Lots of Change

This has been a week of adjustment for all of the Heldts. Here are just a few:

1. Mike started working out of the house full time.

2. Aubrey cut a top tooth.

3. Rachel had to take Aubrey to the grocery store. How do you get the groceries inside once you get back?

4. Mike had to wake up before 6am.

5. Aubrey got her one year shots.

6. Rachel had to make dinner while taking care of Aubrey.

7. Mike got home after 6pm.

8. Aubrey ate strawberries, oranges, and cherries for the first time.

9. Rachel took lots of naps.

10. Mike wore a suit all week!!!

I'm sure the list could go on, but I think you get the picture. On a side note, I have been getting a strange pain in my wrist and fingers when I type for the last few weeks. I don't know if it is arthritis or carpultunnel or something else, but I'm trying to limit my keyboard time.

A Better Day

Aubrey was in much better spirits today and we had a splendid day. Some of the moms on the street decided to have a huge playdate a few times a month. Off we went. It was great, there was about 12 kids there all under four. Aubrey stuck close to me and ate crackers. She is still a bit timid when it comes to walking on grass so she kept herself to the patio.

After that, we went over to Danielle and Josiah's for a few hours. They were delighted to see each other and had a good time playing and watching some creepy kids video. Danielle and I took out calendars and scheduled two date nights each for July!!! It is so nice to have met someone that we completely trust with our daughter. I know I will probably feel differently in a few years, but I couldn't imagine a 14 year old watching Aubrey! I totally babysat infants when I was 14 though. Like I said, in a few years it probably won't bother me at all.

Happy Tuesday

Here's a snap shot of what my day has been like!!!! Goodness gracious, that kid has lungs. For whatever reason, my highly scheduled kid didn't take her morning nap this morning. This didn't really work into my plan as I had plans with a few friends to go to The Children's Museum and then to the Denver Aquarium. It wasn't like she didn't take a nap, but played happily for an extra two hours. She didn't take a nap and then screamed for long periods of time. Oh, and I mean screamed. I didn't have the magic potion today, so I finally just gave up and laid her down. Then I took a LONG shower as not to hear the blood curdling screams that were coming out of her room. She finally fell asleep at 11:15, 45 minutes before we were suppose to leave. Oh well, the museum and aquarium will still be there another day I guess. She just laid down for her second nap and I need to get to this house. It looks like a tornado speed through here! Did I mention that when she woke up she cried for the first forty five minutes? Yeah that was a blast too! I hate shots, they always make for a funky few days! I realize this is my third post today, but the first was done before she woke up, the second during a failed attempt for a nap (you cannot hear her in the office with the door closed either) and now the third during a real nap. Speaking of naps... nah, too much to do!

Unpictured...

For some reason, Mike and I never brought our camera in to Ron and Renee's house. That is pretty impressive since we stayed there an entire week! Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of Aubrey and Payton playing together. I use that term loosely as Aubrey is twice Payton's age and their playing consisted of sitting in the same proximity. Their favorite past time was watching "The Laurie Berkner Band" DVD and rocking out to some goofy kid songs. Us adults were pretty exhausted after full days of kid juggling, so we watched "so you think you can dance" and spent a short amount of time in their hot tub! Man those things get hot.

My friend Seanna also drove down from Redlands. It was great to see her and her beautiful daughter Alex. Aubrey was napping during most of their visit, but it was still nice to see them. Seanna introduced me to the straw sippy cup! I already have one for Aubrey and she loves it!

I also got to spend a few hours with my best friend from Elementary School, Susanna. She came to my mom's house with her sweet daughter, Lily (17 months) and we played in the pool and ate In-N-Out. Yummy! Lily didn't think it was fair that I only gave Aubrey a few fries, so she kept giving Aubrey some of hers. It was the sweetest thing to witness. It is so amazing that we have managed to keep in touch considering we did not go to the same school since sixth grade!

I also spent a few hours at my old work and saw some of my former students and co-workers. Since it was the day before school got out, everyone was very busy. Last year at that time I was in CHOC with Aubrey and completely unaware that the last day of school came and went. I gave out my address to a few of the students and I already have a letter to respond to. I also ran into a parent and a student from my first year teaching after having dinner with Tammi at Jalapenos. (Spell check gave me Calvanists as an alternative to Jalapenos). I cannot believe that I taught students that are now in high school. When did I get so old?

