Happy New Years!!!

What a wonderful, blessed year 2006 has been. We had Preston William, got out of the military, Josh got an awesome disability rating (which means $$ each month), Josh's school is paid for, he got well over $10,000 in audio/ computer equipment from the VA, had wonderful health and just found out there's another bun in the oven!!! It's true!! I'm pregnant as pregnant can be!! I was going to wait to announce this exciting news but decided to spill the beans to all those who read my blog. I'm about 8 weeks along and am due in August. I have a doctor's appointment on January 10th - so I should get an accurate due date then.
The past few days I have been feeling really nauseous. My sense of smell is so strong. I was passing through the meat section of the store and just about lost it. I never had morning sickness with Preston so this time around I'm new to all this. This sucks!! Good thing babies are cute! Of course all this pain and suffering is well worth the end result. Just right now it's tough coping minute by minute.
So, hope you all have a wonderful and blessed New Year!!!

Get a hotel room already! ha we already did...

It's been awhile since my last post. This past week has gone by like a speed demon on crack. We had such a lovely Christmas with Josh's family. We spent it with his step-mom's side and at his grandparent's. In-laws - mine are great. The only problem is, I really really miss my family. Of course they are 'our' family but it's just not the same. My family really knows me and it's a very comfortable, cozy feeling when I'm around them. Thank God for my awesome husband. He insisted we stay at this awesome hotel that felt and looked like a log ski resort. We had our little hide-a-way from all the relatives. Why haven't we done this before? Getting a hotel room while visiting the family was the best thing we could of done. This fabulously peaceful place even had pool - which by the way - we had to ourselves since it was Christmas. Preston LOVED and I mean LOVED swimming. I swear he should of been a fishie. (which reminds me to get him swim lessons at the YMCA)

Here Me Roar!

I just painted my toe and fingernails bright, sexy red. I love this color. It's so seductive and makes me feel like one of those naughty secretaries. It's amazing how a simple color can change my whole mood- like it spruced me up or something. I went from blahhh to Grrrrrr!!! in 3 minutes flat. Sweet.

Chocolate makes everything better

Chocolate gooey warm brownies are the best. I just made a batch because I was craving them like a mad woman. mmmmmm..... just had to share that!

It's about time!

We are now the proud owners of an awesome, fully-loaded 2002 Black Dodge Durango - with only 52,000 miles. It has leather heated seats and a DVD/ TV in the back seats!! Sweet! There are even wireless headphones for when we don't want to listen to Barney for the 100th time.
What's even better? We paid $5000 less than what it's worth. (I'm doing back flips) Where we went right is buying from a private seller versus from a dealership. Those dealerships just stressed us out and just wanted to screw us over. Each dealership always claimed they were giving us a 'steal' and that they were offering us a deal that made them no money. Riggghhhtttt. We called Bull Shit on that one and moved on.
Thank God I stumbled across www.cars.com. This family desperately needed to get rid of this beautiful vehicle. So we happened to be at the right place at the right time - which means it's all meant-to-be!
I'm excited to finally have some leg room. For months, us three were crammed into our Dodge Dakota. I had to sit in the cab with my legs all pretzel-like. No more! Woohoo (again with the back-flips)
Merry Christmas to us!

Oh Target and Starbucks, You Complete Me!!

I love Target. Target is a place I can consume a large amount of time and well - money! Today as I opened my mail, I was very delighted to relieve my very own Target charge card. Wohooooo!!! Sweet!
What's the icing on the cake is that there's a Starbucks in this Target! So Josh, Preston and I go there - seriously - 4 times a week at least. Target and Starbucks are near and dear to our hearts.
We always get the same thing - soy chai lattes with no water added. It's incredibly delicious. I highly recommend trying it! oh and the cinnamon chip scone rocks too! I dip that into my chai and I think I'm in heaven. ( I know, I know...I'm easily amused!)

A new Tradition

One week and counting until Christmas. This year is a special one because it's Preston's first Christmas. He's so fascinated by all the lights, sparkles and presents. Kids are so awesome. They really make Christmas so magical.
Josh and I are going to start a new tradition for our little family. We have noticed that the focus of Christmas has shifted toward presents, and even more presents. But that isn't what Christmas is originally about. It's about the birth of Jesus and celebrating his life. We want Preston to know that. So, every Christmas Eve, we are going to tell the story of Jesus's birth. It was so cute - Josh bought Preston a kid's book telling of Jesus's story. I'm so excited to have our tradition and to focus on what Christmas is all about, Jesus and family.

And I'm the Kung Foo Typer

HOLY CRAP!

So Josh calls me at 4:35 pm today from school telling me how he forgot to write a paper that was due at 5:15 pm. Ummmm why didn't you do it sooner? His response? Well I was out busy diddling around with you all day! Ummm is this supposed to be my fault? Apparently so.
For the second time in this semester, I was forced to write a paper in less than 45 minutes on a subject I wasn't studying. Great. Good thing I can B.S pretty darn good.
So I put on Baby Einstein for Preston and started sweating bullets. I have about 10 minutes to research what this paper is supposed to be about, 30 minutes to write and 4 1/2 minutes to edit and 1/2 minute to send via email.
Crap.
So my fingers flew on this keyboard and away I went in the world of "Media Trends." I had to recap this article on 'The 8 Myths of Video Games and Violence.' Sweet. Recapping something is easy.
On the stroke of 5:14 pm, I sent this paper on it's way to an "A."

