A Picture Session at The Cathedral of Madeline

Yesterday we went to The Cathedral of Madeline so Olivia could get her picture taken in her First Communion Dress. She will be making her First Communion in May, but we needed to get the pictures taken early so that I can make invitations and announcements. She looked so beautiful I can't wait to see the pictures, I hope they turn out. It was a fun experience. I have been wanting to take some photography classes for sometime now, and helping the photographer was so much fun. I want to start taking classes now so that in the future I can have my own photography business. I found a couple of courses you can take online to get certified. I did some research and found that most the photographers in our area have no schooling or just did an online course. I guess it's not rocket science but I thought you had to have a degree to take pictures, but I guess not. John said I could look into it. I can't wait! I'll let you know what I find out. I would love to take pictures for a living. I would also love to take better pictures of my kids. As far as I'm concerned it's a win win situation. I really wanted to take pictures of The Cathedral because it is absolutely gorgeous, but I forgot my camera. I haven't been there for years so we made sure to walk around the entire building. The stained glass is amazing. Since I didn't get any pictures of The Cathedral or Olivia in her dress, I'll at least post the pictures of the flowers I ordered for Olivia to hold in some of the pictures.

So Much For A Quiet Saturday

Today was such an exciting day! We thought we were going to have a nice quiet day but to much to our surprise things changed. We started out by going to lunch at McDonald's. Today was the last day for Puppy class so John and I opted to miss it, but apparently Olivia really wanted to go. She managed to talk Mike and Danielle into taking her to class while we went to finish our errands. So Olivia, Mike, Danielle and Danielle's nephew Damon went to take Chloe to her class. Olivia was walking around the store practicing walking the dog on her leash when some weird lady tried to dog nap Chloe. She went right up to Olivia and snatched Chloe away from her. Olivia yelled "Hey" and Chloe barked her little head off so the Petco staff come to the rescue. One staff member had to kick the lady and two other staff members had to pry her hands open to get the dog away from her. Olivia said there was a lot of yelling and fighting so she grabbed Chloe and ran to find Mike and Danielle who were waiting for her with the rest of the class. I guess it took a few customers and a few more Petco employees to escort the women from the store. Olivia was a little shook up, but her and Chloe are doing fine. It's a good thing I wasn't there because I would've had to give that women a "Tina Wilde Beat Down." We just think it is so weird that a grown woman would try to steal a little girl's dog in a public place. Well, we don't know what the lady was thinking, or her mental state, I'm just glad things turned out ok.

After their class we took all the kids to the park. This afternoon was beautiful and it felt really good to get some exercise outside. We ate dinner with my family and after dinner my Mom went to push down the trash in the garbage can when she cut herself on a piece of broken glass. I took her to the doctor (against her will) and she had to get three stitches. Let this be a lesson to us, never push the trash with your hand. I do this at least three times a day, but the best thing is to get a broom and push it down with that.

Any who, we are done with puppy class. Olivia and Chloe received their diploma today. Olivia had a feeling that she would get some kind of certificate today and this is why she wanted to go so bad. The trainer misspelled Chloe's name (Chole) so we now call her (Cho-Lay) which was the name of the maid when my Mom was a little girl. It's also funny because Danielle's birth certificate has her name misspelled so she's really Daniell so it's kind of a joke at our house. Sorry I'm having a hard time concentrating since I've been on a diet for two weeks and had some real food this afternoon and now I'm all out of whack. Anyways, back to the class. The class was on Saturdays for 6 weeks. In that time Chloe learned to sit.

She learned the command "lay down".

She learned to come to you when you call her.

She learned to walk on a leash and follow basic commands like, "let's go" and "this way". She also learned that when Jasmine runs you run too or risk being choked to death.

We also learned how to groom and potty train her. Right now she has decided it's more fun to pee on a pile of clean clothes or to drop a deuce on Jasmine's bed.

But look at that face she is so freakin precious. We even trained her to give kisses. I know right, gross. I never thought that I would like a dog's stinky butt kisses but guess what? I do.

Rough Week

This week has been really rough. The kids went back to school, our puppy decided not to be potty trained, and I started a diet last week. I met with my trainer and we completely changed the way I was eating and cut back on my Pepsi intake. :( It's been a huge adjustment and two weeks full of killer migraines, mood swings and exhaustion. I did however loose 3 lbs. last week, so I thought this week would be much easier, but it's not. I'm already sick of salads, egg whites, and everyone knows how much I hate vegetables and fruits. Oh yeah, now I remember why I was fat in the first place, diets suck! Can somebody please go get me a cheeseburger, pronto!