It was so nice to see so many familiar faces on our trip. It was also nice to come home and go to Josiah's birthday party the next day. We really felt like we were home and are so fortunate that God has placed amazing people into out lives in such a short amount of time. We look forward to this new stage of our lives and all God has for us!

Our old stomping grounds

Aubrey was a trooper for a lot of the trip. Here's a picture of her after we told her we were almost there. Later that day we stopped for gas and ate lunch on a grassy patch in front of McDonald's. I think we were in Utah. This was the only grass we saw while in the state. It was great! We could smell the diesel fuel of all the big rigs gassing up across the street. Aubrey had a light lunch of cheese and peas. Mike and I had already had a lot of beef jerky, so we each had an apple, a meal replacement bar, and an XS Energy drink. We actually spent more on our lunch than we would have eating at McDonald's!

I wasn't able to get pictures of Aubrey with my family. She is a kid on the go and it is about impossible for her to sit long enough to snap a picture. I'm sure that is evident by the look on her face in grandma's arms. Aubrey never really warmed up to my dad while we were there. It was a bummer since we came to surprise him for Father's Day! Hopefully she will do better when he is here in August for a few days. Aubrey's Great Grandma Bette and her Great Aunt Kelly were also there. Her Great Aunt Karen was in Catalina and my cousins Chad and Kaleigh were at the river for the weekend. Surprises don't always unfold the way you plan!

My favorite day of the trip was spent at Jay and Jenna's house. I got to see so many of my friends there and it was nice to be in an environment that Aubrey could play. Ella did manage to snag a toy, but I'd prefer that to Aubrey's arm any day!

Aubrey's 12 month stats (plus two weeks)

Head= 18 inches, 75th percentile
Height= 30 inches, 75th percentile
Weight= 18 pounds 15 ounces, 10th percentile

I wonder which parent she takes after?

Santa Maria and Bakersfield, CA

Aubrey sharing her afternoon snack with her cousins, Biniam and Yosef (from left to right). They played really well together and it was so nice to see Aubrey with her family.
Aubrey and Briggs shake hands after an informal introduction. This was our last stop before the drive home and Aubrey was clearly a bit tentative. She came into contact with eleven small children and three dogs during our trip. She was looking forward to some down time for sure. Whenever Briggs would walk over to Aubrey she would walk away form the toy she was playing with and begin crying. Poor Jenn, Briggs' mother, thought she had a bully on her hands, but I think Aubrey just wanted some space. Briggs is a sweety and greeted Aubrey with a hug and a kiss!
Anna and Aubrey are sizing each other up. They hadn't seen each other in ten months!
They had fun racing around the house with their strollers.
Aubrey and Biniam hanging out with Mike. This was just before the kissing war that was mentioned in the previous post.

Interesting tidbits...

No, this is still not a post about our vacation in California, though I am certain one will be forthcoming. This is more about the interesting things that go through my mind as I reflect on our time away.

In no particular order:

The funniest sign on the trip as we drove through the bustling metropolis of Taft, CA: "If you lived in Taft, you'd already be home."

Most expensive gas station: New Cuyama, CA...$4.049 for regular unleaded.

Slowest Burger King in the country: Inside the Gold Strike casino in Jean, NV. We ordered two cheese burgers, a Whopper, and some chicken fingers. Total time from order to receipt of sustenance...28 minutes. (Oh and there were only 3 people that received food during that time.) Do you remember that place Tommy? I think it was slow when we went through too. Plus, Rachel blew about 20 cents on nickel slots. Doooh!

Best fast food meal in CA: In N Out's double double animal style and a vanilla shake. I managed to consume this meal 3 times during my stay.

Best new food experience: Jordanian Mediterranean cuisine with Ryan and Jenn Murphy.

Best home cooked meal: Baby Back Ribs on Father's Day and Mom at Dad Keyes' house.

Saltiest meal: Chinese take-out with Kevin and Brianna. (Seriously, I am still thirsty.)

Best breakfast: Double Chocolate Cookie Crisp. Thanks Kev!

Most interesting way to be awakened: Moby licking my ear at Ron and Renee's (Moby is a big dog)

Most damage done while unconscious: I fell asleep on Jenn's floor and managed to trip her son, Briggs, and he fell into the couch awkwardly. Of course, I was asleep so I refused to take the blame.

