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Sunday, August 31, 2008

Baby bump!!!


Uggghhh....I give in....to those of you that have been asking here is the picture of the already quite big baby bump. I think I was about 5 months pregnant with Conner when I was showing this much.

Happy Birthday sis!!!

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Friday, August 29, 2008

Ohhhhh!!!

Conner just walked up to me and says "mommy" I say "yeah" and he says to me clear as day "I lod (love) you" :) How sweet was that.

He has finally started to talk a little more. The other day I kept on thinking that he was singing the ABC's which was odd because I've only sang them to him a handful of times but then a little while later he did it again so I started to sing with him and he runs to his room and gets the lawn mower he got from aunt Alissa and uncle Loren for his b-day and pulls and twists some buttons until the ABC song comes on. I guess he was singing the ABC's after all.

I really think he may be ready for potty training but every time I try the potty he just gets upset and I don't want to push him. For the longest time now he tells me when he has a poopy dipper or if he needs it changed but lately he gets a dipper before he goes. He's done it a few times now but still when we try the potty he gets mad. Maybe I need to get one of those seats you put on top of the toilet instead of his seat...who knows.

Progress!!

Eating his apple!!!
Conner trying to find a spot next to dad napping on the couch!!!
Conner likes to be like his mama and dad and snuggle up in the blanket and read his books. He sat on the couch for over an hour just reading his book.

Well we have officially sold our house in Vesper today...yay!!! What a load off our shoulders...one down one to go : ) We had a good day today for the most part. Neal worked all night and has been trying very hard to stay awake as he is off for the weekend. He has done great not even cranky at all. If I had to be up for that long I would be a terror...lol. We went to the apple orchard again thins morning to pick some more raspberries and get some apples and then headed to the car dealership to test drive the car we are thinking of getting. It's so nice...Neal and I both LOVE it and can't wait to be able to get it. Then we headed home for naps...I needed one desperately as I have been sick with a miserable cold and was feeling very worn out and achy. This too will soon pass : )

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Thump thump!!!

Thump thump....the sound going through my head ever since my appointment with the midwife yesterday. Unfortunately I was not able to hear the baby's heartbeat...the baby was not very cooperative but my very awesome midwife did an ultrasound to make sure everything was ok so I was able to see the little heart thumping away. The baby was waving it's little arms up over it's tiny head and down like it was saying hi to me. Nothing better to an expecting mother than being able to hear that little hear beat or better yet see it....there really is a little spark of life inside me and I already feel so attached.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Hard at work!!

Conner was busy in the bathroom this morning while I was putting Sasha down for her nap. I was thinking to myself man he's playing nice and quiet in his room this morning. I knew it was too good to be true. Much easier to fix than computer keys though : )

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Hubby Stuff!!


What is his name? Neal
How long did you date? A little over a year
How long have you been married? Almost 7 years
Who eats more sweets? Me...I love sweets
Who said I love you first? I'm not sure
Who is taller? He is
Who is a better singer? Definitely Neal
Who is smarter? Definitely Neal
Who does the laundry? I do
Who pays the bills? Neal actually likes to
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? We switch although right now we get the bed all to ourselves.
Who mows the lawn? Both of us although we have no lawn to mow right now.
Who cooks dinner? I usually do but Neal likes to cook and try new things and we LOVE to cook together.
Who drives? Neal usually
Who is more stubborn? That's a tough one
Who kissed who first? I think it was kinda mutual it just happened
Who asked who out? that's a tough one
Who is more sensitive? Me
Who wears the pants? I wear one pant leg he wears the other...I think we complement each other very well.


Now you are all tagged! Copy and paste it to your blog!

Monday, August 25, 2008

Bad habits!!!


Since we have moved to the apartment I have started a bad habit with Conner. Almost every night he has been sleeping with me. Most nights Neal is gone at work and our king size bed is just to big for little ol' me...for now anyway. Conner has almost always slept in his own bed and I'm afraid that I have started something I might have a hard time breaking...tonight he's sleeping in his own bed....I need a good night sleep.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

What fun!!!


Conner eating a sucker that he got from the nice lady at the bank this morning!! I think this was his first!!!

It was such a beautiful morning here. I think it was only in the low 60's so Conner and I packed up to go for a hike. We went to our old neighborhood in Eau Claire to the hill behind our house. It's so pretty there and the trails are much fun. It's much more enjoyable now that Conner is a little bigger too.

Soo cute...he was a mess by the time we left the woods!!!

