The Finish Line

We have finally crossed it! The glorious finish line at the end of the semester!!!!! Jason completed his Associates of Arts degree and I will finish my AofA next semester. Jason is waiting for me to finish my last semester and we'll graduate together in May - YAY!!!!! We'll move on to the next chapter of our lives already in progress, lol.

This pregnancy has been an absolute BREEZE! Seriously, I couldn't have asked for a better first trimester. No nausea and no running to the toilet - my two least favorite parts of pregnancy. I've been tired but that's really been about it. Honestly, the only difference is the fact that I'm in shape this time around and continue to keep up an exercise routine. I wake up early every morning (a challenge on it's own when I'm pregnant) and get an exercise in. Working out in the morning works great for me because I'm up before the kids, getting some me time and honestly, first thing in the morning, I'm too tired to argue with myself about not working out LOL! I feel good about my weight so far and hope I can stay motivated. We had our first ultrasound on November 19th and the baby was looking great! Heart rate was 180 and baby was only measuring 3 days small so we were pleased. My due date was set for July 3rd but since my other two were 2 weeks late, that'll put me closer to July 17th - my little brother's 16th birthday! What a present for him ; ). David is very excited about the baby. Ainzley doesn't really get it - every time we talk about the baby, she runs to her room and gets her favorite baby doll, lol. Jason and I think the baby is a boy. We won't find out for another 8 weeks and have a great gender reveal planned!

I don't have too much else to say right now. We're getting very excited to celebrate Christmas with our families next week. We have so many fun activities planned : )

Just a short update

My oh my how I have neglected my blog!! My sincerest apologies. This semester has been kicking my butt! It's been far too many years since I was enrolled full time - and I've NEVER been enrolled full time in online classes. I've been trudging through happily leaving myself only two classes to complete in the spring before I graduate : ). Jason's work is going amazingly. I would say he has successfully learned how to be a salesman and amazes me how good he is, lol. David is doing well. Last month, we learned he has OCD and some sort of sensory processing disorder. We're currently working on seeing a specialist for a more defined diagnosis but until then, we're learning all we can and are just enjoying him. We know he was given this special quality for us all to learn and he's really doing well with the new info we're able to help him with. Ainzley is simply amazing. Her vocabulary is so broad and her little personality is so big. It's so fun to see her and David (who she calls "the boy") play together. She gets so excited when "the boy" gets home from school or wakes up from his nap - she runs right over to him and gives him the biggest hug. My kids just melt my heart. We also recently found out a couple of weeks ago that we are expecting our third! The new baby is due late June or early July 2013. This will probably be our last so I'm just enjoying every moment of pregnancy. So far, my pregnancy has been delightfully uneventful. I've been tired and get an uneasy tummy when I go too long between meals but other than that, I give it two thumbs up : )

So, here we are. Still working hard and playing hard and enjoying each other. More to come after I crawl out from under this school semester

Holy Wow!! It's been FOREVER since I've updated!!! What can I say, it's been a busy summer! We're relocated and (temporarily) settled into our rental home. Jason's new job has been going really well! We got off to a slow start but things have really started started taking off for us in the last couple of weeks : )

The kids are doing AMAZINGLY! They really love all the grandparent time they've been able to get in while we've been here. David starts preschool next Thursday which is absolutely crazy to me - how on earth do I have a kiddo old enough for that!?!? Ainzley is growing and has a HUGE vocabulary!

As for me, I'm working again. Well, I work for Jason. I'm the Office Manager/Administrative Assistant/Quote Runner... basically, I do everything except initial client contact and presentations. I work from home so I do it all with the kids in tow until we have enough clientele to warrant hiring an outside person.

Jason and I are enrolled in school for the fall - me with 12 hours and him with his last 6 (I have 7 more to finish in the spring before I graduate). We're very excited to finally have degrees! I'll continue on to my bachelors but Jason is going to stop (for now) and focus on building the business.

Overall, things are going amazingly for us. We are feeling so blessed and optimistic right now. We really feel like we can do it all! : )

Moved and settling

So we're all moved. Well, I had to say "all" moved because we still have some stuff sitting at our old house but we'll be swinging by to pick up the last few things. What a move it was!!! We clearly could not fit everything we had in the truck/ car. We still have some cleaning and paint touch ups to do and somehow we have to bring our fridge to St. Louis but seeing that we're all here and settling in, that will do for now : )

Ugh... burgled... again

Last night was quite eventful. I was in some pain around bed time so I took a Vicodin to relieve the pain and help me sleep... this was around 10:30 and I fell asleep around 11:15. Jason was studying for his insurance license test and went to bed around 1am. Around 1:45, I thought I heard someone banging on our door. Usually, I wouldn't have to wonder if it were real or not but because of the Vicodin, the lines between dreams and reality were pretty fuzzy. When I heard it louder (people banging on both the front and back doors), I knew it was real... which meant something was wrong. Jason got to to the back door to find our neighbor who informed us that Jason's scooter had been stolen. Our neighbor had called 911 on his cell phone while trying to wake us up. He handed Jason the phone, got in his car and took off after the thieves. A few moments later while Jason was still on the phone with 911, I heard Jason's scooter start (not in sight... because it's been upgraded, it has a distinct running noise) and moments after that we saw the lights of a police car turn on maybe 3 blocks down the street.

