New moto!

Ok so I was on the weight watcher boards today and someone had this as part of their signature and I thought I would make it my new moto:

'Be the sort of woman, who when her feet hit the floor in the morning, the devil sighs and says 'crap she's up'

Welcoming home Eli...

Friday we got to welcome home Eli Winter! It was such a neat experience to be a part of. The Winter family has waited for so long to bring him home. He is such a cute boy! I am so happy for them. They adopted him from Ethiopia. God has truly blessed them with this cute little boy.

Ian's first Christmas...

Justin holding our great niece :) (this is the baby doll that Kaitlynn got from Santa)

This picture is so funny because we were taking it of Ian playing with the toy Santa brought him but we got Kaitlynn picking her wedgie in the background!

Ian being cute! I was opening his gifts for him. It's ok he gave me permission :)

Oh, he is such a cutie. Look at him in his handsome Christmas outfit!

Mommy and Ian. I think he was getting ready for a nap. His eyes look droopy.

The real Santa (and his Mrs.)

Today we got to see Santa and Mrs. Clause! It was so nice of ODOT to sponsor this event. There were so many people there. I think I was more excited than anyone to be there for Ian's first visit with Santa. He did so well, he didn't cry at all. And everyone thought his outfit was so cute. Him and Justin dressed alike. They are so cute!

Fake Santa spotted!

Ok so let me just tell you a story of a little boy. His name is Ian. Today Ian was so very excited to go see Santa. He got dressed up in his OSU gear and was ready to tell him everything he wanted. However, he was very disappointed when he arrived to find that this Santa was indeed a fraud! Not only was Santa not the real Santa, but it was a girl trying to pull of this fraud! Poor Ian was very sad as he had his parents come with the camera to take pictures. But alas, we got word that the real Santa will be stopping by ODOT tomorrow so Ian was happy again!

(This is based on a true story, although truth be told I think it was Ian's mom that was the disappointed one as this means she will have to get up early to take him to the real Santa.)

Purses and PB and J

I am so excited because my new purse came in today! (this is what I bought with the $25 online gift card Target gave me due to there mistake of pricing the car seat wrong) It is larger than I thought it would be but oh how I love it! I think I might be able to fit some of Ian's stuff in it for short trips.

Also, for lunch today I had a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich! It was so yummy. I think adults forget how good a PB&J can be. You should indulge in one today.



More updates...I have been getting some dental work done (I hate the dentist and hadn't been in a real long time, so Justin made me go and I will have to say I am glad he did). I had a root canal done a few weeks ago and then a few weeks after that I had some cavities filled and then last Friday I had some more cavities filled. Well my teeth are still so very sensitive so I am going back tomorrow for them to check it out. Please pray that they will figure out what is wrong.

I think that is all that is going on. I have some wrapping to do before Thursday so I better get busy doing that! I hope you all have a merry Christmas and a great and wonderful New Year!

Good times...

My friend April and her hubby are in town this week and her parents hosted a get together. It was lots of fun! And, well, you know me, here are some pictures to commemorate the occasion.

April and Ian

Ashleigh, April and Me

3 months old!

Three months, holy cow! I can't believe how much he has grown. He will be a year old before we know it!

one month

three months

Three months, holy cow! I can't believe how much he has grown. He will be a year old before we know it!

rollin' rollin' rollin'

So Ian has started on his way to rolling over! He rolls on to his side right now. He is also grabbing on to things like blankets and such. I can't believe he will be 3 months old tomorrow! He is getting so big. Stay tuned for pictures of him tomorrow!

2 years ago...

Two years ago I married the most wonderful man in the world! He is smart, funny, caring and loves God. I can't believe that I was blessed with Justin.

I can remember our wedding day like it was yesterday. I woke up (after taking some tylenol pm because I was so excited I couldn't sleep) at 5 in the morning because I just couldn't stay asleep. My friend Abby and I got up and and went to breakfast at McDonald's (I know can I be any cheaper?). Then we headed to the church. I wasn't nervous at all. I knew that we were doing the right thing. The only regret is that we didn't film the wedding. I wish so much that we would have found someone to film it. Oh well. Anyways, I remember Justin and I laughing up on the alter. It was so much fun! I may have cried a little bit, but come on I am a women.