So pretty and quiet!!! The one thing that I really miss about the house!!!

Smelling a pretty flower we found...aaa...aaa...aaa...shue he would say!!!


After our hike we headed to the orchard for some raspberries and apples...we were the only ones there which was neat.


They were so yummy!!! Just wished that dad was there with us to enjoy the beautiful day but he was at home sleeping after a hard night of work.

Conner scaring the cows away with his moooo's and hey's!!!


To get to the berries we had to drive through the orchard so Conner got to drive with me...he felt so big and had so much fun. Not often that he gets to drive.


Eating an apple on the way home...unfortunately he did not leave to much of it for me to finish up : ( We headed home for a nap and to our surprise Neal was up so while Conner was sleeping Neal and I read our books out on our little patio and then I packed us a picnic to take to the park for our supper. I found the park yesterday while searching for aquick way to the downtown Eau Claire fr om our new place.


Mommy and Conner on a blanket at the park eating our supper. We had chicken salad sandwiches with potatoes and cheese cubes and raspberries for desert. Someone once told me to use rotisserie chicken for chicken salad...man they were right it was yummmooo!!!

Conner sharing his raspberries...so nice!!!

Throwing rocks into the river!!!

Mommy and Conner on the swing!!! Then after some play time we headed home for bath time story time and night night time.

Friday, August 22, 2008

My sister and her family!!!

Madzia, Steve, Ula and Katie at Great America!!!
I just LOVE this picture of Katie!!!
Madzia so grown up...I still remember her as this 5lb pea-nut!!!


I'm so glad to have my sister and my best friend!!! I just wish that I was closer to her and her adorable girls. They start school soon and are spending their mornings at Grandmas and Grandpas right now as their day camp ended last week. With some tears and sad goodbyes to the new friends that they have made this summer they have something to look forward too next year.

Downtown Eau Claire!!

Snack time downtown!!! Mommy and Conner!!!

Conner this morning while we were on a walk/run in his stroller!!
Looking down at the Eau Claire river!!!
Pushing his stroller!!!Picking out rocks to throw in the river!!!
Yummmy!!!!


This morning as I had promised myself Conner and I went for a run...well we walked most of the time as I do not have a stroller made for running and it's hard to push it on the sidewalk while running, it's a ten minute walk to the paved running path but I was able to get a 15 minute run in and a 20 minute walk which was nice. I wanted to take Conner down to a school playground not too far from our apartment so we walked over after our run but it's not open to the public and they had a lock on the gate, we were a little disappointed. After a shower and a snack we headed downtown Eau Claire to go to the library to pick up some books for Neal and I. Conner did not get to play too long in the kids area though, there was a little girl there with her brother and mom and the little girl kept on taking all of Conners books and then Conner wanted to sit down at one of the tables where her brother was sitting and the little boy just started screaming. The mom did not seem too concerned that their kids were very unwilling to share and Conner was a bit upset too because all of his toys were being taken away from him so we got some "potty" books for him and headed out. It was such a nice day out...humid but there was a nice breeze so I decided to walk around the downtown area for a little bit. We found a cool bridge over the river and a nice spot under the bridge to throw rocks in the water. After that little adventure we stopped at a bakery and got some treats. I got a cupcake that was so incredibly rich that it probably contained a days worth of calories but hey I went running right..ha ha!! Conner was all done with his cookie after 3 or 4 bites so I JUST HAD TO finish that as well. Silly kid, if I gave him carrots and dip or tomatoes he would eat them all and ask for more, it's no wonder I can't get him to put on any weight. After our snack we headed home for a nap. I was planing on sitting outside and reading a book while Conner was napping but I had a migraine all night and all day and decided to take a nap as well. Neal was up with us after our nap and we had supper, grilled chicken with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes...yummmy. Making the chicken made me pretty sick but it went down ok so that was good. We did baths already iron Neals clothes for work cleaned up and now are looking forward to a good night sleep. I'm not having a MooLate from DQ tonight so I should be able to sleep...hopefully!!!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Change in attitude!!

I feel like lately I have been to grumpy, to tired, to easily frustrated, and too negative, and I feel like I need a change of attitude and a change of pace to try to get out of this mood I've been in. So often we hear that today is a new day and it's better to make a change now then wait till later. So starting right now I'm making a change and trying to improve in any way I can...I will NOT be frustrated that Conner spilled juice all over the laptop and it's impossible to type because all the keys are sticking underneath..haha. Ok really right now!!

