Yah Me!

I did it! I asked for a raise and I got it! I am so proud of myself. It is scary going to your boss and asking for a raise, especially now when the economy isn't doing the greatest. But I did it! YAH ME! And it was way more than I thought it would be!

Sign

Yesterday on my way to work I followed a semi on to the freeway and the name of the company was "Mason Dixon"! How wierd is that. I have never seen that truck before and now with talks of trying again soon all of a sudden there it is. Our second child is going to be a boy for sure now. That was totally a sign!

* in case this is confusing Mason Dixon Spence is one of the boy names we both really, really like!

People I Heart!


I finally got to go to "Monday Night"! It felt so good seeing these people! These girls and boys are like sisters and brothers to me and I love them oh so very much! I just wanted to let them all know that!

Bath Night

Sammmie almost always gets a bath on Sunday night. She likes to start the week out smelling all fresh and clean, okay so I like her starting the week out all fresh and clean! Last night she was the cutest thing ever. She loves her baths! But last night she was crawling aroung and splashing and sucking the water out the washcloth.



okay, I admit the last one is a litte wierd, but she pulls of wired so good. And she is teething so it probably felt good on her gums!



I took some pictures and i didn't want them on Facebook, so I am blogging the pics instead!








isn't the baby butt crack cute!!!


Date Night

It was wonderful. Everything we needed and more. It was so nice to not have worry about Sammie, as much as I love her, it was nice. We did up going to Vino in the Valley and what a gorgeous night to go....GORGEOUS! It wasn't as chilly as I thought it would be, until you actually went and walked the vineyard, then it was a little chilly. We drank a whole bottle of their house wine, ate, had great conversation, then walked the vineyard. It was defiently very benefical for us to have the date night!















MMMMM


This is what I am eating right now, literally, I just spilled ice cream on my pants!

Date Night

Brad and I finally get a date night!! WHO HOO!! You really have no idea how much we need this and how much I am looking forward to this! Our relationship needs this....

We are going to Vino in the Valley(http://vinointhevalley.com/). I am so excited. I have been waiting all summer to go here! I went last year with some girls from work and LOVED it! Unfortunalty I didn't get to enjoy any wine because I was pregnant. But you bet your fanny, I will this year! It is the most amazing place...I would choose this over any resturant and day.

Just a shoot out to my mom for watching Sammie and keeping her overnight for us! Thanks mom, Love you lots!

I Heart Fall

I woke up this morning to it being 64 degrees in my house... Why you might ask? Because we don't want to turn the heat on and waist precious fuel and Brad wasn't around for me to ask if we could start the wood stove up yet. So in esence I am saying....I guess it is my fault! ;) What is a girl to do!
PS: No worrys though...I put a heater in Sammie Girls room, so when I went in there this morning it was nice and toasty warm!

Toasty.....toasty marshmellows! I wish I was under a toasty blanket with a cup of hot and toasty apple cider! mmmmmm

Anywho! I think we need to chop a lot more wood if I am going to stay toasty warm all winter long!

I am so glad you are back! You make a fall day perfect! And because it is September, in my mind it is fall!

It is September 1st...what a great day! Summer is finally over. I have never been a huge fan of summer. It is just to hot and sticky. I like fall and winter, much more my thing. Plus I like wearing all those nice thick cozy sweaters and all my flannel!

Sammie first...she is the most amazing thing ever. 7 months old and she is crawling(quite fast), standing and walking when she holds on to furniture. Just yesterday she crawled up the steps. I have never been more proud! Sometimes I think to myself "Sammie girl, don't grow up to fast, take your time and enjoy everything that life has to ofer you. You are amazing now and you will do amazing things later on in life" I could jsut eat her up when I stick her in little jeans. Those have to be one of the cutest things. I hate that I only get 4 hours a day with her. That is just not enough. I'm not sure if I'd want to be a stay at home mom, but part-time, just so I could spend more time with her.

Life has been interesting to say the least. So much going on in Brad and mine's life. I wish it would all slow down. We never get to see eachother. 4 hours a week if we are luckly. He is working 3 jobs, and people say it is hard to find a job, plus he has to cut wood for the winter and get pumpkins ready now. I feel bad for him, but I know he is doing it for his family. We finnally sat down and had a talk about everything. I really needed it. I feel so much better now.

