My 1st Post

Why should mommy and dada have all the fun? I want to post too! So here are a few things about me. I don't think I'll make it to 100 considering I cannot even count that high!

- I'm tall and skinny
- All of my hair falls to the front
- I have three teeth that are all the way in and two more that have started to poke through
- I love the Laurie Berkner Band
- I am a sucker for milk
- Seriously, I drink it though a straw
- I like to walk around my neighborhood and pick up rocks, dirt clumps, and wood chips
- I always taste them to make sure they aren't food
- I love eating frozen peas
- I can finally see the animals at the zoo
- They're huge
- I am starting to learn to run
- I love playing with my beach ball
- I kiss it and dribble it through the house with my feet
- I especially love to hold it and walk around
- I cannot see so I bounce off the walls
- I love to chase Tabby around the house
- My first real word is "duck"
- Besides Mommy and Dada of course
- I like to throw my hat out of the stroller when Mommy isn't looking
- I prefer women to men
- I can climb on the popason chair all by myself
- I only like to eat cheese if Mommy is eating it first
- I'm learning to walk with my shoes on
- I fell down the stairs once
- Whenever I hear a dog, I stop and bark too
- I can spin around in circles on command
- I march in place when I'm watching "We Are the Dinosaurs"
- I am fascinated with sewer covers
- I like to splash in my pool
- I can identify belly buttons, noses, and mouths occasionally
- I can sort shapes into the correct slots
- I walk around with my phone to my ear saying "huh"
- I like people to visit me in Colorado

Wow, that was harder than I thought. Mommy transcribed this post for me. She had to read my mind a lot since I speak baby jargon most of the time. Thanks for reading!

My 14th-ish Post!

Sure, Rachel posts more than I do, but in all honesty she hasn't officially reached her 100th post in that I posted a handful of times. I did want to take a minute or ten to chime in with a 100 things you may or may not know about me as well. If I am breaking any rules, DEAL WITH IT!

1. I am married to the most wonderfully beautifully brilliant woman in the world (of course she was standing over my shoulder upon typing this. It is still true though)
2. I'm 30
3. I'm the coolest of the 3 kids in my family (just seeing if you other two are reading this)
4. I have worked for 6 different companies in the last 4 years. (not bragging)
5. I am currently a management trainee with FirstBank; soon to be a Banking Officer.

Wait, this is supposed to be things you may not know.

