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3.22.2012

A Whirlwind of Blessings

This past week has been incredible. As I mentioned before we spent last week moving into a new apartment with a much better landlord... this apartment is beyond amazing. Now of course we have neighbors above us so we have to get used to the creaking of floors and such, but beyond that it is SO much better than our previous home. Boogie's room is much much bigger, we have a normal sized kitchen, a back patio with a fence... and we are finally moved in and everything is unpacked (with the exception of some decor). We love it! I'm sure you could tell from pictures of Boogie in our old apartment that her toys had overrun the living room... well in our new apartment her room is big enough to fit almost ALL of her toys, including her new kitchen! We have one shelf of toys and a few of her bigger toys in the living room, but other than that everything is in her room. It's amazing having a living room not cluttered with a multitude of toys!


If you have read my posts then you know that in December a new company took over the food services department that J works in and he got promoted to a cook's position at that time. You also know then that J has been working towards getting his certification as a CDM (certified Dietary Manager) and completed the class in December. Now we are just waiting for him to complete the exam in October. Well, this past week a position opened up for the Assistant Manager in the same department he was working in (I think the technical job name is Production Manager or something like that) so he decided to apply for it. We were hesitant to get excited because we didn't know if they would be willing to hire him without having his certification complete. We were hopeful though because it would mean significant pay increase and better benefits..... well J got the job! I'm so proud of him! He's worked so hard to get here and he has a lot more work ahead of him, but this is a step in the right direction. He's gone a lot now because of his new schedule, but like I told him last night, it won't be like this forever. Currently he works from about 8:30am-6pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then he works 5:30am-6pm on Fridays and Saturdays. He's off Sundays and Mondays thankfully. Another exciting thing about this new job is that once his certification is complete he will have the opportunity within the company to get a CDM position, this company is spread across the East coast, so we could go anywhere!


Boogie is doing so well with all these changes we've made. She's really grown a lot in the past week and has learned more and more new words. She completely blows my mind most days with how much she learns so quickly. My favorite words she says right now is "milk, please?" and she signs it at the same time. It comes out more as "milk, pwease", but it's SO cute. Love her!


I will take some pics of our new apartment as soon as I can, and hopefully I'll get some pics of my girl as well. Until then.... God bless!



3.16.2012

Five Question Friday




1. Will you run to the store or to pick up a kid looking a mess?
Kind of! I do pull my hair up and put on more suitable clothing... I usually wear nursing tanks and pajama shorts that would NOT be appropriate for the public. Not that they're revealing or anything, just too short and revealing for me!

2. Do you finish a book if it's boring or you don't like it?
Yes, I always finish my books!

3. Beach or mountain vacations?
Both! Even though we live in the mountains it's always nice to take last minute or short weekend trips to Gatlinburg. Longer vacations I prefer going to the beach!

4. What thing/event says "winter will end and spring is around the corner" to you?
  Daffodils, tulips, and violets!

5. Would you prefer couples or family vacation?
Family. FAMILY. Family! I much prefer spending time with J AND Boogie, vacations just aren't as fun with my girl!

3.09.2012

Five Question Friday

**FYI - we are moving this coming week so I will be totally MIA for about 2 weeks. I'm going to try to at least do FQF, but we'll see. Might not have internet hooked up next Friday.**




1. Are you looking forward to the time change this weekend?
Actually, yes! It really won't affect me or Boogie that much, especially since lately she's been going to bed later than usual and waking up later than usual. It might just put her back on her normal schedule lol! It also means more sunshine to enjoy in the evenings and SPRING!

2. Are you getting a new iPad/do you want an iPad?
I wish! I want to save up for one to use for homeschooling, there are some amazing apps to use for school and development :-D

3. If money was not a problem, what is the one thing you would splurge on?
My dream house.

4. How did you and Mr. meet?
We actually went to school together and then re-connected via Myspace!

5. Summer is right around the corner. Bikini or one piece?
LMBO! Right... I'll be sporting a one piece and STILL would even if I had abs of steel. Thank you, VERY much! ;-)


3.02.2012

What's On Your Nightstand?


What's On Your Nightstand

Yay! It's that time again! I love to read... I just wish I had more time to do so! Lately, even though she sleeps great in her crib for naps, I've been cuddling up with Boogie in the recliner and letting her nap on me. One, I get sweet cuddles that she isn't always inclined to share, and two, I'm forced to sit there and then I have time to read :-D Anyways... I just finished several books, let's see if I can remember them all!