I love you Justin and am so glad to call you my husband!

Excitment!

I am so excited. You must go read my weight loss blog www.calvarese2.blogspot.com.

sewing...

Today I made a blanket! My friend Haley who is super creative gave me my first sewing lesson. It was so fun and easier than I thought it would be. I am not sure what my next project will be but you can be sure I will post about it! Go visit Haley's blog to see the fun stuff she has made. Here are some pictures (of course) of my first blanket...

Alaska to Oklahoma!

Today Ian and I got to visit my college roommate Sarah! It was so nice to see her as she lives in Alaska now (her hubby is in the military). Please pray for her family though as the reason she is here is due to her dad having a heart attack. Not a good reason for a visit. But he is doing better now, still though keep him in your prayers. Here are a few pics to commemorate the occasion!

Tagged

8 TV Shows I Watch
1. Psych
2. Friends
3. Monk
4. Kath & Kim
5. The Office
6. Biggest Loser
7. Eli Stone
8. Bones

8 Favorite Restaurants
1. Texas Roadhouse
2. Braums
3. Teds
4. Olive Garden
5. Applebee's
6. Johnnies
7. Whataburger
8. McAlister's Deli

8 Things that Happened Today (hmm, lets see it is 6 in the morning so not much has happened, but I will try)
1. Woke up
2. went to the bathroom
3. got bottle for Ian
4. got Ian out of his room
5. started feeding Ian
6. read blogs
7. read emails
8. blogged
(wow I did it!!!)

8 Things I Look Forward To
1. Watching Ian grow up
2. Always being with Justin
3. Being with my family in Heaven
4. getting to my goal weight
5. Christmas music (seriously, year round would be great)
6. Having a baby girl (don't worry not for a while)
7. Loosing about 6.4 pounds by the end of the year.
8. Saturdays (yes, even SAHM look forward to the weekends)

8 Things I Wish For (I'll be honest, I copied some of these from Mariah)
1. No more spit up
2. Justin and I growing in our marriage everyday
3. Ian to grow up and be a wonderful Christian man
4. That I could be a good Christian influence for those that need one
5. That I could make a difference in someones life
6. To be at my goal weight by next Christmas
7. For my family to be safe and healthy
8. To have a big, fun and happy family that loves spending time together

8 People I Tag
1. Liesl
2. my hubby
3. Kelli N.
4. Teresa B.
5. Haley (you've been double tagged!)
That's all I can think of for now!

Thankful Thursday...

What am I thankful for? Well today I am thankful for digital cameras! That's right. I don't know what I would do with out ours. I take so many photos of Ian in one week that if it were actual film I couldn't afford to get them developed or to buy new film! I think back to my PawPaw and wonder how he did it. I mean he took so many pictures and he used film. He would seriously be taking so many more pictures if he was alive today to have a digital camera. When Ian was first born I seriously took at least 30 pictures a day of just him sleeping or laying on the floor or hanging out in his swing!

What are you thankful for? Leave the link to your blog or leave a comment telling me what you are thankful for. And remember to thank God for the many blessings that you may take for granted. (not sure if I spelled this right)

Fun times...

I had such a great weekend (I know Thursday and Friday don't actually count as the weekend, but since it was a holiday I count it that way). Thursday, of course, was Thanksgiving. We went out to Bethany and spent the day with my mom and my sister's family. We had some yummy food and we played with the baby's! Lot's of fun.

Friday my two older nieces came over and we baked cupcakes and rice crispy treats. The girls decorated the cupcakes and then we took them to our local fire station to give to the fire department as a thank you for being a fireman. It was so neat because they took us on a tour of the fire house and the girls got to go on the fire truck! Then the fire men (while this isn't politically correct they were actually all men so I am sticking with calling them fire men) gave the girls some stickers and a temporary tatoo. We also went to a park that is near our house and it was fun because after they played on the toys we walked around the creek area. It was over all a great time. Then we finished the day by playing games like go fish, chinese checkers and pass the pigs. It was so much fun. This morning Kylie helped me make some pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Now they are gone and I am pooped (I think Ian is too, literally).