Apparently, our neighbors are night owls for which I am very grateful. A lady that lives (or maybe was just visiting) next door was outside smoking in the dark when she saw the thieves walk up to our place. I guess it didn't click to her that they were stealing something until after they left when she got the other two guys out of the house which is when they came and woke us up. We found our lawn mower in the alley behind our house which is where they ditched it to come back and get it later. They rolled the scooter down the street and hot wired it which is when I heard it start. Jason had forgotten to put the wheel lock on it obviously. They also carried our weed eater with them. We got everything back. There is some damage to the scooter from them breaking open the front cover to hot wire it but Jason fixed the wiring they pulled apart so it drives just fine.

The whole event was over by 2:20 am including filing the police report and getting our stuff home. There were three guys arrested and taken to jail. Jason plans to prosecute them. The policeman who seemed to be the primary guy says he recognized one of the men arrested which makes me sad for him but then just makes me angrier. Seriously, we work hard for the things we have (as do most people) and this guy has been arrested multiple times for being an overall lazy bum.

I was pretty shaken up by the combination of an abrupt awakening, being robbed AGAIN and having taken a Vicodin. I didn't really get back to sleep last night so here I am absolutely exhausted and needing to make the most of today in preparation for our move... in SEVEN days. Which somehow makes me just a little angrier at the thieves, lol. Jason is at work all day today, I'll be packing and baking cookies for our neighbors. Cookies hardly seem like a good enough reward for their quick action (and helping us getting back nearly $2000 worth of merchandise) but I'm sure they're not expecting anything anyway... right? lol

Have I mentioned how ready to move I actually am? Our neighborhood isn't on the awful end of the crime spectrum despite us being robbed three times in the last year. The first time was when someone stole our hose and nozzle before we even moved in... not really a big deal. The second time was our car and now this. Yep, ready for a change. Sorry this is kind of rambling but I'm tired, lol

Happenings

Well, I guess I'll start with Mother's Day. Mother's Day started fantastically. Jason got the kids up, changed, dressed, made them breakfast and all while I was just chilling in bed. It was glorious. I'm going to be honest: I did not want to go to church on Mother's Day. It's not that I don't love church but lately, church is a fight to get through. David cannot sit through Sacrament meeting and Ainzley is walking now so she doesn't want to sit anywhere for any length of time. David gets to go to the magical land of nursery but Ainzley doesn't yet so she spends the next two hours wiggling everywhere and fighting me because she's exhausted thanks to church being during lunch and nap time. So yes, the one thing I actually asked for was to not go to church. Shame on me.
So we went for a drive after breakfast. Then we had lunch and the kids took naps. Oh, did I mention I didn't have to change any diapers up to this point? I didn't? Well, you should know that, too : ) I got a fantastic back massage during nap time and then continued to lay around in bed. Jason was studying for his insurance license exam and started feeling yucky. So he decided to lay in bed while I cooked dinner which I didn't really mind. The kids woke up, we ate dinner, hung out and then Jason got sick - stomach flu : ( So Mother's Day ended pretty much the same as any other day except that I was taking care of a sick husband, too. So I ended my day by making a single serve coffee cake in the microwave and went to bed... and it was glorious : )

So, since Mother's Day, Jason and I finished our semester and are out for the summer. It's been so great! Jason brought it to my attention that I am truly a stay at home mom for a few months which I just love thinking about. I get to do nothing but play with my kids. oh, and move across the state in two weeks from today... yeaaahh, lol. But we are very excited about the move and the new job and our upcoming Branson vacation. In the mean time, I'm working my booty off finishing sewing projects and packing and playing with my kids. I've found that when I'm not stressed about school, I can be the kind of mommy I always wanted to be. Doing super fun stuff with my kids in between the errands and laundry, lol. Today, I took one of the biggest boxes I could find (intended for our move of course but I'll replace it) and two strands of Christmas lights. I spent 20 minutes poking the light bulbs through the box then plugged the strands into the wall... It was magic. David now keeps taking about how excited he is for Christmas (aren't we all, son : )) and Ainzley keeps talking about the "pretties". I love the fun, creative moments I get to spend with my kids  : )

It's Official!!!