Woooooweeeee! Josh owes me big time. A massage sounds good right about... NOW!

The best things in life are the simple things

It was finally nice enough outside today (like 55 degrees and sunny nice) to take Preston for a long walk. We headed down to our park. It's exactly 1 1/2 miles from my front door, to the park, around the park loop and back. I love taking walks. It's my time to thank God for all the beautiful things in my life and to really appreciate how beautiful life is.
Preston fell asleep as I was swinging with him. He is so precious. I don't want him to grow up.
So yes, I fell so much better today. Amazing what fresh air can do! ha

Darn sugar cookies

ugh.

Right about this time each year I feel fat, bloated and just blah - more so this year. I haven't fully lost my pregnancy weight and have noticed that my hips have widened due to pushing my darling Preston out with all my might. I just feel like I'm hungry all the stick'n darn time. Perhaps it's because I'm still breastfeeding? Who knows.
All I know is that I need to do something about all this excess fat. I'm starting to feel darn right disgusted with myself. It's to the point where I don't even want to see my naked body in the mirror.
I want my old body back.
OK. I need to form a plan and stick to it.
1) Exercise
2) Cut out all the crap in my diet and start eating less breads and sugar.
3) Start feeling better about myself
Good luck to me.
By the way Internet,
Is there a point where a woman really is fully comfortable in her own skin?

Bust out the bubbly, the word of the year is...

So the word of the year is......"truthiness."

According to cnn.com:
"Truthiness" was credited to Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert, who defined it as "truth that comes from the gut, not books."

I like this word. In fact I LOVE it. What book can define what's right or wrong? I think everyone can find their own truthiness within themselves. I've always followed my 'gut instinct' and have found it to never fail me. It's where I ignore it or try to convince myself out of it - is where I take the nose dives.
So here's a toast to having lots of 'Truthiness' !!

Christmas Shopping Anxiety

As I was look at my bank account, WOW. We've spent heck of alot of money this month and it's not even over yet. Crap. Majority of that spending went towards Christmas gifts, very nice ones. So far we've spent well over $100 in postage alone. Why am I freaking out? Probably because I hate spending so much money. Even if I was rich (which we are not) I'd be very frugal with money. I grew up living in a yoyo. One second we'd be well-off and in the same breath, poor. I never had that stable financial life growing up. I've seen my mom stress and cry. There was this one moment I'll never forget. It was a week or two before Christmas and I was 9 years old. My mom was sitting on the kitchen floor, crying with her hands in her face. I sat down beside her, wrapping my arms around her. I asked 'mommy, why are you crying?' "I don't know how we are going to feed everyone for Christmas." All our relatives decided to come to our house for the feast. Apparently no one knew how poor we really were. I'll never forget that moment. My heart was so sad for the pain my mom was going through. I never wanted that for my children. So perhaps all this spending anxiety stems from that moment.
All I know is, money isn't everything....but honey, it sure does help!!!

I'm just cold.

It's cold outside. I"m talking 0 degrees cold. The kind of cold that reaches your bones. I have to admit, I wasn't ready for all this freezing weather. I spent last year in hot as hell Phoenix and 3 years in Los Angeles. I got spoiled. Last year at this exact time, I had a tan and was laying by the pool.
I should really be used to all this. I mean, after all, I grew up in South Dakota and in Denver. I'll stop complaing. I'll take the beautiful season changes versus living in the desert any day!
We live in this apartment that has super cheap rent. Now I know why. The windows are super cheap. Through each window I can feel a cold draft. All our heat is literally flowing out the window. Hmmm...perhaps we can get those plastic that seals windows? After looking at my electic bill, we have to do something.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Last weekend Josh, Preston and I braved the cold to go help his parents and brothers find thee perfect tree at this local tree farm. As we pull up into the farm, there were acres and acres of all sorts of breeds of trees. Of course the day we picked to go, it was 20 degrees out and windy. But as Josh's mom puts it - 'It feels more festive this way!' rightttt....





So we grabbed a saw and started our trek through the hundreds of trees. I thought this was going to be somewhat of a quick process. I'm not too fussy about my trees. Those minor imperfections are what make a tree's character, right? Tree after tree, one member of the family found a million flaws. Of course my husband kept picking out those 'Charlie Brown' trees. He said he felt sorry for those half dead limbs with deer scrapes on the side.
We walked through the snow, up hills and down hills and not thee perfect tree in site. The sun was heading down in a hurry and Preston and I's noses were on the edge of falling off. I had to take charge and do something fast. So, we took off ahead of the crew. Suddenly, out of no where, (this is where the Heavenly music chims in) Preston and I saw a light from the heaven above shine down on the '2006 Ray Family Christmas Tree.'
Our tree is to the left in this photo:


Throughout this whole adventure, Josh and his brother, Corey, kept throwing their 11 year old brother, Dalton in the snow. Poor kid was soaked by the end of the day. Needless to say, this kid was pissed. In this picture, he had on a forced smile...can't say that I don't blame him!