6. I used to have a Boa Constrictor named Gertrude, that my buddy Chris gave to me.
7. It got to be too long and dangerous so I gave it back.
8. I used to love flying through the air on my tree swing growing up.
9. I once painted about 1/2 mil of ranch style (three board) fence with a 4" paint brush.
10. I did make about 5 cents a foot though. :)
11. I went out for cross country and wrestling my freshman year of high school.
12. I had to retire when the doctor determined the bones in my legs were growing faster than the tendons in my legs. Seriously, way faster!
13. My first car was a 1986 Dodge Colt Vista.
14. I currently work with some people younger than that car.
15. I then upgraded to a 1994 Toyota Tercel.
16. I drove that car off a mountain into a tree.
17. It got fixed and gave me many more years of executive transportation.
18. Rachel was "turned on" by the fact that I was a stock broker....then she saw my ride.
19. I used to go fishing every summer in a pond at my grandpa's farm. I haven't fished much since they sold it.
20. I grew up a huge 49er/Raider fan.
21. Now I am more into the individual player's fantasy stats than team performance.
22. It helps that the 9ers and Raiders both really suck.
23. I have managed to convince myself that our dirt colored Honda Odyssey is actually a "cool" car.
24. I spent most of the last decade in sales.
25. I should've bought more from myself.
26. I am the proud father of one and the proud uncle of three and the proud brother of two and the proud son of two.
27. I received my first 'C' in college. It was in Accounting 201.
28. My dad is a CPA and my mom is a bookkeeper.
29. Doooh!
30. I made up for in by nailing my Finance classes.
31. I attribute my success to a high intake level of M&Ms and Skittles.
32. My kid is hilarious.
33. Everyone says she has the most beautiful eyes.
34. She gets them from Rachel.
35. I've lived in 12 different houses. 2 before I was 18 and 10 in the last 12 years.
36. I intend to stay put for the next 20 years or so.
37. I've had quite a few different pets: 2 goats, a few chickens, a rooster, a dog and 2 cats.
38. One goat was killed by a dog, the other goat was shot along with the foul, the dog died of old age, one cat was a recluse and the other cat is up for adoption.
39. Seriously, anyone want Tabby?
40. I enjoy long walks on the beach at sunset.
41. Actually, I hate the beach...but sunset is pretty cool, especially with some of the Colorado night skies.
42. I don't care much for the French.
43. I do like their fries however.
44. My friends call me Mikey.
45. I didn't pick up the moniker until I worked at Petersen's Yummy Burgers in Solvang at 16.
46. Unless I am mistaken, Ronny Barr coined it.
47. Petersen's had the best Hickory sauce on earth.
48. They closed soon after I left. (no surprise there)
49. I love red meat.
50. People in Colorado don't know what Tri-Tip is....I KNOW!... I believe it is my personal crusade to spread the word.
51. I am a Reagan conservative and believe I should get more of what the government takes from me.
52. I graduated with a Finance Degree from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.
53. Interestingly, it wasn't until after college that I studied abroad.
54. A few months later I married her. (HA!)
55. I started my sales career as an Applebee's server. I always upsold the "all you can eat ribs"
56. Over the years, I have made both tons of money and almost no money.
57. I am currently in the middle of an "almost no money" year.
58. I have never been more at peace about my situation or more stoked on life.
59. Goes to show that money doesn't buy happiness...it just buys nice backyards and big screen TVs.
60. I just realized I still use "stoked" and not in reference to fire.
61. That's lame!
62. I just realized I still use "lame" and not in reference to immobility.
63. I love stupid humor.
64. Shows like The Office, Scrubs, and the Loop and movies like Office Space and Strange Brew are right up my alley.
65. I love to bowl though I rarely go anymore.
66. I love sugar cereal. I grew up putting actual sugar on non-sugared cereals and have since upgraded to the like of Cookie Crisp, Lucky Charms, and Cocoa anything.
67. I still aim for cereal under 15 cents an ounce, although I am not the one buying it.
68. I am a sucker for fast food.
69. I am also a frugal cheapskate.
70. I feel the need to only order off the dollar menu.
71. My favorite store is Best Buy.
72. I never buy anything from there. I just like to look around, right down model numbers of things I like and but them online for less.
73. Did I mention I am a cheapskate?
74. On the flip side, I do own both a lawn mower and a snow thrower. Nice, eh?
75. I am 100% German.
76. I tainted our gene pool by marrying Rachel.
77. The pros still heavily outweighed the cons. (love you babe!) Tainted genes = adorable daughter.
78. I actually really enjoy my job at FirstBank.
79. I have no problem taking huge tangential leaps from subject to subject.
80. I haven't had to sell anything in about 3 months and checks still keep coming in.
81. I am 30 and sometimes feel as though I am starting from scratch with my career.
82. In the morning, we are meeting Jay and Jenna at Le Peep for breakfast. I will probably order the Belgian Waffle...decidely more than 15 cents an ounce.
83. We have really enjoyed outside activities since moving to Colorado. We hike and sight-see and take long walks in the neighborhood.
84. I hate getting up at 5:45 (which I am doing every morning for the next 5 months or so)
85. I hate when people think they know more than they do. (unless it's me or mine)
86. I love getting together with family and friends and bbqing.
87. I love father-son time with my daddy over some cheap beer and many laughs.
88. I love that mom still tries to keep track of what her three kids like in meals and how she seems to be wrong more than right.
89. I love that my daughter gets a huge smile when I drive into the driveway.
90. I love that Rachel makes a point to take her walks with Aubrey when I am expected home.
91. I love God!
92. I love that He has blessed me and mine with prosperity, health, and love.
93. I love Homestarrunner.com. Strongbad's the MAN!
94. I love that I have friends who I can be myself around.
95. I love that some (hopefully most) people aren't offended or turned off by "myself"
96. My fingers are hurting and I am way past due to play with my wife. (CARDS)
97. I have a desire that people leave me in better shape than they were in when they came to me.
98. I love playing poker, especially Texas Hold 'Em.
99. I am a sucker for a video game...yes, I am one of "those" guys.
100. I talk first and think second!

