30 Day Blog Challenge- Day 14-A picture you love

LOVE this picture by Ivy Studios. It was taken this past May and I think totally was a prelude to how E's personality would develop in the months to come. He wasn't such a goofball then but NOW is a total ham! Loves to bounce around and make silly faces. Oh and me and DH look pretty happy too :P

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 13-Goals

As far as short term goals I have a few: 

-LOSE WEIGHT. At this point I'll take any loss!

-Learn about photography

-Move out (we're working on this one!)

-Spend more quality time with DH...alone...lol

I know I've got more but I'm drawing blanks (thank-you overnight 16 hour shifts on the weeknds....). BUT here's a reminder on the LONG list of goals I am working on.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 12- What you believe

I believe in 2nd chances. 

I believe that being a mom is the most wonderful "job" in the whole world.

I believe that as long as you learn from your mistakes and commit to not repeating them most can be forgiven.

I believe that family is more than those that are blood related.

I believe that college is better the 2nd time around :)

I believe its ok to eat dessert after every dinner.

I believe it's ok to spoil your child as long as they don't become a brat about it.

I believe manners matter.

I believe in marriage.

I believe in God.

I believe that sometimes you just need a good cry.

I believe the bad times help you appreciate the good times.

I believe that blogging is therapeutic :P

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 11- Favorite TV Shows

TV is a favorite DVR past-time of mine. I don't get to sit down and watch it very often so I have a nice little collection piling up! Here is MOST of what is saved on the tube right now:

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 10- Something you're afraid of

Typing this entry sends shivers down my spine and makes me feel the need to turn the lights on.

I have two fears. Heights- hate them, but I deal with them.

Then there is this :

OMG I LOATHE clowns. My parents let me watch "IT" when I was little and ever since then the sight of them sends me into a panic attack. I freak out during Halloween cause they're everywhere and forget the Circus. If one comes near me I run the opposite direction!!!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 9- A picture of your friends

I like this one :) But at the same time it makes me so sad.

I have the world's BEST friends. They're like family to me and I couldn't imagine my life without them. Two of my BFF's in AZ have been through so much with me, and I am so grateful they are in my life. They fit so perfectly in my life cause they're my "go-to" people for different things/reasons...so it works out quite nicely :) Plus we're in the same group of friends so it makes life easier lol.

Sonja has been one of my closest friends since basically I moved to AZ. She started dating her DH around the same time I started dating mine and that's how our story began :) Ever since then our lives have been pretty in-sync...her's less dramatic of course haha. She got engaged....then I got engaged...she got married...I got married...she got pregnant...a few days later I found I was. That's when the craziness happened. It wasn't enough that our friendship was so tied together, that our in-utero children were even more so connected. It was nuts! Once one baby did one thing, within a week the other would mimic. Sonja went into pre-term labor at about 28 weeks, then I did at 29 weeks (both weekends these incidences happened were of course the weekends of our baby showers!). I gave birth Sept 4th, Sonja did on the 5th. And to this day they still do things one after another...love it!

 A week before we both found out we we're pregnant!

Two weeks before the babies we're born!

Then there is my dear Sheena. We became friends a few years ago but weren't super close like me and Sonja. When I got pregnant something clicked and we "chatted" daily. She listened to my complaints, gave advice, support, eased my mind when I was a nervous wreck...you name it and she was there! Total lifesaver, and no idea how I would've kept sane without her. She is now preggo herself and I can't wait to meet baby Alli!

Here's one of the group of girls:

 Sheena, Sonja (baby Makayla), Laura (baby Blake), me (baby Ethan)

 Mommies and their babies (we found out baby Alli was coming a few days prior!)

And the daddy's (and uncle Ethan lol)

I have made some wonderful friends in WA that have made the move here so much easier, but apparently I'm not as camera happy anymore cause I don't have any pics of us :( YIKES! 

30 Day Challenge Catch-up! Day's 6,7, AND 8!

Yikes I am so behind on this :(

But I DO have an excuse...worked 16 hour overnights Friday and Saturday and a normal 8 on Sunday THEN got super sick Monday with a 102.5 fever. Soooo I wasn't just being lazy I swear!

Day 6-A picture of something that makes you happy

This was taken when Ethan was about 7 months old. I LOVE his big, wet, slobbery kisses. He wakes up every morning and grabs my ears and lays a big one on me. No matter WHAT is happening at that moment, those kisses make every tear, every struggle, every pain in my rear worth while.




