tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64531492502504267642024-03-13T23:30:26.523-07:00 A whirlwind start to lifeJillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.comBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-59984518434322399872014-09-08T12:03:00.003-07:002014-09-08T12:03:52.969-07:0026 weeks weeks an a whole bunch of new pictures6 weeks. I know, it's awful. I can say we have been terrible busy, and although that's true, I was hoping I'd dedicate more time to keeping everyone in the loop on the happenings of our life.<br />
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Bump watch 2014 has been in full force. I'm enjoying this pregnancy. Yes, I'm exhausted all the time and I have wicked heartburn, but I have no complaints.<br />
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Weeks 22-26</div>
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Mike started another new job in the last few weeks. It happened to be right when my mom and stepdad were about to leave to go back to Illinois. So what's a girl to do when her Hubs is going to be busy all week? Take advantage of help and head on back for a visit! It's was entirely last minute so not much planning went into it.</div>
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We didn't get to see as many people as we wanted, but still enjoyed out visit. I promise next time we come up, it will be planned and I will get to see everyone!</div>
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So we drove about 15-16 hours there to Illinois and the same back.</div>
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But Cousins were reunited..</div>
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Fun was had...</div>
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And I enjoyed some peace and quiet.</div>
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And this little girl and I had our first road trip together! :)</div>
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So E is obsessed with princesses right now, especially Frozen. She also loves to be a doctor who hears babies. Combine the two and you have a princess doctor, obviously.<br />
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A few recent pictures...<br />
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She's such a little girl now, I can barely take it! She's talking so much and loves to tell us stories and sing songs. She doesn't care much for talking about her baby brother yet, but I know she loves him and will love him even more when she sees him.</div>
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So with Mike working so much, I've been spending a lot of time getting back into crocheting. I did quite a bit before we moved and now that I have a spot where I can store stuff, I've been happily crocheting away making all sorts of fun things for the fall.</div>
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After several people asking me if I planned on selling any of my items, I'm happy to say that I will be soon. In a few weeks, I plan on launching an Etsy shop with everything I've made. That means I have a long couple weeks ahead of myself.</div>
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It's a huge step for me to do something like this. Normally, when I enjoy something I don't want to turn it into work, but if I'm already doing it, why not make some money while I'm at it ;) </div>
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My outlook is that if it completely flops, no harm done, I'm still doing something I love to do and I just added a ton of new things to my wardrobe that I'm in love with.</div>
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I'm focusing more on trendy items like scarves, boot cuffs, hats, and headbands, vs. blankets or several baby items. I find it much more enjoyable if I make stuff I can actually see myself wearing.</div>
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Until the next time I decide to update.</div>
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With love,</div>
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Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-70991273018106197292014-08-01T07:44:00.002-07:002014-08-01T07:44:25.040-07:00Moving along: 20 weeks<div>
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Baby and I are just about over the half way mark for this pregnancy. I didn't realize how fast this was going to fly by. December seems so far away yet so close. This last week we were able to find out the baby #2 is a boy. I was in shock because I was feeling girl most of the pregnancy and always pictured myself being the mother of all girls. As soon as we saw him on the ultrasound I knew it was a boy! We still do not have a name picked out yet, because we can't really agree on one, although we have some front runners. No sharing yet!<div>
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I've felt pretty good still. No complaints really. I'm just so happy this pregnancy is nothing like Em's. She drained everything from me.</div>
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I'm definitely showing a lot more this time more than Em too. It's a blessing and a curse, because all the clothes I wore in the beginning of last time don't fit anymore for this time!</div>
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Left: 21 weeks with Em Right: 20 weeks with Baby boy</div>
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Now we are getting ready for our visit with my parents next week. Em has already picked out everything they are going to do together from going to the "Dinosaur park to playing Frozen."</div>
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Em is talking like crazy these days. I can't believe what she even says sometimes. Emeryisms are my new favorite thing ever. "Mommy, you're such a big girl!" Every time I do something that she deems a big deal.</div>
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We took her to the Frontier park Airplane Museum a couple weeks ago, and she had a blast. They were celebrating the landing on the moon, so there were lots of fun and different things to do, including a little airplane kids could play in.</div>
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Then we took a trip to Kylde Warren Park, which is by far the nicest city park I have ever been to. Chicago really needs something like this. It's not like Millennium Park at all. It's very family friendly with a dog park, kids park, games you can play for free, a couple splash pads, and food trucks.</div>
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Obviously you have to stop when you see a train.</div>
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She also is getting really excited when we get stuff out for the baby, like her old car seat.</div>
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And one last picture because having Mike in the kitchen, cooking is a rarity. This man helped make bread sticks from scratch! I had to take a picture because this never happens ;-)</div>
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With love,</div>
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Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-2509507033273765852014-07-05T10:42:00.001-07:002014-07-05T10:42:08.625-07:0017 WeeksI'm so happy that I'm finally getting into the mid second trimester. Pregnant moms are always a nervous wreck during the first trimester and it's always a sigh of relief when you make it past the 12/13 weeks mark.<br />
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We found out around 13.5 weeks that I have Placenta Previa. Luckily, in my case, since they caught it early, my midwives are very optimistic that it will move out of the way and I will get to have my second home birth. Until then, I'm on what they call, "light rest". I can't pick up anything over 15 pounds. (They have got to be crazy to think I can't pick up my daughter for 8 weeks at least) I'm not allowed to walk around a lot and I have to take it easy. It makes it hard to take Emery anywhere by myself, so usually Mike has been accompanying us to the grocery store or errands and he has been the one chasing after her when we go out to events.<br />
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I'll be on this at least until 20 weeks when we go in to find out if it has moved or not. 80% of women's placentas usually move by then, so I'm giving it to God and not worrying until 36 weeks, when it's the deciding factor of what needs to be done.<br />
