hopefully in September and am so excited! Ha, it is the little things some times :)

• After having so much fun with our vacation this year we are already starting to plan next years!!

• I am still loving getting to blog for Austin Moms Blog!

• I feel like I am making major progress is re-doing some things around the house {especially K & G's room}...I will post pics soon! I don't think I am doing great on Project 52, but having made progress with so many other things makes me feel a little better about it. I haven't even looked at my Project 52 list in months...oops. Add that to the "to do" list.

That's all for today...off to a bbq with friends!

I am behind in posting.....

I have been a busy woman though. Lots of festivities at school {will post pics soon!}, family in town, new floors down stairs...4 days before Thanksgiving, putting house back together, furniture shopping, Christmas lights put on the house, family pictures taken, last minute grocery shopping, brining the turkey, cleaning like mad from floor distaste, getting house and food ready for family and friends! Thispast week has been crazy chaotic, much more chaotic than most. I am beyond tuckered out, plum pooped to the max!!! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving though and really enjoyed having everyone over to our home.
Today I did my Black Friday shopping. I was supposed to go Thursday night at midnight with a friend, but was suffering from a Migraine that decided to make a come back Thursday night, I was miserable and hit the hay. Hit up Target about 11am and got everything I wanted. SCORE!! Then went to Pier One and one other store, then called it a day. I have done more than enough damage this week.
Got home and put up my Christmas decorations and tree. Woohoo! I have been done with my Christmas shopping for a while and also have it all wrapped already, so tomorrow I will be getting the gifts out of hiding. They will get fancied up with bows then go under the tree. I am so excited and relieved that all of that is done, so for the next few weeks I can just actually enjoy the holiday!
We haven't reconnected our computer since having the floors redone, but will soon. On sweep I will be able to get some pics on here :) Tomorrow night we are looking forward to seeing two sweet friends tie the knot!

This and that....

alternatively titled: Stream of Consciousness

Good grief, back to school is such a crazy time! I feel like my head is spinning...and spinning. There are a million thoughts going through my mind and I can't keep them straight.

• Garner is adjusting to Kinder so well! I am so proud of him :) He is such a big boy. He told me on the 2nd day of school that he was big enough to walk to his classroom alone, he didn't need me to help him. I teared up, but held it in and let him do it. Very hard (and proud) moment for this mama!
• Porter misses his Bubbas, especially "NarNar". He asks many times a day "Where NarNar go?" When I tell him that NarNar is at school he gets a sad face and says "Nooooooooo"......so sweet!
•  We are starting the beginning process to the adoption. We are super excited and scared to death! We still have a lot of work to do and it will take a while before we can look for a birth mother. Mountains of paperwork, background checks, blood test, classes, home study, etc. Our goal is to be done with all of those things by Christmas, so we can start looking after the holidays. I think about her everyday, wondering what she will be like. She will be so amazing!
• Brandon and I started P90X again yesterday.....I am SORE! B made me quit on our last attempt when we were 2/3 done. Due to my diet changing drastically because of the candida issue he was afraid I couldn't eat enough to work out like that without getting hurt. I was so mad, but know he was worried about me. {awww, he is so sweet} Well the candida issue is no more, so we started back up and will finish a little before Thanksgiving =) Woohoo!
• I am addicted to Sweet Leaf Mint & Honey Green Tea like no one's business.....like seriously addicted. I REALLY miss coffee and that has taken the place. It is my happy drink.
• In addition to the P90X, I am run/walking the boys to school every morning. It is a 2 mile journey for me....I love it! Plus Porter loves the jogging stroller and being outside! It is the only time I can handle an outdoor workout.
• I am OVER THE HEAT, just like everyone else in this town. Come on Fall, won't you visit us soon??? How about tomorrow?!
• I am room mom for both boys classrooms and baseball team mom....Am I crazy? Maybe, but I wouldn't have it any other way. It will be a crazy year, but one full of memories. I went to Costco today and spent a fortune stocking up on things I know we will be needing to get through baseball season. Ready for my "mom" baseball shirt ;)

I will have 1st day of school pics up very soon! I have been running errands and just enjoying the peace around the house the last 3 days....along with cleaning and cooking ;)