We're moving! JASON GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!! :):):):):) We are beyond excited! So, Jason will be an agent for Farmer's Insurance in the St. Louis area. He gets to open his own agency, hire staff and be the boss man, lol. I don't think we could be more excited right now. So, Jason's working on getting his insurance license, we're waiting on the ok from his big background check and then we'll be out of here. Oh yeah, and selling our house... still working on that but it's competitively priced and move in ready. The market in our neighborhood/city is actually really good so we're hoping for a quick sell. Fingers crossed!! :)

MIA

Hello dear readers,
I'm so sorry I've been absent for awhile - it's been a crazy few weeks! Firstly, we have decided to move. We're selling our house and moving back to St. Louis. We are so excited about it! Secondly, Jason has been working so hard on getting a new job. We found an incredible opportunity and he got an interview... and then a second interview... and has a third interview in just over a week! We have been driving all over the state lately and haven't had a weekend at home in forever. The third interview is where I get interviewed (imagine my joy about that! ;)) and where a job will be offered. I can't believe we're moving after only having lived in our house for a year, but buying this house has given us lots of learning opportunities and a good amount of equity so fingers crossed for a quick selling process!

That's all for now... I'll be sure to update when we know more :)

House pictures

Living Room


Dining Room

Master Bedroom


Master Closet

Master Bathroom





Pantry


Back Hallway - the folding doors on the right is the laundry room

Guest Bathroom featuring the penny floor :)





Upstairs storage closet

Upstairs Bathroom



Loft area






Main floor guest room


Main floor guest closet

Beautiful 2750 sq ft, 2 story home on corner lot. 11 foot tall ceilings. Features 4 LARGE bedrooms with large walk-in closets and 3 spacious baths. Original hardwood floors in living and dining rooms. Brand new carpet in the master and guest bedrooms on the main floor. Wainscoting in dining room. Upgraded kitchen with oak cabinets, new countertops and stainless steel appliances. Guest bathroom on main floor features a penny floor, modern countertop and spacious shower. Extra wide staircase to upstairs. Second story has loft living space with vaulted ceilings. 1st bedroom is HUGE with an extra large closet to match. Room also has vaulted ceilings. 2nd upstairs bedroom features architecturally interesting ceilings with walk in closet. 3rd bathroom is also upstairs. Energy efficient windows throughout. Lot size is 11,000 sq ft with large privacy fenced back yard.

My heart is a little heavy right now :(

Nursing school is going to be put on hold until the fall... again. Things just aren't working out for it right now. I was really hoping otherwise, but, it's just not happening.

We do have the opportunity to go to California for the summer for a job for Jason. It will allow him to make 2/3 of his annual salary in about 3 months so that when he does go back to nursing school, he'll be able to spend more time studying. It sounds like a great opportunity though it will be a hard 3 months. We're still deciding if we're going to go. Right now, we're not sure where we belong and it's tough. I think that's what I'm struggling with the most is finding what we need to be doing. We've been praying about it for awhile now and still don't feel prompted toward anything.

On the bright side, the kids' birthdays are next week. I'm pretty excited! Jason has to work all day on David's birthday but not on Ainzley's so we're going to celebrate them both on Monday. I'm really looking forward to having some great fun with them :)

I thought I'd do a quick family update :)

School is in full swing! Jason and I are in the same 2 online classes as well as Jason's seated Microbiology class and I've got an additional online class. We've been having lots of computer problems so it's not exactly been easy but we're getting through it. Jason's doing well at work and I'm still home with the kids. I'm considering getting a part time job (like, 8 hours a week, lol) once Ainzley's weaned so I can get out of the house for a little while... but we'll see.

We're still working hard on the house. Yesterday we took up the old ceramic tile in the back entryway, guest bathroom, laundry room and coat closet and put down laminate wood flooring. It looks fantastic but the wood was slightly warped so it didn't install exactly right. I'm going to all the company and see about getting some of the money back. We also have the tile picked out for out master bath remodel - wahoo! We're still deciding exactly what we want to do with the garden tub, though so we haven't started demo or anything. And we're having carpet installed in the bedrooms on the main floor next monday! Things are coming along. Oh! and I've picked out a playset I want for the kids so I'm just waiting to see if I can get a better price at the lawn and garden show and if not, I'll order it and we'll be set :)

The kids' birthdays are next month and I cannot believe it! David will be THREE and Ainzley will be ONE - where has the time gone?!?! My kiddos are growing up so fast! David is just so amazing. He loves watching Backyardigans, riding his bike and playing with his puppy. Ainzley is a crawling maniac and can stand up now, too. She says mama, dada, baba (bye bye) and LOTS of other random noises, lol. She folds her arms when we get ready to pray, waves bye bye and covers her mouth and her ear when we play peek-a-boo. She just cut her 8th tooth and had a rally hard time with it. Probably because she was fighting a cold at the same time.