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I do have to say though, as much as anyone can tell me a c-section isn't a big deal, it is. It's a very big deal to me and I would really hate to go through a major surgery, so we are praying it moves and everything goes as planned.<br />
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I'm feeling pretty good though. I'm not sick that much anymore and I'm starting to get a little bit of energy back (not enough though).<br />
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I also feel a lot of movement! That has been the best part of it all. With E, I first felt a kick or two at the end of 18 weeks and this time I started feeling flutters at the end of 13 weeks. It's really crazy how different second pregnancies are.<br />
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15 weeks</div>
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16 weeks</div>
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17 weeks</div>
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Of course I don't think E quite understands what is going on, but she does talk about the baby in my belly and tells me all the time how she is going to snuggle it.</div>
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We have been trying to do a lot of fun things with her lately, especially since I can't do much by ourselves. I got to okay to go walk around a museum and we ventured to Dallas to what E calls it, "The Dinasour Park" aka the Perot Museum. She had a blast and cried when we told her it was time to leave.<br />
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She is such a ham. She is constantly making us smile and being silly. Her favorite book right now is a book I gave Mike before we had her all about the baby through pregnancy and the first year. She loves looking at the pictures and pointing out the babies.<br />
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She had her first 4th of July experience. We thought she was too little the last two years, so we met with our friends at church and she had a lot of fun...</div>
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Until the fireworks started...<br />
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The look on her face says it all.<br />
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E loves the move Frozen now. Mostly, she loves the music. We didn't want her to get used to seeing the movie all the time, so we only play it on special occasions, but we let her listen to the music every day! She knows all the words and now thinks she is a princess.<br />
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We went from loving Thomas the Train one week, to be completely obsessed with Disney castles and princess the next. I absolutely love it! She's still a tomboy though, loving her trains and dinasours especially right now.<br />
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I hope the next time I post I'll be updating with what sex Baby Hulk is. M and I are thinking it's a boy this time, but we will see at the end of the month!<br />
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with love,<br />
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<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-14572367777913534902014-06-04T13:22:00.002-07:002014-06-04T13:22:41.789-07:00That time my baby turned twoUgh. She's two.<br />
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I wasn't dreading it, in fact I was so excited about her being a little girl. I've always looked forward to her milestones and growing up. I enjoy it.<br />
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But there was something about that sweet face this year.<br />
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It reminded me that at one point she looked like this...</div>
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and this, a brand new babe in her daddy's arms...</div>
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Sitting in a highchair was a big deal<br />
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So were dates with mommy.<br />
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And her giving me kisses was something new...</div>
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And that time that she looked like the cutest little baby and I thought she looked grown up...<br />
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Because now, she's this little girl... making "pancakes"</div>
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and when I can't find her, she's in here...</div>
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And then, just like that, she turned into a little girl. </div>
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Who dressed herself in winter boots when it's 85 out and refuses to let me do her hair...</div>
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But most of all. She's my girl.</div>
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I love you E and I love watching you grow.</div>
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xoxo</div>
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Mommy.</div>
<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-61505037187292258102014-06-04T12:27:00.001-07:002014-06-04T12:27:41.911-07:00Nothing can replace a Venus razor, unless it's $19.00For a while now I have been a part of <a href="http://www.influenster.com/">Influenster </a>. They send me really neat products for free in exchange for reviews. It's been a really neat way for me to try new products and to get kind of spoiled. I haven't blogged about them before because I didn't see myself as that type of person but I figure hey, that's why they are giving me this stuff right? So I regret not sharing about the previous products I've received but I promise I'll share the goodies now.<div>
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The latest product I was given was The Gillette Venus Snap with Embrace razor. I was actually really excited for this because 1. I needed new razors anyways and I didn't want to go to Target to get them (the lazy reason for sure) and 2. I really missed buying Venus razors. You know the store brand ones just don't cut it sometimes.</div>
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I opened my box and saw my cute little razor with the adorable travel case. I saw that this razor had 5 blades! Whoa, there, we're getting fancy!</div>
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The good: I loved how small and compact it was. It could easily go in a purse, bag, or small suitcase and wouldn't take up much room. The case makes it nice so it doesn't get dirty. I actually found that the handle was easier to hold than the regular handle and I continued it for every day use. Also, it looks cute. I don't know if you ever thought that a razor would look cute, but it does. My first use was amazing. I felt like the women on the commercials. My legs were probably the smoothest they have ever been and at that moment I really wanted to spring for the expensive Venus razor again.</div>
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The bad: Okay, here is where I turn into Debbie Downer. The moisturizing border that's around the razor is really annoying. It is so bulky that I was missing spots left and right. Also, by the 3rd day, the same moisturizing border was sticking to the case and left and awful sticky film to where it was coming off when I would take it out of the case. The razor, started rusting after a week. I wasn't impressed with that. I expect that from my cheap razors, but not a Venus. But still I was willing to forget all of that and buy a refill of the same razor using the coupon that was also sent to me complimentary. I get to Target and see that the Embrace razor refills were almost $19.00. Um what?!Even with the coupon, I would be spending over $15.00 for 4 razor refills. Absolutely not. So instead, I decided to splurge on some regular disposable Venus razors with 3 blades and call it a day. (I actually liked those better.)</div>
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Overall: I think it's a cute product. I don't think it's practical, I probably would never buy it. It did however, make me miss a better quality of a razor and good old Gillette convinced me to spring for their brand over the store brand. So I say that won that battle.</div>
Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-21859676273174204892014-06-04T12:04:00.000-07:002014-06-04T12:04:25.083-07:00First trimester down, 2 more to go.Now that I'm past the first trimester, I feel pretty good.<br />
