Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Saturday, December 27, 2008

My Genius At Work Again

For the past few years, my poor piano has been having issues with the damper pedal. No matter how hard I would push down on it, it just wouldn't sustain any notes at all. Needless to say, everytime I played the piano, it was very staccato-y and just really bothered my ears. I have a habit of jumping my fingers off notes to let them ring better and that just doesn't work at all if you have no pedal action! So today I decided to see if it was something I could fix since I don't have any money for piano repairs at the moment. First I opened up the top sections to see if the pedal action was even working. Well, it was, but just barely. Not even enough to move the damper keys out of the way. So I took the front panel off to take a look at the pedal rods themselves. Have you ever wondered what a 20yr old piano looks like on the inside??? Coated with cobwebs. And I mean coated. After wiping away the mess, I noticed there are wing nuts on top of all the pedals. So I started tightening the damper pedal up and lo and behold...the pedal now sustains notes! Hooray!!! Can't wait to start playing more now that my music will sound normal again!

Friday, December 26, 2008

Merry Christmas!

Yesterday was WONDERFUL! We had so much fun! I'm not going into detail today though cause I left my trusty (yeah right!) camera at my dad's last night and when I do go into detail, I'd like to post pictures so you can see what I'm talking about. So...it might be while since my dad lives on the other side of the valley from me.....If anyone wants to volunteer brining it out to me, that would be awesome! In the meantime, I hope everyone has a great weekend and next week, too. Love you all!

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Another Fun Week


















As Christmas draws ever closer, it seems like our weeks are filling up with lots of fun activities. We decorated our tree, had a visit from Tera (here for Nana's funeral), went to a free college basketball game (thanks Air Force!), and had a blast at the Farnsworth Christmas party. And even though I have to work Monday - Wednesday, I get to sleep in cause Amber has no school and I don't work till 11! Woohoo! And Christmas is on THURSDAY!!! Now, I freely admit that I'm the biggest kid on Christmas. David will tell you all about our first Christmas together and how I woke him up several times before 5am to go open presents. This year will be no exception. I'll be waking the girls at 5. =)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Thankful Thursday

It's been a few weeks since I posted a Thankful Thursday, so I'll try to be better in the future. Too many Thursday holidays this year...Or something! Hahaha! Here we go....

1. I'M PREGNANT!!! I'm so very thankful that a little someone wanted to join our little family here on earth. I've always felt like there was at least one little person missing, and now there's a little guy/girl coming!
2. I'm thankful that my two little girlies are so very excited to meet their new littlest sibling. They both talk to my stomach now and like to rest their little heads on my growing lump. They're so sweet and will be great big sisters for this new one.
3. Again, I'm thankful for David. I came home late from work Tuesday night to a wonderfully clean home. It had been a hard day (it rained alllllll day so we couldn't take the kids outside in the afternoon) and I really didn't feel like cleaning the house up for Tera's arrival. Much to my surprise, everything on my to-do list had been completed by me sweet husband. And even things that weren't on my list had been done! Thank you, thank you, thank you.
4. This may sound just a bit weird, and I feel a little guilty about it, but I'm just a little grateful that David's Nana died. I know...horrible. But she really was very very old and sick, and had outlived 2 husbands, a whole slew of friends and family, and she really did want to go, too. I'm grateful that she's at peace now and hopefully she's happy where she's at. Plus, because her funeral was yesterday, Tera got to come down and see the family again. She met the newest niece, saw our new home and a whole bunch of cousins/aunts/uncles.
5. I'm thankful that all our bills are paid and we still have food in the fridge.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

How Fun!

This weekend was a blast! Friday night was Amber's "Christmahanakwanzakah" concert at school. She did wonderful! She sang her little heart out for all of her grade's songs. I was so proud!
Jade was a boogerhead, but what can ya do?After the concert, we went out to The Cracker Barrel for dinner to celebrate my pregnancy and also how great Amber did in her concert. Amber's old enough that she looks at her menu and orders what she wants. When did she get so big, anyways?? We then took the girls to Walmart to spend some Christmas money they got from their Great-Grandparents. They both chose some Littlest PetShop toys.
On Saturday, Tai and kids graced us with their presence. (Love ya, Tai!) We had so much fun making Christmas cookies, opening presents (for the kiddos), and enjoying each other's company.

