I know I know

I know I've been neglecting my blog as of recent. Which is sad since I know I have quite a few readers, a few whom are new. I'm working on it...I swear!

To let you know why I haven't been posting a whole lot...here's a brief description of what's been going on.

Bob was on vacation all last week. When he's off from work I have a difficult time sticking to any routine...not really that I had much of a routine anymore since Kyle, but I still don't do many things I normally do when he's not here (gee, like spend hours on the computer perhaps)

The first weekend he went on vacation was busy. Saturday we were at my parents house celebrating Mother's Day, my birthday, and Bob's birthday (Mine was on the 26th and Bob's was on the 22nd). Sunday was spent at church, doing things around the house, and spending some family time together.

Monday Bob and I stained the deck while my parents watched the kids (BIG thanks to them!). It was a loooooong job as it is a big deck, but we managed to finally get it done just before sunset.
Tuesday was Bob's birthday. He took most of the day off (other than cutting the grass) and I spent a good portion of the day spring cleaning.
Wed. Bob put in a new back door and screen door to go with out freshly stained deck. It was quite a project that took all day. I spent most of the time taking care of the kids.
Thursday he finished the door and we spent some family time together.
Friday I ended up getting sick (lovely). We did go to the store though and Bob is building a PVR. (it's just like DVR but from a computer and can do sooo much more).
Saturday was my birthday. I spent the morning taking Ryan to a pancake/breakfast birthday party for one of his friends. It wasn't too bad...I got to talk to a few of the other moms and had some pancakes too. (shhh...and don't tell anyone that I also had a glass of champaigne and orange juice while there.) Didn't do a whole lot for my birthday...I did get some computer time...but when you are so far behind anyway (sorry everyone for not keeping up on your blogs....I'm working on it really!!) it's so hard to keep up. I have about a bazillion places I need to go on the net that I can't do it all anymore in the short time I have now.
Sunday we all went to church as a family (FINALLY) and both Ryan and Kyle got dedicated. It was so sweet and wonderful. Sunday night my parents took the kids again and Bob and I went to a party (I will share about that in a separate post as soon as I get the pics uploaded).
Monday was Memorial Day and I spent the day cleaning and cleaning and more cleaning while Bob worked on the PVR. Then my parents brought the kids home and stayed for dinner where we had a grill out! YUM!

And this week it's been crazy trying to get back to life without Bob here all day again. Amazing how quickly we get used to things isn't it?

So that's what it's been like here. Crazy crazy.
I'll make a point to actually post about the party sometime today or tomorrow.

Oh yeah! And during my computer time I actually was able to work on my book! I wrote a page and a half!! woo hoo!!!

Another year older

What's the phrase....another year older, another year wiser? LOL I'm not sure how true that is.

Today is my birthday. I'm 32. Hard to believe I'm that old already...not that 32 is really that old. It's rather young actually. It just feels weird to be "in my 30's".

No big plans today. In a few minutes I'm taking Ryan to a friend's birthday party. Nothing like celebrating my birthday with a house full of 4 and 5 yr olds!

I promise to post more about my very busy week this past week. I have barely had enough time to check email much less computer time!!!

I will let you know how my birthday celebrations go.

GTKY questions

I love doing these! Thought I would share.

My childhood dream was to: Were you able to fulfill this?

My dream when I was young was to be a gymnast. My idol growing up was Nadia Comaneci. I wanted to be just like her. I was in gymastics until I turned 13. Then I had to quit because I wasn't ready for competitions or anything and it was costing too much money. But I had (and still do) the body type for it....I'm thin and petite!

When I am waking up each morning, I am looking forward to:

warm weather! Just the chance to be outside or let Ryan play outside is wonderful. It breaks up the day and gives Ryan a chance to get out his energy.

The person I most admire is: Why?

I most admire my friend Lisa. She has an amazing faith in Christ. She has been through some really difficult times yet her faith remained strong and stable. She has 3 children under the age of 5 and has survived breast cancer. (She was diagnosed with cancer when she was in her third trimester of pregnancy with her last child). I most admire her for her faith.

If I could travel anywhere in the entire world I'd go to: What would you do there?

I would go to Venice, Austria. I would see the Mozart museum and where he lived. I love Mozart and have always been interested in his life and work. I'd love to go there.

The best book I ever read was: Why did it hold your attention?