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I'm still tired all the time. I've been trying to get out of my habit of a daily nap, because it's starting to affect my sleep at night.<br />
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Speaking of, E is finally sleeping through the night. She may get up before 6am, but after 2 years of her waking up 4+ times a night, I can happily say that I'll take it!<br />
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It came at a really good time too. The first few weeks of pregnancy were so awful I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever sleep normally ever again.<br />
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So now I'm about 12ish weeks. My midwives and I have different dates. I believe mine is more acurate, so I go off of mine most of the time. (It's only a 5 day difference between them)<br />
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This one will be another home birth. I had such an amazing experience last time, that I can't picture myself doing it any other way. We were happy to choose an excellent midwife group that isn't too far from us.<br />
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Baby Hulk as we have so lovingly named it, if the size of a plum. So far I'm feeling that this one might be another girl. Mike of course thinks it's a boy, and good news is that one of us will be right! If you ask E though, she will tell her it's a girl and she wants a sister.<br />
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This pregnancy is very different from the last. I am feeling much better and am able to enjoy this part of the process more. My nausea was more severe but less frequent than my last. This made me lose some weight which I can't say I'm unhappy about because last time I had gained 15 pounds with E in my first trimester. I would really like to not gain 40 pounds this time.<br />
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This one has been a breeze and I hope it continues to stay that way. I'm interested to see how it goes being pregnant in the summer, especially Texas heat. As someone who is hot all the time, I don't see myself enjoying the outdoors very much this summer.<br />
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I wanted to be better about taking pictures this pregnancy. Things were so hectic last time (when are things not hectic in V household?) that I regret not doing weekly pregnancy pictures. So here it is Baby Hulk at 12 weeks. Yes, there is only one baby. Yes, you tend to show sooner during the second pregnancy, and No, I promise there is only one. ;) And yes, I might have just rolled out of bed during a nap to take this.<br />
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<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-4047029541141227822014-06-04T11:26:00.000-07:002014-06-04T11:26:29.809-07:00Here we go!Please excuse me while I do a massive update with tons of posts. I planned on updating once or twice a month but with how I was feeling during the first trimester of this second pregnancy, I was lucky enough to keep my eyes open to entertain E, let alone type. ;) (Seriously, God bless Curious George and Netflix.)<br />
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Now that we are on our way out of the the first trimester and into the second, I'm feeling much better.<br />
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I found out I was pregnant a few days after Mike's birthday and it was such a shock for us, but very much wanted and we are so excited to give E a little brother or sister.<br />
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With E, I was very sick and tired throughout my whole pregnancy. It was really hard on my emotionally and physically because I wasn't really mentally prepared to what pregnancy would actually do to my body.<br />
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With this one, I had some morning sickness in the beginning that had lasted about 3-4 weeks but nausea has mostly gone away and now I just have extreme fatigue. I'm napping at least 2 hours a day when E naps, and I'm sleeping mostly through the night with only having to get up a couple times.<br />
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Overall, I'm enjoying this pregnancy more than E's because I'm not so sick. It's a struggle to go out and do stuff. Like heading the grocery store becomes a daunting task because it just drains me bu the time I get home. But I remember it's not just me, I'm also keeping track of a very energetic toddler.<br />
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E doesn't get what's going on, which I expected. However, I know she is going to be an amazing big sister. She loves babies and she will be so happy to find out we get to keep this one, and it's real!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-69691514462765184202014-05-27T09:47:00.000-07:002014-05-27T09:47:03.624-07:00A day out with ThomasI was watching PBS when I saw the Day out with Thomas event in our area. I was so excited that I quickly called Mike and brought it up. It was on his birthday, so I didn't know how he'd feel about visiting Thomas the Train for his birthday, but he gave me the go ahead and we planned the day around seeing E's beloved train.<br />
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We ended up purchasing tickets for the first train ride and had to be there by 8am for the 9am train tide.<br />
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They had a gift shop and several tents set up with activities like, playing with trains, a mock Sodor island, music, food, and Sir Topham Hat was even there! (Never in my life did I ever think I'd be excited to see kids characters.)<br />
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Here's a tip if anyone ever wants to do this. The whole event is free, except for the train ride. Tickets in my area were about $20 each for the train ride. You get to hop on the train that is an actual Thomas. They take you on a ride for about 30 minutes and then your little one gets a certificated saying that they are "Official Junior Engineers"<br />
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The fun part is that Thomas the Train actually talks, moves his mouth, and blows smoke.<br />
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All and all she had a blast.<br />
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The only thing I would do different is not have her ride the train. She wasn't exactly interested in it. She spent more time playing with her toy trains than actually caring about being on a real train. If she was a little older it probably would have clicked more, but she didn't seem to care.<br />
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We will definitely be doing it again next year if she is still into Thomas as much as she is right now. She might even want to ride the train this time!Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-86169329944404421632014-04-04T10:34:00.000-07:002014-04-04T10:35:19.426-07:00Growing like a weedSoon Emery will be 2 years old!<br />
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Right now she is putting words together and forming lots of sentences.<br />
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It's getting harder to get pictures of her. Her patience is at a zero, especially for posing with pictures.<br />
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She loves to be outside and play, but her most favorite thing to do is to still snuggle with mommy and daddy.<br />
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She loves to sing her ABC's and count her 1-2-3's. I'm constantly amazed by how much she is repeating and learning.<br />
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Lately we are still doing improvements on the house. A recent storm left us this nice hole so now we have to replace a window or two.<br />
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We found out a couple months ago that I had mono at some point in the last 6 months. We were wondering why I was so tired and felt so sick all the time. After a million tests we found out that I was recovering from Mono and that it could take months. Thankfully, the Curious George Christmas movie what helped us get through that during the day while Mike was at work.<br />
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Emery has learned that if she asks for it very nicely and says please that she would most likely get to watch it if I was sick. So, it's been Christmas here for the last few months.<br />
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I'm happy to say that I'm starting to feel better and I'm getting more and more energy back to continue with day to day things.<br />