Then we went and picked out a live tree for my family room. It smells WONDERFUL!!! I love it!
We had a bit of a hiccup in our great day when we got home. Everyone forgot we had a tree on top of the car, and David tried to drive into the garage like we always do. Well, as you can imagine, it dented the door and threw it off the track. David then spent the next 3 hours fixing it. He took the door completely apart (all the sections) so it was in 4 pieces. Then he put it all back together after making sure they were all straight. And after tightening the tension cords, it works! It's a Christmas Miracle! I'm very glad he was able to fix it as garage doors are Not cheap. Especially if you have to save for a crib. It was so sweet cause Amber said the dinner prayer and she prayed that Daddy would have help fixing the garage. So full of faith. And her prayer was answered. Tonight we're decorating the wonderful smelling tree and watching a Christmas movie. Maybe we'll have homemade ice cream and hot chocolate, too. =)

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Guess What.....

I'M PREGNANT!!! YEA!!!!! After 4 1/2 years of trying, I'm finally pregnant! With no drugs! I went in to the Luke Clinic to get a referral for the Fertility Specialist and they had me pee in a cup just to be safe since I haven't had a cycle since the beginning of September. I told my doctor it was a waste of money since I'm not pregnant and pee tests don't work on me anyways. Well, I got a phone call at work this afternoon and the nurse told me the results were positive! Hooray!!! So I guess I'm 3 months pregnant which would explain why the pee test worked. I'm still in total shock. Tomorrow I have to go in and register at the OBGYN clinic and they'll probably do bloodwork to get an estimate on how far along I am. All I can say is, about freakin time! =)

Monday, December 8, 2008

Fat Girls, Skinny Girls

Hahahaha! My girls loooove to play with their stomaches and belly buttons! First of all, they are both so flippin thin that their little belly buttons have no hole to hide in...so even though you can tell they're suppossed to be innies - they look like outies! I'm highly amused by this and tonight told them I was going to take pictures of their bellies.

This is the girls trying to push their bellies out to make them fat. Amber had a really hard time with this and kept trying to flex instead so I could see her awesome 8-pack (it's seriously a very nicely defined 8-pack!). So this is her best attempt. Jade "fat" belly just looked and felt like she was preggers....round and hard!

Here's my skinny little girls. Apparently it's much easier to suck it in than it is to push it out. Not sure why.....Hmmm. Do you like all their ribs sticking out???

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Here's To Us

8 years ago (technically 8 years ago tomorrow), David and I took the plunge and said, "I do." I can hardly believe how fast time has flown by! It really seems like yesterday, but here we are 8 whole years later! And my girls are getting bigger and bigger, but it still feels like yesterday. I guess that just means I still love him - right? =) We went out last night for the first time in months. I know that probably doesn't sound like very long to many of you, but it's a very long time for us. We've gotten used to weekly date nights and haven't been able to keep it up since moving back. So last night felt good. We went to PF Chang's (thanks Tera!) for dinner and then to Cold Stone and some James Bond. The movie wasn't half bad....as in it could have been a lot worse! Hahahaha! Not a huge James Bond fan, but David wanted to see it, so I complied. And I admit it wasn't so bad. Here's to another year!

Monday, December 1, 2008

Our Thanksgiving Extravaganza

I had planned on a nice quiet Thanksgiving in my new home with just my little family to feed. I was half right. Wednesday afternoon, David gets the bright idea to go over to Zach and Tai's house for the whole weekend....starting Wednesday night! So I packed up all the clothes and necessities we'd need for 4 days, plus a box full of food I would need to make Thanksgiving dinner. We got to Queen Creek around 11pm, put kids to bed and then stayed up and visited till who knows when! Zach and David went to play football early Thanksgiving morning while Tai and I started getting things ready for our separate dinners. They went to her families house, and I cooked dinner for my little family at her house. I know...wierd....but whatever. Alex and Onya came over later that night and we played a really fun game till Zach and Tai got home. Friday was pretty uneventful. David and I took the girls to see the temple lights. It was freezing! I could see my breath and everything! Hahaha! The girls really liked all the lights and had a lot of fun. Saturday we drove down to Tucson to visit with David's step-family and dad. We went to church with Zach and Tai on Sunday, then went to Lila's for dinner. Holy Cow there was TONS of food!!!!! We were all pretty stuffed! So now here we are, back in Buckeye. And I get to sleep on a nice, soft, ultra-plush, pillowtop, king bed instead of the floor. Hooray!!!!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

FBI

David passed Phase 1 testing for the FBI! Hooray! Now he has to fill in a book with all kinds of crazy info. So if the FBI calls you...just verify whatever they need to know. Thanks!