Sheesh, there better be a lot of comments on this post. It took me almost an hour to type it after all. So open the flood gates.

Appliance Updates

1. The refrigerator is up and running. Apparently the fan was out that pushes air from the freezer to the refrigerator. If it was not under warranty the repair would have cost us $200. Did I mention we just bought the refrigerator back in December for $1500. I asked if it is common to have problems like this on a new refrigerator. He said YES! It happens all the time with the newer models. It's just ridiculous!

2. Our Samsung TV will be replaced since the part is on backorder with no release date in sight. We accepted the replacement model last Saturday. It has been ordered and not shipped. We are now at a full month of being without our TV. That also means Mike has been without his new X Box 360 since before our trip to CA. Samsung will be getting a letter from me, as this is also ridiculous. Doesn't Samsung make the Televisions? How hard is it to put a label on it and stick it on a truck? They act as if it is our fault the TV is broken and it isn't a time sensitive issue. Obviously we will never purchase a Samsung product again and we will do our best to make sure others don't as well. I don't mind the TV breaking, well I do, but I could easily get past it. I do mind the poor customer service.

I cannot sleep

So I have been in bed for forty-five minutes and I cannot fall asleep. Isn't that ridiculous? I haven't had caffeine since 6:30 am and I have been dead tired since about 4:00 pm! Why do things like this happen?

100th Post

Well, we've made it to the big time. We have actually posted 100 times! Just think, you have been crazy enough to follow along. While reading my sister-in-laws blog I learned you are suppose to share 100 things about you in this post. I'm not even sure I know 100 things about me, but I will give it a try.

1. I'm 28
2. Married
3. Have a daughter
4. Live in Colorado
5. Don't miss California
6. Have a pet cat named Tabitha
7. Used to have two pet rats in my adult years
8. That was one of the many dorm rules that I broke while in college
9. I used to go to a church called Rock Harbor, now I attend The Rock
10. I used to have blonde hair naturally
11. Now if I see a blonde strand I assume it's gray and pull it out.
12. I never know when to use gray or grey.
13. I started plucking my eye brows when I got married
14. Now I am stuck doing it the rest of my life even though they weren't bad to begin with.
15. I went to Hawaii on my honeymoon
16. I really want to go back
17. Our office is always messy
18. I hate hang to dry clothes, especially sweaters
19. I love brownies and all other sweets
20. Mountain Dew is my favorite soda
21. I'm excited about going to my HS reunion
22. Even though Mike cannot go with me
23. I drive a mini van
24. And love it
25. I usually don't shower until 10am
26. I hate doing laundry
27. In college I would just go shopping when I was low on underwear.
28. I prefer shopping alone
29. I have prices in my head as to what things should cost, if they are too much I keep walking
30. I am learning to love generic food. Go Kroger
31. I cannot decide if Aubrey should be drinking organic milk
32. I bought a one piece bathing suit for the first time since junior high
33. Excluding my summer work with youth
34. I'm starting to crave coffee in the morning
35. I got four mosquito bites in the last week
36. I think my husband is sexy in a suit
37. Both our cars are Hondas
38. I have a zoo membership
39. And one to the aquarium as well
40. I rarely blow dry my hair anymore
41. Or wear makeup
42. My fingers cramp up when I type
43. I used to teach elementary school
44. I miss it, but not enough to go back
45. I get really bored if I don't run errands during the day
46. I love taking morning walks with Aubrey.
47. I haven't been hiking since May
48. I love roller coasters, or at least I used to.
49. I used to go camping every year with my family
50. Mike and I still haven't been
51. I wear sandals in the kitchen because the floor always seems sticky no matter how often I clean it!
52. I love reality TV
53. Especially "So, You Think You Can Dance"
54. And "Survivor"
55. The last book I read was "The Abs Diet"
56. Before that it was "On Becoming Pottywise"
57. The last movie I saw was "Pride and Prejudice"- the one with Keira Knightly
58. I've been bungee jumping three times
59. I love the show "Clean Sweep" on TLC, more reality
60. I never thought I would leave California
61. I never thought I would live somewhere where it snowed
62. I know most of my neighbors by name
63. The women that is
64. I mean most of the women who live on my street, about fifteen houses or so
65. I am so happy we have internet
66. And Long Distance Coverage
67. I loved going on a cruise
68. I would like to go on a cruise to Alaska some day
69. I'm not a big fan of vacationing where I don't know the language
70. I like vacations to be more relaxing and less site seeing
71. I don't know if I would want to take our kids on big vacations with us
72. Whenever I cut bangs it is because I broke out on my forhead
73. I really mean "I" the hairdressers never get it right
74. I am on my fourth car.
75. One died and two were murdered.
76. I am glad I had full coverage
77. I think ironing is a waste of time unless it is to flatten a pocket or cuff
78. I've changed over 2000 diapers in the last 13 months
79. I'll probably change another 2000 before she is potty trained.
80. I go to bed around ten
81. Wake up at 6am
82. And feel tried all day
83. I should have a backyard to play in by mid-August
84. I enjoy fantasy books
85. And romantic comedies
86. When I was little I had an imaginary friend named Becky
87. She had an imaginary friend too, I couldn't see him though
88. I once had a cat named Rachel
89. And another named Baby Bucket Burber
90. I was at a first grade reading level in third grade
91. And a fifth grade reading level in fourth
92. I became a Christian in eighth grade
93. And went to a Christian college because I was afraid I wasn't strong enough in my faith without the accountability.
94. My college loans are paid off!
95. I have a cell phone
96. And use maybe ten minutes a month, and that is rounding up.
97. I hate call waiting, and only click over if Mike isn't home.
98. I've rarely worn my wedding ring in a year and a half because my fingers grew while I was pregnant and I kept thinking they will ungrow.
99. I usually sit Indian style even though I know it is bad for you
100. I'm a big procrastinator, but once I start something there is no stopping me!