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We are at the point now where it's still chaotic in our house, but I can actually start decorating and organizing things. So hopefully I'll be posting more pictures of things up and it looking like we own it and live here.<br />
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With love,<br />
J<br />
<span id="goog_134406334"></span><span id="goog_134406335"></span><br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-84614633581826197902014-03-22T14:06:00.001-07:002014-03-22T17:48:22.333-07:00Mushy love post3 years ago today I was rummaging through my closet trying to find something to wear that would take the attention away from my gigantic walking boot. Why I had agreed to go on a date with someone I had never met while wearing this walking boot, was beyond me. I remember that I realized that it didn't matter anyway. The chances of this date leading a second, third, or beyond weren't high and I wasn't expecting much.<br />
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I mean really, who just meets a person online and how do you say, "Sorry I can't drive because I have a gigantic walking cast. Can you come pick me up? Oh and by the way I live with my sister, brother-in-law, and nephews so... sorry if it's messy." And as I see him at the door I shew away my sister trying to take a peek, try not to trip on toy fire engines, while also trying not to trip over that bulky cast. So like I said, I wasn't expecting magical things to happen that night.<br />
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But... it did.<br />
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I tell Mike all the time that I wasn't expecting much out of the date. I wanted to have a good time, sure, but I wasn't expecting to be swept off my feet and have everything just fall in my lap.<br />
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Oh, but they did! All the things fell in my lap and very quickly!<br />
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I remember talking about pasta (for reals), our families, his business, and how we should probably order because our poor waiter was just waiting to actually work.<br />
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I remember my sister calling me at 11pm asking me if I was okay or if I was lying in a ditch somewhere because I hadn't returned home yet.<br />
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I remember his 80's playlist playing in the background. "Fields of Gold"<br />
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I remember thinking "Is he for real?" to said "Fields of Gold" but that thought quickly left when he looked at me.<br />
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I remember laughing and feeling nervous, but confident with him at the same time.<br />
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I remember him praying with me because he felt the urge from God to do so. I swooned.<br />
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I remember so much but so little at the same time. 3 years wasn't that long ago, but it feels like it especially now!<br />
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I had no idea that 5 weeks later he'd ask me to be his wife and 4 months later we'd be just that.<br />
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What an amazing journey we've had these last 3 years from the time we met till now.<br />
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You and me babe. Fireworks.<br />
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With love,<br />
J<br />
<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-13845776155692436172014-02-10T18:52:00.002-08:002014-02-10T18:52:52.623-08:00We're In!I'm currently writing from out new living room (a little under the weather I might add.), and I'm so excited that I am, even though I'm not feeling the greatest.<br />
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What a crazy time we have had. Our house is nowhere finished yet, but the best part is that we are able to live in it right now.<br />
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Currently, we are still living out of boxes and things are all over the place as we try to find homes for belongings.<br />
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I have to say, this move went way better than I could have possibly imagined.<br />
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I was so thankful to have a friend offer to watch E for us so Mike and I could get as much done as we could during the day. Although we had several other friends offer to help us move, we were surprised that we managed to do almost everything by ourselves without any trouble!<br />
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Yours truly even helped lift a couch. Really, I did.<br />
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It's been nice to have Mike working on the house while we are all here versus him being gone every day and night after work. It has been great just to spend family time together again.</div>
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E is stringing words along and picking up new things every day. She is enjoying the house as well.</div>
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She has even loved all of the trips to Lowes we have taken and keeps a smile on her face.</div>
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This was the day before we moved in</div>
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I would show pictures of how it looks now, but I'm slightly embarrassed by all of the junk everywhere, so everyone will have to wait for that.</div>
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I promise though, once we can get everything put away, I'll be posting what we did and all of our fun tricks that we've done to stay organized and sane in our small space.</div>
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with love,</div>
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<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-2442959799340388612014-01-25T20:35:00.000-08:002014-01-25T20:35:11.400-08:00Catch up timeAfter a nice long break from most of my social media, it's nice to get back to sharing our how our renovations are going and how life is. Unfortunately that means an overload of info and cute pictures.<br />
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Back in October when we looked at our house, we saw so much potential. We figured that we would refinish the cabinets, maybe replace the bathroom floors, and try and skate by with doing as little as possible.<br />
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Fast forward 4 months later and we are still working on the house.<br />
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Let me tell you, one of the most challenging things we have gone through together as a couple has been this remodel. There have been long nights, lonely nights, frustrating days/nights, and days where it feels like it's never going to end.<br />
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Here is where we are at now. Day 1,456. Okay so not really, but I lost track.<br />
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Here was out kitchen when we bought it.<br />
October 2013<br />
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Here is where we these last 2 weeks.</div>
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Jan. 2014</div>
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-We have taken out the pantry on the left.</div>
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-New cabinets</div>
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-Paint</div>
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-New overhead microwave</div>
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-Removed the "shelf" off of the penisula</div>
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-New counter tops, sink, and faucet</div>
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-Changed lay out of the side and back walls.</div>
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-Under cabinet lighting (It was a bargain and I can't wait to share all about it!)</div>
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-Restructuring the laundry closet door frame</div>
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Mike has done 90% of this by himself. He did every thing but put in our counter tops. He's worked so incredibly hard and I'm definitely grateful I have such a dedicated and determined husband.</div>
