Monday, August 31, 2009

Hangin' it up!


I woke up this morning to silence- no alarm clock buzzing for the fifth time to finally shake me out of bed. 9:01 came and went and my phone stayed silent- no boss calling to find out why I wasn't at work yet. It was the first Monday morning in quite sometime that I sat down to eat breakfast with my family without having to calculate in my head how fast I had to shove my cereal down so I could beat the traffic up Redwood Road.
That's right- I am finally hanging it up. Calling it a day, throwin' in the towel, and any other cliched phrase you can think of. I quit. I am starting a new phase in my life- the full time mom stage. A stage that I have been praying for years to experience but now that it is here, I am completely nervous. I watch these perfect moms in my neighborhood get their visiting teaching done the first week of the month, scrapbook, cook, clean, sew and my excuse it always that I work and on my days off I just want to spend time with my kids. Well... my excuse is gone and if you think that I am going to wake up tomorrow as the new and improved Mary Poppins, you've got another thing coming. It is going to be really weird not working. From now on instead of being paid with paychecks and bonuses, I will be paid with bear hugs and wet kisses. Instead of approving loans, I will be approving treat choices and mismatched outfits. Instead of negotiating loan terms, I will be negotiating bedtimes. Instead of teaching people of finances and credit, I will be teaching ABC's and 123. I am starting to feel that I didn't quit a job to just stay home- I feel like I promoted up to a much bigger job. I am thrilled to spend time with my babies. I am aware of every moment that they grow and change and now I will be there for every second.

To my friends at work: As excited as I am to be at home, I will truly miss you. I keep telling Jake that as happy as I am, it broke my heart to lock that gate for the last time. It wouldn't be so hard if I didn't love you guys so much. I had a boss that would work with me no matter what kind of fiasco I had that day. I had friends that I got attached to so fast. I hope they don't become those friends that I lose contact with and never talk to- You guys mean more to me than to let that happen. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You will never know how much I enjoyed laughing with you every day.




Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Mason's first haircut

I have been ignoring the fact that Mason needs a haircut for awhile now. I think I have just been intimidated by the whole idea. Tylie was a girl so I never had to worry about haircuts. I would cheer for every inch that I got because that meant I was that much closer to cute ponytails, curls, bows and braids. When Mason started to look more like Cousin It rather than my baby boy, I decided that it can't get any worse. I whipped out Jake's clippers and went to work.
Before:

The damage:

And after:
Not too bad. A little short but still adorable.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

I Gave In!

I guess I am trying to hold on to my youth, trying to prove that I am still "up with the times". I am fully aware that I am married with two children but I don't think that I should suddenly have to throw on a floor length dress, apron, and bonnet and spend my days grinding flour and milking cows. I still like to get dressed up once in a while, put on a pair of stilettos and go out like an independent woman. I do not consider myself old, just mature. The other day I was at work and my coworkers were talking to me about "facebook" and wondering why I don't have my own "page". This seems to be quite the common question as of lately. Every where I turn there seems to be an invitation, announcement, party that I am missing out on because I did not get it on facebook. It is not that I have anything against it but I only have so much time in the day and I am afraid to become too bogged down in this new "my life via Internet" phase everyone seems to be passing through. I just think that I have to draw the line somewhere. Maybe it is this new attitude that we all have. We all think that we are so interesting and the rest of the world really does want to know what time I vacuumed my floor, what I ate for breakfast, and how many times I had to change mason's diaper in one day. I am not bagging on anyone, I do it myself. I just try to hold to it the funny stories of my everyday life instead of the mundane details. I am afraid if I do this blog, get a facebook page, log on to twitter, and continue to check my emails you will all be very aware of what I am doing but it will just be updates about how many movies Tylie had watched in a day and how long I can push Mason in between meals (which is not long!) because I am just sitting in front of a computer in a daze trying to keep up with it all. It is a delicate balance being an independent woman and a mom, a feather can throw the whole thing off. I was feeling good about all this justification UNTIL this kid at work took all the wind right out of my sails. I was rambling on about why I don't want a page and how my blog is enough and this was his response. " Oh, you have a blog. That makes sense. You are a mom. That is what moms do. They leave the social world and go to a blog where they can go on and on about the stupid things their kids do that none of us really care about." EXCUSE ME! Suddenly I felt like I should get out of my chair, grab my shawl and cane, whack him over the head with my purse and drive my Cadillac home to sulk. I felt so OLD! So I finally broke down and got a facebook page. How is that for independent woman? Giving in to some punk that still thinks it's cool to leave a bag of crap on a porch and ring the doorbell. I don't know for sure what I am going to do with it but now when someone asks if I have one I can answer with a resounding yes. I don't know what I have started though. Now I suddenly feel this pressure to get "friends". When is it going to end? I have searched for some friends and sent out some invites to people I feel I know well and wouldn't question why I found them. I am trying hard not to turn into a stalker, I think blog stalker is about my limit. Please when I post my first comment about tylie hitting double digits on Disney movies in one day, come steal my computer monitor and my keyboard. Believe me, you will only me doing me a favor!