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Family Pictures!

Yea!!! We FINALLY took some decent family pictures this year! The last time we had studio pics done, Amber was only 5 months old! So I dragged my family down to Walmart and the pictures turned out totally cute! I love them! You're all getting one in your Christmas card next month!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thankful Thursday

This week, I'm especially thankful.....
1. ...that David let me sleep last night and didn't bug me to tears!
2. ...that it's my last day working this week! Woohoo!
3. ...for the great friend Tai is. Thanks for putting up with all my weirdness! Hahahaha!
4. ...for Pantene ProV Beautiful Lengths Shampoo and Conditioner. My hair hasn't been this healthy in a looooong time. Which is strange since I don't dye it or anything. I don't even blow dry it. Hmmm.....
5. ...for Facebook and Blogger. Both have reconnected me with old lost friends.
6. ...for little girlie hugs and kisses.
7. ...for a warm cat curled up in my underwear. It's seriously hilarious!
8. ...HOT CHOCOLATE!!!
9. ...CINNAMON TOAST!!! The best combo ever!

I love you guys! And if anyone wants to come over for Thanksgiving, PLEASE please come over! I really want somebody to cook for!!!! C'mon! I'm offering free food here! =)

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Artwork Day

I decided that I'm going to frame my girls' artwork for our family room...but first I needed a good sampling. So we did a couple fun projects today. First, the girls glued tissue paper with liquid starch. And then they painted with golf balls in a box. How fun! And the art turned out beautiful! Yay!
Amber glueing with liquid starch.
Jade rolling her golfball.
Me helping Jade with the golfballs.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Thankful Friday

I'm totally stealing this from a friend. She's been doing a "Thankful Thursday" blog, but today is Friday and I have nothing else to write about...so Thankful Friday it is. =)

1. I am so thankful for my sweet husband. David has had a stressful year, but he still takes time to make me and the girls smile. I know he's always looking out for me and remembers what I like and don't like. Even while house hunting, he always talked about ways to make a house appeal to my tastes. David, I love you forever!

2. I am extremely grateful that Amber is old enough to do so many things on her own. She can get cereal, Eggo waffles, ham and cheese sandwiches, and peanut butter sandwiches. She can tie her own shoes, put her own clothes in her drawers, read her homework assignments and get it done by herself, and she's quite good at putting on movies for Jade. I know that I can depend on her to take good care of her sister and to be responsible enough to get her work done. And she's got just enough sass to keep her funny. Amber, you're so grown up, girl!

3. IT'S FRIDAY!!!! Do I need to say more?? =)

4. As much as I love staying home, I'm glad that I have a good job. An extra paycheck is definately a blessing for us...especially after buying a house!

5. I loooovvve the weather right now! It's just cool enough to wear long sleeves and a jacket at night. It feels soooo nice! I love it!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Me and My Little Sis

Growing up, I never thought that I looked anything like my sister. Well...like anyone else in my family for that matter. None of us looked like we belonged together. It was weird. My girls are the same way now, and it's always bugged me. I always to be the family with all the kids who look like they belong together. You know what I'm talking about. And people at church and school would recognize me as their Mom without even meeting me before just cause we all look alike. Unfortunately, that didn't happen when I was a kid, and it doesn't look like it will ever happen now. Here's a picture of Shelley and I from last month. Tell me what you think.

Sunday, November 9, 2008

David's Revenge

I guess David wanted to show that he likes to irritate me just as much as I enjoy bugging him, too. So he took my camera and snapped a few pictures of me....
Here I am, minding my own business making blog backgrounds.
Umm...this is when I noticed David taking pictures and making dumb comments about them.
If you can read my face, you'd be reading, "Seriously???"
And I'm back to fuming. Just go away and leave me alone! I'm working for goodness sake!
Still love you, sugar-pie! =)

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Well, Do You??

Do you like my new background? Do you? Huh? Huh?? I MADE IT MYSELF!!! =)

Friday, November 7, 2008

One Of My Favorite Things To Do

I LOVE to bug David. Love it. I don't really know why...but there is nothing in the world as good as annoying my sweetie-pie. Of course I always know when enough really is enough...but it's sooooo fun to toe the line! Take today for example. David got a letter in the mail from the FBI telling him his application was accepted and he can begin the interviewing process. So he's on the phone with his Dad talking about it and I'm bored, so I sit on him. Well that wasn't enough. So I got the camera and started taking pictures. Pretty soon Amber comes in and she climbs up, too. So now Amber and I are both sitting on David who's still on the phone and we take more pictures. Sure enough, Jade comes in to find everyone, climbs on up, and now all of us girls are sitting on David who's still on the phone and we continue taking pictures and giggling about it. I can hear David getting annoyed and right at the breaking point, we all jump off and run away. So fun! =)

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Halloween!