Longest 2 hours of the trip: From 50 miles outside of CO through Rifle, CO when Aubrey finally fell asleep for the night and stopped her nightmaric crying fit. (Nightmaric???...I like it)

Most peaceful 3 hours of the trip: The rest of the way home once Aubrey was asleep. Man, that kid can make noise.

Biggest winning streak: Beating Ron Becker 10 times in a row at billiards (though I am sure he would point out that he then beat me 8 times in a row, but which number is bigger again, Ron?)

Biggest turnaround: Coming back from almost bankrupt to beat Ron in Monopoly.

Cutest moment: Aubrey and Biniam competing to see who could give Rachel the most kisses. Biniam took the prize.

Longest drive streak: I took over the wheel about twenty miles south of Beaver, UT and drove the rest of the way home. (10 hours later)

(Are you bored yet?)

Quickest bust in Poker: I went through my $20 buy-in in Poker in under 20 minutes. That's bad cards. I'm not playing with those guys again.

Most candy consumed: I believe we went through 8 rice crispy treats, 6 chocolate chip cookies, half a pound of Skittles, half a pound of Peanut M&M's, and 4 sodas on the trip home. Bowflex, here we come.

Longest stretch of road without a pit stop: 108 miles from Green River, UT west. Beautiful country but not a place I'd want to have car trouble (no cell reception), or a weak bladder, or worse.

Total miles traveled in 12 days: 2672 miles

Highest amount for fill up: I got up to $50.39 for the tank in Tustin, CA. Ouch! I've never been so happy to go back to paying $2.699 for gas. Gotta love that 85 octane.

Dirtiest city on the route: Las Vegas. Both for trash on the highway and for the content on the billboards. I bet they have a really high accident occurrence. Why do people live there?

Hottest temperature: I saw 106 degrees on a sign in Las Vegas at 3pm. At least it was a dry heat. Again, why?

Biggest competition for Aubrey's toys: Everywhere we visited, we were greeted with kids around Aubrey's age. Some were more willing to share than others, but the winner would have to go to Ella, Jay and Jenna's dog, who managed to swipe one of Aubrey's toys and almost consume it.

Biggest spill: I managed to incorrectly fasten one of Aubrey's sippie cups and ended up with warm whole milk in the bottom of the cooler which brings me to my next topic...

Worst smell: Oh my good grief, that was nasty!

Most bugs: Grand Junction at dusk. Holy Moly! I thought it was raining.

And finally, Interesting mail allocation: We held our mail while we were gone. Here is the breakdown...2 netflix movies, two bills, 17 credit card applications (some from places we already have cards), 4 survey requests, one birthday card, 3 "final" notices for a bogus car warranty, 1 bank statement, 1 U-5 (explains my separation from Allstate), 1 envelope of coupons, and 2 requests to join Alumni associations. Needless to say, we didn't miss much.

So there you have it...if you are still reading this, you are quite a trooper. I hope you got a chuckle or two. We had a blast but are so happy to be home.

Kidnapped in Utah!

So I am going to post in reverse because I cannot wait to post about our trip home. We left Bakersfield at 6:40 am and headed home. Aubrey lasted a whole 45 minutes before having a huge meltdown. Meanwhile, one of our Baby Einstein DVD's decided not to work anymore so we only had two. That's right, Mike and I heard the same two over and over again for 17.5 hours. We were changing drivers frequently and eating a lot of candy (thanks Ron). Somewhere in Utah, Mike decided that we would drive straight through. Aubrey and I were not interested in this idea, but Mike played his "MAN" card. Aubrey and I were prisoners with no hope of escape for another ten hours! Well, an hour outside of Colorado, Aubrey lost it. I mean lost it. She was screaming and getting really worked up and NOTHING was working. Not even the cute little catepillar on Einstein! I kept her somewhat happy with food, but it wasn't a permanent fix. We decided, or Aubrey did, that we had to get room in Grand junction, Colorado. Unfortunately there were no vacancy signs everywhere. We did find a room at this dive motel for $85, but couldn't bring ourselves to do it.

Being off the freeway gave Aubrey some false hope and she calmed down too. We were able to divert her attention to a video and I massaged her legs until she fell asleep at 10pm. So we had 3 and a half hours of quiet before we got home. That was the best part of the whole trip!!! The driving part of the trip, not the hanging out with you all part!!! So here I am in sweats typing to whoever is interested. I will write more about the trip this weekend.

CALIFORNIA!!!

