If this doesn't make you laugh...

Whatcha Think?

Did a little redesign to the blog...I am kind of digging it.  Feeling like little miss blogger for figuring out how to customize my background from a third party website.  I know, I know...this is child's play for some but honestly this is a huge step for me!  And the real bonus is that it didn't take me all night to get it done! Hooray...now I can read a bit before bedtime...goodnight.

Word of the Day...Snot!

So I guess it comes with being a Mom during cold and flu season...snot!  This morning Avery woke up with a virus of some sort - who knows where she got it or how long it will last but boy, it is here now.  Without being too graphic, let me say that the amount of snot that my beautiful little girl is producing is downright prolific!  I am not even joking when I say that I am literally wiping her nose every 2 to 3 minutes!  The best part is that since Miss Avery is still perfecting the art of wiping her own nose, I get to hear her summon me by calling our "SNOT!" whenever she needs assistance.  Which as I may have mentioned before is like every couple of minutes.  I could do as my husband suggests and just let her wipe her own nose...but I am just too grossed by the outcome because 9 times out of 10 instead of wiping her nose with a Kleenex she will just use her arm instead.  This results in a little girl with snot on her arm and smeared all across her face starting at her nose...not a pretty picture.  For now, I am arming myself with fistfuls of tissue and praying that this bug decides to leave our house as quickly as it came.  Fingers crossed!    

Procrastination!

That seems to be the name of the game when it comes to my blog.  Heck...if I am being honest it's a way of life around here...always putting something aside to do something else.  But when it comes to my blog, it has proven to be especially true.  I always say that I am going to write today and then today becomes tomorrow and then before you know it...well, just look at the date of my last post and you can see for yourself.  Almost a year since my last post...one year people!  I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I can assure you that it will not be that long between posts this time.  I promise!  I just have to make blogging  a part of my routine and soon it will be like no big deal, right?  I am inspired by reading my friend's blogs - and I already had this blog all set up and ready to go so what exactly am I waiting for?  Tonight I logged back in for the first time in a long time and made some revisions to my layout (hope you like them) and now it is all systems go.  There really no excuse for me now to do it anymore.  I am going to do things that bring me joy and dammit - blogging it going to be one of them.  So there!  I think I can...I think I can...

I'm BAAAACK!

So, it's been a long time...just over a year in fact! But I have decided that it's time to pick up where we left off and get back on track. Now, where to begin? This past year has been full of change for our family. Probably the most important this is that we sold out house in South Sacramento. It was a really tough decision for us to make and like many others facing a "mortgage meltdown" we were left with very few options. Luckily, we were able to sell and are now renting a home in East Sacramento. We love, love, love the neighborhood and we also so lucky to be much closer to Bull's family so that is a big plus too! Unfortunately, because of the move, we had to find our beloved dog, Kennedy, a new home. He is now living with some family friends in the Santa Cruz area where he gets to go for long walks on the beach almost daily. What a life! Although we miss him (Evan more than anyone) we know that he is in a great home, full of love and constant attention to cater to his every doggy whim. Another big development has been my return to work. I started with a local company, Nugget Markets, last October. It has proven to be a big adjustment for all of us but one that is certainly worth it. The company itself is amazing, has great benefits and is also willing to work with my crazy schedule! I am proud to say that I was just recently promoted to checker! I never thought that after college I would wind up back on the grocery business but I really enjoy the fast pace and the extra money it provides is a huge help. So far, I have met a lot of cool people and it is so therapeutic for me to have some time to be myself outside of the mommy arena. Bull has also had some changes with work involving travel. Almost once a month, he packs up and heads to Houston for a week. Yee Haw! It's been tough for us when he is gone but the exposure he is getting with the project is a huge plus for his resume. Other than that, the kids are amazing...getting bigger and more independent every day. I don't think I have ever felt so loved, tired, happy, stressed - you name it - all at the same time. Being a parent is a crazy ride but I wouldn't change a thing.

It's All Good...

I thought that it would be a good idea to use my blog for something more than just cute stories about the kids. This is my blog so I can do what I want, right? And, since this blog is sort of like my own personal website or newspaper - why not include other items that might of interest? Maybe an informative article that I come across or a new product that I like...you get the idea! Now, I know what you are thinking - you just can't get enough of my kidlets and you want to hear more about our fascinating daily life. Don't worry! I will keep those stories coming but from time to time you will also get some bonus material! So, just to start this off, I wanted to post a link to an article I found about organic products and the items you should be buying. I know that ever since Evan was born, we really started to pay more attention to what we were putting in our bodies and trying to make healthier food choices. We can't always afford to buy organic but have tried our best to purchase it whenever possible. Take a few minutes and read this article over- I know that my next grocery list will be different now that I have this information! Here it is: http://www.parents.com/recipes/nutrition/kids/what-to-buy-organic/

Going to the Dogs...

We knew it was only a matter of time before we broke down and decided to get a dog. We had been talking about it for a while and finally came to the conclusion that there would never be a perfect time to adopt a pet. If we were going to do it, we just had to start looking. You know how it goes...get married, buy a house, have kids, get a dog...maybe not necessarily in that order but along those lines, right? We had two main criteria - obviously, we knew we wanted a dog that would be good with kids and while puppies are super cute, we also had to cross them off our list because it would be just too much to handle. Trying to raise two kids and train a puppy sounded like a very good way for me to completely go out of my mind! Anyway, golden retreivers were our first choice and Bull found a rescue organization just outside of Sacramento, so we filled out our application, had our home visited by their representative and then packed up the kids and went out to the ranch to meet some of the possible adoptees. That is how Kennedy came into our lives. We didn't expect to find a dog so quickly but he just seemed like the perfect fit for our family. We couldn't pass him by. It's been a week since he came home and what a crazy week it's been...just getting used to the routine of having a dog. So far it has been a pretty positive experience for all of us...OK, I admit, picking up his poop is not the highlight of my day but other than that, I am glad we decided to go ahead and adopt him. So now, for those of you keeping score, the final head count is - 1 Dad, 1 Mom, 2 kids, 2 cats and 1 dog! Yep, that's us...just living the dream!