I was motivated yesterday to go running which felt awesome!!! It was the first time since we moved that I have had enough energy to get my behind moving. Unfortunately I did not continue the trend today but I do have a good excuse Conner was up all night tossing and turning for some reason...maybe because he took a 5 hour nap the day before, I actually had to wake him up from his nap. I know I know already starting with the excuses. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning I will take Conner for a run...well maybe after breakfast so that I'm not sick the whole time I'm running. My morning sickness is easing up a bit now which is good, the thought of food no longer makes my stomach turn. Poor Neal, I feel like I have been starving him as I have had a really hard time cooking because everything made me sick.

Part of my self improvement plan is to slow down and enjoy the little things that matter most and not worrying so much about day to day cares that most time we either can not control or they can wait. Summer days are coming to an end and signs of fall are all around us. I really do love this time of the year when we can enjoy the outdoors and take in the last few things that summer has to offer and look forward to the beauties of fall. Harvest time which always makes me reflect on the things of the year I enjoyed and things I learned and things accomplished and growth taken place in my life. Beauty and colors of fall always make me think of the comforting things that come along with fall, pies, cider, apples, soups that warm you up and hot tea on a cold morning. Even when fall turns ugly, when the trees lose all the leaves and it starts to turn dark and even a bit gloomy I think of the things in my own life that are dark and ugly that I need to shed and get rid of. I'm not sure why but this time of the year has always warmed my heart and made me reflect on things of the past. I always want to dig out all my old pictures and with a hot cup of tea and warm blanket enjoy moments from the past. This time of the year always makes me think of my brother as well and his family with holidays quickly approaching and family time upon us it makes me wish that they were closer that we could be all together.

Just the other day I was laying next to Conner watching him fall a sleep remembering the times when my brother used to play his guitar and sing me a song to get me to go to sleep. Being so much older than me he was in so many ways like a father figure to me. I still remember him taking me to the dentist on his motorcycle, I'm not sure how old I would have been, and I would not let the dentist come near me they had to chase me around the chair. The dentist never did get to do anything and my brother was SO mad at me. I just remember the ride home on the motorcycle, being in so much pain from the cold wind. He dropped me off by our vegetable garden which was a ways away from our house maybe a mile or so where my mom was working and I just remember her being so mad at me too. When my brother would go on dates he would take forever to get ready and I would always help him...wash his socks (a story for another day) get his clothes ready...after he came home from the army he even ironed his socks. I used to lock all the doors from the inside (we had these weird locks, the old fashioned ones that you could lock from the inside and needed a key to unlock them no dead bolts or anything) and I would take the key and hide behind this wall of shelves that we had, I was small enough to fit behind them but they were big enough to where he could not move them...ha ha...ohhh he would get so mad and I'm sure his date was not so happy that he was late all the time. Another really vivid memory that I have is when my brother had to go off to the army...he never said good by to me before he left and I remember going to school and the teacher asking me why I was so down and I guess I just ran to the bathroom and cried and cried. I'm not sure how long he was gone but it was probably a year or longer but I always looked forward to visiting him at his base. I was so excited to move to the states but to this day the hardest thing for me is knowing how far away he is and not being able to see him and his family.

Told ya...this time of the year always makes me reflect. Now that you know some not so interesting tid bits of my thoughts from the past few days I should try and get some sleep so that I have enough energy for that run tomorrow morning!!!

These couple quotes have inspired my change of heart these last few days.


Men are born soft and supple; dead, they are stiff and hard. Plants are born tender and pliant; dead, they are brittle and dry. Thus whoever is stiff and inflexible is a disciple of death. Whoever is soft and yielding is a disciple of life. The hard and stiff will be broken. The soft and supple will prevail.
~ Lao-tzu Quotes

The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same.
~ Carlos Castaneda Quotes

We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.
~ Epictetus Quotes

I love men who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection.
~ Thomas Paine Quotes

Often people attempt to live their lives backwards; they try to have more things, or more money, in order to do more of what they want, so they will be happier. The way it actually works is the reverse. You must first be who you really are, then do what you need to do, in order to have what you want. ~Margaret Young

We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have. ~Frederick Keonig

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Playing with his new toys!!!

He loves all his little cars...G'ma and G'pa bought him a little track to play with...how fun. I am now in love with kb toys they have so many cool things there very reasonably priced.
We were all up REALLY early this morning and Conner and Daddy set up his other track he got...I think Neal had even more fun then Conner. He's still a little too small for this one but enjoyed it as well.
He looks like a mess...he fell a sleep on the way home from Elk River last night and slept in his clothes...ha ha at least he did not wake up when I got him out of the car.