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The Living room:</div>
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October 2013 </div>
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Here is is as of this evening.<br />
Jan. 2014<br />
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For the living room:</div>
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-New Paint</div>
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-New blinds</div>
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-New lights</div>
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-New laminate wood floor</div>
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-New front and side doors</div>
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-Replaced window ledges</div>
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-Restructuring of the front door frame</div>
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The living room was probably the easiest. Only because it's such a large empty space. There wasn't much that needed to be done.</div>
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Bathrooms:</div>
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Master, October 2013</div>
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Main, October 2013</div>
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(Main)</div>
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Bathrooms now</div>
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Master Jan 2014</div>
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Main Jan 2014</div>
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(Main)</div>
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Both bathrooms:</div>
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-New toilets</div>
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-Main has a new vanity</div>
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-New mirrors</div>
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-New floors</div>
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-New matching plumbing features, that are clean :)</div>
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We haven't done much to the bedrooms. But I am in love with my floors. I love them so much.</div>
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Now that we have the floors down, E and I can go to the house while Mike is there. We were too worried about the concrete floors and misc. tools laying around. Now there is a wide open space for her to play, although she just loves following us around and checking things out.</div>
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Speaking of that cutie.</div>
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We had a nice holiday back in Chicago. Unfortunately, it was awful timing with the arrival of E's first molar. With the combination of the molar, a long drive, a cold, and sleepless nights, we were really struggling with making it through every day.</div>
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Our first winter in Texas has been so refreshing. I've been loving the 50-70 degree weather. It's been so nice to take walks in January without having to freeze. We've only had a couple weeks worth of days where it has been extremely cold, but nothing like Chicago weather.</div>
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We are looking forward to getting into our house within the next week or two. I'm finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Next post will hopefully be showing off our finished house. :)</div>
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With love,</div>
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Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-90846238251253426692013-12-14T13:53:00.003-08:002013-12-14T13:53:54.006-08:00Day 44The journey that doesn't seem to have an end is looking like it might actually have one.<div>
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"Icemagedon" put a damper on some house improvements, but luckily we ended up hiring someone to do some of the work for us. With M's hectic schedule and the end of our lease quickly approaching, we just didn't see any other way around it.</div>
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So without further ado.. Here is what it looks like right now.</div>
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Emery's room/light lavender</div>
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Main bathroom<br />
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Fresh new gray walls and light fixtures!</div>
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That tall cabinet is our new pantry</div>
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This is the view of sink/dishwasher into dining room.</div>
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The pantry is gone!</div>
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Comparisons from November to today</div>
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We are now getting into the process of putting in the cabinets and laying the floors down. After that's done, we get the countertops in and hopefully we can begin to finally move in right after Christmas. </div>
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I'm loving how just the change in color makes the house seem bigger. Even knocking out that pantry has helped a ton!</div>
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Now for some Emery cuteness to tide you all over till next time.</div>
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Even toddlers need to tandum wear both their babies.</div>
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She finally has a big girl ponytail!</div>
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With love,</div>
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J.</div>
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Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-33922645679959529762013-11-30T14:10:00.001-08:002013-11-30T14:13:12.148-08:00Where's my kitchen!?Day 30<br />
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E and I ventured out to the new house today to see what Mike has been up to these last couple weeks are so. Boy has he been at work.<br />
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We are at the final stages of planning everything and finally ready to start executing our plan.<br />
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Counter tops have been picked out. So have the cabinets, floors, and wall colors.<br />
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It's kind of overwhelming to really sit back, look at the list and see how much work there is left to do, but I just keep saying that it will be worth it. Okay, so Mike keeps telling me it will be worth it. I'm getting a little impatient. It's probably because I'm not the one doing all the work right now.<br />
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As of now, we are hoping to be in there in January with the slight possibility of before Christmas. Now I'm just going to pretend that the idea of being in there before Christmas is non-existent, because I don't want to get my hopes up.<br />
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Our kitchen has been the biggest project.<br />
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Ah! Where are all the cabinets?</div>
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See you later ugly red cabinets.</div>
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This is going to be my favorite thing ever. That top part of the wall is coming down this week and I was have a nice large work space.</div>
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Get out of here pantry, see you later!</div>
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It's going to look so much different!</div>
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Oh and now here are some pictures of the yard now. This is the side of the yard from the patio door.</div>
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Behind the house. Mike wants to get rid of the trees and I love them. Stay tuned to see who wins that battle.</div>
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Another view from the side. Eventually we want to take out that patio and make a longer one.</div>
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We are going to rip out the bushes and replace them with flowers and different bushes. We love the other side's landscaping so we will probably copy them.</div>