For the past several days, Blogger has not let me login. So frustrating! Today I'm happy to say that FINALLY I can get on this crazy place! Now off to blogging....

Mascara

So I was just recently asked by a few girlfriends what mascara I used. Well I have found a couple really good mascaras. The key is how you apply it. So I will share how I do it.
First off the mascaras:
Cover Girl's Great Lash
This mascara really lengthens and turns those boring lashes into batting flirty gorgeous lashes.
MaxFactor's 2000 Calorie
This stuff is steroids for lashes. It thickens and then some!

Both of these are awesome mascaras. I get which ever is on sale.

When applying mascara, I start from bottom of the inside lash and sloooowwwly curl the wand up to the tip of the lash. Then, I hold the wand at the very tip of the lashes - this helps with lengthening. I usually repeat this process one or two times. I then take the tip of the wand and get the very outer edges of my lashes ( the corner of the eyes) - this really helps widening your eyes. To polish it off, I then swipe the outer part of my lashes. Voila!

Over Eater's Anonymous Anyone??

awwwww Thanksgiving....a time for family, endless eating and even more eating. Two days after the big event, I STILL feel full. I made thee hugest mistake of stepping on the scale this morning. Yup...3 pounds gained. blahhhhh....I really need to go on a detox or fast of some sort. I have this bloated blahhh feeling from eating all sorts of crap. Ok I'll stop whining and ban myself from consuming even more crap. My treadmill has been best friend - poor 'ole thing!

The Most Precious Moment

Right now Preston is smiling at me with the hugest smile saying "momma." awww my heart is melting. Does life get any better than this?

It's all about the Peewee

Preston isn't interested in the normal 'baby' toys. Instead, he LOVES playing drums on all my bowls! It's hilarious to watch him go at with these bowls. Josh and I LOVE to hear him play. I'm so glad he's easily entertained! (well...so our Josh and I!) 99% of the time we get in on the action and join him in a family 'jam' session!





He also loves to dance. We got a musical kid on our hands! :)


We know he's up to something when he makes this face:


This definitely the picture of the day....Preston is just so darn cute!

Moley Moley

So I got my mole removed today. A mole that has been with me all of my 29 years of life. Awww the end of an ugly thing that has been attached to the side of my face. It got so ugly that my nephew poked it and said with the most disgusted face, 'Aunt Ryan! What's that on your face!'
When my own son kept poking at it with such amazement, I decided it was time. Time to reclaim my face and end being that lady with a hairy growth that no one can stop starring at when talking to me.
It's gone people! Wooohoooo!!!

The Walmart Rodeo

We went to Walmart a few days ago and what does daddy and Preston do? Grabbed a horse stick and went rodeoing right there in asile 9. It was too cute. We got a future bronc riding on our hands!
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j259/skiier007/Preston049.jpg

The day he crawled

September 9, 2006 was a huge day for our then 7 month old Preston. He crawled for the first time!! Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/v/pl2VCdU5Gbc

Today he is a super crawler on the verge of walking! He's growing up too fast!

I wrote this 2 months ago....still the same story today

I successfully completed my first day as a substitute teacher. Fun day for me but not so much for my husband and 7 month old son. For you see, our little Preston refuses a bottle of any kind. Sure he can drink out of a cup but when it comes to taking a nap....we lets just say he wants momma and there's no negotiating with this kiddo.
So I come home, feeling accomplished, only to see the frustated and sadden look on my poor husband's and son's faces. Oh crap...I thought...turns out my little guy cried and cried and screamed...meanwhile Josh is doing everything in his power to help the little guy.
Preston gave me this look like 'how in the hell could you leave me?!' It really broke my heart. Yes, I am a softy in every sense. Preston proceeded to cling onto me with this death grip. Poor kid thought I'd leave again - well he was making sure I'd take him whether I liked it or not!! I go to put him to bed. Nope. He clinged even more. So there we were in our king size bed (thank God we got a bigger bed!!) and Preston is pressed against my side. awww my cuddle bug! And he's been like this all day today!! Talk about a guilt trip for going back to work!!
Well Preston wins. If our peewee isn't happy, no one is happy darnit! Until our little guy is weaned, I'm gonna have to wait to go back to work. Well unless I can work from home.
Preston is currently giving me the hugest smile...wanta smartie he is..he knows *exactly* what he's doing!

"C" is for Cookie! yummmmm!

Awwww fresh baked cookies...nothing beats the warm sensation of melting chocolate. I think chocolate is the best temporary fix to any problem - well not that I have any issues at the moment (that I know of.) Chocolate just makes me all warm and fuzzy. So when you add peanut butter and cookies in the mix....take me to heaven already!
My 11 year old brother-in-law and I made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies last night. Oh my good lord! I made some adjustments to the recipe to make them ohhhhhh so good. Here it is!

Ryan's Peanut Chocolate Chip 'oh soo good' Cookies
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour
2 cups or more! of dark chocolate chips

Blend butter, vanilla, sugar and honey until creamy. Add peanut butter. Then mix in the eggs unil smooth. Blend in slowly salt, baking soda and flour. Add chocolate chips. Bake 8 minutes max at 325 degrees.

Enjoy hot cookies with a cold glass of milk!!!

Trust me! These are good!

Life lesson #3433

Leave the bikini waxing to the professionals. DO NOT attempt at home.