Something new!!!

We went to Elk River to visit Gm'a and Gp'a while they were there on a work trip once last week and then again yesterday. They had a great indoor water park that we were able to use....Conner had a blast.
G'ma and Conner playing with cars : )
On the way home Conner laughing while listening to his Disney songs.
Mom and Conner going down the slide...weee!!
Conner and Daddy splashing in the water!!! They are too cute...am I lucky or what : )


Well I have not posted anything in a while mostly because our little boy spilled juice all over the laptop and now all the keys are sticky and it's almost impossible to type. Frustrating!!!

Monday, August 11, 2008

A great accomplishment!!!

Thank you Jami for the suggestion on the plug issue. Yesterday was the day that we parted with the plug for good : ( I think it is much harder on me then it is on Conner as it is so much easier to just give him a plug sometimes and make him happy. I do feel like I took his world of comfort away though. I started out yesterday morning with no plug at all, he did not get one in meeting or the ride home but I did give it to him for his nap then after he woke up I cut off the nipple and the next time he asked for it I just said it's broken. He thought it was pretty funny and just tried to suck on the little part that was left but soon gave up and did not have it all afternoon. Then came the next big challenge getting him to sleep without the plug...he has NEVER done that. He cried for quite some time but I just kept on saying that it's broken and eventually (an hour or so later) he finally fell a sleep : ) Poor kid !!! I took him to his bed but unfortunately he did wake up at 2:00AM and wanted his plug again...surprisingly I did not give in and again told him it's broken he cried for about 5 minutes and finally went to sleep. We will see how it goes from now on.

4 Days Later!!!
I have to say that the no plug thing is going better than I imagined. Conner is doing very well without it and even getting him to sleep is not too much of a struggle anymore. We even took a long trip yesterday to see G'ma and G'pa in Elk River which was a 2 hour drive each way and he did very well. We did have "if you are happy and you know it" on repeat most of the way home but he was really tired cuz he did not nap all day long. I guess the next thing is potty training...ugghh.

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Mommy's secret power!!!

Whenever Conner hurts himself he runs to me so that I can kiss it and make it all better and as soon as I lay my healing kiss on the achy spot Conner runs off laughing like nothing ever happened. Neal and I were joking about mummy's secret power kiss and now Conner is running around saying "power" over and over. Cute!!!

Missing my girls again : (

Madzia and Katie playing in the sprinkler in their back yard!!
Madzia climbing a rock wall!!
Madzia and her mom Ula with matching tattoos....sooo cool. Katie and Steve in the background not quite sure what they are doing but knowing Katie probably checking out prizes won at the yearly company picnic they went to!!!

Friday, August 8, 2008

Exciting News!!!

Neal Conner and I are expecting a new addition to our family to join us March 18th....hopefully sooner if I'm lucky. We are very excited as we have been ready for another little one for quite some time now. We hope that we will be able to move closer to Rockford by the time the baby is here. Neal is scheduled to be off the overnight schedule in February and he will be finished with school in March as well so that will be a load off his shoulders and much easier on all of us. It sure seems like after this year of one thing after another we have some exciting things to look forward to : )

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Appartment living!!

Lately Sasha has been smothered with hugs from Conner : )
Mom I don't know what you are talking about I don't have Sashas plug!!!
Conner and his little bench : )
Check out the height of that jump!!!
REALLY MOM I don't have Sashas plug!!!


Well going into this whole apartment situation I was feeling very optimistic and even a bit excited unfortunately a week latter and not one good night of sleep I'm feeling a bit worn out and frustrated. Neal on the other hand was not looking forward to the apartment living and is handling it much better than I am. Lucky for him that he does not need nearly as much sleep as my body requires. I believe that last night out of frustration and tiredness sometime in the middle of the night I actually screamed "go to bed already" to our noisy upstairs neighbors. I guess change usually takes some time getting used to and it is just temporary. Other than the noise the apartment will be just fine...Conner is LOVING the new place...exploring, running back and forth, finding hiding places (him and I play hide and seek all the time) and right now his favorite place to hide is in the bathroom cabinet...just the right size for him.


I have decided that it is time for Conner to part ways with the pacifier unfortunately I'm not having much luck as he is very attached to it and always has been so I am looking for suggestions and advice from those of you who have gone through this stage already?!?!?