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Home sweet home.</div>
Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-14091042465439154482013-11-26T14:20:00.000-08:002013-11-26T14:20:22.759-08:00I've got some big dreams for this house18 months<br />
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It's getting more difficult to get her to stand still for pictures. I've noticed instead of a sitting smiling baby, I know have blurry pictures of a running toddler.<br />
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Every day I still fall more in love with her. Her kindness it is out of this world and she is incredibly bright. I'm constantly amazed at how much she knows. Every time she comes over to give me a hug and a kiss, my heart melts.<br />
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Being creative</div>
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Animal lover</div>
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The queen of snuggling</div>
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In regards to the house, I haven't needed to take any progress pictures because we have only been doing little things here and there. This week though comes the real demolition of the kitchen.</div>
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It was really disheartening to learn that we wouldn't be in the house for another few weeks because our simple kitchen remodel turned into an entire reconfiguration of the kitchen.</div>
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Here is the plan:</div>
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This pantry on the left is getting completely knocked out. The spot for the fridge is only big enough for an apartment size refrigerator, and after living with one for the last few months, it's hard to fit everything in it. Mike blames my big gallon jar of kombucha. The fridge will go all the way to the left and we will and a cabinet and a counter top to the right. All our cabinets are going to be white and the walls are going to be gray. The counter top we are hoping to get is a mix of gray, black, and white.</div>
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The placing of the stove is going to move over slightly to the left to make room for a large tall cabinet that will serve as the pantry. That will go along the wall on the right where Mike is standing in from of in the picture.</div>
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See that ledge that's above the sink right there? That's getting cut off and it's going to be a solid counter top. It will extend three inches towards the dining room and we eventually want to add hanging lights. The draw back is that we have to redo some electrical work in order to make that work.</div>
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This is a better view of where the tall cabinet will go. In between the tall pantry cabinet and the stove, we will actually be able to fit a 12 inch cabinet and counter top.</div>
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I'm beyond excited for this kitchen. It's going to look so different from what it does now. I'm happy that we will end up adding more space than what we currently have.<br />
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Mike has surprised me with a few other things he's adding to the kitchen that I've always wanted that I plan to share when it goes in. I'm stoked to say the least. It's a long work in progress, but it's coming along.<br />
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With love,<br />
J<br />
<span id="goog_255032929"></span><span id="goog_255032930"></span><br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-27020193552367687792013-11-09T20:39:00.001-08:002013-11-09T20:39:27.640-08:00ProgressThis last week and a half has been so busy for us. Emery has had a huge language explosion. She's saying lots of new words and phrases. She's also started mimicking us with what we say and do. We've actually had to start spelling things because she repeats so much!<br />
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M started a new job a couple weeks ago and has been working first shift. Every night after work though he is at the new house taking everything apart.<br />
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This is his progress so far on day 10:<br />
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This is the living room/dining room. Tile in the front and baseboards are removed. The end result will be laminate wood floors with grays walls and white baseboards. It will be an added bonus if we can get crown molding. We are also replacing both doors in the pictures.<br />
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Ah. The kitchen. This was a mess to begin with. Mike had been scraping laminate and glue for 2 days. End result will hopefully be while cabinets with black appliances. Laminate (granite looking) countertops, back splash, with laminate tile floorings. The laundry closet to the right will have new doors and shelves. I'm really looking forward to organizing everything. I have a ton of stuff planned on Pinterest!</div>
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Left is the master bedroom, main bathroom, and far right is part of the kitchen. The master bedroom won't have a toilet in it, I promise ;)</div>
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It's going very slowly, but I see the pictures and can tell we are making progress. It gets worse before it gets better, right? M has been doing an amazing job getting everything done by himself. We've had some plumbing issues we were able to figure out on our own which saved us a ton of money that can go elsewhere into the house.</div>
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Emery is adorable as ever.</div>
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Helping me make dinner.</div>
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Driving her car</div>
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Loving the park</div>
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Finding new and interesting way to help around the house</div>
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With love,</div>
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<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-76599703760311501252013-10-30T16:58:00.000-07:002013-10-30T16:58:12.274-07:00Homeowners!I took a unexpected hiatus these last 4 weeks as I'm sure you can tell. We have been a little caught up with the process of buying a house, M starting a new job, and preparing for yet another change in our life, with another move.<br />
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We found our house about a month ago. We had an ideal town that we wanted to be in, but honestly, it was way out of our price range. We realized that we wanted to stay closer to the city rather than head to the country like we wanted to originally. We may eventually go that route, but not any time soon.<br />
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We saw this house on a whim and didn't think that would take anything in our price range, but luckily they did, and it's ours!<br />
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It's definitely a fixer upper. The owners before us neglected quite a few things, so now it's up to us to do repairs and make it livable. It's not as big as we wanted, but as many know, you have to sacrifice land/space in order to be in the location you want. So now, with remodeling and moving, we now have major organization hurdles to go through so I don't feel like I'm living in a disaster zone.<br />
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These are just a few pictures from the front half of the house. It's a half duplex. I wish I would have took a picture from the outside but I was raining. It needs new floors, paint, a lot of patching, caulking, and we need to do a lot to the kitchen. The little stuff adds up, but be are so excited.<br />
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Our goal is to be at least living in our new home by Thanksgiving. We may not be done with it, but we would like to be out of our apartment by then.</div>
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Be patient with us as we put a lot of our time and effort into making sure our home is ready for us. Missed texts and calls will happen often, but we know that the end result will be with us soon.</div>
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Until my next post, here are some super cute pictures. </div>
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With love,</div>