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Another milestone down...

After a long week of wedding, BBQ's, playing with family, and utter sickness I am relieved to sit at the computer and reflect on the whole experience. Last Sunday, as I was tucking Tylie in bed for the night, I explained to her that we were going to have a very busy week and she needed to get as much rest as possible to be ready for what we ahead. I quietly rehearsed into her ear all the fun things that we were going to do and the family we were going to see. As she drifted off to sleep, I had painted a beautiful picture that she could dream to. I did not realize that in the midst of the beautiful dream would be a black streak in the form of the flu staining all of our fun events.
Josh got married on Thursday so the beginning of the week had our calenders packed with final details, hair appointments, and pedicures. We had every bow ready, every vendor prepared, and every piece of clothing nicely ironed and hung neatly in our closets. All that was left to do was wait for Thursday to arrive. Wednesday morning woke me up in the wee early hours of the morning running for the toilet. My stomach was in knots and was not willing to hold anything for more that 20 minutes. If I put something down, it pushed it right back up. Terrified that I was going to be sick for the wedding, I vowed to cancel all appointments and nurse myself back to health. Never before had I wished for the "24 hour" flu to be a bold and true statement. Jake stayed home in the morning and then I called my mom to see if she could take the kids in the afternoon so I could rest. When she answered, things only got worse. She told me that she had been up all night with the same thing and was feeling worse than I was. Heather was left to take care of any final details left for the wedding and all that we could do was pray for health. Thank goodness to my wonderful friend who whisked the kids away without me even asking (thank you Kat!) and my sister in law who took them until Jake got home late, I was able to rest and was feeling, well.... not the best, but I could at least function for the wedding. The wedding was beautiful and we are thrilled to have Kathryn in our family. She is the best thing that ever happened to him and I will probably remind him of that the rest of his life. We came home after a long night and collapsed in our beds. Jake, unfortunately, woke up at 4:30 that morning in the same state I had been just a few nights before. So, thank you to my wonderful co-workers, I was able to take a sick day and regain my strength and try to get Jake back on his feet. Just when I think that we are about back to the living, Tylie starts the process Friday night. Saturday brought another sick day and here I am today. I pray that nobody I have been around the last few day gets this sickness. I would feel absolutely awful because it is one of the worst cases of the flu I have had in a long time. If any of you do, please know that my cell phone is on and all it takes is one call and a pot of chicken soup will be on the way.
Our lesson in Relief Society today was on friendship and as I reflect on this weekend and all that had transpired, I can't help but feel truly blessed for the friends in my life, both past and present. Sometimes I do regret not staying closer to those who are no longer so prevalent in my life but as they said in the lesson- people are placed in our lives at certain times for certain reasons and we need to embrace them while they are there. There are people in my life that I will hold dear forever for the imprint the have left on me and I hope that they know how much I love them. A young women leader I had as a Mia Maid taught me patience and how to love unconditionally. My assistant manager at one of my jobs taught me how to be strong and pick up the pieces when all seems to be lost. My manager in California taught me how to reach across religious lines and see people for the goodness they have inside. She was the beginning of teaching me how to love California and really made me feel at home in a foreign place. My friend that I lived next to my entire life who I have a bond with that no amount of distance can break. And my neighbors now who are willing to come over at 10:30 at night to give my baby girl a blessing when it is the only thing left that I can think of to do. I appreciate the people in my life and adore them for who they are. I only pray that I can bless their lives in the way that they have blessed mine.
Now for a few pictures for the special day...








Monday, August 3, 2009

Family Reunion

We had a family reunion this weekend and I am so sad that it is already over. Tylie absolutely loves to play with her cousins and just did not think that two days was long enough. I was lucky enough to catch a few of the moments of fun......


Yup! That is my sexy man. He deserves to be put on the blog for ruining my cute picture.

Don't worry, they both returned alive.


First time bowling

Mason missed his morning nap and I paid for it dearly!

Do you think Jake could pose normal for at least one picture?

The happy couple. We can't wait for Kat to join our family.