The Weather Outside is Frightful!

Ok, actually, it is quite pleasant. I forgot to post some of the pictures of thunderstorms we've been "enjoying" in the last few months. It is pretty neat to have a storm roll through when it is still in the 80s.

This one rolled through on the 4th of July. It sounded worse than it looked and forced a lot of firework shows to be cancelled or started early.

This next one has not in any way been digitally altered or sepia filtered. It was one of the most eery skies I have ever seen. I thought the aliens were coming for sure.

Pretty neat, eh?

Saturday

Saturday was our Date Day and we decided to share it with Jay and Jenna! It was great. Aubrey spent the afternoon with the Valeriano's and the four of us saw Pirates of the Caribbean! It was so nice to see a movie on the big screen! The last movie I saw was Harry Potter, and I saw it alone. Mike and I did see Narnia in December, but that was the last time we went to the theater.

After the movie we picked up Aubrey, and Jay and Jenna came over for dinner, church, and a few rounds of Mille Bournes. What a nice evening. Jenna and I rocked the French Autobon(sp) and killed the boys buy over 4000 points. Needless to say, I do not think we will be playing that game again for a while! Aubrey also had a big day. She made it all the way through service without us being paged! I'm sure it helped that there were only three kids, but I'll take it. The best part of the evening was when Aubrey attacked Jenna with kisses. It was hilarious. Jenna must have received close to ten big wet ones. It's really rare for Aubrey to be so forward with someone she barely knows so we are definitely glad the Hoskinson's are here to stay!!!

...but I don't like bats

Last night we were walking Jay and Jenna out to their car and this is what I see just two feet from my front door. I know it's little, but it is a bat none the less. I'll post more about the weekend tomorrow. Right now I am off to watch a movie with my hubby!

I'm too excited to sleep!

We have a lot of fun in the evenings once Mike gets home. Last Friday, I was TRYING to get Aubrey ready for bed, but she had other plans. She was pacing back and forth while cracking up over her hat on her head. It was super cute and we were thrilled to have her in a good mood.

1st Bank of Littleton Presents

Here is Mike doing his catalogue pose for The Men's Warehouse. He got to spend $500 on new clothes for work. I don't know about you, but it kinda makes me want to get a job. He is really enjoying his job too. Weird!