(I had a flash back to a horrible incident 2 years ago....not ready to tell that story but trust me on the do not attempt part...)

But it's just a prick....saids the Russian Blood Lady

Preston weighs in at 21 pounds and is 29 inches long. This kid is projected to be at least 6 feet tall when he's an adult! Way to go Peewee!

They gave him a flu shot and stuck it in his chubby little leg, poor kid. Then he had to get blood drawn to check his iron levels. So out comes this lady with a thick Russian accent. Her hair was ratted and glasses about a mile thick. She took one look at Preston and said "just my luck, a baby." Keep in mind her tone was that of pure sarcasm. Josh and I looked at eachother like who in the hell is this chick and why should we let her touch our son?! Well we go back to the room and she pulls out a rubber band to wrap around Preston's arm. What?! How on earth could this lady find a teeny tiny baby vein?! Well we expressed our concern and she took the hint. In her stale coffee breath voice, she said in broken English, " Ok I prick finger instead, OK?" So she grabbed Preston's chubby little finger and stuck it at such a slow pace that it was obvious to a nine month old what she was up to. Hurry up lady....my kid is smarter than you...hurry...PRICK! Preston with all his sweetness frowned and looked at me like I was the bad guy. So the Russian blood leech I mean tech squeezed the hell outta Peewee's finger. So much that it was starting to turn purple! Good God! Get your blood already lady! Meanwhile Peewee just looked in pure amazement at his blood. "What the heck is this coming out of mine finger?"he thought.
We then had to wait 5 minutes for his sore finger to stop bleeding. But we survived the whole ordeal!
Well I got the call that Preston is in excellent health with wonderful iron levels. I thank God everyday for a healthy baby.

Oh and one more thing...

I forgot to mention earlier that I fit into my old prepregnant jeans!!!!!! wooohoooo!!!! oh happy day!

It's snowing! It's snowing!

Yup! The first snow of the season and it's coming down in a fast furry.

God I've missed snow. I love building snowmen and having snowball fights. This weather makes me want to bake cookies. It feels more like the holidays now. And here all I want to do is eat. No wonder people gain so much weight in winter. Ok...I can not, repeat NOT, pig out this year. Last year I had an excuse - I was pregnant. Well I gained 48 pounds too!
Now that I'm only 3 small pounds away from my prepregger weight, I can't blow it now. After 9 long months of losing weight....Lord help me if I stop this fabulous trend! Excuse me now while I do 8 minute abs....that video rocks by the way!

God Bless Girlfriends!!

My dearest friend, Krystle, finally got her butt out to visit us last weekend. It was SO nice to have some girl time! Here I'm constantly surrounded by a dominance of testosterone. I love you Preston and Josh! But I seriously doubt you boys are into face masks, chocolate and wine...all at the same time! Well Krystle and I did all that and we even managed to workout! (cause we felt all fat and guilty from all the food and wine we consumed....)




Josh and Krystle act like siblings...I swear....




And here is our Peewee showing off his modeling pose:

Happy Halloween!!

Preston LOVED trick or treating. He couldn't stop smiling!! Here it was a really cold night (I think it was 30 degree's out) and Preston protested going inside! Whata kid. We dressed him up in a lepoard costume. We got this costume a year ago - way before he was born. It was on clearance for $2!! And it turned out to be a perfect fit for our Peewee.
so yeah...we got a crap load of candy. Good thing we have a treadmill for me to work off all the sugar I"m about to consume!!!!

Ok.... these are pictures of Josh when he was one year old. Preston is definitely a mini Josh!! I know this kid is mine...I watched him come out!

My dad taught me how to eat! I swear!

So we had a little fun eating today...well everyday we celebrate eating but today was a little more sloppy!

4 a.m. wakeup call

4:00 a.m. and we awake to our Preston coughing...and coughing some more. So I pick him up and out of nowhere this projectile vomit of milk shoots out, spraying everything in its immediate radius. Oh My God. Talk abot a rude awakening! Meanwhile Preston just smiles in relief.
and I had just cleaned these sheets yesterday...awwww the joys of parenthood...

Who knew balloons were so entertaining?

Oh my God! I've never heard Preston laugh so hard until a few minutes ago. I'm talk'n about one of those belly laughs that spreads all over. And the cataylist to all this fun? a simple balloon. Preston LOVES balloons. He thinks they are the best things since my boob.
I really need to get this on video to show you all - you really need to experience this laugh in full effect!

And the #1 Pet Peeve goes to...

So there I was...
...in the ladies room at the mall...I anxiously sit down, as I *had* to go pee. Just as I was letting a sigh of relief, the automatic toilet starts flushing...wait a minute... I'm not done yet!! Ewww gross! Rude Awakening! Toilet water and my own pee are splashing up on me! Help! Oh my God! This is disgusting! All I wanted to do is pee! For the Love of God!!
Thankfully I had Preston's baby wipes to help salvage my disasterous peeing experience. Why in God's name did this freank'n toilet play this cruel joke on me? I was waiting for some reality tv crew to jump out and taunt me. Thankfully that didn't happen.
So, my new #1 pet peeve is: pycho automatic toilets flushing midstream....grrrrrr.....