Day 7-Favorite movies
I love movies. Me and DH watch them all the time...at home that is. See there's this cute thing called a baby that prevents us from leaving the house at the same time (alone that is lol). Date night is few and far between these days but we're ok with that. Here are just a few of my favorites:

I'm sure there are more but at this moment I can't think of them :P

Day 8-A place you've traveled to

While nannying in AZ I got the pleasure of traveling with families (or without if they had to leave me and the kids there :D ) on their summer vacations. And each year it was the same place! Cornado Beach in CA. I just love it there. It's so pretty, peaceful, and just plain relaxing. For the life of me I can't find any of my pics anywhere but here are some pictures of the beach area that I basically would spend the whole week. One year we even stayed on the hotel on the beach...HEAVEN!

Fall Fashions

I figured it'd be a nice change to throw another post in there that wasn't part of the 30 Day Challenge :)

I don't know why but ever year when Fall comes around I feel the need to add something Leopard print into my wardrobe lol. Weird huh? Now I'm not one of those crazy women who dresses head to toe in animal print. EWWW gross is all I gotta say! But I feel a dash here and there is acceptable (right?!?!). I used to be SO fashion savvy back in the day and now I dress like a total mom. It's sad people, really really sad.

I recently decided that I want to get back to my fashion savvy self. I may be bigger but I can still rock it! So last week I bought this:

And tonight I bought this :) :

The robe is a little much I know but no one is gonna see it other than DH :P And I saw one like it months ago on Khloe and Kourtney take Miami and wanted one so bad lol!

So what do you think? Am I stuck a few years back with the Leopard print accessories? What are YOUR fall fashion favorites?

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 5-Your siblings

I love my sisters. And I miss them dearly. 

Me, Holly, and Sandy 

As you can see we look nothing alike lol. They are both from my dad's first marriage hence the paleness they both are rocking hahaha. Although they are my "half" sisters I never for one second have thought of them as anything less than my sisters. I didn't get to grow up with them unless my dad had them on the weekends or they were coming to visit but I remember some great times of them playing forts with me or taking me to get ice cream. 

As we grew older I became closer with my sister Sandy. She had a baby when I was 10 so I did a lot of babysitting. The average difference between us is 7 years so I think it was easier for her to tolerate me growing up lol jk. Holly is 10 years older than me and I loved her just as much but I do admit we didn't have the closeness until older when I could relate to things she was doing (marriage, babies, etc).

They both live in Chicago which sucks cause I never get to see them or my nieces and nephews. I really wish they would visit up here but hopefully sooner rather than later I will see them (and they will meet their nephew!) 

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 4-Your parents

My parents. Oh boy. What a subject. A HUGE part as to why my life can/was/is a roller coaster. And not just my adult life, teenage years were all sorts of special too. I like to believe that I BELIEVED my childhood was good. I don't remember too much fighting, and I have fun and happy memories of family vacations. So I don't think the drama was recognizable until I was older.

My parents are divorced. They split up the summer after I graduated High School and it has been a long. traumatic. horrific.ordeal every step of the way. There's been picking sides, checking up, dirty gossip the whole road to court and then some after. I hate it. I hated it when they were married and I hate it even more now that I am an adult. I've learned to just put my foot down and say that if I have to have a conversation regarding the other parent that lasts more than a minute I'm walking out/hanging up. Fun times.

I don't have many pictures of my parents as you can guess. The ones I have are only from when they are with E. Sad, huh?

My dad (paw paw) and E.

 I've been a daddy's girl my whole life. EVERYONE knows it too. I don't like the things my dad does/did but he's my dad and I'm his princess. If he has the power to do whatever I want/need he will make it happen. And I love him for that. I just wish the choices that were made we're better. He's dying and it could've been prevented and/or prolonged and it infuriates me. 

My mom (grandma) and E

Oh my mother. We butt heads more than any other mother/daughter combo I know. I'm more like her than I want to admit but it's true. I work like her, I act like her, I shop like her. The one thing I don't do it parent like her. She worked 24/7 while I was growing up so I NEVER saw her. I don't remember her coming to my school for things, she (or my dad) was rarely at my games. Neither came to my state cheerleading competition. It is what it is. I cried and was heartbroken, but I got over it. I know that she had to work to support us, but I can't lie and say I was/am resentful for her not being there for me. I feel like I got jipped in that whole mom/daughter bonding experience. We're working on it now though, and I am thankful for that.