He went to a grammar seminar the other day and came home and quizzed me, for hours! I'm serious, after we got in bed, he ran down stairs to get the pamphlet so we could talk about comma splices or appositive or something equally uninteresting. I absolutely hate grammar and my understanding ends at the fourth grade level. Not really, but I obviously have a little more knowledge there since I taught grammar everyday for five years. It's so weird for Mike to want to talk about work. He used to come home and say he didn't want to relive it when he was off. Now I know what it must have been like to hear me go on and on about how Bryant didn't put his name on his paper, or how Karina wore a play boy Bunny shirt to school on picture day.

Scandalous!

Michelle sent a package with some of Natalie's old clothes in it. This was one of the bathing suits. Seriously, Aubrey is quite scandalous in this number, and by the look on her face she is loving every moment of it! She is also without a swim diaper so she is pretty happy that she can hear her pee hit the water! Ewwww! She loves her little pool and thinks it is so fun to climb in and out. We went to the big pool today with Josiah. She wore a one piece because I don't want him to get any ideas! She had a blast sitting on the top step and splashing in the water. She then stood on the second step and I sat being her so she could get really wet! It was a nice break form the heat.

I was so tired last night

that I actually used Mike's toothbrush by mistake. For those of you that know me well, you realize how traumatic that was. I almost cried when I realized.

Technology bites! Cont...

So I truly do hate technology currently. Our TV is still not fixed. The part is on backorder with no date of when it will be available. Nice! The tech that I am working with is a super friendly guy and he is keeping me informed on the process. He actually put a request in yesterday for a brand new TV since he has three customers waiting on the same part. It's not a huge deal, but I like to put on a video for Aubrey when I am making dinner and I like having the TV on in the morning. If I want Aubrey to watch a video we need to be upstairs which makes making dinner impossible, since I haven't figured out how to cook in my bedroom.

Speaking of making dinner being impossible, we woke up this morning to a broken refrigerator. I didn't even know these things could break! The temp was up to 69 degrees at 7am. Milk anyone? The freezer is working thankfully, but ARE YOU KIDDING ME? So after 30 minutes and four different customer service reps I have a repair appointment for A WEEK FROM TOMORROW and if I don't happen to answer my phone during the 8 hour window I WILL BE PASSED BY AND HAVE TO RESCHEDULE! I politely (okay, after a half hour on hold I wasn't polite), asked what I should do with my stocked refrigerator in the meantime. I was advised to salvage what I could in a cooler, or to put a block of dry ice in the refrigerator and try not to open the door too frequently. She also asked me if I had been grocery shopping in the last 48 hours as if adding a few bags of groceries would raise the temperature by 31 degrees. I assured her that a gallon of milk and a few pieces of fruit were not the culprit! Mike and I did go to Costco on Saturday so I have huge bags of Spinach, Romaine, String Cheese, and a handfull of other items that take up a lot of space. Luckily, we do have a refrigerator in the garage that is packed full of soda, energy drinks, gatorade, and peach green tea so I was able to squeeze everything in there. What a pain for the next week.

I know, I know, there are people out there who would love to have my problems. They would be a welcomed relief from their current situation, but right now I just don't care. I am really mad that two HUGE purchases have broke after 7 months of ownership. My grandma still has the refrigerator she got when she go married! It's in her garage and probably takes hundreds of dollars to run a year, but it still works! What purchases have you made that turned out to be a disappointment? Please know that I will be over my anger soon, it's just not what I need as I am adjusting to being with Aubrey all day and night and rarely seeing my husband.

We're Moving

To the basement! Oh my goodness, it was 87 degrees upstairs while we were trying to sleep last night! Poor Aubrey, I don't know how she does it! Downstairs was about 82 last night, and our basement was around 70!!! Bingo! Aubrey will be in her pack and play and we will be on an air mattress until this heat wave passes us by. I will also be researching companies to put in our air conditioning after summer is over! All that Colorado has mild summers was a bunch of huey!