A whirl of a weekend

What a weekend we all had! I finally have the chance to sit down and write about it.
My parents came into town Friday night. It was soooo good to see them. Preston was happy to have extra playmates!



Josh and I threw a party on Saturday night. There was our award winning chili, a full keg of beer and rock'n Jessi Lynn played some awesome tunes.


In every Fall tradition, we headed out to the good'ole pumpkin patch in search of 'Thee Great Pumpkin." Preston was so darn cute - he was wide-eyed, excited about all the animals on the farm.






I'm tired! We've been on the go non-stop. Josh and I have our vice...awww Starbucks....what a saving grace!

5 dolla make ya holla...no wait...make that 100

Yesterday my dear sweet husband surprised me with a much needed professional message. ahhhhh I could use one twice a day! If I win that lottery, I swear I"m gonna have my own personal message person at my beck and call. Aww one can dream, can't I? Well I enjoyed every ounce of my one hour back rub. Funny how that hour seems like 5 seconds! It's never long enough. Just when I was in complete relaxation...'times up!' Rats.
Well after that lovely pampering, I go to get my hair done. I didn't want to chop it...you know the story on that one, but I wanted to feel like a Hottie again. Josh's friend, Kim, is this really super awesome hair stylist. She does all this sort of funky styles - so I put on my brave game face and dove in to her creativity. Good thing I did!! By golly! She styled my hair - leaving the length - and put in some really pretty carmel, and red highlights. Sweet. I feel so sassy!! grrrrr!!!!

Preston got his first tooth in today! Poor kid has been cranky all week - trying to get that tooth to break through. He's got a second one coming in as well. I wish teething wasn't so painful for them. If I could take the pain for him, I'd do it in a heart beat. He's been climbing onto everything. It makes Josh and I nervous to watch - in fear he's going to whack his head. We can be so careful but sometimes a parent has to let their child fall in order to learn...right? Yeah, easier said than done. Our kid is so busy and inquisitive that I hope he doesn't get too many bumps and bruises!
awwww I'm getting a message tomorrow morning. A MUCH, MUCH needed one at that! I'm looking so forward to relaxing, having that full hour to myself. awwww! I have the greatest husband EVER!
AND...I'm getting my hair done. :) I'm getting the full works - colored, cut, styled...finally, I'm gonna be HOT again!! Thank the Lord!

To Indulge or Not to Indulge...

Don't you hate it when you are absolutely starving and it's late at night? I feel like if I eat something so late, it'll all go straight to my behind. At the same time, if I don't eat, my stomach hurts and I can't fall asleep.
Awww so frustrating!!! grrrrrrr!!!

So there Preston and I were...swinging at the park...this couple came walking past with the cutest twin girls. We jump up to greet them - as Preston LOVES to play with other babies. I made the comment 'The good thing about having twins is you get it all over with and you're done having kids!" This desperate look came from the mom as she looked down at her stomach. "I'm 20 weeks pregnant." Oh crap! I don't know how in the world this lady does it! Here I am exhausted from just chasing ONE baby! She'll be chasing 3 at once! Go her!!
We exchanged numbers to set up baby play dates. woohhooo!! Preston is excited to have 2 girlfriends!!

LIFE LESSON #134......If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!

I want my long hair back!! I never ever want to cut it short again. What was I thinking? I cut 8 inches off my locks back in April. It was one thing I could do to have some sort of control of my body. So much for change. I like the old Ryan. I felt like my hair was a huge part of my sex appeal. I was known for my hair. I LOVED my hair. Ever since I chopped the hell out of it, I haven't really felt the same. To be honest, I've felt ugly, blahhhhhhh. I wish I could just push a redo button and have it back like it was!!
It's growing out...oh dear Lord...patience is a virtue.....or something like that

What is normal?

Being a mom has completely changed my life. I adore my new role and absolutely LOVE my baby boy. But being a mom is hard work!! No one ever tells you how demanding parenting can be. I guess it's something everyone has to figure out on their own. Well today I really had a frustrating moment. Here I was doing laundry, cleaning, cooking dinner, taking care of a crying baby ...all at the same time. It was 5 pm and I had yet to take a shower or eat much all day. I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, tired, invisible. In a way, I feel like I've lost *my* identity and I desperately want to reclaim it!! It's hard to when a 8 month old baby is completely attached to me and dependent on me for its survival. You see, Preston will not take a bottle. Sure he'll drink out of a sippy cup but when it comes down to it, all he wants is his momma. Which translates into me not having any sort of life. I would love to be able to go out on a date with my husband, go to a movie or perhaps get a job!!
I know, I know, babies are only babies for a short while. Don't get me wrong, I'm relishing every second of Preston. He is my pride and joy. Like I said, I really enjoy being a mom. It's just that I need time of my own to get out of the house - even if it's only an hour at a time. I'm OK with that. I talked to Josh about it and we are going to work a schedule out so I can do that. OH how I would LOVE to get my sanity back!! Is that possible?!

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy! Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!!!!

Survival through chocolate?