This & That

alternatively titled: Stream of Consciousness

I am exhausted. My allergies are bothering me....I pretty much lost my voice {in other words I sound like a 13 yr old boy going through puberty}, it's real sexy let me tell ya. I keep getting that irritating tickle in my throat that makes me cough non stop. Good news is that I don't feel bad at all! Just tired. My sister was in town and we went to see Bridesmaids last night. I made her stay up waaaaay past her bedtime and we laughed until we cried. It was awesome. We haven't been to a movie together since I was in high school. That is crazy. She went home and left 2 of my precious nephews with me. That means I have five 6 boys in my house...the husband counts too. It sounds crazy to most folks, but I LOVE it! My boys are in heaven when my sister's kids are around, they idolize them. They are so helpful & respectful too. My sis & bro-in-law should be proud, they have done a great job with them :) I also get my niece {aka favorite girl in the world} in 2 days! I am not sure who is more excited...me or her. 

I am trying to plan our 4th of July, family trip to Minnesota, husband & wife getaway to Chicago, playdates, summer camp, VBS, karate, family gatherings, what to pack, when to pack, my head is spinning. I am OCD, a control freak, and a planner. If it were practical I would have suitcases packed already for all 3 trips. But that is crazy and I have to use the same suitcases for all trips. Crazy, I know, but I totally would.

I am in denial that Garner starts Kinder in 2 months. I may need therapy to get through it. Seriously. Summer is going by way too fast. I have baby fever. Yes, you read that right. I am doing a good job of blocking it out though ;)

I am almost done cleaning out every nook & cranny of my house. I vacuumed all blinds, curtains, and baseboards. Then wiped them down. Finished 1/2 of my painting job upstairs, going to finish the other 1/2 this weekend. I may break the bank getting my to-do list done. Hope the husband still loves me when I am done :) Picking out fabric for upholstery and curtains can be hard. Grrrr. What if I don't love it? Have to love it.

I miss coffee. Period. I freaking miss the hell out of it. There, I said it. I am trying my best to be a good girl with my diet...and am for the most part. The hardest part are the seasonings. Not worth feeling like crap over though. On the happy side, I am in the same size as before I got preggers with Kadon. Woohoo. I have been working out more consistently too and love it. It is amazing at how great I feel now that I am not poisoning my body with things it cannot handle. I actually WANT to work out now. It used to workout just because I knew I needed to and that was seldom because I felt so crappy, now I want to. I LOVE that.

I am trying to finish labeling all of my posts...it is a pain in the butt. So time consuming and I get bored. That is why this post exists...my mind just kept wondering.

I am tired. Good night.

Stream of Consciousness

My goodness. Kids don't know how good they have it! Being a grown up is tough stuff. Work, make money, pay bills, clean the house, laundry, cooking, dishes, grocery shopping, errands, playdates, doc appts, vet appts, spend quality time with family & friends, spend quality time with each other, karate practice, deal with the IRS when your tax guy f$#@'s up REAL bad making you owe the IRS (glorified mafia) lots of $. {We (I - since I blog haha) are irritated, can you tell?} I'm not complaining {except about the tax guy/IRS part}, I absolutely LOVE our crazy, fun-filled, rewarding, chaotic life. I just wanted to make the point {in a long winded kid of way} that kids have it pretty good! ;) Although, my oldest thinks that summer is going to drag on forever and is already bored!! It is only the first week, and he was sick for the 1st three days. What gives? He is not the self entertainer that his younger brother is though. He is a busy body just like his Daddy, always needs something to do. Brandon cannot just sit around the house either. If he is home and we are not doing something in particular he will sit in front of the TV...Kadon is the same way. (Drives me nuts! haha) I will brag on my hubby that he is much better than most men when it comes to TV watching....the TV does not come on until the kids are in bed unless we are watching something as a family during the week. Plus he isn't a huge sports watcher....except with UFC. {that is one of the things I love about him} I'd go insane if he had to watch EVERY football and basketball game on TV!
Moving on....we have our Cali vacation coming up and are so excited! I also have almost everything done for Porter's party. I finished 10+ hairbows for a friends sweet baby girl that will be here soon. I have to start on bows for 2 more friends having baby girls and have tons of monogramming to do. I have and will be one busy woman for a while. {like that is shocking lol}
I also need to start thinking about what to do for my hubby for our anniversary next month...so exciting =)
The list never ends....