Crazy Weekend

Saturday evening, after Jay and Jenna went home, Mike sat at the computer to check his email. A friend of ours had sent an email about a one year old pure bred boxer who needed a home. Mike emailed her back and politely declined explaining that it just wasn't the right time in our lives for such a big commitment. On Sunday we got more of the story and found out that this dog was heading to the shelter on Monday morning. It's owners had split up and neither of them could take the dog. Mike and I started to feel something we aren't used to, compassion! So we spent the rest of the day on the internet researching boxers temperament, hyperactivity, ability to get along with other animal, and most importantly, lifespan (about ten years). We had pretty much planned on taking the dog on a trial basis since it was going to a shelter anyway. We felt two weeks would let us know if we were ready for a dog and give more opportunity for someone to take the dog free of charge.

We consulted some dog experts, Jenna, Ron, and Michelle and decided to slow down. Do we really want to get up to let a dog out to go to the bathroom? Do we have the energy to keep this dog from getting bored and tearing up our house inside and out? Do we want to create more problems with our cat? Do we want a dog in our newly landscaped backyard (by mid-August)? Do we want to be the ones to surrender it to a shelter if it isn't working out? Jenna felt a trial run was a good idea and gave us some good questions to ask about odedience training. Ron has a baby and two dogs and said if Peyton came first, the dogs wouldn't be there. Michelle has two dogs and two kids and she said that her dogs are neglected and her kids are too young to play with them, but in a few years they will be a great addition to the family.

So Mike and I decided not to meet the dog. We knew it would be too hard to meet him and walk away. A Boxer would be a great dog, but in about ten years. If we want a dog before then, a smaller bred with less energy would be more appropriate. Ron's last point was that if you take this dog, you've saved one. So if you really want a dog, save a dog that would be a better fit for your family. Also, due to this dog's breeding it won't be in a shelter long anyway. We think we will revisit the dog idea next Spring and see if there is still any desire. I do think a dog would be a nice addition someday, but probably when our children are in school and can really play with it and appreciate it.

The New Career!

So as many of you know, I switched jobs AGAIN last month. After an increasing lack of success with Allstate, I weighed my options, fielded offers, and decided to try my hand at management. I accepted a position as a management trainee with FirstBank in Littleton. FirstBank is a Colorado bank with a few branches in Palm Springs and soon to be expanding to Arizona. By no means the size of Bank of America or Washinton Mutual, the emphasis at FirstBank is truly placed on customer satisfaction and keeping a small town, "everybody knows your name" feel to banking.

With all that said, so far I LOVE it! There are many reasons why I almost find it odd that I am enjoying it so much. The main reason is that the initial training period is six months. During that time, I get no vacation time, don't get paid all that much and have to be at the branch from 7 am to 6:30 pm everyday. Tack on a 30 minute drive in each direction and that is over 60 hours of work a week. I have spent the last three weeks learning everything there is to know about being a teller. I work with an awesome and very helpful staff and am surprised how much actually goes into to performing the daily duties of a teller. I have one more week on "the line" before I move to the bookkeeping department, new accounts, compliance, security, loans, and just about everything else you can think of that a bank does. It is great that I will have the opportunity to learn about all the different areas of the bank. After the 6 months is over, I will be promoted to Bank Officer which comes with a pay raise and will continue to fine tune what I am learning now. A strange concept that I haven't truly figured out yet is that the people who are training me for the next six months are the same people I will be supervising once I am promoted. That is an interesting position to be in, let me tell you.

So long story short...oh, it's already long...I would still rather see more of Aubrey than the 30 minutes a night before she goes to bed, but I can really see myself being successful for the long term with this company not to mention the potential financial benefit of working for a bank with such bold growth initiatives. The best part though is that I haven't had to sell anyone anything for the last 6 weeks. Oh wait, that is just like working at Allstate. :)

Attachment

There are a few things that Aubrey is super attached to, and you get big tears if you take any of them away.

1. Any food left on her face after a meal. It was given to her and she would like to keep it.

2. Her finger and toe nails. She worked very hard at growing them and would like them left alone. Any attempt to remove nay part of them causes a big todo.

3. Last but not least, her poop! Again, she spent a lot of time and effort putting it in her diaper and would like it to be left alone. It's hers! She made it and wants to keep it!