Thankful Thursdays...

I know, I know it is Wednesday. However with tomorrow being Thanksgiving I will be at my mom's house for most of the day so I probably wouldn't get to post.

So what am I thankful for today? Sleep! Yes sleep. Ian went to bed last night around 11:30-11:45ish and didn't wake up until 7:45! That's almost 8 hours of straight sleep! It was great, only Justin over slept. I woke up at 7:30 expecting it to be about 4 or 5 in the morning. I looked at the clock and started to hit (more like pat) Justin to get up. It threw us both off having Ian sleep so long. I mean don't get me wrong he does pretty good usually, like 6 hours of sleep. But he usually wakes up around 6 or 6:30 in the morning. I still can't get over how great a nights sleep I got. Thank you Ian for sleeping so good last night!

Everyone have a great Thanksgiving holiday. And remember to tell someone you are thankful for them and why. It is great to hear that someone is thankful for you, so pass it on. Tell me what you are thankful for this week in the comment section.

Meeting new people...

Today Ian and I went and had lunch with a friend, Sandy, who worked across the hall from me at AccuHealth. Anyways, we had lunch and then went back to her office and showed Ian off to the rest of the office, Dr. Flynn and his wife Nan. Then we went by my old job at Family Medical Supply and introduced Ian to my friend Kodi. After that we had one more stop, the Baptist Messenger, again an old job! However, when I got there the people I know weren't there. Oh, well I can always go back another time. So that was our day. Now we are just looking forward to Thanksgiving this week. Mmm, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and pie! I can't wait.

Ian and Nan

Dr. Flynn and Sandy and Ian

Thankful Thursdays...

Today I come to you having just gotten back from the doctor and man it is windy out there! You may be wondering what this has to do with my Thankful Thursday post. Well today I am thankful for the car seat cover that we have for Ian. It seems like such a small thing, but it helps keep him warm and that is so important! Ian is doing so good at 9 weeks that I really don't want him to get sick anytime soon and keeping him from the wind will help keep him well!

Tell me what you are thankful for today by leaving a link to your blog or leave it in the comments!

Cheap gift bag idea...

Ok ya'll, with Christmas coming up I must admit the crafty side of me comes out. Now with that said I must also mention that MY crafty side has great ideas but once put together they aren't so cute. So this idea is not my own. I got it from a class they had at my church called Gifts 101. It was so fun. This is a cheap way to make a cute gift bag or use it as decoration for you house! I bought this cute bag at the dollar spot in Target (I know I should be banning them after my previous post, but come on people it was a dollar!) and then bought these sticker letters at Hobby Lobby in the scrapbook section (there are tons to chose from). Now I have a gift bag that is cute and cheap, It cost me two dollars, which is what most gift bags that are plain jane cost, if you want a cute one you will be paying more for sure!

For more ideas go to works for me wednesdays.

Two months old!

Today Ian is two months old! I can't believe it. He has grown so much. Today at his doctor appointment he weighed 9 pounds 9 ounces and was 22 3/4 inches long! Here is a picture at one month...

and a picture at two months...

Ian had to get shots at the doctor today. Three to be exact. It hurt so bad (well I am guessing by his crying that it hurt him so bad). Here is the before picture...

and after...

He actually had to take an oral vaccine to. The nurse said he did exceptionally well, because most babies cry when having to drink it because it doesn't taste good. Look at how well he did, he looks so calm...

Target.com

Oh my goodness. So Justin and I were so excited because my friend found a car seat online for only $46! Yes, I know it sounds to good to be true. Well we ordered it because we thought heck these car seats are usually over $200. I told several friends about it so they could buy one too. Then I get this email from target.com:

Greetings from Target.com.

Due to an unexpected error, the following item(s) you have ordered
were incorrectly priced at the time of your order.

Britax Marathon Convertible Car Seat - Granite

We're sorry, but we are unable to offer this item for the incorrect
price. The correct price is $279.99. We have canceled your order for
this item. If you would like to order this item at the correct price,
please visit Target.com to check for availability.