We had a fantastic Halloween! Even though there were no kids out trick-or-treating, there were still plenty houses giving out candy. So the girls were able to rake in a pumpkin bucket full before too long. Amber was Sleeping Beauty and Jade was Alice in Wonderland. They were both old costumes of mine from my childhood. Kinda funny...we were at our neighbor's house after trick-or-treating. There were no kids out, hadn't had any kids come for at least 15min. We went inside for maybe 10min. Amber and Jade left their pumpkins outside cause they didn't want our neighbor's dog to eat them. When we came out, all of Amber's candy was gone and half of Jade's was gone, too. Hahahaha! Who does this happen to? Seriously! Amber was upset for awhile, but luckily we had tons of leftover candy and filled her bucket back up. Then yesterday I was joking with her about it and she mentioned that she had put all her candy garbage back in the pumpkin and that whoever stole it, also got a bunch of garbage. We had a good laugh about that! Here's some fun pics of our weekend.
My little Trick-or-Treaters. Aren't they cute?? =)
Mine, Jade's, and Amber's pumpkins. The girls draw faces on their pumpkins, and David carves it for them. I like Jade's fangs.
My sister Shelley came to see us. The girlies, Shelley, her girlie, and I made chocolate candies. It was lots of fun. And yummy, too!


Okay, I know I already posted about the finished guest bath, but....I have a disease. I added the cupboard over the toilet to make a space for the litterbox in the cabinet under the sink. It hides it, keeps it out of the way, and plus I had fun picking accessories for the cupboard shelves. It's a disease. I'm going to be diagnosed with it soon.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Fall

I'm so happy it's fall! The weather is cooling down now. It's so beautiful outside! I love how cool it is in the morning and evening. I just want to live outside all the time. Everyday I have my lunch in the park next to my work. I just sit outside and read a magazine and enjoy the fresh air. I love it! I only wish the leaves would change colors and fall off the trees.....

Friday, October 24, 2008

Soooo Tired...But In a Good Way

I FINALLY STARTED WORKING!!! HOORAY!!!!! Now all those nasty credit cards can be paid off, my girls can get their allowances again, and we can go on dates! Woohoo! For those of you who don't know, I got a job at a daycare center. I started training on Wednesday, and was officially a provider as of 2:00 this afternoon. Starting Monday, I'm assigned to a 2-3yr old room. It's part-time, afternoon shift, so it works out PERFECT since David works nights and sleeps all morning. I've felt pretty guilty leaving Jade in front of a movie while David sleeps these past 3 days. But no more! I'll be able to spend all morning with her and David will be with the girls all afternoon. I'll be home in time to get dinner on the table and have some fun before bedtime. Plus...I get PAID!!! If you can't tell, I'm very happy about this job. Yeah, it'll be rough...but nothing compared to do Home DayCare for 3 years. That sucked! The center has a lot of the same rules, but the big difference is that I leave it at work. It stays there. That makes a BIG difference! So, Yay! =)

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

My Sweetie Girl

FINALLY got Amber's school pictures back. Took long enough! Good grief! Anyways, here it is! Yea! She's so beautiful! I sure love my Amber-Girl!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

David's New Harley


David traded in his 2004 FatBoy yesterday for a 2009 RoadGlide. It's beautiful! This is the stock photo. He had a backrest and alarm system added on.

GREAT Week!

Wow! We had such a wonderful week up north! The girls and I took off to my dad's cabin near Heber. No cell phones, no TV, no mail, no bills...it was fantastic! Amber and Jade had so much fun playing together in the forest. They loved exploring the creek bed and making "poison" in a big water barrel. And it was FREEZING most of the time! Hahahaha! The first night was the worst. We slept in the tent (cause we're camping!) and even snuggling together in a big sleeping bag with a huge heavy comforter on top, we were still cold. I ended up shoving the little girls under the blankets and keeping it over our heads. The other nights weren't as cold, thankfully! Thanks, Dad for letting us come up! It was awesome! =)