Madison is growing up to be a stickin cutie! She just lights up when I walk in the room. She is such a lovable little thing and so mellow. Megan doesn't know how lucky she is.

Brad and I will be going to Vino in the Valley on the 11th. I am SOOOO excited for that! I have wanted to go all summer long and we couldn't work out a time to go! YAH....this is why I love fall. The vineyards will be gorgeous and I can drink all the wine I want!

That's all for now!

Pioneer Woman

Lately I have been totally addicted to this ladies blog! She just seems like such an interesting person and lives a fascinating life, yet down to earth at the same time!

Just wanted to tell ya to check it out! The link to her blog is on the left side of my blog!

Sometime you really do, do it all by yourself

First I want to start out by saying that I have the most hard-working, love-his-family, wants nothing but the best for his family, husband. And I appreciate him more than he will ever know and feel like I am the luckiest woman to have him!

This past week I have just felt so overwhelmed. I just don't know what to do. With Brad working like 20 jobs (it's actually only 3, not including the ones he doesn't get a pay stub for). I am always home with Sammie, doing everything around the house, and I am always be myself. I get done with work, rush home to get Sammie, get her settled in, let the dogs out, feed the dogs...and then if she is still content: I wash the bottles, make the bottles, do laundry, make dinner, run the dishwasher, unload the dishwasher, put the clothes in the dryer, feed Sammie. Don't let Sammie take a nap to make sure she sleeps through the night (which doesn't always work) keep her occupied, fold the laundry, take care of Sammie because it is finally 8:00, so she can sleep now and eat her last bottle, hopefully put her done for bed so I can at least talk to my husband that day, go to the bathroom and it the sack because I usually have to get up with her around 5:30 to do it all again the next day.
Normally this doesn't bother me, but I see Brad for like 3 hours a week. He gets up at 5:00 goes to Reigstads, then he goes to his 2nd job till 9 or 10, then gets home a works on the side jobs that people have asked him to do and he always says yes because the money is nice. I NEVER see my husband. I miss him so much just writing this is making me teary eyed. I just wish we would win a butt load of money so he wouldn't have to work so much. Did you know that he is currently working 4 jobs right now. Luckily he doesn't work for the school during the summer. Plus on top of those jobs he is getting wood and pumpkins ready for the fall to bring in some extra money. I have NEVER known a person to be this dedicated to his family. It just breaks my heart that I never get to see him and the he has to work this hard. We had a hard time carving out some time to spend together for our anniversary that is next week. Sad. I just appreciate him so, so much.
I feel like we are taking on the world and it just keep throwing more crap at us. Did I mention the he had to fix the radiator on his truck. Did that work...of course not, now we have to scrap up the money so we can fix his motor...AHHHHH It is always something...
I feel better now that I wrote this though...just a little though...

My first mother's day was wonderful. Brad got me flowers and a card. we went out with my family for brunch and his family for dinner. But the best part was getting to take a nap! Oh was the heaven!

Saturday I put in overtime at work. I figured I might as well as long as I can. Lord knows we could use the money! So I was so tired from staying up late Friday night and then working again on Saturday that I wasn't able to make it to Josh and Lynsie's for game night. I really wanted to go, I love hanging out with my friends! But I didn't want to push myself to far, you know.

Friday was the Taylor Swift concert and it ROCKED! I want to go to another so bad. We didn't have floor seats but that was okay because the concert was totally awesome anyways! Gloriana and Kellie Pickler opened for Taylor and they were awesome. The whole thing was awesome! Thanks mom for being able to score those tickets! Love you lots! :)

So I finally got fed up with the last 10 lbs I have to lose and not having an close to wear so I started weight watchers online a week ago. It is actually going great. I thought it would be hard but it isn't. Plus I get bonus points to use for the week for whatever I want! They believe in treating yourself! I like that motto! I have my first weigh in tomorrow, so we will see how that goes! It isn't actually a weight...I just go down to receiving and weigh myself! I don't feel deprived from food at all and I always get full. Brad is being really supportive of me so I think that makes it easier for me. He always checks the box for me and makes sure I get the right portion so I don't go over my point for the day. Then when I get this down, I am going to start exercising and Brad said he would do that with me to. I didn't want to overwhelm myself by making myself to do much at once. I know I would just give up on it all that way. So step by step.