Despite our best efforts, a small number of items on our site are
occasionally mis-priced. We do, however, verify prices as part of our
shipping procedures. If we discover that an item's correct price is
higher than our stated price, we will either contact you for
instructions before shipping or cancel your order and notify you of
the cancellation. This pricing policy is posted in the Help section
on Target.com.
Again, we're sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused
you. Thank you for being our valued guest.

Sincerely,

Guest Service Department

We were so very bummed! I was so looking forward to having another car seat to use in the other car and now we won't have one. UGH!

just a few pics...

Grant, Calvin, Ian and Hunter. The boys got together for lunch on Wednesday (ok, maybe it was the mommies who got together, but aren't they all so cute)!

Our little ladies man!

"mom stop taking pictures," thought Ian.

He makes this silly face all the time! So cute!

Thankful Thursdays...

So today I want to share two things I am thankful for! Yes I am just blessed that much :)

#1 - I am SO thankful for my wonderful husband! He is truly amazing. He takes care of Ian so I can sleep and he takes the early morning shift so that I don't have to get up twice in a row with the little guy. He plays with my hair and gives me neck massages and leg massages! He is so very wonderful and I am very thankful for him.

#2 - I never thought I would be so thankful to see a poopy diaper! Our little guy has been constipated since we switched to formula and our doctor told us to put Karo syrup in his bottle. So that had been working until this week. He went 3 days with out pooping. I called the doctor today and they were going to have us switch formulas to a more expensive brand. Thankfully soon after the phone call we had success!

So tell me what you are thankful for. Either leave the link to your page or leave a comment.

Veterans Day...

I just wanted to take this moment to say thanks to all the veterans who have served our country! My step-brother just recently got back from Iraq. Thanks Zach, we love you!

Smiling baby...

Oh my! Isn't he just the cutest? We finally got a great shot of him smiling. After about a million takes! He is one cute little baby I tell you.

sincerely fro' me to you...

I have found this oh so fun blog and thought I would participate in the sincerely fro' me to you today! Although, I think I am a day behind. ;) Here is a picture of me as a baby being held by my mommy! Oh so sweet. For more visit We are THAT Family.

Thankful Thursday's

Have you ever had one of THOSE days? I'm talking one of those days that you break down crying in the chair at the dentists office? Well yesterday was one of those days for me! Here's my story...