I glance through the frig only to just keep on staring as if food will magically appear. Then I proceed to stare at what canned goods we have....with a dissatisfied sigh, I settle for chicken soup. Awww the joys of not having any groceries! It's my own darn fault for not going shopping. We've been constantly on-the-go. Perhaps having no food is a good thing? So that's why I've been losing weight! ha
oh! oh! I spot some chocolate chips!(oh lord, you know you're desperate when...) ;)

Ever feel like this? haha

Ode to Peanut Butter

I LOVE peanut butter. I've had this obssession with the chunky nutty spread for years now. It's my comfort food. As I write this, I have a huge spoon full of peanut butter topped with rich dark chocolate chips....ooooh so good...and I'm watching Sex in the City. What an awesome Saturday night!!

Now this is how feel after eating all that peanut butter....hahaha

I love Chunk from the Goonies!! Hey you guysssss!!!!

I haven't been on here for a few weeks. Life as a momma is very multi-task and all about prioritize. I guess writing my thoughts down hasn't been at the top of my things to do. Realizing now, it is very therapeutic. I love to write. So I will put more effort into keeping a record of my thoughts right here on blogger.

Josh started school yesterday. He's on the night school schedule. God I miss him being here. Keep in mind we've been together 24/7 non-stop for months now. I really forgot how lonely nights can be without him. I think I just need to relearn how to enjoy 'me' time. After I put Preston to bed tonight, I really didn't know what to do with myself. I didnt' feel like cleaning or working. I just wanted to relax.
So I watched Nip/Tuck. What a twisted, awesome show! I'm very entertained by it simply because it's so far from my life.
Oh geez...our next door neighbor is blasting her stereo and TV at the same time. Come on lady! Pick one to blast! I can deal with one loud noise, but two? The music sounds like a mix between a cheezy porn and trance music....And the sad thing is, she's a very young, single mom. Alright, I am not going to judge her....whatever floats her boat...
Anyway, I am very tired. "Go to Bed" is what I keep telling myself yet my inner child is in protest. I don't want to sleep in fear I'm going to miss something. I guess I'm just enjoying some rare alone time. I'm missing my husband. I'm missing my son - even though he's in the next room sleeping soundly. I keep checking in on him, hoping he wakes up so we can play.
Our new king size bed does look fabulous....
OK, I'm going, I'm going....
night!

Chili Judges.....oooohhh the gas....

So there we were....

Preston, Josh and I at Chilimania 2006 in good'ole Edgerton, Wisconsin...we all got suckered into helping out judging this huge contest. Of course we offered our expert chili tasting tast buds! Little did we know we'd be slurping, smelling, gargling 15 very diverse chili. And of course, after each chili, I had to clean my 'palate' with beer! awww I was a burping machine at the end of all this. But it was for all a great cause and we had a great time. Now the next few hours after the event....ummm yeah - can you say GAS! ha

Garage Sale

YESssssss! We made a whopping 35 buckaroos at our handy dandy garage sale yesterday. sweet. enough to fill 3/4 tank of gas.

Even though it was raining, Preston was all smiles.

By the way....this is how I feel today

Whata Awesome Day

Sunday was a pretty kick ass day. We went up to the 'Taste of Madison' and saw a really, really awesome concert by Jessi Lynn. She plays a mixture of country, folk and little bit rock'n'roll. All I can say is that girl has an amazing voice. Preston, Josh and I were really impressed with her music and enjoyed listening to her. Check her out at www.jessilynn.com .

Festivals...where all the freak's come out to play

Happy Labor Day weekend!

Doesn't a back message sound nice right about now? That and a solid good night sleep...I forgot what that was. Welcome to parenthood.

We went to see Billy Currington last night for the 3rd time. No, no I'm not a stalker (that I wouldn't admit anyway! ;) ) Our friend is Billy's sound guy so we go to see him and it's a perk that we get to see a show too!
The concert was in Rockford, IL - where they were having 'Riverfest' festival. Thousands upon thousands of people, young and old, of all sorts of characters, were jammed into a small radius of space. It was great for people watching. I wish I could of arrest soooo many people for fashion crimes. Yes, I am the fashion police!! I saw this one chick wearing a tu tu with back and white stripped leggings. She even wore those moon boobs that were at least 6 inches thick - no joke. At least Preston was completely enthralled with all the different sites, sounds and smells. But that one drunk chick that was all up in his grill did not appeal to him. Preston gave me that 'mom help me' look. I took the hint and back away. Poor kid!
We didnt get home and in bed until 3 am. Yeah I'm beat. I'm starting to see double so I'm signing off...night.

Whata walk in the park....

We went for our daily walk to the park and took Preston on the swings. Oh the giggles and smiles that were on our gorgeous kids face! As the sunlight bounced off Preston's forehead, we had one of those moments where life seemed to slow wayyyy down in slow motion. You know, like in the movies where a precious moment is somehow half the speed of normal life? Well Preston and I had one. I'll never forget it either. He was sitting on my lap as we were going back and forth, fresh breeze, sunshine everywhere....his big blue 7 month old eyes looked into mine and told me how much he loved me. It was one of *those* looks. The proud, bonding ones. awwww that what makes my world go round. Little moments like that. Life is good.

I feel so violated!

Ebay sucks. Some jerk off from Germany hacked into my ebay account and started listing all these items to sell. The listing fees would be charged to my account thus I would have to pay for it. GRRRRRRRRR! I am sooooooo angry! Hopefully Ebay can straighten this whole mess out. So be aware all you ebayers!