We are here! After a LOOONG 17 hour straight through car ride, Rachel, Aubrey, and I made it to California. I start my new job at the bank on the 26th and so we wanted to take one last vacation before I was again a working man. We drove out Monday, are staying with my friend's Ron and Renee through the weekend, heading up to see some friends on the way to see my brother and family to meet my new nephews, and then home towards the later part of next week. It's fun to see everyone again, though we are both convinced that we don't miss it here. Back to the fun!

Aubrey's One!

Aubrey loved her cupcake and ate every bite. Unfortunately, I didn't use a lot of frosting so she was virtually mess free. She didn't even need a bath tonight.

Aunt Tanya and Cousin Megan enjoying some watermelon. Yummy!!!

In preparation for Aubrey's party

I dusted and vacuumed downstairs. That's a lot of floor. I pulled out all of the chairs and tables and made sure that I got every square inch of it. Unfortunately, Mike emptied out the dust catcher before I started and missed a piece when he put it back together. So I vacuumed the entire floor with little to no suction. I love spending forty-five minutes doing nothing! Hopefully I will have a little time before the party to do it all over again!

So You Think You Can Dance

Every once in a while I feel like I have to post about something I'm a little embarrassed about. Here's my little confession, I watch So You Think You Can Dance! I don't even know how it happened. I must have been flipping through the channels and it happened to catch my attention. I mean... who doesn't want to watch horribly uncoordinated people make a fool of themselves in prime time? Anyway, I set a timer and am hooked. I just watched the episode where they make the cut for the top twenty and I cried like a baby! So there you go, I'm a reality show junkie! What shows are you addicted to?

Daddy's Little Girl

As I said in my last post, Mike took full parenting responsibility for Aubrey on my birthday. Well, he must have done a better job than I do, because she is all about daddy these days. She has been chasing him around the house and crying when he leaves. It is so neat to see her attachment to him. She couldn't have a better model of what to seek in her future husband!

My 28th Birthday

I had a nice birthday. Mike was able to take the day off :) and took care of all things Aubrey. He made me coffee and pancakes for breakfast, peanut butter and jelly for lunch, and surprised me with a babysitter and a night out! We went to P.F. Changs and enjoyed a few hours of Aubrey free time. She did great with the Valeriano's and enjoyed a night stroll and all of Josiah's toys! She did get fussy at bed time and was very sad that mommy and daddy weren't there for some family love. She was still crying when we picked her up and was so happy to see us that she laughed the whole way home! Mike's present to me was a bunch of scrapbooking stuff and a new razor (I use his all the time). With a day like that, I wish birthdays came more than once a year!

New Hair

Those are her little devil horns. No angel here today. She was CRANKY! If I only knew cutting teeth would be like this I would have savored the toothless months all the more!

Comment Spam

Due to unwanted sales adds in our comments we've added the silly letter thing. I totally hate it, because one out of five times I type the letters wrong, or cannot tell if I'm seeing a 'g' or a 'q', or it's in a funny cursive font. So... For those of you who faithfully comment, it will add 10 seconds to your day. Sorry!

Moving on!

It seems as though a lot of our friends are moving on somewhere. The Sant'Agatas are moving to the fine, green state of North Carolina. The Hoskinsons are taking a page out of our book, editing it, and coming to Colorado. My sister (shout out for Krystal...that's gangsta for hi...I think) is moving on to college at Chico State in the fall. We have friends moving from 1 kid to 2, and from 2 to 3. We have friends moving from four seaters to minivans and from 3 bedrooms to 4. Well, not to be outdone, I am on the move again too. That's right! Enough of this sitting around.

As some of you are aware, I have had a pretty rough time getting things rolling with Allstate Financial Services. Plenty of nice people wanting to help, but things just never got going. After 8 months with the company as an independent contractor with no salary and no benefits, I've decided to seek something with move limited potential but definitely more stability. I am entertaining two opportunities currently from different companies. I have recieved a formal offer already from one and will be from the other shortly. I am deliberately the pros and cons between the two so that I can make the best decision for the Heldts. The main pros over my current situation is that they both have a salary and benefits. I know, what a concept. One pays quite a bit more than the other, but is still very sales oriented and would require 50% travel away from home, while the other pays less, has a lot more hours, but I would be within a half an hour from home and more involved with management. Oh, the quandry...or is it quarry...no, I think that's the cereal from SNL. I will keep everyone updated, but am interested in your opinions so let them fly!