Ok, I admit it. I saw the movie BEFORE reading the book. Shame on me! Oh well... the book was fantastic, and I'm glad that I'm not the type of person who busts into tears during a sad read (unless I'm pregnant) because this was also an incredibly sad story. Basically, this book is about a family who started out with 2 kids (Jesse and Kate) and they find out that their daughter Kate has leukemia. Jesse and his parents are not a match to help with blood transfusions or organ donation so the doctor suggests for them to have another child. So here enters Anna... her entire life she's been giving and giving to Kate to help Kate live, which is GREAT... but nobody ever ASKS her if she wants too. So Anna hires a lawyer and sues her parents. It's truly a great read, and I highly recommend it!

Oh this book... I though My Sister's Keeper was sad, but this one was heartbreaking. This book is about a family (Charlotte and Sean get married and start trying to have a baby, Charlotte already had one child named Amelia) who finally gets pregnant with their first child together, and after an ultrasound at 20(I think) weeks, it's discovered that the baby girl, Willow, has a bone disease called osteogenesis  imperfecta. This bone disease causes Willow's bones to be incredibly brittle and easily broken, her case is so severe that just a slight touch of her newborn body and her bones could break. You follow this family on a vacation where Willow falls at Disney World and is sent to the hospital... a lot of miscommunication happens at the hospital and her parents are arrested for child abuse and her sister Amelia is taken to stay with a foster family. Once everything is worked out and they return home Sean decides to sue the hospital and police station who handled the entire ordeal but finds that he has no case. During this meeting with the lawyers, the lawyers explain that although they don't have a case based on this incident they may be able to sue for wrongful birth (speaking of Willow). It's a hard read, especially if you're a mother... but it's a good book, it's inspiring, heart wrenching, and another good read by Jodi Picoult. 

I am not going to summarize this book because you HAVE to read the first one first! But these books are phenomenal, only took me a few days to read (and if I could have I would have had the first 2 read in a few hours....). Seriously, go find a copy. READ THEM NOW!

Ok, moving on to what I'm reading now and later this month....

Before I share these first two let me explain that I'm really into supernatural teen fiction lately. Yes, that includes Twilight, House of Night series, Vampire Academy... etc. I'm a book nerd. 

This is the book I'm reading now, it's the 3rd book in this particular series (Fallen). It's a little hard to explain, so I'll point you to Lauren Kate's page so you can read up on the series. Go HERE.

And here are the books I'm hoping to read later:








Five Question Friday





1. Where is your favorite vacation spot and why?
I really want to say the beach... but I haven't been there with Boogie yet so I may NOT like it with a small child, who knows? So, I think right now my favorite spot would be Gatlinburg, TN. It's close enough that it's not absolute torture to ride in the car with a kid who hates her carseat, and there's lots to do to stay busy!

2. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Pinterest, oh Pinterest.... how I love thee!

3. What is your favorite fashion trend right now? Or in the past?
I really love sweater dresses with leggings and boots... not sure if that's "in"... I don't really keep up with fashion. I wear what I like ;-) For Boogie, I love putting her in tights, dresses or skirts and her cowboy boots. :-D

4. What are your spring break plans?
Spring Break for me is any other week really... although my mom is a teacher and will be off so hopefully we will get to spend some time with "Mamaw!" AND, hopefully make a trip to Ohio to see her side of the family.... I'm excited and dreading taking Boogie. 6 hours in her carseat... ugh. 

5. What baby names do you hate?
Stupid names.... you know names like Snow, Bear, Dude... why would you name your kid something like that? or Neaveh... yea, Heaven backwards. That one just annoys me.

3.01.2012

Where Did My Baby Go?

I've realized this week how much my little one has grown... she's no longer a baby, but a full-fledged toddler. She is walking all over the place now and most of the time does NOT want to be held. She still loves to be worn, but if you're going to just hold her on your hip she pitches a fit until you let her walk! What a booger! She is also very very very verbal, it's pretty funny hearing some of these words come out of her mouth! She can now say "love you" (which sounds more like low you), "so pretty", "shew baby", "go!", "mine", "no", "night-night" and more and more and more... she comes up with new words and two-word sentences EVERY day! Anyways... last month we had a professional photographer named Brandi Clemmons do Boogie's pictures. Check out her facebook page HERE. Boogie's photos turned out GREAT! I'm so happy with them, we'll definitely be working with Brandi again! I'll share some of the pictures after the end of this post.

Not sure if I had mentioned it yet, but we are moving on my birthday, the 15th, into a new apartment. We were going to be moving into another 2nd story apartment but one of the ground level apartments became available and we will now be getting it! Yay! That means no more lugging diaper bags, groceries, and a 22lb 1 year old up the steps! We also have a fenced in patio and garden area in the back, which will be WONDERFUL. Another apartment isn't ideal, but we will be with a much more reliable landlord (who we have rented from before) and it's still in a great location.... it will do until we can start hunting for a house of our own!