Stream of Consciousness

Whew....I am exhausted! {should be sleeping now} Last week was one of the most emotional weeks of my life. This week has been crazy busy and I have a sweet lil cutie with a virus :( Which means that he has been up at night and neither of us is getting enough sleep. Cranky, sleep deprived Baby = Cranky sleep deprived Mama!!!! Between P's virus and ALL of the end-of-the-year activities with Kadon my head is spinning. I cannot believe that his Kinder year is coming to an end. It went by so fast. I spent so much time dreading it and crying over it and now it will be over in 4 1/2 school days. He will officially be a 1st grader....that brings on a whole new set of emotions. B and I went to "meet the teacher" so we could put our requests in for who we want to be his 1st grade teacher. Our fingers are crossed that we get our top picks....and there is one that just plain won't work! {she is a twit.......just my opinion anyway} I'm not one to hold back on opinions haha. I am looking forward to the summer to spend time with ALL of my boys! Kadon is not a homebody like Garner and me, so we are putting him in some summer camps & VBS's. I know he will love them and Garner will get to join in on some of them. It will make him feel like such a big kid ;) Our Cali vacation is finally booked and planned....we are so excited!!! We get to see my bestest friend and her family - we haven't seen them in TWO YEARS!!! I am going to cry! We also get to see quite a few other friends and my brother-in-law Josh and our niece Cheyenne while we are there. It is going to be a blast and we are excited to see everyone. {Also excited about Legoland and Disneyland} My to-do list is about a mile long....I need to get started. But must sleep first....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

**oh and many pics coming soon....our stupid computer has had a virus and we haevn't ben able to download pics**

Stream of Consciousness

Had Porter's pics done today with my favorite photographer...can't wait to see the pics! He was pouty or crying in 1/2 of them, but I thought he was still the cutest thing ever ;) He just wants to be in my arms ALL the time and I am okay with that. I mean it does have its inconvenient moments, but he will only be this little one time, so all the other things I think I should be doing are not important and can wait! It is such a relief to know that Shoeshine is going to be okay. We had to take him to the vet again (last wk) because he wan't acting right. Well...he has a blood clot :( Good news is it will heal on its own, we just have to make sure it doesn't get infected. He has been taking his meds and is pretty much back to normal. He still looks pretty pitiful wearing his "cone" (its inflatable instead of the 'party hat' style...so it looks like he has a flotation device around his neck LOL) Strange tidbit - I recently discovered that I like mustard on my sandwiches...random I know. 2 of my best friends are preggo and I am chompin at the bits wanting to know pink or blue...there is shopping and monogramming to be done!!! =) I am so excited about St. Baldricks this weekend....as Kadon puts it "In 2 sleeps we get shaved heads". I am craving Simon Lee chocolate cake...yuuuuum....but I don't have any....boooooo. I just realized the time and must get some sleep before the "sucker fish" wakes up ;) Night~

Stream of Consciousness

Porter has not been sleeping well the past 3 nights....which means I have not been sleeping well either. I am tired and desperately want a good night sleep. On the other hand I could care less about getting a good night sleep because each time that little cutie patootie wakes me up I get to see his precious face and he will not be little for long. He sleeps right in between Brandon and me and I absolutely love it. Who ever said co-sleeping is not good for babies was crazy! ;) My baby feels so safe and is close to me all the time...makes me smile. I wish my house was clean. I will get that done this weekend while my boys are at the cabin. I am looking forward to my alone time with Porter, but always miss B, K, & G when they are gone. Plus I am kind of a sissy about being home alone at night. I will have my trusty ol gun loaded and ready just in case. I love that I am a "cop's daughter" and that I am not afraid to shoot a gun. Thanks Daddy =) Took the kids to the park today after school for over 2 hours...we had a blast. Lots of his friends from class were there too. I LOVE the new mom-friends I have made. There are so many awesome moms that I have met since Kadon started school. Most of them are moms of kids in his class. Some of them will be life long friends. I LOVE my new car that the hubs bought for me....he truly spoils me! I have the "ultimate soccer mom car" now...a big ol' burban. At least Brandon says it is the ultimate soccer mom car haha...fine with me. I desperately need and want to start running. Now that the weather is nicer I will be walking to pick Kadon up from school and we are all very excited about that. I am now going to finish watching one of my favorite shows with my super sexy husband. Because he turns into a pumpkin before 10 and will be in bed, so I have to hang out with him while I can ;) Night folks....