Sammie is so fricking adorable it isn't even funny. She talks non stop to anyone who will listen! She even has to take a break from eating to talk. It so cute! Yesterday at appleebee's all the waitresses came over to tell us how cute she was and then 2 other families stop by the table to tell me and Brad that if we ever wanted to give her up they would take her! she is just so cute!

I finally blogged!

Now that I am back to work I can start blogging on a regular basis! (please hold you applause!)

So what's new with me...lots! I am back to work now, have been for 2 1/2 weeks now. Boy, was that first week rough and I mean rough. I was emotionally exhausted from crying and missing Sammie. Physically exhausted because I wasn't used to doing much through out the day other than taking care of Sammie and when she napped I had the option to take a nap. I wasn't used to getting up and the same time everyday anymore and boy did that time get early. Not only did I change my schedule to be done earlier, I had to plan extra time in the morning for Sammie just in case she needed to be feed or just wanted to be held. Going back to work was a huge change in my life. But all in all I am glad to be back to work. I think it makes it easier knowing she isn't at a daycare facility, that she is just with our neighbor Renee 3 days a week, with Brad 1, and with Pam 1 day.

I found out last week that we can put in overtime, so I am torn between the extra money(which we can definitely use) and rushing home to Sammie. I have been putting in around 5 hours a week of overtime. Every little bit helps.

Sammie is adjusting well to being at Renee's. She loves her little girl Aubrey! I almost think it was more rough on me than her! The first week she would be awake all day, heaven forbid she miss out on anything, so she would sleep all night from the time I got home till the time I got her up the next day, except to eat!

This week for mother's day, mom and I are getting our pedicures on Thursday. Then Friday Megan and I get to go to Taylor Swift concert. YAHHHHH! I am so ridiculously excited! Plus we get free parking at Brad's work! Bonus!

That's all for now. My breaks is over. But don't worry I have lots more to catch you up on!

Update on Samantha

I know that it has been over a month since I wrote a blog, but to be fair I did just have a baby! So being a mommy is the best thing ever! I knew that I was ready to be a mom and have kids but I never thought I could love anyone this way. It is a different kind of love for what I have for Brad, I can't really explain it. Samantha is the most amazing little person every. She has such a personality, she has had it from birth. She hardly ever fusses and is smiling and making the weirdest faces. She likes to sleep with her arms up over her head, which I thought was weird but I woke up the other night sleeping the same way she does.
It was a little hard for me the first day Brad went back to work last Wednesday. I called him crying because I couldn't do it by myself. Which of course I can! I think I was just overwhelmed and extremely tired.
She has sleeps really well at night. She goes to bed between 8 and 10 and sleeps for four hours at a time. We really only get up with her once at night and then again around 5. So not bad for a newborn, eh.
My first outing with her by myself was a little scary. She had an appointment at 9:50 and I wanted to leave the house at 9:15 but as soon as I put her in her car seat she started crying. Which of course broke my heart. Needless to say we didn't leave until 9:30. She did really good. I did really good!
She can sleep through anything...the dogs barking, loud noises, being passed around from person to person. She really is an incredible baby.
Brad has been an amazing father and husband. I couldn't imagine going through any of this without him.

What else... I really miss my friends. I mean really, really, really miss them. It is like not seeing my family. I find myself reading their blogs and facebooks and find all these things going on in their lives that I no idea.

Some days I go stir crazy from being inside all day. But I really don't have anywhere to go.

2010

It seems like a lot people are talking about what happened last year and what they hope will happen in the coming year. Everybody is talking mostly about the bad that happened last year...what is the deal with that. Does no one have anything good or positive to say anymore. It is getting a little sickening hearing about all the negative if you ask me. I would think that out of 365 days that most had to be good...lets see...you had your health, happiness and if you made it through the year with a job and didn't loose your house or your car and you managed to get by with paying all you bills and could say you did it all on your own, I would say that classifies as a good year.

As for me I had a great year. Brad and I are happy and healthy. We both managed to get by with out getting the flu! (knock on wood) We both managed to hang on to our jobs and pay our bills without asking for any help, even though Brad went down to 32 hours a week. We managed to put away a little money in our savings. Didn't get to take a trip any where, but that is okay. We still had fun being home with family and friends. After all it is all those little moments that make life great right!

And all I can ask for in 2010 is for all those same things again! I am hopping for happiness and health for us and that we both keep our jobs! And that we can have many, many, many more of those little moments that make up life!