It's all about Poop

I found out today that I'm gonna be an auntie for the 7th time!! My brother sent me a picture on my phone of their sonogram. I literally screamed and got goose bumps! I'm so excited for them to start their new adventure. No doubt about it, it's gonna be a very rude awakening for the both of them - but a good one at that. After becoming a parent, I just treasure life that much more. To see my brother become a parent, I just beam with joy. He's going to be a great dad and his wife, Kim, is the sweetest person. Now my brother must get over his fear of changing poopy diapers. I think it's different when it's your own kid. Perhaps it's that knowing you have to do it so you just do it. period.
I laugh at myself - I actually talk alot about poop. I meet other parents and the poop conversation always come up. 'My kid had the biggest blowout the other day!' 'He hasn't gone in 3 days!'.....You learn to just laugh about it. Perhaps I should write a book all about poop. Oh lord - can you tell I'm retarded from the lack of sleep???
Speaking of, I'm doozing off.....night.

I got cracked

Awww I love getting my back cracked. Josh and I went to the good 'ole chiropractor this afternoon. Wow! Every vertibre in my spine was out. It was an instant relief afterward. But now, I'm a tad on the sore side. I figure I've been out for so long that it might take awhile to feel normal again! Then again, after having a child, I don't think I'll ever feel normal again!

What ever happened to the good fashioned happy medium?

Well today Josh and I decided it was best for us to move closer to Madison. Josh has school there and soon I shall be employed there. Who wants the long drive? Not me! With these gas prices, we'll be shelling out a lot of money. Plus, the long commute does not sound appealing.
Stop #1....We saw this apartment on-line and it looks awesome...Right next to a lake, gorgeous views and huge rooms.....Reality...We entered the complex and it seriously looked like the projects. No water front views insight, Josh and I looked at eachother with shear disappointment. With curiousness in our minds, we went ahead and took the grand tour. The apartment smelled like cat piss and it was a wonderful view of the road. blahhhhhh...and the manager thought it was a steal for $850 a month! What! Yeah- we got the hell outta there.
Stop #2....On the internet, this next place boosted about a huge fitness center, great spacious apartments...we still had hope. Our first sign that this wasn't the place was the bitchy manager. She really acted annoyed to even show us an apartment. Of course, I just smiled, thinking 'kill her with kindness!' yeah that worked...umm not. So we entered the place....ok folks, you know that lime green '70's decor? yeah it was all over the kitchen. Along with cigarette burns on the counter, floors....I even found bugs all over the bathroom floor...ewwww!!!! As Josh began studying all the cracks in the wall, I made a dash for the door. Again, the manager thought this dump was a steal for $900 a month!!
Stop #3....This place was nice, I mean $1300 a month real nice. End of that story...too much.
Isn't there such thing as a happy medium????

Fly be gone

I killed that fly by the way.....he died a quick death via newspaper! grrrrr!!!!

Zombe

I'm tired. I forgot what a full night sleep was. I honestly can't remember when I got a full 8 hours straight. Even when I was pregnant, I'd get up 4 times a night to pee. And now my little peewee gets up 2-3 times a night - depending if he's teething or has an ear infection. My luck he has both at the moment. Poor kid! He's on his 2nd antibiotic because the first one didn't work. Sadly, I think this second one is failing as well. I feel horrible. He keeps batting at his ears and giving me that ' mommy I hurt' look. I give him pain medicine and lots and lots of loving. What else can I do? I just pray that this goes away soon. Having a child sick is the worst feeling. I know I'm having empathy pains for the little guy. So yet another trip to the doctor....

Skinny dipp'n Sunday

We went swimming today and Preston had his first skinny dipping experience. So freak'n cute. He LOVED it!

Shewwww fly shewwwwwwww!

So there I was... trying to enjoy some very precious sleep time with my 6 month old son, Preston....You see, I don't get much sleep. Preston gets up at least 2 times a night at the very least. Lately I feel like a walking zombe. Then again, don't all new parents feel this? Well unless you are the ones blessed with a child that sleeps 12 hours straight through the night....grrrrrr.....Not my case. I'm getting grey hair from the lack of sleep.
Anyway- back to my story. I was cuddled with Preston, enjoy an afternoon snooze. At the tip of my nose, I felt something tickling me. I scratched and continued my journey towards a much anticipated slumber. There it goes again, a tickle on my arm, then chest, then ...what the hell! It was a fly that just wouldn't stop attacking me. This fly reminded me of a WWII bomber swooshing in with high speeds. Before I could kill the little beast, it would use it's cat-like reflexes to fly away. Each time this asshole would land on me, all I could think of how much fly poop and pee would be on my body. EWWWWW! Gross. And then I began shielding poor Preston, in fear he was the next target. So here I am crouched around him, with a pillow over my head, covers surrounding our bodies, praying that sleep would someday find us. Well it did Preston but not me. Grrrrr...damn fly.
Here it is the next day and I spot that same freak'n fly...oh your ass is mine little insect.....