I think another reason this week has been so hard is that Damon hates going to school. He puts up such a fight to get ready in the morning that sometimes he makes himself sick. I have no idea how to handle this. He is really good at school, he is reading above grade level and can finish his homework in a split second, so it's not like school is to hard for him. I think he is actually having separation anxiety. If you remember he got left alone on the bus for 2 terrifying hours at the beginning of the school year. (See my entry "Damon's Missing" 10-7-08) I thought he would get over this little incident by now, but if anything' it's getting worst. Not to mention his teacher put him in "time-out" and forgot about him, now he doesn't trust her and is afraid to be alone at school. What do I do? He is such a a sensitive soul. I've been driving him to school lately and he rides the bus home with Olivia, but that only helps a little. I'm not sure how to make school fun for him again, any ideas?

This weekend we are planning on relaxing and spending time with John. The business that he started several months ago fell through and now he is having to start from scratch again. He is such a hard worker and I'm so lucky that he is so ambitious. I have to believe that this happened for a reason, I am a firm believer that when one door closes, another one opens.

Happy Birthday Vanessa!

Yesterday was my niece Vanessa's 17th Birthday. We took her to the Olive Garden for dinner. (I hope we didn't cramp her style to much) I took a bunch of pictures but they didn't turn out. I had missed placed my regular camera and wasn't using our back-up camera right, of course. So here is a picture from a few months ago.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

Today my parents celebrated their 41st Wedding Anniversary! We celebrated by having dinner together at their house. I thought it would be nice if I made dinner for everyone so that my mom or dad didn't have to cook and could relax. During dinner we got to hear stories about when they first got married and obstacles they had to overcome. I've got to hand it to you both for putting up with each other for so long, LOL. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

President's Day

The kids have been off track for the last 2 1/2 weeks. Damon has been home for even longer since he had the flu and missed the week prior to going off track. He was so sick he almost needed an IV at the doctor's office. They were unable to find a vein so instead of poking at him I requested that we give him medicine to help him stop throwing up and I had to watch him very carefully since he was becoming lethargic. He is doing much better now and we all really enjoyed the break from school. Between playdates, birthday parties, movies, and Valentine's Day they kept me on my toes. We even got to have lunch with Daddy a few times and the kids got a kick out of visiting him at work. I did however manage to find some time to remove the Valentine's Day Background from our blog and put another one up. I even added some music! I know I'm weird, I still love "Oldies." I grew up listening to it and it's still my all time favorite genre. I really just enjoy music in general. I grew up listening to Ronnie Milsap and Elvis Presley and anything Country with my dad. My mom loves more soulful music like The Temptations and The Platters. My sister loves Earth, Wind, and Fire. My brother and husband like hardcore Rap. I've always liked R&B, but will listen to anything with a good beat. My friend Heather got me listening to "Alternative" music when we worked in the same office. Thanks Heather for introducing me to some great music! I selected a playlist of my favorite songs, I even put the song by Babyface that John and I danced our first dance as husband and wife, yup that's our song! I'll leave the music at the beginning of our blog so you can pause it if you don't want to hear it. Sometimes I have a hard time reading and listening at the same time. I guess it's the doing two things at once that throws me off.



On another note, I received my book from BLURP on Saturday. It turned out really cute and was really fun to make. It was great to be able to show my dad and brother since they never check out my blog.





The book cost about $40 to make but I think it's because I put ornaments and a background on each page. I wasn't able to print the comments, but other then that I was really happy with how it turned out and will be doing it again in six months.


Today we will be enjoying our last day off by cleaning and maybe relaxing. My husband is self-employed and a workaholic so of course he's not home today. There's a lot to be done around the house so I better get to it, Happy President's Day!

Valentine's Day 2009

Make a Smilebox greeting

Love is patient, Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not rejoice in evils but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

-I Corinthians 13:4-7

Good Recipe

This is an email my sister sent to me, it has great advice.

We all need a little reminder and this was so timely for me!
Hope you enjoy it!!!

GREAT RECIPE...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,
'My purpose is to__________ today. I am thankful for______________'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
I am thankful for__________. Today I accomplished_________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it.

Husband Tag

1. Where did you meet your husband? His friend Anthony sent him to my house for a blind date.

2. How long did you date before you got married? 3 years.

3. How long have you been married? 9+ years.

4. What does he do that surprises you? He can wake up at 6AM everyday no matter what time he went to bed the night before.

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His soft hands

6. What is his best quality? He’s ambitious.

7. Does he have a nickname for you? “T”.

8. What is his favorite food? Anything Vietnamese or that his mom makes.

9. What is his favorite sport? Football

10. When and where did you first kiss? We had been dating for a few months and I kissed him in his car, he pulled away from me. I think he was trying to play hard to get.

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Watch movies and go out to dinner.

12. Do you have any children? 3.

13. Does he have any hidden talents? He can tell you anything you want to know about any athlete.

14. How old is he? 32.

15. Who said 'I love you' first? He did. I could tell he was nervous to say it. We were sitting in my parent’s front room. We had been dating for a 6 or 7 months.