The most obvious answer of course is the Bible. But other than that one, I'd say my favorite is Redemption by Karen Kingsbury. It was the first Christian book I ever read and it held my attention because it wasn't what I thought a "typical" Christian book would be like. It's about a Christian family that goes through trials and tribulations and how it affects their faith. It's the first book in the Redemption series.

What is one way you'd like to grow spiritually in the following year?

I'd like to get in the habit of reading my Bible everyday. Having regular prayer and reading time. Unfortunately with little ones I don't get much of a chance to read and study and pray quietly. It's rather sporadic currently...but I would really like to get back to reading and studying every day.

My closest friend would describe me as most like:
a. Oscar the grouch (majorly melancholy)
b. Big Bird (naive but extremely friendly)
c. Grover (well intended but not very tactful)
d. Cookie Monster ( fixated on the good stuff)
e. Elmo (curious beyond compare)

I'd say I'm most like B. Though I'm not quite as naive as I used to be, but I am extremely friendly.

If I had one day without responsibilities or interruptions, I'd:

Write!!! I would definitely write my book. I haven't touched it since Kyle was born...and I really miss writing.

Mother's Day

I had a very nice mother's day. Didn't get to do exactly what I wanted to do, but it was still a very nice day.

I slept in a half hour while Bob got up with the kids. It was so nice...especially since Kyle had been up twice that night! When I got up I took a shower and breakfast was ready for me when I got out! Eggs, toast, bacon. Yum! (I have a wonderful hubby that likes to cook!)
After breakfast I was able to read the paper...sort of. For a few minutes and then I had to feed Kyle. LOL
Before I left for church Bob gave me a gift from himself and the kids.
It's a brand new Bible!! I'm so excited....it's the Bible I have been wanting for some time now. The Bible I currently have was given to me by my mentor, my friend who helped me come to Christ. But it is getting old and worn. I really wanted to get a Life Application Study Bible....it has tons of info in it like maps, guidelines, explanations, life applications, cross referencing, etc. It is awesome! The only problem I have with using it now is all my notes and underlines are in the other Bible! LOL But it's like reading it all over again, which is awesome.

I was able to use my new Bible at Sunday School. Then during service I had to work in the infant nursery....so I wasn't able to go to service. It wasn't too bad...lots of babies but they were all good (including Kyle!). I did get a rose too....my church gives a red rose to all mothers.

After service I came home and finished reading the paper, spent some time on the computer, did dishes (yeah, I know, but what ya gonna do? LOL). I played with Ryan for a bit outside and just enjoyed sitting at home being waited on. LOL

For dinner we went out to Famous Dave's (Thanks Shawna....you had me craving that! LOL). Both the kids did well too until we were just about ready to leave. Ryan was at his limit and Kyle was getting over stimulated. But I have lots of leftovers.....which I did have for lunch today!

In the evening I just sat and vegged on the couch, watching tv. It was a nice day.

Though the one thing I really wanted to do was write my book. oh well. Guess we can't have it all! LOL

Hope you had a good Mother's Day too.

I've been tagged!!!!

My first ever tag for a meme!! I'm so excited! LOL Thanks Shawna for being the first to tag me! Unlike Shawna and Sam, I actually enjoy doing these. I know, I'm weird. LOL

So here's my first meme:

Are you a spiritual person?

Yes. I believe in God, the Father Almighty and Creator, and His son Jesus Christ is my Savior. I believe that the Bible is the complete and absolute Truth. I go to church every week and volunteer in the church library and the nursery. I go to Bible studies and Sunday School.

I'm not just "religious" though....I'm also spiritual. I have a personal relationship with Christ. He is not just my Savior, but my friend also. I pray to Him, talk to Him, tell him what's on my mind. When I have time I write in a prayer journal...sort of a diary for Christ.
I try to live my life as a Christian...following Christ's footsteps. I try to live my life like Him. Though it's hard as we are all sinners and will never live up to his standards, I like to think he can be proud of me for some things.

What makes your blog unique?

My blog is unique because no one is like me. :) It's not really anything special...but it's me and there is no one else like me. No one else has my thoughts, feelings, family, etc. So that's what makes it unique.

What are your feelings on the "blog popularity" issue?