It started out at around 4:30 in the morning, yes you read correctly 4:30 AM. I got up to check on Ian and of course all was well, he just makes noises in his sleep that sound like crying. So I head back to bed only to be met with another awful cry coming from the monitor. So thinking that I have to be supper mom/supper wife I got up and told Justin I would handle it. (I think my words were more like "whatever, I'm awake I'll handle it" not said in the nicest tone). So I decide at that point that instead of going back to bed (I forgot to mention Ian was yet again dead asleep) I would sit in the recliner and try to sleep. Of course at that point he decides that he wants to wake up. I went ahead and got him out of his car seat (yes he sleeps in his car seat, he has acid reflux and the doctor recommended it) and got the bottle, because why else would he wake up at 5 in the morning? I try and feed him and he falls asleep! So I thought ok, no harm done I can put the bottle back in the fridge and go back to sleep. Um no, Ian had other plans because as soon as I put him down he woke up and began to cry! AGH! Okay so to avoid making this long story even longer I will just tell you that this happened several times. Finally about 5:50 (still in the morning) he decided he was ready to eat. I was thrilled because I thought this meant that in about 30 minutes I would be able to put him down and go back to bed. Yes well God rang the "that's incorrect" buzzer on me. Finally I thought I found relief around 7 when I was able to lay in bed longer than 5 minutes! Only to make it 10 minutes of lying in bed. I finally decided to accept the position of human pillow and lay on the couch while holding Ian. He enjoyed this as did I, seeing how I got to get two hours of uncomfortable sleep. :) I woke up around 9 because, yep you guessed it Ian woke up! I seriously felt like crying all morning. In fact my best friend called me around 10:30ish and I told her I would have to call her back. Why? Because I was so very emotional I didn't think I would be able to handle talking on the phone. Oh and in addition to being emotional I was watching Gilmore Girls and what is wrong in the world when Rorie and Lorily (totally spelled those wrong I am sure) don't get along? Thankfully it was the episode where they made up at the end and even though I had it on mute (because I decided to call my friend back) I saw the hug at the end! All is right in the world of re-run television! Ok, sorry for the side story, back to my day. I had a dentist appointment at 2pm and really needed to shower. Usually I would just get Ian to sleep and put him in his car seat in the bathroom while I showered, however he was not sleeping at this point and lets just say momma needed to shower bad! At some point I decided to just put him in his bouncy chair and take that to the bathroom. Guess what? It worked! Thank God (literally I am thanking God - Lord thank you for allowing my child to be content while I was in the shower. It was such a blessing to be able to be clean today! Forgive me for taking for granted things like being clean. Amen). I forgot to mention that being tired and depressed in the morning I ate 28 points for breakfast! Yep take that weight watchers! Ok on to the trip to the dentist. Ian slept in the car which was fantastic until of course the moment I sat down in the chair. He began to get fussy and so I rocked him in his car seat for as long as I could, then it came. The flood of tears that I just couldn't stop! Oh boy was I embarrassed at first. But you know I truly believe that God placed me in that dentists office yesterday. Susan, the dental hygienist came around and asked if I was ok and I gave the answer of which I thought would get her to leave me alone "I'm just tired and emotional". Hmm, I didn't fool her! A veteran mom who went through postpartum depression wasn't fooled by my answer. She came around and gave me a hug and told me it was ok and I could just let it out. Then she started to ask me questions like "have I felt overwhelmed" and "have I felt like a bad mom". The answers to all of her questions were pretty much yes. She told me that I needed to call the doctor as soon as I was done at the office because she didn't want it to get as bad as it got for her (she said she felt like taking her life after two years of postpartum depression). Back in her day they didn't treat women for things like that like they do now. She then proceeded to have one of the office staff ladies come and hold Ian while she finished cleaning my teeth. What a blessing to break down crying in the dentist! See what I mean when I say I had one of THOSE days?

All of this leads me to this...Thankful Thursdays! I read so many other blogs that have themed days that I decided to do one of my own called Thankful Thursdays. I am going to share what I am thankful for and would love for you to do the same (either by comment or leave the link to your blog below). So today I am thankful for Susan the dental hygienist. I don't believe I need to go into any more detail as to why. :)

My list of stuff...

I am tired of so many things. Here is my list:

I am tired of being tired
I am tired of feeling like a bad mom
I am tired of cleaning bottles and sanitizing the bottle nipples
I am tired of using the word bottle nipple
I am tired of feeling like I am a bad wife
I am tired of being tired (I thought it was worth mentioning more than once)
I am tired of being a human pillow
I am tired of being fat
I am tired of weight watchers
I am tired of being at home
I am tired of feeling guilty for being tired of all of these things
I am tired of spit up
Did I mention I am tired of being tired?

Here is my list of things I can't live with out:

I can't live with out Justin
I can't live with out Ian
I can't live with out Ian's smiles
I can't live with out Ian's cooing noises
I can't live with out Justin's support
I can't live with out God (this should have been number one and it is in the list in my head)
I can't live with out friends to vent to and chat with
I can't live with out family to share special times with

tired

I don't have much to post today. I am very tired. I think it is all catching up with me! This is the first week that I haven't had tons to do. I think it is good for me to have stuff to do, so hopefully I can rope some friends into getting together! :)

I do want to suggest a blog that I am now following. It is http://susielarsonblog.typepad.com/susie_larsons_blog/ I would suggest reading it! It is very encouraging. As a new mom I don't have a lot of time to read the Bible or have my own quiet time and I am realizing that if I find some blogs like this one I can still grow and be encouraged. I hope that you enjoy it!

Trick or Treat!!!

Ian and I went around "trick or treating" today! We stopped by my mom's office and then went to Norman and had lunch with the old crew from AccuHealth and then to Daddy's office. He is such a cute little pumpkin! And he has done so good today! He woke up at 5am and ate then I was back in bed by 5:30 and he didn't wake up again until 9am!! So nice of him to let me sleep. And boy did I need it. Well have a happy Halloween!!!