Bird v. Cat

We have these crazy birds that are totally fearless. The second Tabitha steps on the back patio they begin to swoop down and dive bomb her. They yell and scream and tell her to get away. It is hilarious. The best part is that they still attack when she is inside near the door. A mother's love is endless, and these crazy birds are proof!

The "eat like a toddler" challenge

So after two great weeks in California I found myself tipping the scales a bit. The trip left me with 7 extra pounds, yuck! No wonder my clothes were so snug the last few days! Well, my weight has been something of a roller coaster for the last two years to be honest. After having Aubrey I lost 20 pounds in a matter of days and the last 7 took a lot of effort. Before I could get the last three off (which is normal if you are still breastfeeding I've been told) I got pregnant again. I stopped breastfeeding, ate healthy, and 6 weeks later found out we lost our baby. So... I did the only rational thing I could think of. I sat around and ate a lot of junk food! My body still thought it was pregnant so I had to keep all of that extra weight until week 14 when I finally had a negative test. So there I was. Heavier than ever and not fitting into my Spring clothes. I worked my butt off (and a few other things) on our Bowflex and lost 5 pounds in five weeks. I was now 5 pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight. Oh the cycle of it all. Then we left for California and I came back 10 whole pounds above my pre-pregnancy weight, again! I totally get how women get so big after having kids. They forget that they had a waist once upon a time! Where is that thing anyway? So that brings me to the title of this post.

I decided to eat like a toddler for a week. I only ate foods I would feed to Aubrey. I did have coffee a few mornings because it seems I have grown accustomed to the stuff. I lost four pounds in five days. That was pretty motivating so I have been doing it Monday through Friday the last two weeks as well. The weekends are my fun zone when I can eat what I want. Unfortunately, my body has grown accustomed to this and the whatever I want part totally made me sick on Saturday. I've lost another 3 pounds in the last two weeks. That is still encouraging since that 3 pounds have been there a lot longer and much more stubborn. Next week I am going to incorporate the Bowflex back into my life and see how it goes. Who knows? Maybe I will get back to my pre-pregnancy weight this year, and all of those capris hanging in my closet. I miss them so much!!!

Kid Swap

So Danielle and I get together about once a week for the kids to play. Fine, lets be realistic, Danielle and I get together once a week to get coffee, hang out by the pool, or just chat, we let our kids hang out too. Needless to say, besides Mike and I, Danielle is the most familiar adult in Aubrey's life. Aubrey lights up when we get to their house and has no problem plopping down in her lap for some good cuddles!

Danielle and I actually pulled out a calendar, instead of just talking about it, and planned two date night each for July. We each planned an afternoon and evening date. Our kids are extremely scheduled and we know that the falling asleep at someone else's house may be traumatic, but...

Anyway, yesterday was Mike and my date afternoon. Mike and I decided to go to Del Taco for lunch (I know, it doesn't sound like much, but it is twenty minutes away and my favorite junk food) and then go bowling. What we didn't realize was that Sunday is the prime time to have a bowling birthday party and for some reason it was "glow bowl" and the music was so loud you couldn't even talk. AND, there was an hour wait for a lane. So, we decided to check out the movie theater instead. Wouldn't you know it, we got there 10 minutes after all the start times for movies we wanted to see! It was raining and not a good day to walk around town or take a hike (which were both things we had on our list of options) so we just picked up Aubrey and went home. So our BIG date consisted of going to Del Taco! Man, we suck at this. So next time we will be better prepared for sure.

We did make the most of it though. We put Aubrey down for a nap when we got home and played a round a Rummy. Mike was the first one to 1000 points. Well, we both got to 1000 at the same time, but he had the better overall score. We finished the night by watching Munich, which was really slow and depressing. I guess we knew that going into it though. I kept asking him, "Are you liking this movie?" because it is now on my list of 'never agains'. All in all, we made the best of a bad situation and will do much better next time.

4th of July

We had a fairly uneventful fourth. We watched a few movies, Aubrey played in her pool. Well, she actually cried because the water was a little cold and she couldn't figure out why we were doing that to her. Oops! We bbq'd some pork chops and watched a neighboring cities firework show from our window. That's the crazy thing about clean air, you can actually see a neighboring city's sky! Then a pretty nasty thunderstorm rolled in and canceled most cities firework displays. Then we watched Storm Stories on the Travel Channel. At least it will be easy to top next year!!!

technology bites!