16. What is his favorite music? R&B.

17. What do you admire most about him? How hard he works.

18. What is his favorite color? I’m not sure, but Olivia says it’s gray.

19. Will he read this? Only if I tell him to read our blog.

20. Who do you tag? Anyone who wants to. If you don’t have a blog please email it to me.

Blurp, Blurp

I usually try to post something every few days or at least once a week, but lately I have been busy making my blog into a book. My friend Heather is a "blog expert" and told me that you can print your blog and turn it into a keepsake. She told me to go to this website: http://www.blurb.com and download their software to get it started. The software is free and really cool. It has themes and templates for you to use. You just import your entries and pictures and design the way you want your pages to look. I have been having so much fun messy with this software. It has taken me all weekend to make a book of only 6 months worth of blogs. John was really good about helping with the kids all weekend so that I could actually finish a project. It is now 3pm, I just finished making my book and I'm just about to order it. I'm so excited, I think this might be better then an actual photo album! When my daughters grow up to be mommies they will have fun looking back on what they put me through. LOL

Paige's Birthday Party

HAPPY 6TH BIRTHDAY PAIGE!

John only has one niece on his side of the family so far and she just turned 6 on February 7th. We went to their house on Saturday to celebrate her birthday.

My First Born

I was tagged again on Facebook, and thought I would share on my blog too. I really love these, you get to learn so much about a person. This ones great, it's for mommies - it's all about your first born! I had forgotten a lot of details and it was fun to take a minute to remember the excitement of having your first baby. I won't tag anyone else, but feel free to do this if you get a chance. If you don't have a blog please email it to me, I would love to hear your stories as well.

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Yes, I got pregnant on our first try. I have Endometriosis and we thought it would take us years to get pregnant. Our second baby only took one try and our third we didn’t even have to try. :) I had no idea it would be so easy for us to get pregnant.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?

Yes. We had been married about 7 months.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?

We were thrilled! When I took the home pregnancy test it turned positive in a matter of seconds.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?

NEVER!

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?

21

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?

I had been really tired. I kept throwing up, but I was super hungry. I wasn’t even late for my period yet, but I knew I was pregnant. Back then you had to wait until you were at least a week late before you could even take the test. That was torture.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?

My husband. We were both kinda waiting to be able to take the test. I followed the instructions on the box to a “T.” I didn’t want there to be any mistakes. I took three tests that day and went to the doctors office just to make sure.


8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?

Absolutely!

9. DUE DATE?

November 30, 2000

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?

It feels like I started getting sick minutes after conceiving. ;) I was waaay sick, I had to take medication every four hours to keep from throwing up. The pills were way expensive but were an absolute must. I was hospitalized a few times for dehydration. I went on short term disability for awhile. I had morning sickness all day everyday until the day I delivered.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?

I remember craving fruit candies like Starburst, but other then that I ate a lot of cheese and crackers and anything that wasn’t to hard to throw back up.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?

Everything. Everyone got on my nerves at one time or another. Smells really bothered me too.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX?

Girl

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?

Nope, we really wanted a girl for our first one. We were hoping she would grow up to babysit her younger siblings however, we forgot to space them far enough apart for that to work. ;)

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY?

16 lbs.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?

Yes. 1 for work and 1 with friends and family.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?

I knew about the family/friends one, in fact it was at my house. I wanted everyone to come and see our new house. The one for work was a total surprise.

18. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?

I started getting Braxton Hicks (contractions) around 6 months. I was dilated to a 4 at 7 months. The baby sat really low in my pelvis which made it very difficult to sit, lay, stand, walk, etc. I also had horrible heart burn all through my pregnancies, I guess that’s why all my kids have so much hair. :)

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?

Alta View Hospital

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?

I started getting steady contractions on a Sunday but didn’t have her until Wednesday. I was in so much pain I didn’t sleep the entire time. We went to the hospital late Tuesday night but they sent us home. They told me I was in labor but to go back home since it could take days for your first baby. We got home and had to turn right around I was in full labor that was 12 midnight and she was born at 5 that evening. My next two labors went a lot faster. My third baby I was only in labor for about an hour. I didn’t even have time to shave my other leg, and my mom didn’t make it in time.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?

My husband.

22. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH?

My husband, my mom, and my dad was in the room but watched from a distance. My dad actually went in the room just to check on us, he didn’t realize that things were moving fast and I already started pushing. So he ran to the corner and hid until it was safe to come out. Poor guy, I don’t think even John wanted to be in there at that point.

23. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION?

Natural

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?

I think my friend Mandi said it best “HELL YES”. I’m not trying to be anyone’s hero, so I marched right in and demanded an epidural. Best drug ever!

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?

6 lbs. 10 oz.

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ?

November 22, 2000 5:01 PM

27. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER?

Olivia Jayden XXXXXX

28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY?
8 years old.