What issue?? I have never heard of it before. I do realize there are some blogs that are more popular....they are great writers with very interesting things to say.
I don't really mind if my blog is popular or not. My purpose for blogging is not to be "popular" (why do I feel like I'm back in high school again?), but to share my life, dreams, writings and so on with people. Just to get my voice out there I guess. A place I can call home.

When did you start blogging?

I started blogging in Oct of 2005. Has it really been that long? My friend Cindy got me into it after I started reading hers. I thought it was so cool so I had to join too.

Ok....now I get to tag three people!!! And rudeness, Mandacakes, and Cindy.....you are all my victims...er friends I am tagging!! Have fun!

The world of technology

Technology is an amazing thing. The amount of ways we can communicate, stay connected, learn, and do things is practically limitless. I'm still amazed at it all...and it keeps growing each day.

Way back in the day (back in high school and the first few college years) I was so opposed to growing technology. I didn't want a computer. I only used one to type up papers and didn't see the use for it for anything else. I was unwilling to learn and determined to not change my ways.

Then I met Bob. His interest in computers made me see that they really aren't such bad things. He showed me how to use email, how to type up papers and use spell check (couldn't live without that!!), how to play games, and to look up things online. I really got into it when he introduced me to chat rooms. Who knew I'd have so much fun chatting with other women about my favorite soap opera? Soon, I was so into the computer, no one could get me off of it!

I now am so connected, I barely recognize who I was before. Now I have my own blog(s), read others, go to several message boards, look stuff up constantly, writing my book on Microsoft Office (2003)....and the list goes on and on. We even have a digital camera and all my pictures are on the 'puter.

Where, you ask, am I going with this?

I have been a member of a parenting message board for 3 years now. I have come to know many of these women very well....I even consider them friends, though we've never met. I rely on their friendship, advice, and support more than probably my own real life friends. I know so much about these women, as they know so much about me.

Two weeks ago I finally got to meet one of my "online" friends. We have talked via IM, email, and eventually, phone, but have never actually met in person. She lives about 3 hours from me and happened to be coming this way to take her child to the Children's Hospital for some tests (her child is ok.....just needed some testing). Since I'm realitively close by, we decided to meet for lunch before her appointment.

I had such a blast! It was so wonderful to finally meet her and see her in person as opposed to just pictures on the screen and a voice on the phone. We have helped each other through some very difficult times in our lives (we both have gone through PPD) and it was just amazing to be able to spend some time together. We are in the process of making some plans for the summer to get together.

I look back now and think what a blessing technology has been for me. It gave me support and friendship when I had PPD and when I had a m/c, it gave me information when I was TTC, it has given me a way to stay connected to people all around the world, and it has given me friends I never would have known otherwise. What a world we live in!

Here is a few pics from our meeting! To the left is Colleen and her baby Alyssa (who is only a week older than Kyle) and to the right is me and Kyle.

Here is a group picture without the hubbys.....they didn't want their pic taken. From left to right: Alia (Colleen's 2 yr old), Ryan (my 4 yr old), Colleen, Alyssa, me, Kyle.

Kyle is 3 months old!

Time is going so fast!! He is now 3 months old!! I took him to the dr yesterday for a follow up from the ER visit. He weighs 11 lbs 15 oz and is 22 1/2 inches long. Wow. I call him my little chunker!! LOL Ryan didn't weigh that until he was about 5 or 6 months old! LOL

He is interacting a lot more now....smiling and laughing and cooing. He is sleeping about 6 hours at a time at night now. Which means I'm not nearly as tired anymore. :)

He is definitely a momma's boy currently. He seems more comfortable with mommy than daddy. I get the bigger smiles and he prefers me feeding him. It actually makes me feel good...with the depression I was worried I wouldn't have that special bonding with him. I needn't worry as he is definitely bonded to me! LOL

The latest picture is to the right --->

My baby is getting so big already!

It's that time of year again!

I'm a few days late on posting this....as always LOL. I can't seem to keep up with the blog lately....I'm lucky I get to get on the computer at all most days!

One of my favorite things about this time of year here in Milwaukee.....the Channel 10 (PBS) Auction!! It's a huge fundraiser for PBS that lasts a week where viewers can bid on various items and services donated by companies/people. I absolutely love watching it every year...and most years I bid on things and win. Though this year I haven't had a whole lot of time to watch, so we'll see if I get anything or not!