Part 4

May 17, 2005
This is the day the forever changed Josh and I's life....it was the day we conceived our baby boy.
5 weeks later, I started feeling achy and just not right. My first thought was 'oh God...where's the pregnancy test.' I got out of bed and pee'd on the stick. Not 5 seconds later....the 2 pink lines stuck out like sore thumbs. I just stared at that stick for what seemed like forever in pure disbelief. I ran to the bed and woke Josh up saying ' Honey! Honey! I'm pregnant." Josh replied " you always say that." He looked at my qwivering lip. I wasn't joking this time around. February 8, 2006 was the due date.
So we were having our honeymoon blessing. In October 2005 we found out it was a boy. Beyond thrilled, we decided to name him Preston William, after both of our grandfathers.
On February 7, 2006, after 16 hours of labor, Preston William graced us with his gorgeous self. Josh and I cried when we first saw him. He is the greatest thing to ever happen to us. Man, we know how to breed'm good! :)

April 2, 2005 - Wedding
So there we were....Las Vegas. No, no... no cheesy wedding ceremonies. Though the Elvis minister was tempting....we opted to have a sunset ceremony and reception on a golf course overlooking the strip. It was so beautiful. It was everything I'd dreamed about having. It was simple, yet very elegant. It was a pretty kick ass wedding considering I had only 4 months to plan this! Stressing - very much so!! But it was the best day of Josh and I's life. While we were saying our vows, the world seemed to stop and revolve around us. Nothing else mattered except our love for eachother. I can definitely say I married my soulmate!

This year's events.....part 2 of 4

So there I was.....

It was December 17th, 2004. Josh flew into the Burbank airport. As I was picking him up, he was acting kinda funny - almost really nervous- like. The thing that seemed wierd is that he would not let me carry his video camera bag. He held onto it for dear life!
Later that evening, I took him to a really awesome country bar called, The Cowboy Palace. It was were Toby Keith made the video "I love this bar." So yeah - this place had alot of character and characters! We were sitting on the bar, making friends with this guy sitting next to us. By this time, Josh was still acting nervous, despite having a few cold ones. He got up, saying he was going to talk with the guitar player about his guitars. I really didn't think too much about it. Josh returned with his video camera in tow. I just thought he wanted to tape this cool bar. All of a sudden, the singer of the band called us out onto the dance floor. " Will Josh and Ryan please come out for a special dance?" Josh gave his camera to that guy we'd made friends with and took my hand. He had the hugest smile on his face.....then he got down on one knee and put the most beautiful diamond on my finger. "Ryan, will you marry me?" I started crying. It was at that moment where the world stopped and it was just us. I hugged him so tight. The band started playing "The Dance" by Garth Brooks. The crowd cheered and roared - I was oblivious to it all - all I could do was focus on my goregous man. As we were leaving the dance floor, this old cowboy with a fooman chew mustach flipped us off, jokingly, "Thanks alot asshole! You just made me look really bad!" His girlfriend was on his lap, waiting for her proposal. All we could do was laugh! The best part about the whole thing is that we got in on tape, so we can watch it over and over. It was that night that we decided we couldn't wait to get married. Here our parents wanted us to wait for a long time - but there was no way we could spend another minute apart. We could of gotten married that night if we could. We set the date for April 2, 2005 - enough time to plan an awesome wedding.

This year's events....Part 1 of 4

Awww whata year this has been. I'll write this year's events in a three part series 'cause I"m cool like that......
Part I: Meeting my soulmate

I actually experienced love at first sight with my husband. How we met should win some sort of an award or something!

So there I was....
I was on CMT (country music television) and got the AWESOME opportunity to hang out with Rascal Flatts while on a show called CMT Got Me In With the Band. This was in July of 2001. God what an experience that was!! The show aired - probably around 100 times. The band consists of 3 main members, Gary, Jay and Joe Don. Well Joe Don's cousin, my now husband Josh, was in the Air Force - stationed in Japan. Josh's grandma taped the show and sent it to him. After viewing the show, Josh proclaimed that someday he was going to marry me! What a confident young man he is! Well after searching and searching for my information, he came up empty-handed, until one fine day in August of 2004. I had went to a Rascal Flatts Fan's website and signed my name and email address. The next day, I got an email from Josh saying how big of fan he was of me. I'm not gonna lie - I did think he was some sort of staulker at first. But, something inside me said 'give this guy a break!' So I emailed back and after hundreds of emails, IM's, and phone calls later, I knew that I loved him. Well, Josh was getting out of Japan and was headed back to the states. We really wanted to meet face-to-face to see if our love was for-real. So, we decided to meet in Chicago in November 2004- where Rascal Flatts were playing.
So there I was....in the baggage claim of the Chicago O'Hara airport....walking down and seeing the most handsome cowboy with a bunch of roses....I knew right then and there that he was my soulmate. The wierd thing was, my dad was asking me just minutes before I saw Josh, if I was ready for my life to be forever changed. It was like he already knew....
The guys of Rascal Flatts were sooo surprised to see us together - like how in the hell did we get together! They knew us both but not together (does that make sence?)
From that weekend on, we knew that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.
In the first week of December 2004, Josh flew to Montana to ask my parents for my hand in marriage. He did this all by himself!! Yes! He is a brave one! And here are my folks just looking at him like "who the hell are you!" But they were good sports about it and gave him their blessing. Glad they did otherwise we'd eloped!

Goes to show you that everything happens for a reason. I'm now a firm believer in that!!

Stay tuned for Part 2 of 3!