How was your weekend?

That is the question everyone asks on Monday when you walk in the office. I thought maybe my readers would like to know what we did too.

After work on Friday, I went to get my nails done and my lip and eyebrows waxed. I REALLY needed that done. My nails were outgrown and my face was hairy :) I got to my appointment early and they took me right away, so I was home before my Mom and the kids returned from a birthday party.

I started cleaning the house by vacuuming. In the middle, my Mom and the kids showed up. I finished vacuuming and then began to dust. Next, I hit the kitchen. My Mom was kind enough to clean the downstairs bathroom, wash the throw rugs and sweep the kitchen floor. I cleaned the counters and the sink in the kitchen. Steve came home with pizza, so we ate dinner. Then, I took my vacuum upstairs and did those rugs. I finished up by cleaning the upstairs bathroom.

My next task was to get all my stuff ready for Memoranza on Saturday. I put together all the folders and labeled all the catalogs. Then I priced all the product and packed up everything. This took ALL night. I finally got to bed after midnight.

I was up at 6:45 am Saturday and began with Ava and her bottle. When she went down for her nap, I hit the A&P to buy snacks/drinks for Memoranza. When I got home I got the kids ready, myself showered and then did a scrapbook page using the free gift to show an idea of how to use it. I ate a quick diet sandwich and then the Yoegel's showed up. Before I knew it, it was time to get to my event. My Mom, Tracey, Steve and I loaded the car and we headed out. Luckily Steve was able to help us unload and set up the room. There was no way we could have done it ourselves. Memoranza went well. 2 people could not come, so there was only 7 scrappers, but the 7 had fun and got a lot done. I love to see the great ideas people come up with. Very creative bunch. I ordered some pizza, eggplant and a salad for dinner so we took a break to eat. 9:00 pm came so quick and Steve showed up to help us break everything down and return the room to order. I was exhausted. The kids (except for Ava) were up when we got home, so we put them to bed, got into comfy clothes and began playing Family Feud on PS2. I however, fell asleep on the couch :( Sorry Tray and Rich!

Sunday morning Ava let me sleep till 8 am! After her bottle we all went to the Colonial Diner for breakfast. Of course I was STARVING and they forgot to make my omelet, but it was good once it showed up. The Yoegel's headed back to PA and we went home. I put together Ava's exersaucer, un-packed and put everything away from Memoranza and got ready to go the my Aunt Carol and Uncle Tom's for Katie's going away party.

As always, my Aunt and Uncle threw a great party and we all enjoyed each others company. We told funny stories and took silly pictures. Of course there was drinking and eating, and believe it or not, I drank A LOT more than I ate! Josh got to meet all our crazy family members and he seemed to even like them :) I know they all thought highly of him. We were the last to leave because I had to get up enough strength to say Good-Bye without falling apart. I promised Josh and Jill that I would hold it together and I did. I will miss my Kate very much (tearing up now just thinking about it), BUT we will see them often and she is going to be very happy in CA. She picked a great guy that will take great care of her. This is an awesome opportunity for both of them and I wish them the best of luck. I can't wait to hear all about their journey west and see pictures of their place. I will be sending them lots of pictures and videos of the kids so they do not miss a beat. Hopefully, we'll plan a trip to visit them later this year. Maybe we could even meet them in Vegas!

Today it was work as usual, except with a HUGE headache and upset stomach :) Tonight I plan on going to Jazzercise to work off the Creamsicles I drank last night :(

Some new things

Ava is laughing! It is such a great sound. After dinner last night, David was acting silly and Ava loved to watch him. All of a sudden, I heard a giggle! Then another and then a whole bunch! Every time he laughed, she laughed. It was hysterical. She makes the cutest laugh. I took video so I never forget it. I love that she has turned out to be a happy baby girl.

I cut my hair! I searched through old pictures yesterday and found a hairstyle I liked. It was from Sept. of 2004. I printed a front and back shot and brought it with me to the salon last night. First she colored my hair and then it was the cut. There was a lot on the floor when she was done. So far, I like it. When I have to style it myself tomorrow - I may have a different opinion. I lost almost ALL my curl, so it will not look exactly like the picture I gave her, but I needed a different style.

I don't need shocks! I took my car in last Monday for an oil change and when I went to get it, was told I had big problems. One of which was the shocks. Steve told me to get a second opinion and I did that this morning. I just heard back from the mechanic and NO SHOCKS NEEDED!! I do have a leak in the transmission, but the quote to fix it is a lot less than Firestone quoted. They are going to order what they need and I'll bring the car back next week to have it fixed.

David and Steve cleaned the basement! While I was working yesterday, the boys went to town on the mess in the basement. After dinner, David took me on a tour. It looks great! Steve even patched up some dings in the wall and hung up the US map Santa brought David. I sure hope it stays nice and tidy. David said he'd put a toy back before he'd take another out. That would be so nice :)

One not so new thing...I did not lose any weight again! I am really getting upset. With the exception of St. Pat's Day, I have been VERY good. I even used up some extra energy at Jazzercise on Monday. I have to say that my pants are loose, so maybe I am losing inches and not pounds right now. Who knows! Next week better show me something or I am going to FREAK :(

The scale is NOT my friend!