We are just having a terrific time lately. The weather has been great. We're making progress on the house, in school and the kids are growing! Keep checking for more exciting updates :)

"Make me up! Before you go go..."

I hope that song is now stuck in your head as it is mine :)

Anyway, I changed the first lyric to represent my blog subject... catchy, right? ;)

Today I had to run errands with the kids while Jason was at work. We woke up, had breakfast with Daddy before he had to go to work, then I started diaper laundry, cleaned up the kitchen and we were out the door! Just to WalMart for some groceries... no big deal. I was on my way to the kitchen gadgets when I passed a mirror in home goods and realized I hadn't put on make up this morning. I continued on my way wondering how long it's been since I did my make up. A few days? A week maybe?? I was sick on Sunday so I didn't make it to church therefore no reason for make up... hmmm... even now my best guess is almost a week and a half since the Sunday before last when we did go to church and we had our game night that evening.

When I was younger, I did my make up every day. I enjoyed doing it. Watching the transformation - seeing myself beneath but changing my features. LOTS of make up for show choir and pageants. Maybe some foundation and eye shadow for church. Now, make up is one of the least important things. Obviously, it rarely crossed my radar, lol. Being married to a man who tells me I'm beautiful EVERY DAY is wonderful. Sure he likes it when I do my make up, but he has no idea what his small words do for my self confidence.

I sure do love that man :)

The best of the best

This weekend, my amazing friend came to visit me. We have been close since we both started college (where we met) and I joined the church. She was my maid of honor at my wedding and we were practically inseparable. I considered her to be my best friend for a long time.... After this weekend, I'm not so sure I can call her that any more. We have done quite a bit of growing apart and both admittedly suck at staying in touch, lol. After I left Springfield, I met my husband, got married, had kids and have this amazing new life. My friend is still in college and is very successful with her job. Not that either of those is better than the other, they're just very different. During our visit this weekend, this realization came to me and I almost cried. We're both happy with where we are individually so I wouldn't wish to change that, I just hope we can do a better job staying in touch.

I feel like I'm struggling in several relationships right now. (Thankfully, my marriage is NOT one of them :)) I feel like family doesn't understand me and they're too preoccupied to care. I feel disconnected from my son sometimes. He's going through the "terrible two" phase and try as I might I just can't seem to get through to him. There is no feeling worse than being a mother and not knowing how to help your child. Socially, I feel like the odd one out more often than not which isn't helped by my introverted-ness, lol

A bright and shining moment amongst this mess of mumbling is I realized just how close I've grown to Jason. It's cliche to say your husband is your best friend, but it's the truest it's ever been. I've always relied on Jason. I knew he'd always be there for me, always care, always take care of me... but I'd save all my "girlie talk" so to speak, for my best friend. I realize I've been having that with Jason as well, lol. I LOVE that Jason is my best friend (or maybe that I've only just now realized it). I can't believe we've been married for more than four years. Every moment has been amazing and a learning experience. What a journey I've been having with my BEST friend. I can't wait to see where we go next! :)

First Snow Day of 2012

Why hello snow! Long time no see! Today we have been taking it easy. Jason had to go to work but the kids and I are taking it easy. We're still in our PJ's, David is watching Bee Movie for the second time today, and Ainzley and I are hanging out on the living room floor. Jason and I are giving talks in church this Sunday so I need to work on that but other than that, I don't have much planned for today.

School starts next Tuesday and we're getting geared up for that. Jason is questioning whether or not he wants to go back to nursing school... We waited for so long for him to get in and were THRILLED when it happened, but he feels completely unsupported by his teachers. One in particular has made it very obvious she doesn't like him and no one in the program seems to understand how she grades (two people will have the same answers and one will get it right while the other is marked wrong... people have had answers directly from the book and she will say it's wrong...) He's just not happy. We'll see where we are in March (when his classes are supposed to start again). He's decided to apply for his BSN (which is two "steps" ahead of where he would be if he stuck it out with his current program) at another school and hopefully get into their program starting in June. A friend of ours from our last ward is in the program right now and has absolutely wonderful things to say about the teachers, program, etc. So right now, we're just reviewing our options and praying about it.

That's about all that's going on for us right now... just hanging out and deciding what to do with our lives :)