1. so i tried to respond to Kevin's comments yesterday and for some reason my comments never posted even though they said they did! they were long too!

2. our 6 month old TV is having trouble. it won't turn on!!! it is probably the lamp which does need to be replaced occasionally,.. but after 6 months? That sure adds to the price of the TV twice a year. I do have the TV on during the day when I am not really watching it though. I'll have the today show on while I'm cleaning and if a story catches my interest I watch it. No more of that I suppose! I get to call customer support today to see if they can confirm the problem and pay for the repair. 10 bucks says I end up calling India!

3. i needed to fax something to our potential landscaper this morning. The fax machine says "check cover" what cover? it doesn't even have a cover? so i called customer support to ask what that meant and they wanted me to have my credit card ready to pay for the answer to my question since it is over 6 months old! what?!? i need a credit card to ask a question. no thanks Panasonic!

4. i decided to scan the document and email it. I have never used our scanner though. mike keeps everything on the desktop so i looked for the software. not there. so i looked through out start menu. not there. so i ran a search. 4 matches, all of which said that our scanner wasn't compatible with our computer. hello! mike just used it a few weeks ago! so i ran a search with another word and finally found the software. so, i scanned, attached, emailed. i had three options of how I wanted it saved so i am sure i picked the wrong one. i picked jpg, but...

5. last night while i was trying to talk to tammi, her cell phone kept ending the call even though she had enough battery!

i'm a little frustrated to say the least. and all of this before breakfast! technology is the devil!

Leaps and Bounds

Aubrey's one year old status has made her quite proud. I guess she feels it is a lot to live up to, because she learned a lot this past week. She finally stated saying "dada" and something close to "daddy" she also says "kitty" and looks for Tabitha. She may have said "Tabby" yesterday too, but we would have needed a rewind button to know for sure. She says "Jesus" (she has no idea that she is saying Jesus though, it is just part of her babble and sounds more like 'G--jus') Speaking of babble, she is babbling a lot!

She can sort squares, circles, triangles, and stars into the correct place. She isn't the quickest though, if a circle fit last time she wants to put the square in the same hole! After many failed attempts she tries another spot. She can put the rings on the ring thingy, not in order. She also puts all of the animals into the ark and then takes them out again. She loves sucking on the elephants head too!

She is also learning animal sounds. She can roar like a tiger. This is only after I do it, while I am reading her "The Tiger's Roar," but we are working on it. She often barks when she sees a dog too.

We are trying to teach her body parts. Occasionally when I ask her where Cookie Monster's eyes are she will touch them. His eyes are the size of golf balls however, so that might have something to do with it :) yesterday, Mike asked her where her nose was and she put her hand on her nose. She wouldn't repeat it though. Hmm.... Are we those parents who think our kid is a genius when she only has a booger that she is trying to get? Maybe, but who cares!

Oh, and my favorite. She is very obedient. Yesterday, Mike kept asking for a toy she was playing with. She would hand it to him and start to cry. He would give it back, she would stop crying, he would ask her for it again, she would give it to him, start crying,... This went on for ten minutes. I was rolling on the floor laughing. It's neat to see her do things because we said even when she doesn't want to.

It's amazing what you notice when your husband is at work 12.5 hours a day! That's right, 12.5 hours!!!

Board Games

Mike and I recently started playing board games in the evening. Since we only see each other a few hours a night now, watching TV seems like a waste of time. A few nights a week we retreat to our formal dining room for a game of Monopoly. It works out well, since that is a room never used (3 times so far) for eating, we can leave the game out and finish another night. Mike kicked my butt twice, then I won and we are in the middle of our fourth game. It looks like a definite win for me since I own more properties, the utilities, and all four railroads. Neither of us secured a monopoly on properties you can build on though. I think to spice things up we will trade some properties so we can actually buy houses and stuff. I might end up losing, but it would be a lot more fun that spending ten more hours limping around the board.

Most games seem like you need more people to have a good game. What is your favorite board game? What games do you like that are fun with only two people?