I weighed myself yesterday morning and to my dismay...I DID NOT LOSE ANY WEIGHT! I am very upset by this. Not only have I been very well behaved on my diet, I have started taking Jazzercise classes. What more does my body want me to do? I am going to see what the scale says next week before I do anything drastic. By drastic I mean 'start taking fat burners'. I was going to try them before I started Weight Watchers, but I am afraid of them, so I thought I could lose the weight with a diet. I even went as far as to research each ingredient in the pills I was considering online. I really do not want to have to resort to the fat burners, so I sure hope the needle on the scale moves next week.

Pictures as promised!

Look at those cheeks!

First we weren't too sure...
But in the end we liked it!

Chubsy Wubsy

Ava had her 4 month check up this morning. She weighs 15 lbs, 3 oz and it 25 inches long!! She is in the 75% for both weight and height. She is so cute and chubby. You could just eat her up. Her ear infection is all gone, as is David's. Everything else was good and she can start eating Rice Cereal! She is going to LOVE it. I'll post pictures of her first bites...they will be nice and messy, I'm sure :)

I brought my car for a long over due oil change before we went to the pediatrician. I went to pick it up after, and got bad news. My brakes, shocks and tires all needed to be replaced. There is also a leak from my transmission. YIKES! I left the car there for the brakes and tires. I am not looking forward to the bill when I go to pick it up later. If you hear screams at about 5 pm, it's me paying for my car :(

Orajel to the rescue!

Ava was pretty good last night. When I got home, she was sleeping in her carrier in the snap n' go stroller and my Grandmom was rocking it. When she woke up, she was smiley and giggly. After a diaper change, I tried to feed her, but she was not hungry. Once my Mom got back from the hair salon, I left to get my nails done. Ava took a bottle while I was gone. We ate dinner when I got home and then she took her 7:30 pm bottle and was sleeping by 8 pm. At about 9:30 pm, she was screaming in her crib. This was a first. I went up and got her, but nothing was helping. I noticed she was pulling at her ear/face, so Steve got the Tylenol. She took that and was still screaming. Next, we put Orajel on her gums. Finally - relief!! Looks like our little girl is cutting some teeth. Although I feel bad that she will be in pain, at least now we have a reason for her crankiness and we know how to help her. PHEW! I feel much better. Hopefully, tonight she'll be just as good as last night and if she wakes up, we know exactly what to do.

P.S. I am taking my first Jazzercise class tonight. I only lost 2 lbs this week, so I want to see if some exercise will do the trick!

Crying like a baby

Yes, that's right...Ava is a very cranky baby. When she wakes up in the morning, she coos and gagas in her crib and it sounds so cute. She is even happy after her 1st bottle and nap. Once 3 pm hits, it's all down hill from there. Sometimes, it's even earlier than 3 pm. This weekend was horrible. After working 8 hours a day for 5 days, I usually love my weekends. This one, I could have lived without. I cleaned the house Saturday morning while she napped and that was the only good I did all weekend. I had a Dermatologist appointment on Saturday afternoon and Steve said she was awful while I was gone. I sure saw what he meant when I got home. For the rest of the day, she was miserable. My cousins Mike and Laura-Ann came over and we grabbed a bite to eat at the Grove. I felt SO bad for them, having to sit through a dinner with a crying baby. When we got home, she was no better. I was so relieved to put her to bed. Sunday Steve let me sleep in and he said Ava was a doll while I rested. I got up around 9 and she was still a happy girl. Then, the afternoon hit. We went to Home Depot and she screamed. We drove in the car and she screamed. Again, I could not wait till it was her bed time. I know that David was an exceptionally good baby and we were probably spoiled, but I really feel like I am going to lose my mind. Sometimes I wonder if we spaced the kids out too far and Steve and I are just over the 'baby' stage. But than again, if she was a happy, giggly baby - I think we'd be enjoying it as much as we did when David was this age. Ava has her 4 month check up on Monday the 12th. I am going to talk to the doctor about her crankiness. Maybe she/he knows some tricks. They will also be starting her on cereal - that might help her. If not, I might end up needing something to help me :(

New Information

I have decided give my blog an update and give my readers some extra information. You'll notice off to the left hand side, I have placed my favorite links under Links I Love. Here you will find links that I visit everyday as well as links to my business website and the scrapping store I will be teaching at. Hop on over to each of those sites and see what else I am up to. I am sure you will not be disappointed :) Under the heading of Info:, I have given you an ID # so you can grab 20 digital prints for FREE! Now I know everyone loves FREE stuff, so use it!


Totally unrelated picture, but I love it!