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J.</div>
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Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-52894675427744072232013-09-25T18:28:00.002-07:002013-09-25T18:46:15.326-07:00Homemade deodorant.. and it actually works.Today I tried something that I didn't really think I would do, but I think I'm going to be saying that a lot as I do this challenge.<br />
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I made my own deodorant. Really. I did. It was super easy and I think I might like it better than the regular store bought. Also, I did it in less than 8 minutes, but you could probably do it in 5.</div>
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I know what you're thinking. But really, I tried it today and I didn't smell at all. I got the recipe <a href="http://www.stillhatepickles.com/2012/09/homemade-deodorant.html">here</a>. I really wanted to use Thieves oil so I could kill two birds with one stone since I've been wanting to try that too.</div>
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Okay so if you wanted to try this unique and easy project you'll need:</div>
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1/4 cup cornstarch</div>
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1/4 cup baking soda</div>
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2ish tablespoons of baking soda</div>
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An essential oil you'd like to use.</div>
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Add the coconut oil, corn starch, and baking soda together and mix. It will look like this at first.</div>
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Once you add your desired amount of essential oil. (I did about 15 drops) keep mixing and it should look like this.</div>
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Afterwards I smoothed it out with a spoon and then put it in a smaller pyrex dish.</div>
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This makes a small amount which is perfect for someone's first time trying it.</div>
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After wearing it for the first time today, I can say I love it. It took a couple hours to get used to the smell. The only inconvenience is not just rolling it on, but as far as doing the job, it did the job and it smells better and longer.</div>
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I try to think of it like this. There are 11 ingredients in regular deodorant. I don't know what 9 out of those 11 ingredients are. With this, I know exactly what's in what I made. 4 ingredients. Natural ingredients.</div>
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I don't know how long I'll continue using this, but I'm finding that being toxic free is a lot easier than I thought and a lot less time consuming that I originally planned.</div>
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Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-17495555358872446302013-09-23T12:01:00.001-07:002013-09-23T12:01:22.596-07:00PreviewSI've been brainstorming new things I want to try. I've had a small list going for a while and now that Emery is older it's been so much easier to compile a list that includes stuff for her too.<div><br></div><div>So, some things you have to look forward to:</div><div><br></div><div>Making my own butter. Something everyone should do after they see how easy it is.</div><div><br></div><div>Kombucha. I'm finally taking the leap in making in. I'm waiting for my 1 gallon jar to arrive!</div><div><br></div><div>Momma getting her style back.. It's something I've been working on you know when those PP clothes just don't fit anymore. What helped me get through that.</div><div><br></div><div>Crafts with Emery.</div><div><br></div><div>Making my own flour. True story. I'm getting all Laura Ingalls on everyone.</div><div><br></div><div>DIY decorations. This won't come till much later when we find our house within a few months</div><div><br></div><div>New recipes.</div><div><br></div><div>So on, and so on.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm really excited to keep up this tradition up. I know I'm looking forward to it, I hope you are too!</div><div><br></div><div><br></div>Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-69447919895245859142013-09-16T12:14:00.002-07:002013-09-16T12:14:29.766-07:00Tea Tree oilLately I've been feel ambitious. I think it may have something to do with having a bit more time on my hands than I thought. We are involved in activities, but I'm no longer at E's beck and call every second of the day. She can play by herself for enough time for me to do stuff around the house. I feel that now I can actually start to try things I've always wanted to or do something for myself. So, with this new found free time, that's what I plan on doing.<br />
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The goal for myself is to try one new thing a week, whether it's baking, cooking, a new place, or a new activity. I may not always do it, but I think it's a nice goal to have. It's a mission to better myself and use my time wisely instead of wasting it re-watching Grey's Anatomy.<br />
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I'm starting off by using essential oils more often, try to use them in every day use versus other medications that are unnecessary.<br />
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I want to generally be more toxic free. I'm not against everything that has been invented to clean or use as medication, but I honestly think that some of those new products do more harm than good.<br />
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This past week, I've discovered the use of Tea Tree oil. (I guess I've been living under a rock because seriously, it's everywhere and everyone sells it!) I was unfortunately dealt with an unpleasant yeast infection caused by my poor diet from the last month. Besides cleaning up my diet, I was just giving up and ready to use over the counter stuff, which I did, but it really didn't work.<br />
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I was online looking at natural ways to help alleviate symptoms and I found <a href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/lifestyle-guide-11/supplement-guide-tea-tree-oil">tea</a> tree oil.<br />
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Tea Tree oil is found in the leaves of a tree (<i style="background-color: white; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melaleuca_alternifolia" style="background-image: none; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; color: #0b0080; text-decoration: none;" title="Melaleuca alternifolia">Melaleuca alternifolia</a>)</i> which is native to Australia. It is not to be digested, so don't eat it! (That would be really bad. Don't do that!)<br />
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I'm not a stranger to all essential oils, but the more I read on it's uses the more I knew I needed to try it. I bought some at Trader Joe's and have used it for about 4 days and can say the difference is night and day. I'll spare you detail of exactly what I did, but I can honestly say, I'm sold. Besides the whole apartment smelling like tea tree oil, I really can't seem to find a negative.<br />
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Some basic things you can use Tea Tree Oil for:<br />
- Yeast infections (obviously)<br />
- Anti-viral (just add it in your bath)<br />
-Cleaning<br />
- Dandruff<br />
- Toothaches<br />
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With using it in our laundry I've just filled a cup of water and added 2-3 drops and poured the cup in the water. I did NOT use my regular detergent. Our clothes came our super clean.<br />
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This <a href="http://www.care2.com/greenliving/20-great-uses-for-tea-tree-oil.html">list </a>gives you 20 different uses of tea tree oil. Always dilute your oil with other oils (coconut, olive oil) or water! If you put it directly on yourself, it will most likely burn. And obviously with using anything new, read up on it. Be sure to know the benefits as well as the risks before using it.<br />
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Other oils I'm going to try this week are Oregano, Peppermint, and Theives oil.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-8290295872402283822013-09-11T12:18:00.004-07:002013-09-11T12:18:46.898-07:00updateI've spent the last 2 months trying to reorganize our lives now that we are in the good old south. These last 2 months have literally flown by us and it doesn't look like it's going to slow down either.<br />
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M is working a lot, and I'm so thankful he found a job so quickly, but it's hard when you've spent every single day for almost 2 years with a person and now they aren't home as often. On the bright side, he has a job, and has had multiple offers for jobs.<br />
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I'm surprised at how quickly we acclimated here. We've learned quickly where to go and where not to go, what stores have the lowest prices for food, getting all your errands done in the morning, etc...<br />
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I've started running. I have a love/hate relationship with it. I hate when I start, but by the time I get home, I love how I feel. Getting back in shape this time around has been one of the hardest things I've had to do. Most people lose weight while breastfeeding, and we are still going strong at 15.5 months, but my body is the rare kind that likes to hold onto those extra fat cells to maintain a milk supply.<br />
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Speaking of E. She is still a toddler. I was hoping that magically I'd get my snuggly baby back, but (sigh) she is turning into a big girl. Time to go on a brag rampage.<br />
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At 15 months old, she loves to keep busy. Her favorite toys right now are balls, stuffed animals, and books. She LOVES to line up her stuffed animals, feed her baby doll, make her animals kiss. As they kiss she makes a smacking sound, giggles, and says, "AWW!" It might be the cutest thing in the world, just saying.<br />
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E can now sign 4 basic signs. More, please, food, and thank you. Now she is starting to actually say the word and ditch the signing. I giggle every time she signs and says, "Eeessssseee." or "Mooooore". I get so excited and want to be like, "Yeah! I taught her that!" But you know, I don't want to be <i>That Mom.</i><br />
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She is now doing a lot of animal noises. M got her this, <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Noisy-Soledad-Bravi/9781877467523">The Noisy Book</a>. She will read that thing from sun up to sun down. It has everything from animal noises to "A cold goes.. Achoo!" She can do probably a third of them.<br />
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We also put E in gymnastics class! She loves it. There are about 4 kids in her class. They have the entire gym to themselves. She has learned to jump on the trampoline and land on her tush. She jumps in the foam put and tries to crawl around. It's actually been a great activity for M to take her to spend some daddy/daughter time.<br />
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<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-3254718511310308072013-08-10T18:29:00.001-07:002013-08-10T18:29:48.124-07:00Oh so these are tantrums?This whole, living with a toddler thing has it's ups and downs.<br />
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I mean, sure she's cute. She gives hugs, kisses, and loves to snuggle.<br />
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But she also throws tantrums. Epic, ear shattering tantrums.<br />
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I'm not exactly sure how finding a receipt warrants a tantrum, but it does.<br />
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So does, sticking a sticker to the floor, not having the right cup, when I give her raisins instead of Graham crackers..<br />
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The tantrums seem to never end.<br />
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Then there are days like today.<br />
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I'm sick, M is home and watched her 2/3 of the day for me, and she played by herself, I kid you not, for 2 hours, then came to me for her snuggles and kisses.<br />
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It's so easy to remember the tantrums, and what a hard day you've had. When that snuggly baby is in your arms, it makes everything all better.<br />
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<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-20640982484163566842013-08-02T20:44:00.001-07:002013-08-02T20:44:15.821-07:00HLCIt's Friday! HLC update time.<div>
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I wish I could say I kicked butt this week. I would love nothing more than to say, "Yeah! I worked out every day and I have been awesome!"</div>
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What a time I chose to be involved in a healthy living challenge.</div>
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You know, moving across country, M starting a new job, changing everything from Illinois to Texas.... Why not add myself into a competition?</div>
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This week was a sugar detox. I didn't realize how much sugar I actually ate until this challenge. I think that it might be a problem (so is my weakness for processed food.) </div>
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My biggest hurdle this week was time. E is cutting a new tooth, M started work, and here I am trying to do my best. I lost a couple pounds, but I don't know if I'm happy about that. My goal wasn't really to lose weight, it was to learn how to be more confident in running and lose a few inches.</div>
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I ran once this week. Once. The only time I could get to the gym to run was earlier this week, before all the craziness happened.</div>
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I didn't eat enough. I was rushing so much I just ate all the leftovers E didn't eat. I bet this happens all the time, especially to moms. We are constantly running all over the place, trying to make our little ones happy.</div>
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I did get to go to a Zumba class today. It's been so long since I was in a class.. (I used to teach that you know...)</div>
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This week was a huge bust. I keep reminding myself that the week isn't over. I still have tomorrow and Sunday.</div>
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Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-62590541840946359052013-08-01T20:17:00.002-07:002013-08-01T20:17:41.950-07:00Don't mind if I whine a littleSo M was offered a job a week ago and started a couple days ago. It's only been 2 days, but I'm ready for his retirement. Sounds crazy right?<br />
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From the time we met, we saw each other every day until this move to Texas. The longest we have been without each other is when he left to take stuff down and get out apartment in June. That was a really hard week, but I knew he was coming back and I'd get to see him all day again. He's worked from home every day. I'm used to him taking a break and coming up stairs, getting distracted and spending the rest of the day with us.<br />
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This is different. 2 days, and I'm already feeling a little low without him. I know, it's crazy talk. I have plenty to do and enough to keep me busy.<br />
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Women go days, months, and sometimes even years without seeing their husbands, so my measly 2 days seem pretty pitiful. Truthfully, if I was one of them reading this, I'd probably give a major eye roll.<br />
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Anyways, I'm feel mushy tonight as I watch the news waiting for M to get home and looking at pictures of us.<br />
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Aww what a couple a cuties we have here. Pre- Mr. & Mrs.<br />
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What a difference a little over 2 years has made!<br />
<br />Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6453149250250426764.post-43317672281158067592013-07-31T13:46:00.001-07:002013-07-31T13:46:35.566-07:00Long awaited pictures have arrived.<br />
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These last few weeks have been an adventure. I wish I would remember to take more pictures, because hello, she's beautiful, and I just really would love to capture more of those moments.Jillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09259816546725924164noreply@blogger.com0